December 25, 2011

Road to Jerusalem Palladium’s scathing account of 2011 pilgrimage

Obasanjo, PDP knew about Bola Ige’s death –Lam Adesina Page 16 Additional reports 18- 20

–Page 23

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Vol.06, No. 1984

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SUNDAY

DECEMBER 25, 2011

N200.00

CHRISTMAS RUSH Soyinka, Amosun, Amaechi stranded on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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T was another day of chaotic traffic on the Lagos -Ibadan expressway yesterday during which thousands of travellers were trapped for endless hours.

The victims included Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka,Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of River state.

Governor Amosun called the gridlock worrisome and terrible.

"Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Professor Soyinka called to inform me of their ordeal unknown to them that I was also in the same traffic .I spent close to five hours just like everybody. It was just terrible,'' he told reporters.

•Continued on Page 2

Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos at night this Yuletide .

Photo: Olusegun Rapheal

Boko Haram: Army HQ cordoned off T

HE Nigerian Army is not leaving anything to chance following the Friday assault by its men on Boko Haram members in Damaturu, Yobe State, in which 59 of the sect followers were gunned down.

A security cordon was yesterday thrown around the army headquarters in Abuja to forestall a possible reprisal on soldiers by the sect.

Last June suspected members of the group to bombed the Louis Edet House police headquarters, Abuja.The Police Inspector General, Mr. Hafiz Ringim escaped death by the whiskers in the attack.

Two persons-the suspected suicide bomber

Death toll in Yobe attacks nears 70 30 sect members arrested in Bauchi From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

and a security official at the park- died while 35 vehicles at the police headquarters car park were destroyed as the explosive went off.

The Chief of Army Staff, LieutenantGeneral Azubuike Ihejirika, confirmed on Friday in Abuja that men of the Joint Task

Force, in a gun battle with Boko Haram members in Damaturu earlier that day killed 59 of them.

It was observed that security at the Army Headquarters had been beefed up yesterday. The lane leading to a part of the complex from Area 10 to the International Conference Centre was blocked.

•Continued on Page 2

FUEL SUBSIDY We won’t betray Nigerians, House vows –Page 2

2012: Jonathan pledges progress on transformation –Page 2

Aregbesola is different kind of governor –Adeboye –Page 5

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NEWS THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Fuel subsidy: We won’t betray Nigerians, House vows

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HE House of Representatives is not amused by President Goodluck Jonathan’s optimism that, come what may, the National Assembly will endorse the Federal Government’s planned removal of fuel subsidy.

The President said on national television in his second media chat on Friday that members if the national legislature would back his plan by the time they return from the Christmas and New Year break once they are given the “necessary explanation.”

He also said they could not afford to see the economy collapse on account of the refusal of the executive arm of government to remove the subsidy.

But reacting to the President’s view yesterday, Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed declared that the chamber stood by the wish of the generality of Nigerians which is against the removal of the subsidy. He vowed that the representatives would refuse to be railroaded by anyone on the issue.

He dismissed as a per-

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

sonal desire whatever the President said about the National Assembly’s likely backing of the government plan.

Mr. Mohammed, in a statement, insisted that the issue would be treated purely on its own merit.

He said:”For the avoidance of doubt we in the 7th National Assembly have not endorsed subsidy removal because it has not yet been debated in the House. Hopefully the House would commence the debate when we begin to take on the 2012 budget after the Xmas and New Year break.

“Mr. President’s view on National Assembly’s stand on subsidy should be seen for all intents and purposes as his desire since our processes on the burning national issue has not been concluded.

“We assure Nigerians that as their true representatives we shall continue to be on the same page with them on their dream of a better Nigeria.”

It was learnt that members of the opposition in the

National Assembly felt slighted by the presidential conclusion that the lawmakers might automatically buy into the withdrawal of fuel subsidy.

The President had, in the media chat said: “This is not just Jonathan’s project. The governors and the National

Assembly members are also involved. We are talking to all the stakeholders. I had a meeting with the National Assembly members and I believe that before they finish deliberating on the budget proposal, they will see reasons why they should support fuel subsidy

removal.

“I do not think the National Assembly will be against subsidy removal as long as they get explanations. The Minister of Finance will engage them and I don’t think they will take any contrary position.”

Passengers waiting to board yesterday at MMA-2 Ikeja, Lagos Photo: Isaac Jimoh Ayodele

Boko Haram: Army HQ cordoned off •Continued from Page 1 A wave of arrests has followed the latest round of Boko Haram attacks in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum while an attempt by the sect members to invade Bauchi on Friday night was aborted and the suspected invaders-30 of them-were apprehended.

Preliminary findings showed that Pompomari area of Damaturu , where the preemptive shelling of the sect took place, is suspected to be the main armour and bomb manufacturing base of Boko Haram.

In another development, 14 suspects were brought to Abuja yesterday from Damaturu. It was gathered that security reports indicated that keeping the suspects in Damaturu was unsafe as the sect might try to set them free.

The Commissioner of Police in Yobe State, Alhaji Tanko Lawal, who spoke exclusively with our correspondent, said: “We have restored law and order but the curfew is still in place. We do not want to take anything for granted.

“What we had on Thursday was a night operation. We are suspecting that where we attacked was probably the main factory where they make bombs and distribute nationwide for attacks.

“They opened fire on our officers and men because we were able to uncover their major base.

“You see, some of the suspects have Kanuri marks but the nature of this terrain is

such that if you move a step to the neighbouring countries, you will also see them wearing these same tribal marks.

“The ongoing interrogation in Abuja will be able to reveal their true identities and their mission.

Responding to a question, Lawal said: “We have collated the number of those killed. So far, 12 Boko Haram members were killed in the crossfire.

“Those killed Boko Haram members could be more because what the sect did was to quickly evacuate their members who were shot dead.

“The number of civilian casualty recorded was one. We had limited number of civilian casualties because most of the Boko Haram hideouts are isolated in outskirts of Damaturu.

If their hideouts had been within populated environment, the story would have been different. The location of their base actually reduced the casualty figures.

A top security source, who spoke in confidence, also said since the operation against the sect was ongoing, Damaturu cannot be convenient for the interrogation of the suspects.

The source said: “Do not forget that the state headquarters of the Nigeria Police in Yobe State was recently burnt by the sect.”

“Keeping these suspects in Damaturu might aggravate the security situation in the state. We have to move them to Abuja to be able to get as much information as possible from them.”

The source also confirmed

the deployment of more troops to Damaturu to complement the police.

“It is not a military operation but a joint coordination by the police, military and other security agencies, is in place to curtail the Boko Haram sect.

Meanwhile, another 30 people suspected to be members of the Islamic sect were on Friday night arrested in Bauchi with sophisticated dangerous arms. The suspects, according to security sources, were arrested on their way into Bauchi, the state capital between 8:27 and 9:00 pm, on December 23rd.

“We suspect that, these people might be coming from either Borno state or Yobe state where they attacked our people two days ago, sources said.

The Nation learnt the well armed suspects were apprehended on the Bauchi / Maiduguri road.

They were due to be transferred to Abuja yesterday for

interrogation.

Efforts to get the Bauchi Police Command Public Relations Office ASP Mohammed Bauchi to confirm the arrest proved abortive and the Bauchi State Police Commissioner Mr.Ikechukwu Aduba could not be reached at press time.

Conflicting estimates say the Islamist group may have killed between 50 and 100 people.

"From reports I have been receiving from Damaturu, up to 100 people could have been killed," a senior police source in the region told AFP, while Chidi Odinkalu, head of the Open Society Justice Initiative, gave a figure of 69-100.

The two days of attacks which saw three cities rocked by explosions and gunfire were carried out by the Boko Haram group, according to a purported spokesman, Abul Qaqa, who spoke to AFP. "We are responsible for the attacks in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum. We

carried out the attacks to avenge the killings of our brothers by the security forces in 2009," he said.

"We will continue to wage war against the Nigerian state until we abolish the secular system and establish an Islamic state."

Sporadic firing could still be heard Saturday but the situation was generally calm, local residents and security officials said.

Twenty bodies were in the morgue of the main hospital in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, staff said, with almost as many at Damaturu, in neighbouring Yobe state.

"So far, we have 19 bodies at the morgue, including three soldiers, three policemen and 13 civilians. They all have gunshot wounds," said an official at Damaturu hospital.

Yobe State governor Abdullahi Bego said peace had been restored but authorities had declared a 7:00 pm to 7:00 am curfew until further notice.

Soyinka, Amosun, Amaechi stranded •Continued from Page 1 "We have been witnessing the menace for ages and it seems there is no hope in sight for all of us. The final solution will be to give the road to those who have the capacity to manage it effectively.

"If they allow us to do it, we will fix it very soon in partnership with the private sector and our people will be relieved. We are appealing

to the Federal Government to let the people who have the capacity to handle this road do it in the interest of the people suffering on this road on a daily basis."

In a veiled reference to the promise by the company to which the road was concessioned, Bi-Courteny, to fix the road before Christmas, the governor said:"They promised that the road would be fixed before Christmas and up till now no

hope. You can see what we are all facing on this road."

Travellers going for Christmas in different parts of the country lamented their frustration.

One Mrs.Chuzoba Okafor who was on her way to attend her sister's wedding in Anambra State claimed to have spent seven hours in the traffic jam. She had no hope of making it to the ceremony.

2012: Jonathan pledges progress on transformation From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

S the country joins the rest of the world in celebrating Christmas President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that significant progress will be made in the implementation of his agenda for national transformation in the coming year.

Jonathan in his Christmas message to the nation also assured that under his leadership, the federal government will continue to work diligently to give full effect to its plans to redirect national resources from wasteful and unproductive areas to identified priority sectors including infrastructure, power supply, job creation, education, agriculture, health and social services.

While wishing all Nigerians a merry Christmas, the President seized the opportunity Nigerians who continue to keep faith with his administration as it strives to fulfill its promise of national transformation.

The President according to a statement by his media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati will continue to count on the support, cooperation and goodwill of all Nigerians as the administration strives to quicken the pace of development across the country.

In this regard, he urged Nigerians to reflect on the themes of piety, love, honesty, patience, humility, selflessness and sacrifice for the good of all which dominate Biblical accounts of Christ’s mission on earth in the belief that the country will make faster progress towards the fulfillment of its immense potentials if more of its citizens imbibe these virtues, and to apply them constantly in the service of the nation and in their daily lives.

Also, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo rejoices with the Christian community and all Nigerians on the occasion of the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Vice President enjoined all citizens to be steadfast, prayerful and to have the fear of God in their minds.

He also enjoined the citizens to be security conscious and drive safely as the country needs all of us to contribute our quota towards our intended destination. He called on the citizenry to appreciate the significance of this festive period by imbibing the teachings and practices of Jesus Christ.

He said citizens to continue should live in peace and harmony and to emulate the virtues and exemplary life bequeathed to us by Jesus Christ for the good of all.

The Vice President appreciated Nigerians for their support for the administration.

He further urged all lawabiding citizens to continue to support the transformation agenda as it is the surest way to the Promised Land.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

News

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

Show love, Makinde tells Christians T HE Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr Sunday Ola Makinde has called on Christian faithful around the world to use the period of the Christmas celebrations to show love especially to those in need in the society. In his goodwill message made available by the Church’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, the cleric said the season of Christmas is a reminder of God’s love to his

children.

According to Makinde said “This is a period for us all to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who was given unto us as a mark

of God’s Love and mercy to humankind.... As a nation, our progress, prosperity, peaceful co-existence and success depends largely on how much tolerance and

Sylva urges democratic rebirth at Christmas

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OVERNOR Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State has called on the people of the state and Nigerians, generally, to rededicate themselves to the moral values for which Christ came to the world.

In a Christmas message released in Yenagoa by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Doifie Ola, Sylva also urged a renewal of faith in democracy among Nigerians, saying there is no alternative to freedom.

He said, “Jesus Christ,

•L-R: Head of Service, Oyo State, Tajudeen Aremu; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Remi Odetomi; Chief Consultant, Supreme Management and Consultancy Services, Yinka Fasuyi, his wife Bisi at the commissioning of Supreme Management and Consultancy Services head office in Ibadan at the weekend.

Yakowa, ACF greet Christians

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ADUNA state governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa yesterday charged all Christians to allow the spirit of love and oneness over ride any form of hatred for the overall development of the state in particular and the nation in general.

Also, the pan northern sociocultural organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) asked

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

Nigerian to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice which it believes can help tame the rising crime wave and state of insecurity in the country.

In his Christmas message, Governor Yakowa said that in this yuletide season kindling the fire of hospitality, love and peace in all our hearts should be

uppermost in the mind of the people.

In its own message signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, the ACF described as symbolic “the birth of Jesus Christ who paid the supreme price in order to reconcile humanity with God as well as clean the divisions between Jews and Gentiles.”

Let’s embrace change, says Fashola

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AGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has advocated the need to embrace change in order to translate the daily demands and aspirations of the citizenry for a better life to reality.

In his Christmas message the governor said the daily demands and aspirations for an improved quality of life in terms of a better economy, schools, power supply, security, jobs, water supply and income among others are inherent demands for change.

According to him, change as “a central metaphor in human existence is what we must all embrace. In the process of embracing change we must also be prepared to make some sacrifice as change readily implies a shift from some of the things we are already used to.”

Noting that Jesus Christ whose birth has given rise to the season being celebrated was an Apostle of positive change, Fashola added: “Our world is changing and we must embrace that change

respect we show for our fellow citizens, irrespective of religious persuasions or tribal differences.”

He called on all to show love and tolerance.

which would lead to the realization of our aspirations for a better life.”

The governor also

thanked Lagosians for leading from the front in harmonious and peaceful coexistence and tolerance.

Uduaghan calls for sober reflection

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O V E R N O R E m m a n u e l Uduaghan of Delta State has called on all Christians and all residents of the state to reflect on the virtues and teachings of Jesus Christ.

While congratulating all for witnessing yet another Christmas season, he advised

that the festive period should be used for sober reflections and total spiritual renewals and devotion towards living in peace and harmony with adherents of other religions.

He praised Christian religious leaders and their counterparts of other faiths in the state for conducting themselves peacefully in their religious activities.

Atiku sues for peace

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HE former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar yesterday urged Nigerian Christians to pray for the peace, unity and prosperity of Nigeria as they celebrate Christmas.

In a Christmas message released by his Media Officer in Abuja, Atiku said that a season such as this, offers opportunity for sober reflection on the part of both the leaders

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and the led on the situation of Nigeria and the lives we live as a community of people.

He criticized the hardship visited on citizens by unscrupulous people who use the opportunity of festive periods to exploit Nigerians instead of giving back to them for their patronage as is customary in other lands.

whom we worship and celebrate this season, is an epitome of selflessness, selfsacrifice, and humility. As we mark His birth, we should soberly reflect on the ideals He represents among us and strive to fix them firmly in our minds through practice.

“Christ taught love, forgiveness, compassion, and generosity. He also declared liberty to the world. In the spirit of the season, we should be challenged to make the lifestyle of Christ part of our everyday private and public lives.”

The governor urged Bayelsans to use the period to review the achievements, successes, and failure of the year with a view to making necessary amends as they prepare to go into the New Year.

“This is a time when communities and families come together to look back at the activities of the year, and forth at the challenges of the New Year. As we reflect and plan, the life of Jesus Christ, who was born in obscurity and poverty more than 2000 years ago but who is being celebrated the world over, should always encourage us and stir in us hope of a glorious tomorrow, however small our beginnings might be,” Sylva said.

Aliyu preaches peace at Christmas From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

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HE Chairman of Northern Governors Forum (NGF), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has urged Christians and indeed all Nigerians to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ by seeking and promoting the path of tolerance, peaceful co-existence and religious harmony.

In a Christmas message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mallam Danladi Ndayebo, Governor Aliyu said that tolerance and peace remain the only way to build a great and prosperous nation.

According to him, “Nigeria currently faces security, political, social and economic challenges which can only be surmounted in an atmosphere of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and religious harmony.’’

He urged all Nigerians to seek and promote virtues of tolerance and peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups and religious divides in the country.

Aliyu said the season of Christmas provides Christians ample opportunity to reflect on potentials, strengths, and opportunities existing in our nation and look for ways of harnessing them for the benefit of country and humanity.

We must build blocks of unity, Tambuwal advises

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PEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has enjoined Nigerians to continue to reflect on the positive tenets that unite the nation, strengthen the polity and enhance its stability and prosperity as they celebrate this year’s Christmas.

In a goodwill message to Nigerian Christians signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mallam Imam Imam, Hon Tambuwal also called for sustained prayers for peace, unity and stability in the country even as he admonished all to be their brother’s keepers and shun all vices and negative acts that can jeopardize the efforts of government in providing democracy dividends to the citizens.

“This period calls for sober reflection and continued prayers for our dear nation. We must replicate on the teachings and lessons of Christmas and continue to exhibit good character as well as extend hands of fellowship and build blocks of unity and understanding to all irrespective of our percieved differences”, the Speaker stated.

“On our part”, the Speaker assured, “we are committed to providing legislative measures and interventions that will support government’s effort at guaranteeing peace, welfare and security of Nigerians and the greater development of our dear country in line with our legislative agenda.”

On behalf of the House of Representatives, I wish all Nigerians a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

There’s hope for Nigeria, says Amosun

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GUN State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has congratulated Nigerian Christians on this year’s celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The governor in a statement by Mrs Funmi Wakama, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, he urged Christians to use the opportunity of the season to reflect on the reasons for the birth of Christ.

He said, “The fact that the Messiah was born in a humble manner in a manger and raised under difficult circumstances should teach the rich in our society lessons on humility and give the poor a cause for hope.”

The governor charged Christians to imbibe the cardinal teaching of Jesus Christ by loving their neighbours like themselves and praying for one another.

Imbibe virtues of Jesus Christ - Deputy Speaker

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EPUTY Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha has called on all Nigerians to imbibe the virtues and qualities of Jesus Christ whose birth is being celebrated at Christmas all over the world.

He identified humility, gentleness, peacefulness, selfdenial and brotherliness as some of the attributes which the birth, life and times of Jesus Christ symbolizes and called on all citizens to reflect on these values especially at this time the country is going through diverse challenges of nation-building and socio-economic development.

He particularly called on individuals and groups aggrieved over one issue or the other in the country to explore and maintain the option of dialogue and constructive engagement and peaceful co-existence among all.

Yuguda admonishes on peace, love and fear

By Austine Tsenzughul

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AUCHI State Governor, Isa Yuguda, has called on Christians to imbibe virtues of peace, honesty, love and fear of God, which Jesus Christ preached throughout his lifetime.

Yuguda gave this charge yesterday in his Christmas goodwill message in Bauchi.

He said Christmas would be meaningless if Nigerians fail to apply its significance to their peculiar environment and situation, asking Nigerians to have mutual respect for one another and live peacefully with each other, particularly as the country is a multi-religious nation.

Have Your Say What is your expectation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2012 — Send SMS with full name and location before Wednesday to 08074473182 Responses to previous week’s question are on pages 52

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

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News

Kidnappers kill three, abduct one in Imo

HE tranquillity of the sleepy community of Ohaji /Egbema local Government Area, Imo State, was disrupted yesterday as hoodlums suspected to be kidnapers stormed the Umuapu neighbourhood along Owerri /Port Harcourt road, killing three persons and took an expatriate hostage.

From Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri

The kidnappers were said to have pursued the Hielux van conveying the expatriate from Water Smith Company at Awara in Ohaji/Egbema LGA up to Umuapu where they opened fire on their victim.

Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police,

Imo State, Mohammed Abubakar stated that only one police officer and two unidentified occupants of the Hielux car were shot dead.

The police boss however assured that a joint team of police and army have been mobilized to unearth the circumstances surrounding the incident so as to bring the offenders to book.

Abubakar who revealed that the command has arrested 17 suspected kidnappers and two car snatchers within the past few days, assured that there would be no hiding place for criminals in the state as the command would leave no stone unturned in ensuring a hitch free Christmas celebrations.

•General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye being decorated with the crest of Osun State by Governor Rauf Aregbesola. With him are his wife, Sherifat and son, Kabir, during the Bishop’s visit to the Government House, Osogbo, Osun State yesterday

Islamic groups decry Boko Haram’s activities

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wo Islamic societies, The Companion as well as The Criterion, have decried the spate of violence across the country, particularly the menace of serial bombings by Boko Haram in the North and kidnapping in the South.

Representing the National President of the group, Alhaji Ahmed Popoola, the Osun State branch chairman, Dr. Buishra Ogundipe, at a press conference in Osogbo, condemned the bombing of the public utilities in the Northern part of the country by the sect.

Ogundipe, who said that the activities of the sect had political undertones, maintained that it has become imperative that the youths are re-orientated in order to make them lead meaningful lives.

He said: “The Companion

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo along with our sister group, the Criterion, representing women in business and professionals have concluded plans to undertake a holiday coaching for youths in Osun State. The holidays have started on December 23, 2011 and will end on January 1, 2012.

“In the holiday package there will be lectures on Youth Empowerment, Leadership Training, Islamic Etiquette, Counselling Sessions, Sports and Competition, Excursion, Skills Acquisitions and many other activities.”

The Osun State chairperson of The Criterion, Alhaja Alimat Adelu, while speaking with reporters after the press conference, said youths from age 10 and above are expected to participate in

the holiday programme.

She disclosed that the Islamic private institution, the Fountain University, Osogbo is the venue of the lecture titled:”Combating Youth Induced Violence: The

Lawmaker extols Tinubu on social justice

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member of the House of Representatives, representing Iseyin/ Itesiwaju/Kajola and Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Prince Kola Olabiyi, has described Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a pathfinder whose unalloyed commitment to social justice has brought u n p r e c e d e n t e d transformation to social and economic wellbeing of the people in the South-West and

Protest in Oyo as ACN leader escapes assassin’s bullets NIDENTIFIED gunmen yesterday stormed the residence of Otunba Gbenga Oyekola, the leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo town.

As soon as the assailants, numbering about seven, gained entrance into the residence, around 7.30am, they started shooting sporadically into the air.

Later they ordered the people they met in the compound, who came for a weekly political meeting, to surrender their mobile phones and lie on the bare ground, face down.

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From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo Thereafter, they walked inside and ransacked every room, searching for the ACN leader, but could not get him.

Angered by their failed mission, the gunmen came out and met a 76 year old man, who they asked to tell them how to get the ACN leader. But the old man refused to cooperate and was beaten to a coma.

The gunmen later escaped by hijacking an official vehicle belonging to one of the local governments in Oyo Federal Constituency.

Protesting the assassination attempt on their leader, thousands of ACN supporters

Islamic Perspective” which is to be delivered by Prof. Agas Oladosu, former Dean, Faculty of Arts and Chief Imam of Muslim Community, University of Ilorin.

yesterday took to the streets in the ancient town.

Narrating the ordeal to The Nation, Oyekola, who looked unruffled, gave thanks to God for sparing his life. He wondered why he should be a target.

“I was in my room when the gunmen arrived my residence, but God in his infinite mercy just didn’t allow the criminals to get me, neither my wife nor children were injured. It is unfortunate that some people take solace in snuffing life out of their fellow beings. But the question is for what purpose and what do the perpetrators intend to achieve from this criminal act?”

From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo beyond.

In a press release, Prince Olabiyi, equally commended the National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for remaining steadfast in spite of political persecution, and upholding the tenets and ideals of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Pa Abraham Adesanya and Chief Bola Ige. The ACN dastardly lawmaker also urged the Federal Government to eschew political sentiments but set up a high powered panel to investigate the killing of the late former Minister of Justice and Attorney –General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige. “It is indeed disheartening that 10 years after the gruesome murder of a legal and political icon, the killers and perpetrators are yet to be unmasked.

Amazingly, the enemies of peace and progress thought that killing the former Minister would nip in the bud the ideals of the late sage, but far from it. The dastardly act has rather rekindled his ideals,” he said.

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Adeboye visits Aregbesola, says he’s anointed

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HE General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye yesterday said the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was specially anointed as governor since the creation of the state.

Speaking at the Government House, Osogbo while paying a courtesy call on Governor Aregbesola before attending the “Go A Fishing” programme of the church, the clergyman explained that he breached his regular protocol of spending just ten minutes in each location because of the governor’s special place in his heart.

This practice which he had to vary so as to pay a courtesy visit to Aregbesola, he explained, was designed to enable him cover as many towns and villages as possible before the end of the programme.

According to him, he had told his men that the case of Osun State and particularly that of Osogbo would be different because Aregbesola is different.

He said: “Since the commencement of our end of the year programme “Go-afishing”, the practice is to spend at most ten minutes at each location so as to cover as many towns and villages as possible but I told

my people that this time around, the case of Osun and Osogbo in particular will be different because there is a different kind of Governor there.”

Adeboye assured Aregbesola of his readiness to amend any of his programmes to pray for the administration.

The clergyman who stated that Osun is his root promised 100 per cent support in prayers believing that the Almighty God will use the tenure of the governor to bring u n p r e c e d e n t e d development to the state.

The General Overseer expressed his pride to have come from Osun State and said members of the RCCG had a duty to pray for Aregbesola’s administration for divine protection and successful tenure of office.

Responding, the governor explained that the desire of his administration to construct the 200,000capacity convention ground was designed to demonstrate his appreciation of the great deeds of God for blessing Osun State with great men of God. He described Adeboye’s visit as the manifestation of the great plans of God for the people of the state, Yoruba race and the entire humanity in the coming years.

NDLEA arrests South African for drug trafficking

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fficials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have arrested a South African lady in connection with drug trafficking.

The suspect, Nene Fikile Happy-Girl, 38, was to board an Emirate flight to Malaysia when she tested positive to drug ingestion.

Unlike other suspects, she gave herself up when she suddenly held her stomach in pains at the departure hall.

According to the Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, the suspect was rushed for scan and she tested positive for drug ingestion. “She was to go through screening when suddenly she held her stomach and beckoned on security officials demanding to see a doctor. Immediately, she was taken for scan and confirmed positive for narcotic ingestion” the commander stated.

While she was under observation, she excreted 55 wraps of substances that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 700 grammes.

Preliminary investigation revealed that she travelled to Malaysia from South Africa.

It was in Malaysia that she was recruited to smuggle drugs from Benin Republic.

She ingested the drugs in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

Nene also reacted to the drug while it was in her system and the doctor was invited to assist her

BY KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR

overcome the situational reaction to drug ingestion. In her confessional statement, the single mother said that she wanted to make life better for her nineteen year old daughter. In her words, “I am a single mother and I trade to take care of myself and daughter. I visited my friend in Malaysia and it was there I was convinced into coming to Cotonou to collect the drugs. They gave me the drugs in my hotel room and I forced myself to ingest the wraps”.

It was gathered that the original plan was for the suspect to use the airport at Benin Republic but she was diverted to Lagos. “I was asked to go through Lagos.

My desire to give my only child the best education made me to engage in drug trafficking. This is my first time and I was scared of death. I reported myself when I was feeling acute pain in my stomach” Nene stated.

The South African embassy had been contacted and some officials had visited her. The anti-drug agency hinted that she will soon be charged to court in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade has ordered an investigation into the case.

Since she was given the drug in Cotonou the investigation may be carried out under the aegis of the West Africa Joint Operations (WAJO) which is an umbrella body of antidrug operatives in the West African sub-region.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

News

Fashola warns against failed promises L AGOS State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola has cautioned against a life of pretence and promises which he said would take the nation nowhere.

Speaking at the fifth Hijrah lecture of the Lagos State House of Assembly held at the Assembly Complex, Alausa, he observed that some past administrations have taken some popular decisions which have taken the nation nowhere.

According to him, after fifty years of nationhood, Nigeria should no more be talking about its potentials but about how the dividends of democracy can be directly delivered to her people.

He stated that this period represents a period of momentous change for Nigerians which the people can either embrace and benefit from or allow it to sweep everyone away.

“Have we had cause to ask ourselves that despite our security challenges, Nigeria remains attractive to

the international community? The reason is not far- fetched, it is simply because the country has a very large population”, he said.

The Governor explained that it was the fad for every government to promise that all the good things of life would be possible for all at a particular time only to later shift the date to some other times.

He said the promise was that everything would be available for all Nigerians by Year 1990, later it changed to Year 2000. “When Year 2000 came and it became evident that it would be impossible to achieve this it was again changed to Year 2010. With Year 2010 passing and all this not coming to fruition, we are all looking forward now to Year 2020 as the magical year when everything will happen.”

According to the Governor, Nigerians have talked about the glorious period of the Western Region when crops like cocoa boomed and earned

the region the revenue to build the tallest building in Africa and the first television transmission station before countries like France, adding that the people then embraced taxpaying religiously.

He added that all the popular decisions of the past years have not taken the country anywhere near the Promised Land but have instead ensured that the country remained underdeveloped.

“A life of pretence and promises will not take us

anywhere because all such promises of the past have made no difference. You have to realize that if you want to live an improved life, you might have to endure some form of inconveniences in the interest of our communal growth”.

He reiterated that this period represents a momentous occasion for Nigerians as change is upon the country, adding that if the country has been tackling some issues in the same way in the past 50

years without result, there is no basis for continuing with such anymore.

He said the question that should be agitating the mind of every Nigerian at this period is that is it not time now that Nigerians should change the way they have been doing things in the past and embrace change.

Fashola also commended the State House of Assembly Muslim community for always considering it worthy to organize the lecture which

is the fifth edition.

The guest lecturers were the Governor of the Central Bank, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Chief Imam Dar-ul-Naim Central Mosque, Shaykh Abdul Majid Imran-Eleha. The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji was the Chief Host.

The event was attended by some members of the State Executive Council including the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Alhaji Oyinlomo Danmole, members of the State House of Assembly including the Deputy Speaker, Kolawole Taiwo and several Muslim faithful.

Chime calls for renewed commitment to national unity

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OVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has urged Nigerians to use the occasion of the yuletide to renew their commitment to the promotion of values of tolerance, brotherhood and unity among all groups in the country.

He stated this in a Christmas message sent through his Chief Press Secretary, Chukwudi Achife.

He said the celebrations offer all the opportunity to reflect on God’s love and compassion for man as epitomized in the gift of his begotten son for man’s salvation.

He said such reflections would help Nigerians understand why they should respect each others’ rights, especially the right to life and to enjoy peaceful coexistence with their neighbours.

He said, “As we celebrate with the birth of Jesus Christ and the joy it brings to the world, we must

From Chris Oji, Enugu

urge ourselves to use this occasion to rededicate ourselves to values and virtues that promote love, tolerance, brotherhood and unity among all” Chime stated that his administration has taken serious steps to ensure that the citizens and visitors to the state, enjoyed the celebrations without hitches stressing that adequate measures have been taken to ensure security as well as the provision of social amenities including the rehabilitation of roads in both rural and urban areas to enhance movement and communications.

He further enjoined citizens to eschew any act that would disturb the peace of the people during the celebrations adding that they should rather engage themselves in activities that would only reflect and foster the joy and hilarity for which the season is known.

•L-R: The LEARN Lagos State Project Chairman, representing Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Mrs. Bisi Awoyomi, displaying Mrs. Fashola’s Award, Chairperson Lagos State Chapter, Counseling Association of Nigeria, Dr. Ayododi Badejo and Prof. Mopelola Omoegun at the CASSONS Lagos State Chapter conference in Lagos recently

CAN urges life of sacrifice, dedication

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HE Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Niger State, Rev Musa Dada has called on Christians in the country to live the life of service and sacrifice which the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ depicts.

In a Christmas message sent to Christians in the state yesterday, the CAN chairman said that in celebrating the birth of Jesus, the faithful should emulate the attributes of the saviour

Party leader tells government to create more jobs

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HE Edo State Chairman of Labour Party, Dr. John Ogbeide has appealed to the federal government to create an enabling environment for private establishments in their effort to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.

He made the appeal at the weekend during the official commissioning of the Wesco Pool Limited headquarters in Edo State.

According to him, government efforts in mitigating the increasing spate of unemployment of youths can be further strengthened when private

By Adeola Ogunlade

establishments are given the necessary support to thrive.

He said there are immerse opportunities for potential investors in areas which include Information communication technology, agriculture, manufacturing, construction and fashion which can be developed to actively engage the youths.

He noted that over 64 percent of youths are either unemployed or unemployable which explains the growing challenge of crime, kidnapping and bombing in most parts of the northern

States.

Ogbeide lauded the effort of the Wesco Group in providing jobs for over 500 youths in the state, “We need more private investors to invest in areas that will provide jobs for the people who are increasingly faced with the problem of hunger, inadequate health care and other basic needs of life” Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, Wesco Pool Limited, Mr. Adewale Osinubi stated that the pool industry and lottery business is one of the highest employers of labour which government must take cognizance of and provide enabling environment for the operators.

By Jide Orintunsin

of mankind, by exhibiting love, tolerance, generosity, obedience and sacrifice, which Jesus stood for.

Dada advised that for the purpose of the coming of the Lord and the celebration of the season to be achieved, all must be conscious of these virtues in their relationship with one another, adding that commitment to the celebration of Christmas should be extended to the service f God and mankind.

Also calling for moderation during the celebration, the CAN leader, advised Christians to remember that they could celebrate Christmas without Christ if they indulge in drunkenness, rioting,

gluttony, sexual immorality and other vices that are contrary to the teachings and spirit of the season.

He said, “We should deemphasize the social aspect and emphasize the spiritual aspects that the celebration comes with.”

Urging government at all levels to ensure adequate security of lives and properties in the country, Dada admonished the people of the country to be more security conscious and should be prepared to willingly provide information to law enforcement agencies on moves that could be inimical to the peace and progress of the state and the country.

“All hands must therefore be on deck to ensure that peace is sustained in the state. We must eschew violence and assist the security agents with useful information about strange movement.

All citizens should live up to our social and civic responsibilities to our state and the country,” the CAN leader advised.

Dada also charged religious leaders, irrespective of their faith to educate and counsel their followers against violence, inhumanity to fellow human being, through violent killing. According to the CAN leader, any religious leader teaching on the contrary does not wish the country well.

Niger NLC mourns dead colleague

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ORMER Niger State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Tsalhe Ibrahim Kagara is dead. He was 48.

The two-term state NLC chairman died of cardiac arrest in a private hospital in Abuja. Before his death he was Personal Assistant to the Senate Committee Chairman on Federal Character Commission, Senator Dahiru Awaisu

By Jide Orintunsin

Kuta.

Lamenting the death of Kagara, Labaran Garba, Assistant Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in the state, said his death was a devastating blow to the struggle by workers in the state for better condition of service.

He said that Kagara would be remembered for his landmark achievements as congress

chairman, especially in pioneering the Teachers Social Security Scheme and the Endwell Micro Finance Bank which has since been completed and commissioned.

He prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased and the fortitude for his family to bear what he called the irreparable loss.

The deceased has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

COMMENT and ANALYSIS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Festus Eriye efestus2003@yahoo.com 08052135878 (SMS only)

The Christmas of our discontent

Wherever you turn it is hard to find much to be cheery about

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OODWILL is in desperately short supply in this season. From Europe to the United States the economic news has been so gloomy it’s as if some higher power has postponed Christmas.

President Barack Obama cannot agree on anything that is in the economic interest of the average American with his Republican foes.

Even the tax deal that has just been grudgingly resolved will expire in another two months. Meanwhile, unemployment remains very high in an economy that once attracted millions from across the world.

In Europe, the run-up to Yuletide was spent agonising over various doomsday scenarios as the once prosperous continent lurched towards economic Armageddon.

The virtual collapse of the Greek economy, and crisis in places like Italy and Ireland meant what was once unthinkable – the demise of the Euro – was increasingly looking like it could happen.

In North Africa and much of the Middle East, the Arab Spring which had brought much cheer and hope to the region looked to unravelling into something akin to a harsh winter of establishment resistance.

In Egypt, the military which had hijacked the Tahrir Square revolution had descended to beating and dragging halfnaked women on the ground in public glare.

It was enough to draw a stern rebuke from the usually calm United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

That same sense that the Spring had blown its course is being emphasised daily in Syria as dozens are despatched to the unknown as that troubled nation plunges headlong into civil war. Three hours shy of Christmas Eve wire reports spoke of bombs killing over 40 people in the Syrian capital Bombs are going off like firecrackers from Damascus to Damaturu, leaving in their deadly wake scores of innocent souls whole only sin was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Back home in Nigeria Boko Haram who have stepped up their bombing campaign as though they had a grisly target to meet, set off a series of explosions in different parts of Maiduguri in which at least 16 souls were slain.

You don’t need to be a prophet to predict that even as some as sitting to Christmas dinner, the ghouls in northern Nigeria will be hard at work slaughtering more of their own people – all in pursuit of an end even they can no longer define.

For all the bluster of the security establishment claiming to be working to ensure a violence-free Yuletide, the terrorist sect has clearly won a major psychological victory. By blowing their homeland to smithereens, they have successfully cowed their own people – from the elite to the commoner.

No one wants to die for taking a position against the evil deeds of Boko Haram, and so the political and religious elite in the North are busy mouthing pious and safe platitudes – instead of distancing themselves from the calamitous activities of the extremist Islamists.

It is so bad that for even daring to talk

peace you could be killed. The hapless fellow who hosted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s ill-fated peace mission found that out to his fatal cost.

But sometimes courage, or maybe foolish bravado, manifests in the most unlikely of places. Full marks to Senate President David Mark who bucked the trend at the last Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) peace parley in Kaduna when he asked his auditors some hard questions.

In approximate words, he asked: how can it be in the interest of the North when Northerners are bombing and killing each other? Whatever Boko Haram is looking to achieve cannot be delivered to them by the mindless slaying of innocents in the back streets of Potiskum and Maiduguri.

And yet all is quiet in the posh palaces of the region. Everyone is busy talking about the glory days of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello because very few in the region are willing to envision a greater future which has no place for terrorist thugs.

The upshot is that northern Nigeria will continue to bleed – not just blood, but badlyneeded investment and infusion of people from other cultures – a phenomenon that has helped transform communities and countries around the world.

The truth of the matter is that many are getting bored with the slaughter up north.

There was a time when people were shocked by reports of some new Boko Haram

‘’Many are getting bored with the slaughter up north.

There was a time when people were shocked by reports of some new Boko Haram carnage. But now most people couldn’t care less. Their attitude seems to be if ‘they want to kill themselves, let them get on with it’’

carnage. But now most people couldn’t care less. Their attitude seems to be if ‘they want to kill themselves, let them get on with it.’

Whatever political points their sponsors want to score, the truth is terror is always a loser.

Even when you turn away from the gore, there is not much elsewhere to cheer you up.

Just the other day President Goodluck Jonathan’s fuel subsidy removal chorus line was in Lagos at the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) town hall meeting to pitch their case.

From Finance Minister, Ngozi OkonjoIweala to Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, the presentations were compelling.

Equally persuasive were the rebuttals from activists like Femi Falana and former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President, Olisa Ogbakoba.

Boiled down to basics the match-up could be summarised as a case of damned if you don’t remove the subsidy, or we all sign up to a Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) pact if it remains – according to Sanusi and company.

So, enjoy the turkey and chicken while you can, because before they digest we may all be back at the barricades for the definitive battle over what is a real or phantom subsidy - depending on which side of the debate you pitch your tent. That alone is enough to depress anyone on Christmas day.

While we are on the subject of gloom and doom, spare a thought for the thousands of students and parents whose Christmas cheer was stolen weeks ago when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government locked horns once again.

Where good sense has not prevailed over this dispute, goodwill may yet work the magic. A fond hope? Perhaps. But hope is all we cling to at times like these. Merry Christmas!

The four biggest scientific breakthroughs of 2011

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rom neutrinos to new planets, a look at some of the year’s most important discoveries

1. Upending the laws of physics Researchers at the CERN laboratory in Geneva announced in September that they’d clocked subatomic particles called neutrinos moving faster than the speed of light. That finding directly contradicts Albert Einstein’s 1905 special theory of relativity, which holds that nothing can outrun light. If neutrinos can, they could arrive at a destination before they even left, opening the prospect of time travel. Or could it be that neutrinos move through an undiscovered fifth dimension, separate from the three dimensions of space and one of time that we know about? Those ideas are so shocking that even the CERN team “wanted to find a mistake” in their data, says team leader Antonio Ereditato. But they didn’t. And so far, further testing has failed to dismiss the finding, says theoretical physicist Matthew Strassler, as “a doorway into something fundamental and deep we don’t know about nature.”

2. Reasons to listen to your gut Bacteria in our intestines may play a major role in the health of our minds and bodies. German researchers have discovered that just as each human being has a specific blood type, each of us also has one of three separate families of bacteria residing in our guts. A person’s “enterotype” likely establishes itself in infancy and appears to affect everything from how well food is digested to how drugs are absorbed. The discovery of the three distinct gut ecosystems “was a surprise, and it’s good news,” says researcher Peer Bork.

The finding could help physicians diagnose and treat serious digestive disorders, and also help explain why the effects of medicines and nutrients vary widely from person to person. Further studies have shown that ingesting a bacteria species found in certain yogurts and cheeses calms stressed-out mice — pointing to the prospect of treating psychiatric disorders with microbes instead of drugs.

3. Closing in on alien life A galaxy-wide search for Earth-like planets has returned a startling number of candidates. Using NASA’s Kepler space telescope, astronomers this year announced they’d spotted 2,326 new worlds and counting. Ten of those planets are close in size to our own and orbit their suns in the “habitable zone,” where temperatures could be balmy enough to support liquid water — and potentially life. The best contender yet, Kepler-22b, looks to be a hospitable 72 degrees and circles a star very similar to our sun. The data pouring in from the spacecraft, launched in March 2009, are “gamechanging,” says Kepler principal investigator William Borucki. “It’s just a tremendous amount of new knowledge.”

Already, other researchers are scanning the most promising Kepler finds for signs of alien life.

4. A new weapon against aging The fountain of youth might one day flow within our own cells. Scientists working with mice have discovered that if they remove a special kind of cell that promotes aging, a host of age-related conditions disappear: The genetically modified rodents didn’t develop cataracts, their skin didn’t wrinkle, and they maintained high levels of energy throughout their lives. The so-called senescent cells have lost the ability to divide, and as they build up in aging tissue, they release toxins that destroy robust neighboring cells. Scientists devised a way of killing off those senescent cells, and the procedure “suggests therapies that might work in real patients,” says Norman E. Sharpless, an expert on aging. If purging the cells works in people as it does in mice, the treatment could ward off a host of age-related diseases, from cancer to dementia, and keep us vigorous longer.

•Culled from the internet

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Comment & Analysis

Christmas, over our dead bodies HE sign outside the Cathedral School on the Upper West Side read “School for Children of All Faiths,” but it was also, at least for me and my brother, a school for children of no faith whatsoever. I think our parents, a non-practicing Jew and an agnostic Lutheran, chose it because they liked that we would have to wear uniforms, which would make their mornings less of a trial, and because the idea of entrusting our religious education to professionals might mean that we actually got one.

But that didn’t mean they wanted to go whole hog and start attending services themselves. So each year, late at night on Christmas Eve, when most of my friends could be found in the school’s cathedral for midnight mass — after dark! After bedtime!

— much to my disappointment, my family stayed home.

Before lunch we said the Lord’s Prayer, the secret password to the hot trays, the meatloaf and lasagna, sliced ham and salad bar.

The Cathedral School is a tiny private elementary school tucked behind the giant, stone, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine — which, we were always told, probably incorrectly, was the second largest Gothic cathedral in the world. I attended from first grade through eighth, and there was nothing particularly holy about it. We went to services twice a week, and the best singers in every grade were selected for the choir and had to (or, depending on your point of view, were allowed to) attend more.

Before lunch we said the Lord’s Prayer; it was a secret password that led to the hot trays, the meatloaf and lasagna, the sliced ham and salad bar. Our gym — which we called the Crypt — was in the cathedral’s basement, where we believed they had indeed kept the bodies at some point or another. We all ran around down there, howling at imaginary ghosts, so obsessed with our own friendships and changing bodies that we never had time to actually get scared. The only time I saw a classmate cry in the Crypt was when she was flashed by a man who had wandered in, wearing an

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By Emma Straub actual raincoat, just like flashers are supposed to wear.

During this period, perhaps because my December was already full of paper-cranemaking for the cathedral’s Peace Tree, and choruses of “Surely It Is God Who Saves Me,” which the students sometimes sang in a round just for kicks, our family Christmases were jolly affairs, more or less. We got enormous trees and covered them with homemade ornaments. My grandparents would come over and we would watch “A Christmas Story.” But even then, and even for us kids, the holiday felt like a bit of a chore. While the living room filled with ripped shreds of shiny paper, our disappointment about the presents we had desired but not received would grow. One year, my brother burst into tears because my parents gave him the metal detector he had pined for the previous year, but no longer wanted.

The high point of Christmas came when I was in the sixth grade, and my boyfriend gave me a silver necklace with a heart on it.

His name was Camilo and he was two years older than I. We had kissed for the first time — my first kiss — a few weeks earlier outside the entrance to the Crypt. It had been more or less arranged in advance, as those things sometimes are. He had been my boyfriend for ages, and we’d yet to even hold hands, though we had already gone on one date, to see “Beauty and The Beast.”

God was not present in any identifiable way during the kiss, though the cathedral, with its impossibly tall gray spires, tended to make things more dramatic than they would have otherwise been. It was wetter than I’d imagined it would be, and soft, and our braces didn’t get in the way, as I’d feared they might. When it was over, Camilo ran up the stairs to choir practice, too excited to walk slowly. I took the bus home, grinning the whole way. But when we broke up in the spring, Camilo asked me to give the necklace back, because it belonged to his mother.

After I graduated from eighth grade and moved on to a secular high school, my religious instruction quickly fell apart, and so did my family’s Christmases. My mother tried to keep Christmas going, but without the bones of the cathedral to support it, my brother and I lost interest. I no longer had any friends who went to church on Christmas Eve to be jealous of. We thought the tree was stupid and boring; the likelihood of us helping to clean up pine needles was nil. And so one year, in protest, my mother refused to get a tree at all.

Christmas was more or less cancelled from then on, and all major attempts to revive it have fallen flat.

We’ve spent Christmases in Jamaica and Florida, trying to outrun the winter doldrums.

We’ve had theme Christmases, like the year we ate dim sum at the Golden Unicorn and then went to see “The Golden Compass.” One year, when I was in high school, my parents went off alone to spend Christmas at the Sherry Netherland Hotel.

In more recent years, my husband — a child of divorced parents who amazingly hates Christmas even more than we do — and I have thrown Un-Christmas parties, inviting everyone who had nothing fun to do or wanted to escape their own families on Dec. 25 to eat boeuf bourguignon and macaroni and cheese.

We had at least one bottle of wine per person.

Lately, he has been lobbying for Christmas in Montauk, at a hotel by the beach, where we can stare out at the cold ocean and pretend we’re the only people on earth.None of this is what I would have imagined when I was a student at the Cathedral School, when celebrations and holidays seemed set in stone.

When I pictured my wedding, for example, as some romantic children do, it was always at the cathedral. I would process in through the giant doors that otherwise opened only on St. Francis Day, because they were big enough for the elephants to walk through. My dress would trail behind me for at least 50 feet. There would be an organ playing. There would probably be someone in robes with incense and a big hat of some kind, and that person would probably bless me and my faceless

groom, in Latin. I wasn’t shy to talk about these fantasies — I’d told my father this plan enough times that when I was planning my actual wedding, which was to take place in my parents’ dining room in front of 30 people, he kept asking me, “Are you sure this is what you want?” But it was.

I hadn’t thought much about the Cathedral School, until about a year ago, when my parents, now nearly 70, started researching burial grounds on the Internet. They went to Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and pronounced it beautiful but, for New York City, far away. They looked into their parents’ grave sites in Wisconsin, where my family is from. The graveyard that my mother’s parents are in, one of the few Jewish cemeteries in Milwaukee, was recently divided by a highway, and some of the graves had to be shifted. My father’s family is in a small unstaffed cemetery near their ancestral farm, and the last time we went, we couldn’t find them. In the end, my mother and father bought four spots in the columbarium at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, a narrow, quiet room located behind the main altar, where urns full of cremated remains are stored. My husband and I have accepted the other two places, though my brother may argue persuasively for one, which would mean that one of us would have to bunk elsewhere, perhaps down the way a bit, closer to John Gregory Dunne.

I’d always imagined that I would be buried outside, perhaps with a little fence around the plot, like in “The Royal Tenenbaums,” but the idea of spending eternity at the cathedral isn’t a bad one. The floors are shiny and squeak underneath the sneakers of running children; there is enough marble to build a small city; and the ceilings are high enough to make you feel that there is something of the divine floating overhead, even if it’s just a note held by a soprano voice, or the light coming through a stained glass window.

And I suppose it must mean something that someday we’ll all be together for Christmas at the cathedral, forever and always, amen.

•Called from New York Times

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Comment & Analysis

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The day of the Nazarene Today is Christmas day and Christendom, nay, the world is agog with festivity

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ODAY is the day of the Nazarene. It is Christmas day, the day the Christian world marks the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who was born about 4th century B.C. According to Christian teachings, Jesus came to the world as the incarnate of God to save the world from sin and damnation. He is the messiah, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. On this day annually, the entire Christian world rises, almost as one, in a celebration that is uncommon and infectious. It is indeed, a season like no other, a commemoration that is transcendental.

According to the Scripture, the birth of Christ, His teachings and miracles, His crucifixion, resurrection, and the promise to return, are prophecies foretold. As if to affirm Christ and to reinforce the belief of His followers, teachers have come and gone, leaders have seized the world and empires have risen and fallen, yet Christ remains the Christ and His word has blossomed. His birthday, Christmas, has held the world in thrall from age to age; from generation to generation. It does not matter your creed or religion, your tribe or territory, Christmas has become the great unifier of mankind, the annual harbinger of joy and peace to the world.

Christmas, just like the ministry of Christ, has become the most remarkable memorial to mankind today. Though it is said to be originally an obscure pagan festival, it seems that Christ literally hijacked it and converted it to a universal sacrament for a

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AJORITY of the wars that man has fought in the world were caused by either overstretched anger or politics. Whether it’s cold war, conventional war, protest war, guerrilla war, just name them. Anambra State has come under the barrel of one of the wars in the hands of critics without any linear view of it stopping in the near future. Critics of Governor Peter Obi have made a ruckus of Anambra, claiming that even though the state is being ruled by him, it still remains rudderless. But in earnest,

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

•Editor Festus Eriye •Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile •Associate Editors Taiwo Ogundipe Sam Egburonu

•Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi

born in a manger, cattle shed, and not in a specialist hospital in England or USA as it is the fashion today. This lesson in humility is among the most profound in Christianity. It does not matter by whom you are born, how or where you are born for, before God, all men are equal and will be judged equally by the same rules.

The lessons of Christ’s birth are deep and complex, yet extraordinarily simple. Even a non-Christian could live by the teachings and precept of Christ. He teaches us to worship Him truthfully and faithfully; he wants us to love each other effusively and without reservation: to love the next fellow you meet the way you would want him to love you. He teaches us to always remember that life on earth does not end here but that it is only a means to an end therefore, that we should take heed as no profit on earth, not even the whole world is worth the price of your soul.

Christ teaches us that violence is an exhibition of weakness and that human strength will fail just like a cow for slaughter. He teaches us that ultimate strength lies in turning the other cheek. He teaches so much more as captured in the Scripture…

As we celebrate this special day, we urge all our readers to take some time out to reflect on the words of Christ and imbibe His teachings. The world will surely be a better place for it.

We wish you a most peaceful and joyful holiday.

LETTERS

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NE of the basic things I learnt as a student of elementary physics is the first law of static electricity which states that like charges repel, unlike charges attract.

If the latter part of the timetested law holds true all the time, it follows therefore, that since our society is a heterosexual one, homosexuals and lesbians are to be seen as outlaws...and if anyone is caught, such should be tried summarily within the ambit of the relevant laws.

perpetually hurting world. The season all over the world, is heralded by weather conditions that are peculiarly Christmas. Then on the wings of the new weather comes new songs – the carols, which are also, peculiarly Christmas; new colours – the vigorous green, red and white and a pervasive lightness of heart among the peoples of the world, not known hitherto.

Christmas also ushers in a global boom in business with its unprecedented record sales of goods and services. The season however climaxes with church services, gifts sharing, festivities, feasting and even reveling. It is a season of self-discovery for children and renewal for adults. It is a season that imposes peace and joy on the world in spite of itself.

The birth of the man from Nazareth, a town in Galilee now in northern Israel over 2000 years ago, is unique in numerous ways.

According to the Bible, Christ was of the humblest of birth. He was the son of a carpenter - not a furniture maker – and he was

many different groups, different political and religious beliefs, Obi is not finding it easy. The issue of why he handed the schools in the state to the church has been irking many of the people. But Obi’s reason was to restore integrity and honesty in the schools.

This does not mean that the state has optimally washed its hand out of the schools; it does still pay the teachers’ salary.

The developments going on in Anambra has shown Obi as a man thinking of the future of the state.

ther compound our moral woes and pave the way for our march to moral kamikaze. No matter what some free thinkers and fundamental human rights activists may say, especially in collaboration with the strident criticisms coming from the imperialist forces of the western nations, we must not kowtow to them. Same sex marriage is out of this world and immoral.

These foreign forces should leave us alone and tackle their own domestic problems. The financial crisis in the Eurozone is enough headache for Prime Minister David Cameron and co. Barack Obama has a lot to do to fix the American economy. More so, that he is a potential candidate for the next presidential election. Ours is a sovereign nation and must be allowed to resolve our internal contradictions without destructive interference of the outside world. Lesbianism should not be globalised.

Let it remain with the confines of those Godless nations!

Odimegwu Onwumere, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

By Akinboyo Temidayo, Igbotako, Ondo State.

Homosexuality is anathema to African civilisation We owe the western world no apology in this case.

This is our country with our own unique value system and orientation. Any individual fundamental right that is at loggerheads with the traditional and corporate rights of a society is no right all, and should be treated as such.

Our society being an African society does not condone antithetical behaviour like lesbianism and homosexuality. Apart from being against the law of natural order, it is against our cultural values and mores. All those agitating for the proscription of the anticipated law should

bury their heads in shame and seek forgiveness from the good and benevolent Lord. Perhaps, with our socalled foreign partners wanting to withdraw their financial aids and support, they can kindly do that. On this position of anti-gay rights, majority of sane Nigerians stand while those

Obi and Anambra State these people are showing or having lack of reverence for the inventiveness of Obi. I recently took a two day tour of the state to enable me form an opinion. I found out that things are not as obfuscate in the state as we have been made to believe. However, there are areas where erosions are refusing us to see the resourcefulness of Obi, but the government’s armour of development is visiting parts of these areas. There is the fact that Anambra is developing,

but has not developed overnight.

Extremely surprising, my journey has shown that Obi is totally committed to engineer a positive transformation to make Anambra become a much bigger player in the SouthEast, and by extension, Nigeria. Obi’s idea to work is ‘one project before another’, and it is welcoming. By this, he is not doing disservice to his exalted office as a governor. Obi’s gesture has given Anambra a new lease of life, unlike in most states where ‘abandoned

projects’ have become a cog in the wheel of development of those states. Obi is thinking before going to work, unlike most governors who go to work before thinking.

My visit to the Ezu Bridge is an eye opener.

Obi has reclaimed a larger part of the Amansi and Ebenebe River and is building a state-of-the-art bridge that would give the two neighbouring towns a new lease of interacting.

Anambra is a homogenous state, but I have a perception that the existence of

in the minority may have their say.

Gays do not have any right to practise their unnatural act and should not be encouraged to do that in Nigeria. We have got enough social vices and moral bankruptcy to tackle head long, adding homosexuality to the lot will fur-

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Comment & Analysis

14

Ropo Sekoni ropo.sekoni @thenationonlineng.net

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ITH centralization of law enforcement, Nigeria is over-policed but under protected. Our streets and roads are overflowing with police men and women, yet citizens are not safe. At the hands of two visible security agencies: the black-uniformed Nigeria Police and the red-capped Road Safety Corps, citizens are generally subjected to unnecessary harassment. But at present, it is the police that is a greater dispenser of frustration for citizens. Police men and women are not prepared psychologically for the job of protecting citizens and ensuring road safety in a multiethnic nation.

Shortly after the President stated that states are not mature enough to be given constitutional power to enforce laws and protect citizens, the Inspector-General of Police said that the major problem of the federal police is lack of appropriate technology. There is no doubt that technology can facilitate the work of the police, but the cause of police inefficiency and ineffectiveness is as much of psychology as it is of technology.

The federal police force, an outgrowth of the colonial police, still has the psychology and mission of controlling or supressing the natives. Even fifty years after independence, the police is designed as a force to keep the natives in line

State police is the answer (2) Citizens are protected by police men and women that do not understand their culture nor speak their primary language and enhance federal power in the same manner that the colonial police worked in the interest of colonial administration. The notion that the police should be an occupation force to protect the federal government is pushed to a ridiculous extreme in a constitution that makes commissioners of police in states accountable to the Inspector-General of Police in Abuja, rather than to state governors. Even when state legislatures make laws, states do not own the means of enforcing such laws; they are at the mercy of the federal police to do so. To ensure that the federal police is able to protect principally the interest of the federal government, recruitment, training, and deployment of police are done without any consideration for the cultural diversity of the country. In effect, the federal police force acts as agent of alienation of the citizens in most, if not in all states. There is no other federation in the world that has this kind of police system.

In terms of training, the federal government that owns the federal police does not provide language and cultural training for the men and women in the police force. It also does not ensure that police officers sent to communities are people who are familiar with the culture of such communities. This underscores the view that the federal police is not designed to protect citizens who cannot speak the language

of police officers deployed to states in which majority of the residents speak languages other than English and pidgin. In theory, English is the official language of Nigeria. But over 80% of federal police men and women do not speak intelligible English. Only 50% of citizens are literate in English, and certainly less than 20% of citizens have communicative competence in English. The de facto language of the federal police is pidgin. It is also a fact that not up to 30% of Nigerians speak pidgin.

Deploying police to serve in states whose languages they do not speak automatically gives the police the wrong attitude to their job: that they are not expected to communicate with those they are paid to protect. Psychologically, this arrangement encourages police officers to be corrupt. They feel no shame to extort money from residents that do not know them, do not speak their language, and to whom the police feel no sense of belonging. In addition, posting police to communities without giving insisting that they speak the language of such communities causes tension and suspicion between police and citizens.

A few years ago, I was travelling on Ibadan-Ife highway. Not too far from the Ilesha-Ife roundabout, a police man stopped our vehicle. I politely asked the officer in Yoruba: Se ko se ewu o? (Hope there is no

problem). The officer retorted angrily: “Who is talking about the goat on the side of the road?” All efforts to explain the meaning of my question to the guy were frustrated. He was angry that I spoke Yoruba to him in a village that is only a few miles to Ife, the ancestral home of the Yoruba people of Nigeria and elsewhere. He was quick to remind me that the nation’s official language is English: “Why you talk to me in Yoruba? Dis country no be Yoruba country. It be Nigeria and you no sabi talk English?” Resisting my explanation that the constitution of the country does not forbid citizens to speak in their mother tongue, the police man shouted at me: “Make you let me talk to your driver, make he give me particulars.”

I handed him the vehicle papers from my bag and asked the driver to give him his license. The way he strained his eyes, it was clear that he could not read the papers. After a few minutes of holding the paper, I asked him to give my papers back to me. He did and then said: “Oga wetin you carry in the boot.” I popped open the trunk of the car and asked my driver to stay close to him while the police officer conduct his customs clearance. As if it was prerecorded, the next question rolled out of the officer’s mouth: “Wey your fire fighter and C caution?” “In the trunk that you just inspected,” I replied. Finally, he closed the trunk

and came to my side to say: “Oga, you can go but make you no forget your boys.” I laughed and was tempted to educate the man, but quickly realized that the fault was not his. The police man, like the citizens of the country, is also a victim of a philosophy of government that produced a police force that is designed to serve more as a symbol of the unity of the country than as an agency to protect the life and property of citizens.

In most of the country’s communities, citizens are protected by police men and women that do not understand their culture nor speak their primary language. Crime prevention and fighting require that law enforcement officers and those they are paid to prevent from committing crime or apprehend for committing crime speak the same language. But this is not so in the case of Nigeria’s federal police.

It should not surprise anyone that the security system under the sole control of the federal government is not working. Even with over supply of cutting-edge crime fighting technology, the federal police force is not likely to work, because it does not take into consideration the cultural diversity of the country. And the solution is not to demonize states, as the President did a few weeks ago when he said states are not ready for state police.

What is required is for the trustees of federal power to think outside the box and not feel ashamed to borrow good practices from other federations.

To be continued next week.

Let Lekki-Etiosa- Epe Expressway be (2) Femi Orebe femi.orebe @thenationonlineng.net 08056504626 (sms only)

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ACK to our Maryland story.

Peters, 37 and 11 years out of Virginia Tech, was confronted with, as in the Lagos case, a roiling Maryland politics which has spawned two federal lawsuits, sparking decades of protest before turning an enormous swath of the Maryland suburbs into a dirt pit.

Business leaders and supporters deemed the six-lane highway critical to speeding travel between the state's Interstate 270 and Interstate 95 business corridors, and reducing congestion on east-west roads outside the Capital Beltway just as the Lekki-Etiosa –Epe Expressway will do in the Lekki corridor when completed. But environmentalists and some political hirelings argued that it would promote air pollution and destroy wetlands, woods and streams in its path. That debate effectively ended in late 2007, when a federal judge rejected the environmental groups' lawsuits, clearing the way for construction of the $2.56 billion highway which , like its Nigerian counterpart, is the most expensive Maryland has ever built.

But you are grossly mistaken if you think that was the end of Melinda’s problems as opposition continued unabated , as in the Lagos case.

Just as in the Lagos scenario, Peters and her team must thread the road through long-established neighborhoods between Gaithersburg and Laurel. The highway will run just beyond the back decks of many homes whose residents say they never knew

It is a laughable sing song of the opposition that the state government deliberately wants to punish the people in that segment by approving tolling their bucolic view belonged to a highway right-of-way. In some neighborhoods, the construction is so close that if the homeowners were to watch Monday night football on a large-screen TV with the shades up, someone atop a bulldozer could follow the game’.

Emotions ran so high that some residents shouted "Liars!" and less printable insults at Peters and the others. In one case, Peters says, she notified police after a homeowner, who'd been told his yard would be surveyed in preparation for the state's purchase, wrote her to say he had a knife. In the Lekki-Epe scenario, neither Tinubu nor his successor as Lagos state governor, Raji Fashola, SAN, has been spared the effusions of some out-rightly uncouth individuals who respect neither person nor office, just so they can be seen as fighting the ‘common man’s battle’.

Having to explain to people why they would lose their homes was one of the hardest parts of Melinda Peter’s job. She recalls sitting in the kitchen of Myrlene and John Matala’s Derwood home after the highway's final route had been chosen and watching the distraught woman break into tears.

In Lagos, even if officials of the Lekki Construction Company had not suddenly become guests in their critics’ homes, they have spared no effort in trying to make the opposition see that they mean well; that they are neither politicians nor political surrogates and that all they care about is delivering on a project that has been praised worldwide, won awards and has the financial, and implicit support of investors among them the African Development Bank.

They have put out in the public domain via direct email, internet website, print media, radio and on television, messages which should ordinarily have mollified people who are not being

politically driven, but concerned, genuinely, with finding ways out of whatever lingering mistakes exist on the project or its execution. Among these messages are massive information, and education on road safety which, without a doubt will save lives, especially in the communities.

Just as ‘Peters didn't get involved in the debate over whether the ICC should be built and that her job was simply to get it done, all that the management of the LCC is asking is to be allowed to bring to existence what, without a doubt, is the greatest road infrastructure in this country.

"Yes, we are taking homes, and, yes, we are taking trees," she says. "But, in the end, we're providing a facility that's very much needed, and our goal is to do it in a way that protects the environment and property as much as possible."

The highway even slices through the 14th hole of a Beltsville golf course.

Yet, Peters and her colleagues were permitted the luxury to find a way out of that problem. Obviously not so with our unflappable Lagos politicians masquerading as friends of the common man about who they care not a hoot once behind the high walls of their opulent homes.

In an ideal situation, LCC’S job, like Melinda’s, should be to keep construction on schedule and on budget by ensuring that everyone -- the state, environmental and traffic agencies, community groups, politicians, consultants and national contracting firms doing the design and construction -- stay informed and involved. But, no thanks to unflappable opponents, the officials must now learn how to deal with demonstrators at the barricades. LCC management has not been remiss either, in providing answers to the critics ever recurring questions like that on alternative roads as well as the number of toll

plazas.

For instance, in a Press Release from its Corporate Affairs office, LCC stated as follows: The new Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway LCC is being implemented based on an Open Toll Road Design, which means that road users can bypass the toll plazas using alternative routes, and can freely join and leave the expressway at various access and egress points along the route. This way, it is possible for road users to enjoy the new road and services without ever paying tolls.

If we were implementing a Closed Toll Road Design as exists in some countries, road users will not be able to get onto or off the road without paying tolls. The facts show that some other countries have a higher density of toll plazas than we are implementing on the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway. For example, there are 6 toll plazas located within the first 24km of the urbanized section of the Bakwena Platinum Highway in South Africa, some of which toll plazas are spaced between 4km and 7km apart.

The toll gantries constructed for the new Gauteng Ring Road open toll system in South Africa are spaced 10 kilometres apart, which is the case here in Lekki.

The incorporation of 3 toll plazas in the original design is based on tolling efficiency and equitability. More toll collection points actually lower the amount of tolls charged at the various tolling points because they enable you to spread the cost over shorter distances.

This is known as "equitability" in tolling One thoroughly laughable sing song of the opposition is the allegation that the state government deliberately decided to punish the people living in that segment of the state by approving tolling, claiming that other areas of the state have roads that are not being tolled.

This would have been laughable if not

totally asinine.

That a state government, qua government, would go the whole hog of putting in an ‘enemy territory’, as they continue to label the Lekki-Epe axis, in Local Government Areas the government’s party now controls, is beyond reason.

It has not occurred to them that there is nowhere in the country any road comparable to what is emerging in this part of state. Neither have I read any of them criticize the fact that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is the only road currently concessioned by the federal government and which will, without a doubt, be tolled. It is certainly not a new road either, but an old one like the Lekki road which they wrongly claim was enough to cope with the level of vehicular traffic seen daily in a Lekki corridor where development has more than quadrupled within the past decade and which in a short time will have to meet the additional requirements of the huge Lekki Free Trade Zone programmed to provide over 1000 direct jobs and about a million indirect jobs.

Let me conclude by saying that the Lekki-Etiosa-Epe toll road is more than just a road. Section 1 of the road, from Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue by Falomo Bridge, up to a little after Marwa Bus Stop, includes 6 kilometres of high-quality 6-lane carriageway, the expanded ExxonMobil Bridge, the new Falomo On-Ramp, a Pedestrian Bridge and the new Toll Plaza near the Oniru Estate are all completed in a fashion never seen anywhere in Nigeria.

I shall end this 2-part article by appealing to the critics of this massive road infrastructure to think not only of today, not minding whatever they consider their inconveniences, since you cannot make an ommelete without breaking eggs, but the future when their own children and grand children will talk only of their parents’ myopia and abject failure to see beyond their nose.

They must give peace a chance.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Comment & Analysis

15

In defence of Jonathan’s one billion naira food bill Tunji

Adegboyega tunjade@yahoo.co.uk 08054503906 (sms only)

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OMEONE remarked last week that I would be a good seer if I decide to make that my hobby or vocation. That was after it was reported that the Presidency would spend about N921.7 billion on security next year. I had ‘predicted’ about two weeks ago after President Goodluck Jonathan presented the budget proposal to the National Assembly, that part of the ‘security’ he had in mind was acquisition of bullet-proof cars or jeeps for top government functionaries. My ‘prediction’ came to pass on Wednesday with the report, in this newspaper, that the Presidency has voted about N280 million for two bullet-proof cars against next year. I had defended the officials then that they needed such cars, especially in view of the kind of policies they intend to afflict Nigerians with in the coming year.

More details are coming out of what they intend to do with our collective patrimony in 2012. President Jonathan and his vice, Namadi Sambo, are to spend about N992.57 million (less than one billion anyway!) on food and drinks. Since the story was published, as usual, many Nigerians have been complaining that the amount is staggering. Poor people! They do not know how difficult it is to sit on hot seats; the kind that our president is sitting on. People on such seats need to eat and

Postscript, Unlimited!

By

Oyinkan Medubi 08187172799 (SMS only) puchuckles7@gmail.com This week, I am reproducing an abridged copy of an article I wrote for the New Age newspaper in 2006. Since that time, nothing has changed really; efforts are still on to cancel Christmas economically, failing which, at least, the ‘…mas’ should be removed from the word.

Enjoy.

T

HE joke began about this time last year in Abuja, and reverberated through the land, and that’s how it reached my ears. We had asked a friend how the Christmas preparations were going with the standard question ‘How’s Christmas?’

He grunted, and complained that the economy was so bad one did not know where one was. He then told us the story of how he had asked a friend in Abuja the same question. His friend had then replied, ‘Have they fixed the date?’ When he pondered aloud what that question could mean, considering the date had been fixed many centuries before, his friend had answered, ‘Well, the last I heard of it was that President Obasanjo was trying to postpone Christmas!’

Whenever I remember that joke, I roar out in laughter, like any normalhumoured citizen. I mean, I am one of those who believe that my president can do anything but obviously, I cannot

A hilarious piece on how Nigerian leaders spend public funds drink well, so that they can also think well.

As a matter of fact, if you ask me, I think the amount is even too small for the exalted offices of numbers one and two citizens of this ever potentially great country. And, come to think of it, the president has been highly considerate. The man loves cassava bread; a thing many poor Nigerians would not go near in spite of their poverty. I want to believe the same goes for the vice president who I guess must be taking lot of fura de nunu. Both are sourced locally. And I guess too that this must be part of the reason why their budget on food and drinks is that abysmally low.

Imagine what we would have had to cough up to feed our first two citizens if they were to be fond of foreign cuisines and exotic wines! How many of their colleagues in other countries stoop so low to consume local meals and drinks? To do that would be inviting trouble for their fragile stomachs.

But it is not the fault of Nigerians that they see about one billion as too much for their president and his deputy to spend on meals. It is the fault of the government. Isn’t it the government that has condemned the people to this wretched-of-the-earth situation? What do you expect when you give a man a minimum wage of

N18,000 per month? The first thing he does is to begin to calculate how many of that can be found in whatever figures you present before him for spending. So, tell me, how many N18,000 can be found in one billion naira? The answer is likely to be in the region of what we used to call ‘uncountable’ in my childhood days.

Without doubt, the people’s frustration would have grown when they discovered that the calculation was about scattering their brains. So, they took the short cut and handed the verdict of ‘exorbitant’ on the proposed food expenditure.

Really, this is part of the problems of democracy. How many of us knew how much our military dictators spent on such things in their years in government and in power? Those are serious matters of state that should qualify for the official secret file. I think President Jonathan should end this kind of nonsense once-and-for-all by initiating a bill to outlaw making such matters public. How could all manner of people be commenting on what the president eats and drinks, in beer parlours, pepper soup joints and what have you? It is absolutely ridiculous. A commentator even went as far as saying that the man who ‘invented’ the cassava bread that the president eats is never even mentioned; that he has

“Imagine what we would have had to spend to feed our first two citizens if they were to be fond of foreign cuisines and exotic wines! How many of their colleagues in other countries stoop so low to consume local meals and drinks? To do that would be inviting trouble for their fragile stomachs”

become a footnote in the entire arrangement. That is the kind of thing to expect when you allow all and sundry to comment on ‘sensitive issues’. How do you demean the most exalted offices in the land by mentioning the names of a mere mortal simply on account of being behind the food our president cherishes!

Some people even went to the extent of comparing President Jonathan with President Barack Obama of the United States, and the visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) boss, Christine Lagarde.

The critics say Obama’s hair has turned grey because he thinks hard and works hard. Instead of pitying Obama for growing so old prematurely, they are asking for the basis of our own president’s lush and shining hair in spite of his being older than his American counterpart. If Obama were a Nigerian, we would have thought the witches in the village are the ones responsible for his slim frame. The critics also said the IMF visitor, Lagarde, is looking every inch a ‘laggard’ in all the pictures she took with our president, his deputy and even our finance minister. Instead of pitying the white people who do not know how to enjoy public office, they say that is what they expect our president to look like if really he is working hard.

If Lagarde were to be a Nigerian, she would have to cruise about in jeeps with doors that would have been customs-built to contain her jumbo size; needless to add that the jeeps would be bullet-proof! On this score, I won’t leave the job of defending the president to Reuben Abati, his spokesman. I make bold to say

that President Obama could be working hard; our own president is working smart! That is the way of African leaders!

My advice to President Jonathan in all these unprovoked attacks is that he should ignore the arm-chair critics. As a matter of fact, he should forgive them for they know not what they do. And if symptoms (i.e. the criticisms) persist after the critics would have read this piece, he should let his spokesman explain further to Nigerians that he needs to eat well (and drink well too) so that fantastic policies like one-term of seven years for president and governors, devaluation of the naira, removal of fuel subsidy, higher electricity tariff (even when all we see are the megawatts and not the electricity) and others can continue to flow in torrents. Such policies could not have been the products from a famished president. Like that popular car advertisement of a few years back: good thinking; good product! And good thinking can never come from a president that is not well fed. Nor from one that lacks the exotic wine to wash down the sumptuous meals.

The summary on this critical matter is that Nigerians need deliverance from poverty mentality.

If the president doesn’t mind, he can allow me to ‘procure’ a fierce man of God (you don’t talk of buying or fetching when government proposes to spend a billion on something; you procure) that will cast out the demons in them to me. If someone could be entitled to a large part of his state revenue, I guess I am not asking for too much to plug into the N992.57 food bill.

Lest I forget, merry Christmas!

Have yourself a Merry Christmas, anyway… know all that he is capable of. But then, I think, have I not watched him all through these years going eyeball to eyeball with all and any of his detractors, veins standing out, glasses frothing with the heat of his anger, and chest heaving beneath his cape, sorry, agbada? Haven’t I seen him take on the whole country in this debt burden, sorry, relief of a thing and has wisely gone against all our better judgements?

Haven’t I seen him march all over the country fixing this and fixing that? I mean, haven’t I seen him fix the entire continent and ascend the throne of ‘President of Africa’?! Well, haven’t I?!

Even with all that, I think, changing the date of Christmas is well beyond his capability; I mean, there is only this much that gods can do.

Then I pull myself up short. Just tampering with the date is not the only way of postponing Christmas. Of all the ways offered such as illness, death, etc., the most important threat to the peace and goodwill given to all men at yuletide is when, for no obvious reason, the economy is tampered with.

This means salaries are either cut or unpaid. And when this happens, no child can ever calmly understand the meaning of peace on earth when the Christmas s/he has been looking forward to from the beginning of the year cannot hold because Daddy says his salary has not been paid. That is when such parents get to understand the meaning of rebellion. Peace on earth and goodwill to all men definitely does not happen unless all is well with the world of the child.

Bless their little hearts; they teach us the meaning of the phrase ‘hope springs eternal’ because they know the signs of Christmas better than us grown ‘uns.

Trust the blessed children’s noses to smell out Christmas: Christmas tree, Christmas lights and mummy fleeting in and out of the house, each time laden

with things that go directly to the kitchen. Then, I say, all is well with the world, and the song, ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ takes on its true meaning. But when these signs and wonders are absent, the children look on for a while but eventually blurt out: when are we beginning Christmas? Then daddy had better move for a borrowed Christmas. It will prevent home placards from being designed by amateurs: ‘Dewaying Chwistmas is Iwegal’; ‘What’s Skul fees to Christmas?’ And the question parents spend their entire parental career avoiding: ‘Who wants to go to skul anyway?’ Things happen when people are pushed to the wall.

To forestall just such a sorry pass in my house, I began to make my preparations early enough. My first stop was the Christmas tree stand. But the ones I saw were either too big or too small. In other words, I could not afford the ones I liked, and the ones that I could afford held no appeal for me. So, I would ask the shopkeeper, ‘don’t you have one in the right size?’

He would either reply that they were all the right sizes or he would look at me as if to decipher, correctly too, if I had not left my brain medicine at home. I then turned to search out some Xmas light decorations that would blink their goodwill into the house this season and would be good enough to use again and again. For this, I trudged round and round the markets, as none of the sellers could answer my question: how many Christmases can it last through? For answer, I got no answer.

So, sans new tree, sans new lights, I resolved to make it up to the family in some way. I would treat them to some new, delicious turkey, our own seasonal symbol of Xmas. When I called a friend to find out the possibility of obtaining one, I was told that the price was in thousands of Naira.

I laughed and asked to know if the sellers were trying to recoup the money they used to feed the turkey or the money they used to send it to school. What would be left of my salary would probably just buy the seasonings. And I could just imagine my family feeding on it at Christmas, each person holding a drumstick and tearing the flesh off it like Conan the Barbarian. Each mouthful they took would definitely wrench the sorrows from me like drops of blood and sweat from the cross until I would burst into tears and they would not know why.

How would I be able to tell them that the bird they were eating was not a bird, it was my salary?!

So, I turned my attentions, instead, to chicken. When I arrived at the stall where chickens commonly commune, I was amazed at the different arrays of chicken sizes. That gave me confidence that come what may, there had to be something that would not only fit my pocket but fill my pot too so that no smart kid in the house would open the pot and cluck: but mum, where is the chicken? Believe me, it happened.

Some Christmases back, the chicken that condescended to grace my pot was rather of a puny frame, and mentally unstable. It just refused to be offered as atonement. Though partially decapitated sometime early in the day, it persisted in flying in all kinds of directions until it ran out of strength or zeal, I don’t know now, which was somewhat close to the heat of the noon day. By the time it took its place in the pot, it had become rather small. ‘With all that exercise, it’s no surprise’, said one potential consumer. Another instructed, ‘Don’t eat it, it is no more than a ghost of its former self.’

Thus warily, I now approached one of the cages. The chickens contained therein looked moderate, eatable and did not seem to have any mental problems, as far as I could see. But they

all looked like they had been captured for being unable to settle their debts.

However, as I approached, they all seemed to swoop in my direction, hinting probably that their living conditions were not as it should be, and would be glad if anyone could rescue them, by paying their debts, may be. They had probably never heard of the expression, from fry pan to fire…

Thus encouraged, I asked for the prices. When I was told what I could get them for, again, I laughed, thinking that the turkey and the chicken should now get together to form a club, The Priceless Jewels’ Club, with the duck as their grand patron. The chickens swooshed closer, as if liking the sound of my laughter. Since the World Trade Treaty (under which the chicken seller and I do business) permits haggling, I nervously called a more realistic price.

At this, all the chickens, to a man, swooshed away from me and went about their business, clucking their disappointment, no doubt. I think they then drew straws to find out which of them had the heaviest debt record and would have to go home with me that day. The one that lost the bet clucked very loudly, in shrill and strident protests as if to say, is this all I am worth?

By this time, I had really begun to appreciate the joke of the Abuja people, as well as the predicament of those who said that the president was trying to postpone Christmas. From all indications, he is well on the way to cancelling it all together. Since it would save me so many harrowing experiences, not least of which is the disdain of some half-educated, debtridden and mentally-ill chicken, I am not too sure I would not support him in the venture. Have yourself a Merry Christmas, anyway, and let your heart be light this season, no matter what.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

16

Y

OU were the governor of Oyo State at the time Chief Ajibola Ige was murdered. What was your experience then?

It was a bitter experience. That very day was a Sunday. It was the day we had our Christmas carol at the Government House. It was a norman Sunday; everything was going on fine. The carol came and went from 4:15 to 6:00pm that day. And then everybody dispersed. As if I got a signal of what was coming, my speech that day was centred on security in Oyo State. I called on the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police to strengthen security in Oyo State because an old school mate, Engineer Adegeebo, had been assassinated near his house in Bodija a week earlier.

Every cleric went home and I retired to Government House. I played for some time.

Then I went to my room to treat some files.

I was doing that when suddenly the phone rang. It was land line we were using then. The operator said that somebody wanted to speak with me. Then I picked the call and it was a brother to my deputy. He said he was asked to tell me that Chief Bola Ige had been shot by some unknown assassins. I was confused immediately. I didn’t know what to do.

But later I regained my strength and quickly went down without telling my wife what was happening. It was 9:55 pm.

I sent for my PS because all the ADC and other security staff had gone to their places of abode. I told him to drive me in one of the private cars. Inside the car, I told him that Uncle Bola Ige had been shot by some gunmen, that I was going to check him at Catholic Hospital, Oluyoro. The man who informed said Ige was taken to Oluyoro.

The place I have been treading for over 60 years, I remember that I lost my way. I was just going round and round until I gained my consciousness again.

Immediately the gateman saw me, he quickly opened the gate. There, we saw Uncle Dele Ige, who was already rolling on the ground. I went straight to the room where Bola Ige was lying. I saw marks of bullets on his body. He slept with his face up. He was somehow breathing but the breathing was abnormal. I saw where the bullet penetrated on the left side. I saw it myself. Uncle Bola Ige was wearing shirt and trousers. And I saw Muyiwa standing by the side of the bed. He was wailing. He appealed to me, saying: ”Uncle, please tell the doctor to wake up my Daddy. Tell him. The doctor can do it.” Then, I approached the doctor and asked him the situation. The doctor called me to one side and told me that he was dead. He said: “Sir, Your Excellency, Uncle is gone. There is nothing we can do. They shot him straight in the heart. He asked me not to tell Muyiwa.

I almost betrayed my emotion when I got back into the room where Uncle was lying with Muyiwa beside his bed. I just quickly gathered myself and told Muyiwa that I was going to see the head of the hospital. That was how I bolted away. I came back to the Government House to inform Mr. President, who was Obasanjo at that time.

By the time I was going upstairs to my room, to try and tell Operator to phone Mr. President for me, the phone was already ringing. When I got into my room, it was still ringing. I quickly picked it up and it was Obasanjo.

He the Operator said the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wants to talk to you. Then I asked him to put him on.

The question Obasanjo just asked was: “Is he certified dead?” I said: “Yes sir.”

Then he dropped the phone. That was all.

That was my experience. I can never forget that experience.

So what can you deduce from your interaction with the President that night?

It means somebody must have told him about the shooting of Bola Ige. May be that was why he was asking that question. But I was taken aback; I was surprised because I thought the president would let me brief him first before asking that question. In Yoruba custom, the President would have first greeted me very well, expressed his condolences and ask me to extend the condolences to members

Obasanjo, PDP knew about Ige's death —Lam Adesina

• Adesina

Chief Bola Ige was murdered in the bedroom of his Bodija, Ibadan home, ten years ago. In this interview with BISI OLADELE, Alhaji Lam Adesina, who was the governor of Oyo State at the time, recalled the night life was snuffed out of the then Minister of Justice. He also recalled the controversies that dogged the tail end of his political life, especially the crisis in the Afenifere and the debate over Ige’s acceptance of ministerial appointment from the PDP-led federal government. Excerpts: of Bola Ige’s family. He didn’t say that; He just dropped the phone and went away.

You said at the lecture held on Wednesday that Ige’s killing was politically motivated (Cuts in) Yes. That is why first, Bola Ige had resigned. He wanted to go back home with a view to help to reorganise the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

Then there was turmoil within the AD

at that time. The Afenifere laders were insisting that we governors must do whatever they told us but we were telling them that though we respect you, you should not expect us to do all you designed for us because we are the people on the field. They were actually trying to impose a number of things on us which we rejected. That caused a lot of friction in the AD. Some Afenifere leaders were inciting those they could

incite against us, saying that we were emperors etc. But Bola Ige knew all these things very well. He was a master of politics more than many of the Afenifere leaders then. In fact, of all the leaders, Chief Bola Ige was the only one I could beat my chest anywhere to say he is my leader. He knew his onions in politics and was accepted by people in politics.

•Continued on page 69

POLITICS

17

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Nyako’s 2012 bid and PDP power brokers

T

HE race to Dongeri Government House in Yola, Adamawa State, took a new turn recently, when the governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako, of the Peoples Democratic Party, flagged off his campaign for the 2012 governorship election.

It was a day of surprises and confirmation of power realignments that may go a long way in influencing the political fortunes of PDP in Adamawa State.

Many big wigs, who are being counted upon for the success of PDP in the state, curiously stayed away from the campaign take off rally.

They included former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was slated to attend the event and who, according the prerally promotions, would join hands with his former vice, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to canvass mass support for Nyako. As would be expected, Obasanjo’s failure to attend the rally in Yola to witness the flag-off of the return ticket campaign of his friend of many years, Governor Admiral Murtala Nyako, has raised eyebrows from informed observers.

Already, many questions are being asked? Is it because of the presence of Atiku that Obasanjo stayed away? Is this a confirmation that all is still not well between these former close associates? Has Nyako’s name been deleted from the good books of Obasanjo-led power brokers in PDP? Why did Obasanjo develop cold feet at the last moment?

Besides Obasanjo, other big wigs whose absence at the rally has raised eyebrows included Dr. Bamanga Tukur, Sen. Jibril Aminu and Dr. Hassan Adamu. All of them were said to have stayed away for undisclosed reasons.

Given that these three prominent PDP

in order to fulfill the promises of the PDPled government in the state.

The vice president, who heads the National Election Campaign Committee for the re-election of Nyako in the coming governorship poll promised to give maximum support to the incumbent to win the poll and retain the state as a PDP state. As he puts it, “as the chairman of this important electioneering campaign, I am highly delighted to witness the proof that the good people of Adamawa State are in support of Nyako. There is no doubt that Adamawa State is a PDP State and it will remain so for life,’’ he stated.

He said that Nyako has been working in line with the PDP manifesto in transforming the state in the areas of youth empowerment, construction of good roads, and skills acquisition programme within the five years he stayed as governor.

Sambo told Adamawa people that they were fortunate to elect Nyako who he described as “God fearing,” and noted for listening to the plight of his people in a bid to find lasting solutions.’’

Speaking at the occasion, Atiku said Nyako’s flag off campaign will be the first PDP programme he would feature in after the last presidential primaries that produced President Jonathan.

Atiku claimed that the people in Action Congress of Nigeria and Congress for Progressive Change in the state would also vote for the PDP in the coming governorship poll.

“Remember when we founded PDP in Adamawa, there was no other party. It is mother of all parties. We will win and continue winning any election in the state,’’ he boasted.

He further stated that there was no party that can stand against PDP victory because of the development projects executed by Nyako administration which, according to him “will work as his score card in next year’s poll.”

However the National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the North East, Senator Paul Wampana, said the victory of the ruling PDP in the coming poll might not be an easy task if Nyako fails to pay the salary of the state workers, which is running into the third month.

According to Wampana, Nyako’s government has done tremendous work in transforming the lives of Adamawa masses, adding that people are angry because the government fails to implement the minimum wage law.

Wampana maintained that the best option for Nyako now is to settle the three months salaries the state is owing workers before they go for campaigning, adding that this was crucial for the peace and tranquility of the state.

The state chairman of the party, Alhaji Mijinyawa Umaru Kugama, however said PDP was not frightened of any political party in the polls because PDP will coast to victory by winning in the 266 wards of Adamawa State.

Kugama noted that before Atiku threw his weight behind Nyako, PDP won 224, out of 226 wards in Adamawa State. Now that Atiku Abubakar is teaming up with Nyako, PDP will win all the 266 wards in Adamawa on January 14th 2012.

The Director-General of the Murtala Nyako Campaign Organisation, Mr. Felix Tamgwami, said he has a good product to market.

The Acting National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Baraje, who was represented by Dr. Musa Babayo, the National Secretary of the party, said “victory is in the offing for PDP because of the massive achievement of the Murtala Nyako- led government.”

Perhaps to reassure skeptics that his return to the government house in Yola will bring better days for the people, Nyako promised to be more focused if given a fresh tenure.

Absence of some big wigs at the flag-off of Governor Murtala Nyako’s re- election campaign rally in Adamawa State has raised questions over his relationship with some top party officials and power brokers. Barnabas Manyam in Yola reports members are representing the state at the PDP Board of Trustee (BOT), their absence obviously confirms the fear that there are issues yet to be resolved in order to unite party leaders in the state. The Nation learnt that these three personalities specifically snubbed the rally because of unresolved political differences between them and Nyako.

Alhaji Ibrahim Adamu, a political analyst told The Nation that their absence “shows the in-fighting and division in Adamawa State PDP. Nyako may be on the ground, but you can see that he needs to work harder to carry along every one that matters in this party,” he said.

A source revealed that concerned members of the party had expected that Obasanjo and other leaders would use the Nyako campaign flag off rally to settle all outstanding political quarrels, which may threaten the chances of PDP in 2012.

These absence of BOT members notwithstanding, the fighting machinery of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] came alive in Yola, capital of Adamawa State, when the Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo, led many other political bulldozers and caterpillars to kick start the battle for the reelection of Governor Nyako.

Sambo, who stood in for President Goodluck Jonathan, said Nyako’s PDP will sweep the polls on the January 14, 2012 governorship election.

The turn out at the rally was very high.

As early as 8 am, people had besieged the

Yola International Airport to catch a glimpse of the visiting dignitaries, which included four serving governors, senators, ministers and top PDP personalities.

The Nation’s investigation shows that in spite of the presence of these top officials, thousands of people in the state, who specifically expected Obasanjo, perhaps because of the huge media campaign announcing that he would attend the event, felt highly disappointed by his absence.

It seems many had perceived the pairing of Obasanjo and Atiku as the highpoint of the rally.

Obasanjo’s absent notwithstanding, a cheerful Atiku was campaigned vigorously for Murtala Nyako when he said there was no alternative to Nyako in Adamawa.

Vice President Sambo’s entourage was made up of the Governor of Bauchi, Alh. Isa Yuguda, Governor of Taraba, Sutai Danbaba, Governor of Sokoto State, Alh. Aliyu Magatarda Wamakko, amongst others.

Members of the National Working Committee of the party were not left behind.

Speaking on behalf of President Jonathan, vice president Sambo, reassured the PDP faithful that on 14th January 2012, PDP will have additional mandate in the state based on transformation programmes executed by the Nyako-led administration.

He said the federal government has injected as much as N7.5billion to execute two special projects. They included N5billon invested in Choichi Irrigation Programme and N2.5 billon on Jada Hydro Electric Dam

18

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Politics

I

N the Bodija home of top political leader and legal icon, the late Chief Bola Ige (SAN), Christmas celebrations were uniquely posh. The season offered opportunity for his political and legal associates and disciples to gather, so as to tap from the vast intellectual barn of the man aptly described as the “modern day Cicero.”

The aim of such gathering or the unstained convivial atmosphere that permeated it, changed ten years ago, after some mysterious assassins bulldozed their way into his Esa-Oke home and shot the then Attorney-General and Minister of Justice dead.

Since then, only tearful remembrances have been made in this once political Mecca of some sort, as his family and Nigerians still await the uncovering and proper prosecution of his murderers.

His son, Muyiwa Ige, who is currently serving as a commissioner in Osun State, told The Nation what it has been for him and for other members of the family since Chief Ige was murdered in cold blood. He also explained that this year’s remembrance would take a more elaborate form.

“We remember him every year but this year will be unique as we will have public lectures in Lagos and Ibadan and thanksgiving services in Ibadan and Esa-Oke. There will also be candle light procession in Osogbo and Ibadan,” he said.

Recalling the unique qualities of his father, he said, “To his last day, my father was a great human being, a great citizen of the world. I will always heed his wise counsels.

When he engaged people, he was always ready to hear you out and accept superior arguments. He was liberal and very magnanimous. My parents were liberal. They allowed us to choose our professions. That is why I am today an architect.”

Ige also had special belief in the capacity of youths to excel. This, according to Muyiwa, was because he became active at youthful age. As he puts it, “he believed in bringing up young people and the development of talents and his prayer had always been to see the young ones becoming like him and better than he was. You could see how he prayed for Lagbaja in one of his albums. He believed in bringing up young people, this made him to found Young Pioneers Movement. He started the leadership charismatic at age 15. He started writing in the newspapers at 15 years old as a student activist. He was resisted in Obiaja in 1962; he was National Publicity Secretary of Action Group at age 32.”

B

1

Brief History James Ajibola Idowu Ige, generally known as Bola Ige, was born in Zaria, near Kaduna in northern Nigeria on September 13, 1930. His parents were Yoruba natives of Esa –Oke village in the old Oyo State (now in Osun State) He left Kaduna and returned to the Western Region at the age of 14.

Ige studied at Ibadan Grammar School (1943-48), and then at the University of Ibadan. He went to the University College London where he graduated with a Law degree in 1959 and was called to the bar in London’s Inner Temple in 1961.

That same year, he established his law firm, Bola Ige & Co. A distinguished lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), he cappped his professional and political career as the Attorney General and Federal Minister of Justice Widely revered for his oratory prowess and deep thoughts, his advocacy work on civil rights and democracy were greatly acknowledged.

Accepted as a top Yoruba leader during his life time, Ige was also appreciated across the country as a great intellectual, a modern Cicero and political leader. He wrote several books and spoke all the three major Nigerian languages, Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa fluently.

But this rare breed was assassinated in his home by yet to be established gunmen on December 23, 2001, while he was the serving Attorney–General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Political career Ige’s political prominence dated back to the 1960s, at the peak of the First Republic political crisis in the then Western Region.

•Ige

Ten years ago, Chief Bola Ige, the then Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, was murdered in his home. In this report, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, and Adesoji Adeniyi recalled some of his political legacies.

Merely in his early 30s then, he was at the center of the Action Group’s crisis at the time when Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his deputy, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, had their major political disagreement Ige was a Commissioner for Agriculture in the former Western Region of Nigeria between 1967 and 1970, under the military government of General Yakubu Gowon.

Although he was known to have developed friendship with former Military Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Ige devoted more of his time to the anti-racism campaign of the World Council of Churches during the long period of military rule in Nigeria.

In the late 1970s however, he joined the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), and became the elected governor of Oyo State during the

Second Republic (1979).

When he sought re-election in the 1983 elections, as the UPN candidate, he was however defeated by Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloye. Olunloye’s government was however sacked three months later by the coup staged by Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon.

Ige was at this time detained after the coup and accused of enriching his party.

He gained freedom in 1985, after General Ibrahim Babangida emerged the Military Head of State.

It was believed that after that experience, Ige did less party politiking and spent more time in his legal practice and in writing. It was at this point, in 1990, that he published People, Politics And Politicians Of Nigeria: 1940-1979.

One of the founding members of Afenifere, he avoided active involvement during the remaining period of military rule, except as a statesman and leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation.

During the Third Republic however, he played active part, first as a presidential aspirant under Alliance for Democracy, then as Minister of Mines and Power (1999-2000) and later as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2000-2001).

He was serving in that capacity on 23 December 2001, when he was shot dead in his home.

Ige’s canon When he lived, Chief Bola Ige was

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

BOLA IGE What legacy 10 years after?

widely accepted by associates, rivals and disciples alike, as a man of deep thoughts. His family members and those who worked closely with him said he was also a very simple man. His son, Muyiwa told The Nation candidly: “I cherish his act of humility, respect for people and people’s opinions, being diligent and offering selfless service to people.

There is no compromise for him in those values. He was a rare person.”

Trusting as he may be, Ige, the intellectual, hardly associated with any idea he did not ruminate over carefully. In an attempt to capture this aspect of Ige, Chief

Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) said, “Uncle Bola Ige has this philosophy that what you won’t eat, don’t take it near your nose.”

Perhaps because of this philosophy, he was largely misunderstood and criticised by opponents.

For example, critics of his later political marriages argued that his acceptance of political appointments from Peoples Democratic Party, then under his friend, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was not at tandem with his known political philosophy. He did not mince words while justifying his choices, damning whatever criticisms that trailed some of his actions.

Such was the mystery behind the deep personality of Ige, that once he was convinced of anything, he showed courage enough to stick out his neck for it.

Edwin Madunagu in “A reading on Bola Ige” had this to say of him: “I have met Chief Ige only once. It was in July 1994 when we assembled to pay our last respect to Comrade Dapo Fatogun at the Lagos Headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). We took our turns in testifying to the exemplary revolutionary career of Fatogun whose remains lay in front of us in a simple casket. As Ige delivered his own oration, I asked myself: “Why is this man not one of us?” “Why is he not a member of the Marxist socialist movement from which Fatogun has just taken a final exit?” Bola Ige said what others had said and even more; but his delivery was so eloquent, combining a refreshing historical sweep, philosophy and bold political judgement on the movement. He spoke without notes and without quotations; but he spoke with passion not the type of contrived passion that is

Politics common at funerals. Bola Ige’s passion was a pure form that enveloped patriotism, nationalism and deep commitment to the striving of the “wretched of the earth”. Since that day I have paid close attention to what Bola Ige does, says and writes, as well what people say about him and do to him. I have, in particular, followed his political career since he was appointed into the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo.”

It was reported that in spite of his relationship with Obasanjo, he was once openly contemptuous of PDP. As one of the reports puts it “he believes that only two people can determine his tenure in Obasanjo’s government; he, Ige, and Obasanjo, and of course, God. He does not owe his position to the PDP. Bola Ige is loyal to the AD and Afenifere, but his perception of this loyalty is not hypocritical, not mythical. His loyalty is informed and limited, by history circumstances. Put more concretely, although Ige respects these two organisations, he believes that at this stage of the nation’s history and the organisations’ development, and given recent political experiences, it will be disastrous at personal and political levels to permit them to dictate all his political decisions and actions. Consequently, Ige did not think that it was a mark of disloyalty not to seek the mandate of Afenifere or AD before accepting Obasanjo’s ministerial offer.”

Such was the complexity of his political positions that he remained, until his death, deeply loved by his associates and disciples and deeply hated by his rivals and opponents.

He was bold and sometimes too frank. For example, at the peak of the debate on Sovereign National Conference (SNC), he reportedly said that those who participated in the 1998/99 transition politics and elections had “no moral right to continue to demand the convocation of an SNC; that such people and organisations had forfeited the right to campaign for SNC by agreeing to participate in the elections that produced the present “sovereign government”.

Since his party then, AD, was perceived as one of such organisations so castigated, Ige became more of an enigma to many observers.

His views on resource control were equally controversial.

His position on controversial issues •In September 2001 he said that the Federal government had initiated a programme to re-arrange and consolidate the laws of the Federation, publish them in digital form, and make them available on the website of his ministry.

•He campaigned ardently against the imposition of the Saria Law in the Northern States of Nigeria.

• In November 2001 he said the Federal government would not allow the Sokoto State government to execute the judgement of a verdict passed by a Gwadabawa sharia court to stone a woman, Safiya Hussaini Safiya to death for committing adultery.

19

Death and illusive killers

M

ANY Ige admirers, including Muyiwa his son and close associates in Afenifere and the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), who probably thought Ige would never succumb to death are today, not only shocked at the reality of the fact that he had gone in such painful circumstances but also that his killers could remain illusive 10 years after.

It was a possibility most people in Nigeria refused to accept, but as the years roll by and the killers of the then Number One law officer remain unpunished, more observers begin to express concern over the handling of the investigation and the impression it has left concerning the country’s security and respect for human life.

Shortly after the news of the murder was confirmed, the then government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo swore vehemently that Ige’s would be the last of such assassinations and that government must unmask the killers in record time.

Today, it is the burden of our history that government is yet to fulfill that promise. The matter is worsened by the fact that before that stunning incident, the government had been carrying the heavy burden of many unresolved high profile murders.

Such murders included that of the late Aminasoary Dikibo; Harry Marshall; Alhaja Suliat Adedeji; Funsho Williams, etc.

So, during the week, concerned Nigerians,, who remembered the late Cicero called for immediate prosecution of his killers. The public lecture on the late Ige, held in Lagos earlier in the week, offered a good forum for passionate advocacy on the need to prosecute the killers.

Notable speakers at the event included the Vice President of the International Criminal Court of Justice in Hague, Justice Akua Kuenyehia; Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola; former Osun state governor, Chief Bisi Akande; Mrs Maryam Uwais, Mr. Femi Falana, Niyi Akintola (SAN); and family members of the

late AGF, including Muyiwa Ige, Tokunbo Ige and Funso Adegbola.

Human rights activist and legal practitioner, Mr Falana, in a lecture titled, “The International Criminal Court and its Role in fighting against impunity,” condemned the police investigation of the murder and regretted that “The chief suspect in the crime was made a senator while investigation was going on and the then president of Nigeria came on television to say that every accused person is presumed innocent until he is convicted.”

“I want to commend Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State for instructing his Attorney-General to re-open cases of crimes committed in the last 10 years. I want the case file of Chief Bola Ige to be re-opened and Osun State be allowed to investigate and prosecute the matter,” he said.

He recalled that “Three days after the killing, the police commissioner of Oyo State said they have apprehended the killer but later called a press conference to say that the man is deranged, the man was never shown. Suspects were arrested but it was clearly a prosecution designed to fail.

“Remember a suspect who had confessed that he was offered N50million to commit the crime later recanted what he had said. We are demanding for the trial of Chief Ige’s killers. If they are not willing to do it, the ICC is there,” he said.

Niyi Akintola (SAN) also called for a Truth Commission to be established so as to investigate and make public the mystery surrounding the death. “Imagine a star witness with the main suspect in the same cell. On the day Fryo would recant, he was clutching a bible and saying he was being threatened, so we held his hands and prayed with him. He shot us in the heart when he recanted. We should have a Truth Commission to unravel the death of Uncle Bola Ige so that some of us can tell the public what we faced during and after the trial.

At least, there is circumstantial evidence,” Akintola said.

Bola Ige quotes “The military have no respect for age or experience. They never had, anywhere in the world. I never deceived myself that they couldn’t. The only thing in which I took consolation was that anytime anyone hurts me without reason they would be doing themselves harm” Bola Ige, after his release from detention “”It’s the people who do not know what democracy is that are afraid. It’s your generation that is absolutely gutless in spite of your good education. It’s tragic. I can’t understand why people like you are afraid to fight them. Education equipped us to fight evil. I don’t know what your education taught you. We were taught that anything that is evil must be fought, whether moral, political or social. You know for us, money was unimportant. Our name is the thing. And what people perceive of us. And you’d see that none of us is rich in material things...”

Bola Ige on the military " It was about 1946 that I began to take great interest in Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Fortunately for me I came across the address of an Indian publisher that was selling examination notes and model essays in English to Nigerian students. I wrote to ask if they had books on Gandhi and Nehru. I was glad when they sent me much material about those two immortals...”

Bola Ige on Gandhi

20

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Politics

I never believed my father could die —Muyiwa Ige Osun State Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, Muyiwa Ige, son of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, spoke with Adesoji Adeniyi, on sundry issues associated with the gruesome murder of his father ten years ago

W

HAT was the graphic illustration of how Chief Bola Ige was murdered on the night of 23rd December, 2001?

I was with my father at our Bodija Ibadan residence on the fateful day. We came together into the house that fateful day, because we had both traveled to Lagos and we had been together all day from 11.00am till about 7.30pm. We just traveled back to town from Lagos. On the way, he dropped his ailing brother at a Catholic hospital in Oluyoro, Ibadan. On getting home, about an hour before and just shortly after he left us to go to his bedroom, the gun men came in. I didn’t witness the shooting but I was in the house because they put a gun to us to move us to another room. We were all in one wing of the house and the only people that were not in the house with us were the security personnel attached to my father as the then Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation. We never expected it because it had never happened that an intruder would be in the house with us. We knew that they were not armed robbers because they didn’t take anything away from the house. When we heard the gun shot in the room where we were, we knew something had happened to my father but there was nothing we could do because we were locked up. Later my sister and my nephew came and I told them that we were locked up in the room by the assassins. When we gained entrance from the room where we were, I rushed to my father’s room and saw him in the pool of his own blood lying down helplessly. I applied mouth to mouth resuscitation but it was too late.

How has it been with the family since the death of Chief Bola Ige? It has been very tough. You know it is not easy to lose one’s loved one, more so when in our case, his life was terminated in a gruesome manner. Though it’s God that gives life and takes it but he never says man should take another man’s life. However, we solace in his legacies and the kind of life he led. His was a life of service to humanity.

My father has come and gone. He was cut short at age 71 when he had become a senior citizen. We all know the shenanigans of that time when the state machinery were used against the people, particularly their perceived enemies. It has been tedious and tough but we are learning to forge ahead.

But my father is always in our consciousness and we will always miss him.

Was there any inkling about his death?

Inkling? I never believed my father could ever die. I thought he would always be there.

That may sound funny but the fact is that you will never want your loved ones to transit to the great beyond. Unfortunately, his transition was caused by an act of man.

For those who thought they could do evil, hide it and get anywhere, they won’t amount to anything.

Are there things you remember about him that still brings back old memories of him?

Mere looking at his photographs, you remember him. Like I said earlier, I was with him from 11.00 am till seven minutes before the gun men came. The manner in which the whole thing occurred was extraordinary. It was well orchestrated in way that the chief law officer of the country was isolated in his own house and other people cordoned off in other part of the house.

What reasons did your father give for serving in the Peoples Democratic Party-led Obasanjo government?

Before my father took major decisions,

• Ige

he would throw up a debate in the family and discuss with associates, so we will thoroughly debate, dissect, analyze and by the time he would come out with a position, he must have refined it. If you remember, when he was Minister of Power and Steel, he came out with a position on power problem. He said what the Nigerians should expect in six months, twelve months and he even told Nigerians that in twenty four months there would be no power interruption. But some people decided that they did not want this man to achieve this laudable objective. If you will remember, there was at a point total blackout. Some retrogressive minds and elements just believed the country should remain in bondage. Like sabotage, they relentlessly ensured that nothing worked.

There was complete blackout throughout the country. Before he took up the appointment as a Minister, he actually consulted every member of the family and we gave him our words. What he said was that he wanted to serve Nigeria and help his friend of many years; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He said Obasanjo gave him two options on where to serve, that is the Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Power and Steel but he decided to take that of the Ministry of Power and Steel in

order to make a great impact and ensure industrialiastion, especially in major cities. He felt where he could make significant impact was the Ministry of Power and Steel; because he believed who ever solves the problem of power in Nigeria would have his name written in gold. He also felt that he had a duty to serve the good people of Nigeria when Obasanjo approached him for the appointment, but unfortunately they sabotaged the ministry. All his plans to improve the power sector and ensure uninterrupted power supply could not be achieved because of the saboteurs. They made a mess of all his plans. The people that were benefiting from the use of generators sabotaged his plans.

There was a time the late Chief Ige observed what he called “Sidon Look” during the military era. Many people described that as being passive about the challenges facing the nation then. What did Chief Ige himself meant by “Sidon Look”?

‘Sidon Look’ approach was strategic. It was a strategy my father used to fight against the military. If you know what sidon look was all about, you will see that it was passive activism. It was a strategy to show that he was not part of the military system or the military so-called transition

programme. Instead of joining the military politics, he decided to sit down and watch, and that is what he referred to as ‘sidon look.’ He had the tentacles on ground but as far as he was concerned, there was no reason being part of the system then. He was very active in the NADECO and he challenged the powers that be by that time. He was Deputy Leader of Afenifere and he played active role in championing the course of June 12.

What is the Ige family relationship with some Afenifere leaders’ families?

When Bola Ige was alive, he was the main issue and everybody knew that fact. He was castigated and later paid one of the penalties for leadership. However, the line was drawn on December 15, 2001, when his cap and glasses were removed at the palace of the Ooni of Ife in Ile-Ife and it was wrong to do that to a senior citizen and an elder statesman. For those who have any issue with my father, my father has gone now and some of the Afenifere leaders have also gone, probably they are discussing that together now where they are, and for those who are alive may God bless them. My father played his part and he was Bola Ige, he didn’t pretend to be anybody else. He fought for the masses and emancipation of an egalitarian society. The good people of Nigeria and particularly the Yorubas will never forget him. He was a detribalized Nigerian as he spoke Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and some other languages. The D’Rovan Hotel issue had come and gone. He left a wonderful legacy and the democracy he worked for, lived for and died for, is still thriving in Nigeria till date. Honestly, I am very proud to be an “Omo Ige”. Personally, I enjoy good relationship with many of these families.

What is the relationship between the Ige family and the Falae’s family?

Please dig not, where there is nothing.

The Ige’s family relate harmoniously with one another. I know some members of the Falae’s family but there is no much relationship between us other than knowing each other as friends. Is like asking me the relationship between me and you.

So, dig not where there is nothing.

He was attacked at the Ooni of Ife’s palace and the episode generated a lot of comments and reactions …..

(Cut in) Yes, on the 15th of December, 2001 my father attended the chieftaincy coronation of the late Mrs. Stella Obasanjo at the Palace of the Ooni of Ife and unfortunately he was harassed at the palace by some people and his cap, chain and glasses were removed by these people. You begin to wonder how these characters moved close to a sitting Attorney General of the country? Obviously, there was a security breach at the palace. I remembered what he told us because I was supposed to meet with him at the palace on that day, but unfortunately I couldn’t make it. He told us that he told Kabiyesi; the Ooni, that he wanted his cap back. It was an abomination for the cap of an elderly man to be removed in Yoruba land. This man was the one who presented the staff of office to the Ooni when he was Governor of the old Oyo State in 1980.

All said and done; Bola Ige had come and gone; he did his best for his nation and he left a legacy.

What do you appreciate in him?

I cherish his act of humility, respect for people and people’s opinions, being diligent and offering selfless service to people. There is no compromise for him in those values.

He was a rare person.

What was his idea of female empowerment?

He was particular about female education. He believed once you educate a girl child you are building a nation. He believed in excellence for women. He believed what a man can do a woman can also do it better. My mother was a Justice and my elder sister is a lawyer, so my father believed in giving the best to women too. He always referred to my mum as “My Lady, who is other peoples’ Lord.” This is because my mum was a judge.

What was Ige’s weakness as a human?

He was too trusting. When you told him something is yellow, he would take it as yellow. He trusted people so much. He was free to people and that was why he allowed his security to go out anytime even when the killers came in and killed him.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, in this interview with Remi Adelowo, addresses, several controversies dogging his stepseverthing from alleged certificate forgery to intolerance

If I was intolerant, Benue would be on fire —Suswam

Y

OU have been the governor of Benue state for almost five years, how would you describe the experience?

Well, so far, so good, but that has come with a lot of challenges.

I inherited a lot of liabilities in government and I had to contend with that and also try to add my perspective. So far, I would say we have achieved a lot in four years and almost six months. We hope and believe we would be able to achieve more as we move forward.

Can you mention some of these liabilities you talked about earlier?

When I assumed office, I inherited a lot of debts from the local government and I had to pay off those debts before I was able to conduct elections, so that the chairmen coming in would start on a clean slate. I also inherited about N26 billion, monies outstanding to be paid. Some contracts were hurriedly awarded and very little mobilisation given and I had to pay. And by the grace of God, I have virtually finished paying those liabilities. In terms of the civil service and structure of local government, the morale in the civil service was very appalling. I was the first governor to increase the salaries of the workers, years before the issue of minimum wage came up.

Also, Makurdi, the state capital, was not a place where people wanted to go to, because all the streets were in bad shape. I had to immediately start a comprehensive urban renewal.

But in all of these challenges, which stands out?

My biggest challenge was the attitude of the people. If the attitude of the people is negative, whatever you do, there is no appreciation at all. Our biggest challenge has been how to change the people’s attitude to appreciate that what we are doing is for their collective good. This has been a big problem, especially in an environment where you have propagandists, who are continuously feeding people with lies and telling them all kinds of stories. For over a long period of time, our people have been deceived; these people believe that government say those things that they don’t believe in doing. So, the negative attitude of the people has been my major challenge, because you need to refocus the mindset of the people positively, so that they can contribute mean-

Politics

ingfully to the development of the state.

You once headed the Committee on Appropriation in the House of Representatives. How would you compare life as a lawmaker and now as governor?

There is a whole lot of difference between when I was a lawmaker and now as governor. Of course, heading the Committee on Appropriation was a very sensitive position, but even at that, I was just one out of several lawmakers. But as governor, the buck stops at your table. People also believe that you have the solution to all their problems. So, I would say being a governor has been more tasking and challenging.

You got into the state house with almost all the major stakeholders backing you. But the reverse seems to be the case now.

What is responsible for this?

Well, I think you have to realise the fact that winning a firstterm election for any politician is

“I think you have to realise the fact that winning a first-term election for any politician is always easier than winning a second term. And the reason is simply because as governor, you may have consciously or unconsciously stepped on people’s toes; I mean people who feel that you have not met their demands or are just simply envious.”

always easier than winning a second term. And the reason is simply because as governor, you may have consciously or unconsciously stepped on people’s toes; I mean people who feel that you have not met their demands or are just simply envious.

You used to be in good terms with your predecessor, Senator George Akume. How did things fall apart between both of you?

Like you said, Senator Akume and I were on good terms. We used to belong to PDP until he decamped to ACN. Of course, we had worked together in the past; because as politicians vying for elective offices, you need the support of people to win elections.

And we did work together quite well. He supported me when I was contesting and I also contributed to his victory as governor. But prior to the last elections, we had our differences on principles and he decided to leave PDP. I have no problems with that, because he has the fundamental rights to belong to any association of his choice. But the truth of the matter is that I have nothing personal against him. If he has one against me, I wouldn’t know.

Before the last election and after, there have been series of violence in the state and your critics believe they were largely caused by your administration’s intoler-

ance of the opposition. What is your reaction to this allegation?

If we want to take a critical look at this violence you talked about, I can tell you that they were caused by the opposition. There was no single incident when my party members had gone out to burn cars or maim people. All of these incidents, we have them recorded. If you say I’m intolerant, yes, I’m intolerant to violence and criminality; I’m intolerant of people disguising under the name of politics to commit crime and when they are arrested, they claim its political persecution. If I was intolerant, Benue State would have been on fire, because I’ve been provoked on several occasions.

Of course I knew they were deliberately doing this to make me react so that Benue State would be engulfed in crisis. And even after the elections, they have continued to engage in acts of provocation that would throw the state into a serious crisis. All I’ve been doing is to continue to appeal to my party members and the people of Benue State to remain calm, because otherwise, we would have been telling a different story. I’ve always insisted that the police must do their work and I believe they are doing that. Thankfully, Benue people know those who are violent and those who are not. No one is deceived in the state. I’ve been in politics since 1999 and I was a member of the National Assembly, no person can come out to say that I’ve been accused or invited by the police for going around with thugs or that I engaged in or supported violence in anyway. So, when they say I’m intolerant, I believe I’ve accommodated the opposition more than any governor of the state. I believe in the rule of law and I don’t believe in violence.

One of the allegations against you is that you forged your school certificate result. Is it true?

(Laughs) You know this accusation is funny. I attended Government College, Makurdi and passed out in 1982. The master sheet of the results of Government College for that set is there for anybody in doubt to go and

21

verify. I finished in 1982 and went to School of Basic Studies, Makurdi. From SBS, I was admitted to read Law at the University of Lagos. I went to UNILAG in 1986 and passed out in 1989, went to Law School and passed out in 1991. I practiced for a while and then got into politics in 1999, got elected in 1999 to the House of Representatives and got reelected in 2003. While I was at the National Assembly, I decided to go for a Master’s degree and applied to the University of Abuja. Of course, they needed the original of my results and I asked my S.A to get them from my office. On his way back, he was attacked by armed robbers, who made away with his car with my entire certificates inside. Then, I applied to all the institutions I attended to give me Certified True Copies of my results. I applied to UNILAG and also the Law School, both of which provided me the Certified True Copies. Two months after I applied to the West African Examination Council (WAEC), they sent me a result that wasn’t mine. So, I rejected it and sent it back. This was in 2005. In 2010 when I was preparing for my re-run, some guy started sending me text messages that he forged result for me.

To me, it was just ridiculous. A few months after, one magazine came out to allege that I forged my result. At this point, I decided to report to the Inspector General of Police. The police eventually arrested the guy who gave an interview in that magazine that he forged result for me.

Have you ever met this ‘guy’ before?

I’ve never met him and this he confirmed to the IGP. The funny aspect is that on the purported forged result, my picture was on it, but of me as an adult. When we finished in 1982, school certificate results never came with pictures.

A picture of an adult in 2005 is embossed on this so-called result that I purportedly forged. When I finished secondary school, I was 16 years old going to 17, so where did they get the picture, because the picture you see there is that of an adult. If I had finished the university, won election twice, what would be the motivation to forge certificate? In 2005, another funny thing is that the letter which I wrote to WAEC was also presented in the same magazine.

I wrote to WAEC directly and even attached an affidavit to it.

So, there was no basis for any person to come up with this. This was simply done to diminish my integrity and my standing in the eyes of Nigerians. Good enough, we are in court. They claimed that I presented forged result and so I wasn’t qualified to run for the election in the first place. So, WAEC has been joined in the case and they would bring the master sheet of the result. The Principal of Government College, Makurdi would also bring the master sheet of the entire results, and not just my own. This allegation is just arrant nonsense and pure blackmail.

What is next for you after your tenure expires? As a PhD holder in law, would you go into lecturing or rather opt for farming?

Actually, I would want to be a farmer and a part-time lecturer.

You don’t seem to have much airs around you?

No, I don’t! You see, life is nothing. If you take away the title of governor, I’m just Gabriel Suswam. I’m just a normal human being and no matter how long I stay as governor, I’m going to leave one day and be like any other man on the street.

22

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Politics

Remove immunity clause, its obnoxious —Oyedeji Captain Bolaji Oyedeji is a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP). The retired pilot spoke with Sunday Oguntola on current political issues and demands for removal of immunity clause from the c0onstitution, describing it as obnoxious. Excerpts:

W

HAT attracted a thorough professional like you to

politics?

We should all be involved in participatory politics because if we fail to do so, we have denied ourselves the right to complain when things go wrong. I also believe that politics is a platform to offer service for the benefit of the people; for me it’s all about service. Some people have even told me that I look too refined for Nigerian politics but that makes it better because when refined individuals join politics, it won’t be long before we start getting it right.

The only attraction I have for politics is a platform for service. There is nothing I’ll need money to do that I’ve not done in my life. I’m a contented person, so I’m not in politics for personal aggrandisement.

What are the most important leadership lessons you’ve learnt over the years?

I’ve had the opportunity of being in leadership po-

sition at all levels of my growth. You must lead by example in terms of the things you do for people to respect you and the position you occupy. Immediately you deviate, you’ve lost it and that’s the beginning of your failure as a leader. Chief Obafemi Awolowo is still respected as leader in the country because of the things he was able to achieve as a leader and his vision. People will take after their leader; so, it is better to give a good example. As much as we have leadership challenges, the greatest challenge we have as a country is that of

followership.

A country can only produce the kind of leader that she wants. For not crying out loud, I think the followership has its own share of the problem. If by chance you are made a commissioner today, a lot of people will come to you for impossible demands.

These are some of the things that breed corruption.

What advice do you have for Nigerians who see politics as a means to an end?

Let us find a way of making things work. We should think less of what is in there for us now. Success is the legacy you left behind rather than how much money you are able to amass. Nobody will remember you for amassing the whole wealth rather you’ll be a hero by empowering the youths, by helping them find their feet.

How will you assess President Jonathan’s government?

I think it is too early to start assessing a government when it is barely one year in office. I believe the president is focused on what he wants to achieve for the country. Let us give him a little time, at least one year to access if he has delivered on the promises he made. Looking at it from another angle, you’ll agree with me also that governance is a continuum. So at the end of four years, he must have laid a solid foundation upon which the next administration will build. The challenge we have as a country is that we are so much in a hurry that we do things the

“Let us find a way of making things work. We should think less of what is in there for us now. Success is the legacy you left behind rather than how much money you are able to amass.

Nobody will remember you for amassing the whole wealth rather you’ll be a hero by empowering the youths, by helping them find their feet.”

wrong way. Most serious projects cannot be completed in less than twenty four months. The president has taken lofty and laudable decisions in the area of power generation and transmission, education and national planning.

The truth is that the manifestation of these decisions cannot be seen in six months. We should give them time because they have a clear vision of where they want to take Nigeria.

Insecurity has been at the front burner, are you satisfied with the way the issue of security is being handled?

Nobody is happy with the level of insecurity in the country but I disagree with people who said that the president is slow in his approach. They are not analysing the situation very well. There are different approaches to governance; everybody must not be a bully to achieve success. Some people achieve great success through quiet dialogue. With the recent happening within the security circles, the Boko Haram menace will become history. The sect will fizzle out like the ones that existed before it.

Corruption has been our major bane in this country, what’s your take on the fight against corruption?

I agree with some people that the change that occurred at the anti- corruption agency is a step in the right direction. I believe it is done to reinvigorate the fight against corruption. The only way to stem the tide of corruption is to be proactive in the fight against corruption. The first proactive step towards fighting corruption should be the removal of the obnoxious immunity clause in our constitution.

The plea bargain that has been introduced into our justice system breeds corruption. People should be punished to serve as a deterrent to others. If the special courts being championed for corrupt cases sails through, it will be a plus to the fight. The ripple effect of corruption in the system is widespread unemployment in the country.

Political Politics turf

with Bolade Omonijo boladeomonijo@yahoo.com

Destroyers of the public trust

W

HEN we were growing up in the sixties and early seventies, the common good was considered so important that those in positions of authority were really seen as public officers. The public officers or servants were those who had the sacred duty of ensuring that the weak were protected. There was a minimum standard. If you chose to attend public schools, you did not feel disadvantaged. In most parts of the country, there were no private nursery, primary or secondary schools, let alone tertiary institutions.

The electricity company supplied light, including street light, especially in the city. There was adequate security and the Policemen were respected by all. The public health institutions functioned optimally. It was not a time when public officers spent public fund in attending to their health in Germany or Saudi Arabia. India and South Africa, Egypt and even Ghana, have now been added to the list of destinations.

I can recall those times that I had to travel by train. As late as 1981/1982, as an undergraduate at Nsukka, I remember travelling to Zaria and Kano by rail to attend NANS senate meetings. It worked, it was cheap. It was decent. Those who had money could fly through the Enugu airport, others could travel by road, while the more prudent or poor could elect to use the rail.

Up to the Second Republic, the mortgage system of providing decent and affordable housing worked. The government, thinking that it would take eternity to arrive at the year 2000 mark, pledged free housing, education and health for all. But the politicians opted to destroy everything in sight. In place of fertilizers for which provisions were made in the annual budget, those who had chosen to redefine the public trust and the term public officers, imported sand. They stashed away money to subdue opponents at the polls. It was the beginning of a steep decline in the quality of public service and subversion of the public interest.

The military arm of the national elite that took over from 1985 was even more rapacious and irresponsible than their civilian counterparts. The officers were contemptuous of the disadvantaged. All that mattered to them was the narrow, selfish interest. In no time, public institutions decayed and it was a question of time before they collapsed.

Thirty years after that steady decline, where are we today?

We are at a point where nothing public works. If you have money, you can get the very best. Those who feed on the public till send their children to schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. Those who are not that privileged make do with Ghanaian school for secondary and university education.

Yet others, either because they are not so entrenched to have a large share of the booty or because they understand the roles parents are assigned in bringing up their children, choose to keep their kids in Nigerian Ivy League secondary schools where they have to shell out millions yearly.

Everybody is a PLC. You buy a generator to supply electricity, provide borehole for water, employ OPC men to provide security and augment that with imported dogs and purchase at least a tokunbo car to ply the roads. Really, nothing works. Government no longer exists to strengthen the weak and support the underprivileged. If you are caught on the other side of the social order, government does everything to finish you off. The public hospitals, despite the billions spent over the years for so-called Primary Health Care Centres and the teaching hospitals, are in shambles. By design, by 2020, those who design public policy reckon that the downtrodden would either have gone into extinction or would be too weak to even lead street protest. In which case, they, the well heeled, would have a free reign, using first class shopping malls that could compete with the best in the world and the best cars manufactured everywhere. This is the spirit behind the proposed deregulation. It simply means nothing for the poor.

As I argued last week, the most sickening part of the philosophy is the contention that the so-called Public-Private-partnership is to save social infrastructure, redistribute wealth and tax the rich to protect the weak. That is dubious. I am not rich, but I have no alternative to taking my car out every day. At a point, there were tollgates on major roads. The money realised from them was so negligible that the Obasanjo government ordered demolition at a cost to the people. Now, they will be reinstated at a cost. The same thing would happen. A few people would feed fat on the proceeds. They are the people who need public money to support their exotic taste. They need holidays in the Bahamas and fat bank accounts in Switzerland.

It has always been argued that the private sector is more efficient, effective and less corrupt. But, pray, what did we discover in the banking sector? The failed banks tribunal of the Abacha years showed that the banks were mere conduit pipes for public funds. Round tripping reigned. And, about 20 years after, the Sanusi policy has shown that all there is to the glitter in the banks is corruption.

No one has satisfactorily explained to me why public institutions and facilities worked in the sixties and seventies and cannot work now. We sold off Nigeria Airways, the Students Loans Board was allowed to die, state universities have joined the privately owned in charging crazy fees. And the federal universities appear to be waiting in the wings to strike.

So, what remains? The public trust is a common patrimony.

We must retrieve it from the parasites who have seized the public square. The struggle continues.

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COVER THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

The road to Jerusalem I

AM compelled to believe in fate. Two weeks before I travelled to Jerusalem for the 2011 pilgrimage, I had promised my family I would not try to play the hero by climbing any of the dizzying mountains pilgrims loved to test their endurance. They needed me more than I needed the glory. A flight of 39 steps was enough to get me into a swoon, not to talk of thousands of metres above ground level. But after scaling Mount Tabor, where Jesus Christ was transfigured in the presence of some of his disciples, with the help of a bus ride – a faster but potentially riskier feat than by foot – I began to get Dutch courage. What is Mt Sinai after all to exalt itself above my valour and reputation? A few days into the pilgrimage that actually began on November 20th, there I was, in a state of suspended animation, reason having forsaken me, climbing the mountain like a hippopotamus, gasping, wheezing like an asthmatic, plodding, grumbling and in constant fear of Bedouins. (See Box) If fate could lure you into irrationality, it also sometimes enables you to do the possible.

That probably explains why I made the pilgrimage in the first instance. The pre-flight formalities were typically Nigerian. The airport security was also naturally more menacing than scientific, perhaps geared to intimidate the unknown bomber than put genuine traveller at ease. The officer who frisked me felt money in my pocket – probably not more than five thousand naira, if I remember correctly – and half-whispering, half-joking wondered if he could have some of it. I grunted beneath my breath and stared at him, also half-mocking, half-censorious.

When would we learn to conduct ourselves decorously? I was in nearby Ghana a few months earlier, and I saw their officials act with the required detachment their country would be proud of, albeit with a little of the African languor we are all familiar with, but no less efficiently.

Three weeks before my trip to Jerusalem, I had come down with what tests showed was malaria fever. Repeated treatment was only partially effective, and I was recovering very slowly to the point of wondering whether I would make the trip. Finally, I ignored the symptoms and travelled. It took only two nights in Israel for the symptoms to disappear. It wasn’t until I returned home 11 days later before I understood that what happened was not a miracle, as some interpret miracles. Once we disembarked and walked into the very warm and generally unkempt terminal building in Lagos, we headed for what we thought was the exit. The door was locked. Like cattle, we headed for another door only to see an official walking leisurely in our direction with a key in his hand. It took another two hours or so to get our bags.

About two kilometres to my house, I encountered two police checkpoints, barely 200m from each other. Manning the first was a team of policemen, rifles raised and menacing, barking orders to us to park. I was driving. The policeman who attended to us was wearing what was definitely not regulation issue boots, and three of the buttons were gone. He was beefy, unfriendly, definitely not professional, and doubtless under influence. He cut to the chase and asked me in turn to cut the pretence and be nice. I balked. Then, noticing my companion,

By Palladium he ingeniously noted that surely I could afford to be nice considering that I had a pretty face seated by me. I knew what he meant, for I had heard and read unsavoury stories of how nasty these fellows can be to one’s female companions. We all do the same work, officer, I told him, trying to be measured in my response and hiding my anger and sadness. If we did the same work, he said, he would like me to identify myself. I was a reporter, I said. He snorted disapprovingly and muttered a few words clearly not meant for my hearing, before letting me go.

A few minutes later, I ran full hilt into another checkpoint, and virtually the same verbal exchange began. I would be nice on some other day, I promised this latter set. My headache had not only returned promptly, I went to bed humbled, nay humiliated, broken in spirit and traumatised. The fever symptoms that stuck to me like luggage before I travelled had returned, and I was to nurse it this time with alternative therapy. It became clear to me that Nigerians are undone by their country and the lethargy and incompetence of their rulers. Throughout my stay in Israel I could count the number of times I heard any vehicle toot its horn. Perhaps one or two ambulances blew siren, but beyond that I am not sure I heard any unwholesome noise, certainly nothing like the sort of demonic noises and sirens that VIPs, police cars,

•Map of the Holy Land

bullion vans and homicidal commercial drivers have become used to.

It was clear why my so-called fever returned. On the way to Bethlehem from Jerusalem one mid-morning, we stopped at a traffic light on a major intersection. The traffic of vehicles was exceptionally light, perhaps it was always so on that stretch of road. An armoured police vehicle coming from the opposite direction also stopped in obedience to the red light. For the 20 or so seconds we were there no other vehicle came along. But everyone obeyed the law. I was dumbfounded. In Nigeria, the law, our beautiful law, is meant only for the ordinary man, the unconnected, the civilian. It is now so bad that next to our proud and increasingly anarchical security agencies, even commercial cyclists have joined the lawlessness; and Boy Scout, Man o’ War and other groups in uniforms could soon begin to claim superiority to and exemption from the law.

Apart from the undue delay at Antalya Airport in Turkey, where it seemed some business-minded fellow pilgrim(s) took along some rotten stock fish, thereby triggering a security alarm, the journey to the Holy Land was uneventful. Whether it was a spiritual or a historical thing, once we landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the pilgrim felt a sense of awe. No, it had little to do with the sophistication of the preeminent terminal building, or the wellpaved access roads, or even the superlative efficiency of their immigration and security officials. Yes, the Israelis, quite unlike Nigeria, know how to nurture their image, and would not compromise it for anything on earth. Yes, too, they know, unlike our rulers, that law is the basis of civilisation and order, and would not brook even their presidents to challenge, let alone subvert it.

As desirable as these things were, they were not the reason for the sense of awe.

•Continued on Page 24

•Grotto of the Nativity ... where Jesus was born

•Mount Tabor

•Interior of the Basilica of the Transfiguration

24

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Cover

•Bird’s eye view of Tiberias

•Basilica of the Nativity

•Bethlehem

The road ••• •Continued from Page 23 The awe that grips you is probably because the two most powerful and influential religions on earth spring from the Holy Land and are connected to Abraham, one by his wife, and the other by his wife’s maid. Apart from Galilee, which itself is hilly but fertile, much of the Holy Land is mountainous terrain, hills and desert.

Jerusalem’s unattractive geography is a signal lesson to those who think an unattractive woman stands little chance of getting the best man in the world. Armies, empires, emperors and generals have fought and died to win the hand of this literally barren city or humiliate her for troubling the world.

According to one account, “Between the fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE and the Muslim conquests of the 7th century CE (a period of over 1500 years), the region came under Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Sassanid, and Byzantine rule… Then in 635 CE, the region, including Jerusalem, was conquered by the Arabs and was to remain under Muslim control for the next 1300 years. Control of the region transferred between the Umayyads, Abbasids, and Crusaders throughout the next six centuries, before being conquered by the Mamluk Sultanate, in 1260. In 1516, the region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, and remained under Turkish rule until the 20th century.”

Pilgrim Palladium was awed, even if no one else was. He is a student of Middle East history, and in his school days wrote many term papers on Israeli history, Ottoman Empire and the Maghreb, without, it must be noted, visiting any of those places. Now, he was about to set foot on the land of Ataturk and the Pharaohs, and see physically the battlefields in Israel upon which many armies since the Davidic era, and the Crusaders and the proselytising Muslim empires, have had their ambitions fulfilled or shattered. He would see the physical manifestation of the

seemingly eternal and irreconcilable struggle for supremacy between the children of Abraham, particularly between Christianity and Islam.

Israel is reputed to be on permanent war footing. Yet, its security apparatuses are intelligently and efficiently unobtrusive. After enduring centuries of torment in the hands of invaders, they are too smart to be complacent about security or allow their security men to grandstand. Their survival depends on the system working well, and every official performing way above average.

Throughout our travels in Israel, by day or night, we only encountered one checkpoint.

And that checkpoint, at the gates of Jerusalem, were manned by border guards made up principally of young men and women who looked more like boys and girls wielding Uzi submachine guns.

Everywhere we went, the security systems and operatives looked deceptively casual, though gun-wielding youths were ubiquitous. I suspect they understand, again unlike Nigeria, that their quality of life depends on how intelligently they operate an integrated security system that does not inconvenient, harass or intimidate their people. They know how to police their people without ending up with a police state. In Nigeria, we do not know how to police our people, and we have ended up with a police state. Little wonder that living in that country for two days rid me of fever, and barely four hours back in Nigeria, gave me fever.

The trip from Tel Aviv to Tiberias, where we stayed for the first four days, took us towards the northern part of the country through pleasant countryside of gently undulating hills dotted with terraced farms.

No land is idle. Their farms tell stories of a people diligent in everything, a people who have mastered the science of turning their small living space into a high-yielding economic space. There were no potholes to make driving unpleasant. And whether in Tel Aviv or Tiberias, or any other places we

visited in the whole of Israel, there was never a time when some corpulent and arrogant state or security official drove you off the road with sirens or uniform. For a people permanently under pressure, they know how to live and live well.

I think everything boils down to intelligence. Israel’s success is not because of its small size. After all Haiti is also small. So, too, are many African countries. With a population of a little less than eight million, out of which less than six million are Jews, the country has one of the highest life expectancy in the world (82 for women, 79 for men); is a developed country; feeds itself and exports the surplus; and its top universities are among the world’s best. It spends hugely on research and development (R&D), exports skilled manpower, and has won many science Nobel Prizes relative to its size. But the country has been fortunate with passionate and brilliant leaders, not just great generals.

Before cutting in from the coast to Tiberias, a town built on the impossible hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee, we made a whistle stop at Caesarea, on the banks of the Mediterranean, probably the most exclusive part of Israel that accommodates the rich and influential. It is half way between Tel Aviv and Haifa, and was built in honour of Augustus Caesar by Herod the Great. It still boasts of many Roman ruins, including a disused aqueduct, and we learnt that water was piped into homes here during the Roman era. This was where Paul the Apostle was imprisoned for two years, defended himself before two Roman governors, the adulterous Felix, and the noble Festus, and the incestuous Jewish King Agrippa II, and then appealed to Caesar, before sailing for Rome.

If Herod the Great built Caesarea as a port city to honour Augustus, Herod Antipas would build Tiberias to honour Tiberius Caesar. Since Caesarea was built on the shore of the Mediterranean, Tiberias would be built on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee, and would number third among the four Holy Cities of Judaism. Others are Safed (4th), Jerusalem (1st) and Hebron (2nd). Tiberias was under construction in the days of Jesus. Once

we settled in Lower Galilee, it was not difficult to tour the towns where Christ began his ministry.

Our first call was to take a boat ride like Jesus did on the Sea of Galilee. Yes, the very same sea where Jesus walked on water and Peter nearly drowned. It is of course not a sea; it is a lake. Accustomed to receiving pilgrims from Nigeria, the owners of the boat were ready with Nigerian praise worship songs.

Typically, Nigeria’s boisterous pilgrims responded by organising a praise worship time for the duration of the cruise. At a point when the boat listed a little, and considering the fact that the chairs in the boat were not fastened to the deck, I imagined what quantum of faith we would be required to summon if passengers and crew were tipped into the sea. Given what I knew of some of my co-pilgrims, their sometimes liberal indulgence in careless and suggestive talk, and their often abrasive and irreverent manner, I was not so sure anyone other than accomplished swimmers would get to shore.

I did not forget that when Peter cried out to Jesus as the waves threatened him, he gave the impression that though he was a fisherman, he had problems with swimming lessons.

The experience on Mount Tabor, about 18km west of the Sea of Galilee, was another trying time. More popularly called the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus radiated glorious light and was seen conversing with Moses and Elijah, it rises a modest 575m. We accessed the dizzying summit by bus ride up the precipitous side of the mountain, with little to break your fall if the bus loses its breaks. If you were acrophobic like Palladium, your heart would be in danger of popping out of your mouth if you left it open and you decided to look out of the bus window down the steep, winding and dangerous slopes. I do not know which was more trying: the cable car ride up the Mount of Temptation in Jericho, where Jesus was tempted of the devil, or this. But once on the summit of Tabor, it became an exhilarating experience viewing the distant peaks of Mountain Gilboa where Saul and his son, Jonathan, were slain, and the valley of Megido, where, according to the •Continued on Page 25

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

... to Jerusalem •Continued from Page 24 scripture, the armies of the world would fight the last battle in history.

Before ascending the slopes of Mt Tabor, however, we visited Tabgha on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus fed the 5,000, asked his wearied disciples to cast net on the unconventional side of fishing to catch fish, where he appeared a fourth time to his disciples after the resurrection, questioned Peter about his love for the master, and admonished him to feed the people who would be converted to Christianity. The Church of the Primacy of St Peter and The Church of the Multiplication are built as dedication to the biblical stories around that seashore.

From Tabgha, we proceeded to Capernaum (Town of Nahum), headquarters of Jesus ministry, and where Peter’s mother-in-law’s house is still preserved. We sang praises at the nearby synagogue, whose columns still survive, to the entertainment of pilgrims from different parts of the world.

Viewing Peter’s house and the rooms therein brought home to the pilgrims very vividly the reality and weight of the Gospels. We saw where the cripple (Luke 5) was lowered down through a hole in the ceiling so that Jesus could heal him. The effect of the preservation of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house and that of the High Priest Caiaphas (Matt 26), where we saw the basement where Jesus was detained after he was arrested from Gethsemane, is impossible to describe.

There were many more noncontroversial confirmations of the scripture. Returning from Tabgha, we travelled on a road that bypasses Endor, where Saul consulted with a witch. I do not know whether the witch’s house is preserved, or whether pilgrims visit it. But I doubt it. Maybe, someday, after Nigeria might have risen to greatness, the many witches’ covens visited routinely by the high and mighty would be preserved as a reminder of our idolatrous past.

At Cana of Galilee, we visited the place where Jesus turned water to wine during a wedding ceremony.

Since Jesus’ family came from Nazareth for the wedding, it was only fitting that our next stop should be where he grew up with Mary and Joseph. The couple’s house is marked by the Church of the Annunciation. In the days of Jesus, Nazareth had some 500 people.

Today, the population is just under 400,000.

Like Cana, Nazareth, for all its great name, is a little like the old Lagos, with narrow streets, litter here and there, gaming rooms, roadside snacks, a considerably young population that needs to be kept busy, and admittedly very pretty girls. But pilgrims should refuse to see the pretty girls. They should instead marvel at the largest Catholic Basilica in the Middle East, which has a unique funnel-like top that spreads out downwards, as if graphically depicting the announcement to the whole world.

From the surviving contents in Joseph’s house, archaeologists have determined that Joseph was unlikely to be a carpenter, as some bible translations suggest. He was probably a stonemason or master craftsman. We returned to Tiberias, for the first time, via a road that bisected the famous Valley of Armageddon (also called Valley of Jezreel). I wondered why I looked so intently at the lush and fertile (about 15ft-deep rich soil) plains of •Continued on Page 26

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Searching for glory on Mount Sinai E got to St Catherine City around 2:00am, had what was supposed to be dinner – doubtless a tasteless meal of sodden potatoes, poorly cooked rice, and indescribable soup – changed to warmer clothing and headed posthaste to the foot of the formidable and controversial mountain, a mere 15 minutes’ drive from the Moregold Hotel where we lodged. If no one was sure this was the same mountain Moses received the Ten Commandments from God, why expend so much effort? I don’t know; I have no answer.

The city was extraordinarily cold, much colder than my brief stay in Winnebago, Minnesota, near the Canadian border. It is in fact the coldest place I have ever been. When we neared the city, the temperature had dropped to 14 Celsius. But the mountain itself was to prove even colder, windswept and beguiling. We learnt that four days before we arrived the city, it snowed on the summit of Mt Sinai. Would it snow when we begin climbing? we asked the guide. He didn’t think so, he answered.

The bus took us to within 150m or so to the foot of the mountain, where hopeful mountaineers assembled for final briefing by fresh Bedouin

W

•Mount Sinai... the final steps

guides. Yonder was a herd of ungainly camels, their Bedouin minders anxious to begin wooing customers. If Moses did not use camel, neither would I, I thought within me defiantly. I would prove to the mostly young climbers in our set that a fiftysomething could make a cakewalk of the mountain.

Suddenly, there began a flurry of activities among the accompanying medical crew.

They warned those with sundry medical conditions to return to the comfort of their hotel rooms.

I didn’t think I had any of those medical conditions. But even if I had, I was uninterested in finding out there; for the medics offered to take everyone’s blood pressure.

The warnings came again, this time in a torrent, and presently there began a stir among the hopeful mountaineers. One, two, then three, and alarmingly four, five opted to return home. My roommate, citing the punishing cold that frazzled his legs and sent cold tremors coursing through his spine, began to mutter inaudible statements. He who had boasted that living in extreme cold environment was second nature to him, began to whisper that perhaps it was wise to reconsider the matter judiciously. I reminded him he

had just invested in another winter coat, top of the range, to weather the cold. “No, it’s not the torso,” he protested, “it’s the legs; the cold is ravaging my legs.” I wavered for a few seconds, as the Bedouins primed themselves with their torchlights, warning that if anyone left that departure point, it was dangerous to abort the journey half way up.

At that moment, I strangely forgot my wife and children. Too many people had invested their prayers in my hand, and they would be disappointed if I went back and told them I couldn’t even stir, let alone touch the mountain. I knew it was too optimistic to expect that prayers would be automatically answered simply because one climbed a mountain, but, well, there was history ahead of me, and there was possibly glory too. I would climb, I told my roommate. He went back to the hotel, and I put my fate in the hands of Bedouins.

Suddenly, as if prompted by a demonic clock, guides and mountaineers sprang to life and began a mad rush for the mountain. I tried to keep up.

Under five minutes, I became a straggler, legs increasingly getting heavier, and the crowd that was dense around me a few minutes earlier, became spectrally thin in that ghostly, forbidden and thick darkness.

My torchlight proved inadequate, and I had the distinction of not even having a companion by the time I got to the foot of the mountain.

Bedouin and pilgrims had begun their ascent, and were fully more than a hundred meters up the slope by the time I sighted the base of the mountain. What on earth was I doing here? I asked myself forlornly.

But needs must when the devil drives. Camel? importuned the Bedouins anytime they suspected a pilgrim experiencing laboured breathing and tortured steps. I imagined the worst. Were these the cutthroats they warned us would pick stragglers – a diabolic illustration of the idiomatic expression ‘the devil take the hindmost?’ I continued to imagine the worst. Being acrophobic, I could take my chances with my legs. But to compound my woes by mounting on the back of a camel, thereby further raising my centre of gravity, was unthinkable. I would rather trust my legs than these beasts.

By the time I took the first steps up the famous mountain, I had run out of gas, my mouth was open to take in more oxygen, my nose was both hot and cold at once, and unbeknownst to me, dripping with sweet mucous, which I didn’t perceive until it touched my lips. Chocolate éclair on Sinai? Alas, it was my body sending distress signals.

Worse, I looked round and saw no one in the thick darkness.

Much worse, when I looked up the mountain, I saw my fleet-

footed companions dashing agilely up the slopes; in fact almost flying up the mountain like bats. The whole thing began to look surreal: my tired legs, the lurking Bedouins and their camels, my tortured breathing, hunger, cold, heat – everything was at sixes and sevens. The only thing I held on to was the hunt for glory.

I waited for a miracle, none came. I wished to be transported by a supernatural agency to the top, but I was nearer the bottom.

I wished for daybreak, but the darkness was oppressive and unremitting. My roommate made the wise choice after all, I told myself. In my agony I failed to notice that there were actually a few other stragglers worse for wear than I was. Soon they caught up with me, and we devised the method of resting after every ten minutes of climbing. But the camels wouldn’t let us sit still.

At long last, by daybreak, Palladium had climbed more than 2000m, by my guess, of course. I could see the Church on the peak, and I had passed the about five Bedouin coffee shops perched along the slope.

My throat was not cut, and I had not fallen off the cliff. But I had punished myself for reasons I still cannot fathom, and I had throbbing headache, and my legs were extra tired, and my lungs were drained of every oxygen atom, and I wasn’t even carrying any tablet of stone, not to talk of putting myself in a position to receive any commandment. My job was done, victory declared, and nothing left to prove. Yea, there was no glory to be seen or felt.

But in fact, it turned out that the peak had been serially desecrated by sinners, scoffers and atheists anyway.

But with the first glimmer of day came new demons. I suddenly saw how far up I had climbed. Indeed, I could not see the ground below, and being an acrophobic, this was sheer, unspeakable and irredeemable horror. All I saw were jagged peaks, the gloriously bluish amber sky that announces the morning from those brilliant peaks, and as it were, heaven itself. It was one thing forsaking reason and climbing in the darkness; now it was another thing climbing down the precipitous slopes with my reason and fears intact.

I spent about three hours climbing to a little over 2000m. I was surprised to find that I spent more than that climbing down. My body was on autopilot. When I got back to the hotel, a crowd surrounded me asking how the peak was, and I could see the admiration in their voice, and the glint in their eyes as they shook hands with me. At that point, it was impossible to tell them I didn’t quite reach the peak. And to this day, except my roommate whom I confided in, no one is sure among my group of pilgrims whether I scaled the peak or not.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Cover

... to Jerusalem •Continued from Page 25 Armageddon. Did I hope to participate in the famous last battle in that valley?

As we drove towards Eilat, Israel’s tourism city near Taba, Egypt’s border with Israel, we branched at Jericho to visit the controversial Mt Quarantania, otherwise called the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus was tempted by the devil upon a high mountain. Atop that mountain by a cable car that halted momentarily but precariously midway over 350m above ground, the lesson of moderation, as opposed to the love of possession, pride and pleasure, was reinforced in us. Like the lessons the beatitudes gave pilgrims about the dispossessed people Jesus preached to, his interaction with Lazarus and co in Bethany (house of the figs, and where there were many poor), his life and ministry as a whole, and his victory over temptation on the high mountain (about 366m high), it is still a wonder that many Christians set great store by material possessions, even deceptively and shockingly linking faith to acquisition of wealth.

After descending from Quarantania, I swore silently nothing would make me climb Mount Sinai, for I had heard it was about 2285m and takes nearly three hours to scale. Little did I know that some hours later, I would be on the mountain, well over 2000m and threatening to go further had reason and scripture not restrained me.

Night travelling was a delight in Israel, and not so disagreeable even in Egypt. But the roads that passed through the Judean wilderness, particularly by the Dead Sea portion, were treacherous and winding. Fortunately, we had a driver that was good, and who coughed relentlessly such that he stood no chance of being wearied by sleep or exhaustion. He hauled us safely to Eilat, and we passed through immigration formalities, and thence on to the Egyptian side.

As in Jericho and Bethlehem, where our Israeli tour guide had to give way to local guides, many of whom told us stories they thought we loved to hear, a new guide took us to St Catherine City, by-passing the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, and heading, again, through dangerous serpentine roads to where the brave and bold would lumber to the peaks of Sinai for glory. (See Box) I counted at least

•Nazareth... narrow roads, pretty girls five checkpoints on the Egyptian side. While their roads were not as well-paved as those of Israel, they were generally free of potholes. But they had the most copious road signs I had ever seen. I doubt whether any country would ever have as many road signs as I saw going to the Sinai Peninsula. The roads were not just treacherous; they were decidedly evil, especially as we approached the Red Sea. Had they not been fairly okay, and had traffic not been light, I shudder to think what appalling slaughter that road would have been capable of.

The return journey to the Egyptian-Israeli border was even more revealing, for it was now

daylight, and I could see clearly what nature and man working together or separately had done to the sandstone hills of the Jordan Rift Valley.

You could afford not to visit Nazareth, Cana, and even Jericho in spite of its famous name. But if you were given the opportunity of one in a lifetime journey, please drive to St Catherine City for the sole aim of seeing those amazing sandstone mountains between Nuweiba Port and the city that hosts Mt Sinai. I had not had a wink since my adventure up the slopes of Sinai, but I could not even afford to doze as I contemplated the spectacle that unfurled before me.

These were no ordinary mountains; they had become works of art, sculpted into huge terraces and condominiums with plateaued tops, sometimes complete with gothic exteriors. They seemed to me a vast stonemasonry of unfinished work brooking neither noise nor interruption, as if rocky sedimentary and granite outcrops were uprooted from some points and stuccoed along the road by an unseen, ruminative and relentless force.

I would gladly be called a masochist for the opportunity of seeing once again the incredible and breathtaking work that nature has done along the dangerous

curves to St Catherine City. For a student of geography, no geomorphological formation was lacking in that appalling and savage wilderness of extreme temperatures. You would find Yardangs, Sphinx-like structures aplenty, and rolling and undulating sand dunes. I am surprised that the Great Sphinx of Egypt is attributed to carvers. In the Sinai Peninsula, I saw many Sphinxes sculpted by nature.

But turning left from the Tjunction on the road to Nuweiba and Sharm el Sheikh, nature began sculpting a new tapestry, punctuated only by horrendous bends and steep inclines along the road. I saw huge monoliths casting inordinate and ominous shadows across the two-lane road. And as I said earlier, never were road signs more copiously used and obeyed than on this road. Back inside Israel, I had the composure to observe less pronounced rock formations. There were some sculpting, not the least an outcrop they hilariously referred to as Lot’s Wife, but they were not as pronounced as the ones on the Egyptian side. The area around the Dead Sea is devoid of any life, and an acrid air hung over the environment. However, the Israelis have turned the area into a tourist resort, though on a scale far less imposing than Eilat. We had lunch at one of the hotels near the famous Ahava cosmetic plant, and saw a few white folks clad in their bikinis dip into the Dead Sea. The sea is so dense that no one can drown in it, but its waters are corrosive to the internal organs.

On the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which according to the Bible, were destroyed for all manner of sensuality, including gay and lesbian sexual orientations that have become a hot button issue today. The Dead Sea is the lowest land point on earth. We spent the night at Eilat and began our journey to Jerusalem the following morning.

We passed by Masada, where David hid from Saul, the wilderness of Engedi, and then also passed by Jericho, and headed straight for the Jerusalem without which pilgrimage could neither be completed nor satisfactory. We reached Jerusalem by 3:00pm.

(Read my Jerusalem notes next week). By the time the pilgrimage was over, I had lost a princely four kilograms in body weight, the result not of exertion, but of eating rice, rice, more rice, and damned lettuce and cucumber. (See Box)

Rice, rice, more rice, and damned lettuce and cucumber

I

T is uncommon to find an obese person among Jews.

This may be one of the reasons for their high life expectancy. But how they manage to stay strong and healthy with their tormenting, not to say abominable, rice dish, beats me.

Everywhere we went, it was rice and more rice, relieved only by bread and some garish vegetables soaked perhaps in the vinegar they insolently offered Jesus when they crucified him. Even shredded carrot was soaked in some sort of juice that my sensitive palate could not tolerate. I cannot recall one restaurant where we were not offered rice, not even in Sinai. Did someone brief them that that was the only thing we ate?

I went to Jerusalem a portly – for a slim fellow, I assure you I was – 78kg. I came back a gaunt 74kg. And I ate chicken as if it would go out of fashion. I,

however, didn’t eat apple as voraciously as my fellow Nigerian pilgrims who gorged on it sometimes four or five pieces at a time. Savoir faire compelled me to take only one at a time. There was no beans meal, no yam, no rice pudding, no amala, and no wheat pudding. Worse, there was no real African soup of any kind. In short, I virtually starved. When I returned home, my family was horrified by my weight loss.

Many pilgrims swore that when they got home, they would swoop on eba and amala with a vengeance and ferocity never before seen. One was even heard phoning his wife many days before the end of pilgrimage that she should prepare egusi and efo riro soup for him, and that if necessary, he would, like the Romans, play the glutton for a few days or weeks. I took no such oaths, but I knew there was going to be some vengeance one way or

• Feeding the 5,000 ... the Loaves and the Fish pilgrimage than they hoped, I the other.

Two days before the end of would not know. On the day of pilgrimage, everyone I knew was departure, their faces glowed, and home sick. But whether it was one pilgrim mentioned eba again on account of food alienation or wishfully. Someone cautioned despondency that they were him to take it easy, but he said he even less sanctified on this was happy to be reckless about it.

It is comforting at least that in Tiberias, we ate the same species of fish Jesus ate – the fish from the Sea of Galilee. Now, that is a sanctified gastronomic delight 99 percent of Christians have never savoured.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

My style is classy and unpredictable –Vixen –PAGE 42

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Glamour

Kehinde Falode Tel: 08023689894 (sms)

E-mail: kehinde.falode@thenationonlineng.net

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Diamonds are a fashion accessory that always come handy and useful for any occasion. They add an extra sparkle and an unexpected dash of colour to the simplest of outfits.

•Tawan Thomas

•A Karl Donoghue ‘Mongolian’ shearling jacket to keep the harmattan at bay

•Genevieve

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Glamour

OPI drip dry lacquer This nail solution is the only thing t o use when doing your nails in a hurry. Add one drop to each nail and leave them to dry in 30 seconds!

Finishing

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ESPITE your tight schedule today have you ever given a thought to what to wear, accessories and the appropriate beauty enhancer products (make-up) to use for that event? Apart from the sparkling and glittering effect make-up adds to one’s

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L’oreal resist & shine titanium nails in red/green Tom Ford black orchid touch-on Tom Ford roll-on perfume is perfect for even the smallest clutch bag. with its spicy floral alluring notes, it’s ideal for the evening.

Bare minerals prime time eyelid primer HIS little beauty saviour helps eye shadow, including glitter to stay put for hours on end. A musthave for Xmas and New Year!

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Bobbi Brown luminous moisturising foundation Perfect skin is a must for you!

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Clinique redness solution mineral infused powder OO much red wine and the cold weather can leave sensitive skin really blotchy in this harmattan Apply this mineral-infused powder od. peri ess, before foundation to counteract any redn dryness and even out complexion.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Glamour

•Complete y our look with simple, yet ch ic accessories

Do glamour this Christmas A

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, December 25, 2011

Glamour

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 28, 2011

Glamour

Favourite wrist watch Cartier

The project manager of Miss Nigeria pageant Wunika Mukan reveals her top ten things to Kehinde Falode

Favourite makeup look Nude makeup

Favourite bag designer Didi Ocheja of Didi Isah

Favourite food Beans and plantain

Favourite holiday spot New York

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Maame Efya Jane Awindor is one songstress that boasts a seductive stagecraft as revelers at the recently held Lagos Jazz Series will agree.

The Ghanaian singer takes OVWE MEDEME through her life, her musical influences like the legendary Fela Kuti and other issues.

H

OW many times have you been to Nigeria?

Any man who raises his hands on me will end up dead—Efya

I have been here so many times, I can't even count.

What do you find most fascinating about the country?

It is a beautiful place. The people here like to party. That much I know. They are good at it and if you are doing something that they like, they support you and they make you know. I guess that is what it is.

How did you get into music?

I started singing professionally when I was eighteen. Then, I entered a competition from which I emerged the second runner up. After that, I did an album with the first runner up. Her name is Irene. I worked on an album with her called Irene and Jane. I just became best female vocalist in Ghana in April this year. I had also been nominated for 2008 edition of the Channel O awards. I majored in Theatre Arts where I studied Directing and Music.

I work as a part time documentary director for my mother's company, Premier Productions.

With so much love for music, why did you opt to study Theatre Arts?

I have always wanted to do that because I started editing when I was seventeen. I grew up in a family of producers. My father is a director; my mum is a producer and editor. I have been there and I have done that.

Do you see yourself acting out a script one day?

No I don't. I would rather sing and focus on editing which is what I have always done.

Do you have anything against that form of the art?

I have always wanted to be behind the cameras. I just don't like acting. I like directing and editing.

So will you be going into mainstream directing?

I direct documentaries for my mother; that is mainstream.

How would you describe your style of music?

I call it afro neo soul. It is a combination of afro beat, soul and collections of a bit of jazz. At the end, I call it Efya Music because it is music that comes from me. It doesn't have to be defined in any way or any manner as long as when it comes out, it sounds good in your ear.

How has acceptability been for that brand of music?

People like the music so I can't complain.

Where does your love for Jazz stem from?

Jazz is the basics of everything. That is where music began.

You also mentioned afrobeat...

At the end of the day, it is important to put it out as African music. There is the need to bring in something that will show that it is African. That is where Afrobeat comes in.

music because I love afrobeat.

Is Efya married?

No, she is not.

Are you in a relationship?

No, I am single. I am too busy to go into a relationship.

If a man raises his hand on you, what would you do?

What man?

Any man He is dead. I won't kill him, but he will be dead. What reason does he have, out of everything, to raise your hand on me?

What if he is your husband?

My husband will not do that because he will know how to handle me.

Nobody messes with me.

Do you have any secret you would like to share?

Why is it a secret then?

What would you like to have achieved in the next five years?

I really want to win the MAMA. It will be good for me to have some international awards, get recognition and perform my music as far as I can spread it and make more music. I want to work with everybody, I want to work with Cobhams, Hugh Masekela and generally make music that would live forever so that my kids will come and hear it and be like that is my mum.

As a female in a seemingly male dominated field, do you face any form of discrimination?

I have never witnessed any of such. We have quite a handful of female singers in Ghana and we've got each other's back. We form a squad and we look out for each other so nobody can actually discriminate against us.

Besides that, what is your fascination with that genre of music?

I love the music. I have been listening to Fela since I was a kid, so there is no way it wouldn't be a part of me. He is a very big part of me.

How do you prep yourself up for all the energy you burn on stage?

I think it is all about psyching oneself. It is to psyche yourself and be ready, tell yourself that you are about to do something great.

Have you ever been booed in the middle of a performance?

I have never been booed off stage before but if something like that happens, I will continue singing. Everybody doesn't have to like me.

Who is Efya?

I am just a simple person. I like home. I like my room. I am a room girl because everything I do is there. I rarely watch TV. I listen more to music and I write half of the time. I am all about the music. I do it 24/7. If I am not doing something that concerns music, I would probably work towards something that concerns music which is basically the same thing.

What would you say if someone had misplaced perceptions about you?

I don't know what I would say.

What is the biggest stage you have performed?

The Lagos Jazz Series is pretty big. I was also at Felabration and the Channel O Awards.

What do you love most about Fela?

I love his music and his amazing personality.

Does he inspire your style of music in any way?

Everything about Fela is amazing. He taught me so much. I wish I had met him but it is too bad I didn't. I miss seeing that. You can use his music as basis to build I am too up. It is good to learn busy to go from Fela because into a you need to have patience to listen to relationship an eleven minute song and still know how different it is from one minute to another. I learnt that from him. I have listened to Fela for so long. I like it so much that I incorporated it in my

Iyabo Ojo marks birthday with Down’s Syndrome kids

I

T was quite a shindig recently at Adegoke Nursery and Primary School, Surulere, venue of the birthday party of Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, who turned 34 on Wednesday, December 21.

Dressed simply in a jeans and T-shirt with the inscription; 'Dance to Save a Soul', Iyabo, who earlier had disclosed she would be spending her birthday with children with Down syndrome, had that Wednesday morning stormed the venue to join these children with their parents and some officials of Adegoke Down Syndrome Foundation.

Joining the actress to make it a memorable day for these kids were 'Sexy Pink ladies' group and 'Future stars'. There was also a huge media presence at the event which was attended by the celebrant's colleagues.

Among them were Muka Ray, Mercy Aigbe, Sikiratu Sindodo and Lolade Abuta.

It was indeed an emotional moment for the actress as she gave her welcome speech. “I'm very happy to be alive today. I want to encourage us to show love and give back especially to a society that has given us so much. I love kids and I have kids of my own and other kids that I care for but I feel the need to bring together kids that are privileged with these special kids so they can interact together,” she said.

Mercy Aigbe loses weight

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POTTING a red top and skinny pants with bloc heels to match, Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe looked really stunning in an obvious trimmed figure.

It would be expected that the actress who recently had her second baby would appear round and on the plump side but no, Mercy looked trimmer perhaps than she ever was before motherhood.

When asked how she managed to achieve her new look, the actress joked; “Maybe I have a remote control that I used to turn off the weight after I put to bed.”

Rumour has it that the Edo State born actress who was said to have married quietly, may have become single again.

Entertainment

36

Imo State born model turned actor and producer Enyinna Nwigwe has built up an impressive resume in his ten years acting career. He has worked with virtually all the top producers and directors. The graduate of the University of Calabar and the last of four children, in this interview with MERCY MICHAEL, speaks about his foray into the industry, challenges, plans and other things.

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F

RIDAY, December 16 is a day fête. residents of the city of Ibadan “We are proud to be part of the will not forget in a hurry as success story of this year's Havana over ten thousand fans came out to and we are looking forward to a witness the just-concluded 45th robust relationship and a successful edition of Havana Music Carnival. show next year”, said Mr Olaleke With a magical mood and an Fakeye, Customer Care Consultant electrifying ambience, the show Team Lead, South West, MTN kicked off with an impressive Nigeria, while speaking on the event. performance from Nigeria's selfThis year's event was sponsored by styled Naija Ninja, Sound Sultan, and MTN, Zmirage and KFC for Sigma ended with a superlative display club, University of Ibadan and from the legendary music maestro, partnered by LaFace Entertainment, Sir Shina Peters.

Genie Entertainment, Prime Time Other acts that left the crowd Africa, Kennis Music and A1 frolicking to the irresistible tuneful Security. vibes that reverberated throughout Havana Music Carnival is a the expansive Trans-Amusement content of Sigma Club, University of Park, venue of the event, included Ibadan. Sigma Club is a social and Inyanya, Edris Abdul-kareem, philanthropic organization registered Minjin, Joel, ArtQuake, JayRu, in University of Ibadan in 1950. The Freewindz, El-Emcee, Yetunde Omo Club is known for its charitable Ibadan-third runner up, Project fame activities that have brought succour season 3 and 43 upcoming artists out to many through her activities in the of which 28 thrilled the crowd with last 60 years. their performances.

In its 45th Edition, by the end of the show, the crowd, completely enveloped in the euphoria of the evening, could not resist demanding an encore. The show which comprised sterling back-toback performances from some of Nigeria's finest artists, coupled with ribcracking jokes supplied by the compere for the night, First Born, was indeed an •Edris unforgettable vigil of music

—Enyinna Nwigwe

handling a camer a (shooting) to being a production manager and now a producer with productions like Mary Slessor, Queen Amina of Zaria, Circle of love, My brother; My Keeper and a host of others under my belt. I also co-produced Amazing Grace and Jeta Amata's soon to be released film Black November (formerly titled Black Gold) in which I starred as the Male Lead Actor alongside Hollywood and Nollywood acts like Mbong Amata, known for The Amazing Grace and Inale and Mickey Rourke, best known for Ironman 2, The Wrestler, Once upon a time in Mexico, Nine 1/2 weeks, Angel Heart, Man on Fire and The Expendables. The flick also stars Oscar-winning Kim

Basinger (8 Mile, Batman, Nine 1/2 Weeks, Elvis Has Left the Building), Anne Heche (Rampart, The other Guys), Sarah Callies (popularly known as Sarah Tancredi from the hit series Prison Break) and Hakeem Kae Kazim (from the hit series 24, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hotel Rwanda etc). I have also had the opportunity of understudying him as a director. Ruke Amata also played a vital role in the early days of my career as he gave me the opportunity as one of the four lead actors in his hit TV series Bachelors.

Let's leave it at these ones so I don't make a book out of this question (laughs).

Are you presently in any relationship?

That'll have to be a question for another day (smiles)…..I'll put it this way; “I'm happy” What do you do to relax?

Relaxation for me would be either playing tennis, staying at home to watch a good TV series, reading a good book or swimming.

How would you rate the industry?

The movie industry in Nigeria has done pretty well for itself and there is also plenty of room for improvement.

Nollywood has become a world brand with global recognition and has successfully put Nigeria on the global filmmaking map. Achieving that, I'll rate it “high” with plenty of room to go “higher”.

What are the challenges and prospects for the future?

The challenges and prospects of the industry in my opinion would be to have many Nollywood stories produced to international standards and have them compete with foreign films in international film festivals around the world. Some Nigerian filmmakers have set the ball rolling with that already but the more the merrier for the industry. We need more Jeta Amatas, more Kunle Afolayans, Chineze Anyaenes (Ije), Tunde Kelanis, Lancelot Imasuens, Lonzo Nzekwes, Obi Emelonyes. Also, we need to find big time investors who are willing to put the required funds down for world class productions to be made here at home because we have so much to tell the world about who we are and the talent we're endowed with.

Nollywood for one was born within the time (past 51yrs) in the early 90's and has risen to global reckoning within that short a time too. Analysis of the industry shows that 2000 films were licensed every year making Nigeria the third largest film producing country in the world

What is your advice for upcoming actors and models?

My advice would be “Believe in yourself, follow your heart and always seek to add value to yourself so as to remain relevant both in your respective industries.

What does the future hold for the industry especially with quality control and finance?

The future just has to be bright for the industry with the new policies set in place by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the current fights still ongoing about piracy which has been a major cankerworm in the industry.

Statistics have shown that more than 12billion naira has been invested in Nollywood since its inception in the early 90's cutting across all stages of production, from pre-production, production, post production and marketing. The NFVCB has set policies in place that would better the quality of movies coming out of Nigeria. It has banned the unprofessional practice of dragging storylines into several parts to maximize profit for one and also working had at setting up the right marketing and synergizing framework. It is also doing a lot more to position the industry right for the future.

Nigeria is 51, how has the industry fared these past years? Would you score it a plus or minus?

Nollywood, for one, was born in the early 90's and has risen to global reckoning within that short time too. An analysis of the industry shows that 2000 films were licensed every year making Nigeria the third largest film producing country in the

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Thrills and fun of Havana 2011

Why I abandoned modelling career for acting

ROWING up and treasured memories

Growing up for me was like it was for every other normal Nigerian child, school, after classes, home work, fun, sport, holiday and back to school again. My most treasured memories growing up would be coming out tops in class after fighting so hard to prove that I could and winning the state teenage tennis tournament back to back.

How did your career start?

I started out as a runway model in my University days. From there, I went on to photo modeling and did quite some impressive ads for some notable brands. It was at the time I was getting bored with modeling that I met Jeta Amata, the film Director and Producer. We became close friends and it was he who ticked off my interest in acting. To cut it short, he gave me my first movie role and from then on it felt like that was where I belonged.

What are the challenges you faced starting out?

The same challenges most new actors face; not knowing where the next script is coming from, attending auditions and not sure of getting a call back.

How did you overcome those challenges?

It took my will to excel to stay through them all.

Could you list out some of the top producers and directors, you have worked with I have worked with quite a number of Nollywood leading directors like Jeta Amata, Lancelot Imasuen, Fred Amata, Ruke Amata, Ikechukwu Onyeka, Osita Afamefule. For producers, I have also worked with the likes of Jeta Amata, Zik Zulu Okafor, Alicia Arce (BBC), Fred Amata, Egor Efiok, Ansa Kpokpogri and Esther Bassey.

How has working with them influenced you and your career?

Jeta Amata for one was not only instrumental to making me the kind of actor I am today, but he also played a key role in making me emerge an all round movie hand. In my walk with him, he first taught me the ropes of filmmaking from

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

world behind America's Hollywood and India's Bollywood. Living in bondage an Igbo film produced in the early 90's set that ball rolling and it hasn't stopped ever since. So with all these achievements I definitely will score the industry a very big plus and it can only get better.

What are your plans for the future?

I can't speak much about personal future plans in a public forum lest dream killers get to work but I can tell you for sure that there indeed are dreams that must be achieved.

Presently, are you working on anything new?

Currently, I just finished filming for Heck Centrik Productions, a film titled Turning Point, a story that talks about some of the challenges Africans face as Second Class citizens in foreign lands. The film stars some Nollywood and Hollywood actors like Ernie Hudson, Joey Estevez, KD Aubert and Todd Bridges. It is directed and produced by Niyi Tolawiyi and co-produced by Egor Efiok. Also, I am very much involved at the moment with post production for our Black November, film In Los Angeles.

Leave us a quote you will want to be remembered for?

I will leave you these three: “Who makes quick use of the moment is a genius of prudence” “There is nothing better than the encouragement of a good and true friend” "Follow your heart; it will always lead you to your ultimate destiny”

At The Club With Remy Martin lights up E-Bar, Soul Lounge

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HE night of Friday, 16th December, 2011 would long be in the memory of fun seekers and lovers of Remy Martin, as the brand treated its own to the best of exquisite cocktails at the E-Bar, Lekki Phase1, and Soul Lounge in The Palms, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Tagged At The Club With Remy Martin, same title for the brand's radio show on Saturday nights on the Beat 99.9FM, the evening was full of excitement and entertainment as renowned international shakers barschool instructor, Dave Broido was on hand to give the customers and everyone present a taste and feel of Remy Martin cocktails never before experienced.

Two special Remy Martin cocktails Remy Sidecar and Remy Limousine were introduced to customers at both venues. According to Broido, both cocktails are actually quite similar in terms of production but totally distinct and different in terms of taste and appeal.

“Remy

Sidecar is a classic Cognac cocktail made from Remy Martin, Cointreau and fresh lemon, and its taken short.

Remy Limousine on the other hand is a long drink and it's made with the same drinks as the Sidecar but with a dash of lemonade and sugar syrup as well,” he disclosed, and concluded by saying that; “These are the special Remy cocktails on offer tonight and we hope everyone loves them.”

And love them they did, as one of the guests at Soul Lounge who had a Remy Sidecar had this to say about the cocktail: “I would say this is not quite like every other cocktail that I've been used to before tonight. This particular Remy cocktail is quite rich, but I must add too that the expertise of the white gentleman (Dave Broido) who served it up must also be commended. I guess it was just a perfect combination courtesy Remy Martin, and I hope we would have more of things like this again soon.”

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Entertainment

Remi Tinubu convenes kiddies praise carnival

Eric out with Number One video

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EST African Idol's favourite, Eric Arubayi, says that he has concluded works on the video of his hit single, Number One. The R & B artiste, whose rise to fame began with his participation in the debut edition of the West African Idols, recently released his Redefined album.

Held few months back, the launch of this album had appearances and performances from some Nigeria's top artistes. The Number One video, which was shot on location in South Africa and Ikoyi, Lagos, tells a story of love, friendship and marriage. Directed by Frizzle n Bizzle Entertainment and shot on High Definition, the video is praised for clarity and superb editing.

•Eric Arubayi 'This video is particularly important to me because the song touches on the subject of love,” said Eric Arubayi. “We (my team and I) wanted to get the right quality and make the production exceptional. We had to shoot the video four times, twice in South Africa and twice in Nigeria before we agreed on the current production”.

Splash FM wins award

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HE four year old Splash FM, Ibadan, Oyo State, has emerged the Most Listened to Radio Station in the South West.

The organisers of the Nigeria Broadcasters Award

2011 edition, picked the station among others.

The radio station which is owned by a business man and an Ibadan high chief, Adebayo Akande, is known for its indigenous programmes which cut across religion sports, documentary, entertainment, corporate & politics.

Asides having popular presenters like Edmud Obilo, Toyin Adepoju, Jacob Adeyemi et al, the station's outstanding coverage in the Southwest states has earned her the most listened to radio station.

According to the station Chief Operating Officer, Oyebisi Akande, plans are on the way to extend coverage to Edo & Delta States.

Commenting on the award, Akande said he was delighted with the award and expressed his appreciation to listeners for tuning in.

•Chief Adebayo Akande

Dhuro 1 steps out with Hakuna Matata

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UROJAIYE Oladimeji Sunday aka Dhuro 1 graduated as an accountant from Ekiti State University (E U) early this year. Having nursed the ambition of becoming a well known musician, the artiste set out on the path of fame as he says that all is set for the release of his neophyte album, Hakuna Matata A Swahili term which means No Worries, the artiste says that the album is due for release this month, with an album launch at Melototah church Auditorium (18/20 Ikate Street Mushin, Lagos).

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

•Prince Agunsoye, Senator Oluremi Tinubu with former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Serah Sosan

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HE popular Expo Hall, Eko Hotel, Lagos was full to capacity, Wednesday, December 21, 2011 with kids taking the lead at an inter-denominational service of praise and worship meant to portray the Nigerian unity through the innocence of children camaraderie.

Convened by the former first lady of Lagos State, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the Musical Youth Fiesta, otherwise called One Church, was the first of its kind; it was an impressive gathering of children of school age under one umbrella wherein they freely gave praise and worship to God without denominational bias. Their innocence was more pronounced with undeterred excitement before the almighty God and their peers, and it was glaring they had only come with thanks giving in their heart.

The opening prayer by 13year-old master Victor Okon, a pupil of Mountain Top Secondary School, Lagos aroused deep emotional applause following his articulate

•MFM youth choir

rendition, and points that seek God's face concerning the problems of Nigeria. Okon’s prayer brought tears to the eyes of many.

But soon, musical sound shot into the air and with thunderous Amen! and Hallelujah!!, the ball was set rolling for a three-hour non-stop music and dance.

First was the choir from Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM), this was followed by an energetic choreography by the Pentecostal Congregation, a highly dramatic youth group that almost brought the roof down. There was also the Youth Choir of Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S), Holy Messiah Church and a solo performance

by Tobi the Saxoponist, a young girl from the Redeemed Christian Church of God

•Tobi Saxoponist

(RCCG) who brought every one to their feet as they sing along with her while she took sonorous blast at the saxophone, rendering different Xmas carol tunes.

Chase Entertainment comes with charity concert less privileged with a charity concert.

In the words of Kemi Amos, CEO of the outfit, the concert is part of the outfit's Corporate Social Responsibility. “This is the end of the year. Not many people have the opportunity to celebrate, especially the less •Kemi privileged. What we have done is that we have been able to get REAKING into the some stars and even the Nigerian scene, UK based upcoming artistes as well to entertainment outfit, come over and take part in this Chase Entertainment, is set to, charity by donating their come Saturday December 31, voices. That way, the children celebrate the yuletide for the will not be left out of the

B

celebrations this season,” she explains.

Confirmed artistes for the show as revealed by Amos include Durella, Olu Maintain, Steel, Naeto C even as more are still to come on board. “Those artistes will be donating their voices to charity. They are coming there to donate their voice, and have fun too. The kids there will be looking up to them, they will rub shoulders together. It is going to be amazing. Also, some Nollywood actors are expected at the event,” Amos added.

Matanmisi launches Ogaju Eniyan Lo and band

R •Dhuro 1

ECENTLY at Honey Mill fast food, Ikorodu, Lagos, Evangelist Matanmisi David Kayode in association with P.C.G.M.M. launched his new VCD titled Ogaju Eniyan Lo, an event which also doubled as the inauguration of his band.

Anchored by M.C Akobi Gadafi of Radio Lagos, the event had in attendance men of God and gospel artistes who came in their numbers to show their support.

Matanmisi is a native of Ekiti, born to the family of Matanmisi, he had his primary and secondary education at Epinmi Akoko, before moving to theology school.

•Matanmisi

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

39

John Ugbe, the new M.D of MultiChoice Nigeria has come full circle having started out early with Multichoice in 1998, before moving on to manage one of its subsidiaries, MWEB Nigeria. Now he’s back as boss of Multichoice. The Computer Engineer spoke to some journalists on his journey and vision to take the company to greater heights. VICTOR AKANDE, Entertainment Editor reports.

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HAT difference are you bringing into Multichoice?

I have come in at a point where the company is moving forward; the company has a lot of human capital here in Nigeria and we are at this point harnessing all that. I am trying to move the company forward with a lot of local content which the company has developed and has continued to develop. We are also looking at expanding our corporate social investment initiatives (CSI); so, our interaction with the community and stakeholders have been increased.

Our ambition is to surround our customers with entertainment more than we have done before.

Are there challenges that you think are unique to DSTV in the Nigerian environment?

I think that every business that operates not just in Nigeria but in every other country has certain challenges that are peculiar to that environment. Definitely, we have certain challenges in Nigeria but like every business our objective is to be able to surmount these challenges. We work very closely with our regulators, stakeholders and by building those relationships we can overcome the obstacles if I can call them that. I mean the infrastructure in Nigeria is still developing and as it develops we have to build our business to take into consideration those challenges that exists because it is very important that we offer world class service even if our environment may not be as conducive as it ought to be.

In specific terms, what are the challenges?

I mean power challenges; I believe this is one challenge everyone faces so we don't think it is peculiar to our business anymore. In general, there are infrastructure challenges which every business operating in the country faces.

Talking about local content which areas are you looking at?

We are very proud with the domestic football league which we got on SuperSport and we hope to build and grow on that; we have got a good relationship and sponsorship deal with the domestic basket league - which is called the DStv Basketball League as well. Not only do we sponsor buy putting money in the league, we also broadcast the matches on TV which is a big push for the domestic basketball league; it never happened before. There has been quite a lot of investment from us. We have just got another two HD (high definition) OB (outside broadcast) vans, we have built full HD studio to support the domestic leagues. So what will you see in the coming seasons? You will see more live matches simultaneously. Our Africa Magic channels are going to grow; we have been a strong partner with Nollywood right from inception and you will see a lot more coming out of us from there. Some of these things will surprise you when we unfold them.

Are you thinking of doing

We have supported Nollywood through training

, .D M , e b g U n h —Jo a i r e g i N e c i o h C i t l Mu

something in the direction of visual arts?

Yes we do see certain sponsorship from local organizations on arts and we have been able to expose those brands to international audience.

Definitely, you will see more of that in the coming years.

DStv is no longer having a monopoly of pay TV market in Nigeria but it still remains the market leader; what is the secret?

First let me correct one impression here, we have never been a monopoly because there has always been a competitor.

What is our secret? Well, it is the way we do business, it is our people and we have come to also realize that it is a long term business. We are not in for the short run; we are not a company that invests today and wants to reap tomorrow. We have spent a lot of money in the local leagues contents that we are putting up.

We are patient and continuously try to see and find out what our customers want and we try to provide such contents or improve on them.

Recently, the House Committee on capital market included Multichoice among the companies they are expecting to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). How prepared is Multichoice in the event of the bill being passed?

I mean we work with regulators and stakeholders all the time and so if certain bills are passed it is for us to see how feasible they are and we will work with the capital market. You must also not forget that before now, our sister company, MNET, was once listed on the NSE so we were even ahead of our time.

Asides the investments you have made in the country in the

area of building studios, where next are you taking Multichoice to?

Well if you say beyond the studio, it mustn't go beyond the studio; do you begin to put real estate and studios in an environment you are not committed to? We are a Nigerian company, we always say it that you can go to the CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) and check if we are a registered Nigerian company. We pay our taxes and we do everything here. If you look at a programme like Glo Naija Sings,Tinsel, etc, they are developed here in Nigeria, filmed here in Nigeria and people are always shocked to hear that they are filmed here in Nigeria on High Definition from multi camera operation. That takes a lot of commitment.

What are you doing to impact on Nollywood especially in the area of scripting?

We have never been a monopoly because there has always been a competitor. What is our secret? Well, it is the way we do business, it is our people and we have come to also realize that it is a long term business

impacted positively on your subscribers' base?

I think obviously that there are people who have quite a bit of interest in sports, football in particular, and as such, I will say yes. Those people are happy that we have EPL service back on DStv. You have this arrangement whereby subscribers can trade in their faulty decoders and pay the sum of N10, 000 for a refurbished one. Don't you think that this is a rip off on subscribers because a brand new decoder is slightly above N20, 000?

Let me answer that question from another perspective. I want to ask how many companies in Nigeria offer you a one year warranty on its product. I think we are one of the few companies that within one year, if you bring your faulty decoder which, at times, got damaged by irregular electricity supply, we give you a new one.

Now, it is after that one year that we ask you to pay N10, 000 and we give you another decoder. And mind you, a decoder is actually N27,000 . There are companies owned by Nigerians who work on the decoders and we try to always have enough in stock. We don't really make money from selling decoders.

What is the exact subscriber base of Multichoice in Nigeria?

We have supported Nollywood We had 675,000 subscribers at through training; and we have the end of last financial year. another session coming up in the And when was your last first quarter of next year where we financial year? are going to take people through Our last financial year was script writing, production training March. etc. This is not something we have Why do you think your just started; it is something we subscribers should not feel jittery have always done. We are also about your perceived 'monopoly' partnering with Nigerian status in Nigeria right now?

Copyright Commission (NCC) to I think you have to define what create awareness on intellectual you mean by monopoly status for property. One of the biggest me to answer that question challenges that the entire because what do you term as a entertainment industry faces is monopoly? I would rather we piracy; that is what is stopping the define monopoly because I think the word monopoly is very far growth of our movie industry so from us. So we have to be very we are working and trying to careful. Do we look at reality or educate people that intellectual perception? If you say market property needs to be respected leader, yes I will take that word; if because that is how the new you say we are a strong player in Nigerian music/ movie industry the market, yes, every company would be sustained. will like to be that but if you say How do you intend to improve monopoly, I say no because there your customer service delivery are other companies offering the because there has been a lot of kind of service we are offering too. complain by your subscribers in No we are not monopoly because that area? there are even so many cable TVs We have a well staffed call in the country that we are working centre here with very high service with on content. levels. And these are measured What are you doing to correct a and we actually compare it with situation where signal goes each what obtains in other countries time it rains or about to? too. And we have consistently One, we have migrated from the come out tops; however, customer service is not something you go to former satellite, W4, which we were operating from to W7 which sleep over so we continuously strive to improve. Lately, we have has power over what you have just pointed out. So, you will see a lot more dealer offices substantial improvement, but also nationwide in our attempt at you must be careful the same taking the services closer to our rainfall here is not the rainfall you subscribers, there are a lot of see in Libya for instance. I think alternative forms of payment you worldwide, KU band signal is can pay by internet, mobile phone susceptible to weather effect. It is and through the banks. And also, not only in the broadcast industry; we have just designed an ultra in the internet industry too you modern call centre in Lagos which will see the same thing because it we hope to open in the first is the same satellite. However, we quarter of 2012. have gone through an EPL (English Premier League) is accreditation process where we are back on your bouquet now, has it training, retraining and accrediting

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Entertainment

Peak Talent Show

Here comes the next Nigerian superstar!

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

BIG

CINEMA GUIDE

PICTURE Supported by: SILVERBIRD CINEMAS

E

do state bead-wearing rapper, M-Factor is the winner of the third edition of the popular Peak Talent Show (PTS). The heavily costumed Afro hip hop contestant beat sonorous singer, Edache Immaculate and Violin boy, Bernard John with whom he slugged it at the finals.

By this, M-Factor becomes the proud winner of two million naira cash, an Apple iPad 2 and a talent development contract worth eight million naira to further develop his talent, and by extension, the next Nigerian superstar. The previous week had witnessed the sad eviction of comedian Joseph Shortcut and the three-man musical group known as Plus One, The three finally had given the judges a hard time, until the votes by the viewing public came to play. The selection of the last three was such that unique talents took centre stage in the show. For Immaculate’s bold and enchanting voice, it was not surprising that she made it to the very last leg. Then of course Bernard with his dexterity on the unusual musical instrument in Nigeria. However, the crest fell on heavily costumed rapper, M-Factor whose touch of ‘Nigerianess’ to his hip hop music makes for uniqueness and patriotism.

It is interesting to note that right from the first day that the show hit the airwaves, PTS presented indications of one of the most engaging television reality shows in the country.

Fans of the budding talents themselves have been confronted with the various genres of art that the Peak Talent Show (PTS) has in the offing. The PTS had opened with 12 top talented young men and women who had earlier on made it out of 24 National finalists and progressed to the PEAK TALENT HOUSE in Lagos where they are being confronted with occasional eliminations.

Viewing audience who had made effort to keep their favourite artiste in the House through SMS votes, have been winning exciting prizes such as Apple iPads 2 and Blackberry phones based on their SMS voting.

•M-Factor

Sherlock Holmes returns with A Game of Shadows

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HE world's most famous detective is back with a different story and this time around, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) is investigating a seemingly unrelated series of murders around Europe, believing them to all be connected to Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), a criminal mastermind just as smart as Holmes.

Entitled Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, after Moriarty arranges for another assassination, he poisons Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), as her feelings for Holmes have compromised her usefulness. Meanwhile, Holmes takes his colleagues, Dr. Watson (Jude Law) out with his brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry) for his bachelors party, and saves another intended victim of Moriarty's, a fortune telling gypsy named Sim

(Noomi Rapace).

Holmes meets with Moriarty, who warns him that if he persists in investigating him, Watson will become a target. Holmes stows away on the train taking Watson and his new wife Mary (Kelly Reilly) to their honeymoon destination, knocking Mary off the train to the safe hands of Mycroft while he and Watson battle Moriarty's men. When the duo arrive France, Holmes tells Sim that Moriarty targeted her due to her brother, Rene's, work with him, and she was a loose end.

In Paris, Holmes, Watson, and Sim go to the opera where they believe Moriarty will strike, but Holmes realizes too late that Moriarty has an end game.

The Chipmunks adventure continues

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ITH two successful parts on the tow, kids are in for their share of the big screen this yuletide with Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, a 2011 American comedy film starring Jason Lee and David Cross.

With this edition, the Chipmunks and the Chipettes (three female counterparts to the Chipmunks) embark on a cruise trip with the Chipmunks' owner/manager/father figure, Dave Seville (Jason Lee).

In the course of the cruise, the 'Munks and 'Ettes, in their characteristic ways, turn the ship into their personal playground, causing trouble and running amuck as they so desire, throwing caution to the wind.

Eventually, their chaotic behavior gets them ship wrecked on a desert island, everyone getting lost in the process. As Dave sets out to look for the lost Chipmunk trios, the six find a new castaway on the island who turns out to be more than a match for the trios. They discover that their turf is not as deserted as it seems.

Produced by Regency Enterprises and Bagdasarian Productions, the flick is a sequel to the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks and the 2009 film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

It parades the voice of Anna faris, Amy Poehler, Christina Applegate, Jesse Mcartney and Matthew Gray Gubler amongst many.

Colombiana Genre: Action/Adventure Lagos, Port-Harcourt ******************************* Abduction Genre: Action/Adventure Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Abuja ******************************* Tower Heist Genre: Action/Adventure Lagos ******************************* In Time Genre: Action/Adventure Lagos, Port-Harcourt ******************************* RA. One Genre: Action/Adventure Lagos ******************************* Johnny English Reborn Genre: Action/Adventure Lagos, Port-Harcourt ******************************* Friends with Benefits Genre: Suspense/Horror Lagos, Abuja ******************************* Suing the Devil Genre: Suspense/Horror Lagos ******************************* Dolphin Tale Genre: Drama Lagos, Port-Harcourt ******************************* The Change Up Genre: Comedy Port-Harcourt ******************************* What's your Number Genre: Comedy Port-Harcourt, Abuja ******************************* Gossip Nation Genre: Drama Abuja ******************************* Contagion Genre: Action/Adventure Abuja ******************************* The Smurfs Genre: Science Fiction Abuja

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Glamour

‘Not reconciling with my dad before he died saddens me’ Still in her 20's, Yvonne Ekwere has, made a huge success of her career. Popularly known as Vixen, the young television presenter boasts a large fan base in spite of her relatively short stint in the broadcast industry. A two-time nominee of the prestigious Future Awards, Vixen in 2010 won the Dynamix Awards as TV personality of the year and just some weeks ago won the 'FAB Awards TV Presenter Of The Year'. In this interview with Kehinde Falode, she shares some of her personal and fashion secrets

B

EYOND the face many people see on television, can you tell us more about your background? I am the seventh of seven children from Akwa Ibom State; I am the last child and niece of legendary actress, Liz Benson. I schooled at Air Force International School in Victoria Island, Lagos and I also attended Holy Child College and Lagos State University. I am a very easy going person; I love to have fun and when I am on the red carpet, I love to look good and outgoing. But again when I am away from the cameras, I am a very shy and introverted person.

How do you like to spend your money?

My money goes into my savings account. When I am not spending on clothes or investing in one thing or the other, my money is safely kept in my savings account Does looking good affect your monthly income?

It does a great deal! Because when salaries come in and I see something that I like and I really want, I spend on it and I buy it no matter how much it costs.

Are you crazy about labels?

I am not crazy about label; I am crazy about how a design looks, how it feels, the texture and the quality.

Labels are just names to me, names of people who I don't know. So, if it looks pretty, beautiful and I can afford it, I will go ahead and buy it.

What is the most important thing that has ever happened to you?

Winning the FAB Awards as the TV Presenter of the year was very important for me. I didn't believe I was going to win, but I did and it was amazing. So far, that has been the highlight of the year for me.

How about your saddest moment?

When my dad passed away in 2006, I didn't get the chance to reconcile with him. That was the saddest period of my life.

Describe your style My style is very classy and it is not predictable. I may be a pop chic today and I may be a real diva tomorrow, so, it changes. But one thing I like to keep as a trade mark is the classic vintage look. Even if I am wearing the trendiest thing, I like to keep it classic.

How many hours do you spend in front of the mirror when dressing up?

I actually don't spend much time! Plus make-up marks one hour; that is the only thing that takes much of my time.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Glamour

Social KAYODE ALFRED

(E-mail: kayflex2@yahoo.com, Tel: 08035733605, 08099400057)

Benny Obaze up the ante

Rita Idehen re-opens studio Omosede Igbinedion moves on

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Glamour

&

Ade Bakare celebrates two decades of creativity

OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL (08033572821) raphseg2003@yahoo.com

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ITHIN the Nigerian fashion scene and even beyond, the name Ade Bakare rings a bell.

But quite a few people would be shocked to hear that the renowned designer behind Ade Bakare Couture London has garnered 20 years in a career that has won him fame, recognition and wealth.

Last weekend, he rolled out the drums to celebrate two decades in business at a fashion exhibition that had in attendance famous celebrity women and top fashion designers. The event, which held at The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, also had three young wave making designers-Alade Vincent (Alvince), Olaide Ademodi and Emeka Omar Yusuf (Androjean clothing) showcasing their works.

Some of the A-list guests at the occasion included Senator Daisy Danjuma, Hajia Abba Folawiyo, Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs Bola Adesola, Dr Edujie Abebe; Iya Oge of Lagos, Mrs Opral Benson, to mention a few.

Bisi Olatilo

Yeni Kuti

Bukky Latunji Sen. Daisy Danjuma

Dr Edujie Abebe

L-R Mosun Ogunbajo and Bisi Towery-Coker

L-R: Mrs Bola Adesola and Sephia Chukwuje L-R: Seun Awolowo and Yinka Awolowo

L-R: Chief (Mrs) Opral Benson and Hajia Abah Folawiyo

Ade Bakare

L-R: Awele Hallim and Kemi Unuigbe

L-R: Kate Stanley and Stephane Stanley

L-R: Taiwo and Kehinde Adelaja

FROM THE CAMPUS PAGE 46

THE NATION SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

COPA Lagos: A success story

By Bunmi Ashebu BOUT a year ago, a young man named Samson Adamu; CEO of kinetic sports shared his dream with me, a dream to organize a beach soccer tournament in Nigeria, Lagos state to be precise since we have lots of beaches here. He hoped it will be successful enough to get FIFA and the beach soccer worldwide guys to look into making COPA LAGOS an annual event someday. Trust me he didn’t have to try too hard; he worked extremely hard to put such a wonderful event together.

It was so successful that the regulatory body for beach soccer has decided that COPA Lagos should now be an annual event.

Four countries participated in the tournament, Nigeria, England, South Africa and the kings of beach soccer, Brazil.

It was three days of entertainment, money well spent for fans that came to watch at the Eko Atlantic City, Bar beach where the tournament took place. For a first time event it was a “ten over ten” like Naeto C would say. And I am happy to have been a part of it.

The highlight of the event was that fans were also entertained to a Celebrity Match which included the likes of former Super Eagles players like Austin JayJay Okocha, Emmanuel Okocha (brother) Nduka Ugbade, Peter Rufai, Mutiu Adepoju, Henry Nwosu, Victor Ikpeba, Segun Arinze, Mr. Ladi Balogun M.D FCMB and presentation was made by Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah, chairman and CEO of Capital Oil, the main sponsors of the competition.

And immediately after that was the final between Nigeria and Brazil with Nigeria’s Supersand Eagles beating their Brazilian counterparts, Reis da Praia (Kings of the Beach) to emerge champions of the 2011 Copa Lagos Beach Soccer.

The Sand Eagles surprisingly won the game over three periods by a high margin of 9-4 over the four-time FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup champions.

It was Captain Isiaka Olawale that set the tone straight from the kick-off by putting Nigeria ahead.

His goal turned out to be the fastest of the three-day tournament.

The Sand Eagles came under pressure immediately and Brazil

With Prof. Emmanuel Ojeme

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REDEVELOPING AFUZE COLLEGE

Adams Oshiomhole’s challenge (2)

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•Supersand Eagles’ captain, Isiaka Olawale celebrating with another player struck the woodwork twice and forced goalkeeper Abdullahi Isah into two quick saves. Azeez Abu stunned the South Americans with a second but Bruno trimmed the score to 2-1 immediately.

And Brazil’s tactics to shoot from everywhere paid off as the first period ended 2-2.

In the second period, Bruno put Brazil in the lead before Victor Tale drew level for the Sand Eagles at 3-3.

Brazil keeper, Marquinhos kept his side in the game by stopping Abu’s effort to leave the score at 3-3 after the second period.

The Kings of the Beach went 4-3 up and Olawale made it 4-4 within seconds, thereafter it was one-way traffic for the Sand Eagles of Nigeria and a sweet revenge for the Nigerian team that lost to the Brazilians in the quarter final of the Beach World Cup this year The event was graced by lots of dignitaries including his Excellency, governor Fashola, NFF chairman, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, Lagos state commissioner for sports, Mr. Enitan Oshodi. David Dein was also a popular figure over the period of

the competition.

And on Sunday, Wizkid, Ikechukwu, Sound Sultan, Lynxxx and many others took the stage.

Copa Lagos Beach Soccer brought music, DJs, Fashion shows and much more to its fans. And the venue was the center of attention in Lagos during the event dates (16th-18th December). Fans were offered a varied range of activities and enthusiastic parties and concerts which brought rhythm and passion to one of the most populous cities in Africa.

NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, who was at the three-day event to cheer the Super Sand Eagles said, “The boys did very well to overcome their three opponents, especially the awe of the Brazilians in the final. It was a marvelous performance throughout as they put South Africa and England to the sword as well The team has done well this year, coming from second place at the African Beach Soccer Championship in Morocco, quarter final berth at the World Cup in Italy and a fifth-place at the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in Dubai”, said the NFF President.

Maigari also heaped plaudits on the team for showing patriotism. The NFF President also commended the organisers of the COPA Lagos 2011, saying that all who were there attested to the excellent organisational and smooth flow of all programmes.

“They have done very well, not only by bringing the tournament to Nigeria, but with the maturity of the organisation”, added Maigari.

Very well said Alhaji Maigari and I hope the NFF can learn a thing or two from Samson Adamu and Kinetic sports as a whole.

Kinetic Sports is now working together with BSWW (Beach Soccer World Wide) to help on the growth and development of Beach Soccer in Nigeria.

Governor Fashola himself was so overwhelmed that he has considered the possibility of a beach soccer league in Lagos state.

The team worked really hard to get here and I would like to say Bravo Samson! Bravo Pedro!!

And Bravo team COPA Lagos 2011. See you next year!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

HE discussion on this subjectmatter commenced from last week’s edition. There are other aspects of the topic that need further analysis in order to ensure effective redevelopment of this College. It should be pointed out here that Adams Oshiomhole, the Edo State Governor, is well acknowledged for his appreciable performance level in his governance of the state. In the area road infrastructure, it is well known that his government has made a huge impact. So is erosion control. In the later however, he needs to rescue the upper Adesuwa erosion menace to complete the cycle of its control in Benin City. The purpose of this second article on this topic is to plead with the Governor to kindly redevelop the Afuze College of Physical Education as it is very crucial to what needs to be done to return Edo State to its Sports glory and most importantly for the competitiveness of Edo people in Nigerian Sports in the 21st century.

What does the Governor need to do to revive and return this College to its feet, firmly? I volunteer the following suggestions 1.

Sports Education for Athletes.

As a unique physical education and sports school, it provides a germaine ground for productive and pragmatic sports education for Edo athletes, among others. It therefore, becomes the intellectual spring and spirit of Edo Sports.

The new curriculum must be designed and developed to achieve this goal.

2.

Revamping its Manpower Base.

The renewed College needs the appropriate manpower to perform its cognate functions. It is on record that this College is endemically short of qualified professional staff. It is expected that its staff should be persons with a minimum of masters degree in the subdisciplines of sports relevant to its curriculum offering. In the same vein, the headship of the College must be in the hands and shoulder of a pragmatic physical education and sports professional. This so because it is a College of Physical education. If you look at its history, you will discover that this has been the case. Adams Oshiomole must not appoint a non-qualified person to prosecute the sports education programme of the College as Provost or Director. To do so, means that the government may not be fully appreciating the gargantuan technical nature of a sports College as it has unfortunately happened in the Mosogar College of Physical Education.

3.

Redevelopment of Sports infrastructure.

There is a masterplan for this College, on the basis of which the old sports infrastructure was developed. This College is reputed to be the first to have an indoor track and field facilities. This masterplan need to be updated and majestic steps should now be taken towards the actualization of a new sports infrastructure status for the College.

4.

Athletes Camp Hostels Afuze College has a huge camp site and hostels for athletes, located in a serene and tucked away environment. This has gone down and hence, has lost its status as the athletes sanctuary. The Governor should endeavour to revitalize this facility and add more. All these efforts would boost Edo Sports and make it, once more, the powerhouse of Nigerian sports.

5.

Sports Tourism The College of Physical Educations can promote sports tourism if the infrastructures are redeveloped. Aside the state teams, others from far and near can also utilize the place. It can be the Mecca of sports in Nigeria. What an additional legacy for a performing Governor!

6.

Programme Structure The new College would have a diversified curriculum, including the extension services, Athletic training, professional manpower units, and pedagogy.

All of these would be driven by clearly defined vision and mission statements. May God help Adams Oshiomole to resurrect a College of Physical Education, rich in history and named after his former legendary labour union master,

•Comrade Adams Oshiomhole

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

47

VOL 1 NO. 034

BRANDS & De-marketing T

HE key components of a brand are product (offer), name and promise. It is interesting to note that all that takes place around brands in whatever name revolves around these three components. So, there is the offer or product, the name for reasons of identification and differentiation, and the promise, that establishes the reason(s)-why for such brand person.

Immediately the product on offer assumes a personality, it becomes responsible for all that happens as a result of its being, such as keeping appointment (timing), presence, fulfilling promises and communicating. So, when professionals say a brand is a product with a name, the objective is always to underscore the basics in the definition of the brand's person; its all little technicalities in the world of brands and brands management that are pieced together in telling interesting stories.

Part of such story is the consumer's experience, trade influences, price mechanism and movement, sales activation and promotion; it involves other imperatives such as research and planning, advertising, brand line extension‌on and on. All these mentions must be coming as spin-offs to many of professionals at this point, but we are coasting home somewhere.

There is also this very interesting marketing tool (or should I call it instrument) known as DE-MARKETING. At the beginners' class, we were told this is a tool used by practitioners to limit a brand's pursuit towards achieving some aspect of set-marketing objective for bigger gains in the future. So, managers of a given brand may decide to hold back in distribution to limit market or shelf presence, for some reasons. Or, a brand may just be over-priced in such a manner that may initially be considered injurious to its market performance, for reasons considered of strategic importance to the managers. Now, when marketing decisions that are not manifestly in the immediate interest of the brand is taken, it is termed a de-marketing move.

But in such moves are always expectedly made in the interest of the brand.

Otherwise, every action taken or decision made for any given brand should be towards growing the brand in the face of prevalent market situation. To do this effectively, begins with proper brand positioning statement (exclusive area for consultants). The BPS is a statement that establishes who the brand is and what it should be known and taken for. It serves as the steering wheel for its managers, towards presenting or representing such brand to the public. It is the BPS that shapes the image of the brand towards achieving its desired image.

Interestingly, the culmination of a brand's impression at the market place and the consumers' perception of any brand is a function of how much it aligns itself with its positioning statement in delivering on its promise. So, a brand fails as a person soon as it permits a disconnection between its performance and the promise it made. Suffice, therefore, that the success of any brand depends on the consumer's perception. I am yet to see any brand that continues to exist at the market place when the consumers see it as not fit to continue.

However, the consumers' power is dependent upon some factors, primary of which is the power to vote disposable income. The primary consideration in the definition of a brand's market is ability to pay the price for such brand. So a brand can only be influenced by those who BUY it the consumer's influence is also dependent on socio-dependent variables to include literacy, sophistication, media habits, lifestyle, etc. when all the variables are under the consumer's control, then we have the ideal market situation THE BUYER'S MARKET. To a large extent, that is the situation with markets in developed and sophisticated economies; markets where the brand adheres to all the expectable.

In those markets, the brand either keeps to its promise(s) to the last detail or dies. The judgment is instantaneous. Whereas such markets are equipped to check any form of consumer abuse, same cannot be

said of the primitive ones with all their short-comings.

Consider this very sad story involving FedEx in Southern California, USA presently streaming (as at Thursday December 22, 2011, about an irresponsible employee. According to the footage captured in a surveillance camera, the FedEx driver was to deliver a customer's parcel, which is a computer monitor. On getting to the address, the guy just carelessly tossed the monitor over the fence. That was awful in any case, but it is worse so because at the time, the recipient was not only at home, the gates to the house were wide open!

Can you ever imagine that? Whatever stopped the guy from simply knocking and going in to carefully deliver the parcel, he did the unimaginable. FedEx is spending more than can be imagined to undo the damage this unfortunate development is costing the brand presently.

In a market like ours in Nigeria would'nt the driver and the company have been free to go? Where would have been the surveillance camera to pick the driver?

Even if the consumer complains, it would have been his/her word against the driver's. Fed Ex has not only replaced the damaged monitor, its senior vice president Mathew Thoraton just posted an unreserved apology on the net for the driver's misbehavior! But I still recall my experience with NIPOST speed delivery service some time in 1988/89, I sent a parcel from Sokoto to Lagos till date, it is yet to arrive. Within the first week of their failure to deliver the parcel to the destination I made my complaint, wrote letters through Sokoto office to Lagos headquarters, without response. In fact, the most senior officer at the Sokoto office then advised I forgot about the matter because nothing will come out of it. So it turned out.

So, the efficiency of any brand is to a large extent dependent upon the extent of the market's development and sophistication. The prevalent situation in the underdeveloped or developing markets is the rea-

son why brands will not keep to their promises, compromise, abuse and cheat consumers without consequence. How else would one describe a situation where sales promo based on raffle draws are never won by anybody and so much lies are told on newspaper pages of winners. Often times you find that names and addresses of publicized “winners� are not given to easy independent verification. Sometimes you see awkward combination of names from places so far away from common imagination, it discourages further questioning.

Unfortunately, consumer protection is not popular in this market, so the consumer remains at the mercy of persons ad brands that decides to abuse the system. Bad as the situation is today with the consumers, however, we like to put it before all such brands careless with delivering on their promises that they are gradually burning their candles (from both ends) , with the consumers. Indications are that the population of discerning consumers is growing, and very soon brands will be accountable for their deeds, in this market. When that happens, it will reverberate as the consequence of involuntary DE-MARKETING to all such brands that are presently taking us consumers for granted, such that will not be unto any good. It is bad enough that nobody cares for or about the consumer, irrespective of the horde of non-governmental organizations signed up for that role and even the government institutions established for same reason. Even when brands flaunt their NSO and NAFDAC numbers, it all amounts to nothing before the consumer. But to all you liar-brands, rest assured you are compromising yourselves for the future, as you continue to abuse consumers for immediate gains.

Or could be you are all experimenting with DEMARKETING dangerously. 2012 business year could just turn out a new beginning.

48

With Patience Saduwa

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

'Marriage not

•Prof. Foluke Ogunleye

Photo by: Tolu Oludemi

“I think that Africans should also be bold to acknowledge the fact that it is not everybody that is meant to get married.

Some people are so career-minded that they don't have any time for the family”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

New WOMAN

49

Real life love stories

•Love birds: Betty and I were in love and planned to marry when I had made enough money for us to live a comfortable life

Next Sunday, read about Melvin's trip abroad, what he went through there and his return to Nigeria

11 Tips for safely treating children's fever and pain (II) Give the right formulation Medicines to help ease cold and flu symptoms are formulated differently for children and adults.

You should never give an adult cold medicine to a child, not even in a smaller amount. And you should always call your doctor if your infant develops a cold or a fever.

Only use the dosing tool that comes with the medication Never use a kitchen spoon or a dosing cup from a different medicine to give your child medication. Kitchen spoons can vary in size, as can dosing cups, so you can't be sure that you're giving the correct amount. If you misplace the dosing device that came with the medicine, you can talk to your pharmacist. Just be sure that the markings on the dosing device match the dose listed in the Drug Facts box on the medication label.

Know your measurement abbreviations.

When reading the label, be sure you can tell the difference between a tablespoon (tbsp) and a teaspoon (tsp), as well as between a milligram (mg), milliliter (mL), and ounce (oz).

Don't give medicine to your child in the dark.

Children are often sick at night, so it's not unusual to be half awake and fumbling for medicine in the dark. Take a minute to turn on the lights and put on your glasses, if you wear

Parenting them, so that you can clearly read the medicine label and dosing device.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before giving more than one OTC medicine If your child has a cough and a headache, it may seem logical to give him two medicines -- one for each problem. But many cold and flu symptom remedies have the same ingredients as pain relievers. If you give your child both, it could lead to an accidental overdose.

Reading the Drug Facts label can help you spot the same ingredients, but you should still check with the pharmacist or your doctor before using more than one OTC medicine.

Don't use cough and cold products for children under 2 These products often have more than one ingredient, such as a decongestant, antihistamine, expectorant, cough suppressant, or pain reliever. According to the FDA, the benefits of these products are not worth the risks of serious side effects that can happen from using too much of them in children age 2 and under.

Many manufacturers have voluntarily raised the age limit and recommend

that these medicines not be doctor.

If your child has had a given to children under the cold for a few days and is age of 4. not getting any better or gets Do not give aspirin to worse, call his doctor right w a y. D o n ' t g i v e a n y children under age 18.

Giving aspirin to a child medicine for longer than the can cause a rare, life- amount of time listed on the threatening condition called box.

By following a few Reye's syndrome. Never give an aspirin-containing simple steps, you can help product to your child unless your little one recover in your doctor recommends it. comfort and safety.

Know when to call the

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Arts & Life

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi olubanwo.fagbemi@thenationonlineng.net 08060343214 (SMS only)

POLITICKLE

Signs of the season ‘Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveller back to his own fireside and quiet home!’

—Charles Dickens ear reader, compliments of the season to you. You may be listening to Christmas Carols – the widely accepted chant of the yuletide – on radio or stereo sets, with memories of recent Christmas Cantatas attesting to the religious significance of the period. You may also observe cacophony building on busy streets while streets sleepy for 11 months of the year erupt in a flurry of activities.

Around now, poor pedestrians struggle to adapt to less space on the roads caused by heavy vehicular traffic.

On a brighter note, the period takes on a lively combination of colours compared to the rest of the year. Clothes, children toys and decorations jostle for attention within homes and without while the exchange of presents which is largely foreign replication of festive procedure is nevertheless observed in some quarters. Whereas Santa Claus (Father Christmas) is mainly responsible for children’s gifts early on Christmas mornings abroad, family and friends obviously share responsibility in these parts.

Traditional festivals in villages and towns are annual attractions for all, young and old; rich and poor; learned and illiterate; returnee and devotee. For many, masquerades, drumbeats and palm wine form an essential mix best savoured in the hinterlands.

More synonymous with foreign cultures are the Street carnivals usually named after the host town or people. Associated with Latin America and the Caribbean mainly, they are fascinating experiences orchestrated by state governments and reputable organisations around the festive season. Bastardised versions are also held on city streets where drugged, drunken and jobless youths hold sway.

For the average worker, respite comes in form of the Annual Leave which provides a time-out after 11 months of toil. Often timed to coincide with festivities, the official break allows long-desired trips or the chance to supervise personal projects. But activities lined up for the period must be oiled by some financial grant and what better thing to complement the annual getaway than the Leave Allowance.

For many, it is as important as the leave itself as it could mean the difference between a restricted holiday and a fruitful one. Whereas some workers enjoy icing on the cake with the Leave Bonus, or the 13th month in unofficial parlance, others would be content with their lot.

Supporters argue that the financial extra fosters a sense of belonging or participation in the fortunes of a company.

No matter the obstacles, many eventually undertake the annual rite of escape from the bustle of the city for a holiday that often coincides with wedding and chieftaincy celebrations. For the lower class of society, the quaint environment of villages and hamlets offer yearly appeal while the affluent make a beeline for European and American cities as well as the islands of the Caribbean with well-serviced credit cards in their possession.

It is, however, difficult to understand the widespread penchant to leave shopping for household goods and personal effects until the last month in the year when, naturally, the exercise becomes hectic.

Long intra-city trips in pursuit of bargain buys raise the transportation tempo. Where parents manage to resist temptation to breach spending limit, children’s longing for new clothes and toys crash the scales.

The pulse if further heightened by signs screaming: Sales! Sales!

They cause many a shopper to fall victim to 50 per cent slash in prices which is usually no more than the amount stealthily added to original prices of goods and services earlier in the year. Worse, goods on sale may include rejects, but the chance to pay less for more captivates.

•Concludes next week

CHEEK BY JOWL

OH, LIFE!

THE GReggs

D

QUOTE He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.

—Roy L. Smith

Jokes Shopping Early IT was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner, “What are you charged with?”

“Doing my Christmas shopping early,” said the defendant.

“That’s no offence,” said the judge.

“How early were you doing this shopping?”

“Before the store opened,” said the prisoner.

Salesman’s Nightmare A LITTLE old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner.

“Good morning,” said the young man.

“If I could take a couple minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners.”

“Go away!” said the old lady. “I haven’t got any money” and she tried to close the door. Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open.

“Don’t be too hasty!” he said. “Not

SUDOKU

until you have at least seen my demonstration.” And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse faeces all over her hallway carpet.

“If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse pooh from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder.”

“Well,” she said, “I hope you’ve got a good appetite, because the electricity was cut off this morning.”

Last Christmas Goat A GOAT walked into a joint around Christmas, strolled up to the bar and ordered a bottle of beer.

Unconcerned, the barman poured out the lager and passed it to the goat, who handed over a N500 note.

As he handed over the change of a few nairas, the barman said, “I have to say, you’re first goat I’ve seen in here.”

The goat studied the change carefully and said, “Well, at your prices I think I’m the last goat you’re going to see in here.”

•Culled from the Internet

ST

1 STEP IN SOLVING PUZZLE: (364) Look at the 3 right vertical (ghi) 3x3 boxes. The top box has 2 in cell Bg, while the bottom box has its 2 in cell Gh. The middle box must, therefore, have its own 2 in column i, where all 3 cells are vacant. |But, since row D already has a 2—in cell

PUZZLE 364

A B 6 7 2 5 C 7 D 2 3 5 E 9 4 F 2 4 G 4 3 H 1 5 7 8 I 8 6 a

b

c

d

e

f

g

De and row F a 2 in cell Fa, the only space available to accommodate 2 in the right box is cell Ei. Reasoning along these lines, try and fill in all the other vacant cells.

Solution on SATURDAY. Happy Puzzling!

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE 363

6 4 1 4 8 2 h

25/12/2011

i

5 2 7 9 1 8 6 4 3

1 8 6 5 4 3 7 2 9

4 9 3 6 7 2 8 5 1

8 1 4 7 2 9 5 3 6

6 7 9 3 8 5 4 1 2

2 3 5 4 6 1 9 6 7

9 5 8 1 3 7 2 6 4

3 4 2 8 9 6 1 7 5

7 6 1 2 5 4 3 9 8

THE ARTS

51

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Art works for Christmas J

UST like most professionals who make more sales and money during the Christmas season, visual artists are equally doing brisk business and smiling to the banks. “To be honest with you, during this season last year, I made about N500,000 from the sale of my paintings,” was how Emmanuel Ogbodo, a painter whose studio is located at Maryland, Ikeja, roundabout put it. Ogbodo who is just 15 years old began to paint when he was in primary school. His works adorn the Maryland roundabout and it is so conspicuously located that he does not have much difficulty attracting patrons.

“This location is good,” he said, smiling.

“And big people usually stop by to pick one or two art works either for themselves or as gifts. This Christmas I have sold about five works already but my target is to make up to N1 million,” he said, moving about displaying his works. “People buy mainly landscapes with plenty of colours, oil on canvass and surrealism; works that can easily appeal to the eyes. Other than that, we have carvings of different sizes, metal works, fibre casting, flower vases, ceramics and lots more which attract a lot of attention from the public this season,” he explained.

Commissioned works Beyond landscapes which appeal to more patrons this season, artists also get more commissioned works in form of portraitures. Wallace Ejoor, an artist at the Universal Studios of Art, (USA) Iganmu, Lagos said that apart from miniature works which most patrons buy because of their small sizes, people bring the pictures of their friends or relations for painting. “These they give out as gifts. Yes, there are some people who prefer to have commissioned works like portraiture. Sometimes some companies come to ask us to do a portrait of a senior staff who is either on his way out or an expatriate going back to his country,” Ejoor said, while taking the reporter round the studio.

For Mufu Onifade, also of the USA studios and the founder of Araism Art technique who corroborated what Ejoor said, artists who are serious make more money this season. Although he argued that in most cases it is not easy to decipher the kind of art work a patron would settle for this season, “But I know that this Christmas season what is very common is commissioned works. If somebody wants a gift for a particular person, he tries to work on the person’s portrait without letting him know. And if the work is really very good, the person will come back for more,” Onifade, who was captured doing one of such works on zebra skin for a highly placed Nigerian, said.

He explained that people resort to portraiture because it has a way of immortalizing somebody. He said, “This is because portraiture is a very good way of keeping the person’s image in public. It is another form of immortalizing somebody.

But then, landscapes also sell now. This is so because of the peculiar beauty of that type of painting. It has many colours to showcase and it also brings out the beauty of nature in a way you can even feel it. Yes, this is why people can actually stroll into your studio and pick one or two of such works and give out as gifts.”

In some instances, patrons do not worry about the theme or type of art work they give to people as gifts. Onifade explained it this way: “Yes some patrons will prefer some conceptual works because the person they are going to give it to do not want to look at the theme, but the artist who is behind it.

When sometime ago, Muoka Foam needed a gift, they referred him to me because he loves Araism. These types of people prefer

Rather than hang up their feet this Christmas season, visual artists are working round the clock to make ends meet, writes Edozie Udeze

•Onifade at work

•Why are we all in red? by Ejoor

to talk about technique and the artist and not necessarily the theme. So, some patrons go for names, irrespective of what that name has produced because they know that the person they want to give it is crazy about that artist .”

Christmas boom

Ejoor agreed without mincing words that artists make more money this season. “Yes, we make more money now. An artist who is ready to make some money, as you do the big works, so you do the small ones. So,

PHOTOS: EDOZIE UDEZE

•The last supper by Ogbodo

immediately the patrons come, you give it to them. It is usually cash and carry. Some of the miniature works start from N40,000 upward. But if it is a commissioned work coming in as from November, yes, you can complete it and make up to a million naira.

For me, I do get some commissioned works of portraiture.”

Ogbodo, although was reluctant to talk about his commissioned works, however admitted that when it comes, the sum is usually large enough to carry him through.

“If I get one, I wouldn’t reject it. For now, all

my works here are good enough for the season. Apart from the money I make now, the cheapest painting here is N65,000 like, this Last Supper here,” he said, pointing and grinning.

“The amount of money you make now as an artist depends on the level of patronage you can get. An artist can sell just two works for about N600,000 and this is some money for him for the season. Some works can sell as high as N1 million or a little less. For me, what is more important is the number of works you can sell now,” Onifade said.

52

A

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Arts

S legendary playwright Ola Rotimi puts it in his drama “Man Talk Woman Talk,” ‘the battle of the sexes did not start today, neither will it end tomorrow.’ With that in mind, all was set for the battle to be taken to the courtroom.

Shown on Sunday, December 11 under the auspices of Beeta Universal Art Foundation at Terra Kulture, two young adults debate the stereotypes that both sexes have created of each other but not in a bad way, at all, not in a vindictive ugly way.

One of the latter works of prolific playwright, Ola Rotimi, the drama opens with the defender of the male folk, (Patrick Diabuah) accusing female students of sleeping with lecturers for marks and guys, a logic which the female defender, (Catherine Enuka) counters by accusing boys of sneaking into lecturer’s offices to alter their marks.

The argument sets the tempo for the rest of the over an hour-long drama.

Some of the stereotypes argued about include all secretaries being concubines to their bosses; all female teachers are lovers to their male teachers; all nurses, especially those on night duties, sleep with Medical Doctors on duty. And the argument goes back and forth, touching on politics, religion and a host of other

By Ovwe Medeme

issues.

Packed with a high dose of humour, “Man Talk Woman Talk,” is a show of logic and counter logic. It was also a display of rhetoric. For instance, one logic the female defender puts forward brooked no answer. ‘Females are prostitutes but who does the soliciting?

Who should then be defined as the prostitute?’ So also is the logic put forward by her counterpart. ‘If you dress like this now, what would you wear in the 22nd century? ‘ But like the judge puts it, the unique feature of this proceeding is frankness.

“That you may understand each other better is the motive for this debate. Like we say in pidgin, Man talk; Woman talk, God no go vex.”

Producer of the drama, Bikiya Graham-Douglas, explains that the motive is not to proffer solutions to problems but to bring to light the issues in Nigeria especially the relationship between men and women that we would like to see different.

“At Beeta Universal Art Foundation, we are focused on rejuvenating the culture of theatre in Nigeria and we believe in not just rejuvenating theatre, but in portraying a lot of things about society. That is what theatre is about,” she said.

Beeta Universal wraps up Man Talk Woman Talk

•A scene in Man Talk, Woman Talk

Bone Collage: Where recycling meets beauty

F

ROM the expressions of the CEO of Win Arc Gallery situated at Ikeja, Archie-Abia Godwin, comes a fresh perspective to the creative discourse that has serenaded the art world in Nigeria.

Replete with abundant talents, the Nigerian art scene has taken on varied dimensions and the artiste says he is here, an outcome of divine calling, to boost art, especially where collection is concerned.

Bone Collage, as the artiste calls it, is the product of creativity.

“I usually tell people that I came into art by a divine intervention.

The idea of using bones for artworks came to me in a dream.

If you search your bible very well, it will tell you that God uses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise. The things that people discard or throw away can be used to beautify the environment. Usually I use cow horns. What I do is that I go to the abattoir to collect the discarded bones,” the artist explains.

Bone Collage, as an art form, takes different stages before it comes out as a finished product to be admired. From the point of collection, the artiste explains, he polishes the bones, allows them go through certain processes. From there, he says, comes the concept stage after which beauty is transferred to the bones.

Coming from a man who prides himself as the initiator of the rare form of art, Bone Collage, he says, is strictly Nigerian concept. Archie says that it is not a foreign media and it stems from the need not just to create a piece of beauty but more from the desire to rid the society of waste. However, the

•Recycling by Godwin

By Ovwe Medeme

challenge is in deciding whether the work is an art work of a craft. Archie explains further.

“I love recycling waste but I have been able to take it from the craft level to what I call graven art where I incorporate other materials like sawdust, sand, colour and other materials to be able to have what is known as mixed media.

That way, it becomes more of an artwork than a craft piece.

When I started initially, people said that it is a craft but I have been able to take it from the craft level to what I call graven art.”

As with his previous work, Abia uses his medium to embark on a campaign to save the creative abilities of the Nigerian youth. Known for his moves towards empowering the Nigerian youths he transfers his efforts into the work

Empowerment.

The piece, a combination of bones, raffia and paint speaks volumes. The artist says that some people are taught to paint while others are gifted with the ability, but in all, the government has a role to strengthen the pro-

fession and make it more comfortable for artists to practice.

Even though Bone Collage is yet to gain that status among his peers and art lovers alike, the painter says that come next year, he will be stepping out with new style of the works.

National Troupe entertains for Yuletide

W

ITH variety of showsdance, drama and songs, the National Troupe of Nigeria will today mount the stage to usher in the Christmas celebration. The show directed by Da Costa Adeyemo and entitled Varieties is the

Troupe’s programme to keep thespians and art enthusiasts busy for the season.

The show will be staged from today to the first week of next year.

According to the Artistic Director of the National Troupe, Martin Adaji, the assemblage of the show cuts

across many ethnic groups. It is to show the rich repertoire of Nigeria’s different cultural elements.

It is equally to draw people’s attention to the Theatre this season and to show that the Troupe is ever alive to its responsibilities to the nation.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

53

‘At 71, I look back and thank God’ —PAGES 56

A cross-section of professionals, especially those on essential services, are expected to be at work today. They share their thoughts about working on Christimas day with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

F

INALLY it’s Christmas today!

That period of the year characterised by merriment and every unimaginable pastime that catches the fancy of the merrymaker.

But there are many people out there who besides acknowledging the fact that it is Christmas day can’t readily partake of the frills and thrills of the celebration not because they are incapacitated in any way but because they have to work to keep the rhythm of life going!

Chief among those who are expected to be at work today are the medics, especially doctors and nurses.

The reason for this may well be too obvious: health-related emergencies cannot be ruled out on such a day like this; hence, the medics are duty-bound to report for work.

Giving an insight into the work schedule of most medical personnel, Dr. Onyebuchi Nnamdi, who just finished serving her houseman ship at a private hospital in Abia State, said that part of what they were taught at the medical school is that in keeping with the Hippocratic Oath, medical practitioners have to respond to duty calls anytime of the day even at the risk to their own comfort and convenience.

“As medical personnel, we are expected to place high premium on lives as well as make immense sacrifices whenever the need arises and this includes being on calls even at festive periods. Just imagine what would happen if all hospitals shut down on Christmas day? The consequences are better imagined than explained. So, there is no doctor or nurse worth his or her salt, who will allow him or herself to be carried away by the momentary fun of Christmas, especially if he or she has to be at work that day. As medical personnel, we cannot afford such irresponsible behaviour at all. It completely negates the Hippocratic Oath”, she said matterof-factly.

Echoing similar views, Mrs. Florence Oyebade, Chief Matron, Bethel Healthcare Centre, Aboru, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos, recalls that she has not had the luxury of celebrating Christmas with her family for years.

This is because she is always on duty calls at such period.

Mrs. Oyebade, who runs the clinic with her spouse said: “For us, every other day is Christmas. That is our calling. Quite frankly, I can’t remember ever marking Christmas in the comfort of my home because at such occasion, I always find myself at work.”

Continuing, she said: “We have been in this business for quite a while

• A patient receiving medicare

What’s it like working on Christmas Day?

•A traffic warden on duty

now and I know how it feels not to celebrate Christmas in the real sense of the word. But we are already used to it any way. It is not only Christmas that I have to report to work, even on the New Year day and all other festivals we have to be at work.

“But we certainly don’t regret not enjoying Christmas like the rest of our peers out there because we are fulfilled serving the rest of the society. This is our calling”, Mrs. Oyebade said with a tinge of enthusiasm.

Like doctors and nurses, many officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Prisons, Immigrations, Customs, among other law enforcement and paramilitary agencies across the country would also be at work today.

• A radio broadcaster in the studio

A traffic police officer, who operates at Bolade Bus stop, Oshodi axis of Lagos, and who simply gave his name as Mr. Know-Your-Way, in a chat with The Nation said: “This is probably the first time in six years that I won’t be at my duty post on Christmas day but I will be on duty on Boxing Day. But I have marked Christmas on duty for several years in a row. It is not much fun working at those times but this is the oath of service I signed, as such I can’t do anything about it.”

As to whether there is a repercussion for staying off work on such festive periods, the traffic warden was deadpan. “Anyone who tries to shirk his official responsibility under the excuse of staying away to enjoy

Christmas as far as the service rules is concerned and as far as I know, risk summary dismissal.”

Others who will be missing out in the Christmas fun are commercial bus drivers, journalists, newspaper vendors, beauty parlour operators, restaurateurs, fashion designers, hoteliers, fast food joints, casino operators, car rentals services, airline operators, club owners, entertainers, among others.

For Mr. Nkerewuen Onung, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Remlord Tours & Car Hire Limited, based in Calabar, Cross River, Christmas and New Year are peak period for his line of business.

As a tour operator, who organises

tours for prospective tourists visiting Obudu Cattle Ranch among other tourist attractions in the town, all his members of staff are expected to work throughout the yuletide because this is the peak period for his kind of business. It is the time when many want to visit with family members and have fun.

Onung, who is also the President of Nigeria Tour Operator like most of his contemporaries out there see Christmas and most festive periods as auspicious occasions to make brisk business and they are better for it.

Unlike Onung who looks forward to most festive periods with glee, Akinade Ibuoye, aka Gaise, a fastrising musician and recording artist, based in Abesan axis of Lagos isn’t quite happy that he won’t be with his family this festive season.

“There isn’t going to be any fun for me on Christmas day because I will be busy going round performing to make others happy”, he disclosed with a tinge of regret.

“I’m used to going to my hometown with my family every year but this year I can’t, so it’s a price I’m paying for my career because I have to stay back in Lagos. For example, on Christmas day, I have to go perform at the annual Praise Jam. So while families are going out to enjoy themselves, I need to go to work.”

Unlike some of his contemporaries out there who are still mobilising men and materials to one construction site or the other, Mr. Wale Odunsi, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Brick House, a foremost indigenous building contractor has since shut down for the year. Reason: he wants to break away from the monotony of work in order to give himself a nice treat this yuletide season in time for him to resume early next year. According to him, this has been a pattern of sorts over the years.

Some tradesmen and artisans would also be at work today. While some offer skeletal services, others do home services for their customers on the go.

One of such is Salisu Oremeji, a motor mechanic at the Matori Industrial Estate in Lagos. He said that majority of his colleagues who didn’t travel for the yuletide usually report for work on Christmas day and other festive periods if they have appointments with their clients.

“Some of our customers find it convenient to undertake one maintenance or repairs on such festive periods. But most times, it is agreed well in advance because we have to source for the spare parts ahead if we must deliver on the job at hand”, he said.

On whether he misses enjoying Christmas with his family, Oremeji said he has no qualms at all working on such days as long as it guarantees steady streams of income for him to fulfill all his financial obligations towards members of his family and other dependants.

However, for Mr. Philemon Adonije, a vulcanizer at Dopemu area of Lagos, the last thing he wants to do that day is to don his overalls. He has better plans. “That day, I will go and stay with my family because every day I go to work and my wife will go to market where she is selling slippers, so we do not use to have time for our children but on that Christmas day, I want to make sure that I stay with my family so that we can enjoy together.”

Life

54

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Christmasin inmy myday day Christmas The date has not changed – but over the years generation after generation have altered the way they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Ademola Adesola reports

M

ANY y e a r s a g o , a s s o m e older people recalled, the celebration of Christmas was without the unbridled quest for expensive items and it had less of the fanfare that now accompanies the actual celebration. According to Pa Sunday Oderinde, what obtained in those years when people of his generation were growing up was “traditional Christmas celebration” defined largely by the eating of rice and chicken, wearing of new clothes, and moving from one house to the other amidst loud drumming.

“Modernity has brought many improvements in the way our children celebrate Christmas today. I remember that during my youth my father would give money to my mother to buy some bale of cloths that would be taken to the tailor. My siblings and I would all go there to be measured. It was what they call anko (uniform wears). That applied even to other families around us. It was the only time in the year that rice was cooked in our house and neighborhood. That alone filled us was with joy. Even when you couldn’t get new attire or foot wear like other children, the availability of rice was enough to keep you in the spirit of the celebration,” the octogenarian said.

Noting that a huge gap exists between what Christmas celebration was in his time and today, the retired teacher added: “The young parents of today are not familiar with our traditional way of celebrating Christmas. From the food they eat, the clothes they buy for their children, to the places they visit, it is clear that their own celebration is far from what we had in my time as a young person”.

‘

These days the celebration is too commercialised.

The commercial spirit has taken over the real spiritual thing. It was spiritual then, but now it is commercial and artificial. But we hope the celebration will come back to those days

‘

‘

I was reminded of what spending Christmas in my father’s compound was like. The carpenters came from different parts of the country and the only holiday they had was Christmas time

F

‘I celebrated with carpenters’

‘

OR veteran broadcaster and diplomat, Ambassador Olusegun Olusola, Christmas in his growing years was a communal festival which blurred the line of demarcation between Christians and non-Christians.

In a voice laced with nostalgia he said: “In my early years I celebrated Christmas with carpenters in my father’s workshop.

My father was a carpenter in Iperu-Remo, Ogun State. The carpenters who were also there organised their own Christmas and I spent many Christmas sessions with them.

Like today (last Tuesday) for instance, I went to an end of the year party here in Lagos organised by professional carpenters and furniture makers. It reminded me of Christmas in my father’s compound many years ago. Those wood workers used to take their Christmas very seriously. It was a lot of fun and today I was reminded of what spending Christmas in my father’s compound was like. The carpenters came from different parts of the country and the only holiday they had was Christmas time.

“In those days the people who celebrated Christmas were Christian and Muslim children and those who were neither Muslims nor Christians. Every child in the neighbourhood, every member of the community celebrated Christmas. You did not have to be a church-going Christian to mark the day. That really, really impressed me in my growing up period.”

The octogenarian maintained that for

•Olusola

the joy of Christmas celebration to be fully realised people have to change their view of Christmas as mainly a Christian affair.

“I advise all people, whether they are Christians or not, to celebrate Christmas together. Christmas must not be regarded as only a Christian festival. Children of all religious persuasions should be encouraged to spend Christmas together.

Don’t forget that the father of Jesus was a wood worker, a carpenter – an ordinary person. But great things happened in his life time. So, people in this country must learn to celebrate the remembrance of such miracles like the miracle of Jesus Christ. Everybody must participate in the joy of Christmas,” he counselled.

‘Commercial spirit has taken over’

M

ANAGING Director of Agbo Areo Publishers, Mr Agbo Areo, recalls that “It was a joyous festival which everybody shared. It was really joyous. We were young and our parents would buy us new dresses. On Christmas Eve and New Year Day we would dance round town. We would later be given rice with legs of chickens. That was the only time we ate rice. Rice was scarce in those days. It was really enjoyed by the young and the old; for Christians and Muslims it was really interesting.

Everybody looked forward to it”.

However, he has some reservation about how the celebration is done now.

For example, he is of the view that “these days the celebration is too commercialised.

The commercial spirit has taken over the real spiritual thing. It was spiritual then, but now it is commercial and artificial. But we hope the celebration will come back to those days. I hope the security and political situation in the country will improve so that we can continue to enjoy the kind of festival of the Christmas season as it used to be in the past”.

•Areo

Life

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

55

Why does Santa wear red?

•Oludemi

‘Fear of bombs ruining Xmas’

O

N the flipside, to the young ones Christmas means more than eating rice. With the explosion in number of amusement parks, relaxation spots, and parties, the day cannot be celebrated without visits to those places. “I can’t think of celebrating Christmas without visiting an amusement park,” Tolu Oludemi said.

The young student added that “many interesting activities take place during this time and it can be very exciting seeing people, especially young adults, spend a great deal of their time participating in the various activities.

After the church programme and the feasting at home, out there is the happening place. What I don’t know is whether the fear of bomb explosion will not scare people away from visiting the outdoor celebration joints”.

Every year, from one end of the earth to another, countless millions of people are gripped by Christmas fever. But how much do you know about this enduring religious festival which even the secular world embraces with gusto?

Fill the gaps with these 12 basicfacts.

What is Christmas?

The world Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or “Christ’ Mass”. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion.

Most historians peg the first celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336 A.D.

How was December 25 chosen?

No one knows for a fact that Jesus Christ was born on December 25. What is known, however, is that Christian leaders in 336. C.E. set the date to December 25 in an attempt to overshadow a popular pagan holiday (Saturnalia) in Rome that celebrated the “Birthday of the Invincible Sun God,” on the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year).

Why is Christmas sometimes spelled Xmas?

The Greek letter “x” is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Xristos “Xmas” therefore means “Christ’s Mass.” The abbreviation has been in use since at least the sixteenth century.

Who is Santa Claus?

•Anyaduba

‘No more mystery’

I

N Arthur Anyaduba’s case, the celebration is “one of merriment and excitement. The raw smell of harmattan dust, the new clothes, and the special delicacies that the season granted are memorable, not to talk of all the family relations that one saw once in a year.

These are things that make the Christmas experience mystifying”. But he is somewhat worried about the way the celebration is done. “Now, not much has changed except that one has grown and the old feelings of Christmas are dry for me. All the mysteries have worn out and I marvel at the number of avoidable accidents and deaths that could have been prevented if we can only slow down the tempo we use to engage the Christmas season. Christmas has become the season of death, of robbery and deceit and all bad things, and of wasteful spending. For me I wish to avoid all the vanities the season brings with it, except meeting friends and relatives and celebrating the moment in all spirit of moderation and restraint”.

Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas – a minor 4th century saint. The name ‘Santa Claus’ comes from the Dutch ‘Sinterklaa’. Nicholas was a Christian leader from the town of Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children’s stockings.

ninetheenth century, Twelfth Night was more popular than Christmas day, and even today some countries celebrate Epiphany as the most important day of the Christmas season.

Greatest Hit The biggest selling Christmas single of all time in Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’.

Christmas Lights Three years after Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb in 1879, Edward H. Johnson, who worked for Edison’s company, had Christmas tree bulbs especially made for him.

Christmas Cards The custom of sending Christmas card started in Britain in 1840 when the first ‘Penny Post’ public postal deliveries began.

Why Santa Wear Red

Boxing Day

Coca-Cola is credited with the creation of the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly old man in red-and-white garments. The company started promoting this image in the 1930s in its advertising campaigns masterminded by the artist, Haddon Sundblom.. Santa’s red and white suit, however, come from the original Saint Nicholas. Those colours were the colours of the traditional bishop’s robes.

In English-speaking countries, the day following Christmas Day is called ‘Boxing Day. This world comes from the custom which started in the Middle Ages around 800 year ago: churches would open their ‘alms boxe’ (boxes in which

What are the 12 days of Christmas?

people had placed gifts of money) and distribute the contents to poor people in the neighbourhood on the day after Christmas. The tradition countries today.

The 12 days of Christmas are the 12 days that separate Christmas day on December 25 from Epiphany, which is celebrated January 6 Depending on the church, January may mark Christ’s baptism (the Catholic tradition), or it may mark the day that the wise men visited the baby Jesus with their gifts.

Epiphany January 6 is the traditional end of the Christmas holiday and is the date to take down the Christmas three and decorations. To do so earlier in thought to bring bad luck for the rest of the year. From the middle ages until the mid-

Peace on Earth At midnight on Christmas Eve in 1914 during World War I, firing from the German trenches suddenly stopped.. A German brass band began playing Carols. Early Christmas morning, the German soldiers came out of their trenches, approaching the allied lines, calling “Mary Christmas”. At first the allied soldiers thought I was a trick, but they soon climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the German soldiers. The truce lasted a few days, and the men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings, sang carol and songs. They even played a game of soccer.

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Life

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

‘At 71, I look back and thank God’ Taiwo Ajai-Lycett is a veteran actress whose professional career spans over 50 years. In this chat with Edozie Udeze she relives some of those memorable moments

Y

OU have given so much to theatre.

Looking back now, how do you feel?

I think it has been a wonderful journey. It has been an extra-ordinary journey indeed. And I thank God I have been blessed, and I am still being blessed.

That we are even having this conversation is an opportunity to show how blessed we are. It has been a great journey so far, I must say.

It’s been wonderful and what else can one say, but to give all the glory to God. If you were expected to work hard, you had no choice but to work hard. I have been privileged to work hard and to learn along as I progressed in the profession I love. I still love the profession and so I got to this level due to the love I have for the profession.

But right now, I want to pass a bit of that to the younger ones by establishing an NGO. It is Taiwo Ajai-Lycett Foundation which will be on stream soon.

Because when I had my 70th birthday, people were saying what am I going to do about the profession-am I going to retire?

And so on. People said they want me to do something to help the profession grow. So, I have this NGO which I will launch shortly. This will include training, scripwriting, creative writing, producing, directing, dancing, acting, singing, stage management, state designing, all that have to do with theatre in its entirety.

This will help to raise the ante a bit so that professionals will gain profoundly from it. We will train more actors for the country and ensure that the younger ones get the kind of attention that will help them prosper on the job. So that is what I am set to do shortly.

Do you think people really appreciate what you do on stage?

Yes, I think they do. Without people appreciating us, and especially appreciating what I do, I won’t be talking to you now. It is just because all of us are actors on stage, maybe we think people shouldn’t be paying money. But that has changed. Some of our entertainers are now living very well, earning good money from what they do as theatre practitioners.

That’s what I am saying. Now, many can send their children to good schools, buy vehicles, make investments with their earnings. It’s that good now.

So, I couldn’t subscribe to the fact that we are not being appreciated. No it is not so. If I was not being appreciated after doing this business for 50 years, I won’t be here before you, talking to you. You won’t even seek me out of this whole lot

here to talk to me.

P e o p l e loved what I was doing; t h e y appreciated my skills, they enjoyed what I did and I am grateful for them. I have people around me who keep telling me that what I do touches them, that I am a good actress. Nothing can be as heart-warming as that, you know.

You look ever young, even at 71 years. What is the secret?

Hard work, that’s all. When you love what you do. Our profession is such that once you are skillful and you have to do a lot of work on yourself, e m o t i o n a l l y , psychologically, physically – those are the sort of things I want to pass on to the younger ones. This will help them know and realize that it is a blessing God has bestowed on them. And so, this is one gift we have to take seriously. It is a rare gift, I must say to you.

If people take this gift and work hard at it in spirit, in material terms and in appreciation from our cares, it is unlimited. And you tell me I look good and young, it is not only about genes but about you and the people appreciating what you do. And when you live your life and people like you, it adds more to you. But then, what more do you want from life? You are indeed bound to be blossoming, shinning and sparkling endlessly.

So, the power of love is immensurable. Let us do what we love with devotion and let the public show their

“You dream, you bring something into the world. Your thinking, your perception of the world, is bound to be different.

And you enrich the world by what you contribute to the world. We have no business feeling insecure and so don’t let anybody undermine you. You have every right to let the world see you.” appreciation.

How have you been able to combine family work with your acting career so far?

They don’t need to clash. You organize yourself properly. Either here in this country or elsewhere, you have help. People can help you look after your children. In any case, in my own time, luckily for me, I had my mother who helped me to look after my own children. But now I have grown children even grown grand-children.

That is one of them here (Debo, one of his sons was with her). If you can raise people like this and they are in their own world, what else do you need?

It has not been bad at all. One of my grand children is 24 years and the youngest one is 18, going on to 19.

So, you can do it. You can combine the two if you organize both ends very well.

First of all you have to plan it well and then follow it to suit your family and your profession.

You wear Nigerian local fabrics everywhere you go. How does it feel?

I feel good. I feel superior when I wear this fabric because it makes me a proud Nigerian. I just arrived from England and every Sunday that passed, I wore our native dress. Each time I did so, people would stare at me. They were fascinated; we don’t need to be insecure about it. It is our own, our own traditional way of life.

Nobody is going to appreciate you unless you appreciate and respect yourself. So, it is not the Europeans. They don’t do to you what you do not allow them to do to you. So be yourself and be proud of what you have and who you are. If you do not appreciate yourself, then why would people think you have something very wonderful to offer. I don’t tell people how wonderful my country is, how wonderful my people are and how wonderful my culture is, I live it, they know it and they believe it.

And so they want more and more of it. It is interesting. It is beautiful and it is exciting. What we have, we need to preserve.

What advise do you have for the younger actresses?

What I have to say to you is that you are special.

When God made you, he made you special, nobody is like you. So, they have to be proud of who they are and face their profession with boldness. If you do that, then what you have to give to the world, don’t deny the world of it, even if people do not appreciate you and what you do, don’t wait for them to affirm that in your life, for you are made special. You are different, you think differently from me. And God knows what he is doing when he created us like this, because he uses us to complete his work.

You dream, you bring something into the world.

Your thinking, your perception of the world, is bound to be different. And you enrich the world by what you contribute to the world. We have no business feeling insecure and so don’t let anybody undermine you. You have every right to let the world see you. So, it is valid and so let’s respect everybody and see God’s hands in him or her. That’s the beauty of life and these are the qualities of God.

BUSINESS

57

‘Government needs to stimulate the economy’

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

-- Page 59

Unease over cashless Lagos Eight days to the planned implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy, which is to be heralded by a pilot scheme in Lagos, many Nigerians are ill at ease over this development, reports Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf with additional reports by Rita Ohai, Jennifer Mordi and Ola Ojelade

M

IKE Azu (not real name) 38, is an upwardly mobile executive who follows the latest trends. But he had a less than pleasant experience recently when he decided to experiment with the idea of the e-payment system, where he had gone shopping at one of the numerous marts on the island.

Going down memory lane, Azu recalls his experience. “I went to purchase a gas cooker a fortnight ago at one of the shopping marts near Abraham Adesanya Estate Ajah and decided to use my debit card to pay. It was terrible, as it took over one hour for the card to “enter” after which it failed to print my receipt and I was asked to come back. I later went to my bank’s ATM to discover that I have been debited thrice and now have no more money left in my account.

“I have been shuttling between my bank and the shopping mart for over a week now with no prospect of getting back my money. And to think that this is what many banking consumer publics will have to contend with from now on with the expected implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy in a week’s time, leaves nothing to cheer about.’’

This short anecdote aptly sums up the frustration of Azu and many Nigerians over the planned implementation of the cashless policy regime by the apex bank.

What cashless economy means to different people In fairness to the apex bank, it has facilitated publicity campaigns in the length and breadth of Lagos.

Specifically, it engaged the Electronic Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-EPAN) E-PPAN, which in turn has been going round major market clusters in Lagos metropolis to educate market women and men on the new policy on ‘Cashless Lagos.’

Already, E-PPAN has carried out intensive awareness campaign at Ile Epo Market, Jakande Market, and Ojuwoye Market at Mushin, Agege Market at Oju Irin in Agege Pen Cinema and Katangora Market, along Lagos-Abeokuta Express Way, at Jakande Market, Ketu among others.

But from available information, many Nigerians are still at a quandary as to what this policy is all about.

In an interview with a crosssection of respondents, majority of them have vague knowledge of what the whole idea is all about.

Briefs Lifemate opens showroom at City Mall

L

IFEMATE Nigeria Limited, a leading and foremost furniture company in Nigeria which recently opened a mega showroom at the Ikeja City Mall, Lagos, has been offering discounted sales to its teeming customers to celebrate the yuletide.

The Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Weir Wu stated at the opening day ceremony that the price slashes has been initiated to commemorate customers for their patronage during this yuletide season.

“Lifemate furniture is your onestop shop for all your complete household furniture and we are offering fantastic price slash in all these unique products this yuletide season”, said an elated Wu.

Tantalizers opens Ijebu-Ode outlet

I

•A point of sales terminal

To Ademola Adeniyi, a businessman, what he simply understands by cashless policy is that: ‘’It is about not carrying money around but rather sales transaction will be done with master cards.’’

But he has no idea as to what the economic benefit is. Pressed further, he waxed philosophical: “definitely there’s always a negative side to everything.’’

For Segun Davis, also a businessman, he has the faintest idea as to what the cashless policy is all about. “I don’t really know much about it’’, he said matter-offactly.

But as an afterthought, he recalls that: ‘’I heard in the bank the other day that there is a certain amount I can withdraw in operating a business account. But from what I heard from you now, it’s all about not working around with cash.’’

Apparently showing how befuddled he is, he raises a pose: “If I have to pay for everything with a card, how would you pay road busses or the little shops around.

This policy can only work in big shopping malls. It won’t work in a local market system. Or will you buy yam in the market and pay with card? For the policy to work when there is a certain amount of what you can buy with money the card will be used for paying large money because even in the United States that operates a cashless economy, there is still constant flow of cash.’’

Mr. Omijeh Akomen, a Public Relations Consultant in Ogba

however has a different view. “I think it’s a good initiative and the right step towards the desired improvement we need in Nigeria.

It’s going to reduce risk associated with carrying cash and reduces the risk of robberies. It will also allow the CBN to track down people who are involved with money laundering and encourage people to embrace the use of the banking system.”

Veronica Ijeh, a secondaryschool-leaver awaiting admission into one of the tertiary institution s, sells foodstuffs for her mother at Iyana Ipaja garage market. Miss Ijeh, like many of her contemporaries out there involved in small businesses, scoff at the idea of cashless policy for the simple reason that it is not inclusive.

“I think the idea is not good because many of us in this place will not be able to use the machine and if you make the mistake and remove your eye from the machine because you want to go and do another thing, somebody can come and steal it and all your money will just go like that. So they should leave our Naira for us like that because we are not complaining”, she said sarcastically.

In the assertion of Olisa Ohaedoghasi, a senior secondary school student of Christ the King College, Ijebu-Ode, “It has its good and bad sides. The good side is that it presents a modern front in the sense that it will help us keep up with the standards of foreign countries but it will also expose the general public to compulsory

exploitation from the banks who will use it as an opportunity to regularly rip their customers-off under the pretext of service charge.”

More knocks for proposed cashless policy The proposed cashless policy, to many analysts, is probably one policy that would require sheer grit to enforce and possibly a sustained media campaign as well as moral persuasion because a lot of people out there are not completely sold on the idea.

In an interview with The Nation, Comrade Baba Omojola, renowned economist and World Bank consultant, he argued that: “If the CBN cashless policy is a template to lead the country to modern economy, then it is a welcomed idea. But it is an idea of the future, not now.’’, “The larger number of participants at the lowest strata of the economy is of such a larger quantum of the Nigerian economy. But they utilise averagely trading capital of so low cash (N5, 000).

Therefore, making them cashless would be a costly burden for the CBN to administer.’’

Many like Omojola scoff at the idea of the cashless economy because they reason that with the infrastructural •Continued from page 58

N line with its vision to excel in the fast food industry, Tantalizers Plc has opened a new restaurant in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

The outlet is a welcome addition to the existing range of franchised outlets across the country.

Calling on prospective investors to participate in the franchising opportunities, the Marketing Manager, Mr. Henry Arebun reiterated his company’s knack for excellence: “We have consistently set and maintained high quality and excellent standards in our line of business as a way of fulfilling our promise to our customers. One of the ways we have done this is by pioneering the integration of local Nigerian menu into our fast food operations.”

STOCK MARKET REVIEW

T

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange All-Share Index recorded a cumulative gain of 368 basis points last week to close at 20,763.26.

The Brewers notably NB and Guinness had a good run, both ending with lifts in value of 12.4% & 7.0% respectively. From the look of things, if the institutional bid interest persist into the coming week, we might just see both stocks holding their own at the current price range.

For the banks; First Bank and GTBank made significant gains.

However some losses were recorded as Stanbic IBTC, Access Bank, FCMB and Zenith Bank closed on a flat note while Diamond Bank, Fidelity Bank, Unity Bank, Skye Bank and UBA secured healthy gains.

Proceedings at the last trading session of some banks is indicative of a possible resurgence of profittaking activities by market speculators wanting to cash in on the sudden rally.

Dangote Sugar and Dangote Flour both closed on a bright note with percentage gains of 17.4% and 2.7% respectively.

58

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Business Intelligence

HOUGH he started off his pooling business with less than N10,000, the Sapeleborn teacher has not had an easy ride in his journey to become a “Pool Lord.”

“I was retrenched in 1996 and after my retrenchment I decided I had had enough of paid employment or whitecollar job. Then, I decided to go for what I could afford. With the little capital I had, I opened a shop as a pool agent”, recalled Osinubi Adewale.

Citing bank policies and mis-trust between third-party agents, he explains some of the challenges he faces on a regular basis.

“We have challenges with agents that are not trust- worthy. Money that ought to be remitted to the company after removing their commission are withheld week after week and they are unable to pay the stakers which causes the problem to fall back on the company. Also the bank, when there is some heavy winning, the bank will tell you that it is an insurable risk, thus payment for such person most especially when there are further wins becomes a big problem. The challenge

Pools business: An investor’s guide Osinubi Adewale, a lawyer, is Managing Director/Chief Executive, Wesco Pool and Lottery Limited.

Adewale who started off in a modest way has since made his mark in the business. Adeola Ogunlade takes him on an investor’s guide to pools business has to do with the banking rules and policies which should be reviewed in the interest of promoting pooling and lottery business in Nigeria”, he pleaded.

For those still in doubt as to the amount of viable opportunities in the pooling business, Adewale posits, “There is so much potential for investors in pooling business. With our kind of population, there are still untapped areas.

Gambling is worldwide even in the area of lottery; I remember during my visit to the United States, every filling station had a lottery box. In Nigeria, there are still some states where they don’t know what lotto is all about and local governments where

lotto has not gotten to and these are all opportunities for would-be investors to veer into.”

Explaining why he decided to venture into the dicey pool industry in spite of the high level of risk involved, he said, “I ventured into pooling business because that was what my money could do to help my body and soul survive. Instead of looking for a white-collar job that was not really available, I felt if my degree could not fetch a me paid job then let me look inward for what I can do to make a living. I started from the scratch and from pooling agent, I was making some money, which l used in starting up retailing of soft drinks.

From one cartoon of drink to trailers load which later

PHOTO SHOP

•L-R: Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi; Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, at a Rountable Discussion with stakeholders at the Eko Hotel, in Lagos recently PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

•L-R: Bola Kaoje, Vice President, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Mr. Segun Ajanlekoko, President/Chairman of the Council and Mr. Mike Itegboje, President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers during the Executive Meeting of the Association, in Lagos recently.

PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA

•Peter Igho, Director-General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission

got the support of the bank.

After four years in the beer business, I tried to get a license from both the pooling business and as a

distributor of drinks and I succeeded in getting the pooling license.”

In the light of the high unemployment rate, the

lottery investor gives some advice to prospective applicants. “For young people, they should start small like I did. Thinking of becoming a promoter overnight will be inimical to your growth in the pool business”, he stressed.

Expatiating, he said: “You can be an agent with little or no capital and get your commission but you should be content with the commission you get at every point in time. There are numerous potentials in both the pool and lottery business.

“I have seen among my agents top retired bank executives. The only thing is accountability and ability to read and write to a certain level. And the benefit of Wesco is that we have over 200 pool stations and more than 2,000 agents and most of them feed their families with it and even in the hinterlands, where you least expect, people are engaged in the pool business and we hope to go online next year. The sky will be our limit.”

Unease over cashless Lagos •Continued from page 57

gap in the country, it would be practically impossible to achieve the desired objective of e-payment.

One of those who have expressed similar fears is Deinde Abolaji, a research analyst. “It would take a lot of effort to steer the country on the path to a cashless economy because millions of people out there are yet to cultivate the banking habit.

Nigeria with a population of about 80 million bankable adults has less than 10 million persons with bank accounts. So I don’t see how this idea will work.

“Besides, banks are driving customers away with automated teller machine (ATM)-related fraud, exploitative charges and bad policies. You cannot have a cashless economy if so many people have no access to banking services. The irony is the ATM, which is the plank upon which this so-called cashless policy stands, is not popular with the Nigerian banking publics as many have dumped their ATM cards, some on the advice of their close friends working in the banks where they operate accounts. So how then do you sway these same people?” he queried.

Tolu Awoyemi, a financial analyst also shares similar views. “The bulk of the Nigerian economy is driven by petty traders. With negligible internet penetration in the rural areas, no meaningful electronic security and epileptic power supply what infrastructure does the CBN hopes to build this cashless economy on?” he asked.

In the view of Ngozi Onyekachi, a final student of University of Lagos, ‘’Any good policy being introduced at a wrong time always end up a failure. We still have a lot to do before the issue of cashless society, such as lack of infrastructural amenities, bad internet connectivity, shortage of point of sales terminals, epileptic power supply, hanging and wrong debit on ATM cards without positive reversal and lots of things to improve on before the implementation of such policy. I wish the CBN governor to readdress the issue now.’’

A fait accompli

For Nigerians who may be under the

illusion that the policy may not fly after all, the CBN has foreclosed a shift in the January 2, 2012 commencement date for the implementation of electronic payment system in the public and private sectors of the economy in Lagos State, even as it has penciled June 2012 for the implementation of the policy in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Kano, Kano State and Aba, Abia State, respectively, as well as in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking in Abuja recently at the last lap of the CBN/Public Stakeholders’ Forum on the implementation of approved guidelines on e-payments, Deputy Governor, Operations, CBN, Mr. Tunde Lemo, urged stakeholders to quicken the adoption of epayment solutions, which have been certified by the apex bank.

Lemo stated that the overall destination of the drive for an efficient payment system, is where transactions are initiated and concluded without recurs to manual intervention.

Lagos as guinea pig

The choice of Lagos for the pilot scheme is for many reasons. With a large population estimated by the state government to be 18 million, Lagos is the commercial nerve centre of the country. The state is said to account for over 80 per cent of PoS transactions and over 60 per cent of cleared cheques in the country.

Besides, over 70 per cent of the financial institutions in the country are said to be located in the state, which is also blessed with vibrant airports and seaports. About 50 per cent of the money supply in the country is said to end up in Lagos as the economic hub of the country.

To make the scheme a success, the CBN had projected the deployment of 40,000 PoS devices in Lagos State to create an enabling environment for the successful take-off of the cashless policy scheme, and to increase the number to 150,000 by the end of next year.

What is being envisaged is that people in Lagos would no longer be required to present cash for goods purchased or services rendered by airlines, hotels, shopping malls, supermarkets and many other commercial activities.

Laudable as this seems, to many analysts, the prospect of making a success of the scheme, appears really slim. But time will tell.

59

Business

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

‘Government needs to stimulate the economy’ Managing Director, GTI Securities Limited, Mr. Tunde Oyekunle is one of the topmost players in the Nigerian capital market. In this interview with Taofik Salako, he provides insights on the prospects of the economy

W

HAT’S your assessment of the Nigerian economy?

The Nigerian economy is currently at transformation state. Governmental and economic policies are yet to be fully maximized to positively impact the average Nigerian. Individuals and corporate institutions with productive ideas are lacking the liquidity, infrastructure and support to turn such ideas into profitability and economic growth. The cost of running business is high for most institutions and this call for urgent intervention and efforts.

What’s your assessment of the performance of the Nigerian capital market this year?

I consider the performance of Nigerian capital market in the current year to be average relative to other African and global markets. The economic environment during the year was characterised by various unexpected developments both locally and globally. These vary from confusing economic pronouncements, to unexpected policies reversals, infrastructural challenges, Eurozone debt crisis, global financial pressures etc. The cumulative effects of which resulted in shifting of investible funds from capital market to other investment alternative windows (money market, property market etc), low confidence by local investors and less patronage by foreign investors. The market YTD index is currently -19% compared with Egypt - 50%, Australian market (ATX) -25%, Swiss market -20%. Other major markets like NASDAQ, S&P 500, Dow Jones also recorded negatives performance in the current year. Apart from South Africa market and few Asian Pacific market like Taiwan Weighted & All Ordinaries, performance of exchanges around the world have rather been disappointing considering the Eurozone debt crisis and global downturn.

What’s the outlook for the market in 2012 and beyond?

I have an optimistic view for 2012. I expect some sort of recovery in the global economy which I believe would rub off on the Nigerian economy and capital market.

However, to moderately gain from these recoveries, the Federal Government would have to take urgent positive measure working with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stimulate the Nigerian economy and work towards regaining investors ( local and international) confidence in the market. I strongly believe that if all these stakeholders work together, the market will be better off in 2012 and beyond.

Generally, how do you see the Nigerian economy performing in the years ahead?

The Nigerian economy can positively surpass projections in the years ahead if there is passion for change in all government sectors. Efforts should be made to drastically cut down on recurrent expenditure and invest more in capital project to achieve infrastructural developments in the economy. The development of the real sectors should be targeted to increase the contribution of nonoil sector to the gross domestic product (GDP) and ultimately lead to economic growth.

The Federal Government has just announced the 2012 budget, what are your views on the key highlights?

I have various views on the announced budget. The absence of the fuel subsidy is not a good one for Nigerians, considering the level of poverty in the country and the

INTERVIEW fact that Nigeria is an oil-producing nation.

The Federal Government should make urgent efforts to refurbish the refineries and put them into productive use. This would reduce the price of petroleum products payable by an average Nigerian. Also, I expect the allocation for power, health and education to carry more weight in the budget allocation than provided for.

Policies geared towards agricultural developments and discouragement of agricultural imports is encouraging enough to boost the sector. I believe Nigeria has what it takes to feed its citizens and export agricultural products to other countries. It is high time we started maximizing our potentials in the sector.

How do you see the prospects of the Nigerian banking sector?

I have strong expectation from the banking sector, because the impact of the reforms is yet to be duly felt by the economy.

The reforms has help to have healthier banks and more confidence in the industry but the issue of liquidity and lending is still a problem. An average Nigerian with a promising business idea can hardly get funds from most banks to finance the idea and thus contribute to the growth of the economy. However, the mergers and acquisitions we have seen has provided a more competitive banking industry where banks can achieve their potentials and contribute immensely toward economic recovery and growth. The introduction of Mobile Money and efforts towards achieving a limit cash economy are good developments that will enhance service delivery to Nigerians and increase business prospects in the banking industry.

The transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is fast approaching, how do you assess the progress so far and what impact would IFRS have on Nigerian companies and economy generally?

IFRS has come to stay in Nigeria. It’s been long awaited and I believe it’s a good initiative for the Nigeria economy. The progress to me has been encouraging. As a person with an accounting background, I have been monitoring the progress and I must say that corporate organisation are doing their best to comply effective 2012.

Several training programmes have been organised by ICAN and other professional bodies to prepare professionals for the adoption of IFRS. Also, professional bodies have organized seminar and companies have engaged experts on in-house training to train their staff and resolve issues and challenges that are likely to affect the adoption of IFRS. The impact of IFRS cannot be over-emphasised. IFRS would bring more confidence to our financial reporting and help in corporate transparency.

International institutions will understand us better and seek to do more business with

•Oyekunle

us.

On the heels of the global financial crisis and Nigerian financial crisis, there has been growing clamour for auditors and rating agencies to be held partly liable for accounting errors and misstatements, what’s your opinion on this?

I differ slightly on that opinion. Auditors and rating agencies can only access books and documents that are presented to them by organisations. With my knowledge of auditing and assurance, it is the responsibility of the board and management of a company to ensure that their financial statement is well prepared according to standard and auditors/ rating agencies are to give an independent opinion on the books to the owners of the company.

Although,with the increasing complexity in the modern business world and the lessons learnt over the years e.g ENRON case. I believe auditor and rating agencies have to do more work and go extra miles to play their role in assessing institutions. I’m sure they are aware of this and they are working seriously on it.

How do you see the prospects of demutualisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange?

Demutualisation of NSE should be handled with due care and consideration.

All stakeholders should be duly consulted and considered in the process. There is need emphasise objectivity and transparency on the issue. Demutualisation have good prospects as evidenced in other Exchanges all around the world. However, for us to enjoy such prospects in Nigeria, all factors

“An average Nigerian with a promising business idea can hardly get funds from most banks to finance the idea and thus contribute to the growth of the economy.

However, the mergers and acquisition we have seen has provided a more competitive banking industry where banks can achieve their potential and contribute immensely toward economic recovery and growth”

should be considered and due process must be followed.

What are the priorities that you think government should address to create sustainable economic growth in Nigeria?

Power, roads, health and education/ youth development.

What can be done to woo more companies to list on the NSE? Companies should be made to see the importance of being listed on the Exchange.

Stakeholders should make listing attractive to companies and also make listing compulsory for some companies depending on the sor. The power sector is a good example for this. Also, efforts should be geared towards restoring investors’ confidence in the market in order to enhance patronage by investing public. and also make listing attractive for companies. Tax savings benefit and other incentives should be attached to listing. The recent pronouncements by the Capital Market Committees of the National Assembly to partner with SEC and NSE in its efforts to woo multinational companies( telecommunications, oil and gas ) operating in the country to list in the Exchange is a vivid testimony to our collective efforts in this direction.

What is your company doing to grow the capital market generally?

At GTI we have unbundled our stockbroking business to position it for recently developments in the capital market and also focus on adding values to all numerous clients in form of quality service delivery, access to market information, faster response time to inquiries and investor education. We have our customer care desk to provide solutions to investors challenges and execute trade in a professional manner with transparency.

Also, we are working with the executives of the NSE towards the introduction of new products/initiatives to the Nigerian capital market. Such include Share-Back, Exchange traded funds (ETF), Securities lending, Market Making etc. We have rolled out information through our Research & Strategy Division to our client to educate them and prepare them for all these initiatives.

Business

60

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Company News

Erisson application awards seek entries

Benue Brewery gets N1.3bn lifeline T

B

ENUE Brewery Limited which was recently acquired by Consolidated Breweries Plc is already getting attention from its new owners who have injected N1.3 billion to lift the organization.

The move, according to the new owners, is just part of measures to ensure that More Lager beer, the pride of Benue State, is giving its right of place in the state economy.

The Managing Director, Consolidated Breweries Plc, Mr. Boudewijn Haarsma, who disclosed this recently in Makurdi during an official visit to the State Governor, Rt. Hon Gabriel Suswam, noted that the new management is anchoring its revival plan on two major pillars, including restoration of Benue Brewery’s flagship brand.

According to him, the technical capacity will be expanded and utilized in order to have sufficient critical scale to become profitable. “Present capacity of 150,000 Hecto Litres per

•Benue State Deputy Governor, Chief Steven Lawani receiving a plaque from Managing Director, Consolidated Breweries Plc, Mr. Boudewijn Haarsma during the formal's visit to the brewery, in Makurdi… recently Stories by Gbenga Oyewole

annum is being expanded to 400,000 HL per annum with an investment of approximately N1.3 billion and is expected to be com-

pleted in 2012”, he said.

The day also witnessed facility tour of the brewery by the Deputy Governor, Chief Steven Lawani. Speaking at the occasion, Chairman of Benue Brewery Limited, Mr. Steve Ameh lauded the huge invest-

ment by Consolidated Breweries in Benue Brewery, which he described as one of the few industries operating in Benue State that is very strategic to the social and financial development of the State.

First Bank partners institute on training

I

N its quest to fulfil its corporate social responsibility to its host community, First Bank of Nigeria Plc (FirstBank) has partnered Zamarr Institute, an Abuja based school for Children with Autism and other chronic disabilities to celebrate the institute’s five years anniversary, and also raise funds for the building of its N250m proposed permanent site in Abuja. The event, an admixture of glamour and emotion witnessed talented children with vari-

ous degree of Autism The guest of honour and wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Hajia Fatimah Sambo, represented by Mrs. Oluyemisi Akinwumi, wife of the minister of Agriculture and water Resources, in her opening speech, thanked Oluronke Katagum, founder and CEO of the institute for her rare enthusiasm and love for the disabled.

Mrs. Sambo said Katagum advocacy for

Autism children has enlightened Nigerians on best ways to handle children with Autism, stressing that building a befitting permanent site for the children is a noble cause worthy of every bodies contribution, as this will give hope to parents and children with Autism . She thanked FirstBank for their support and charged other corporate bodies to emulate this gesture in their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

CBN governor, Lamido

Sanusi, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Saudatu Bungudono and other dignitaries who graced the event, in their speeches eulogized Katagum for her deep emotions for indigent children, much more those with Autism which is excruciatingly challenging to manage.

The Zamarr Institute provides services for early intervention to children who at birth and before school age, are suspected to have developmental disabilities.

Small Business

Investing on thriving table water business

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RINCE Olufemi Oyeniran is the Chief Executive of Samwell Water Plant, Ota, Ogun a fast growing business outlet.

The provision of potable water by government is becoming increasingly difficult, individual and private organisations have since joined the fray to discharge this essential task which the human subsistence depends upon.

Though investors smiled to the banks, this is not without scaling through the minimum standard laid down by National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in order not to put the health of consumers at risk.

“One of the driving forces of water business in Nigeria is that government has not provided potable water for the people. It is as a result of this, entrepreneurs venture into the provision of water, a business which of course is thriving,” he said.

It is believed that if not

•Oyeniran

By Musa Odoshimokhe

for the involvement of NAFDAC, the provision of water would be abused particularly by investors who are simply after profit without recourse to the health of consumers.

“Again, before you can go into production,

you must have met the stipulated conditions. That means you will produce good and safe drinking water for the people. Those who have hitherto depended on stream water which is not often too hygienic now have table water at the door steps and I think this has reduced the effect of water borne diseases.”

On the prospects of table

water business he said: “The advantage of the bottle water is that the containers are used by other ends users to package their own products. They are not just dump carelessly because they are further sold off and this petty traders and retailers depend on to eke a living.

“People do businesses with the disposable containers which are bought particularly local merchants who trade in herbal products or traditional medicines.

This has reduced their negative effect of constituting dirt on drainages and littering the streets.”

Notwithstanding some impediment on table water business, it is believed that it is a brisk business.

“Actually, it is venture that Nigerians should look into, even in advanced countries where they have potable water; they still rely on table water. By and large, investors would have noted the pros and cons before embarking to rendering such services.”

By Adline Atili

ECHNOLOGY services company, Ericsson, in partnership with Sony Ericsson has announced a regional competition for application developers on the Android platform.

The competition, entitled Apps for Africa, is to run under the aegis of the 2012 Ericsson Application Awards (EAA 2012) - an ongoing annual competition for application developers worldwide, organised by Ericsson Research.

In a statement by Ericsson, Apps for Africa is designed to promote the development of innovative ideas and mobile applications from a variety of environments and situations peculiar to the region. These are expected to enable new opportunities for people to collaborate, innovate, learn, care and participate in more efficient ways that positively impact our environment.

Country Manager, Ericsson Nigeria, Gary Dewing said the competition is an opportunity for local talent to showcase their capabilities in the global community of innovators and developers, saying, “It reflects our ambition to use technology to change lives for the better.”

Dewing said the competition is open to students and small and medium sized enterprises in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Gambia. He said interested developers are required to register teams of two to four people online at www. ericssonapplicationawards.com/apps-africa-west before February 01, 2012 and submit either a video of idea or an Android-based application that addresses the theme and makes use of at least one Ericsson Labs API (for example, Mobile Location or Text To Speech) before February 28th, 2012.

Expert blames multiple taxation on parlous economy

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HE Federal Government has been tasked to put machinery in motion to check multiple taxation in order to assist upcoming entrepreneurs achieve their target and in turn enhance national growth.

According to Prince Adewale Adeniyi, an industrialist and the Managing Director, Adekass Technical Services Limited, who made the appeal over the weekend, in Ogun State, at the commissioning of the company’s caterpillar standard five-star service workshop, the government should as a matter of urgency, address the issue of multiple taxation as it stands as impediment to the nation’s growth.

“I wish to solicit that the government both at the local, state and federal level assist upcoming entrepreneurs in achieving their aims because they actively assist the government in achieving its responsibility to the citizenry”, he stressed.

Leadmode opens office in Port Harcourt

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EADMODE Resource Centre, the representative of leading United Kingdom universities in Nigeria, has opened its Port Harcourt office.

According to a statement signed by executive of the centre, Victoria Kingston, the Port Harcourt centre was opened to cater for the increasing students in the SouthSouth of Nigeria.

The Port Harcourt Centre which started operation early this month will cater for students who are doing distance learning in the leading UK universities.

Kingston said the centre is not an online centre. Making a distinction between the two, the Kingston said distance learning involves both electronic and physical interactions between lecturers and students. Students are expected to visit the host universities at one point in time and the lecturers of such universities come to Nigeria at certain period, in time, “this is quite different from online studies, where everything is done via internet,” Kingston said.

Group leads campaign against school operators

By Gbenga Oyewole HREE years after the death of Morenike Toye-Arulogun, a JSS 1 student of Faith Academy, Ota, Ogun State, through an ailment diagnosed as cerebral malaria, the family is still hurting.

Expectedly, one platform they hope to pursue their set objective, is the Movement Against Negligence In Boarding Schools (MANIBS), a cause with the strong desire to forestall, prevent and reduce to the barest minimum, incapacitations, disabilities and deaths through negligence (especially when students fall ill or get injured) in boarding facilities by authorities, in whose care students are kept in loco parentis.

At a media interaction to formally announce the launch of the MANIBS website – www.manibs.org recently, seated in the hall, were Toye, Idy and Morenike’s elder brother, Toye Jnr. President of MANIBS, Toye Arulogun, said the organisation’s activities would revolve around its four cardinal plans, which are schools inspection, ratings, public sensitization campaign and workshops, seminars and lectures to spread the gospel of safety and health management in boarding schools.

“MANIBS is committed to paying periodic inspection visits to boarding communities to ascertain their individual levels of compliance with health and safety standards. Such visits will scrutinise infrastructure, personnel and community enlightenment in the two key areas of safety and health management. We will publish a rating of boarding schools using internationally acceptable criteria and standards and engage the media to increase the consciousness level among parents and the general public for stringent health and safety standards in boarding schools.”

MANIBS is self-funded though the coordinators boast of tremendous goodwill. “We are careful not to make it seem as a fundraising project. In the nearest future, we will like to build a malaria centre for children, where they can get free malaria treatment. We also intend turning the story into a movie with the title ‘Church is not Heaven’.

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61

WORLD NEWS THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

Syria uprising claims 2,000 soldiers T

WO thousand Syrian soldiers have been

killed trying to put down a revolt against the regime, the country’s government said. The claim comes as

Arab League monitors arrive in Syria to try and put an end to the bloodshed which has raged for nine months.

More than 5,000 protesters have died at the

hands of government security forces, according to the UN, including 200 in just two days this week. But the regime, headed by President Bashar Assad, has hit back at these figures

and claimed that 2,000 pro-government troops have been killed by the protesters, whom it characterises as terrorists.

This claim was made in a letter to the UN Security

Council and Human Rights Council, and was not backed up by supporting evidence. In the letter, the government said UN reports were ‘politicised, unprofessional and selective’ and ignored reports by the regime detailing the violations allegedly being committed by terrorist groups in Syria.

The Arab League observers are the first to be allowed into the country since the uprising began in March. The opposition suspects Assad’s agreement to allow the monitors in after weeks of stalling is only a tactic to buy time and ward off a new round of international sanctions and condemnation.

‘The Syrian regime has exploited signing the Arab League initiative to escalate the brutal military campaign against

revolting towns and cities,’ said Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition group. In a statement, Mr Ghalioun called on the UN to ‘urgently intervene’ to stop the bloodshed, saying the Arab peace initiative was no longer enough.

Activists called for n a t i o n w i d e demonstrations on Friday, the usual day of protest, against the observer mission. In addition to the monitors, the Arab League plan calls for Syria to halt its crackdown, open talks with the opposition, withdraw military forces from city streets and allow in human rights workers and journalists. The 22member league has also suspended Syria’s membership and imposed economic and diplomatic sanctions.

US offers $10m bounty for al-Qaeda financier

T •Hundreds of North Koreans gather to mourn the death of their leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang during the week

U.S. politician apologises for calling Michelle Obama fat

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U.S. congressman has understandably landed himself in trouble after making some rather ungentlemanly remarks about the size of Michelle Obama’s bottom.

Jim Sensenbrenner went so far as to suggest President Barack Obama’s wife was setting a bad example to children because her rear was too big.

After his comments were reported, a spokesman for Mr Sensenbrenner said the congressman would be contacting Mrs Obama to apologise.

She said: ‘Mr Sensenbrenner was referring to the First Lady’s healthy food initiative. He doesn’t think the government should be telling Americans what to

eat.’

While he may not agree with all of her initiatives, he plans to contact the First Lady’s office to apologise for his comments.’ Mrs Obama has not commented on the remarks.

The portly Republican, himself a well-known fan of unhealthy snack foods, suggested Mrs Obama was being hypocritical with her ‘Let’s move’ campaign to tackle childhood obesity. He was overheard making the comments in a mobile phone conversation while waiting at Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport.

Speaking very loudly, the 68-year-old said he had been attending a church auction three weeks ago when a woman came up to him and praised Mrs

Obama.

He apparently went on that after listening to the woman he told her: ‘She lectures us on eating right while she has a large posterior herself.’

Mrs Obama has long been an advocate of healthy living and is admired for her

Oil price rises to $100 over global security concerns

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IL prices rose to near $100 a barrel Friday as worries over global security issues outweighed weak economic data in the U.S. Benchmark crude rose 21 cents to $99.74 per barrel in midmorning trading in New York. Brent crude rose 13 cents to $108.02 per barrel in London.

Tensions between Iran

ICC frees Rwandan rebel Callixte Mbarushimana

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HE International Criminal Court (ICC) has released a Rwandan rebel leader after judges ruled there was not enough evidence against him.

C a l l i x t e Mbarushimana, a Hutu rebel leader, had denied ordering his fighters to kill and rape civilians in 2009.

He has returned to France, where he has refugee status.

Earlier this month, the court said that “there was not sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds” to believe that he could be held criminally responsible. An appeal against this decision by the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, was rejected on Tuesday.

Mr Mbarushimana, 47, faced five counts of crimes against humanity and eight counts of war crimes,

toned biceps, which she maintains with lengthy daily workouts.

Friends have said the 47year-old undertakes a gruelling mixture of crosstraining, strength and cardio exercises usually involving weights, the treadmill or a bike.

HE United States has effered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Yasin al-Suri, accused of operating from Iran as a facilitator and financier for al-Qaeda.

The bounty is the first offered for an al-Qaeda financier and is aimed at disrupting a financial network that has operated from within Iran’s borders since 2005, said Eytan Fisch, a senior Treasury Department official.

Robert Hartung, a senior State Department official,

including charges of murder, torture, rape, inhumane acts and persecution, and destruction of property.

He was a senior member of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) operating in eastern DR Congo, whose fighters were widely believed to be responsible for hundreds of deaths and sexual assaults.

and western nations, along with unrest in Syria, Bahrain, Kazakhstan and Iraq have raised worries that oil supplies could be disrupted if the unrest spreads or grows more serious.

While none of those situations has disrupted oil supplies yet, traders say it is too dangerous to sell oil or bet that oil prices will fall with tensions so high near so many important oilproducing regions. Even small disruptions in oil supplies can send prices dramatically higher.

Among the biggest concerns is Iran, the world’s fourth biggest producer of crude. The U.S. and Europe may tighten sanctions against Iran over the West’s fear that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb. Also, Iraq is expected to become the fastest growing producer in the Middle East

in the next several years as it recovers from war and tries to tap its enormous reserves of oil. But a surge in violence there since the U.S. withdrew troops is raising concerns that Iraq won’t be able to increase production as fast as hoped.

“Iran might not passively wait for sanctions to be applied and could act unilaterally to embargo supplies,” J.P Morgan said in a report. “We are also concerned about Iraq, where political uncertainties seem to be rising following the U.S. troop pullout.”

Traders also say they expect European financial authorities to increase the flow of money in the regional economy to try to slow or stop the region’s slide into recession. Investors tend to buy commodities such as oil when more money becomes available, raising their prices.

said that under an agreement between alQaeda and the government of Iran, al-Suri had helped move money and recruits through Iran to al-Qaida leaders in neighboring countries.

Hartung said al-Suri, who is originally from Syria, also was known as Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil.

The U.S. Treasury Department in July blacklisted al-Suri and five other members of his network, exposing what the United States says are direct links between Tehran and the al-Qaida network.

Hartung said al-Suri’s network serves as an important conduit for channeling both money and fighters from around the Middle East to al-Qaida leaders in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

“He is a dedicated terrorist working in support of al-Qaida with the support of the government of Iran,” Hartung said. “As a key fundraiser for the alQaida terrorist network, he is a continuing danger to the interests of the United States.”

Since 1984 the U.S. Rewards for Justice program has paid more than $100 million to more than 70 people who provided credible information that either prevented terrorist attacks or helped bring accused terrorists to justice, the State Department’s Hartung said.

62

World Report

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HEN Egyptians took to the streets on Tuesday, January 25, to protest the government of Hosni Mubarak, many of them would have thought it would end very soon. Not many people thought 11 months after, protests would still be on.

But since penultimate Friday, Egypt has been experiencing a fresh wave of protests. So far, 14 protesters have died in crossfire with the military. And on Wednesday, a new dimension was added when Egyptian organised a mass protest. Their involvement in the society where women are rarely heard or seen in public space followed a viral online video of young women being stripped off their Abayas (traditional flowing head scarves worn by women) and kicked by soldiers. Though, head of the Egyptian apologised. The matter is not being taken lightly in Egypt.

This goes the same line with previous grievances.

Bogged down with police brutality, lack of freedom of speech, high level of corruption, inflation, and high unemployment, Egyptians from different walks of life like other Arabs, were tired of the autocratic rule in their domain. Hence, it was with one voice that Egyptians wanted the end of its 83 year old president, Hosni Mubarak.

In a bid to appease his people, Mubarak dissolved his government and appointed former head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate Omar Suleiman as Vice-President.

Aviation minister and former chief of Egypt’s Air Force, Ahmed Shafik, was asked by Mubarak to form a new government as Prime Minister. Not knowing the strong resolve of the people, Mubarak dallied, saying he would not seek re-election in September. He had been president since 1981, following the assassination of President Anwar El Sadat.

Since 2000, Gamal, Mubarak’s younger son, had been receiving considerable

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

Fighting Egypt’s pharaohs

By Joe Agbro Jr. with agency reports

attention in the local media.

Following Mubarak’s 2005 re-election, several political groups asked for fair elections and announced their opposition to inheritance of power. Some analysts however felt Gamal would succeed his father as he even became the NDP deputy secretary general but after the rash of protests in February, the scion said he was not contesting election in 2011 The waves of dissent in Tahrir Square in the early days were met with firepower.

Opposition groups planned a day of revolt for 25 January, coinciding with the National Police Day. Many political movements including opposition parties, and public figures supported the revolt. The 6 April Youth Movement distributed 20,000 leaflets saying “I will protest on 25 January to get my rights” and the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group participated.

Twenty-six-year-old Asmaa Mahfouz in a video blog posted two weeks before National Police Day, urged the Egyptian people to join her on 25 January in Tahrir Square to bring down Mubarak’s regime and the Facebook group set up for the event attracted 80,000 attendees.

Apart from police brutality, Egyptians also complained of election irregularities which had been the norm since Mubarak assumed power in 1981.

Mubarak had won five consecutive presidential elections under the platform of the National Democratic Party (NDP) with an overwhelming majority. And until 2005, he was the only candidate to run for the presidency. Opposition groups have accused that the

•Over two million Egyptians gathered at Tahrir Square in protest to oust Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in January

elections were rigged while foreign observers were not allowed to monitor the elections. And according to a UN survey voter turnout at about 25% is low due to the lack of trust Egyptians had in the system. Ayman Nour, the only opposing presidential candidate was imprisoned before the 2005 elections.

Bowing to intense pressure, Mubarak stepped down as president and handed power over to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. The military junta, headed by Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, on 13 February said the constitution would be suspended and that the military would conduct elections in six months.

Egyptians did not accept the ‘military’ arrangement and Shafik resigned on 3 March.

He was replaced by Essam

Sharaf, the former transport minister.

Political corruption in Mubarak administration also irked many Egyptians.

To many of them, the rise to power of those with ties with the NDP led to spasms of anger during the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

Aladdin Elaasar, an Egyptian biographer and an American professor, estimates that the Mubarak family is worth from $50 to $70 billion. Also, he details the wealth of Ahmed Ezz, the former NDP Organisation Secretary who monopolised the steel industry in Egypt by holding more than 60% of the market share is estimated to be 18 billion Egyptian pounds; former Housing Minister Ahmed alMaghraby is estimated to be more than 11 billion Egyptian pounds; former

Minister of Tourism Zuhair Garrana is estimated to be 13 billion Egyptian pounds; former Minister of Trade and Industry, Rashid Mohamed Rashid, is estimated to be 12 billion Egyptian pounds; and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly is estimated to be 8 billion Egyptian pounds.

Also, there are fears among Egyptians that the military might perpetuate themselves in power are rife and this perhaps informed their vehemence.

But the ‘mighty’ Mubarak on May 24, was however was ordered to stand trial on charges of premeditated murder of peaceful protestors. He faces death if convicted.

However, after just some months in power, it seems Egyptians have grown weary of military incursion and are once again back in

‘The situation in Egypt won’t end soon’ Sharkdam Wapmuk, a Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in this interview with Joe Agbro Jr., assesses the situation in Egypt

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GYPT in the post Mubarak era

You see the democracy that we adapt from the west does not mean it necessarily suits the African condition.

In the case of Egypt it’s a different ball game altogether. The situation in Egypt was that the people wanted a voice they wanted to participate a little more actively in the governance of the country and evidently Mubarak had overstayed his welcome. Now, with this expectation that if Mubarak leaves the stage, there will be more involvement of the people, that was what led to the uprising and the displacement of Mubarak’s government and military of course took over.

The expectation of the people again was that the military would stay for

awhile, put in place a firm transition programme that will lead to a democratic civilian government.

Somehow along the line, I feel they (Egyptians) were not really comfortable with the transition programme that put in place by the military government. They felt they were trying to design the transition so that would stay put in power.

I understand parliamentary election has held. In fact there are new fears of the upsurge of the Islamic party and the Christians are feeling a little bit threatened. Whatever the case, the point is that the parliamentary election has held which means they are on course. It’s possible that the military wants to stay longer than necessary.

We’ve seen it happen in different parts of the world,

•Wapmuk

here in Nigeria there was a case of transition without end where they keep prolonging the thing giving different excuses for pushing elections forward.

Now that the people have been conscientise, they are not going to stop.

So the situation in Egypt or Libya won’t end so soon.

Whichever government that takes over power should expect that from time to time people are likely to have this kind of uprising. It is something that has succeeded. So, it is bound to be experimented again and again. If possible, some other countries will even copy it.

Women’s involvement in Egypt’s protests The aspect of these women participation can be likened to a large women movement globally. It’s not just in the Arab region.

Women are also crying out for a voice, greater participation in governance in almost all areas.

Also, with the social networks, people interact everyday at all levels of life.

They see what their colleagues in other parts of

the world are doing. In the western countries, are the women enclosed or are they part and parcel of what is happening in the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Women are wealthy, but should women be enclosed? Should they drive? Should they vote at elections? Should they be part of the movement that will lead to the development of humanity? Why not the Arab women if women are doing it in other parts of the world? These are some of the questions that I think is actually bringing some of the women out to participate.

And we are likely to see a new change in that region – more of women involvement in the affairs of the state.

We’ve had presidents and prime ministers in other places who are women. Why not in that region too?

Tahrir Square to protest. But, this time around, the military came out in full force to quell the uprising. Whipped, stoned, tear-gassed, and fired at, the protesters refused to bulge.

Though the Egyptian constitution provides for the universal freedom of speech (Egypt Constitution, Article 47 – 49), government has frequently violated it in different ways. For example, the current state of emergency laws provides that government can censor anything it considers a threat to “public safety and national security”. And should any reporter or blogger violate this law by criticizing the government, a fine of 20,000 pounds ($3,650) and up to five years in prison might be the outcome. According to the Moltaqa Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue, between January and March 2009, 57 journalists from 13 newspapers were sanctioned for their governmental critiques.

And with the Egyptian government owning stock in the three largest daily newspapers, controlling the licensing and distribution of all papers in Egypt, freedom of speech was a scarce commodity.

Hence, with the Tunisian example, Egyptians of different ages, status united to fight what many feel is a repressive government. Over two million people protested in January at Cairo’s Tahrir square, about 750,000 in Alexandria and one million in Mansoura.

And collectively, they as a people were prepared to pay the supreme sacrifice.

Eventually, 846 people died.

This number included at least 135 protesters, 12 policemen, 189 prisoners, and one prison chief while about 6,467 people were wounded with about 12,000 of them arrested.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

World Report

63

Congo’s presidential tussle

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NOVEMBER 28 presidential election is testing the democracy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). And the two main players – incumbent president Joseph Kabila and main opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi are claiming to be winners.

The posturing began on December 5 when ballot results started pouring out, showing a 50% voting result in favour of Jospeh Kabila and only 30% for opposition Etienne Tshisekedi. Nearly immediately, protests began not only in DRC, but also in Belgium, France, GreatBritain and South Africa. In a reaction to the heavy riots abroad, the ambassadors of Belgium, France and GreatBritain held personal talks in Congo with Étienne Tshisekedi.

The ambassadors demanded that Tshisekedi stopped the protests of his supporters. Due to the protests, the Commission électorale nationale indépendante (CENI) in Congo postponed declaring the winner for a couple of days amid fears the result could lead to new violence.

But, when on Friday December 9, the CENI made the 2011 election results public. Joseph Kabila won

By Joe Agbro Jr.,

the elections for a second presidential term with 48,95 % (8.880.994 votes) while Tshisekedi got 32,33 % (5.864.775 votes), Vital Kamerhe at 7,74 % and Léon Kengo wa Dondo at 4,45 %.

Disregarding the will of Congo’s voters, Tshisekedi, via radio, broadcasted; “I consider (the results of CENI) like a real provocation to our people and completely reject them. I thus consider myself from this day on the elected president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I thank my supporters for their confidence.”

And Tshisekedi has not only rejected the results saying it was flawed, he said he won and would be sworn as president on Friday. This is coming after Joseph Kabila was sworn in. Well aware he stands being imprisoned, one of Tshidekedi’s supporters said: “All the Congolese who are convinced that Mr. Tshisekedi has been elected by them as DRC president will go with [him] to give their support to [him] … as president of DRC officially elected by the people of Congo.”

Congo’s Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) declared incumbent Joseph Kabila winner of the

November 28 presidential vote with over 48 percent.

Mr. Tshisekedi was second garnering about 32 percent.

Tshisekedi rejected the outcome and declared himself winner.

The U.S.-based Carter Center poll observer mission, who monitored the ballot, called into question the integrity of the election because of what it said were wide variations in the quality of vote counting.

Kabila took the oath of office on Tuesday in Kinshasa but Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was the only African head of state who participated in the ceremony.

Political adviser Valentine Mubake says the reluctance of African leaders to participate in Mr. Kabila’s swearing-in shows “the former president lost the election.”

However, some analysts say the installation of the opposition leader could create chaos and possible instability, an assertion Mr. Tshisekedi’s adviser denies.

“Before thinking about the destabilization of the country, we have to think about the truth of the vote.

The reality of the elections is that Mr. Tshisekedi has been elected by the Congolese people,” said Mubake.

‘International community should support DRC’ Professor Osita Agbu, of the Research and Studies department of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs harps on the need to leave the status quo in DRC

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HE Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a very complicated country, a country very rich in a vast array of mineral resources with internal, regional, and international interests. In other words, both regional and international actors are very much interested in what happens in DRC and it shouldn’t be surprising that those regional and external actors will take it upon themselves to pronounce on goings-on or happenings in the DRC. In this case, I am particularly interested in the elections that were held.

The DRC is a very vast country. So, you can begin to imagine the logistics that would be involved in the election, especially against the background of the conflict and crises that that country has gone through beginning from the 1960s. Remember in the 1960s, they were already fighting in the Congo when Nigeria had to send part of her soldiers to serve in the United Nations peacekeeping force.

So, this is a country that has been bombarded by crises. And underneath the crises is the struggle for scarce resources, especially by external actors. This is because from the 1960s, you could see these external actors supporting one party or the other. Remember Patrice

•Agbu

Lumumba who was killed, remember the opposition to him being supported by external forces because he was found to be Marxist. He was actually the person protecting the interests of the Congolese people.

Remember the late Kabila too. He was assassinated.

Now, they’ve finally succeeded in organising their own election.

Yes, there are lapses, yes, there would be lapses. Even in the Nigerian election, there were lapses. But, my personal opinion is that at this stage is that the regional interest and international community should support the government in DRC presently to be able to maintain some stability and maintain authority over the

vast area. In some parts of the Congo, the government is not in control. Those areas are still in control of opposition or dissident groups on the outskirts.

Also, different militants and mercenaries operate in the Congo because of the mineral resources that are there. There is a particular mineral called ‘coltan’ which is used in making cell phones and it is a major source of conflict among the multinationals that are looking for access to this mineral.

So, there are various interests of which the Congolese people are fighting to maintain sovereignty over their territory and resources. And so, for the African Union and for the interest of Africa, they should go beyond some of the pronouncements by the socalled external observers.

They should look very deeply and to some degree possible allow the present government in the Congo to be able to maintain some semblance of sanity and governance around that vast area until they can consolidate on their young democracy.

•CENI officials hoisting ballot papers in just concluded Presidential election in DRC.

The man Tshisekedi

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TIENNE Tshisekedi is a DRC politician who leads the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A long-time opposition leader, he served as Prime Minister of the country (then called Zaire) on three brief occasions: in 1991, 1992– 1993, and 1997.

Tshisekedi who is of the ethnic group Luba, was born to Alexis Mulumba and his wife Agnes Kabena in Luluabourg, Belgian Congo (now Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo), KasaiOccidental in 1932. He attended primary school at Kabaluanda (West Kasai) and obtained a diploma in 1961 at the Lovanium University School of Law in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa).

In 1960, Tshisekedi, then a deputy commissioner in Mobutu’s College of Commissioners, took part in the negotiations between Léopoldsville, Elisabethville and Bakwanga on the handover of Patrice Lumumba (who was in Mobutu’s custody) to either Moise Tshombe or Albert Kalonji for Lumumba’s elimination. Short before Christmas Tshisekedi sent a diplomatic cable to Albert Kalonji where he discussed the handover of other political prisoners and how they should receive exemplary punishment in death. Earlier Mukamba, Kalonji’s commissioner, had described in detail what would happen to Lumumba if Albert Kalonji would get his hands on Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister: “Patrice Lumumba would be transferred to Bakwanga and on the city’s square he would immediately be killed and cut into small pieces so every Baluba would be able to eat from it.”

In 1980 Tshisekedi was removed from Mobutu’s government and thrown in prison for criticising the government. Ever since, he has been thrown in and out of prison numerous times by both Mobutu’s government and that of Laurent Kabila.

On February 15, 1982, he co-founded the Union for

•Étienne Tshisekedi

Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), which he continues to lead. The party remains popular amongst Tshisekedi’s Kasaian tribe, with its main goal being a non-violent change to democratic rule.

In 1989, still under Mobutu’s reign, several cases of his detention were recognized to be unlawful

by UN Human Rights Committee.

According to Kapinga (VP of the MPR), Mobutu kept a number of Congolese tribes happy through the “sharing of money” with the tribes’ power brokers. Under Mobutu’s regime, Aponet Potia (Secretary General of the MPR) delivered money to Tshisekedi in the middle of the night to “feed his belly”.

Because the government of Joseph Kabila was not paying Tshisekedi, Tshisekedi was causing problems. With the country in economic turmoil in the early 1990s, in part due to Mobutu’s loss of Western support after the Cold War, Mobutu promised a transition to multiparty democracy. During that time, Tshisekedi was appointed as Prime Minister on three separate occasions. The first lasted only one month (September 29, 1991 – November 1, 1991), the second only seven months (August 15, 1992 – March 18, 1993). Both times, Tshisekedi complained that he was prevented from functioning properly by Mobutu. The third term, while Laurent Kabila’s rebel forces were marching on

Kinshasa, lasted only a week (April 2, 1997 – April 9, 1997) and was again ended by Mobutu’s lack of cooperation.

In 1998, the C o n g o l e s e commission to create a new constitution stripped Étienne Tshisekedi of his political rights for his part in the murdering of Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, and many other Congolese nationalists.

In the run-up to the 2006 national elections, Tshisekedi decided to boycott the electoral process and the constitutional referendum. On August 9, 2005, during the election registration process a voter registration centre was set on fire in Mbuji Mayi, Kasai Oriental. The fire was put down in time and four people waiting to be registered suffered minor burns. The police and the local population suspected UDPS militants of the attack since the voter registration centre is located in the same neighbourhood as the provincial headquarters of the UDPS that boycotted the elections.

At a UPDS congress in April 2009, delegates unanimously affirmed that the party would participate in the 2011 election and that Tshisekedi would be its presidential candidate.

In August 2011, Tshisekedi announced that he seeks to negotiate with other opposition parties to form a joint effort against incumbent Joseph Kabila.

This was Tshisekedi’s first bid for the presidency since forming the country’s first opposition party in 1982.

Tshisekedi is popular in the country and is supported by about 80 political parties, but he has adversaries within the opposition, such as Vital Kamerhe, Nzanga Mobutu (son of the former dictator), and Senate president Kengo Wa Dondo.

Tshisekedi says that none of them have been in the opposition long enough to be credible.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

64

With Joe Agbro Jr. 08056745268

Hello children, Merry Christmas to all of you. Trust you’re having enough to eat and drink. Do not however forget to show love to others this season

CHRISTMAS POEM

The prince of peace

B

ORN to the season For a reason Was a prince with no jinx

Born to the season For a reason Was a prince To close the door of prison Born to the season For a reason Was the prince of peace To teach a lesson With no fees Born to the season For a reason Was a king To rule his kins

• Pupil of De Nice Nusery and Primary School, Ogudu, Ojota, Lagos during their end of the year party recently

CHRISTMAS FACTS

Born to the season For a reason In winter Was a freedom fighter To raise and praise To save And ways to pave From success to success

And freedom to freedom Wail no more He’s the prince of joy Cry no more His presence forestalls smiles His large luminous eyes Are shields from threats The queen my lord is here He, like the lion roars And no one dares Look at him in the face Clothed in pure array Glittering like the sequins Shining brightly like the sun Sparkling like the eyeballs Of the most high Who sets the pace For the victory race Which we celebrate

By Oyinloye Tolulope and Zafir Olagunju Higher Grade 6, Pampers Private School, Alaka Estate, Surulere, Lagos

WORD WHEEL

•SANTA Claus has two addresses - Edinburgh & North Pole. Letters addressed to "Toyland" or "Snowland" go to Edinburgh, but letters addressed to "The North Pole" are really sent to the North Pole because, as you know, there is really such a place.

•In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year. For instance, finding a coin means you will become wealthy. A ring means you will get married; while a button predicts bachelorhood. The idea of hiding something in the pudding comes from the tradition in the Middle Ages of hiding a bean in a cake that was served on Twelfth Night. Whoever found the bean was held as the "king" for the rest of the night.

• Children having fun during the Christmas party organised by Nordica fertility centre for children born through IVF and their parents in Lagos recently

This is an open ended puzzle. How many words of three or more letters, each including the letter at centre of the wheel, can you make from this diagram? We’ve found 49, including one nine-letter word. Can you do better?

Riddles with Bisoye Ajayi •Students of the HI-Fly Computer Training Institute, Iyana-Ilogbo, Ogun State with their director, DN V. A. O. Ogunmola and other instructors during their graduation recently

1. I am something, the more you take me, the more you leave me behind. What am I? 2. I am something, people who know me do not want to use me while people who use me, do not know me. What am I? Miss Ajayi is a JSS 1 student of Queens College, Yaba, Lagos.

Word wheel NINE LETTER WORDS: delimiter deem, deer, delimit, demerit, deter, die, diet, dim, dimer, dire, dirt, edit, eider, elder, elide, idle, led, lid, lied, lieder, limited, meld, melted, merited, meted, midi, mild, milder, mired, mitred, red, reed, relied, retied, rid, ride, riled, teed, termed, tide, tidier, tied, tiered, tilde, tiled, timed, timid, tired, tried

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

Answer to Riddles:

1. Footprints

2. Coffin

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

65

66 CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

ADEYEYE

THOMAS

I,formerly known and addressed as Adeyeye Oluwatosin Abigeal, now wish to be known and be addressed as Fasakin Oluwatosin Abigeal. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Thomas Vivian Abosede, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Bello, Vivian Abosede. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

FATUKASI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Oshineye, Titilayo Joy, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Talabi, Titilayo Joy. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

OSHINEYE I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Fatukasi, Kikelomo Helen, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Afolabi, Kikelomo Helen. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

COLLENIUS I,formerly known and addressed as Madumere Onyemuchechukwu Collenius, now wish to be known and be addressed as Timothy Onyemuchechukwu Collenius.

All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

ADESANYA

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Adebukola Adefunke Adesanya, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Adebukola Adefunke TundeAdebesin. All former documents remains valid.

UNILAG, YABATECH, First Bank Plc., Skye Bank Plc., Bristish Enbassy and general public should take note.

AYANU

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluwatoyin Omotomilayo Ayanu, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Oluwatomilayo Elias. All former documents remains valid.

General public should take note.

AKINYEMI I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinyemi Olawanle Victoria, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Ajibola Olawanle Victoria. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

IJITIMEHIN

AKANDE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Akande, Adelola Khadijat, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Adesola Akande Adeyemo. All former documents remains valid.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Carleton University, Ottawa on K1S5B6, Canada and general public should take note.

OYEWOLE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Philomina Apenosomhi Sado, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Philomina Apenosomhi Ogoke. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

OJUAWO I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojuawo Moyosola Titilayo, now to be known as Mrs Adu Moyosola Titilayo. All former documents remain valid.

Ekiti East Local Government Omuo Ekiti, Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission Ado-Ekiti and the general public should please take note.

ADELUGBA I, formerly known, called and addressed as Miss Adelugba Adebowale Oluwatoyin, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs Jegede Adebolanle Oluwatoyin. All former documents remain valid.Ekiti State Hospitals Management Board, Ado-Ekiti and the management Board, AdoEkiti and the general public should please take note.

OLADIRAN

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Lawal Lateefat Oluronke, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Olabiyi Lateefat Oluronke. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

ADESUNLOYE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluwasemire Victoria Taiwo, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Olusegun Victoria Taiwo. All former documents remains valid. Office of Auditor General for Local Govt., Osun State and general public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Owoeye Oluwanifesimi Tiwalola, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Olomojobi Oluwanifesimi Tiwalola. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

OWOLABI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Owolabi Mary, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Olusola Mary. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

OLALEYE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Odusote Olubukunola Adejoke, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Ogunyemi Olubukunola Adejoke. All former documents remains valid. INLGEA, IjebuIgbo, Ogun State and general public should take note.

TAIWO I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Taiwo Itunu Oluwaseyi, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Adeyemi Itunu Oluwaseyi. All former documents remains valid. Loius Ville Girls High School, Ijebu Itele and general public should take note.

OMLAGI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Hassan Tawakalit Abolanle, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. HassanAdebayo Tawakalit Abolanle. All former documents remains valid.

General public should take note.

GARBER

OGBONNA

OSANYINLUSI-FRANCIS I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Osanyinlusi-Francis Ebunoluwa Oluwafunmike, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Ogunmodede Ebunoluwa Oluwafunmike. All former documents remains valid.

General public should take note.

IDRIS

I,formerly known and addressed as Hajiya Salamatu Ibrahim Idris, now wish to be known and be addressed as Hajiya Salamatu Jibrin Ahmed. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

AMOS I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Olufunke Adeola Amos, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs Olufunke Adeola Ayodele. All former documents remains valid. Bureau of Urban & Physical Planning, Oke-Mosan, Ogun State and general public should take note.

SAWYERR

I,formerly known and addressed as Dr. (Miss) Naomi Erekabo Sawyerr, now wish to be known and be addressed as Dr. (Mrs) Naomi Erekabo Odeleye. All former documents remains valid.

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Embassies of other countries and general public should take note.

OTABOR

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Oladiran Mosunmola Hope, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ogunyebi Mosunmola Hope. All former documents remains valid WAEC ,University of ibadan (UI)and general public should please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Cynthia Esomo Otabor, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Cynthia Esomo Ububa. All former documents remains valid. NYSC and general public should take note.

ODOEMELAM

I,formerly known and addressed as Dr. Ogbeide Osamuede, now wish to be known and be addressed as Dr. (Mrs. Ogieva Osamuede). All former documents remains valid. Madona University, Okija Anambra State and general public should take note.

OGBEIDE

I formerly known as Miss Chinatu Nkeiruka Odoemelam, now known as Mrs Chinatu Nkiruka Iregbeyen. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Falana Funmilola Catherine, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. AyeniOluwole Funmilola Catherine.

All former documents remains valid. Ekiti State Health Management Board and general public should take note.

CHIBUZO

I,formerly known and addressed as Ogbonna, Ifeanyi Wilson, now wish to be known and be addressed as Ogbonna, Ifeanyi Elvis. All former documents remains valid. WAEC, JAMB, UNILAG and general public should take note.

SADO

ODUSOTE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Odubena Aderonke Roseline, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Rahaman Aderonke Roseline. All former documents remains valid.

TASUED Ijagun, NYSC and general public should take note.

We,formerly known and addressed as AKINLEYE FAMILY of Egbado, Egbado South Local government Area of Ogun State, now wish to be known and be addressed as IDOWU FAMILY. All our sons, their wives and unmarried daughters are hereby advised to effect this change in their records accordinly.All documents bearing the former name remain valid.

General public should take note.

BABAYARO I,formerly known and addressed as Tunde Akinwole Babayaro, now wish to be known and be addressed as Tunde Akinwole Olatubi. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

OWOEYE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunkoya Tolulope Imole, now wish to be known and be addressed as Ashaye Tolulope Imoleayo. All former documents remains valid. Embassy of United State of America in Nigeria and general public should take note.

AKINLEYE FAMILY

JIMOH

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Jimoh Titilayo Adunni, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Solomon Titilayo Adunni. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I,Clara Onwude is the same and one person as Nellie ClaraOnwude. All documents bearing the above names remains valid.

General public should take note.

EMENIKE

ALHAJI UMORU

TIJANI I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Tijani Fatimah Aderonke, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Oriade Fatinah Aderonke. All former documents remains valid. Ede South Local govt., Oke-Iresi and general public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Olaleye Jumoke Odunola, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. OlajideKola Jumoke Odunola. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Garber Morayo Bukola, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Adewale Morayo Bukola. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Alhaji Umoru,now wish to be known and be addressed as Umoru Ojochogwu. All former documents remains valid. Deneral public should take note.

OTUFODUNRIN

I,formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Otufodunrin Tawa Ronke, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Otufodunrin Toluwanimi Ronke. All former documents remains valid. Lagos State Education District I and general public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Oyewole, Gbemisola Esther, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Togunde, Gbemisola Esther. All former documents remains valid.

University of Lagos (UNILAG) and general public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Mrs Ijitimehin Olanireti Omoseke, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs Olanipekun Olanireti Omoseke.

All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Emenike Chibuzor Anderline, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Odika Chibuzor Anderline. All former documents remains valid. NYSC and general public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011 CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME

OGUNKOYA

I,formerly known and addressed as Chibuzo Goodnews Nnonyelu, now wish to be known and be addressed as Chibuzo Goodnews Onyibor. All former documents remains valid. Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka and general public should take note.

OKOYE I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Okoye Chinelo Blessing, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Oribhabor Chinelo Blessing. All former documents remains valid. WAEC, Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, University of Benin and general public should take note.

SALAKO

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Salako Funmilola Mayowa, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Tutulola Funmilola Mayowa. All former documents remains valid. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, NYSC and general public should take note.

UZOMA

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ahunna Ann Uzoma, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Ahunna Ann Chijioke. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

JOKOTOYE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Jokotoye Mofoluke Riike, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olufemi Mofoluke Riike. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

MALUMI

I,formerly known and addressed as Malumi Emmanuel Olusola, now wish to be known and be addressed as Malumi-Adeyemi Emmanuel Olusola. All former documents remains valid. NYSC and general public should take note.

UDEALOR

I formerly known and addressed as Udealor Regina, now wish to be known and addressed as Kwazu Rigina Ifeoma. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AGBOLADE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Agbolade Oluwatoyin Bukola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ojelade Oluwatoyin Bukola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to confirm that Samuel Entonu is one and the same person as Samuel Entonu Owoicho but wish to be known and addressed as Samuel Entonu.All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

MUSA

I,formerly known and addressed as Hosea Musa Kataf, now wish to be known and be addressed as Hosea Joshua Agan. All former documents remains valid. WAEC, NECO and general public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Omlagi Regina Adah, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Boboye Regina Adah. All former documents remains valid. Equity Resort Hotel and general public should take note.

ODUBENA

HASSAN

ABOLAJI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Abolaji Adebowale Sherifat, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Olukoya Adebowale Sherifat. All former documents remains valid. TAI Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu and general public should take note.

OGUNBANJO

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunbanjo Remilekun Esther, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Babatunde Remilekun Esther. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

ENIFEMI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Enifemi Eniola Kehinde, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Renner Eniola Kehinde. All former documents remains valid. LUTH and general public should take note.

ONISANMI I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Onisanmi Eniola Mercy, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Adewumi Eniola Mercy. All former documents remains valid. Nigeria Nurses & Midwifery cOUNCIL, Ekiti State University Teching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti and general public should take note.

AYENI I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ayeni Florence Busayo, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Akomolafe Florence Busayo. All former documents remains valid. All Saint Anglican Church, Opopo Gbooro, Ado-Ekiti and general public should take note.

ADEBIMPE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Adebimpe Adebusola Faith, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Arifayan Adebusola Faith. All former documents remains valid. Ekiti State House of Assembly Service Commission and general public should take note.

AJOKU

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Osincahi Agatha Ajoku, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Osincahi Agatha Ajoku-Duru. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

OLOMINU I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Olominu Bolatito Mary, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Bakinde Bolatito Mary. All former documents remains valid. SUBEB, Ekiti State and general public should take note.

MEDALE I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Medale Folake Christianah, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Oyebade Folake Christianah. All former documents remains valid. Ekiti State Central Medical Stores and general public should take note.

FALANA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adesunloye Taiwo Bosede, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Jawolusi Taiwo Bosede. All former documents remain valid. Basic Health Centre, Igbole-Ekiti and general public take note.

OSHINOWO

LAWAL

TAIWO

ASANI

I formerly known and addressed as Oshinowo Maryam Olubusola, now wish to be known and addressed as Nuberu Maryam Olubusola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Muritala Mujirat Asani, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Yunus Mujirat Asani. All former documents remains valid. Orolu Local Government and general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Olatunji Caroline Adebola Kofoworola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ige Caroline Adebola Kofoworola.

All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Subair Odunayo Nimat, now wish to be known and be addressed as Aderinto Odunayo Nimat. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

DARAMOLA

I,formerly known and addressed as Paul Adeyinka Oguntola, now wish to be known and be addressed as Paul Adeyinka Jesutola. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

OLATUNJI

I formerly known and addressed as Mrs Daramola Fatimo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajibona Fatimo. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OMOLADE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Omolade Funmilayo Titilayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adenola Funmilayo Titilayo. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AMUWO I formerly known and addressed as Miss Amuwo Odofin Sherifat Olaide, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ibrahim Sherifat Olaide. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

ENIOLA I formerly known and addressed as Miss Eniola Omolola Kuburat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Johnson Omolola K. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OLATUNJI-DAVID I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ayodele Rita OlatunjiDavid, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ayodele Rita Olowe. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OLADIMEJI I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oladimeji Mary Adenike, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adereti Mary Adenike. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OTIYEKE

I formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Rachael Otiyeke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rachael Ebakhae. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

ONYEGBUNWA I formerly known and addressed as Miss Helen Nwakaego Onyegbunwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mosurat Romoke Bello. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

ADEBAMOWO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adebamowo Kofoworola Florence, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Owolabi Kofoworola Florence. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME AND DATE OF BIRTH This is to notify the general public that my name and date of birth was written wrongly as Ogunfowora Folake Opeyemi and February 4, 1991. The correct name and date of birth are Ogunfoworola Folake Oyeyemi and February 26, 1991.

All former documents remain valid. YABATECH and general public take note.

OLOMINU

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Olominu Bolatito Mary, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Bakinde Bolatito Mary. All former documents remains valid. SUBEB, Ekiti State and general public should take note.

SUBAIR

OGUNTOLA

OLOWO

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Olowo Eunice Titilayo, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs Ajiboye Eunice Titilayo. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

ANIFOWOSE I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Anifowose Taiwo Toluwalope, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs Olomo Taiwo Toluwalope. All former documents remains valid.

General public should take note.

AKINSANOYE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinsanoye Tosin Evelyn, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs Owoyemi Oluwatosin Evelyn. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

ONWUEGBU

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Onwuegbu Ihuoma Gift, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Orji Chijioke Onuoha Gift. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. Ihedinwa Chinedu diam 4221289 of 16/12/11

NWIGWE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwigwe Ozioma Favour Chiamaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Benedict Ozioma Favour Chiamaka. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OGBOSUKA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogbosuka Oyidiya Ogboso, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Martins Mercy Oyidiya. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ADEOLA I formerly known and addressed as Miss Francisca Adebola Adeola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Francisca Adebola Fanola. All former documents remain valid. Civil Service Commission and general public should please take note.

JOSEPH

I formerly known and addressed as Felix Destiny Joseph, now wish to be known and addressed as Ughulu Felix Destiny Joseph. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OLUWALEKE

I formerly known and addressed as Oluwaleke Folakemi Dorcas, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oyedeji Folakemi Dorcas. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ADVERT: Simply produce your marriage certificate or sworn affidavit for a change of name publication, with just (N3,500.)

The payment can be made through FIRST BANK of Nigeria Plc. Account number 1892030011219 Account Name - VINTAGE PRESS LIMITED Scan the details of your advert and teller to gbengaodejide@yahoo.com or thenation_advert@yahoo.com For enquiry please contact: Gbenga on 08052720421, 08161675390, Emailgbengaodejide @yahoo.com or our offices nationwide.

Note this! Change of name is now published every Sundays, all materials should reach us two days before publication.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2011

67

CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME AFOLARIN

I,formerly known and addressed as Dr. (Miss) Afolarin Taiwo Wulemot, now wish to be known and be addressed as Dr. (Mrs.) Oloyede Taiwo Wulemot. All former documents remains valid.

MDCAN, NMA and general public should take note.

IGHODALO

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ighodalo Aimien Joy, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Olayanju Aimien Joy. All former documents remains valid.

NYSC and general public should take note.

OLANREWAJU I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Olanrewaju Toyin Abiola, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Fawibe Toyin Abiola. All former documents remains valid.

Nigeria Immigration Service of Nigeria and general public should take note.

ADENEKAN

I formerly known and addressed as Adenekan Adenike Olufunmilayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Sonupe Adenike Olufunmilayo. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OKUNLOLA

OKPOTU

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Juliana Njarani Okpotu, now wish to be known and be addressed as Mrs. Julia Njarani John-Owan.

All former documents remains valid. UNICAL, UBA and general public should take note.

JOHNSON I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluchi Grace Johnson, now wish to be known and be addressed as Pastor Mrs. Charles Oluchi Grace Nduaka. All former documents remains valid. Rivers State Science and Technology, Portharcourt, Rivers State and general public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Dukori Love, Fii Love and Piaro Love are one and the same person. I now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Dukori Love. All former documents remains valid.

Ministry of Education and general public should take note.

OKENONO

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

NJOKU

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Okunlola Wasilat Adebanke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Afolabi Wasilat Adebanke. All former documents remain valid. OSHMB, PSOSG and general public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ugonma Orji Njoku, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ugonma Agu. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to notify the general public that Akhigbe Oluwatobiloba Samuel Victor is the same person as Akhigbe Oluwatobiloba Samuel. All former documents remain valid. University of Benin and general public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oguezuonu Jovita Chibuotu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Jovita Chibuotu Christian Adindu. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AFAMEFUNA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Uwom Ezenwanyi Precious, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Emmanuel Ezenwanyi Precious. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Ilozue Chinedu Afamefuna, now wish to be known and addressed as Johnson Wonders Chinedu. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

TORBO I formerly known and addressed as Miss Tarbo Stella Torkwase, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oloyede Stella Torkwase . All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

AJIDE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluwakemi Alaba Faith Ajide, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oluwakemi Alaba Faith Ogunyomi. All former documents remain valid. SUBEB, Ilorin and general public take note.

BASANYA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Basanya Azeeza Bolanle, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Osuolale Azeezah Bolanle. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHIBUOTU

UWOM

UMONG I formerly known and addressed as Miss Regina Andoshiye Umong, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Regina Umong Love Tamuno. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

NWOSU I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Okechukwu Samuel Nwosu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Okechukwu Samuel Victor. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

TASIE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Tasie Ihuoma Chigoziri, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ezeocha Ihuoma Chigoziri.

All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ADELEYE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeleye Saulat Adetutu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onawale Saulat Adetutu. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

ADESINA I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adesina Oluwakemi Cecilia Akanke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Akinwale Zainab Oluwakemi Akanke. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OYEWOLE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oyewole Beatrice Yetunde, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onikepe Beatrice Khadijat. All former documents remain valid. P.H.C. Akoko North East Local govt. and general public take note.

AKINBOWALE

OYAMA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Stella Irom Oyama, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Stella Oyama Odong. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

JACOB

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Jacob Oluwaseun Victoria, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajayi Oluwaseun Victoria. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

EZOMO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ezomo Kate Aina, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Agboola Kate Aina. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ELISHA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinbowale Oseyemi Ruth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajayi Oseyemi Ruth. All former documents remain valid. Ondo State Local govt Service Commission, Akoko South East Local govt. and general public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Elisha Abdullahi Iyeh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Ilemmona Elisha Abdullahi Iyeh. All former documents remain valid. A.B.U, NYSC, Ondo State govt. and general public take note.

OGUNLEYE

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I,Agulama Chika U.,Agulama Chika Iziengbe, OkoroAgwulama Chika, Agulama Chika and UbahChika Agwulama Ezeribe are one and the same person. now wish to be known and be addressed as Ubah Chika Agwulama Ezeribe. All former documents remains valid. UNIPORT and general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunleye Busayo Christianah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Enakele Busayo. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

GBEMISOLA I formerly known and addressed as Gbemisola Morenikeji Olaronke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ogunsemowo Morenikeji Olaronke. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Overhaul refineries now, Rep advises Jonathan

A

FORMER House of Representatives member, Hon. Joseph Ajatta, has urged traditional rulers in the country to impress it on the Federal Government not to remove oil subsidy Rather, he advised President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to overhaul the four refineries in the country.

Ajatta spoke while meeting with all Akoko monarchs during the “2011 Pelupelu”

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

yearly traditional meeting in Ikare Akoko area of Ondo state.

The former lawmaker said he was surprised that members of the National Assembly were divided over the issue of oil subsidy removal, noting that lawmakers who are expected to fight for the people should have supported the poor masses’ decision.

Ajatta who represented Oshodi/Isolo federal constituency, stressed that without these, removal of oil subsidy amounts to stealing of public funds.

Ajatta who is now an Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] aspirant in the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo state described President Jonathan’s insistence as inhuman in the face of the economic hardship.

Also, an ACN chieftain,

Dr. Paul Akintelure, urged Nigerians, particularly traditional rulers and stakeholders to kick against federal government’s decision to remove oil subsidy, adding that Jonathan’s decision may cause havoc on the country’s economy.

Akintelure who was a Southern senatorial candidate for ACN in Ondo state lauded all ACN lawmakers for supporting the poor masses’ decision.

Implement UNEP report, Senator urges Federal Govt

T

HE representative of Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, had urged the Federal Government to urgently implement the recommendations contained in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland.

He stated that immediately implementing the recommendations of the UNEP’s experts on Ogoni would go a long way in saving the people from an imminent disaster, declaring that time is running out.

Abe, who is also the immediate past Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), stated this in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday, during an interactive session with reporters.

The UNEP’s report on Ogoni, released in September and formally presented to President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, confirmed that the environment was seriously polluted due to oil spills caused by the activities of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

The detailed report also disclosed that the water in Ogoni area was contaminated with cancer-causing agent, Benzene, with the area needing clean drinking water.

Ogoni comprises four Local Government Areas of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme, with Bori, the base of Khana council, taken as the traditional headquarters of Ogoniland.

The Ogoni people, in collaboration with the people of

Club hosts British envoy

T

HE members of Table 3, Metropolitan Club Lagos, hosted a farewell party for the outgoing Deputy British High Commissioner, Robin Gwynn, who is a member of the Table and his wife Diana, recently at the Villa Medici Restaurant in Victoria Island.

The membership of Table 3 includes diplomats and top class professionals. The chairman is Arc. Alan Davies the Managing Partner of James Cubitt Architects.

Guests at the event included the Consuls General of Germany and Canada and their spouses. The top ranking members of the British High Commission, including the Director of the UK Border Agency, Karen Moran were also in attendance.

Mr. Gwynn is now succeeded by Mr. Peter West.

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

some neighbouring LGAs are agitating for a state, to be carved out of the present Rivers state, to ensure commensurate development.

The Anglo/Dutch oil giant (SPDC) was sent packing from Ogoniland in 1993, while the renowned environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists were hanged on November 10, 1995, during the regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha. Shell is yet to return to Ogoni.

Abe, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), further stated that over the years, when Ogoni people were talking about the degradation of Ogoni environment, some people did not understand how serious it was.

The senator said: “If you look through the UNEP’s report, you will be shocked to see the extent of devastation of the ecosystem, the environ-

ment and the entire life of the people that have been wasted by oil exploration. ‘’We have sent many messages to the President (Jonathan) and I am still trying to make efforts to get across to him. ‘’I believe that President Jonathan has shown enough commitment in trying to implement the report and part of the problem may be that there is no communication between us (Ogoni people) and the ministries or agencies that he has charged with responsibilities on the issue. ‘’I am trying to find a means of finding out exactly what they intend to do and how they will do it, because time is running out. ‘’I am confident that nobody can afford to ignore the UNEP report, which by the grace of God, will be implemented and Ogonis should have confidence in the President that he will do what is necessary.”

Abe also urged Ogoni people to continue to use peace and dialogue in seeking redress, stressing that although the people are upset, they should continue to work together.

The senator said the same practices that brought injury to Ogoni people were going on in other parts of the Niger Delta and the country, lamenting that relevant agencies had done nothing to check the trend.

He said a committee set up by the Federal Government to review the UNEP report did not consult or speak with Ogoni people, before submitting its report to the Federal Government.

The former Rivers SSG added that Ogoni people were worried that nothing had been done to implement the recommendations of the report, insisting that the unfortunate development posed dangers to the people and Ogoni environment.

68

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

69

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011 •Continued from page 16

So, what was Bola Ige’s stand on the issues between the Afenifere leaders and the governors?

Bola Ige had been governor before; so he understood what was going on. They did the same thing to him when he was governor. They tried to report him to Papa Awolowo, that Bola Ige was planning to overthrow him. They did the same thing to Jakande, Bisi Onabanjo and others. So Bola Ige was trying to do certain things to protect the interest of governors.

So, Ige resigned to come and re-organise the AD. By and large, he was instrumental to the formation of the AD. I want to be challenged by anybody on that. He was instrumental to it. So, he resigned at the federal level to come home. But before Obasanjo accepted his resignation, he was killed because they knew that with Bola Ige in the West at that time, the plan of the PDP to take over the West would not work.

Obasanjo had an agenda. He wanted to supplant the legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. I don’t know what legacy Obasanjo has. He has not got any legacy in politics. Maybe he had in military but definitely not in democracy and politics. So, I couldn’t see any legacy he left behind. His regime witnessed highest rate of violence.

They were killing here and there. Army and police were shooting people here and there.

It was violence throughout. Awolowo had no legacy of violence. He had a legacy of peace and tranquility. Then, in good governance, nobody has ever beaten Awolowo till today. Even his colleagues never beat him in good governance and planning ability. That is why he was called a man with plan. But what plan has Obasanjo got? For eight years he couldn’t revive the ailing electricity. He sold all public investments and utilities – NITEL, Nigeria Airways. Nigeria has no national carrier today. Is that a legacy? Awolowo built many institutions and left them behind and which we have been building on? Who established Odu’a Investments Limited?

In order to supplant Awolowo’s legacy with his own legacy which was nothing at all. Then, he wanted to prove to other Nigerians – those who voted for him in the North and East, that his people had accepted him as their leader in the West. And he knew that with Bola Ige there, it would be very difficult. You need to see Bola Ige address the people and then you will say this is another Awolowo. They dreaded Bola Ige and that was why they planned to kill him.

I am still saying it without any equivocation that the Government of Nigeria knew how Bola Ige was killed. That is why the killers cannot be found unless God in His infinite

‘We gave Ige wrong advice’

•Adesina

mercy and mightiness wants it to be so. How do you explain it that we took the so-called killers to court and one of the reasons they had to drag me out of Government House by force was to save the people who committed the crime. The PDP wrested power from me. I won the election clean and clear in 2003 but they could not afford Lam Adesina to be governor at that time because the killers would be known. So, when Ladoja came as their own governor, his administration filed a noli prosequi case.

Any reasonable, normal human being would not have filed a noli prosequi case against Bola Ige’s murder. All of us are going

to die one day. An Attorney-General of the Federation; somebody that had been serving his country in high capacity for a number of years, a very courageous man who almost lost his life in the struggle to enthrone democracy was killed just like that. I challenge any of them today – those who killed Bola Ige – including the PDP leaders at that time. Who among them fought for democracy? But they are enjoying democracy today. Obasasnjo was in Abacha’s prison. Bola Ige was one of those people who saved him. Was that how PDP would compensate Bola Ige? Bola Ige served

as midwife to all the three political parties – PDP, APP and AD. Would you say that taking up the appointment as the Attorney General was the beginning of Ige’s death? Again, how did you, as AD leaders, see the offer and acceptance of federal appointment by Bola Ige? Those of us who were Chief Ige’s advisers were very wrong in advising him to accept the appointment. I want to tell the people of Nigeria today that we were very wrong. We did not think deeply. We were told that two wrongs do not make a right.

Bola Ige was offended. We (his supporters) were offended when the Afenifere concocted what they called the primary election to select the presidential candidate. We were offended because nobody should have contested against Bola Ige in any race. He was the foremost politician among the Afenifere leaders. Who is Olu Falae? To me, he is too junior in politics to Bola Ige. He had never been in politics before unlike Bola Ige who was far ahead of him in politics. So, it should have been Bola Ige unanimously selected to fly the flag of the AD at that time.

Many people in the AD made a mistake at that time. They must have been regretting today. So those of us who believed that we were offended did not speak against it when the ministerial offer came. People like us have never been a friend of Obasanjo especially when Awolowo was alive. But those of us who were his boys had to support Obasanjo because of Bola Ige. Did that account for your support for Obasanjo for second term in 2003?

Of course it was to save democracy. You know I have been a fighter of the military in this country. I never wanted the soldiers to return. We fought for democracy. It was only God that saved me. If I made another mistake to struggle with Obasanjo and then there was an impasse, the soldiers would intervene again because they were already at the corner again. Obasanjo said he appointed people like Bola Ige because he wanted a good government. He asked him to come and master Ministry of Power not knowing they wanted to push him to the wall there. Then, again; the Ministry of Justice, not knowing that they would kill him there. When all these things happened we have to accept it. But never again, whether we are alive or not because we will tell our children that none of them should serve at the top again unless it is your party that is controlling the government there.

70

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

News

Senator petitions IG over robbery siege on Kogi, demands state police

S

ENATOR Smart Adeyemi representing Kogi West is pushing for a police drastic action in putting an immediate end to the current spate of armed robbery in the state.

Senator Adeyemi who is also the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory in a petition to the Inspector General of Police,Mr.Hafiz Ringim, in which he articulated his view, denounced a situation where his Senatorial District has been held hostage for the sixth month running by robbers.An average of two cases of robbery, he said,is recorded in the area per month.

He made a case for state police within the present structure of the Nigeria police Force as a way out of the increasing level of insecurity in the country.

He urged the IG to address the situation in the Senatorial District and the nation in general.

He said: “For about six months now, the security situation in that axis has been much tensed. It has been reported that an average of one or two bank robbery cases would be registered in a month within the area.

“All such other attendant vices include the incessant tales of highway robbery, armed robbery, kidnapping, robbery of police stations/ posts in order to recover arms

FROM: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation and ammunition and the heinous crimes of rape and arson.

“This pocket of occurrences has moved me to write to you. The safety of common man in Kogi West Senatorial District has been left to providence as little or no effect is made by the Police, especially because they have been divested of their ammunition.

“This situation has impoverished my people because business activities are carried out under the fear of falling victim of robbery.

Most importantly, commercial activities are stalled as banks have remained closed to customers in the area for fear of an attack.

“It is highly regrettable that socio-economic activities have been on a downward turn. Schools have been closed, markets shut and people can hardly open their doors to neighbours before 11am, while they hurriedly go to bed from about 6pm.

“Also, in this yuletide season when all should be merry, a lot of my constituents are afraid to make trips to their own homes to spend the joy of the season with their respective families.

“The unfortunate situation has carved out a trend for market women to begin to demand for other

means of payment for goods and services, other than cash.

This is due to the fact that this season has been noted for a breakdown of law and order since majority of workers would be on holidays.”

Adeyemi expressed regrets that the security situation is degenerating nationwide.

He made a case for a variant of State Police structure within the present Nigeria Police Force, to check the increasing insecurity in the country.

He added: “It is soul depressing that today in our country, only few states of the Federation seem to have certain degree of tranquility and a fairly acceptable level of security. Those are states whose governments have been able to support the Nigeria Police and which have a certain mechanism of state policing.

“Thus, it is imperative that we, as a nation, begin to explore a variant of the State Police to run pari-passu with the Nigeria Police.

“This variation would take into consideration the peculiarities of the Nigerian society. We must confront the challenges of nation building within the framework of the Federal System of Government.

“I look forward to your support for an improvement on the current situation in Kogi West Senatorial District and in Kogi State as a whole.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011

71

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QUOTABLE "I have the strong beleif that those who are currently opposing the plan will soon see reasons with us that if we must create jobs and attract investors, we must deregulate.”

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2011 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 6, NO. 1984

— President Goodluck Jonathan commenting on the planned removal of fuel subsidy.

P

ILGRIMAGE, at least for Nigerians, is a mixture of religion and tourism.

This is not a parable. Our Pilgrimage 2011 itinerary involved visiting religious places, largely to ginger faith and reverence in the pilgrim. That, I think, is often achieved in some measure. But many tourists cum shopping centres are also included, perhaps to help prevent truancy among pilgrims. Maybe, too, it is a cultural thing with Nigerians of both religions – Christians and Muslims – that they have a penchant to shop till they are absolutely knackered. One of the first non-religious places we visited was the Israeli National Diamond Centre in Tiberias.

You’ve heard something said about Saudi gold popularised by Muslim pilgrims; well, now, you must be prepared to be conversant with Israeli diamonds popularised by Christian pilgrims.

A Nigerian lady working at the Diamond Centre, perhaps as a senior sales executive, attended to us. She was a polyglot. She took us to their conference and symposium room built like a small amphitheatre and asked us to feel at home and update ourselves with a short documentary she was going to play for us. She came back rather urgently apparently after hearing what appeared to her to be a commotion, only to discover that we were just our garrulous, loud self. “Nigerians, you will never change,” she sighed rather loudly and impatiently. But being a Nigerian herself, she made the statement jocularly and of course partly censoriously.

“What?!” thundered one of the pilgrims, “we must not let this insult go unanswered.” The pilgrims were thereafter immediately divided into two camps: one trying to explain that the polyglot didn’t mean any harm, after all, she is a Nigerian herself; but the other camp insisting even more loudly that the polyglot could go to blazes with her damned documentary. And to think we were all pilgrims.

When she discovered the commotion she had caused had agitated her customers, the polyglot came back quite chastened to explain that she made the statement as a Nigerian who was glad her people were visiting. It was not everyday she received people who reminded her of home, noise and all, she added remorsefully. Too late.

The offended half had carried the day, and a few of us, more restrained, more elderly, were deeply mortified by the abrasiveness of fellow pilgrims. However, though many pilgrims took umbrage and refused to watch the documentary, they soon descended on the showrooms with a vengeance to buy diamonds. Is it not said that diamonds are a lady’s best friend?

Nigerians in Jerusalem: proud, confident, but loud and immoderate

• Goodluck Jonathan

•Labaran Maku

Being a Nigerian myself, I was used to our national and apparently natural idiosyncrasy for loudness, uncouthness and deeply wounding irreverence. But what I saw at the Diamond Centre frightened me.

Could it be we were much worse than I had assumed? The incident happened on the morning of our trip to Egypt. The second major indication of our multipronged national flaw occurred at the Israeli border post on our return. Naturally, a queue quickly formed, and we took turns to be attended to by Israeli immigration officers. The queue moved slowly, as expected.

Then one lady in my group, a veritable vixen if ever there was any, jumped the queue and, of all places, attempted to plant herself directly in front of me. She claimed that that was where she was right from the beginning. If it meant the Israelis sending us back to Sinai, I told the upstart with as much gravity and gritted teeth as I could muster, I would be more than willing to oblige them. But for me to allow her jump the queue in front of me, she should perish the idea, I said.

She sauntered right to the head of the

very long queue and planted herself there ahead of an obliging gentleman, for she had a natural distaste for order. I was to get familiar with her habit of jumping queues. She never stayed on a queue for anything, not for breakfast, not for lunch, and not for dinner. There was no queue respectable or disobliging enough to hold her in check; yet she never came on time, and it didn’t matter whether she was insulted or not. Meanwhile, still at the border crossing, another Nigerian lady claiming some sort of royalty, and unaware how I stood my ground against the other upstart with the broad shoulders, gently eased herself on the queue directly in my front. She took advantage of the civilised distance I maintained between myself and the person ahead of me. Again, I resisted, this time angrily, and warned her not to even try me, as we say in Nigeria. If she did, she snorted, what would I do to her?

Try it, I said, as I plucked myself from behind her and restored my dignity.

All the while, the noise the Nigerians generated at the Israeli border post, as queue breakers tried to subvert order and

Jonathan’s monologue on fuel subsidy

W

HETHER we like it or not, President Goodluck Jonathan is at liberty to make policies, sell them directly to the electorate, or fight to get them passed by the legislature. He can also choose the best way to achieve the results he wants. He seems to be doing just that with the fuel subsidy issue. He and his economic team designed the policy, and he is doing everything in his power to get it accepted both by the public and legislature. That he will succeed is another thing entirely.

But the president’s men, I have said in this place many times, are alarmists. At the Thursday NPAN Town Hall Meeting on fuel subsidy removal, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Diezani Alison-Madueke and Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, all of whom tend to speak in hyperboles, warned that our economy was heading for collapse if we failed to remove subsidy. The president himself, in spite of giving the impression he was still consulting, repeatedly says there is no going back

on subsidy removal. I do not know how the president’s statement ennobles the legislature, but he asserted a few days ago that the National Assembly dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers would support subsidy removal.

He may be right, for we must not take for granted that the legislature would side with the people when push comes to shove.

I have said it before here that it is arrant nonsense that the economy would collapse with the retention of subsidy. My argument is that the president and his alarmists have not proved the existence of subsidy, at least not on the scale official corruption has indicated. In addition, I have said there are always alternatives to anything on earth, and so it is intellectually dishonest for the alarmists to say that opposition to subsidy removal would engender economic collapse, or that we would perish, as one of them apocalyptically put it.

What we have been having, in case we do not know, are not consultations or de-

bates as to why subsidy should be removed or how best to do it. What we have been having are presidential monologues.

The president is speaking to us in a language only he and his aides properly comprehend. He is deaf to our arguments and entreaties. Much worse, the list of projects they claimed the savings from subsidy removal would be used to fund is dishonest. There is no way thrice that amount of savings could implement one-third the projects listed. They even listed the LagosIbadan Expressway, which concession is held by Bi-courtney.

By declining to strongly oppose SAP in 1986, we were undone by the Babangida government and his cocksure technocrats. Under the Obasanjo government, another group of technocrats supervised the removal of over $12bn from our economy to get a debt write-off when they know there are not many economies that can survive such haemorrhage. If we surrender to their dogma one more time, we have ourselves to blame.

were resisted, probably surpassed any a good football team generated in a stadium.

At a point the Israelis were so alarmed that they sent security officers to inquire into the cause of the affray. They actually thought order had irretrievably broken down, unknown to them that we often fought with our mouths and noise than we did with our fists. As you probably guessed, there were a few other nationalities on the queue with us, and they constantly shook their heads, first at the noise, then at our disdain for order.

The noise continued at the hotel restaurants where we lodged, and at diners during our numerous travels. It was noise, noise, and more noise, both preceding us and following us. Finally, for what must shock other nationalities, especially when we dined together, most Nigerians had no sense of moderation. Apples were made available, sometimes as dessert. But our people helped themselves to three, four, and unbelievably, five or even six. They packed fried eggs, wrapped cakes in serviettes, put apples in bags, and as they served themselves rice, which came without stew, they also mounted bread on their plates and, if available, breakfast muffins.

It’s probably the hunger back home. Doing their best to put up a genteel appearance, other nationalities sometimes smiled condescendingly at our excesses or wore wearied grimaces on account of our loud conversations and hoarse laughter.

The event that shamed me most during the pilgrimage took place in a hotel lift. It involved an Indonesian pilgrim, a very decent and friendly lady. My roommate and I got into a lift with her one morning after breakfast, and she struck a conversation with us, asking where we came from, when we would be departing, and how the pilgrimage had been so far. It was a polite conversation that was going on fine until we got to a floor where three Nigerians – a man and two women – joined us. Their conversation was loud and irritating, and it drowned everything else. We kept quiet. Then the lift stuck and would not go. Familiar with how the lift sometimes malfunctioned, my roommate and I decided to take another lift, and we tried to persuade the Indonesian to join us, for we read the distress on her face. She was reluctant to cause offence.

But as she got out of the lift eventually, the equipment sprang back to life, and she entered again. My roommate and I were determined not to go with the loudmouths. Then the lift got stuck once more.

We beckoned to the Indonesian, but as she was about to step out of the lift, one of the loudmouths pulled her back so viciously she almost fell, and the three loudmouths broke into a guffaw. Now obviously petrified she got out of the lift and fled up the staircase to her floor. Nigerians will never change, I heard myself echoing the statement of the polyglot from the Diamond Centre.

It may be difficult to resolve the debate on whether our loudness and gruffness indicate confidence and vibrancy of spirit, or whether they indicate a more sinister and underlying flaw in our national character. I suspect, however, that most Nigerians think they are smart, confident and independent, while other Africans are timid and a little bit slow, and whites foolish or even worse. Though I am reluctant to draw a definitive conclusion, I can find no grounds to support the assertions of Nigerians about themselves. My pride as a Nigerian in fact has nothing to do with how Nigerians see themselves, nor with the lack of brilliance and patriotism our rulers have displayed over the decades. One day, I hope, a leader would emerge to kick-start the change we have hungered for since amalgamation.

(Turn to Page 23 for a partial account.

Read the conclusion on January 1, 2012)

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