The Nation February 04, 2012

Sokoto governorship

Exodus of non-indigenes:

Kano hoteliers, Avoid violence, rancour, Wamakko school proprietors lament Page tells supporters 11

Adamawa elects new governor today Page 8

Nyako, Marwa, others slug it Group deploys 384 observers

Page 8

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL.05 N0. 20025

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2012

N150.00

Boko Haram

Tambuwal, Sultan to broker dialogue with govt Sect leaders must first make Page 5 themselves known-Reps Speaker

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The Speaker... challenged the Boko Haram leaders to reveal their identities and the identity of any of their members arrested... in order for them to intervene and resolve the matter amicably...

IN THE NEWS

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Police station bombed, Page 4 Arrested Boko Haram kingpin Page 4 is sect’s spokesman, SSS insists gunmen attack bank in Kogi Agency launches fresh manhunt for sect leaders Doctor, three others killed

2 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

As protests fade, Nigerians

•Scene at a filling station in Lagos PHOTO: AFP

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UKMAN Ayodeji makes his living pumping air into tyres next to a tattered shack at the bustling Oshodi market in Lagos; and now, he’s worried he’ll end up flat broke. His pump runs on a small generator, and a litre of fuel is some 50 percent more expensive than it was on December 31, 2011. Thanks to the partial scrapping of fuel subsidies, which many see as their only benefit from the nation’s oil wealth.

Ayodeji tried to compensate by charging N50 per fill up, a 20-percent price increase, but that strategy has not enjoyed overwhelming success.

“The business is not moving properly,” said the 40-year-old, explaining that customers continually haggle for lower prices. “People are paying but they are dragging a bit.”

O

VER three years after the mysterious disappearance of a youth corps member, Miss Anthonia Ogechukwu Okeke, now 30, at Ilawe-Ekiti in Ekiti Southwest Local Government Area of Ekiti State, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Nnamdi Thomas Okore-Affia, yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, sympathised with the family.

The N250,000 bank draft given to the family by Okore-Affia was initially rejected by the head of the family, Mr. Obinna Okeke, who insisted that the missing younger sister was wanted alive. It took the intervention of another family member, Mr. Clement Ugada, among others, before the draft was reluctantly accepted.

The family also expressed displeasure over the release by the police, of Ado-Ekiti-based herbalist, Alhaji Suleiman Lawal, while the arrested commercial motorcyclist (okada rider), Theophilus Pius, is still being remanded at the Federal Prisons in Ado-Ekiti, ahead of the court case at the Ekiti High Court on February 13, this year.

The 15th NYSC D-G, who was appointed in August 2011, at a sympathy visit to the family of the missing corps member in Port

A nationwide strike and protests that brought tens of thousands into the streets in Nigeria over fuel prices last month have begun to fade into memory after a compromise by President Goodluck Jonathan and a military crackdown.

But Nigerians are now left coping with petrol prices that, despite the president’s compromise, remain far higher; and activist groups are vowing to hold the government to account over promises to spend the subsidy money wisely.

Nigeria remains a country where most of the 160 million population live on less than $2 per day and where there is widespread frustration at the deeply rooted corruption.

Even with his struggles, Ayodeji has had better luck than others at the Oshodi market, where Ola Ebiola sells, among

other drinks, cold satchets of water to fellow traders.

She powers her fridge with a generator, and that means keeping the water cold is costlier now, prompting Ebiola to flirt with a price hike: she tried charging N10 instead of 50k .

“People are complaining!” bellowed the 40-year-old, adding that she often backs down.

Jonathan cancelled the fuel subsidy without warning on January 1, saying the programme was riddled with corruption and that $8 billion a year in savings could be better spent on sorely-needed public investment.

Fuel prices doubled overnight and many Nigerians swiftly fought back. Tens of thousands poured onto the streets to protest and the country was paralysed by a

week-long nationwide general strike.

Jonathan partly capitulated, agreeing to a compromise price of N97 per litre, N33 more expensive than the fully subsidised price, but less painful than the N141 charged immediately after the programme was annulled.

But the nascent protest movement appears to have deflated, even as the new petrol price starts to bite. Some say the current situation can’t hold and that the country will again erupt amid rises in the cost of living and doubts that the government will spend its savings as promised.

“There is no way an average worker can sustain itself at N97,” said Abiodun Aremu, secretary general of the Joint Action Front, which partly organised the January protests.

“So the prospect of a massive uprising

Ekiti missing corps member’s •Family: we want our daughter alive Bisi OLANIYI, Port Harcourt Harcourt, also disclosed that the corps had stopped posting youth corps members to Ilawe-Ekiti, while the decision would only be rescinded after seeing Anthonia.

Anthonia, then 27 and an indigene of Ezeagu Town in Ezeagu LGA of Enugu State, got missing while at the place of her primary assignment at Ilawe-Ekiti, in the early hours of December 19, 2008, while on national youth service.

She came to Ekiti state in March 2008, as part of the Batch “A” corps members for the 2008/ 2009 service year and was appointed the Corps Liaison Officer (CLO) and the Vice-President of Ekiti chapter of the Nigeria Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF).

The missing corps member, with registration number: EK/08A/1046, is a 2005/2006 graduate of Chemical Engineering of the

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. Her colleagues passed out on February 26, 2009.

She was always asking the commercial motorcyclist, also an indigene of Enugu State, to be taking her to various places in Ilawe-Ekiti, adjoining communities and neighbouring Ado-Ekiti , to avoid any hitch, as her kinsman.

On the fateful day, the okada rider took her from Ilawe-Ekiti around 5:30 am, with the agreement to drop her at Onitsha Motor Park in Ado-Ekiti, for Christmas break journey to Enugu State, but was allegedly betrayed, leading to her mysterious disappearance, with the circumstances yet to be unravelled.

Police investigations revealed that Antonia did not reach Onitsha motor park in Ado-Ekiti, her proposed initial destination, as agreed with the okada rider.

Ekiti Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),

Mr. A. O. Familoni, in a letter to Ekiti NYSC Coordinator, dated January 25, 2012, said: “The suspect (Theophilus Pius) is currently in the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti, upon a remand order of the Chief Magistrate Court, Ado-Ekiti of 14th November, 2011 and he has filed a bail application, in a bid to regain his freedom, which application is pending before the Ado High Court.

“However, the case, HCR/2c/2011, State Vs Theophilus Pius, has now been listed for hearing before the Ikere High Court, presided over

by Hon. Justice M. A. Agbelusi, and is adjourned to 13th February, 2012.”

The D-G of the NYSC, who was yesterday represented by Mr. Andy Obarein, in company with Messrs. Abdullahi Haruna and Samuel Bumea, stated that the corps was greatly concerned about the whereabouts of the corps member.

Okore-Affia, in the letter of sympathy to

NEWS 3

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

left to cope with fuel hike

•One of the scenes of the protest rallies at the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos (renamed by protesters as Freedom Park during the strike)

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But the nascent protest movement appears to have deflated, even as the new petrol price starts to bite. Some say the current situation can’t hold and that the country will again erupt amid rises in the cost of living and doubts that the government will spend its savings as promised...

•Ayodeji, the vulcaniser.

Photo: AFP as of February 1, N58.94 billion (approx $368 million),” reads a banner headline on the Enough is Enough Nigeria Coalition website, a group that also helped mobilise the January strikes.

Research coordinator, Jide Aluko, told AFP that the group doesn’t necessarily oppose ending the subsidy, a move that many saw as well-intentioned given the programme’s evident inefficiencies.

“What we are saying is, ‘OK, now that the fuel subsidies are partially gone, you have a certain amount to spend on those things that you promised,’” Aluko said.

“So we want to know, how much are you spending on those things?”

The campaign has spawned a series of Twitter accounts under the umbrella OccupyNigeria and offshoots such as CutGovernmentWaste.

The Twitter feeds feature often satirical

’ saga re-echoes three yrs after

is there.”

Cyber activists and others say they are determined to track post-subsidy savings

Obinna read by his representative, said: “On behalf of the management and staff of the NYSC and corps members nationwide, we wish to express our heartfelt sympathy over the sudden and unexplained disappearance of your ward, corps member Miss Anthonia Ogechukwu Okeke.

“As a responsible organisation and as parents, we have made concerted efforts to get to the root of this mysterious disappearance, all to no avail. It saddens us that at the time this young woman would have successfully finished her national service and joined others to form a vanguard of worthy ambassadors of the NYSC scheme to contribute to national development; we are yet to establish her whereabouts. We recognise your pain as the direct parents, kith and kin. We share in your pain and wish that in a short while, she would return to us.

“While we assure you that we would continue to do our best in the search for the whereabouts of this patriot, we pray the Almighty God to strengthen you and all her loved

in a bid to make the government accountable.

“Money ‘saved’ on fuel subsidy removal

ones, through this trying period. It is our fervent prayer and hope that she would be found soon.

“Please, receive the assurances of our commitment to unravel the mystery of this unfortunate disappearance and our commitment to serve the nation in all circumstances.”

Obinna, in his response on behalf of the family, expressed disappointment that over three years after Anthonia got missing, NYSC was sympathising with the displeased family members for the first time, while expressing optimism that her younger sister would soon be found alive.

The head of Okeke family disclosed, almost in tears, that besides the missing woman, she has only his immediate younger sister, who is married to Mr. Clement Ugada, while his (Obinna’s) 82-year-old, bed-ridden, headmaster father, Pa Raphael Okeke, retired in 1995.

He said he(Okeke) had been suffering from partial stroke and diabetes in the last 12 years, while the aged mother, Madam Theresa Okeke, is hypertensive.Obinna, who had spent

over N5 million in the search of Anthonia, lamented that the family was not contacted by the NYSC at all throughout last year, wondering why the prime suspect (Alhaji Suleiman Lawal), could be released by the police, without the knowledge of officials of the NYSC and the family.

The Okeke’s family head said: “We are not happy with the way the case is going. We are pleading with the NYSC, the Federal Government and other stakeholders, to put in more efforts, to ensure that Anthonia is found alive very soon. Let God judge the suspects. My main concern is to get Anthonia back to the house.

“The case file, at a point, got missing. Anybody who is messing up the case will receive the same punishment. Anthonia should by now be thinking of getting married. Getting Anthonia out alive will prolong the lives of our parents. Otherwise, within the next two months, you may return for the burial of our parents. It is not over, until it is over. I will not rest until I see Anthonia.

“The motorcyclist, arrested on December 21,

commentary on the government’s ongoing probe into the subsidy programme and barbs at signs of extravagant government waste.

Both activists said their groups would press on with efforts to mobilise further protests to either reduce the price of fuel or curb corruption, but few in the Lagos market were optimistic.

“The price won’t go down,” said Ayodeji.

“We have to just manage it,” he added, a sentiment shared by many in the market.

And his expectations for how government should spend the savings are relatively modest.

“When they give us light, water, everything will be OK.” Source: AFP 2008, claims to have taken Anthonia to the motor park in Ado-Ekiti and even helped to load her Ghana-must-go (jute) bag into a ‘white’ bus, but Anthonia’s name is not reflected for that day, in any of the manifests maintained at the park, by the road transport operators.

“A search by policemen of the okada rider’s house revealed two cell phone batteries (Nokia and Sony Ericson) which were positively identified by fellow corps members, as belonging to Anthonia, as well as two pairs of NYSC regulation stockings, concealed at the bottom of a giant Ghana-mustgo bag, overlaid with a pile of clothing.

“Anthonia was on national assignment prior to her disappearance. Her parents, siblings, relatives, well-wishers and indeed the government and other people of Nigeria have invested a lot in the upbringing of this rare gem, the last daughter among the three children of her aged parents.

“Theophilus Pius said Alhaji Suleiman Lawal bought the motorcycle for him, but Alhaji Lawal denied knowing the okada man.”

Ugada, also in his remarks, stated that the family members were highly impressed with the action of the new D-G of the NYSC, which had given them hope.

4 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

FG restates commitment to develop inland waterways Olugbenga ADANIKIN, Abuja

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HE Federal Government has restated its commitment to develop the nation’s Inland Water Transport System into a cheaper and efficient mode of transportation.

The objective, according to the Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, is to meet up with international standard that provides alternative and complimentary services to other modes of transportation in Nigeria.

He stated this in Abuja while inaugurating a Committee for the Development of Inland Water Transport System in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Press and Public Relation Unit, Mr. Abiodun Oladunjoye, the minister charged the committee to identify factors inhibiting sustainable IWT in Nigeria and proffer solutions to them.

He tasked the panel to carry out visitation to the communities engaged in Inland Waterways Transportation with a view of identifying the challenges faced by those communities and proffer measures of mitigating them.

Umar asked the committee to, among other functions, provide historical background of Inland Water Transport (IWT) in Nigeria; identify all navigable rivers and creeks in Nigeria, including their roles and potential for IWT. Other functions include: prioritising the rivers/ creeks for revitalisation based on their economic viability; identify the ingredients for eliciting private sector-led participation in IWT in Nigeria and also recommend how best to utilize the river channels/creeks for maximum economic benefits of the nation.

The committee, chaired by the Director of Maritime Services, Mohammed Nagogo, has most members drawn from the private sector, officials of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) as well as some officials of federal and state ministries of transport.

Govt declares Monday public holiday THE Federal Government has declared Monday, February 6, 2012 as public holiday to mark this year’s Id-El-Maulud celebration.

According to a statement signed by the Assistant Director (Press), Ministry of Interior, Ben Goong, the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, used the opportunity to urge all Muslims to pray for enduring peace, progress and stability of the nation.

•President Goodluck Jonathan (centre) arriving for the PDP gubernatorial rally in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State...yesterday

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Arrested kingpin is Boko Haram’s spokesman, SSS insists

HE State Security Service yesterday insisted that the suspect in its custody is the spokesman of Boko Haram, Abu Qaqa, contrary to the claim of the sect.

The service has also launched a fresh manhunt for more top leaders of the sect.

The SSS made its position known in confidence through one of its highly-placed officers against the backdrop of the controversy trailing the arrest of the spokesman.

It explained that it suspected that Boko Haram might have ‘arranged’ another Abu Qaqa to disprove its breakthrough.

• Operatives launch fresh manhunt for sect leaders Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation The source said: “We are a security agency. We are doing our work; we don’t play politics.

“Decisions on dialogue are

taken at the political level. In any case, why would someone who they claimed came for dialogue contacts hide under the bed?

“Again, we don’t want to be drawn into argument with any group. The person we have been trailing for months and we now

have him with us says he is Abu Qaqa. He did not say he is Abu Dardaa.”

Responding to a question, another source added: “The voice analysis of the suspect in our custody has very much semblance of the spokesman of Boko Haram. And during inter-

...we’ll end the menace, no matter what, Jonathan vows W

ITH the revelation surrounding the arrest of the spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged Nigerians to give the security operatives support to finish their investigations.

Praising the efforts of the security agencies, Jonathan vowed to see to the end of the menace, no matter what it takes.

The President, in a statement issued on his Facebook page, said his priority was to protect the lives and property of all citizens.

It reads: “A consensus emerged after the civil war

Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Abuja that we the people of Nigeria will live together in peace under God, our Creator.

When I took the oath of office on May 29, 2011, the constitution of our republic reminded me that the primary duty of government is to secure life and protect property of all citizens.

“Although the security challenge we face today was never experienced in our land, I have continued to work with all men and women of

goodwill to stave off this threat to our union.

“I want to thank all Nigerians who, through prayers, facebook messages and letters, have encouraged us to remain undaunted in bringing to a close this challenge.

“Every option known to human civilisation, especially the unbiased enforcement of law and order as well as dialogue, will be deployed to find a lasting solution to this present threat. Let me also use this opportunity to thank the men and women who serve our country in various secu-

rity formations at this trying time. Your sacrifices and duty to Nigeria are greatly appreciated.

“It is true that security operation strategies are not things you discuss in the open, I want to inform you my friends on Facebook that these gallant men and women have prevented many situations that would otherwise have led to more national misery and pain.

“As the security forces close the gap and build up capacity to meet these national and international crimes against our common humanity, I want to request all patriots to give them every support needed.”

rogation, the man admitted that he is Abu Qaqa.

“The voice of ‘emergency Abu Qaqa’, who spoke on the phone with newsmen on Thursday in Maiduguri was different from the ‘real spokesman’ of Boko Haram in our custody.

“At the end of our investigation, we will make our findings known to the public and any suspect arrested will face trial accordingly. We won’t unveil the Abu Qaqa in SSS custody yet.”

Meanwhile, the SSS has started hunting for more leaders of the dreaded sect.

The source said: “The interrogation of Abu Qaqa continued yesterday, we will keep the nation posted accordingly.

“We have so far got reasonable clues from Qaqa. But we hope that in the next one week, more revelations will come. So, the fate of the suspect is subjected to internal process of the service.”

There were indications yesterday that the Federal Government has ordered security alert nationwide because of the likely reprisals from Boko Haram members.

A security source said: “More attention is being paid to flashpoints in the North-East (like Borno, Yobe, Bauchi states) and many parts of the NorthWest, especially Kano and Kaduna .

“We have been ordered to strengthen security nationwide.

This applies to all security agencies and the Armed Forces.”

Police station bombed, gunmen attack bank in Kogi

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GANG of suspected armed robbers went on the rampage in the steel and iron town of Ajaokuta, Kogi State yesterday, bombing the Police Area Command Headquaters in the town.

They also set ablaze a bank in the town and killed a medical personnel of the Ajaokuta Steel Company and three of the firemen deployed to put out the fire started by the robbers.Several other people were injured.

• Doctor, three others killed Mohammed BASHIR Lokoja The Nation learnt that the robbers launched their operation at about 1am when they bombed the police office.

From there, they proceeded to the bank.

But after failing to break into the bank, they forced open the ATM. The police said

they left empty handed.They also failed to break into other banks.

At Kaduna Estate in the town, the indiscriminate shooting by the robbers claimed the life of Dr.Ameh who was said to be on his way home after closing from night duty.

Some staff of the steel company who had come out to see what was happening, also re-

ceived bullet wounds and were said to be receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

Residents said the robbers operated without any challenge for over three hours.

However, the state police commissioner, Mr. Marvel Akpoyibo, told newsmen that the robbers were contained as they left empty handed.

He denied that the operation was carried out by Boko Haram members.

“They were armed robbers

who thought they could diminish the level of response by the police so they could go ahead with their act by robbing the banks,” he said.

The robbers were said to have carted away arms after bombing the police station.

Some of the banks in the town did not open for service yesterday while others offered skeletal services.

Banks in the state capital, Lokoja, also hurriedly shut their doors as news of the Ajaokuta incident filtered into town.

NEWS 5

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

TENURE ELONGATION VERDICT

Pandemonium as fire guts Abuja filling station Sanni ONOGU, Abuja

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•From left: Beyelsa State PDP gubernatorial candidate, Henry Dickson; Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; National Organising Secretary, Prince Uche Secondus and Mr Micheal Kalango at the rally (See story on Page 8) PHOTOS: NAN

No ethnic agenda in OGFZA–-MD Bisi OLANIYI, Port Harcourt

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HE Managing Director of Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA), Onne, Rivers State, Dr. Noble Abe, has stated that there is no ethnic agenda in the outfit, stressing that suspension of some staff is aftermath of a recent certificates’ verification exercise.

He said the board of OGFZA noted that since the authority was established, general certificates’ sighting and verification had not been done.

He said there was no truth in the allegations by OGFZA’s exManager, Abuja Office, Mr. Funmilayo David Omosule, who was among the seven employees suspended for failing to comply with directives of the authority’s board on the verification exercise, with his (Omosule’) appointment later terminated.

The Managing Director, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday, said OGFZA’s management sent a memo to the board, requesting it to approve the promotion of some senior staff that scaled through a recent promotion examination.

He noted that the board directed its establishment committee to consider the report and that original certificates of all staff must be sighted by the committee members.

Abe pointed out that at the end of the verification exercise, Omosule and six others could not present their original certificates.

The Managing Director said: “At the board meeting of April 13, 2011, the board (of OGFZA) considered the report of the Establishment Committee and approved the suspension of Mr. Funmilayo David Omosule and six other employees, pending the production/submission of their original certificates and that failure to comply with the directive within two months, will result in the termination of their appointments.

“Following the board’s directive, Mr. Omosule is no longer a staff of the Authority.

“Within the two months specified by the board, four out of the seven suspended staff were cleared and even promoted because they presented their original certificates.

“We do not understand what he (Omosule) meant by ethnic agenda. Out of the seven staff suspended, three are from Southsouth, two from Southeast and two from Southwest. The two staff yet to be cleared are Mr. Omosule (Southwest) and Godwin Nbiene (Southsouth).

“On allegation of approval of N32.8 million by OGFZA’s Managing Director in one day, all the projects were approved by relevant authorities and implemented in accordance with extant regulations.

“Apart from the purchase of sharp digital photocopier, all the projects listed by the petitioner (Omosule) were executed from the N100 million appropriated in year 2006 capital budget of the Authority, for the opening and furnishing of Abuja and Lagos liaison offices.

“Even the projects that were within the approval limit of the authority were referred to the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (now BPP) for certification.

“All the projects that were above the approval limit of the authority were also referred to the Ministerial Tenders Board at that time for approval.”

Abe also stated that execution of ethnic agenda at OGFZA never existed and that he did not approve the N32.8 million that Omosule alleged as fraud, stressing that due process was always followed in the authority’s activities.

The Managing Director equally noted that he and other top management staff of OGFZA were not involved in a N100 million, 17-hectare land deal in Abuja, as being insinuated.

Angered by his suspension by the board, Omosule, an indigene of Ondo State, through his Abuja-based lawyers, Leslie Vera and Associates, petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the operations of OGFZA.

ANIC gripped Abuja last night after the Conoil filling station opposite the NNPC Towers caught fire.

Many residents ran for their lives, mistaking the fire outbreak for a fresh attack by the Islamic sect,Boko Haram.

Soldiers and policemen on guard duty at the NNPC Towers were drafted to the burning filling station to secure the area.

It was gathered that the fire was sparked off by a fuel tanker which exploded at the filling station in the course of discharging fuel.

The fire was quickly put out by the combined team of fire fighters from the NNPC,the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service and the Federal Fire Service.

When our reporter visited the scene of the fire at about 8.30 last night, three fire engines were sighted while the filling station was flooded with water used to put out the fire.

The truck with registration number Lagos XW 988 KTV was seen parked inside the filling station with parts of it burnt.

The Supervisor of Fire Technicians of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Suara Akeem Olasunkami, told The Nation that the fire might have resulted from a “faulty bonding and earth cable” and“ failure” to use the truck’’s “spark arrestor.”

Olasunkami said: “”There was an explosion from a Conoil truck discharging to their fuel dump. The causes can not be ascertained now, but we are suspecting faulty bonding and earth cable and failure to use the spark arrestor from the tanker.

“We just thank God for the quick intervention of the NNPC fire technicians,” he added.

He stated that there was no damage or casualty as a result of the fire, saying it was put out within five to seven minutes.

“The area is cool, calm and safe,” he added.

Boko Haram: Tambuwal, Sultan to broker dialogue with government •Reps Speaker says sect leaders must first make themselves known

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HE Speaker of the House of Repesentatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, are willing to broker dialogue between the Federal Government and the Islamic sect,Boko Haram.

But Hon.Tambuwal has predicated such intervention on the readiness of the sect leaders to “reveal their identities.”

He was reacting to a report that the sect had sent a letter to him,the Sultan and the Acting Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Lawal Zayannu, to facilitate the release of its detained members.

His statement also came against the background of an offer by President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss peace with the group.

Speaker Tambuwal denied receiving any such letter.

His Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs,Imam

... denies receiving any letter from sect them to capitalise on the initiaYusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation Imam,in a statement in Abuja yesterday said:”The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has refuted reports that Boko Haram sect had sent a letter to some influential people in Sokoto State, including himself, seeking their intervention for the release of some of the members of the sect being detained by the authorities in the state.

“The Speaker said neither himself, the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Saad Abubakar nor the Acting Governor of Sokoto State received the purported letter or know the identity of those that claimed to have sent it.

“We are yet to receive any letter from the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’ati wal Jihad, aka Boko Haram, and we are not aware of the alleged arrest and

detention of any of their members. Importantly, we are yet to ascertain which of their members are behind bars and which security agency arrested them.

“The Speaker, however, challenged the Boko Haram leaders to reveal their identities and the identity of any of their members arrested in Sokoto State in order for them to intervene and resolve the matter amicably without resorting to bloodshed and destruction of property.

“He said himself, the Sultan and the Acting Governor were ever ready to intervene in the matter in the spirit of dialogue as canvassed by President Goodluck Jonathan, and called on the sect to reveal their identity for the process of dialogue to commence.

“Hon. Tambuwal charged the Boko Haram sect to shun acts of violence in expressing their grievances, and advised

tive of the President to enter into dialogue with it, and restore the country to path of peace and security.”

President Goodluck Jonathan, in a recent interview with Reuters, first spoke of government’s readiness to dialogue with the sect “if they clearly identify themselves now and say this is the reason we are resisting, this is the reason we are confronting government or this is the reason we destroy some innocent people and their properties.”

He added: ”We will dialogue, let us know your problems, but if they don’t identify themselves, who will you dialogue with?”

His National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen.Owoeye Andrew Azazi, in a separate interview with Reuters said government was looking at broadening efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency beyond pure security measures.

FG delists 2,466 ex-militants

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HE Federal Government has disclosed that the names of 2,466 persons were deleted from its Amnesty Programme for exNiger Delta agitators.

It, however, said a total of 6166 ex-agitators would be included in the second batch list expected to be released at the end of the month.

According to the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, who made this disclosures, the names were cancelled following the demobilisation exercise.

A statement issued in Abuja yesterday and signed by the Head, Media and Communication of the Amnesty Office, Henry Ugbolue, said the information relates to only those who have gone through the de-

• 6,166 others to make second batch Bukola AMUSAN, Abuja mobilization exercise in either Obubra or Akodo and are yet to be deployed to the various reintegration centres.

The statement said their call up efforts are being intensified in order to achieve speedy placements in either formal education or skill acquisition centres within the country.

It said those affected by the delisting include the demobilization records of 2466 persons from Ondo, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River that enlisted in the second phase of the programme.

It also added that the iden-

tity cards and United Nations code issued to all the affected persons have been nullified and are no longer valid.

The office said the cancellation of the demobilisation exercise for the affected persons followed the discovery of fundamental discrepancies in their camp records by forensic experts engaged by the Amnesty office.

The statement reads in part: “Pursuant to the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the execution of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon.

Kingsley Kuku, has approved the immediate cancellation of the demobilisation records of 2,466 persons from Ondo, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River States enlisted in the second phase of the Programme. This number constitutes 40 per cent of the entire total number of second phase trainees demobilized at the Akodo Beach Resort in Lagos in December 2011.

“Sequel to this cancellation, the Presidential Amnesty Programme’s identity cards and United Nations code issued to the affected 2,466 persons at the Demobilisation Camp have been nullified and are no longer valid.”

6 NEWS

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Ondo Assembly has no power to recall defected lawmaker—Group

political group in Ondo State "Abena" Campaign Organization [ACO] yesterday reiterated that the State Assembly has no constitutional powers to pass a resolution to recall a lawmaker representing Akure

Damisi OJO, Akure

North/ South federal constituency, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde [Abena].

The lawmaker who is the Chair-

man, House Committee on Emergency Disaster and Preparedness on Tuesday formally dumped Labour Party [LP] and declared for

•Lagos State Commissioner for The Environment, Mr. Olatunji Bello (with microphone), addressing traders at the Mile 12 Market after the reopening of the market yesterday.

Lagos reopens Mile12 Market

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HE Lagos State Government yesterday directed the imme diate reopening of the Mile 12 International food market, Ketu, Lagos; even as it gave six fresh rules to all traders at the market. It threatened that failure to adhere strictly to the conditions would be met with more sanctions.

Commissioner for the Environment Mr Olatunji Bello who gave the order during an on-the-spot assessment of the market which was closed on Tuesday, said the decision to reopen it was to further demonstrate to the people that the government was never against the activities of the traders.

Bello said the market was closed in the first place because of the inconveniences which its activities were constituting to residents, chief of which, he said, were the traffic gridlock that has become a permanent feature on Ikorodu road and the poor hygenic condition of the market.

Bello said: “For people living in Ikorodu and its environs who spend not less than five hours to get out of the traffic bottlenecks in this axis, we should not reopen this market. But we have decided not to do that. You must therefore realise that where your freedom stops is where someone else’s begins, therefore, we have decided to invoke some rules on your operations and your leaders must come to our office at Alausa to sign documents that these rules would always be kept otherwise, we would storm this place and close this market again.”

The rules include that all trailers and trucks bringing foods and other goods to the market must park inside it, and not on the roads, outside the market; that nobody should sell any ingredient like pepper, tomato, okro, or onions inside the mud, or dirty terrains again; that the market leaders must always ensure that traffic is always decongested around the market at all time; that the market should henceforth close by 6pm and no one should henceforth sleep inside the market under any excuse or guise.

Other rules listed by the Commis-

Yinka ADERIBIGBE sioner are that: offloading of all trucks and trailers should always be done between 7pm and 7am, and on no account should anyone offload any goods in the market during the day and that nobody should patronise cart pushers as men of the Lagos Waste Management Agency, (LAWMA), have been mandated to always removed all refuse generated in the market.

Bello said: “We are very lucky in

this state that we have not witnessed any outbreak of diarrhoea, cholera, or any of such deadly diseases, but the government has a responsibility to always ensure that safe and healthy conditions are stipulated and to ensure that they are strictly complied with. As long as you want to continue to operate in this market, you must comply with our rules, which I must say are not totally new to you.

But over the years you have flouted without any thoughts put to the effects of your actions on the people who consume what you sell here.”

Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] on the floor of the House of Representatives in Abuja.

Disturbed by the development, the state government reportedly directed LP ward executives in Akure south and north local government areas to begin the process of compiling signatures preparatory to recalling him.

The organisation in a statement in Akure noted that the state government might have realised that the state Assembly has no power to pass such resolution which is outside its oversight functions.

It reads "we want the people of Ondo State at home and in diaspora to know that LP is a product of rule of law and should not violate the process that brought them to power.

"The issue in question is before a competent court of Law to adjudicate, the position of the law is settled on any matter before the court.”

It maintained that the ward executives of LP in the two local government areas have no locus standi, to recall the Rep. "The position of LP constitution is clear on this matter on pages 10 Article XII section A2 and page 24 section J5 that "ward congress shall be conducted annually with an implication that the ward executive shall spend one year in office" it stressed.

The group maintained that the present executives came into office via congress on December 20, 2010 and their tenure expired on December 20, 2011.

"We refer to the Supreme Court Judgement on the tenure of the sacked five governors, which had settled the matter; they can't extend their days in office for one day not to talk of passing resolution, the present LP ward executives are there illegally.

"We want to appeal to those misguided people who have vowed to unleash terror on any of our members not to allow themselves to be used because of its repercussion.

ACN rallies Nigerians against deployment of soldiers in Oyo

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Oyo State chapter, has called on Nigerians to condemn the deployment of soldiers by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state during last Saturday’s rerun election in Irepo/Oorelope/Ogo Oluwa federal constituency.

The call came on the heels of the acknowledgement by the Minister of State for FCT, Mrs. Jumoke Akinjide, that the state PDP engineered the deployment of soldiers for the election, in anticipation of rigging by some political parties.

The ACN in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Hon Dauda Kolawole said, the mere fact that the minister owned up to this "anti-democratic move" was an indication that the PDP was anti-democratic and its actions should be flayed by all lovers of democratic tenets.

"Nigerians will recall that it was the same slight or nil provocation which made the PDP-led federal government to deploy soldiers to the streets of Lagos during the anti-fuel subsidy protest which became a subject of denigration by all lovers of democracy in Nigeria," the ACN said.

Wondering why the PDP would deploy 1,500 soldiers in an election that was obvious the ACN was coasting home to victory in, the party said the deployment of soldiers was done to cow its voters who had made up their minds to finally seal "the effigy of anti-people" rule of the PDP in Oyo State.

The ACN deplored the statement

credited to the Minister of State as reckless and unbecoming of a highlyplaced public official who is expected to be at the vanguard of protection of the rights of the people.

"Jumoke Akinjide is living in the past. It is high time she realized that the era of politics of dynasty, where fathers bequeathed political clouts on

their off-springs, is over in Oyo State.

"PDP and its destructive conservative politics are history in Oyo State and indeed the South West. Latching on to jackboots politics, all in the name of seeking backdoor entrance to the hearts of the electorate, will not win any vote for the PDP and Jumoke Akinjide's unbridled gubernatorial ambition," the ACN said.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ICT Centre for commissioning today

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state-of-the-earth Information and Communications Tech nology (ICT) centre built by the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for his alma mater, Akoko Anglican Grammar School, Arigidi-Akoko, Ondo State, named after the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is to be commissioned today.

The former Lagos State Governor is expected to grace the occasion alongside prominent leaders of ACN including Governors and National Assembly members across the nation.

Senator Tinubu is governor Aregbesola’s political mentor and the project is in appreciation of Tinubu’s great contributions to educational development and humanity as a whole.

No fewer than 30 computers are expected to be provided in the centre all of which are equipped with super

speed internet facility.

A section of the building is also to serve as the school's library which is to be stocked with books, learning aids and furniture.

Students of the school would be able to use the facility to boost their learning and develop their capacities for higher noble pursuits.

The project was donated by Aregbesola as part of activities lined up for the 50th Founder's Day celebrations.

Also available in the ICT Centre is a Digital Satellite service to beam educational channels and scientific discoveries to the students so as to create awareness about global development in them while they are still young.

Governor Aregbesola, whose parents lived in Akoko, passed out of the school in 1975 in flying colours beforte proceeding to The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State to read Engineering.

Progressives urged to support ACN

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ROGRESSIVES in Nigeria have been advised on the cru cial need to give massive support to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), as the nation’s political calendar gradually ticks to 2015.

A chieftain of the ACN in Lagos State, Hon. Kunle Ademoye, said the call became necessary in view of the strategic status of the party as the only viable option in the quest towards the actualization of the egalitarian dream of our national founding fathers.

He stated that the recent nationwide strike had proved beyond doubt that the salvation of Nigeria “resides far from the PDP” which he described as the problematic cankerworm, plaguing Nigeria’s quest for national greatness.

The ex-lawmaker and chairman, Committee on Housing, Lagos State House of Assembly also played glowing tribute to the ACN leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he described as a visionary leader whose presence on the political scene offers an auspicious prospect that all hopes are not lost for the nation.

The evidence of this assertion, according to him, is founded in his inspirational leadership which has bred dynamic and visionary leadership, personified in Governor Raji Fashola, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, Kayode Fayemi and Adams Oshiomhole who are presently performing wonders in their respective areas of governmental jurisdiction.

“The reactionary forces of retrogression, holding the reins of power sure know this, hence their spirited attempts to silence this beloved man of the people who today represents a living legend in the contemporary political scene and whose sheer presence brings joy to many Nigerians” said the Lagos Mainland based politician.

“The fact is that Tinubu is a leader who is simply acting out his destiny.

He is a leader ordained by God, and this is why any attempt by retrogressive forces to put him to silence in any form shall certainly not prosper,” he stated.

Ogun PDP chair faults group over court order

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HE Chairman of the Harmonised State Executive Committee (Exco) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Bashorun Dayo Soremi, has faulted the injunction allegedly got by some party members.

A party member, Babatunde Osholake, and others were allegedely on Thursday approached a High Court in Ilaro, Ogun State and obtained an order restraining the state chapter of the PDP from going ahead with its proposed congresses, a week after the Federal High Court in Lagos confirmed the Soremi-led exco as authentic and subsisting.

In a statement to newsmen, Soremi described the move as “worse than an abuse of court process,” just as he faulted insinuations being made in certain quarters that with the postponement of congresses by the national headquarters of the PDP, his exco can no longer preside over the exercise.

The statement reads in part: “Clearly, Osholake’s action is an obstruction of the administration of justice and a criminal contempt of the Federal High Court because he (Osholake) is also a defendant in Suit FHC/L/CS/1248/11 by his own application for joinder, which was granted by the court. The Federal High Court gave a judgment on the suit in our favour on 27th January, 2012. ”It stands logic in the head that he went to a court of concurrent jurisdiction to get an injunction on issues that had been determined by the judgment of the Federal High Court. The appropriate step that Osholake should have taken was to appeal if he was not satisfied with the judgment.”

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

N70b MoU on rice production: ACN, Kwara government trade words

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State and the Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed-led administration are at daggers’ drawn over the N70billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with a Spanish firm, Vasolar Consortium, to step up rice production in the state.

The ACN alleged that the whole exercise is a charade and fraud aimed at lining the pockets on an individual.

Penultimate Thursday, the Spanish-based firm, Vasolar Consortium, put pen into paper with the state government to expend, in the next four years, a sum of N70billion on large scale production, processing and packaging of rice.

But the state government argued that the N70billion rice joint venture with Valsolar Consultoria 2006 S.L. was the product of extensive negotiation, due diligence and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)’s approval.

In a statement, the state Chairman of ACN, Kayode Olawepo said: “Penultimate week, our party (ACN Kwara) issued a statement dismissing what has become the unsavoury borrowing habit of the PDP-led government in Kwara State without commensurate execution of projects for which such funds were sought.”

His words: “Today, in line with our commitment to ensure that it is no longer business as usual in Kwara, we are again raising the alarm over what is clearly another attempt to commit public fund and property to yet another questionable project. Last Thursday, the PDP government signed an MoU with one ‘Vasolar Consortium of Spain’ for the cultivation, processing and packaging of rice in commercial scale in the State.

“Under the agreement, according to media reports, ‘The Consortium will provide a total capital of N70 billion over a period of four years while the state government is expected to provide about Seven Million Euros and 20,000 hectares of land to kick-start the project.’

“We deem the whole arrangement a monumental

Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin fraud. For one, our research since the Thursday event reveals that no company exists under the name Vasolar Consortium whether in Spain or anywhere in the world. Assuming without conceding that such a company exists in Spain, how come it is not listed or registered with the Spanish’s equivalent of our own Corporate Affairs Commission? Does that not raise the question of credibility which is sin qua non in any business deal?

“Again, since the whole project is tagged a N70billion venture and the ‘Vasolar Consortium’ is to provide this fund over a period of four years, why must Kwara Government commit another seven million Euros of taxpayers’ fund to the same venture it is certain to convert to a private venture?

If, as it is clear from the above,

that Vasolar Consortium is a nonexistent company, why give out 20,000 hectares of fertile land belonging to our people?

“This fraud must not stand.

We urge the people of Kwara State to resist by all means legal this fraudulent arrangement under the guise of commercial farming. Enough is enough!”

In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to Alhaji Ahmed, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, however, defended the project, saying that the state government “received a letter of intent from the Spanish investors in October 2011, seeking to partner with the state government to set up a rice cultivation, processing and packaging project in the state following a recommendation by the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria.

“Considering that the company is undertaking similar

ventures in other parts of Africa under Project Africa Rice and in line with the government’s policy of encouraging foreign direct investment, officials were subsequently dispatched to Spain to open discussions with the company.

“The delegation was also directed to conduct vigorous checks on Valsolar’s legal status as well as assess its capacity to invest the needed funds in the project. These checks included original copies of Valsolar’s certificate of incorporation, the articles and memorandum of association which were sighted and duly notarised copies obtained for the state government’s record.

“Government also has duly notarised and authorised English translations of these documents which indicate that Valsolar was registered on July 7, 2006 with registration No. B06479802 in Extre Madura Region of Spain.

•ACN members protesting the date of election in Cross River State... yesterday (See story on Page 8)

Police impound bus load of hemp in Onitsha

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UCK yesterday ran out on a passenger and driver attached to a popular transport company in Anambra State when policemen in Idemili North Local Government of the State intercepted to their

Okodil NDIDI, Onitsha vehicle loaded with bags of Indian hemp.

The incident happened on two different occasions

between Nkpor and Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The first was on Wednesday, while the second incident took place

Land tussle: Rivers communities poised for war

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HE people of Elelenwo community in Obio/ Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State and natives of neighbouring communities are poised for war over land dispute.

Elelenwo people also called on the Rotimi Amaechi’s administration forquick intervention, to avoid full-blown communal clashes.

The land tussle, according to investigations yesterday, involved Elelenwo, Iriebe, also in Obio/Akpor LGA and Oyigbo, the headquarters of Oyigbo council, all of Rivers state.

Youths from neighbouring Iriebe community attacked all Elelenwo tenants living around the Federal Toll Gate, asking them to pack, thereby laying claim to the land.

The attack led to serious tension in the area, which Elelenwo elders said could cause total breakdown of law and order, if not immediately addressed.

The elders said they had been prevailing on the youths to sheathe their swords and not to take the law into their own hands,

“The state government also has a duly authenticated resolution by Valsolar’s board authorising the company to invest in Kwara State. All the documents have been authenticated by the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria where they are available for verification.

“Under the terms of the MoU, government’s seven million Euro investment which is 10 percent of Valsolar’s annual investment, has been held in an escrow account as a show of its commitment to the project and which can be either be withdrawn or reinvested in the project at the end of the four year investment period.”

The governor emphasised that the rice project “will generate 12000 jobs over the value chain, stimulate economic development of the state as well as ensure the development of the agriculture in the state through transfer of technology and training of farmers.”

Bisi OLANIYI, Port Harcourt stressing that there is limit to human endurance, especially when injustice is involved.

Rivers government was urged to call Iriebe people to order, to avoid crisis, with Elelenwo people declaring that they would not lose any part of their lands to other communities or individuals, no matter how highly placed.

Elelenwo leaders said the manner government and private projects/institutions sited on their lands were being named after neighbouring communities, had become a source of concern to them.

They condemned the way the community’s contributions to nation building were being undermined.

The aggrieved Elelenwo people spoke through the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr. Francis Nyebuchi Amadi.

Elelenwo people said: “For long, the peaceful disposition

of Elelenwo people has become another way people use to visit them with injustice and deny them things that rightly belong to them.

“Nobody, except God, chose where Elelenwo is located. No community can allow its lands to be given away, without corresponding privileges attached to it. We are being deprived of all our rights, as host of the projects on our lands.

“Government and individual projects located on Elelenwo’s lands, but which bear names of adjoining communities include PHCN’s sub-station, The Adolescent Project (TAP), Trailer Park and Federal toll gate.

“We wonder why the PHCN’s sub-station,located a few metres from the popular Eleme Junction in Port Harcourt, could be named after Oyigbo, instead of Elelenwo.

“Elelenwo is gradually losing its identity to its neighbours. Our peaceful nature has been misconstrued as a sign of weakness.

We are never weak when it comes to taking back what rightly belongs to us” The people also expressed concern over the recent pronouncement of a top official of Rivers government to relocate the popular Ikokwu Spare-parts Market at Mile 3, Diobu, Port Harcourt to a new place acquired in Elelenwo, but named after Iriebe community.

They viewed the deliberate naming of projects in Elelenwo after their neighbours, as the handiwork of mischief makers, who were bent on putting the people at loggerheads with their neighbours.

The CDC chairman said he had on many occasions made representations to the management of the affected parastatals, especially the PHCN’s sub-station, without any action taken yet.

Elelenwo leaders equally admonished the governments, people, individuals or companies wishing to site projects on their lands, to always consult widely, before naming the projects.

yesterday at a police checkpoint in front of Conoil Filling Station on NkporUmuoji Road.

An eye-witness account said that the indian hemp which was concealed in a big sack was conveyed in a Mitsubishi bus conveying passengers from Onitsha to Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State but the interception.

Our source said that the policemen at the check-point were on a stop-and-search routine duty when they discovered the bags of the substance and later arrested the owner and impounded the vehicle.

Contacted on the incident, the newly posted Divisional Police Officer for Ogidi, Mr. Anayo, said he was not aware of the incident.

Also commenting on the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka said he was only aware of the discovery of wraps of indian hemp from the pocket of a passenger at a police checkpoint in the area.

The State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Zikiye Timinipre told newsmen in a telephone chat that he had established contact with police authorities in the state with a view to ascertaining the actual fact of the matter.

NEWS 7 Supreme Court dismisses suit against Amaechi THE Supreme Court has thrown out a suit against Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s victory at the April 2011 governorship election in Rivers State by Felix Amadi, the gubernatorial candidate of the African Political System party (APS).

Amadi had filed the suit claiming that he was unlawfully omitted and excluded from contesting the election.

The case which had been dropped at the Election Petition Tribunal and subsequently the Appeal Court was thrown out Friday by the Supreme Court for lack of merit.

In his first reaction, Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi described the judgment as a vindication of his victory at the polls and gave God Almighty the glory.

Governor Amaechi stated this in a press statement by his Spokesman, Mr. David Iyofor.

The judgement, Iyofor emphasized, has once again shown clearly the hand of God in the administration of Governor Amaechi.

“Right from the inception of the Amaechi administration, the hand of God has been clearly visible. This is a victory for democracy, it is a victory for the rule of law and a victory for Rivers people,” Iyofor said.

Iyofor added that the ruling is a vindication of Governor Amaechi’s convincing and overwhelming victory at the polls in April 2011 and urged the people to join forces with the governor to take Rivers state to greater heights.

“The election has been contested and won. There is a governor in the state in the person of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. We call on all Rivers people to join hands and work with the governor to make Rivers state a better place for all and sundry.”

Abia considers N6.6b FG grant for rural dev

THE government of Abia State is to access the sum of N6.6 billion from the Federal Government and some donor agencies to help in the development of the rural areas of the state such as the building of roads and provide other infrastructure.

The state government will access the fund when they pay the sum of N130 million as counter-part fund to the Federal Government and N100 million is for the counter-part fund, while N30 million will be used for the provision of office accommodation and other logistics.

Speaking with news men in Umuahia on the outcome of the first executive council [EXCO] meeting for the year, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Don Ubani, said the funds when accessed will be used for the new Rural Mobility and Access Project of the Federal Government.

Ubani said that the fund will be used to build about 130.9 kilo-meter of roads a total average of 15 roads in the 17 local government areas in the rural parts of the state, stressing that such roads projects will help in opening up different parts of the state.

8 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Perform to avoid being stoned, Jonathan advises Dickson

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HE Peoples Demo cratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate in next week’s election in Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson got an unusual warning from President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday.

He told the Dickson: “Perform in office or I’ll join the people in stoning you”.

President Jonathan, a former governor of the state, spoke in Yenagoa at the presentation of the PDP flag to Hon. Dickson as the party’s candidate.

The president who deplored the performance of the ousted governor Timipre Sylva told Dickson to make the development of the state a priority.

“You have brought everyone here today, everyone is here because of you.

“But the only thing I want to tell you is that I was here some months ago, Bayelsans stoned the Governor. You must work hard to ensure that they don’t stone you, because if you do not work hard and they stone you, I will join them to stone you.”

He listed the sins of Sylva as including the abandonment of the proposed tallest building in the state.

“The building that we expected to be a monument

•As PDP flags off Bayelsa governorship election campaign Isaac OMBE-Yenagoa has turned to a monument of disgrace,” he said.

The rally was a gathering of who’s who in the party.

Present were Senate President David Mark; Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of the House of Representatives. He said: PDP national chairman, Alhaji

Kawu Baraje, former Bayelsa governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; Acting Governor Nestor Binabo; Chief Antony Anenih; Mr. Timi Alaibe and ex-militants.

Binabo said: “In every large family, there must be misunderstandings and divisions, and it is the ability of the family to resolve such issues ami-

cably that matters.”

Ex-militant Asari Dokubo who was with his fellow former militants -Tompolo, General Africa, and Young Shall Grow- described Dicskons as an ex -freedom fighter who was in the trenches with militants during the Niger Delta struggle.

“This is the first time one of us who fought and sacrificed,

has come to the front of the seat. He was one of us in the trenches. He was the legal adviser of the Ijaw National Congress(INC ).The world should know that Ijaws are united with Jonathan, united with Seriake.”

Chief Anenih said: “The President is from here, he needs your support, we must all support him.”

Alasmieyeseigha, who spoke in his native Izon lan-

Imoke kicks off campaign Nicholas KALU, Calabar

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•Imoke (centre) and wife, Obioma, acknowledging cheers from his supporters at the reception organised for him at the Cultural Centre Complex in Calabar...yesterday

Adamawa elects new governor today

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T is D-Day in Adamawa as voters will today decide the fate of ousted Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Brig-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.) of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Engr. Marcus Gundiri of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). They are the frontrunners in the gubernatorial race in the state.

Already, security has been beefed up throughout the state as additional 15, 000 policemen drawn from Gombe, Taraba,

•Nyako, Marwa, others slug it out •Group deploys 384 observers Augustine AVWODE Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja

Enugu and Benue State Police Commands have been deployed in the state to complement the number already on ground.

Besides, a group of election monitors made up of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association (FOMWAN), Justice, Develop-

ment, Peace/Caritas (JDPC) under the umbrella Project Swift Count (PSC) has also deployed 834 observers for the election today.

PSC’s 1st co-chair, Mr. Dafe Akpedeye, spoke of the need to ensure that the election is conducted under a free atmosphere devoid of fear and intimidation.

Akpedeye said security during the election is very critical especially during voting, vote counting and transmission of results.

“Voters must be able to vote

without fear and election observers must be able to observe without intimidation”.

In the same vein, Akpedeye said the security agents to be deployed must not allow themselves to be used by any individual or group to intimidate and harass voters at polling booths.

He also appealed to INEC to ensure that the election is conducted in a transparent manner in order to ensure the integrity

LG polls: Ekiti appeals judgment on EKSIEC

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KITI state government yesterday filed an ap peal at the Court of Appeal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, seeking to invalidate the decision of the State High Court which had nullified the appointment of five members of the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC).

In the notice of appeal filed on behalf of the state government by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Akinlaja, the appellant sought to upturn the decision of the court on three grounds.

One is that the trial judge faulted in law to hold that the affidavit and the documents placed before the court had established that the 2nd to 6th defendants were card carrying members and sympathisers of registered political parties.

The second ground is that the judge further erred in holding that the 2nd to 6th defendants/appellants were disqualified from appointment into the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission; while the third ground is that the judgment is against the weight of evidence.The appel-

guage said: “For five years, we have been suffering.Are we going to suffer for another four years?”

Others in attendance included Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers and Godswill Akpabio of Akwa/ Ibom .

But Sylva’s supporters in the National Assembly such as Senators Heineken Lokpobiri, Emmanuel Paulker and Clever Ikisikpo as well as members of the House Reps from the state were absent.

Sulaiman SALAWUDEEN, Ado-Ekiti lants listed the particulars of the errors-in-law to include the fact that the respondents relied on public documents in

the purported proof of their said allegation which were not certified true copies.

Akinlaja added that the appellants relied on certified true copies of their own version of documents in disproof of the claim of the respondents.

Besides, they claimed that the trial judge wrongly prefered the documents of the respondents to that of the defendants/appellants, pointing out that the appellants have suffered a miscarriage of justice in the circumstances.

of the electoral process. He charged INEC to adhere strictly to guidelines in order to avoid creating credibility and legitimacy problems.

He said the group is going to use the swift count methodology it adopted for the 2011 general election and the December governorship election in Kogi State.

He said: “To this end, PSC will deploy a total of 834 observers to observe the election on Saturday. Of this figure, 800 will be deployed to randomlyselected polling units spread across the 21 local government areas of the state while the remaining 34 will rove during the election. The observers have been duly accredited by INEC for this exercise having met the stipulated conditions. All the observers were trained for this purpose in 30 centres spread across the state in January 2012.”

Niger State PDP officials get automatic re-election

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EADERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger state at all levels have been given automatic second term appointments by the expanded caucus of the party in the state.

The re-relection, the Secretary of the party, Alhaji Aminu Yusuf said, was taken

Jide ORINTUNSIN, Minna at an emergency meeting of the expanded caucus in Minna, but noted that the reelection is subject to the ratification of congresses which will soon hold across the state.

According to the state PDP Secretary, the expanded caucus which include members of the state executive council,

the Executive committee of the party, PDP elders andsome stakeholders took the decision to further strengthen the party and remove unnecessary acrimony among the members.

He said that the meeting also agreed that the party should strengthen its mechanism to ‘ensure discipline and good conduct among its

members’.

Yusuf said that the party will device means that will give its members, sense of belonging, direction and focus for the future of the party and the state.

He then urged its members at all levels to remain loyal and committed to the ideals of the party and work for the progress of the state and the country.

Wamakko urges supporters to shun acrimony, violence

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ORMER Governor Aliyu Wamakko and PDP stan dard flag bearer in the February 18, Sokoto state governorship poll on Thursday urged members, and supporters of the party to remain firm and united for the cause of the party.

He decried the activities of Abuja based politicians whom he accused of to be sowing the

Adamu SULEIMAN, Sokoto seed of discord in the party.

In the same vein, Acting Governor Lawal Zayyana pledged that the party will not compromise in ensuring credibility and mutual trust in the politics of the state.

Zayyana who assured the PDP and Wamakko of the

highest vote from his council come February 18, said the people of Gwadabawa “owe the state this task”.

In his words: “We have been carried along in the running of the affairs of the state by Wamakko. He has uplifted us to some heights and we have to reciprocate this by ensuring his continuity in government.’’

Speaking earlier, Wamakko alleged that those he called Abuja politicians were only out to cause confusion and acrimony in the party for selfish reasons, adding ‘’those trying to factionalise the party against the wishes and desires of the good party members in the state’’

HE governorship can didate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, yesterday kickstarted his campaign with a grand reception organized by his supporters at the Cultural Centre Complex in Calabar.

Speaking at the occasion, the governor thanked the people for their support and promised to do more, even with lean resources, if he returns to office.

Other programmes lined up for his campaign include inauguration of campaigns council and campaign organization, tour of the 18 local government of the state and a grand finale at the Cultural Centre.

... As ACN protests election date Nicholas KALU, Calabar

M

EANWHILE, mem bers of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state trooped out in large numbers yesterday in the state capital, Calabar, to protest the February 25, governorship election date fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The placard carrying ACN members took to major streets of the Calabar Metropolis before arriving at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) press centre at State Avenue, Housing Estate, where they addressed journalists.

Some of the placards they brandished, had inscriptions as, ’’Jega, reverse the February 25 date’’; “Nothing is wrong with April 14’’.Help our growing Democracy’’ ‘’Jega, save our democracy from rot’’ The ACN chairman, Mr Hilliard Eta said, ‘’the February 14 date fixed by INEC is an abridgement. It offends not only the Electoral Act but the Constitution. The membership of ACN feel short-changed and that is the reason for the protest’’.

According to him, though the party is poised to participate in the forthcoming poll with a view to taking over the mantle of leadership in the state, it would not allow illegality to overshadow justice and equity.

He said the ACN is a respecter of the law and of due process hence the protest. ‘’We know the law says you must submit list of candidates within 60 days and if you count from the day the election date was announced to February 25, it is not up to 30 days”.

9

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

I

N the last one week glo bal leaders and institu tions have had to battle an array of new foes, problems and challenges that threaten their leadership, control and power base.

Consequently new strategies, laws and postures have emerged to stem or destroy these new threats.

Mostly however, care has been taken not to throw the baby away with the bath water and to maintain a semblance of dignity and composure even in the face of highly embarrassing and power eroding confrontations from unexpected quarters. Such was the situation in Egypt, Senegal and Nigeria last week in terms of the local politics of these nations and the story is similar in the evolving relations between the US and two nations-Afghanistan and Pakistan in which it is fighting the war on terrorism and its testy foe in the Persian Gulf, Iran.

Starting with Egypt, sports, politics and religion got mixed up this week and the result was predictable violence leading to the death of about 74 fans after a match in Port Said in the stadium of home club Al Masri football club which had earlier beaten Al Ahly by 3- 1. Egypt then declared three days of mourning over the incident and Egypt’s military ruler Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi has vowed that he would deal with those who were behind the incident as they were in his view out to bring Egypt down and the military will not allow that.

But other stake holders think differently in Egypt and are even pointing accusing fingers at the military for not making available enough policemen to secure the stadium. Indeed satellite TV showed that the crowd simply overran the police who were too few and some of whom were killed too.

Supporters of El Ahly the better known of the two teams who travelled to Port Said from Cairo believe their fans were targeted because of the role they played in the Cairo Tahrir Square revolt that successfully ousted the Mubarak regim or so they thought then-until the military staged a come back to gain control of government and events in post Mubarak Egypt.

The Islamic Brotherhood the party which won the majority in the recently concluded parliamentary elections in Egypt is pointing accusing fingers at the military over the incident, accusing them of using the incident for settling scores with the Cairo street protesters.

One thing is clear though and that is that the army in Egypt historically has always used sports especially soccer to find favor with the Egyptian people. That, like the Emperors of ancient Rome did so successfully, has always ensured that the masses attention is riveted not at their poverty or squalor but at the events in the stadia and the intoxicating ecstasy of soccer victories which ensured that Egyptian clubs like Zamalek and Al Ahly dominate continental–African

Security and politics – New foes and woes

Football Confederation- AFC club competitions in Africa.

Egypt itself has captured the AFC Nations cup more than any nation in Africa and was the winner in the last two African Cup of nations preceding the one going on in Equitorial Guinea and Gabon from which it is unbelievably absent ostensibly because of the street revolt last year that swept off the Mubarak regime. This was the military policy put in place by the late Gamal Abdel Nasser when he overthrew the Pharaoh in 1952 and seized power in a military coup. When Nasser died of heart attack after losing a war with Israel, Anwar Sadat took over until he was assassinated by the Islamic Brotherhood and succeeded by Hosni Mubarak who ruled Egypt for 42 years until the street protesters of Cairo ended his regime and forced the army to remove their boss and bring him to court on his hospital bed.

So really does the Egyptian army not have sufficient malice against the protesters in Cairo to look away when they are being clubbed to death in the Port Said stadium of Al Masri FC? Time and the way the Egyptian military government handles investigations into the killings at the stadium in Port Said will answer that question as well as the allegations of foul play by the pro-

testers and the Islamic Brotherhood against the Egyptian military for complicity in the killing of innocent soccer fans.

Next to Senegal where one or two observations will suffice.

The President Abdoulaye Wade is 85 years old and is seeking a third term and the Supreme Court has ruled he can do so. There have been riots on the streets of Dakar but there is no gainsaying that they will be put down because France the colonial master so active and decisive in Ivory Coast last time around has no stomach for a new fight in Africa as French President Nikolas Sarkozy is neck deep in his own re election bid this year.

At over 80 President Wade should not be spoken to like a child even though at that age he manifests naturally what Shakespeare called second childishness which is the second to the last in the seven stages of man identified in the play ‘As You Like It‘. He can make a choice from two examples of leaders to follow.

He can emulate Egypt’s Housni Mubarak who is being taken to court on bed to answer charges for killing protesters who unseated him at over 80 years of age and four decades of power.

He can also emulate a predecessor in office, the sage Leopold Sedar Senghor, poet

laureate and champion of Negritude, who ruled Senegal as President and retired to lecture in Paris where he died in private life. At 85 anyway Wade can only die in harness and get a state funeral .

That is if things don’t go really awry like they did for Mubarak. Either way one can only sympathise with the Senegalese and their president and which them the best of luck.

In Nigeria where Boko Haram has laid siege there have been calls by some Igbo leaders and MASSOB the Biafran body for Igbos to leave the north. CAN in Lagos has said the decision to leave should be personal to individuals. Which is a bit unfortunate since the state is to guarantee the safety of individuals in each state of the federation including the north.

That is why I want to share the fate of two ladies in the north as recorded by BBC on the internet this week.

The two ladies share the surname Yussuf but are not related. One is Bose who is an headmistress in Kano but whose Evangelical Church primary school is deserted because the parents have not allowed their children to come because of fear of being bombed by Boko Haram. Bose said she will continue to come to school because she is head-

mistress and until the Holy Spirit directs her not to come .

The other lady Paula lived in the barracks in Kano bombed by Boko Haram and has lost her husband and three children one of whom was killed while hiding in the toilet where they found his dead body. She does not know where to go. So expulsion threats are easy to formulate as strategies for whatever security reasons but it is still the duty of government to guarantee the safety of life and property in any nation on earth including Nigeria. So what is to become of these two ladies in Kano? I really shudder to think.

In the sour US relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan in which the US accused Pakistani intelligence forces of protecting the Taliban fighters the US had come to destroy because they gave Al Qada leaders sanctuary before 9/11 a clear case of institutional treachery was manifest.

However the Pakistani Foreign Minister in a press conference with her Afghan counterpart simply dismissed the charges as very old wine in very old bottles without denying them to the chagrin of the Americans. Now the Americans through their own Defence Secretary Leon Panetta have said they would withdraw from Afghanistan a year earlier than scheduled obviously because of Pakistani treachery aided and abetted by the corrupt regime the Americans put in place in Kabul.

Which can only rattle the two governments in Islamabad and Kabul which rely on the US for financial support for their armies and the security of their governments. Although the US and its NATO allies will still be training Afghan troops I think the US wants to make it clear

to the two errant governments that it can walk away from the fight against terrorism at its own time instead of being betrayed or rubbished by those it is paying heavily and supporting to be its collaborators in the region.

As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton so highlighted this week , US new strategy in the region is to fight , talk and build-and that to me includes not only fighting the Taliban but also talking to the Taliban which should be a source of worry for the hitherto proxies and go between leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan .

With regard to Iran and the report before the US Senate that Iran’s leaders are now poised to sponsor terrorism on US territory I think it is the US government that is now getting nervous in an election year . To me, in spite of Iran’s war mongering and the belligerent posture of its military and Republican Guard over its electricity nuclear program, I think Iran is fighting for its right as a scientific power to pursue its own goal without any nation including the EU and the US dictating to it what it can or can not do.

I doubt if the Islamic Republic has a stomach for a fight. I doubt if the US too wants to fight Iran in election year . So really what we have is so much saber rattling without any fight. That is , if the Iraelis want it to be so.Which is unlikely given that the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has just this week , been reelected as leader of the ruling Likud Party and he too like Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is regarded in the region as a war monger .Which really shows that aside from UN sanctions the Islamic clerics leading Iran should watch Tel Aviv rather than Washington or New York in their game of political survival as leaders of Iran in the coming months .

10 COMMENTARY

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

And the beat goes on…

I

N the weeks gone by, thereS were many astounding revelations which, ordinarily, should shock Nigerians as they continue to forage for faith. However, they seem not to bother again. They have simply developed thick skin such that every tragic story is seen as an intrinsic part of a warped system, or just another peel off the endless layers of Nigeria’s rotten onions. A measure of indifference seems to be the best way to maintain some measure of sanity as the rot deepens. Just like it happened when the shady deals in the power sector were exposed in the yore days of the House of Representatives’ probe, Nigerians are now being treated to yet another drama in the name of fuel subsidy probe.

It is a big shame that, as the Hon. Farouk Lawan-led committee proceeds with its determination to unravel the mystery behind the quantum leap in the money the government claimed it was spending on fuel subsidy; none of its officials has been able to come out with a credible record of the transactions. As things stand now, nobody knows our daily consumption average. No one knows the real nature of the disbursement chain neither is anyone sure of who got what and for what purpose. It has been a probe of ‘Ahs’ and ‘Ohs.’ It is as if the probe is anchored on three subtexts—half-truths, innuendoes and pure white lies!

It is not as if it matters, anyway. The government’s closet, as we all know, is filled with uncountable volumes of probe reports and white papers that turn grey over the years without any meaningful implementation to stem the rot.

Some probe reports have developed wings and disappeared into the thin air. Some have been adulterated such that countless fake copies now exist. Many others are gathering dust as piles upon pile of reports crave for attention. The question is: after all the grandstanding and effusions by the Lawan committee, would the report not suffer the same absurd fate that was the lot of the previous ones? Of what effect, really, is a probe panel whose report could be waved aside by the executive as a “mere expression of opinion” which bears no force of power?

But, then I digress.

Pundits have wondered how the nation still trudges on in spite of the daily plundering of its resources. Nigeria’s situation simply defies logic, they say. Usually, the Nigerian story, especially the trend of governance, is like abracadabra - the more you look, the less you see. In fact, some have started canvassing for some sort of legislative backing for corruption. After all, no Nigerian or even any knowledgeable person from other parts of the universe will doubt the institutionalisation of corrupt practices here.

And so, those in this school of thought argue that it should, as a matter of national importance, be legalised as a public policy.

Of course, when the idea was first muted, Knucklehead was convinced that those behind it must have been ‘settled’ by Nigeria’s growing league of thieving elite. Probably, it could be their way of getting their share from our thoroughly raped treasury. How could any patriotic Nigerian come up with such arrant nonsense? Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I believe we should give this socioeconomic module a trial. If our brand of naming and shaming is not having the right effect, maybe it is time to employ another method. It could just be the all-in-one cure for the paralysis that corrosive corruption has inflicted on the land. Could it be a perfect answer to a problem that countless probe reports have failed to address?

There is hardly any administration in this country that did not make a song and dance of pummelling corruption into pulp. Regardless of how fearsome the battle was, none was able to surpass the tactical dexterity of corruption in high and low places. Most often than not, the leadership often ended up with bloodied nose. Not that there were no exceptions to rule. But they were scanty. Nevertheless, no one doubts the devastating blow that graft has wrought on the land. In a sense, stealing from the public vault has become a virtue; you get chieftaincy titles and maybe some ‘national honour’ if you can make millions of Naira walk out of the public till. On the other hand, failure to steal is a vice that could lead to rejection by one’s own community. That is the tragic reality of the Nigerian story.

In all honesty, can we say the anti-graft agencies are winning the battle against this deadly cankerworm? Aside the ritual of arraigning alleged corrupt elements at the court and the annoying media trial with pomp and ceremony, nothing concrete has been achieved to dissuade people from engaging in blind looting. In fact, the scandalous acquittals of some well-known Nigerians in corruption cases brought against them suggest a mere scratching of the surface. It emboldens others to steal with reckless abandon and then wait for the short-lived media trial that immediately fizzles out before the case goes to court.

Is it not amazing that, in a country where a common goat thief risks spending the rest of his life in jail with hard labour, those who cart away billions of naira from the common purse into their private vaults get a standing order to go and steal no more? How many of such a slap-in-the-wrist judgments have we witnessed since 1999 when democratic governance became a fad? How many potential candidates of Kirikiri prison are today strutting around our legislative chambers, drafting the laws which the rest of us must obey? How many cases had been thrown out at the courts due to the inability of the anti-graft bodies to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt?

Just the other day, a new angle was introduced into the farcical drama when a distinction was made by the court between ‘moral wrong’ and fiscal recklessness. Ruling on a no-case application filed by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and his deputy, Usman Nafada, an Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Suleiman Belgore, dismissed the 17-count charge of conspiracy and criminal breach of trust brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. In its wisdom, the court held that though it was “morally wrong, morally indefensible and morally insensitive” for Bankole and his horde of elitist lawmakers (360 of them) to increase

By now, the ‘ government ought to know that Nigerians are tired of the same old story of monumental fraud and the seeming lack of political will to tackle it headlong

’

Knucklehead With

Yomi Odunuga E-mail:yomi.odunuga @thenationonlineng.net SMS only: 07028006913

their quarterly “running costs” from N27m to N47m per member, it was not, by any stretch of imagination, a criminal offence!

In the same ground-breaking judgment, the court held that, being a different arm of government, these persons are at liberty to increase their running cost without any recourse to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission which is constitutionally empowered to fix its “salary and other allowances!” Running costs, the court reasoned, couldn’t have been the same thing as allowances! Therefore,, Dimeji and Nafada were set free. What a verdict! Now, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal may as well jack up the “running costs” of these hardworking members tomorrow without giving a hoot about how we feel. If they like, they may conspire to run away with any money they deem fit to label as running costs!

Heavens will not fall. After all, didn’t the court call it a moral wrong that has nothing to do with criminality?

Countless examples abound but this other one from the executive would do to justify how corruption is laughing back at us with utmost satisfaction. From the executive came the astonishing revelation that the contract awards for the Abuja Airport and Kubwa roads were inflated by a whopping N38bn. The contracts in question were awarded presumably after due diligence checks had been carried out by the Bureau of Public Procurement and thorough scrutiny was done by the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Less than two years after, it took the intervention of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, which had earlier raised the alarm on the grand scam during its oversight tour of the projects, for the government to admit that the contracts were indeed inflated.

Interestingly too, the FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed, told the committee on Wednesday that President Goodluck Jonathan had swiftly ordered a downward review of the contracts while a ‘white paper’ on the outcome of the investigation into the fraud should be out in due course. Does this sound like a familiar refrain? Can someone remind me the last time the government acts on any white or yellow paper that could expose the underhand dealings in the system? Besides, what happened to an earlier report on the inflated contract for the expansion of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja where it was established that the contract was jazzed up with billions of naira? Is the white paper still in the never-ending government pipeline?

By now, the government ought to know that Nigerians are tired of the same old story of monumental fraud and the seeming lack of political will to tackle it headlong. If the hydraheaded monster has not ground the country to a halt in spite of its continuous battering, they wonder why scarce resources are being wasted on fighting a malaise that is least on the agenda of the pretenders in power. Is it not better to remove this veil of deceit and allow the beats to go on until such a time when a dehydrated country cries blue murder and come crashing down on us all? Will this charade ever stop?

Sudan and Congo savaged as world shrugs

2

011 was a year of unprecedented action on behalf of freedom and human rights.

When citizens flooded streets throughout the Middle East and North Africa, the U.S. and other countries dropped their longstanding presidential allies and demanded new leadership. When massive human rights abuses loomed in Libya and Ivory Coast, the international community acted decisively.

That backdrop makes it all the more puzzling why the two countries where human rights abuses are worst in the world — Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo— have received such comparatively tepid international responses.

In the past quarter-century, Sudan and Congo have collectively sustained roughly 7.75 million war-related deaths and unrivaled additional human suffering from the use of rape as a war weapon, the recruitment of child soldiers, mass displacement and chronic poverty.

By contrast, fewer than 1,000 people died in Egypt in 2011 in a year where the violent suppression of protests nonetheless sparked a revolution — and a global outrage — that brought down a longstanding autocrat. In Libya, no more than a few thousand people had died from the violence when President Obama and other NATO leaders and the Arab League admirably chose to support the resistance and protect beleaguered populations.

Michael O’HANLON Even after a year of war, perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 died in all — tragic figures, to be sure, but the sort of thing that routinely happens in a month or two in Congo or Sudan. In Yemen and Syria, where many eyes are focused these days, the 2011 tolls were perhaps 1,000 and 5,000 respectively. Yet we quite properly and actively debate how to urgently bring the killing to an end as soon as possible.

Time for ‘basic decency’ At a time when the U.S. involvement in Iraq’s war has ended and the Afghanistan mission is beginning to decline in scale, 2012 offers the world a chance to amend its past failings and show the people of Sudan and Congo the kind of basic decency that motivated intervention in Libya.

Policymakers pin their hopes on the separation of South Sudan from the main part of the country in 2011 and recent elections in Congo as signs of progress. But this is pure hopefulness, not policy. The two Sudans are in active dispute over several regions along their new border, where the Abyei area was ethnically cleansed by the Khartoum regime.

And now, internally, the Sudan government aims to do the same to the non-Arab populations in South Kordofan and Blue Nile re-

gions. In Congo, the December election was quite possibly stolen by President Joseph Kabila’s cronies, and fighting continues in the east over the illegal extraction of one of the richest non-petroleum natural resource bases in the world.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo is large by global standards but deploys fewer than 20,000 foreign troops for a country the size of Western Europe and twice the population of either Iraq or Afghanistan. Darfur and South Sudan have similarly undermanned peacekeeping missions, leaving them front row seats for some of the world’s worst war crimes.

Though more peacekeepers could help protect civilians, the peacekeepers need a peace to keep. Sudan’s border populations need an international community willing to break the Khartoum government’s blockade on humanitarian aid and to protect them from relentless indiscriminate aerial bombardment.

They need a diplomatic surge involving China and the U.S. in support of African mediation. It should apply pressure, including through the threat of biting sanctions, aimed at addressing the myriad conflicts within Sudan and the brewing resumption of war between Sudan and newly independent South Sudan.

Equal treatment The Congolese people need an international

community willing to stand up to a government that likely stole the election, just as was the case when Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai and other world leaders took liberties with their countries’ respective votes in recent years. They need international action to deal with the government forces and other armed groups that profit from massive and violent smuggling of minerals that power our cellphones, laptops, and other household products unnecessarily tainted with this conflict mineral trade. Again, economic pressure could be our greatest point of realistic leverage. In both Congo and South Sudan, a serious and expanded investment in professionalizing army and police forces will be crucial to future stability.

The details of what can help promote human rights and freedoms in Sudan and Congo can be debated, but it is uncontestable that united global action is imperative. Libya, Egypt, Ivory Coast and other examples demonstrate that decisive international action led by top government officials can make a huge difference.

The long-suffering people of Sudan and Congo hope they are next in line.

O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Congo and author most recently of The Wounded Giant: America’s Armed Forces in an Age of Austerity.

John Prendergast is co-founder ofthe Enough Projectand co-author most recently of Unlikely Brothers.

Happy ending…

A peep into Lagos' erotic massage parlours

Why my wife doesn’t allow me to eat after 6pm -Peter Okocha, ex-AP chair

Life/Style/ 41

Thriller/ 19

Crime/ 15

Robbery suspects jump into The lagoon riseevade of to female arrest producers

Weekend

PEOPLE THE NATION, Saturday, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

s e n e g i d n i n o n f o Exodus

, s r e i l e t o h o Kan s r o t e i r p o r school p lament

Relat io

nship

11

12

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Kano hoteliers, school T

WO weeks after the implacable Boko Haram sect launched what has been regarded as its deadliest attack, so far, in Kano, the commercial nerve centre of the North, things have not been the same in the ancient city.

Apart from the clock of fear that hovers in the air like the proverbial Sword of Damocles, one of the immediate and farreaching aftermaths of the explosions, which occurred on Friday, January 20, killing over 185 people, has been the exodus of non-indigenes, especially the easterners from the city.

Daily, the various motor/bus parks in the city such as New Road Luxury and Luxury Terminal motor parks bristle with travellers of the unusual kind, clutching big luggage; many busy themselves arranging household furniture and other items. You will think they are relocating from one end of the city to the other; no, they are fleeing the city for good, vowing never to return.

According to one of the travellers, Chief Fabian Nnorum, life has no duplicate, and it pays to die a peaceful death if one must die. “This is no longer a child’s play,” he said, adding: “You can see for yourself how these people massacred human beings and they are still throwing bombs here and there. I am leaving with my entire family.

Already, I have packed all my loads and by now, the 911 Trailer I chattered would have been approaching Onitsha. Let us leave this place for the owners so that peace can reign.”

Chief Nnorum, a dealer in motor spare parts, said he had sold off all his wares and he would be leaving the city for good.

He said: “I am going to use the proceeds to establish in the East. My brothers who have been mounting pressure on me to leave Kano have promised to support me. I do not want to die like some of my people who were caught off during the Biafran war and were slaughtered like chickens. They have killed us enough. They do not like us. You can imagine a situation where a Hausa man would prefer a foreigner from Niger or Chad to a Nigerian like me simply because I am from the eastern part.

“I have invested hugely in Kano but I have no regrets leaving. I am leaving for good; going back to a home I can call my own where I can no longer be woken up each day with sounds of gun shots and bombings. I thank God I survived this one and I pray for the repose of the souls of my brothers and sisters who were brutally murdered by these people called Boko Haram. So, my friend, the fear of Boko Haram is the beginning of wisdom.”

Expectedly, the exodus has impacted seriously negatively on the commercial and social lives in the city. Since the incident, banks have been under lock and key and their reason remains that the security situation does not guarantee smooth operation because going by the history of Boko Haram attacks, banks are not spared. Even at that, many bank and factory workers from the South have joined the exodus; they are resigning and relocating. Many of them took the decision owing to the pressure mounted on them back home urging them to leave and be home alive.

The Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Kano, Chief Tobias Michael Idika, told The Nation that his people, the Igbo, have every reason to flee Kano because, according to him, their security is not guaranteed.

“Everyone will agree with me that it is the primary the duty of government to protect lives and property. Those in charge of the security of the state have not deemed it fit to come and say, ‘Look, these are the measures we are taking to ensure that your people will no longer be killed in Kano; rather, they seem be helpless. Our plight currently is that those in charge of the state are demonstrating clear insensivity to the

•Some of the fleeing non-indigenes at the park

•Roselle Academy... under lock and key

•Edith Okwolisa Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano

whole matter. Nobody is asking us what we have lost and how to make amends.

“I want to tell you that about 35 Igbo lost their lives to the attacks, apart from those who were killed secretly. Also, currently, we have over 25 wounded people languishing in various private hospitals in the state without care and help from anywhere. To us in the Ohanaeze, we sincerely believe that our people are not safe in this present circumstance and that prompted the mass movement of Ndigbo out of Kano. You are aware that in times of crisis like this, our lives and property become the primary target of the perpetrators. So, we are leaving and we shall

continue to leave,” he said.

Worse hit by the Boko Haram saga in Kano and the mass movement of non-indigenes are business men, particularly proprietors of private schools, hoteliers and even restaurant owners. Madam Melody, owner of a popular eatery located on Burma Road, Sabon Gari, told The Nation that patronage has been too low since the Boko Haram insurgence in Kano.

“Oga, you can see things for yourself. Most of my customers have travelled. We are not selling like before, but we believe God that this problem will be solved and everything will normalise. It is indeed, a very critical situation.”

At the popular Kantin Kwari textile market, the story is the same. Alhaji Adamu Muhammed, a dealer in textile materials at the market, told our correspondent that the Boko Haram attacks have adversely affected their business.

“I must tell you that this is a great setback for us because most of our big customers who come from outside the state and outside the country have refused to come to Kano for fear of being caught in the Boko Haram insurgence,” he said.

Also, there is no gainsaying the fact that most of the socialites in Kano are visitors and people from the South who have been fleeing the city. Investigation by The Nation reveals that social life in Kano has dropped drastically. Sabon Gari, an enclave predominantly dominated by non-natives, which used to be a beehive of activities, is almost dead following the exodus of easterners who constitute the majority in the area.

Night life in the city of Kano has dropped to zero point due largely to the dawn to dusk curfew imposed by the authorities as a way of curbing the situation. Owners of pubs, hotels, drinking joints and night clubs in Kano are counting their losses as their customers are forced to go to their various homes straight after the day’s work, while many have chosen the option of relocating to peaceful cities. Also, tourists and travellers have avoided coming to Kano for fear of being victims of the Boko Haram insurgence and the situation has seriously affected

13

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

proprietors lament

he park

•Inside a once busy restaurant

•Popular Melody restaurant... now bereft of customers

y

‘

Honestly, I must tell you that this situation has messed up economic activities in Kano. Go to the markets, you will see for yourself that people have left Kano. As an industrialist, I‘m in a better position to tell you that if things do not normalise, Kano may lose its salt as the economic hub of the North; and this is going to affect, not only Kano people, but neighbouring states...

night life.

High Chief Chris Umunnakwe Osuji, proprietor of Roselle Academy, located in the heart of Sabon Gari told The Nation that the Boko Haram attack in Kano has forced him to shut down the school as over 98 per cent of his students have fled Kano with their parents. “I want to tell you that it is a very pitiable situation. This school is less than one year old and there is no doubt that it matches all standards of modern education.

Here in Roselle, we have a population of 250 students but since the Boko Haram offensive, only 10 students come to school; and most of our teachers have also run away from the state.

’

“The management has no other choice than to shut down the school for the main time. You are also aware of the threat by Boko Haram that primary and secondary schools may be targeted in their next attack.

So, for all these reasons, one has no choice but to take preventive measures. I will continue to pray that government will find a solution to all these problems of insecurity and social uprising so that the children who are the future of tomorrow will have a good environment for sound empowerment, knowledge and good morals; it is only stable and qualitative education that can give all these needed virtues of a better society.

“Honestly, I must tell you that this situa-

tion has messed up economic activities in Kano. Go to the markets, you will see for yourself that people have left Kano. As an industrialist, I‘m in a better position to tell you that if things do not normalise, Kano may lose its salt as the economic hub of the North; and this is going to affect, not only Kano people, but other neighbouring states and even the entire nation. It is very clear that even the government’s IGR (Internally Generated Revenue) may have gone down following this Boko Haram saga.

“So, as a community leader and by virtue of my position as the President-General of Imo State Community Association here in Kano, I want to advise the Federal Government to find a permanent solution to this Boko Haram issue. I can confirm to you that a large number of my people are fleeing this city because they are very much afraid. Even though you ask them not to leave, they are leaving; and they are leaving with a very bad impression of Kano; it is indeed unfortunate.”

Also, at the New Road Luxury Terminal, people have stories to tell. Chief Sunday Odum, Vice-Chairman of the Park’s Task Force, demanded the presence of military personnel at the Terminal following an explosion that rocked the park penultimate Thursday. According to him, “in a critical situation, the Police may retreat, but the military would explore all the tactics to confront the enemy. It is regrettable that we have the presence of security in this park only when

there is a problem. Look at what happened yesterday, the bombs were made to be loaded inside two luxurious buses owned

by God Bless Ezenwata and Gobison Motors and were timed to explode at 9 pm and midnight respectively.”

He noted that because of security lapses at the park, no one could detect when the bombs were brought in and camouflaged as loads abandoned at the back of the luxurious buses with other luggage. “One of the bombs was concealed in a soft drink container and it was by the grace of God that it was discovered. Actually, the bombs were three. Two were detonated by the antibomb squad. One of them was concealed on a vegetable oil gallon and fixed inside a small travelling bag and timed to explode at 9pm, while the other was concealed in a brown onion sack and timed to explode at midnight; but by the grace of God, their plan did not work.”

Odum, who is also the manager of Chukwujekwu Motors, said the New Road Park recorded about hundred per cent increase of passengers’ influx.”Ordinarily, we used to have 20 to 25 buses moving out of the park on a daily basis, but since this Boko Haram threat, it has doubled to 40 to 45 buses on a daily basis; and all the passengers are bound to the eastern route via Okene, Igala, Otukpo, Enugu, Onitsha, Agbo, Owerri, Umuahia, Aba and Port Harcourt. In fact, I must tell you that the luxurious bus companies have to bring most of the buses plying the Lagos route to Kano route because this is where the passengers are now. And this will confirm the fact that southerners are leaving Kano and the majority of our customers are mostly women and children.”

Mrs. Obiageli Onwumere from Ideato South said her family in Kano decided to relocate to Imo State, her home state,” until everything subsides.” Mrs. Onwumere is a teacher at a private school located within Sabon Gari and she noted that since the Boko Haram attack on Kano, private schools are under lock and key.

“It’s been 22 years since I got married to my husband who is a business man here.

But I want to tell you that the anxiety is high. We just have to leave and stay alive in our home town until the government solves all these security problems. I’m not unaware of the fact that the governor of my state, Chief Rochas Okorocha, was in Kano a few days ago. People have been misquoting him that he said that we should stay back. I was there and what His Excellency told us was that anybody who wanted to leave should leave and those who preferred to stay should stay, that the Federal Government was making serious plans to calm the situation.

“But my brother, there is an Igbo adage that says that ‘a tree whose branches are about to chop off stands still, but a human being whose hands are about to be cut off must, at least, run. As we are sitting here in the park, we are waiting for my husband to get our remaining loads and children.”

Another lady, Mrs. Edith Okwolisa, from Ihiala in Anambra State, said his family had no choice but to leave Kano for good.

“As you can see, the situation is so tense that no one knows what will happen next.

My husband and I are moving with the entire family and property. The problem is still going on and we do not have the intention of returning to Kano again. We are not coming back,” she said.

The Area Manager of God Bless Ezenwata Motors, High Chief Sunny Philips Njikonye, who had one of his buses shattered by last Thursday’s explosion at the New Road Luxury Park, recalled how the incident almost affected the movement of the bus which had already been booked to ply the east. According to him, five windscreens on the conductor’s side were practically damaged by the blast and seven passengers were wounded.”

14

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

•The house where the tragedy occurred

60-year-old,granddaughters burnt to death in Ibadan fire tragedy I

•Madam Olajide flanked her granddaughters, Fehintola(left) and Ore-Oluwa

Kunle AKINRINADE in her apartment for seven days in order to avert a tragedy. The late woman, popularly called Iya Oore-Ofe, was said to have complied with the warning and had started the vigil on Saturday

January 14, 2012, hoping to conclude the vigils a few days later.

She was said to have told her granddaughters that very tragic Monday 16, 2012 , that she was tired and that she would not be able to observe the days’ vigil.

‘

The victims had slept off by the time light was restored by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the appliance suddenly sparked and caught fire.

The fire snowballed from the kitchen where the appliance was placed before it later spread to other parts of the victim’s three-bedroom apartment...

‘

T was a tragedy and it happened so fast. The victims were caught unawares; they were fast asleep when smoke snowballed into fire and roasted them in their sleep.

Indeed, those who could rescue them from the ravenous fire did their best but it was all a fruitless rescue operation.

The tragedy could have been averted following a ‘divine remedy’ handed to the matriarch of the family by a pastor, but like a fated journey, her spirit was too weak to comply with the instructions.

Cruel fate played a fast one on Madam Esther Olaide Olajide.

She was looking forward to a lavish 60th birthday celebration promised by her children, in a few months time. Unfortunately, the music stopped for her abruptly.

She, alongside her two grandchildren, Fehintola and Ooreoluwa Ayoola, were roasted alive in a midnight fire incident right in their residence at No 12, Omole Street, Adeyemo Layout, Molete, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Our correspondent gathered that the fire incident was caused by electric cooker. The electrical appliance was on when a power outage occurred and it was not switched off before the woman and her granddaughters went to bed. The victims had slept off by the time light was restored by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the appliance suddenly sparked and caught fire. The fire snowballed from the kitchen where the appliance was placed before it later spread to other parts of the victim’s three-bedroom apartment.

According to impeccable sources, the deceased woman had earlier been instructed by a pastor in her church to proceed on a vigil in the church. She was also said to have been warned not to sleep

“The woman had been told by her pastor via revelation that she should proceed on a seven-day vigil to avert a tragedy. She was warned not to sleep in her home throughout the duration of the vigil. Truly, she had observed the vigil as instructed for a few days, only to backslide on the day of the incident. When it was time to leave home for church, one of her granddaughters reminded her but the woman explained that she was weak.”

Another source, who did not want his name in print, explained that the woman actually backslid on the last day of the vigil.

He said:” Her grandchildren reminded her of the need to complete the seven days’ vigil but Iya Oore-

Ofe said she was too weak to go out.

And they went to bed around 9pm on the day of the incident. She said she would have to rest for a while before going to church following her granddaughters’ persistence.

Sadly, she inadvertently slept off together with her grand kids before they were later burnt to death.”

The billows from the fire aroused the curiousity of residents who made spirited efforts to rescue the victims. But by the time the doors to their apartment was forced open, the woman and her granddaughters had been burnt beyond recognition.

“When I saw the thick smoke coming from her apartment, I wondered about her whereabouts.

When I moved close to her flat, I heard someone talking on the phone and I thought that it was the woman. I assumed that she was so engrossed in the telephone discussion that she forgot to take care of what she was cooking but I was wrong.

“I strongly believed that her death is indeed strange or how do you explain the fact that she had been warned by one of the prophets in her church not to sleep in the house for seven days? Her grandchildren were even said to have alerted her when it was time to complete the vigil at the church but she declined on the ground that she was weak.

Ironically, her church is just a stone’s throw from her residence and there is no reason why she could not have trekked there to complete the seven days’ vigil as revealed by God through her pastor.”

One of the church members, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, said: ”We were in the middle of a programme at the church when news got to us that Iya Oore-Ofe’s apartment was up in flames. We had thought that she was somewhere in the church sleeping, and when it dawned on us that she had not come to the church that day, we decided to force our way into her flat.”.

Residents and sympathizers subsequently called on the fire service and the battle to put out the fire lasted till the wee hours of January 17.The fire was eventually put out but the woman and her two grand children could not be salvaged.

Our correspondent learned that some of the children of the deceased are based in Lagos, except one of them called Remi who lives in Ibadan.

A relative of the deceased woman, said: ”This is indeed a sad incident but we have accepted it as fate.”

She explained how the deceased would have celebrated her 60th birthday later in the year. “She would be 60 on August 28, 2012.

She was born in 1952. Her husband lives in Lagos while she had been living in Ibadan where she sold provision items for sometime now. She was very unassuming and friendly with family members and neighbours.”

The deceased’s grand daughter, Fehintola, was nine years old, while the other, Ore-Oluwa, was six. Both attended the nearby Penphley Nursery and Primary School. Their mother, Nike Ayoola, lives in Lagos and they were said to be her only children.

One of the customers of the deceased, who had come to supply her with eggs, wept profusely when she was told of the incident. It took the pleas from those around to calm her down.

When contacted on the telephone, Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Femi Okanlawon, said he had been out of town for sometime, adding that he did not have the details of the incident.

“I have been out of town for five days now; hence, I don’t have the details of the incident with me here.”

15

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

I

T was quite a high drama. The scene was on Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos. It was penultimate Friday. Three armed robbery suspects, who had stripped a victim naked inside his own car and robbed him, ran out of luck.

The victim, who all the while was held hostage, in a rare show of bravura, held the steering from the back seat, forcing the car into an abrupt halt.

He then ran out naked and started shouting, ‘Thief! Thief!

Thief!’ The stupefied robbery suspects too ran after him, shouting ‘Thief! Thief! Thief!’ to confuse everyone.

A Rapid Reponse Squad(RRS) team on patrol on the bridge saw the scene, packed their van and gave the suspects a hot chase.

Two of the fleeing suspects, in their desperation to avoid arrest, were said to have taken a deep plunge into the lagoon!

But the third suspect who could not take the plunge o f

Robbery suspects jump into lagoon to evade arrest Ebele BONIFACE death was eventually arrested.

The suspect, Stephen Aderemi Abayomi, aged 35, from Odigbo in Ondo State, is now cooling his heels in the cell of the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos.

Stephen, in explaining his role, narrates the whole saga thus: “I’m a commercial driver. I drive cars or buses. I have five years driving experience. I am married with two lovely boys and one beautiful girl. I reside at Ore, Ondo State. I have a friend at Obalende Park in Lagos.

He is a bus driver. I can’t remember his name.

“He told me on the phone to come to Obalende on Friday.

He was to give me his bus to drive for him on Sunday.

“As I was going to Obalende, I branched at Ibafo and met a friend called James who is also a driver. I met him in a beer parlour, drinking .

He asked me to sit down and take one bottle. We were there till 11.30pm that Friday, and I ended

Two of the suspects decided to jump into the lagoon from the middle of the Third Mainland Bridge. In my own case, I didn’t have the courage to do so. The RRS men came closer and ordered me to surrender or be shot. I raised up my hands, and they handcuffed me and the victim who looked like a mad man because he was completely naked... up consuming over 13 bottles of beer and a packet of White London and small weed.

“I became tired. Because it was late, I suggested going to his house to sleep so that by the next day being Saturday and an environmental sanitation day, I would go to Obalende to see my friend who invited me.

“James then told me that since that day was Friday, it would be better for both of us to proceed to Victoria Island for enjoyment in some clubs around the area. We went as suggested by James.

“We were four in number, namely, myself, James, who was with his car, and other two gang members whose names I don’t know because that was my first day of meeting them. One of them is an Igbo guy, tall and black.

“When we got to Victoria Island,we rocked some girls. We also drank heavily. When I asked James why this fun, he urged me to enjoy myself, telling me I didn’t know what the future held in

stock for me. I did not ask him any more questions.

“We left Victoria Island around 4.30am on Saturday, and James decided that we would drive straight to Ibafo to rest before the sanitation exercise would start.

Later, James asked me to drive towards Berger to enable him buy can beer.

“I then told him that I wanted to go to Obalende, but he complained of time, stressing that I should wait and understand what he was telling me.

“As I was about to stop, we saw a Toyota Camry; he told me to pursue the car, claiming that the owner of the car was owing him some money. He wanted to seize the car so that the owner would come for it, and he would collect his money.

“I told him that my car was not fit to pursue the car,but he pressurised me to try, saying that gallops ahead would slow down the car, and little effort was required to get the car.

“While pursuing the car, we hit a Honda Accord, and we stopped.

As I was begging the driver of the car, the other two members of the gang told the man that no damage was done to the car.

“The man later accepted our plea.

As he was about to enter his car, the guy brought out a short gun and ordered the man to the back of his car and he complied.

“I was ordered to drive the Honda Accord by James.

As we were going, they started searching the man and the car. They collected all his money and mobile phone.

He was also

•Stephen

stripped naked.

“As we got to the Third Mainland Bridge, he asked me to stop.He said he wanted to drop the owner of the Honda Accord. As I wanted to stop, the man held the steering from the back so strongly that there was no control of the vehicle again, thereby forcing the car to lock. It was about 7.00pm.

“Before we knew his plan, he jumped out of the car naked, while the two gang members with him at the back seat came out. One of them shouted: ‘I will shoot you. Do you know what you are doing? Are you mad?’

But the man threw caution to the winds and started running and shouting: ‘Thief, thief, thief. They are robbers! They have just robbed me .They have taken my car!’

“At this stage, the RRS operatives on patrol on the Third Mainland Bridge noticed the drama, and started pursuing the victim assumed to be feigning madness and the three armed robbery suspects, including me, who were equally shouting: ‘They are armed robbers!

We have been robbed! That mad man is not mad ooh! He is an armed robber. He and his gang members just robbed us.’

“But the RRS men were determined to arrest everybody. Two of the robbery suspects decided to jump into the lagoon from the middle of the Third Mainland Bridge. In my own case, I didn’t have the courage to do so.

“The RRS men came closer and ordered me to surrender or be shot.

I raised up my hands, and they handcuffed me and the victim who looked like a mad man because he was completely naked.

“When we got to the station, the RRS operatives discovered that the guy presumed to be a mad man was the victim and that the suspects were the ones who removed his clothes to give the impression that he was a madman to divert attention and escape.

“They transferred the case to SARS office which is in Command headquarters GRA, Ikeja, Lagos There, I was brought before the most dreaded O/C SARS that rings bell in the criminal world. I begged O/C SARS SP Abba Kyari not to kill me because I have been hearing that the only thing that annoys SP Abba is lying. Once you confess to him, telling him the truth and promise to assist to get other members at large, it gladdens his heart and he will treat you as a king or special guest.

“Please, help me to talk to O/C SARS SP Abba Kyari. I will not disappoint him. I will help him to get James and other members who are still at large. I will tell you the truth.

I don’t know whether the two of our gang members who jumped into the high sea are still alive or not. They jumped from the middle of the bridge where the water is deepest and the bridge is so high.

One of the RRS men even said he saw one gasping for air before the water finally swept him away into the bottomless pit of the water.”

Meanwhile, the new police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, A superintendent of Police (SP) Jaiyeoba Idowu Joseph, confirmed the story and warned armed robbers and other dangerous criminals to stay away from Lagos. He said the state had become a hell for them.

16

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Emotions as Nigeria’s first stem cell recipient returns home

•Mr & Mrs Ndik, Mattew’s parents

After 100 days in intensive care, Nigeria’s first stem cell transplant patient, Matthew Ndik, returns home with fanfare, reports JOKE KUJENYA

•Matthew

with eba, different type of pastries, well-cooked meat, mash fish; table water and must be taken for medical check up every Monday.

Ndik, who all along watched and smiled intermittently as he shook hands with the endless guests which trooped to the house to see Matthew, said the home-coming of his son was a thing of joy.

Ndik, 44, said he was full of gratitude to God. “I can only thank God for everything,” he said.

He added: ”It is God that has made everything possible.

Though some of our colleagues, friends, families and others have been of great assistance to us, but I must sincerely confess that the support given cannot be compared to the huge cost needed

,

T

HE red painted twostorey building on 16, Osakpare off MM Way, Benin City, Edo State, was a beehive of activities penultimate Friday afternoon. Members of the Ndik family, friends and neighbours were waiting to welcome Matthew, the seven-year-old who made history as the first Nigerian to successfully undergo stem cell transplant. His genotype was turned from SS to AA. Matthew and his parents were at the Oba Akenzua Hall of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where the authorities of the hospital were officially releasing him.

The well-wishers waited for the event at the UBTH to be over and for Matthew to return home. Soon, he arrived. On sighting the Ash-colour Mitsubushi Space Wagon which brought him to his parents’ home, people roared in loud applause. Women danced and men watched with admiration as they alighted. They were happy to see Matthew, whom his father, Hyacinth Ndik, has renamed ‘Testimony’.

Matthew still has to wear a face mask for a period of time and the number of people who flock around him daily must be controlled, according to instructions handed the parents by the UBTH medical team. He is to be fed with Ogbonna soup with little salt to go

for a transplant patient. That is why I must give the glory to God. You know, this is something I have never seen before and now, it has happened to my family.

So, I must thank God. “My advice to other parents with sickle cell children is that they should summon the courage to allow their children to get treated through the bone marrow transplant. When one considers what those children go through, I can only deeply thank Dr. Bazuage and the entire management of the UBTH. With all that God has done for us, I am beginning to contemplate changing his name from Matthew to Testimony.”

Matthew’s mother, Mrs. Ndik, said seeing her son fully recovered and never to suffer sickle •Continued on Page 16

My advice to other parents with sickle cell children is that they should summon the courage to allow their children to get treated through the bone marrow transplant... With all that God has done for us, I am beginning to contemplate changing his name from Matthew to Testimony

,

17

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

•Emmanuel, the donor

•Mattew with some of the medical personnel that treated him

tight isolation room to make sure that we protect his health.

And the essence of this celebration also means that we can now release Matthew to go home with his parents and begin to leave his normal life. I can also confidently tell you all that Matthew has overcome the danger stages of bone marrow transplant. The next step is for me to write officially to the WHO to inform them of the feat. That is basically the procedure.”

The WHO is expected to record the country as the third to achieve the feat in Africa. At the ceremony, which held at the Oba Akenzua Hall of the UBTH, Matthew’s parents wept. They wiped tears continuously as the haematologist spoke on how God, as he claimed, helped him to rescue the young boy from what would have been a “life of perpetual pains.”

“Now, let me go to how the story started in 2009,” Dr. Bazuaye told the gathering, “We went for the training at the Basel University in Switzerland about two years ago. On returning to Nigeria, we met the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof.

Michael Ibadin, and then, the

,

•Continued from Page 14 cell crisis again in his life was something that gives her great joy. She said: “Dr. Bazuaye told us about a girl who was given bone marrow transplant elsewhere. And she died a day before the 100 days she was to be shown to the world that she was okay. So, seeing my own child alive on this day is really a joyful experience for me.”

His elder brother, Emmanuel, 14, who donated part of his bone marrow to save his younger brother, was happy.

He said: “In school, his friends used to tease him that he was a sickler and could die anytime.

They would call him terrible names I don’t want to mention here. He was always crying and very shy. The poor boy had no self-confidence. He could not even look into anyone’s eyes.

And sometimes, he would ask why he was always very sick.

“So, his coming home as a brand new person and young boy with a better outlook for his life means so much to us. For me personally, I am proud to save my brother’s life because I know that those terrible days of woes for my family were over. I thank the UBTH medical team for their help and commitment.”

At the ceremony, hosted by the authorities of the UBTH before Matthew was released to his family, the haematologist, who led the team that achieved the feat, Dr. Nosakhare Bazuaye, said a stem cell transplant cannot be deemed successful until the patient survives the first 100 days.

Bazuaye said: “This is why the first 100 days is very important to us and we did everything needed to ensure that young Matthew stays alive. We gave him the best of food and all required treatment within his air-

process of setting up, then, a temporary Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) unit, a four-bedded isolation room, began in earnest. The essence is to prove to Nigerians that we can actually do Stem Cell Transplant in our country.”

He added: “Let me quickly tell us the parameters with which young Matthew Ndik became the first SCT recipient. He was a seven-year-old child who has a previous history of Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA); that is, stroke, of which he already had three severe episodes. The first episode left him with a onesided paralysis. And the second episode took his speech. And he was able to survive because if he had had the third stroke, he would have died. By then, his stable Porcine Circovirus (PCV), at which he operates, was 20 per cent. And we had to knock off his bone marrow. But we don’t have to crush his bone like some medical colleagues have asked me.

“But if there had been no donor for Matthew, forget it, none of us would be gathered here today. So, please permit me to ask us all to recognise someone, who is very unique to the success of this experiment. That is

In school, his friends used to tease him that he was a sickler and could die anytime. They would call him terrible names I don’t want to mention here. He was always crying and very shy. The poor boy had no selfconfidence. He could not even look into anyone’s eyes. And sometimes, he would ask why he was always very sick

,

•Dr Bazuaye

the donor: the elder brother of young Matthew, Emmanuel Ndik. Please stand up for recognition. I don’t think that without his cooperation and willingness to donate his bone marrow, we can’t be here celebrating the 100 days success at all.

“I do this because the donor for a transplant recipient is very important in this whole process. I must tell you that the day we were to take him to the theatre, I asked him how scared he was for the operation. He said this was something he had to do as a last resort to save his brother’s life. And in about five minutes, we were done. And so, for those who are scared, by the time we were done with Emmanuel, he went back to school the third day. His own is to show us that donors are safe and the complications are less. So, they have

nothing to worry about.”

Dr Bazuaye explained that on September 28, 2011, his medical team took Emmanuel Ndik, the donor, to the theatre to harvest his stem cell.

He said: “We just did the usual bone marrow harvesting. That is, we were able to achieve what we are celebrating here today by taking some stem cells from the marrow of the donor and transfer into the patient. And after that was done, we deadened Matthew, the recipient’s cells with that of his donor brother that has the ability to find their way from the peripheral blood vein, that is, the entrapping, into the marrow. That is what is called the ‘homing’ process.

And so, the stem cells then found their way into the blood vessels.

“The stem cells have the ability to leave the blood vessels, find their ways through the spaces and then locate the marrow and ‘home’ there. And once they get settled there, they begin to produce new cells. And that was attained after our having successfully destroyed the initial marrow in the body of the patient.”

The haematologist appealed to the Federal Government to assist the teaching hospital. He said: “Now, I need to mention that we presently have other patients lined up for stem cell transplantation. But with what is presently on ground plus what it costs for a person to be given a transplant, we can only accommodate one patient at a time. We hope to be able to do an average of batches of four transplants at any particular time.

“I would wish to appeal to the Federal Government to equip the UBTH with funding and necessary equipment to be able to help more sickle cell patients get treated in the country. We spent over N50 million acquiring the present crop of gadgets, which need to be running almost every time if we have transplant patients. If left alone to be spending huge sums of money as such on transplant patients, the teaching hospital could go bankrupt.”

18

How to tackle Boko Haram crisis

— Kabir Abdullahi, chair, Arewa Community in Lagos

Y

OU must have been following the security challenges in the country. Is Nigeria on a path of no return?

Well, the security issue or let me say the security challenges in the country have reached an alarming stage. Initially, it was looked upon as a small matter, but it kept going and it has become something that we have to give a second look at. It is a thing that requires careful thought and careful handling.

Unfortunately, I have not seen the Federal Government or the president himself doing what he should do.

It is an issue of loss of confidence in the system. It is obvious now that more and more people are losing confidence in the system.

The militants in the Niger Delta, once upon a time, lost faith in the system and they took up arms against the government, attacking government interests in their locality. Before then, another group that went by the name of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) also lost confidence in the system.

As we speak, there is also the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

All these manifestations are expressions of a loss of faith and confidence in the system. But, see, at a particular time, the government had to dialogue with the militants from the Niger Delta. A system of integration was worked out and there have been series of training and empowerment that are designed to restore permanently the confidence of the ex-militants in the system. The situation was not allowed to degenerate into such a alarming proportion like we have in our hands today. The security

•Abdullahi

issue that is giving the country sleepless nights now was simply allowed to degenerate.

Right now, there are so many conflicting theories about what could have led us into this security challenge. We must not forget that when we fail to solve one problem, it could lead to one thousand problems. And whoever is behind the problem, the president has said he knows them and that they have infiltrated the government and the security forces. Well, if that is taken, then let him call them, he is the father of the nation, they are his children. Let him start the process of dialogue by asking them what they want and when they have stated what they want, fine, he can tell them, ‘Look,’ you can have this but not all things.

It is a question of give and take so that we can have peace. It is not everything that you handle with force and think you can always suppress the wishes of the people.

Take for instance, the fuel strike; take for instance the recent fuel subsidy removal and the consequence protests and strikes. As at the time of the removal of the subsidy, all parameters point to the fact that timing was wrong. Opinions of well known political leaders, economists, lawyers, civil so-

ciety groups and what have you, all point to the fact that it should not be, yet the government went ahead to announce on Sunday, January 1, 2012, the removal of subsidy. It was ill-timed.

There were protesters and what do you have, your policemen went out and killed innocent people.

Whether you like it or not, the blood of those innocent people who were killed is on his hands.

Nevertheless, I believe that it is not a road of no return for Nigeria.

Is this a Muslims vs Christians or North vs South thing? Some people are trying to project the development as an ethno-religious crisis. What is your opinion?

No, no, no! it is not. It is not a Muslim Vs Christian thing now.

Agreed that certain things happened that shouldn’t have happened, like the attack on churches and mosques, these are things that shouldn’t have come up at all. But then, we also saw for example, the fuel strike that came up have clearly demonstrated that it was not, and it is not a religious crisis.

When it was prayer time on Friday, Christians surrounded the Muslims to observe their Jumat prayer at the Freedom Square in Ojota, Lagos. It also happened in Kano, Kaduna and other places.

When it was Sunday, even though the strike was no longer on, some Muslims went to churches in Kano to show solidarity, to say, look we are in it together. So if we have this things, how can it be a religious thing?

Do you subscribe to the call for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) as a panacea to the current crisis?

You see, the issue of a Sovereign National Conference can bring solutions and could also bring problems if not well handled. And that is why, I think, the government is being careful about it because it can bring solutions, it can also bring problems and create more problems than we think. If it is let us divide Nigeria. Then we must ask: divide it into what? And how do you divide it? What do you hope to achieve by it? What would you do with people like me?

I was discussing with our father here, Baba Fredrick Fasehun, somehow I got to understand that his wife for 40 years is from the North. What would you do with her? And this is somebody who in Lagos today, the Arewa community, the Igbo community and others, if we have a problem today, we run to him and say Baba we have so and so problems. If he were asleep, he would get up and attend to us. So we have gone beyond primordial sentiments and issues in our march to nationhood.

We have come to a situation where we can only focus on tackling the challenges that come or are associated with the system, especially those who have lost confidence in the system.

We must rebuild the confidence in it. And I must say that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua is an excellent example. Though he came from the PDP, a party we believe has nothing to offer, yet, he came out and offered what can be said to be the best solution to the Niger Delta problem which was the national problem then. There has since then being reintegration, re-orientation, training and a conscious effort to give those involved hope and future. There has been training in so many areas of

‘

When it was prayer time on Friday, Christians surrounded the Muslims to observe their Jumat prayer at the Freedom Square in Ojota, Lagos. It also happened in Kano, Kaduna and other places. When it was Sunday, even though the strike was no longer on, some Muslims went to churches in Kano to show solidarity...

‘

Architect Ahmed Kabir Abdullahi is the Chairman of the Arewa Community in Lagos State. He is also a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Born and raised in Lagos, Abdullahi speaks Yoruba fluently. He once contested and won election as the vice chairman of Agege Local Government Area. In this interview with Assistant Editor, AUGUSTINE AVWODE, he argues that the security challenges facing the nation have nothing to do with ethnic or religious consideration, but failure of governance. He charges the Federal Government to be proactive in restoring the confidence of the people in government. Excerpts:

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

life. Once we know that there are problems here and there, call the people and sit down and sort it out. You know, Obasanjo attempted a dialogue, we can build on that.

But do you fear, somehow, that the prediction by the US Department that Nigeria may be a failed state by 2015 could come to pass?

Well, except if the United States is funding it or helping to actualise it. Let me be very clear with you.

Nigeria will not have any problems unless the US is directly funding it. Already, people are speculating, Mr. President should watch carefully, Nigeria has a way of tackling our own problems. We must not allow foreigners to dabble into our own internal problems and destabilise our country.

If we allow external interests to destabilise us, then that is our fault. Every part of this country has something to offer. If go to any part of the country now, and you talk of the civil service, it is the Southwest that produces the bulk of the hands because of the education they have had. The Southsouth has the oil that we all talk about today. As for the North, there is no part of the country, Southwest, South-south or Southeast that does not eat, everyday, one thing that comes from the North. It is a symbolic thing.

Tell us the way out?

The appropriate organs of government should be up and doing.

For example, the National Assembly should be up and doing. They should tackle these problems by ensuring that relevant laws are made. It is not rocket service. We have people within the democratic space that are performing excellently. Take the person of Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos for example, if you are talking about governance, you can rate him with any part of the world and he would not be found wanting. He is not just one of the best in Nigeria, he is one of the best governors you can find in the world.

He is not just a Nigerian product, he is a universal product that you can sell anywhere in the world. Of course, we could come up with certain things by which the states could be guided like thumb rule. For example, the number of projects that must be carried out, what must be delivered within a certain period? Let there be a mechanism for rating states so that it wouldn’t just be that people are collecting money and not do anything. If we do the right things, all these security challenges that some people want to give religious and ethnic coloration will not happen.

I was born here, I schooled here and I have been living here. I attended St. Peters Blessed School.

It is a church school. And never for once did I come first in class and I was given second or third because I am a Hausa-Fulani and Muslim. And, again, at a time, I would be the only Hausa boy in the school. I tell you, they cherished me, liked my company and never disturbed me from practising my faith. My grade was not changed. They rather brought me to the front, gave me prizes and used me to encourage others. That is how it has been and that is the way it has been in Lagos and this is what we must encourage in this country.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Saturday

THRILLER

Happy ending…

A peep into Lagos' erotic massage parlours

I

N an exquisitely woven robe made in China, the pretty young lady hovered like a bedtime fantasy. She was in fact, real. Trailing her left middle finger along my spine, she kneaded soothingly across my butt and underneath, athwart my groin, with her right hand. In a short while, she had me struggling with an overwhelming impulse to pant. Like cold sunlight pounding on the sea, she beat across my back, pleasuring me as she did with occasional and seemingly timed thrusts of her ample bosom to caress my neck and back.

It was my second visit to her spa and she seemed quite eager to prove that she had effortlessly mastered me. “Turn over,” she cooed with a lilt that

Olatunji OLOLADE, Assistant Editor resonated like birdsong. By the time I did, she had cast off her robe to reveal silky briefs bearing proudly her business autograph. Then blithely, she extinguished one of the two incandescent candles in the room thus bathing us in the faint glow of a single candlelight.

Between her ministrations and a poignant medley of the Three Degrees, Smokey Robinson and The Cranberries, Ij (an abbreviation of Ijeoma), rubbed off the ache, persistent cramps and tautness that had for a long while afflicted my joints and lower back.

•Continued on Page 20

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

‘A good hand is hard to find’ •Continued from Page 19 Third time was the treat. Having kneaded off the heaviness that urged me to her parlour, she proceeded to accord me what she called a well-deserved “happy ending.” I had earned it, she claimed, even as she emphasized that it would cost me N8, 000 – about N2, 500 above the sum of a normal Swedish Massage. By “happy ending,” Ij was referring to a hand-job or full blown “BJ” (blowjob).

At Candie’s, a health centre and spa located four bus stops away from Ij’s Skin deep beauty salon and spa, the term “happy ending,” assumes more colourful and pliable definitions. “It is whatever you want it to be,” according to Precious, a senior masseuse and manager at the centre. But then she had said “too much.” That is because their house style as is the custom in most massage parlours prohibits any masseuse from verbalizing their services.

Tantra et al A walk-in session at Candie’s costs N10, 500; about N5, 500 less the price of a Swedish massage at Ij’s Skin deep. And unlike the latter spa where “happy endings” are restricted to a blowjob and hand-job, an average masseuse at Candie’s could get really creative. For instance, despite the inability of the staff to give a decent Tantra massage, the masseuse at the spa dabble in the exotic art. According to Precious, who had Jade 02 boldly inscribed at the back of her silk top, the bulk of their earnings at the spa come from giving some of their numerous clients a Tantra massage.

“Many women and even young girls, particularly from the rich upper class come for that particular massage (i.e. Tantra massage).

Single and married women are crazy about it.

When I suggested it to Jade 01 (who happens to be her boss, immediate elder sister and owner of the spa) that we include it in our programme, she was initially apprehensive about it. She feared some of our clients will complain once they get to know and we would be shut down but it’s been 11 months now since we started it and business had never been better,” enthused the Botany graduate from a south-east university.

The inherent benefits of Tantra massage make it the preferred choice amongst Candie’s

clientele. The Yoni (pronounced YO-NEE) which is a Sanskrit word for the female genital, remains the most lucrative offering at the massage parlour. However, contrary to the touted sacred purposes of the Tantra massage, Precious, her sister, and their three apprentices administer the technique on their female clients with prime intent to “make them come.”

As a protective measure, neither Precious, her sister nor their three apprentices are allowed to discuss the technique or admit its availability to any of their clients. It is not even listed in their catalogue. And the reason is not far-fetched: “two years ago, a client’s husband invaded our office to arrest us. He was a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in one obscure community in Ekiti from what we learnt. He said we were aiding his wife to commit adultery.

He said he suspected his wife was having an affair with one of our clients,” said Jade 01, the proprietor of the spa.

The truth was indeed more colourful than the angry husband imagined. “His gorgeous wife,” said the spa owner, “had fallen in love with her masseuse.” According to her, they had barred the woman, courtesy of an undertaking they signed with her “jealous husband.”

But that was simply a ploy for the moment; today that controversial client is back on the spa’s client list. “She doesn’t come here anymore. We go to her at any place of her choice and each session costs her N45, 000,” disclosed Jade 01 smugly.

Further findings revealed that it is indeed possible for a female client to be addicted to the Tantra massage. The catch is in the procedure: the masseuse usually has the client lie on her back with pillows under her head to make it easier for her to look down at her genitals and up at her masseuse intermittently.

Another pillow covered with a towel is placed under the client’s hips. Subsequently, her legs are spread apart with the knees slightly bent to allow the masseuse full access to the client’s genitals during the massage.

The masseuse sits cross-legged between the client’s legs and coaxes her to engage in deep, relaxed breathing. The masseuse joins the client in breathing rhythmically and gently reminds her not to hyper-ventilate as the massage progresses. The masseuse starts by gen-

•Lights out at a Lagos massage parlour: The perfect ambience for a soothing massage

tly massaging the legs, thighs, abdomen, and breasts to get the receiver to relax for the eventual caress of her Yoni. “It’s a very safe and soothing procedure and very healthy lubricants are used to bring the client to full relaxation or happy ending if you like,” interjected Precious with a chuckle.

“It’s highly unprofessional” These no doubt provide a titillating back story to the supposedly guiltless massage in various spas across Lagos, although Rashidat Ajibike Ashogbon, a professional masseuse and proprietor of Ogba, Lagos-based Ajibike Spa, argued that massage therapists like Ij, Precious and her sister constitute an eyesore to the nation’s burgeoning spa business. According to her, the emergence of such caregivers is attributable to an inordinate influx of quacks into the profession.

“This is my third year in the business and I have never engaged in illicit sexual acts or ‘happy ending’ with any client. Those that offer such services are no professionals. You see, a well trained masseuse will never indulge in such,” she claimed.

Ashogbon noted that “happy ending” or illicit sexual acts are flourishing behind closed doors at many popular spas because the owners are mostly neophytes in the business.

“Many of them establish spas on a whim simply because it is the fad now and they have more than enough money to throw around.

They know nothing about the spa business and oftentimes, they employ quacks and sex workers as professionals. These employees of theirs are usually ill-equipped to manage a spar or give a decent massage. The best they could do is to yield to the incessant sexual advances of most of their clients. They know it’s a profitable way to make money by the side. And I bet some of the spa owners do not even know that their employees have turned their spas into makeshift brothels,” she said.

Indeed, some spa owners might be truly unaware of the goings-on in their establishments: Dame Cecilia Omie-Iloegbuka, “an international clothier” and proprietor of Sapphire Wellness Centre and Spa, revealed that it took her 16 months to understand why she couldn’t make beyond N80, 000 monthly from

a business she established with N2.4 million.

“It was when I asked my stepdaughter to go there and pose as an apprentice that the truth became clear to me. Two weeks later, she came back to inform me that Gladys, my manager and ‘Chief Masseuse’ had gone rogue on me.

She was running a more profitable cartel using my girls to prostitute by the side. While Gladys made about N40, 000 every week, each girl went home with at least N25, 000 every week. But the figures they gave to me as proceeds at the end of every month including fees from pedicure, manicure and the weight loss programme never added up to N80, 000. Immediately, I got to know of it, I fell sick. I had to shut down the centre temporarily until I decide the next step to take,” lamented the spa owner.

Astonishingly, any notions or rules restricting female sexuality are vanishing as fast as the girl next door’s inhibitions about sex and eroticism. Little wonder Candie’s patrons have embraced the notion that “quick releases” aren’t just for men.

And with competition among spas getting ever more intense, customers are starting to demand more than just Enya and free herbal tea with their Shiatsu, according to massage therapists. “More women are finally getting more comfortable asking for it,” said Jade 01 who claimed to have served at several upscale spas on Victoria Island and performed happy endings on eminent female clientele, most of who have relocated with her to her spa.

But with men, there’s no subtle approach when it comes to a happy ending, explained Tessy, a 5’7" of statuesque build. Tessy, who has worked as a masseuse at several Lagos spas disclosed that most of her clients will ask for the “full service” otherwise known as “happy ending.”

“Even if I choose to deflect their overtures, some of them possess these appendages that are quite obvious, which gives you a very clear idea of where they want to go with you. But with women, it’s ever so subtle. There’s really no way to know if they want sexual contact, even if they moan and hyper-ventilate,” she said.

The key, according to a florist and a mother of two and “another friend of the house” at Candie’s, is to give the right signals. According

21

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

•Overseas massage parlours like this crrently have to contend with fierce competition from Nigerian spas intent on keeping rich spa-loving Nigerians as their exclusive clients to her, she discovered the ‘happy ending’ during what happened to be her first erotic massage at an upscale hotel in Victoria Island (V.I).

“Initially, I requested for a masseuse but my husband suggested that I use a masseur (male).

They urged me not to feel shy about it. As the session proceeded, I got really turned on and the masseur asked if he should stop but I practically screamed at him to go on.

“He started slowly caressing my thigh, then going higher, and it turned into a game of how far each of us would take it. One thing led to another and he ended up trying to finish me off. Though it felt great, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and screamed at him to back off.

My husband reported him to the hotel’s manager who pleaded with us to keep it under wraps.

“Consequently, they bribed us with a weekend session at their exotic resort. I later learnt that it was wrong for them to use a male masseur,” disclosed the florist adding that she feels more relaxed been tended to by a female masseuse.

Occasionally, a spa’s reputation for sensual goings-on will precede it, as with Candie’s famed Tantra massage.

Spas like I.j’s and Candie’s among others represent the changing face of Nigerian prostitution. Sexual services offered by the resident or freelance spa masseuse present the sale of sex as a transaction with deep, dynamic, historical and cultural roots predicated on metropolitan business interests. The cycles of boom and bust in the industry are relatively unpredictable compared to more established commercial sex enterprise. When business is good, an adventurist mentality takes root that includes the purchase of sex by a client from his or her masseuse. The environment is conducive to prostitution due to many spa owners’ incapacities at monitoring the goings-on in their businesses.

“They allow their members of staff too much room and initiative which oftentimes provides a breeding ground for their staff to deviate from the noble procedures of the profession,” noted Eki Obanor, a beauty school proprietor and freelance masseuse. The masseuse who offers “strictly home service” also blamed the flourishing of illicit sexual activities in the sector on the influx of quacks into the profession.

Consequently, an unfortunate code of conduct

•Rashidat Ajibike Ashogbon: condemns spas offering their clients’ sexual release

has evolved: “Prostitution, if not prostitutes themselves, became an accepted part of the spa community. At the right fee, they are sexually available and generous to most of her clients,” she said.

What is a ‘happy ending’ massage?

For those still in the dark, a ‘happy ending’ massage is a massage that is performed by a masseuse on a male or female client and it requires the masseuse finishing off the client with an erotic hand job, fellatio or outright sex.

And not a few clients, particularly the male folk, cherish the eroticism and release offered by their favourite masseuse. “My guy, na the lowdown (gist) be dat. These girls are really bad.

They are pretty adept at what they do,” enthused a frequent visitor to Candie’s and “a friend of the house.”

His first massage at Candie’s got him addicted to the spa, he claimed. “Two weekends later, I returned here (Candie’s) and that second time around, I was introduced to a bevy of pretty girls. It was really awkward, and I felt very shy. They wanted me to pick a girl.

After finishing up all the formalities, Jade01 suggested that she picked one for me and she picked her this one (pointing to Precious) whom I later discovered to be her blood sister.”

According to him, he was urged to have a steam bath and following the steam bath, he was given a tiny towel to wrap around his waist and made to lie on a long narrow bed.

“It started out as a regular massage. At first it was painful but the pain disappeared sooner than I imagined and it became really erotic, particularly when my masseur started to explore my zones I never really imagined were erotic on my body. The masseur I picked was dressed in a sheer white top and a black bra, and was sensually moving her arms all over me, occasionally grazing her soft breasts against my shoulders. It was spine tingling,” he said.

It’s like a fetish straight out of a fantasy world for most men. Not a few male clients scattered across Lagos city’s massage parlours are there for a release, claimed Bernadette Egberongbe, a physiotherapist. “Most patrons of massage parlours visit the spa hoping to get felt up by the skinny or buxomly woman of their dreams.

‘

Many of them establish spas on a whim simply because it is the fad now and they have more than enough money to throw around. They know nothing about the spa business and oftentimes, they employ quacks and sex workers as professionals

’

•A typical bathing facility at a Lagos spa Add to that, the possibility of getting a blowjob, hand job or actual sex and you have yourself, the sweetest fantasy of most full grown men and perhaps, women,” she said.

Much ado about a “release” There are some unwritten yet basic rules to getting a happy ending as freebie or at the right price.

When on the phone, the first rule in seeking an erotic massage, according to an Isaac John Ikeja-based masseuse, requires that the client never asks for an erotic massage. “Under no circumstances should you ask for options or extras beyond what is obtainable on the spa’s list. Simply put, you shouldn’t request for a happy ending whatever little perversions float your boat.

The masseuse, who currently operates a home service within her expansive four bedroom apartment, disclosed thus: “The only things I discuss on the phone is the door fee, work hours and possible reservations. If a caller asks what kind of massage I provide, my answer is ‘comforting.’ And if a caller inquires about any extra or happy ending, I firmly respond that I don’t do that and I hang up.”

One of the most common dilemmas of every fresh client, she noted, is their inability to arrive at a subtle way to request for a happy ending. “When they ask, be it in my parlour or on the phone, my answer is always, never!

If you are a truly a client and not some undercover policeman, you will know that your masseuse will offer you options for your massage; meaning you will get your happy ending without having to ask for it…At your second and third visits, by which period your masseuse may have established you as a safeclient, do you really think she’s taking off her top off for therapeutic reasons?” she said.

The decision to give and enjoy a happy ending, according to The Nation findings, is usu-

ally arrived at via tacit gestures and nuances between the masseuse and the client.

Despite the moral debate evoked by the flourish of the happy ending-themed massage, clients like Otaobayomi Davies, a banker and bar owner, argued that critics of the burgeoning "health and relaxation culture" only need "to get off their high horse." According to him, the issue hardly elicits the need to play prim and proper. “The experience is often refreshing. I visit the spa with my wife and her younger sister, once every month and it has always been a refreshing experience. It's quite therapeutic for those who really need it."

Davies went on to recommend a local spa where Asian girls are employed to give "full service" alongside their Nigerian counterparts.

Speaking excitedly to the reporter, Davies' sister-in-law crooned: "When you get there, you should ask for Nkechi (definitely not her real name); she has incredible hands." Her voice didn't actually sound like she was describing a massage.

“The next day, I walked through the walls of the private parlour located in an exclusive part of V.I. The moment I saw Nkechi; she exuded instant chemistry. She was undeniably gorgeous in her pleated skirt and sleeveless top all made from Ankara. She chatted about the weather, faulty air-conditioners and a desire to yank off her body-clinging attire. Fifteen minutes into the massage, she let her hand graze across my groin asking if she could do away with the tiny towel wrapped around my waist as it was getting in the way.

"But you can leave it on if you like," she said in a cadence that suggested that she was exploring the fuzzy precincts and unpredictable inhibitions that makes one man's violation another man's fantasy. But just as with the quintessential massage client, whether you deem a happy ending as the pinnacle of bliss or the zenith of depravity; it was extremely nice to have an option.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Why I didn’t send my children to Bowen University — Olasupo Ayokunle, General Secretary, Baptist Convention Nigeria Dr. Olasupo Ayokunle, who holds a Ph.D in Theology, is the General Secretary of Baptist Convention in Nigeria. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, he explains his tortuous road to becoming the Chief Executive of Baptist Convention, why his children are not attending Bowen University, which is owned by the Baptist Convention, among other issues. Excerpts:

A

T the beginning of this interview, you insisted you wanted your wife with you and that says one thing, two of you are strongly bonded. What is the secret?

Well, the secret is God joining the two, not choosing by sight. I could recollect that if I were to choose by sight, I wouldn’t have chosen her. I had my personal preference, what

I wanted to see in a wife that I would marry. But the day God showed her to me, it was difficult to believe it and I struggled between that revelation and personal preference until I was broken down and I decided not just to do my will.

But His will, and in doing His will, I bowed to that revelation and took steps.

God is the initiator of the institu-

hand is yet to touch his ear.” The man said: “His hand has not reached his ear and he is carrying this type of burden? You are wasting his time; tomorrow, you should come and enroll him in school.”

I could still recollect the name of that teacher, Mr. Adigun, to tell you that I was aware of what was happening. I wasn’t such an infant. The following day, my dad said I should go and register with a cousin of mine who was four months older than me. We called his name Gbenga; with another cousin of mine, a lady, we all went to register the same day. You could guess how old I was when I was leaving secondary school.

When I left the primary school, I went to modern school. I would have been long there also; when I got modern school we were about 32 in class and I was leading the class. The time we did the third term exam, they collapsed these classes, I came first. There was one Mr. Adebusoye, who was our teacher and he called me and said: “Where is your dad?” I said my dad was in the village.

“Why did he send you here? You are not a product of modern school, you should be in grammar school.

He is wasting your time, do you have anybody in this school?” he asked me. I had a cousin in the school and that one came and the teacher told him that he must not see me in school following year.

“Tell his dad to get the form of a secondary school for him; he is above the people here, let him go to secondary school,” he said.

In those days, we used to do entrance examination to secondary schools. Because my dad married more than one wife, my mum happened to be the second wife, my dad said because he didn’t send my half sisters to secondary school, I

would not go to secondary school also, because that would be favouritism. But because the teacher insisted that he must not see me in class and he was afraid I might not get anywhere to go, he said he would take only one form for me and if I failed, then luck was not on my side to go to grammar school. He got a form for me, I did the the exam and I passed. That was how I did one year in modern school before crossing over to grammar school.

It was in my final year in the grammar school that I saw my wife.

I was already in my 20s, I was an adult. I had been seeing at the students Christian Movement which was the fellowship on the campus then. That was how it started. It started from far distance. By that time I was about to graduate, we didn’t spend much time in that relationship.

Besides, she didn’t give me any reply on that relationship until later.

It was not my heart desire, it was the revelation that I saw. I had to pray several times and fast if that was true, I can still recollect some revelations God gave me before I finally said this must be God. Whenever there is a little disagreement or problems, He takes me to the revelation that He gave me that I didn’t gamble, He led me into it.

When she took you home, what was the reaction of her parents?

Well, she was living with her mother who was a deaconess of a Baptist Church. You know in those days, when you were in friendship, it was a friendship from a distance; you would not be too close. It was much more a conservative society.

You are talking of a relationship that started almost 40 years ago, it was from a distance. We were never that close. Initially she told me that •Continued on Page 49

‘

Once I know that I don’t have the financial resources to take my children to the place, I only have to pray that God should open the door elsewhere. I told my children you have to be yourself to be able to secure admission to the government’s university because I cannot afford any private university...

‘

•Dr. Ayokunle

tion of marriage and the family. In the Garden of Eden, He conceived it and He initiated it. He was the one who made Eve available. Eve was not the choice of Adam himself but Eve was made by God and presented to Adam. Adam had just to accept what God presented to him but he loved what God presented.

He said: ‘This is the bone of my bone.’ You will see the identification in that.

When God gives you the person that is your heartthrob, by the time you see that person, the veracity of God’s choice now subsumes the personal preference that you may have yourself. So, the Lord being the foundation of the family and no other preference is the secret of our family’s togetherness. We have been together now for the past 25 years and the Lord has held it tight for us.

Irrespective of the fact that you have stayed together for so many years, you are bound to have disagreements, how long does it take two of you to settle quarrels?

Especially, when we newly came together, it was a period of adjustment. Two adults that had been living alone, to now live together, each person being different to some extent in personal idiosyncrasies, personal preferences, ideologies, it will need adjustment.

Initially, you will be shocked with the way your partner will react to certain things, but after a period of time, not more than a year and half, readjustment has come in such a way that it is difficult to get to a situation whereby there will be noticeable disagreements.

Was she a Christian when you met her?

We were both in the Lord, but not in the same church, we met in school but were not in the same class either, I was senior.

I didn’t go to school very early, I was over nine years when I started my primary school because I was born in a village and we were very good at cocoa farming, coffee and other products. My dad was getting used to me and fond of me in agric work until one day we were coming from the farm, I was carrying a very heavy load of cocoa on my head.

We met one teacher in our village while we were coming from the farm and he said: “Baba, what are you doing? Has this boy started schooling, have you enrolled him?”

You know I have a small stature.

Baba said: “We’re trying, but his

LOCATION

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REEL NEWS

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Edited by: VICTOR AKANDE

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E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

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e m d e k c o m My wife t e m t s r i f when we

a j n o f A i y i —Olan

See page 28-37

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

STANDh BY! Wit

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

THINK

SNAPSHOTS Desmond Elliot, Mike Ezuruonye reject gay roles

nt part of An importa s of any the succes is its civilisation late the mu ability to e t led to the a th factors ther success of o Eric .— s civilisation rt Reine

Half of a Yellow Sun: Not just a Nigerian story

I

have followed arguments in some quarters about why Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book, Half of a Yellow Sun, which is about to be shot into a film which is not being dominated by a Nigerian cast. In simple terms, I would say that was somewhat sentimental.

I recall that once, a crew from the UK and US (Sunny Ache, Anna Carrington, George Carlil and Jennifer Belander), was led by Nigerian-born Sunny Ache to seek help from corporate Nigeria on a Biafra-based movie which they called The Unbreakable Nation. That project is yet to se the light of the day.Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is not just offering a broad tracker race for literary fiction, her work is also evolving into what may become another landmark achievement that may redefine Nigeria's position in the world map as a filmmaking nation, should UK-based Nigerian playwright Biyi Bandele handle the project well.

The novel is expected to bring to screenplay, a truelife chronicle of the Nigerian civil war, scripted in a world class format, to be produced for distribution on cinemas worldwide. I'd always wanted to see a Nigerian film in this light.

Even though this is Bandele's first shot as film director, one expects his previous successes on the London stage, including his adaptation of seminal postcolonial novel "Things Fall Apart" to be an advantage.

And saying that British actress, Tandie Newton may not be able to interpret the character of an Igbo woman is to see the film as a Nigeria story for the Nigerian people.

But this to my mind is a film for the world, and if the best way that the world could enjoy it is through the use of foreign cast; so be it. After all, Idris Elba, who played the lead in Sometimes in April, a

•Chiwetel Ejiofor

Not to tell the story about our past is to rob us of our most cherished future as a nation. Who knows, that ugly past, if told like the cliché known as bitter truth, might pave way for the new Nigeria of our dream

We cannot afford to think that we won't have a success story simply because Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dominic Cooper and Thandie Newton are not Nollywood actors. If anything, Nollywood should be ashamed that in times like this, its services are not required. But rather than approach it with malice, the industry should have a rethink about its much lamented delimitations.

Come to think of it, how do you expect a film that is being produced and financed by Andrea Calderwood (The Last King of Scotland, Generation Kill) and Gail Egan (Happy-GoLucky, The Constant Gardener), with help from the British Film Institute to take to such Nollywood sentiment? How do you expect that these guys would want Half of a Yellow Sun, the novel, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction to be messed up?

If you ask me, I'd say beyond who shoots what or who acts what, it is commendable that at last, an account of the Nigerian civil war is about to be told through the motion picture.

Perhaps it is better late than never; if only we understand the essence of documentation. Suffice to say that, not to tell the story about our past is to rob us of our most cherished future as a nation.

Who knows; that ugly past, if told like the cliché about the bitter truth, might pave way for the new Nigeria of our dream, where ideologies about our unity in diversity will be better redefined. As it is, we seem to have forgotten that the Nigerian civil war, our experiences with the •Thandie Newton military junta, our annulled Rwandan film on genocide, is popular election of June 12 a Sierra LeoneanBritish actor, 1993, our dark moments of who interpreted her role so riots and religious killing; our well. Same goes for Nigerian- ups and downs- all have British actress, Sophie occurred for a purpose - a Okonedo in Hotel Rwanda, purpose that will forever another version of the remain the controlling factor Rwanda genocide. of our continued co-existence.

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

A

CTORS Desmond Elliot and Mike Ezuruonye were both recently reported to have rejected roles in Dickson Iroegbu's coming gay movie entitled Law 58.

The movie which stars Kanayo O Kanayo, Clarion Chukwurah, Halima Abubakar and a host of other Nollywood actors is perceived as one that will create more controversy for Dickson.

Dickson, it was gathered had

initially contacted Desmond Elliot and Mike Ezuruonye for the film, but they rejected the offer to act in the movie.

The movie tells the story of the practice of gay in our society. It would be recalled that recently, the Nigerian lawmakers passed a bill against the practice of same sex marriage in Nigeria, putting a 14-year-jail term on defaulters.

5M debt: Tchidi Chikere sets the record straight

P

ERTURBED tales of a 5 lawyers will slam a very huge million naira debt scandal libel suit against them in a court currently circulating the of law. For those who believe internet, film director cum writer anything they read on the Tchidi Chikere has debunked internet, I really don't care,” he any credibility to the story said. labeling its perpetrators as 'low When challenged with the life failures looking to achieve saying that there can be no smoke cheap publicity using his name'. without fire, he on a light note; In the words of the Director “These days, smoke comes who also does occasional acting, without fire o. There is the smoke “I would usually not even making machine that we use to respond to such hogwash, but let produce smoke in movies, that me just say this, the story is false, machine can make all the smoke baseless and the worst is I don't in this world without fire. even know where it is coming “If I owe somebody 5 million from! In this business of show naira being CD making funds as biz, you sometimes hear things the story was written, let the about yourself that make you people bring EFCC and arrest me, wonder if there are two of you, why can't they do that? Let me some things I hear and I wonder also clear the air once and for all if I have been cloned while I on this Nathaniel Agaga or slept, and another Tchidi Chikere Engineer Agaga, operating and who is defrauding doing things people on the somewhere internet claiming to else.” be my personal He said that assistant and uses a his lawyers have facebook profile been looking for that bears my name, the people who claiming to be me.,” started what he he went on to say. termed a very Asked what he is libelous story currently up to, he but they can't told us he is on find him. “I location in the east charge the people filming with Ali peddling that Huhu and Ngozi story to be bold Ezeonu in a new and come flick titled Palace •Tchidi forward and my Pleasure.

Pg. 32

Pg. 33

Nation Saturday, February 4, 2012

Pg. 31

• OSAZE CONTINUES SEARCH FOR GOAL • ANICHEBE AIMS TO SHOCK MOSES

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT

Sani ready for NPL goal race G

OMBE United five-goal hero, Sanusi Sani, has told SuperSport.com that he's ready to compete for the highest goal scorer award in the league.

Sani scored the NPL's third hat-trick as Gombe United hammered Sharks 5-0 on Wednesday.

The former Yerima Strikers and Zamfara United forward has made significant impact in the attack of the Bernard Ogbe tutored Gombe United this term.

Sani, who played as a second striker behind Dolphins new boy, Adamu Mohammed, said the situation has given him more opportunities as the club's top striker.

"As the top striker this term, I now have more chances to score and I've justified the decision of the coach. I was determined to increase my tally after scoring a brace against Lobi Stars on match day one.

"I'm so happy that things are going well as my support striker, Mustapha Babadidi also has five goals," Sani told SuperSport.com.

The forward picked his first goal against Sharks as the best on match day.

"It was a wonderful goal from outside the box," the striker said to SuperSport.com The Gombe State indigene revealed that he shunned an offer from Warri

Wolves to stay back because of his love for the fans, who have made him one of their favourites.

"Warri Wolves wanted me to join them. but I had to consider the fans and decided to stay back. Interestingly, this has turned out to be my best start for the club since last term," he told SuperSport.com.

He expressed confidence that his combination with Babadidi will enable Gombe United win the NPL this term.

Wednesday's victory has boosted the club's position at the top of the log.

Gombe now have 13 points after five matches and also have best attack with 11 goals.

FIXTURES SATURDAY ABS v 3SC Lobi Stars v Heartland Tornadoes v Wikki Tourist Pillars v Kwara Utd Sharks v Akwa Utd Rising Stars v Rangers

SUNDAY Ocean Boys v Dolphins v Jigawa v Kaduna Utd

Warri Wolves Gombe Utd Sunshine v Enyimba

•Gombe's Ayuba Aliu

Ocean Boys groan over unpaid wages

N

IGERIA Premier League (NPL) club, Ocean Boys are struggling under the weight of unpaid wages as the 2011/2012 season enters Week Seven.

Playing personnel of the club are owed 250 percent of their signing-on fees from the last two seasons. Morale at the club is at its nadir as players at the club seek for succour.

Midfielder Felix Benjamin says things must improve if the club are to effectively challenge for honours this term.

“Things are really difficult for us.

We have not been paid anything since last season and we have been performing well on the pitch,” Benjamin told SuperSport.com.

The club reached the semifinals of the Federation Cup last season, eventually overcoming Bayelsa United on penalties to finish in third place.

Circumstances were however not happier in the NPL last term as the club managed to beat the drop to the

lower division on the last day of the season.

Benjamin says the club’s management would need to offset the debts to players if the club is to effectively challenge for honours this season.

“To be honest, the salaries are paid promptly but the main issue is the signing-on fees which represent the bulk of our money. It will help greatly if the money is paid,” he said.

The 18-year-old took some time to discuss his objectives for the new season.

“I want to perform better than I did last season this time. I have been working on my skills alone after the normal training sessions with the team.

“I have noticed improvements in my game and I will continue to go from strength to strength,” he said.

Benjamin who scored twice for Ocean Boys last season joined the club from Jigawa Golden Stars in 2009.

LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

WhitherNigeria?

•Sports dead in Nigeria — Chioma Ajunwa N

IGERIAN athletes had posted a shoddy performance at the 2011 World Athletics Championships while they had managed to make an impact at the All Africa Games last year. Come July, the Olympics, will witness an array of stars across the globe jostling for medals haul.

Team Nigeria claims all logistics have been put in place for a swell performance. Medals are also expected from the Nigerian athletes at the biggest sporting event.

In this interview with Chioma Ajunwa, the first Nigerian to win an Olympic gold medal as well as the first African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a field event, the Olympian is certainly uncomfortable with preparations.

In a chat with the Nationsport, Ajunwa declared that sports in the country is in limbo: “There is this adage that says that one, who fails to plans, plans to fail. Olympics is a kind of global event that everybody needs to prepare more than others because it is a continuous process.

In sane climes, they prepare ahead of time. It beats my imagination sometimes that when we want to go for some competitions, as big as Olympic we don't plan ahead of time.

I don’t know when we will learn. It is a pity. We killed sports. We killed it.”

Having won the women's long jump at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, with a jump of 7.12m with her first attempt in the final and also crowning her efforts with a gold medal in the 1991 All-Africa Games.

The Nigerian Police officer, however, cited instances in her active days where she witnessed how countries prepared ahead of time.

Ajunwa said: “I believe that if we have people that are knowledgeable about the sports, people who have the interest of sports at heart, they should know that they should always borrow a leaf from countries that excel at international competitions. They would know that it pays more to prepare harder than our competitors. See when China held their own, they had said earlier at the Sydney Olympics held in 2004 that immediately Sydney Olympic ended, they will start preparations.

And that was what exactly what happened. You saw what happened in Beijing; the host country almost cleared the whole medals.

They really prepared for it, they worked for it.

If you spend money you will get good results. But here, we don’t want to spend money all they are interested in is embezzling money. And yet people are still clapping for them.

I think that is the reason we might fail at the Olympics.

It is always the same old story. We always hear that money has been released for preparations but yet we have nothing to show for it. While I was an athlete, when we go for competitions, we are always expecting

By Stella Bamawo money from the government even when it is already two weeks into the competition.”

On the athletes’ part, Ajunwa opined that athletes do make personal sacrifice: “One will begin to wonder what is actually going on.

But I believe that even though there is no close camping right now, but athletes are preparing. I know that most of our athletes do that on their own even outside Nigeria.

According to the former Nigerian athlete, she said that sports administrators have always been square pegs in round hole. In her view, sports will progress if ex –internationals are called on board more especially as this is an Olympic year.

Ajunwa stated: “They have always giving us Sports Ministers that come into the sports sector to learn . We are used to it. The new AFN Coach Innocent Egbunike is an experienced athlete.

And for him to be in the saddle, I think he should know the areas he is going to tackle. We need good athletes that will have a practical knowledge of what they are doing from an experienced coach.

In fact, to bring up good athletes we do not need administrators that are clueless. We need someone that will be practical I must say that reviving sports in the country is not something transient. It is a pity that we don’t want to realise our mistake. All we need to do is to go back to the drawing board.”

Ajunwas was, however, vehemently opposed to the restriction of athletes at the National Sports Festival: “The National Sports Festival is our mini Olympic. You cannot limit some people from taking part in the competition.

If we were limited in our playing days, we wouldn’t have made it at the Olympics. In fact, you will not be hearing of the likes of the Egbunikes, Chidi Imohs, Falilat Ogunkoya and others.

It is so abnormal to limit athletes.

Athletes should be allowed to compete, showcase their talents, then from there you pick as many as you want. By the time you are too choosy on who should take part in sports activities, you would not we have

one thousand and one of them under the bridges that you can redirect their lives through sports.

When I was an active sprinter, I remembered there was a guy that was we went to Commonwealth Games with us. That boy just came into the camp then, he had never run in his life, he saw us that morning and he asked us what we were doing and we told him we wanted to do trial. Then he told us he likes running. This guy pulled his trouser and he ran with the people in the camp.

If they had told him not to run, no one would have known that he could run. He was indeed a fantastic athlete. That athlete ran with us until we retired. He was making it in 100 and 200.

That is what we are talking; if you want to limit an athlete consider every other area that is our problem.

You need to give athletes the opportunity to showcase their talents.

Then you will pick from the host of them. Afterwards you will start grooming the athletes. So that is our problem. In a situation where one state is more interested in poaching athletes then there is no way forward.

Imagine when a state goes round the other states to buy athletes how do you expect us to grow? The only solution on ground is for the athlete to go back to the drawing board and pick an athlete.

It is high time all the States start employing athletes into the Sports Councils. Let sports councils be functional. When sports councils have athletes day in day out, we will be able to have athletes that will go round for competitions.

You will be able to get athletes that you can lay hand on that will represent Nigeria. But if we are not grooming athletes how would you get athletes to represent the country. You can’t go to their farms or villages to get them it must be somewhere they are training or preparing.

That is our problem here. They don’t know what a national sports festival is. It is rubbish when one state goes to buy all the athletes in Nigeria. It is rubbish. And when you buy athletes they just give you medals.

At the end of the day, what do you do with these athletes? But if athletes come from different states for

“

It beats my imagination sometimes that when we want to go for some competitions, as big as Olympic we don't plan.

I don’t know when we will learn. It is a pity. We killed sports. We killed it.”

“

Nigeria Premier League...Nigeria Premier League...

instance, we have more varieties of good athletes. Each state will keep them in their camp and will paying them. Athletes will do better because they are being paid. Most local athletes do not have the money to train.

It should be open. They should not limit athletes.

States should be working. Sports council should be functional. But when you get to the states, nothing is happening, the sports council in some states are like desserts. They don’t have anything.”

Ajunwa, however, believes sports can be resuscitated by taking a look at the grassroots. “We need to go back to the grassroots. That is where I came from. From the grassroots.

We need to revive local government competition local, from there we organised state then you go for the national. We must throw the National Sports Festival open that is why we call it the national sports festival throw it open.

A farmer who is interested in running should come, the people under the bridge should be allowed, that was how we discovered talented athletes in my days.

The Kanu Nwankwos of the world did not fly from heaven. Most talented athletes were from the ghettos. We should stop looking for already made athletes. By the time we throw it open, we will stop going to the US or Europe to buy athletes.

While proffering solution to the problems confronting sports, Ajunwa expressed disappointment that the National Sports Commission (NSC) does not deem it necessary to bring in the expertise of ex-internationals at the forthcoming Olympics.

She said: “What personal effort is the government putting in place that Chioma is able to fit into someone’s shoes. I am a police woman, as I ended my career, I drop my spikes and went back to my job. So after then I became a private person. Why is it that our ex internationals are not invited to oversee the activities of getting athletes for this nation. Does it mean that we don’t have anyting to offer?

Every other country has their ex internationals, doing one thing or the other. In Nigeria we know too much. How many people are running sports in Nigeria that are really sportsmen? An experienced sports man knows an athlete, the place you can go that you can get a quarter miller. Where you can Get good jumpers or sprinters.

How many of them know it?

I wonder what criteria are they using to pick their national coaches. If Nigeria wants me to work for them I have to be invited.

I have contributed my quota to Nigeria. I can’t just burst into the NSC. If you want ex-internationals to work they are on ground and they must be invited. These are experienced people for crying out loud and this is an Olympic year.”

•Ajunwa

•Chioma Ajunwa’s gold medal winning leap at the Atlanta ‘96 Olympic Games’ women long jump event

THE NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

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NATION SPORT

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HEN the time came for me to resume activities in the media, there was a solemn decision to always seek out the positives in sports administrators, players and sports affairs generally. The plan was to depart from the usual bricks hauling and slam dunking of persons and offices. How far this has been achieved is left to readers of this column to ascertain but suffice it to say that there are force majeurs that leads to occasional negation of this personal oath.

In the last two weeks there have been so many upward looking developments in sports that ordinarily should have engaged my writings but here I am bogged down by the negative development of the annulment of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its allied organ, the Board of the Nigeria Football League (NFL). The NFL wahala is a selfinflicted harm by all ramifications. It is what obtains when untrained minds man critical decision making positions in the affairs of a nation. How come successive NFL leaders didn’t realize that Nigeria Premier League (NPL) is a mere trading name and not the name of the organisation?

Back in the days when I interfaced for my former employers in relating with the NFL Board, it was my considered opinion that the so called rebranding move was a waste of fund. They never embarked on any other brand building and support activities to achieve a perception but there was more dents inflicted by corruption scandals.

Now, rather than amplify the revolution in Nigeria National League (NNL), we are bogged down by the distortion in the industry. Rather than make hay about a nascent football club, City of David United FC, a club that is charting new paths in club

Securing judgment that offers little justice

By Harry Iwuala management, we have a court judgment that has left us in depression. We should have been celebrating the preponderance of privately run clubs in the NNL, their new logo, website and strides in sponsorship acquisition. No, we are not talking about the sterling leadership of Chief Emeka Inyama but we are distracted by the rumbling fear of a deserved FIFA Ban. On the matter of legality of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in the case decided by Justice Donatus Okorowa, it’s now left to determine whose interest justice has served. Definitely, it did not serve the interest of the plaintiff, Sam Sam Jaja since he was not able to achieve the primary objective of contesting for the Chairmanship of Nigeria Premier League (NPL).

It makes for judicial comedy though that a man sought to contest to lead a body not known to law and decided to drag same body not known to law to a court and a Judge heard the case against the unknown body and ruled that the body was not known in Law. I am not a learned person.

Yes, justice in this matter don’t seem to have served any interests save for the shadowy boxers that have been sparring with the football authorities urged on by some persons at the National Sports Commission (NSC). We cannot achieve justice when we destroy a common heritage of a nation simply because we are not handed

the driving wheels. Mr. Jaja is a fine gentleman and my recollections of him through few interactions in the mid 1990’s to early 2000 suggests a man of serious contemplation who does not suffer fools gladly.

Emerging from the civil service, he was quick to imbibe all the intrigues of football politics hence the quick rise to the office of Nigeria Referees’ Association (NRA) Presidency and a seat on the board of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA). It therefore may not be out of place that the ‘me first’ bug of our football politicians has bitten into this fine gentleman to lay in him the egg of collective destruction syndrome.

Our football has been led to a trap which only the very mean minded will dare the FIFA Armageddon to descend. But collectively we can also untangle our football from the maze and silhouette of the cloak and dagger game that has been playing a deadly roulette on the administration of the game since the forced exit of the Ibrahim Galadima led Board. It is instructive to note the calm with which the supervising Sports Minister, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi has approached the imbroglio.

Something tells me he understands the precarious situation Nigeria has landed in the scheme of FIFA membership and will seek out sound counsel from only those that have not been tainted by partisan bents. Most of those who gathered at Protea Hotel the week

before in the name of Stakeholders were assembled by the same forces that have been plotting to create a hiatus in football in order to force an emergency situation and enthrone a Sole Administrator. It is an option the Minister must steer clear as it negates the democratic credentials of Nigeria among civil nations.

There is a legislative option which the NSC has refused to pursue even when previous Ministers (Bala Kaoje) have written memos to the Federal Executive Council and secured approval to pursue the reform in the extant football act. Neutral minds on this issue should be prompted to find out why after many years of initiating a bill for the amendment of the Decree 101 which became a Parliamentary act in1999, nothing has been heard of that bill after passing second reading. It has been fallaciously suggested that members of the defunct NFF had enough leverage to lobby for the passage of the bill.

It has equally been muted that the bill was stunted to enable NFF continue getting subvention from government but this flies in the face of logic since government cannot abdicate responsibility of ensuring that youths are engaged through this mass passion point. It has been stated but never contradicted that the budget for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was received and disbursed by the Sports Ministry and NSC. If this is the case,

does it still make any sense to posit that it is only NFF that are interested in government money?

Another sore point in the relationship between the NSC and the NFF has been the oft parroted issue of refusal to account for money released by government as subvention to the football house. I find it difficult to grasp this line of contention because it is statutory policy of government not to release funds to any agency that fails to make returns/accounts of previously collected money.

A case in point being the ongoing probe of the NSC over alleged monies collected for the All Africa Games and sundry other projects that have not been retired. Was it not in the cause of this probe that the bogey facebook registration fee came to light? Surprisingly, since that story broke in the social media, those mentioned have not found it fit to deny or correct the figures touted. My position is that when a procedural matter of accounting for funds is turned into a witch-hunting and popularity seeking intervention, we are bound to witness the alleged response of cries of interference.

Harry Iwuala is a r e n o w n e d Journalist based in Lagos, Nigeria

•Keshi

Kalu Uche may debut Taiwo keen to shine for QPR •Osaze continues search for goal T for Espanyol

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OLLOWING his 18month deal with Espanyol, Nigeria striker Kalu Uche may debut for the Spanish Club against Athletico Bilbao at the Estadio San Mamés.

Kalu whose former club, Neuchatel Xamal was thrown out of the Swiss Super League for falsifying a bank document provided as a financial guarantee in 2011, is familar with his new club having featured for Espanyol B team in 2000-2001 season As Schalke 04 continues its surge to top the German Bundesliga, Nigeria's Chinedu Ogbuke continue his search for his maiden goal for the club. Ogbuke who joined Schalke on loan from Hoffenheim till the end of the season made his debut on January 21 against Stuggart while he also played full time in the 4-1 defeat of Cologned last weekend.

Schalke remain in third position by virtue of goal difference despite being level on points with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and

•Ogbuke still eyes goal for Schalke •As Joel Obi, Utaka poised for victory

By Bimbo Adesina Borussia Dortmund.

In France, John Utaka will aim to keep pressure on PSG as second-place Montpellier target a win over Brest at Stade de la Mosson.

“We have a young team.

When you compare with Paris, it’s different. But if we have some ambition, we must be rigorous and serious. We shouldn’t waste what we have achieved so far," Montpellier coach Rene Girard said.

•Kalu Uche (l) with Espanyol president Ramon Condal Escude

HRILLED with his debut on Wednesday for Queen Parks Rangers (QPR), Nigerian defender Taye Taiwo is keen to shine for the newly promoted English Premier League club.

Taiwo had a spectacular debut with an accomplished display in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park. And having been rated 7.4 points for his showings from the club’s fans on his debut, Taiwo will be aiming for victory against Wolverhampton today at Loftus Road Stadium QPR is still struggling at the bottom of the having won only once in the league in 2012, a 3-1 home victory over Wigan.

But at The Hawthorns, Osaze Odemwingie continue his search for goal as West Brom faces Swansea City. He has only scored four goal this season.

The Roy Hodgson led team are hoping to regain his side's scoring form after been pushed to the bottom of the table. West Brom's poor home record means this shapes as a great chance for Swansea to improve on their dismal showings on the road.

Basking from 1-0 defeat of

Manchester City midweek, Victor Anichebe will again lead Everton against Wigan at The DW Stadium.

With Louis Saha offloaded to Tottenham and Tim Cahill scoring his first goal for 12 months recently against Blackburn, the weight of expectation on Anichebe will be enormous.

Everton have been gathering momentum of late and

are up to 10th place following their shock 1-0 win at home over leaders Manchester City, thanks to ex-Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson's deflected strike.

Undefeated in four, with two wins and two draws, Moyes' men could not have hoped for a better opponent than rock-bottom Wigan to keep that run going.

•Osaze

F F

TOP SCORES

Barclays Premier league Table - as at Feb 1 Man City Man Utd Tottenham Chelsea Newcastle Liverpool Arsenal Sunderland Stoke Everton Norwich Aston Villa Fulham Swansea West Brom QPR Bolton Blackburn Wolves Wigan

23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23

17 17 15 12 11 10 11 8 8 8 7 6 6 6 7 5 6 4 4 3

3 3 4 6 6 8 4 6 6 5 8 10 9 9 5 6 2 6 6 6

3 3 4 5 6 5 8 9 9 10 8 7 8 8 11 12 15 13 13 14

60 56 44 41 34 28 39 32 23 23 32 28 29 24 23 24 28 33 25 20

19 21 25 26 30 21 33 24 35 26 39 31 32 28 32 39 47 47 43 48

41 35 19 15 4 7 6 8 -12 -3 -7 -3 -3 -4 -9 -15 -19 -14 -18 -28

54 54 49 42 39 38 37 30 30 29 29 28 27 27 26 21 20 18 18 15

van Persie Ba Aguero Rooney Ayegbeni Dzeko Dempsey Bale Sturridge Bent Adebayor Lampard Balotelli Fletcher Helguson Defoe

Arsenal Newcastle Man City Man Utd Blackburn Man City Fulham Tottenham Chelsea Aston Villa Tottenham Chelsea Man City Wolves QPR Tottenham

19 15 14 13 12 11 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8

ORMER Barcelona goalkeeper Vitor Baia has taken the time to praise Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, and feels that the Portuguese trainer would have been a good option for the Blaugranas.

The Santiago Bernabeu tactician worked at the Camp Nou from 1996 until 2000 under head coaches Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, and his countryman is confident that Mourinho would have done a good job if he'd ever taken charge of the current European champions.

ORMER Spain international Gaizka Mendieta has hinted that Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola will not be at Camp Nou much longer.

Guardiola has yet to commit his future to Barca beyond the end of this season despite winning 13 out of 16 titles since taking charge of their first team in 2008.

The 41-year-old coach denied on Tuesday the notion that he was close to signing a new contract, but Mendieta says that Guardiola will not take long to join another club.

"I believe that his cycle at Barcelona will end someday, he is the one to decide the right moment," Mendieta is quoted by Europa Press as saying.

"I think that as a professional he is interested in new challenges.

"It could happen in the summer, it depends on how this season goes. Soon we could see Guardiola at another club.

"Perhaps because of his playing experience in Italy it will be easier to see him in Serie A, even though he knows about world football and he could triumph anywhere."

34

THE NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

NATION SPORT

I

have already expressed delight at the statement by FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon (the man contracted by the Nigeria Football Federation last year to engage our National Teams, especially Super Eagles, in international friendly matches) that himself and company are working real hard to ensure that Nigeria gets more top-quality international friendlies this year.

Last year’s Guinness The Match remains the biggest international friendly for the Super Eagles since Mr. Rotimi Pedro brought the Senior National Team of Brazil to play the Eagles in a match that commemorated the official opening of the National Stadium, Abuja on June 11, 2003.

The Eagles lost that encounter nine years ago 3-0, but rose stoutly to the occasion against the Argentines to run away 41 winners on the night. Three months later, in Dhaka (capital of Bangladesh) the two teams met again, with the South Americans winning 31.

Top-grade international friendlies help to steer a team away from the lethargy and comfort of playing the smaller nations, which afford only false confidence. Having earned different results against Argentina last year, the Super Eagles are much better schooled in terms of what they need to put together when confronting any of the world’s Top 10 sides.

While it may be difficult to get a friendly into the packed month of June, in which THREE big ones await the Super Eagles, there is a FIFA window on August 15, and another one on November 14.

Sandwiched between these two dates is the period of 7-9 September, when the Super Eagles must host one of the 16 finalist teams at the on-going African Cup of Nations finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, for a place at the 2013 African Cup of Nations finals in South Africa.

Before that clash, the Eagles MUST get the Wasps of Rwanda behind them in the first round of the qualifiers, the first leg of which takes place at the Amahoro Stadium, Kigali at the end of this month.

•NPL boss Victor Baribote

Inside The Glass House WITH AMINU MAIGARI

Our Expectations for Year 2012 (3)

With top grade friendlies, the Super Eagles will be able to acquit themselves creditably well in the final round of qualifiers for the 2013 African Cup of Nations. The first leg, as mentioned earlier, will take place in Nigeria with the return leg away. It is importan0t that we quickly get Rwanda out of the way in order to focus on the would-be opposition.

We also intend to be able to present solid teams for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals (our Falconets are already through to the second round of a three-round race following the withdrawal of Sierra Leone), which will take place in Uzbekistan between 18 August – 8 September. The same objective for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals, which is taking place in Azerbaijan between 22 September and 13 October, and for which our Flamingoes have, to all intents and purposes, assured a place in the second and final round of qualifiers in March.

Certainly, the objective for the Super Eagles will be bigger.

The Cup holders of the African Women Championship will play against Zimbabwe in May for a place at the 8th African Women Championship which will be hosted by Equatorial Guinea in November.

The African Cup of Nations...

So much thrill and frills from

the African Cup of Nations finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Senegal, ranked jointfavourites alongside Cote d’Ivoire at the outset, have fallen aside with a hat-trick of 2-1 losses, to Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and Libya. Sudan, ranked outsiders in the race at the beginning, have made their way into the quarter finals on the back of an impressive victory over Burkina Faso. The Sudanese actually got everyone talking when they held Angola to a draw in their second game, after battling favourites Cote d’Ivoire hard in a 0-1 defeat.

The General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, told me during the week that he suspected the standard of the competition would have been higher if the Super Eagles were there. I think so, too. But we’re not there and we just have to work hard enough to ensure that we reach the 2013 finals starting in less than 11 months in South Africa.

Thank you, Governor Amosun...

Today, at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, the Flamingoes will seek to conclude the job against their counterparts from Kenya in a FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier.

On Saturday, thanks to the gesture of the Ogun State Government, led by Governor Ibikunle Amosun, the girls moved from Abuja to Abeokuta for the final phase of their preparation, following a 2-0 win in Nairobi in the first leg.

Not many State Chief Executives in the country have time for football at this period, which is why we must thoroughly commend Governor Amosun and his government for accepting to host the Flamingoes.

And on Monday, as the team trained on the turf of the MKO Abiola Stadium, the surprise guest was Governor Amosun himself, who gave the girls words of encouragement, and then invited them and their officials to a dinner at the Government House same day.

At the dinner, Governor Amosun feted the Flamingoes and the accompanying officials and then handed them a princely sum of N2.5 million, with N1.5m meant for the girls and the balance for the officials.

The Nigeria Football Federation is immensely grateful to Governor Amosun for this gesture and surely, we will not hesitate to consider Ogun State for even bigger matches in the

future.

Nigeria National League in a momentum...

Last week Friday, the Board of the Nigeria National League staged its pre-season Seminar, Official Draw and Unveiling of Logo and Website ceremony at the Chida International Hotel, Abuja.

I was unavoidably absent but my speech which was read by the Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League and the 2nd Vice President of the NFF detailed the satisfaction of the nation’s supreme footballgoverning body with the momentum of the NNL leadership, and further expectations: “The strength of character and determination that you have shown in your few months in office go a long way to convince the Nigeria Football Federation that indeed, the right persons have come on board.

And this is good for the second tier of the Nigeria game, at a time that we all are resolved to afford more attention and emphasis on the domestic game.

“Within a few months, the Board of the Nigeria National League has been able to show its commitment to the cause.

We have seen the new leadership run the Super Four competition in Bauchi with great flair and success, and the good strides have continued with a new office and new focus.

“Certainly, there is still a lot of hard work ahead. Challenges come almost every day, but the cliche says that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. When you have savvy and invention, have the zeal and passion for an assignment, you go a long way.

And when there is wisdom, acumen, experience and painstaking approach, success is certain.

“The challenges include managing a credible and qualitative League, which would then be able to attract sponsors in droves, and give the first tier of the domestic football – the Premier League – a good run. If the National League is good enough, the Premier League will strive to be better, and this will have a rub-on effect on our football generally.

“If the Board of the Nigeria National League shows transparency and accountability in the way it runs the League, the management of the different Clubs taking part will have no choice but to strive to be like the Board, and with credibility will come interest from all and sundry.

AKINLOYE AT LARGE 08050246155 atlarge84@yahoo.com

The new Soccer Czars NEW soccer powers are emerging in football and the heavens are applauding.

When Spain emerged as the world champions in South Africa in 2010, we saw the Europeans toppling Brazil on the FIFA rankings. The South Americans have sat on the number one spot as long as one could remember and the Spanish victory brought the Europeans to the top of the log for the first time in their history. Spain had been knocking on the door of the World Cup victory for more than two editions. Each time they were tipped to win they let the pundits down.

They were sent packing from the 1998 edition of the World Cup in the first round. Their exit was engineered by Nigeria who beat them 3-2 in their group opening game. The Spaniards emerged from the ouster stronger and by 2010 they finished as winners. They draw most of their players from Barcelona. The Catalans are the best team in the world and their magic rub off on the national team. They are likely to win the Europeans Nations Cup and go on to add the 2014 World Cup to the haul. They will continue to dominate as long as Barcelona play well and the teams fail to find solution to their free-playing style.

Spain has won what is there to be won in FIFA competitions and have build an unbeatable team which is capable of dominating world's football.

Brazil will remain second best as long as the Spanish technicians are at work. The South Americans have lost power. Solution has been found to samba and many countries are having the confidence to take on them on the field of play successfully. Argentina is a team of individual stars and effort of coaches to turn them to a winning force has failed. They were tipped to win in South Africa because of the caliber of players in their fold which included the irrepressible Messi, but they crashed out in the quarterfinals They are expected to remain as individuals and pan into insignificance as the Germans remain unpredictable.

The Orange boys are not a team to be pushed aside. They have been tipped to win the Europeans Nations Cup along with Spain. They have become a formidable team since South Africa 2010. Holland cruised into the final stage of the Euro 2012 as one of the early birds and they are expected to be a giant player in 2014 World Cup holding in Brazil. The Dutch team is a young one which is learning as the days go by.

There is no other place that the new soccer powers are emerging beside Africa and the Nations Cup is the theater. Ghana is also emerging as a new power in the game of football. They lost in the quarterfinals at the last World Cup via a penalty miss tro Uruguay. They are an efficient team playing with confidence. Led by Dede Ayew, son of Abedi Pele, the Africans have kept their World Cup players in tact and have brought a few new talents in to reinforce the team. They will become a difficult team to beat if they are kept together for more years. Though they have not won any trophy, that achievement is waiting in the wings as they are tipped to win the African Cup of Nations which is ongoing in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Though they were beaten 6-1 by Guinea, Botswana tells the story of an emerging soccer power. They were the first to qualify for the Nations Cup and they did it in style. One expects their revolution to last, but they should enjoy it the long it lasts.. Yet, their history will not be complete without stating that they qualified for the Nations Cup for the first time.

Niger is another story of emerging soccer power. They have tasted the Nations Cup for the first time and they will do everything possible to ensure that they stay among the big boys of African football.

Sudan is not new to African football at the highest level. They had played in the Nations Cup when it was for few elite countries in the continent. They slept off and only recently woke up from their slumber. They have made the quarterfinals of the Nations Cup from a difficult group and they have what it takes to go a little further. The revival in Sudan is a story on its won.

A club level, new powers also are emerging. Starting from England, where Manchester City is leading the English Preemier League. The Blues had not have it good since their inception. Their new found form is coming from foreign injection of funds as the owners want to have a piece of the big money cake. They have brought in players who have changed the course of history of the once-struggling side.

Man City are topping the log with three points ahead of the other Manchester. Whether they win the league or not, they have made a statement which cannot be ignored. They will play in Europe again next season and have pushed aside the Arsenal and Chelsea of this world. Man City use the pitch very efficiently. That is their strong point and it is expected to be a stronger point as the season wears on.

Juventus is also topping the table in the Serie A. They have woken up from slumber and are fighting AC Milan for the gong. Juventus are the only club that has not lost any match in Europe this season.

They are topping the table with one point which could prove decisive as the journey wears on. They do not have the complement of big money. They are operating on a tight budget, but they are gradually emerging as a force to reckon with in Italian football.

Tottenham are not big spenders either , but they are competing with big spenders. They are third on the log and have what it takes to win the marble. The work of many years is showing with the standing of Spurs on the table and their performance in the last two seasons has shown that they are a new soccer power house.

Paris Saint Germain(PSG) are like Manchester City. They are backed by big spenders. The money they have spent so far is showing as they top the French League One table. They are expected to play a big role in how the French football move in the next couple of years. They will sign big names in the summer and there on show that they are a force to reckon with in world football.

AFRICA NATIONS CUP QUARTER-FINAL TIE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

36

Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf

BENONI...Tribute to a golf icon at 80

H

E IS Dr. Benjamin Aiguobasimi Oni Okpaku. To you, he is simply Benoni. Since January 25,1932,that he arrived the planet earth, he has been very lucky.

When he was born, he achieved instant fame because he was the first child from Owan West Local Govt. Area of Edo State to survive without a mother.

He was lucky to meet and marry Miss Olufunmilayo Abigail Dixon in 1959 culminating in marriage in 1960.

They have been lucky to have three ladies and a gentleman... Oluwatoyin Asegboba, an architect, Dele Asevbo, a medical doctor, Lola Omolua, a lawyer banker and Oluwagbemiga Eromosere, an Agro Economist and manager(operations) at Benoni Hospital.

Three people played great roles in the life of Benoni. His father, Late Henry Oni-Okpaku Esq.MBE. He was father and mother to him. He raised him in a way that he could compare with English gentlemen who were his colleagues in the then Nigerian Police Force. Then Professor Tiramiyu Bello-Osagie. He was friendly with his father. He insisted Benoni went to the King’s College, Lagos. The third person is Engineer Adewole Olukoya. Olukoya and Benoni met in Warri in 1964. They were together for just five months. But within those months, Olukoya was usually listening to conversations between Benoni and his so called friends. He left Benoni this short poem that was to guide him through his lifetime...”Benji, you are a good man. You are open and you think everybody is like you. I have been watching your drinks for the past five months. I implore you to watch your own drinks”. This is the life of BENONI. A man who single-handedly sponsored 24 edition of the famed BENONI Golf Open.

The circumstances of Benji’s birth is well known to most to most people.

His mother passed on soon after giving birth to Benji. At this stage his late father Mr Oni-Okpaku must come up for some accolades. As a man of vision and hope, a conscientious man with strong christian principles, he ignored the barbaric practices against such neonates who had the misfortune to lose their mothers at birth in Ora. Right from that moment he saw to it that Benji had best available upbringing. Benji’s maternal grandmother took over and after weaning the baby took the baby to the father in Lagos. Right from the beginning the old man inculcated in Benji the strong values of right and wrong.

He instilled in him the importance of initiative, and ambition, self-determination and independence of spirit, above all honesty and sincerity. These virtues have been the hallmark of Benji’s life.

Then during the early part of the second world war when bombs were dropped in Lagos, the father consigned Benji and his sisters to live with his uncle the late Venerable. S. O. Akinluyi in Ora. There,it was another round of strict discipline involving memorizing tracts from the Bible. One of his elementary school teachers at this stage was his cousin Chief E. T. O. Orhewere, an Educationist. A classmate of his in Ora was Mr. Alegbe, Ex-speaker of the then Bendel State and another classmate was the late 1st Oje of Ora. Back to Lagos he passed the entrance examinations to both Kings College and Igbobi College. He chose Kings College where his mind was cultivated in many disciplines – Latin, English Language and Literature, history, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Above all he excelled in sports and was the young goalkeeper for Kings College first eleven.

His mind was cultivated for great things in life. He passed out of Kings College at a time that results of the Cambridge school certificate examination made headline news in the Nigerian newspapers. When among his colleagues he saw Dr Kofi Duncan rejoicing, he diminished him by saying, “what are you gloating about, after all you were the last in grade 1, whereas I was the first in grade II”. That was typical of Benji’s aphorisms at that early age. Among his classmates at Kings College were Chief Allison Ayida, Chief Phillip Asiodu, and Dr Sola Ade Onajobi.

When he was leaving Nigeria to study Medicine in England, he bumped into his college Principal Mr. J. R. Bunting, who said “what is this I hear, that you are going to study in England? What are you going to do there, play football?” On graduating M. B., Ch.B. in 1958 in Birmingham, Benji sent a cablegram to Mr Bunting in Jamaica, which read, “Okpaku the footballer has turned Doctor”.

At every stage in his life one could almost see the hand of God pointed to the direction his career should take and this time it pointed to the choice of his wife. The marriage

GOLFLINE

NTDC brings for WITH

Tony Akhigbe golflineintl@yahoo.com 0 8 0 94863638

of 42 years has been a solid and comfortable relationship of mutual love and affection blessed with four children who are graduates in Architecture, Law, Medicine and Agriculture. There are also four grand children. Except in the church and law courts, self-effacement has been her lot.

While married Benji stayed on to do his postgraduate course in surgery, which he successfully completed by passing the examinations for the F. R.C. S. Edinburgh and F. R. C. S. England. His wife also completed her law studies and they returned home with two children in August 1963.

Dr.Oni-Okpaku retired prematurely from the civil service in 1975 at the age of 43 years. He was not tired when he retired but he wanted to build Benoni Hospital. As a surgeon he was one of the best in this country; his fingers were so dexterous that he could tie a Reef-knot in a matchbox. Building Benoni Hospital was a task that would have daunted and broken many men. But not Benji.

Running the hospital would have even been more tasking for the ordinary doctor. But Benji is an extraordinary doctor who, once having set his hand on the plough, never looks back. Benoni Hospital is still waxing strong and still very relevant to the needs of the community.

Benoni is an impeccably decent and courteous man, a man of true genuine and profound sympathy. He is a giant who has worked selflessly to make life better for other, and in doing so he has constructed monuments to his own life.

His devotion to golf has never wavered. Golf has defined his attitude: a game relying on assiduous preparation and an impeccable respect for etiquette, marked by good manners and unshakeable traditions. These were the attributes the great golfers have in mind, not just the physical exercise to trim down the tummy.

Benoni has a sharp no-nonsence intellect, agile mind and thorough grasp of business principles and methods. Where others agonized over issues self-doubt never crossed his mind. His cheery manners and breezy self-confidence have seen him safely through numerous hurdles. He has an eye, an ear, a mind that hustle into place the significant details – and that is what has given him his encyclopaedic memory.

Last Saturday, members of the Benin Golf Club is organize a grand golf tournament and party to the health and harmony of Dr. Benjamin Oni-Okpaku and his bossom friend, Alhaji Adams, who equally turned 80 at same period. Let all golfers in the country drink to this toast.

Renard: Sudan won't be easy S

UDAN will not give us an easy game, Zambia coach Herve Renard has warned ahead of Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations in Bata.

Zambia and Sudan will clash this weekend for a place in the semi-finals of the 2012 Nations Cup, which has proved to be as open as experts predicted.

Sudan will be the underdogs, but Renard also said they could also bite especially if they are taken for granted.

"If we want to go through the semi-finals, we have to be strong because they won’t give us an easy game," Renard said.

The meeting will be the first of two competitive encounters’ between the teams over the coming six months before clashing in a Brazil 2014 World Cup Group D qualifier on June 1 in Khartoum.

"Sudan is a team that fights for each ball. It may not be one of the best teams at the Africa Cup but it is one team that never gives up and it will be very, very difficult," the Frenchman further warned.

The match will mark Herve Renard's second successive quarterfinal appearance as Zambia coach after guiding them to the last eight in his first tenure in 2010.

•Renard

Gabonese fans offered free tickets

A

FRICA CUP of Nations organisers in Gabon have pledged to offer free quarter-final tickets to fans, in an effort to address low attendances.

Many games have been played in front of whole sections of empty seats, particularly in Franceville.

Wednesday's tie between Ghana and Guinea was seen by as little as 1,000 fans in a ground that holds 25,000.

Organisers have responded by promising free entry to Sunday's tie between Ghana and Tunisia in Franceville.

The matches involving the co-hosts - two of which were played in Libreville and one in Franceville - have been well attended, with nearcapacity crowds watching the Panthers' progression to the last eight, with three wins out of three.

Continue reading the main story “All the people will get the tickets - students, workers, and people that live near Franceville. We'll get a plan for transportation to bring people into the stadium” But the Stade De Franceville and the Stade de l'Amitie in Libreville - which can hold 40,000 people - have seen vast swathes of empty seats for other high-profile group matches, a problem the Nations Cup Organising Committee (Cocan) hopes to address.

"Usually, if you take [previous] tournaments, in the stadium when the local team is not playing, people don't go to the stadium," Louis Claude Mounzeo Koumba,

FIXTURES •Oni Okpaku

As for Sudan coach Mohamed 'Mazda' Abdullah, he has guided the 1970 champions to their first quarterfinal appearance in 42 years when they last won the tournament.

Zambia v Sudan Ivory Coast v E/Guinea

head of communications for Cocan in Gabon told BBC Sport.

"We try to do the best.

Usually [in other] tournaments, it's 40 per cent of people who go to the stadium.

"In Franceville, during the game between Ghana and Guinea, 10,000 people [went] to the stadium," Koumba said, citing Cocan's own figures.

"It's not enough. We work [to ensure] that [for] the quarter-final between Ghana and Tunisia [in Franceville], there will be many more people in the stadium."

The price of tickets may be one reason for the low attendances at games, with the cheapest tickets costing around $10 in a country where the monthly legal minimum wage is $160.

Asked what measures the organisers would take to ensure increased attendance, Koumba said they would work with sponsors to provide free tickets to fans.

"The sponsor of the Cocan [told] us that they will buy the tickets, and we will give [them] to the people and we'll do the transportation for the people to [get to] the stadium.

"The sponsor will buy the tickets for them and Cocan will distribute. All the people will get the tickets - students, workers, and people that live near Franceville. We'll get a plan for transportation to bring people into the stadium."

The organisers should be assured of another capacity crowd in Libreville on Sunday, with Gabon taking on Mali, and say they are confident they will also fill the seats in Franceville.

39

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

It may sometimes be tough, but it’s a beautiful world It’s weekend again and I can raise my legs high up as my hairdresser unbraids my hair on the way to giving me a great new style. It was a very busy week for me, but was also very enlightening for me. I found myself doing more of political consultancy last week, rather than the media consultancy I’ve been used to. Was it fun? It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in recent times. It’s also good to say that the men are giving us women a chance to reach to the top in this job. They’re giving us a free hand to be creative and handle their jobs well.

Let me give it to His Excellences, Sen. Ahmed Sani (Yerima) (right from when he was the governor of Zamfara State) and Amb. Musiliu Obanikoro who gave me the very first chance at media consultancy when I was a tiny and fragile woman… almost ten years now . They didn’t see the woman in me, they saw the brainspowers. Sen. Umaru Dahiru, OON has not looked back since hiring me five years ago and today even as he continues to give me more opportunities, other men and women are joining the group of fortunate people who engage us.

It may sometimes be tough out there, but it’s a beautiful world. It is.

My Facebook friend won’t let me visit her Dear Sister Adeola, I want your advice on this issue; there is a lady I am dating. I don’t see her but we usually communicate on phone - I met her on Facebook.

She stays at Ibadan and studying for NCE at Oyo. I live at Ogbomosho studying at LAUTECH. I invited her to my place, but she refused and she doesn’t want me to come and see her. Please what can I do? I love her and she loves me too and we call each other every day. - SD. Dear SD, meeting people on all these social networks is as interesting as it is crazy. The same way you

have met and ‘fallen in love’ with her is the same way others too might have fallen in love with her… and the same way she’s loving other guys too.

To a lot of people, Facebook, Twitter etc. are just like playing games.

Nothing beats the conventional faceto-face relationship. You can go on for years without meeting those you meet on social networks, meanwhile, they go on living their normal lives while you may be there building your castles in the air.

On the other hand, let’s even assume she’s serious and not playing games with you, I appreciate the fact

that she’s not getting on the next bus to come to Ogbomoso to see you. We all have to be careful about travelling to strange places to meet those we hardly know. What if a serial/ ritual killer comes on Facebook and poses as a lover boy? Or what she’s not what claims to be? The first thing about knowing these things is to ask somebody who lives close to where that person lives to do a background check on the person. Let’s be conscious about safety first.

If you too really love each other, things will work themselves out and you would be glad you didn’t rush into meeting each other. Best wishes there!

I love this older girl, but she’s not acting like she loves me I have been an ardent reader of your column for the past two years May God help you.

I need your advice on this little issue of mine. I met a lady during our preliminary days at the college and we became close friends, but unfortunately, when the names for transiting students were released, her name was missing. Now she’s schooling at the premier university but during this period I proposed to her, she agreed. But my question now is does she love me? The reason for this question is for her nonchalant behavior towards me. Firstly, she doesn’t call me or text me, but if peradventure she calls, she flashes me and calling her back is for me to send her airtime, in which I’ve e been doing.

Secondly, when I call her, the phone will ring and then another trial will voice out “switched off” but after many trials she will pick the call with an excuse of her phone’s low battery. Though she’s two years older than me,- I’m just 23 years old and she’s 25. And she also visits me anytime she likes.

Please, I want to know whether she truly loves me, even though I have asked her and she said yes. But I’m perplexed, maybe because of the age range. Help me out.

I’m not psychic, but I’m very versed in the antics of girls (and even older women), so I can say without any fear of contradiction that this girl is taking you as a ‘spare’. The moment you got thrown apart, she must have caught other fancies in her new environment.

Let’s look at it this way: age difference between a man and a woman may not matter when the parties concerned are both matured. If for instance you were in your thirties now and she’s two years older than you are, she knows that there’s the likelihood for marriage between both of you. But here, we’re talking about a 23-year old boy who is yet to start life and a 25year old girl who is ripe for marriage by all standards .

What does that say to us? It says that though she may love you, but you’re not exactly whom she could risk building her hopes for the future on.

She knows that it may take you the next

seven years to be ready while her own clock is ticking away. For all we know, she may be in another relationship and using you to oil the communication gap.

Or why does she take airtime from you and she doesn’t call you with the same credit? Who is she calling when she’s not calling you?

Stop sending her credit and try as much as possible to start seeing your love in the heart of somebody who won’t be too close to marriage now (except you say you’d be ready for marriage soon). Just before you leave her life though, have a talk with her on issues of when she might want to get married and examine the other issues I raised in my response. It shall be well with your soul.

Hearts With Adeola Agoro E-mail: libranadeola@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 08023162609

My boyfriend is expressionless, he doesn’t say he loves me I’m 20 years, I don’t know what is wrong with me; I can’t see myself as a lover. Each time I’m in a relationship it always ends after six months. Now, I’m in a long distance relationship, but I don’t understand what is going on. The guy claims he loves me but he doesn’t care about me - no proper expression of feeling or text, no call.

I don’t know what to do, sometimes I feel maybe it’s because I’m poor or because I’m not a student or because of my background. Please help.

My dear, let’s first deal with your major problem – lack of confidence. You seem to have a problem with thinking yourself beneath those you date because of what you recognize to be your poor background and low level of education.

Until you build your self-confidence, you may have problems dealing with people (not only boys) and building healthy relationships.

First of all, start by looking at the

good things about yourself and tell yourself your background may be poor, but you’re not poor in spirit. Tell yourself you may not have education now, but you will get it. Build a strong inner mind and learn to discard those who make you feel bad.

Tell you something – not all men are expressive. Don’t let us forget that we all come from different homes. Some men have never seen the men in their families saying kind words to the women in their lives. You don’t expect such men to go mushy-mushy expressing love. They may do it in other ways than in words. If this guy has said he loves you, then take it that he has said it. It is however a problem if he doesn’t show care by calling. When we love, we always want to communicate with the people of our desires. If this guy doesn’t call, then let him go, stop pushing the relationship. Work on yourself and reserve yourself for the person who will accept you the way you are. Good luck.

I have hearing problems, how can I get a girlfriend?

Hi Aunt Ad. Agoro. I’m 32 and really in need of a girlfriend for a serious relationship that can lead to marriage but I don’t know how to get one. Although I’m a very shy person, but that is not the problem. The problem is that I have hearing problems but I wasn’t born this way.

When I’m talking to people, they hear, but when they’re talking I can’t hear well. Kindly speak to me on how to go about it. (08165212710).

The first way to go about handling this problem is to see an ear, nose and throat doctor who will analyze your situation and prescribe the best earpiece for you. It is always very frustrating when people are trying to share important news with you and you lose out on it all or you’re saying something totally unconnected to what they’re saying. That, however, doesn’t mean you can’t have a very healthy relationship. I’m publishing your number so that interested females may contact you (by text only please). Be warned though that there are many evil people out there who may try to defraud you once your telephone number has been made public. Good will guide you.

He wants to marry me after getting another woman pregnant I had a son for a man but he got another woman pregnant and he never told me until late in the relationship.

Now he wants to marry me; what do I do? I’m lost. Please talk to me. – J. Dear J, all over the world, things like this happen and if I were to properly sum up my feelings about this, I’d say it in Yoruba: kiloju ori ri? (What is it that we’ve not seen before?).

It may seem as if I’m always finding excuses for men, but the truth is that if we take rash decisions based on their irrational behaviour, we’ll be worse for it. Believe me.

Let me give you a vivid picture of what will happen if you don’t accept his proposal (if he’s good to you and you love him). You already have a son, so, you’re going to go into

a new relationship with a baggage. Is it not better to save yourself the problem of looking for the prefect man (which may take a while and some anguish) and accept your ‘readymade’ home now? With this man and your son, you already have a family since you’re still very much together. He’s giving you your honour by wanting to marry you and not just allowing you to raise your son all by yourself.

Which would pain you more: that he has a baby from another woman or that he now marries that other woman and they live happily together while you have to jump from one man to the other before you finally meet a good man? Think about it. Or let’s look at

another scenario. Most men eventually go on to have love children while they’re still married to their wives. That is always so painful for us as women because most times, it comes as a big shock to discover that the man you’ve spent your life trusting has been going behind your back to make babies outside.

Isn’t it better that the love child that is likely to come has already come before marriage?

As I said earlier, if this guy is good to you and his son and you love each other, learn to embrace him and forgive him for his sin.

Take the other child as yours and you will see how lovely life will turn out. I wish you the best as an understanding wife and a good mother to the children you both have now.

10 habits to help you live a good life

•Mr & Mrs Tony Grey with the couple, Mr & Mrs Benedict Oyadisebofa Akpoyibo during the wedding of their daughter recently..

1. Wake Early: Be a big fan of waking at 5am and spending time working on yourself before going to work.

2. Exercise: Having the goal of exercising 4 times a week is good for you. If you have the time and energy, you may take short exercises daily.

3. Write Your Goals: Each day try to get closer to achieving your short, medium and long term goals. Starting the day by writing your goals means that you have better awareness of them throughout the day.

4. Read and/ or Listen to Motivational Material: In the morning a whole day of endless

possibilities lies ahead. Motivate yourself to be your best by reading and listening to inspirational books/audio books.

5. Visualize the Day Ahead: Visualize what you want happen in the coming day. It’s amazing how often your desires become reality when you do this.

6. Write a “To Do” list: Write out a list in your diary or notepads of the important tasks you need to do that day.

As they are completed put a line through them. So simple, yet so effective. (I do this daily and it helps).

7. Check the News Headlines: It’s important to have an idea of what

is happening in your community and the world.

8. Take a Multivitamin: Try to eat a well-balanced diet, but taking a multivitamin daily reassures you you’re obtaining the proper amount of vitamins and minerals that you need.

9. Tidy Up: a cluttered house can lead to a cluttered mind and fuzzy thinking. It’s best to stay on top of things by tidying up each day.

10. Take Time to Look Good: It’s a reality of life that people judge us by our appearance. Take a few minutes each morning to ensure you go out into the world looking the best you can.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Not over until it’s over

J

OE and Carey have been married for five years.

They have been together before that for eight years.

That’s a total of 13 long years, a lifetime for many people. Their marriage was one that had all the blissful things in the beginning.

They had a comfortable life, a nice house, and two wonderful kids.

Five years into the marriage, they were thrown off balance by issues and problems like infidelity, lack of time, and so on.

Joe was a workaholic who wanted the best for his family. He worked round the clock until he felt his eyes popping out. As a business man, he was out of the country most of the time.

There was this one time when he was abroad and he was missing his family so much that he gave into the temptation of being with another woman.

It wouldn’t have been such a big predicament if Joe had gotten away with it. But he was not the lying type and he confessed his misdoing to his wife. Carey wanted to forgive him and move on with their lives. But she couldn’t. It was such a painful ordeal that the second fate had her running across her ex-flame, she right away jumped at the idea of having an affair with him.

For several months, Joe had noticed that Carey wasn’t her usual self. She wouldn’t touch him, kiss him, or sleep with him. He thought it was because Carey was still hurt from what he did. What he didn’t know was that Carey was already falling for another man, the one she has an affair with. The man showered her all the affection and attention she couldn’t get from Joe. Carey filed for a divorce.

It was a devastating time for Joe. He didn’t expect that his infidelity would drive his wife to the arms of another man. From a workaholic, he turned to being an alcoholic. He couldn’t bear seeing his family breaking apart. Their kids were in so much pain as well. Carey wouldn’t like to go on with their lives pretending they were a happy family just for the sake of their kids.

Carey moved in with Jerry, the man she had an affair with. Joe started dating and having several girlfriends.

For the next few years, the kids grew up moving from one home to another every couple of months. Joe and Carey would see each other from time to time during special occasions.

They still loved each other and that was very obvious in how they would seem frantic and nervous whenever they would get together.

Carey would always have her hair done and Joe would try to get a good sleep for a week so he’d look fresh before seeing Carey. It was apparent with how Carey helped Joe get over his drinking problem. Even their kids knew that. Although they were separated, the kids were happy that the love was

still there. All this time, they managed to stay friends.

At their eldest daughter’s wedding, Carey and Joe saw each other again. Last time they saw each other was three years ago at Jerry’s funeral. Carey was glad that her ex-husband was there to offer his sympathy and condolences. Carey also loved Jerry so much as he had been such a faithful partner to her. She never married him though because she knew her heart always belonged to Joe. At the wedding, Joe and Carey had a chance to talk.

Yes, they have talked several times before in the past but it was only twelve years later that they were able to talk about their marriage and what went wrong. Joe asked Carey if she had already forgiven him. Carey said yes.

Joe said they were already too old for the sweet-nothings and all that so he went straight to the point that he would like to be with her again. He always had.

There just wasn’t a good timing for them.

Carey didn’t know how to react. After all, they’ve been separated for more than a decade now. But since she didn’t have anything to lose, she agreed but she wanted to take things slowly. It took them one year of dating before they moved in together. Two years after that, they got remarried.

Their kids who were already all grown up were the happiest during the wedding of their parents.

During the groom’s speech, Joe told everyone, “I know it’s the weirdest thing to get a divorce and get remarried fifteen years later to the same woman but I believe that there’s a reason for everything that happened.

Maybe if we stayed together all those years, we wouldn’t love each other as much as we do now.”

Source:www.lovetips.com

T

ANYA was an exer cise freak.

She worked out in the morning. She worked out in the afternoon. She worked out before she slept. It was to the point that she felt addicted to physical activity. It was a good thing her doctor confirmed that she didn’t have any exercise addiction. It was just that she loved to stay in shape as much as other people loved doing what they

Fit for love loved to do.

She was on a treadmill at the gym watching her favorite soap on her portable TV when she sensed that someone was behind her.

She turned around and was surprised to find a tall guy walking the same pace as hers on her treadmill.

“Excuse me?” She said to the guy.

“Yes?” “It’s my treadmill.”

“You own it?”

“No, I don’t but I was the first one on it.”

“Is there any law against being on the same treadmill as another person?”

Frustrated, she pressed the buttons for speed and incline to increase the challenge of the pace. The guy won’t budge. It turned out

Alhaji Moshood Adeoti the SSG Osun State presenting marriage certificate to Aishat Tope Kolawole, daughter of the Executive Secretary of Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Abdul-Fatai Kolawole and her husband, Mr. Ismail Olatunbosun Ajayi during their wedding at Modakeke High School, Modakeke, Osun State recently.

How to appreciate your sweetheart LATELY, have you been feeling like you don’t appreciate your sweetheart enough? Maybe you feel like your sweetheart knows how much you appreciate them? Here is how to truly appreciate them and make sure that they know you do.

1When your sweetheart does something for you, whether it be small or big, make sure you thank them.

Smile, and show them that

you’re glad to have them in your life.

Do something back for them. This will let them know that you appreciate them and that you want them to appreciate you as well. It can be anything small from giving them a simple compliment on a new shirt or on their smile, to baking them something, or taking them out somewhere.

Get creative!

Tips •Dont get used to your sweetheart doing things for you; you’ll lose your sense of appreciation.

•Try to do as many things for them as they do for you.

•Tell them sweet compliments, but remember that they should also be genuine.

Surprise them every once in a while

... to be more appreciative We live in a world full of abundance. Most of us have access to everything we need and much of what we desire. Yet many people are very dissatisfied with their lives. Instead of getting into the never ending cycle of always wanting more and being critical of everyone, try a little gratitude.

Start saying thank you for everything, time, gifts, service rendered, assitance, kind words, everything.

6. If you have your own personal transportation, or live on a bus route, try walking everywhere for a few days.

2. Make a list of things and people you appreciate and make a concious effort to regularly show your appreciation for them. Add something new to this list everyday.

7. Realize that if you find yourself being overly critical of people around you, make a mental list of their good qualities and the things they do that you appreciate (i.e. maybe your boss is not always nice, but he pays you enough to keep food on your table and most likely enough to afford many luxuries)

3.Volunteer. Spend time at your local elementary school, library, homeless shelter, soup kitchen, nursing home, or hospital. Give blood, be a mentor, clean up your neighborhood park. Just do something that is for anyone but yourself on a regular basis.

4.Know that if you are lucky enough to have electricity and indoor plumbing, try to do without it for one full day. No cheating, you still have to find a way to do laundry, cook and clean.

5. Understand that you regularly go out to eat, buy convenience foods, treats, even bread, or if you have help around the house, spend one week learning and doing it all for yourself. I guarantee the next time a waiter brings you a basket of bread that you had to wait a couple extra minutes for, you will feel more grateful and appreciate the work it took to get it to you.

Tips If you are trying to train children to be more appreciative or grateful, simply explain that you expect them to say thank you for everything. Then, when they forget, immediately take back whatever it was they were given, yes even food (although at meal time if they forget you may want to take it away for a few minutes then give them a chance for a do over) Remember that children’s behavior is strongly influenced by your attitudes and actions, so make sure you are saying thank you and showing appreciation. With young children you may even want to blatantly point things out (i.e. boy aren’t we lucky the garbage men take all our trash away every week, or “wow, it’s so nice to be able to snuggle down into this nice warm blanket” or, “It sure is stormy out, aren’t you glad we have a home to keep us dry and warm?” etc etc) Source: wikihow.com/Appreciate-Your-Sweetheart

he was just as fit as her. She gave up and got down the exercise machine. There was no way she was going to exercise so closely with a guy she doesn’t know.

The next day at the gym, the obnoxious guy was still there, as if waiting for her to show up. She went pass through him and proceeded to do her usual routine.

“What’s up?” The guy asked Tanya while she was on the stationary bike.

“Nothing’s up. Can you please stop talking me?”

“Is there a law ...”

“Can you can it? The whole is there a law thing is getting more and more stupid by the minute.”

“Sorry. Can we start over?”

Tanya looked at the guy incredulously and shook her head. “Sorry, not interested. Single, but not interested.”

“I’m single too. Single, but admired.”

Tanya had too much of the guy’s cockiness that she went home early that day.

The following day, she decided to jog around the town instead. She couldn’t believe her luck when she saw that same annoying guy trailing behind her.

“Are you following me?” She asked the guy while still jogging her pace.

“Just one date, that’s all I’m asking.”

“No.” “Look, I’ve been going to the same gym as you for the last six months. I should be given credit that I have finally gotten the courage to ask you out.

And this is all I get? A no?”

Tanya was quite surprised. She thought it was the guy’s first time at the gym that day of the treadmill incident.

“Maybe if you weren’t so cocky, I’d say yes.”

“Maybe if you weren’t like that, I don’t have to use my cockiness as a defense mechanism!”

“If I weren’t like what?”

“Such a hot girl who hates guys.”

“I don’t hate guys.”

“Then such a hot girl who loves to work out so much that she doesn’t have time to go out on dates.”

Half of the jogging route wasn’t that bad after the guy toned down his arrogance a little. Without the overly annoying remarks, she even found him cute, especially that dimpled cheek whenever he smiled.

He was also very funny. At one point, she had to stop in her tracks because she was laughing too hard.

She realized maybe he was right. She was too focused with her workout that she never really took time to get to know people around her.

“So, you’re not even going to ask my name?” The guy asked right before they parted ways.

“I’ll just find out on our first date.”

The first date turned into many more and finally into marriage.

&

LIFE

Society Profile

THE NATION, Saturday, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

STYLE

Why my wife doesn’t allow me to eat after 6pm -Peter Okocha, ex-AP chair

Gossip Interviews

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‘Boko Haram crisis reminds me of 1966 when I lost my parents’

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Peter Eloka Okocha, a former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Delta State and ex-chairman of African Petroleum Plc, was born on February 5, 1952. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), he obtained a B.Sc in Economics and an M.Sc in International Relations from the North Eastern Illinois University, U.S.A. He later bagged an MBA from the Roosevelt University, Chicago, U.S.A. He returned to Nigeria for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in 1978. Okocha’s business interests span banking, pharmacy, clearing and forwarding, insurance, property development, shipping, food processing and oil and gas. In 1991, he built the Michelle Terminal (named after his wife, American-born Michelle, née McDonald) which takes about 1000 containers. Okocha is chairman of Sadiq Petroleum Nigeria Limited and Chrismatel Holdings.

In this interview with JOSEPH JIBUEZE and NNEKA NWANERI, he recalls losing his father during the Nigerian/Biafran civil war, growing up as an orphan, his next political move, his assessment of President Jonathan’s administration, and the significance of his 60th birthday. Excerpts:

Y

OU will be 60 tomorrow. Does it hold any special significance for you?

For me it’s more of gratitude to God for sparing my life. The interesting thing is that in my family, apart from my grandfather, I am probably the first living Okocha to be 60. My grand father died at 104 years old.

My father was a victim of the civil war. He died at 54. My eldest brother died before he was 40 in a motor accident.

So, do you plan a huge celebration?

I didn’t want any celebration. In fact, I am not part of the organisation. The celebration was forced on me by friends. I only got to know when a friend asked me to give him 30 names of people that I would like him to host for dinner, which I thought would be in a private house. Later on, when text messages started circulating, I discovered that there will be a church service, followed by a dinner. So, it is not what I planned or told anybody to do. It’s being organised by a group of friends who felt that I deserve to be celebrated. I have received over a hundred calls and I hope they will be able to handle it.

You don’t look 60. What is the secret of your youthful looks?

I think the whole thing is selfish. When I was younger, I used to think that 40 is old. I got to 40 and I raised the bar – I said it’s 50.

•Okocha

When I got to 50, I said it’s 60. Now, when I look in the mirror, I don’t probably see too much changes, but people will see changes.

I have now raised the bar that old age is 70.

Maybe when I get to 70, I will raise it to 80 (laughter). But I believe technically that age is a function of the mind. And one of the reasons why I’m probably aging well is because my wife does not allow me to eat after six o’clock. And I exercise everyday. I played tennis this morning. If I don’t play tennis, I’m in the gym. So I make sure I have five to six days’ exercise weekly. And I eat right. I am a social drinker. So, like Zik would say, I do everything in moderation.

You have achieved so much in your 60 years. What is the secret?

I have peace at home. I have been married for almost 30 years. I have wonderful children and a fantastic wife who takes care of the home front. So my problem has never been my home. My problem is outside my home. And usually a battle done outside your house is half-won, because you already have a safe net. I already have a safe net. So, leaving the house in the morning, my battle is 50 per cent won.

Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth?

I was not born poor. But I was orphaned at a very young age. And that is why when this crisis started in the North, with kill-

ings in the churches and people trying to move from one place to the other, I cried within me, because I was a victim of such situation in 1966 when I lost my parents. So, I grew up the hard way.

I was one of those who were privileged to receive a scholarship. Otherwise, I probably would never have gone to school. Thanks to Samuel Ogbemudia who gave us then what you call indigent scholarship. And that became a springboard for me to take off. There is no substitute to education. And I don’t think that any child should be left behind.

Every Nigerian deserves to be educated. And you cannot have democracy or the middle class without education. So, education is the sine qua non if we want our democratic institutions to develop.

Talking about democracy, you ran for governorship of your state, Delta. Do you still have such ambition?

Man is a political animal. The newlyelected governors have not even spent one year. So, it is early to start speculating on what one would do. It will be better to allow them to settle down to work and not distract them by heating up the polity. It’s still early for anybody, I presume, to start nursing the ambition of running for an office. But yes, I’m a political animal. I will continue to be relevant in both Delta and Nigerians politics. But whether I will run for a political of-

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

‘

I was not born poor. But I was orphaned at a very young age. And that is why when this crisis started in the North, with killings in the churches and people trying to move from one place to the other, I cried within me, because I was a victim of such situation in 1966 when I lost my parents. So, I grew up the hard way

fice in 2015, when we get there, we shall cross the bridge.

What is your assessment of governance in Delta?

The governor is not new. He has just been re-elected. There have also been some distractions over what I will call his election.

Most of the time, I think, he has spent going to court or not going to court or trying to formalise the legitimacy of his administration. But comparatively, he has done a few things, remarkably the airport at Asaba. But there is a lot to be done. I think that a state like Delta should be turned to a workshop, a

’

construction site, because everything in Delta State is calling for rehabilitation. Everything is calling for re-innovation and reinvention and I don’t see much of those.

Today the good thing is that I can take off from Lagos and land in Asaba. That’s one of the most visible things that I could see.

But that itself too is still under construction.

I hope and pray that the governor will finish it before his tenure ends.

Are there things you would have done differently had you been elected?

Definitely. When I was seeking office, even though the party manifesto was there, I had

my own manifesto. I had a programme of action. The airport was just one of them.

Infrastructural development, building an industrial park, tackling youth unemployment, building a corporative society – we had a whole range of programmes that we wanted to implement. I would certainly do things differently, but building the airport is one of the things I would have done.

What do you make of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration so far, as some have criticised him for alleged nonperformance?

The problem with governance is that when you are sitting at the periphery, it is easier for you to criticise, because hindsight is usually 2020. But I believe that the president has to be more proactive. I believe he has to exercise the executive big stick to ensure that certain things are done. There is nowhere in the world where there is absolute democracy.

Agreed that democracy is government of the people, for the people and by the people, but without an executive big stick guiding democracy, I don’t think that democracy may become democracy.

The ministers or those that have been entrusted with the day-to-day running of the country’s affairs need to improve on what they are doing. It’s unfortunate that when things go bad, it is the president; if the streets are not clean, it is the president; if the drainages are not cleared, it is the president.

Unfortunately there are people who are charged with such responsibilities.

I believe that if they cannot perform, the president should fire them and get people who can perform.

A lot of Nigerians condemned the removal of fuel subsidy. As someone who operates in the petroleum sector, what is your view?

I believe that we have no reason subsidising fuel, and I think it (its removal) is long overdue. It is one decision the president has taken that I felt was right, but was wrongly timed. Unfortunately we have had a carryover of infrastructural decay. The reasons why Nigerians are not in support of deregulation is: What is the alternative? If I land in Heathrow airport, and I’m going to, say, my house in London, I don’t take a taxi. I take the Heathrow Express to Paddington. If I’m going to see my last son Sola in Cambridge, I take a train.

But there are no such alternatives in Nigeria and because of that, people are frowning. If there were alternatives, I probably would not live in Lagos. I could decide to live in Abeokuta. And if commuting from Abeokuta to Lagos is 45 minutes, all I have to do is take a train to central Lagos and then come to my office. It’s fewer headaches, less expensive, and it means fewer cars on the road. But because there is no alternative to driving, and even in Lagos where we are surrounded by water, everybody is on the road, thereby making the whole place messy.

So I believe that the people’s anger is not that the fuel subsidy is removed. The people’s anger is that there are no alternatives given before the fuel subsidy was removed.

So, you think the deregulation policy is not anti-people?

I support deregulation, but it was badlytimed. But you would also say: when would have been the right time? There probably would never have been a right time, because Nigeria at 50 – we’re still suffering from epileptic power supply. We’re now on genera-

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tor. Until the GSM came, we had no telephone. As at today there are no land lines.

The road from Lagos to the gateway to the East is a deathtrap. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has done a good job, but most of the federal roads in Lagos are in a state of decay. So, the problem that people are protesting against is not because they don’t want to pay higher petrol price, it is because they were not given the right to make a choice.

Do you see fuel price reverting to N65 as some have demanded?

We have gone past that. Nigerians should accept N97. The price of petrol may even still go up if we’re talking of demand and supply. Today diesel is N170. But petrol is what the average man uses daily. People were beginning to patronise I-better-pass-myneighbour generators. So, when NEPA or PHCN or whatever name they have now assumed, does not supply electricity, people will resort to their small generator that can light up maybe a fan and give them a good sleep. So, now that petrol is expensive, diesel is expensive, aviation fuel is expensive, what is left for the common man? Apparently, food prices are going to go up, because the trucks that bring in food items are going to be burning petrol. So, it is the lack of alternatives that people are protesting, not that the price of petrol has gone up.

Do you think the fight against terrorism, which you mentioned earlier, will be won?

Well, the president has not been a president before. But unfortunately, the advisers need to be re-evaluated. I believe that this, like every other crisis, will pass. But we need to tackle it like a multi-headed monster and nip it today at the bud and put an end to it.

What is your message to your supporters and those who look up to you?

Whatever you do in life, do it in moderation. If you’re drinking, drink in moderation.

If you’re eating, eat in moderation. Work hard, exercise more. Keep the home front safe and be a good citizen. We don’t have any other country but Nigeria. We may disagree with ourselves. The second stanza in our former national anthem goes: ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand’. So, we must salvage this country.

How do you think the salvaging can be actualised?

The only way we can salvage this country is to develop our educational system, such that people will not be cowed into voting for the wrong person for a bag of rice, because a bad government is worse than a tsunami.

While a tsunami is for a period, bad governance could be forever. And that is the problem Nigerian is suffering. At 50, whether we like it or not, we don’t have so much to celebrate. The Asian Tigers, including Singapore and Malaysia, came to Nigeria to take the oil palm. Today we import palm oil from those who took the seedling from us.

Why has Nigeria lagged behind those countries?

What can you do in Nigeria without electricity? If you’re a hairdresser, you require electricity. If you’re a vulcaniser, you require electricity. If you’re a barber, you require electricity. If you’re a chief executive in an office, you require electricity to power those instruments that you need to communicate either with your staff internally or externally. So electricity is germane. I don’t see how we can realise the dream of the so-called 20: 2020 without power. Nigeria with 160 million people is generating less than 5,000 megawatts of electricity, which is less than what is needed to power Heathrow Airport Terminal Five. South Africa, with one-third of our population, generates over 60,000 megawatts of electricity. We still have a long way to go.

How do you shop?

The fact is that I don’t shop. It’s funny. If I go into the shop, the only thing I buy is underwear. My shirts are customised. My ties are made. My shoes are made. My tailor just measures me, prepares them and sends them to me. One is that I have a funny neck. People are either 17 or 16 or 16 ½. My neck size is 16 ¾. So I cannot buy my shirt in the shop.

It has to be made.

Do you patronise made-in-Nigeria clothes?

In terms of our native attire, I like babariga having grown up in the North, and I like the northern cap. Classically, even though I am Delta-Igbo, I don’t like the Igbo cap. My wife said I have a big head, so I don’t have a cap that fits my head, but most of the caps that I buy from the North are big enough or I can expand them to fit my head.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

For petite

woman P ETITE women can rock any style, but the key thing is to pick a fashion tune and work your wardrobe. The most important thing for petite women to do is to construct an image for her. And, while everyone assumes that petite means tiny, dainty and delicate, a lady can actually be a large petite or even a huge petite. Before shopping for clothes, a petite woman should decide what she wants her image to be.

Fashion tips that help •Understand how to create the illusion of height.

•Discover which prints and patterns will work for your small frame.

•Know how to use colour and match it to your skin and hair tone.

•Learn how to balance your body shape by understanding your body symmetry.

•Find out the easy way to effortlessly accessorise.

•Know how to avoid clothes that foreshorten your body.

•Get rid of capris and cropped pants and no wide-leg pants.

•Don’t dismiss jumpsuits as a trend only for the column shaped woman.

Style trick Pair your jumpsuit with killer heels. This will make you appear taller.

•Necklaces and earrings draw attention up to the face. A long statement necklace, with bright hues, really draws the eye up.

According to a fashion consultant, heavy petite women need a medium-sized handbag. “A small purse makes larger bodies look huge. Sometimes a structured handbag will help a heavy woman look pulled-together”,said the consultant.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Looks from

Gaultier's

Winehouse inspired couture show

J

EAN Paul Gaultier’s spring 2012 haute couture collection was deemed a thoughtful tribute to the late Amy Winehouse — a portrayal of the singer at the apex of her career.

Although Gaultier admitted that he’d never met Amy, he said their “styles were similar” and that he intended the tribute to be a “joyous” reflection of her iconic fashion sense. But the singer’s father, Mitch Winehouse, said the show was terribly upsetting for him and his family.

Uti

CFDA releases model health guidelines for Fashion Week

C

FDA president, Diane Von Furstenberg, just sent out this season’s guidelines for making sure models are healthy at Fashion Week which begins February 9. For the past five years, this has been standard practice as part of the organization’s Health Initiative. Von Furstenberg suggests in her e-mail that regulations will be stricter than in seasons’ past, such as in her fall 2011 show when a then15-year-old model, Hailey C l a u s o n , walked.

Polyvore, Washington Post team up for Oscars contest

I

N new and unexpected collaborations: The Washington Post and Polyvore just announced an Oscars-themed fashion contest at the same time as this week’s announcement of this year’s nominees.

From now, until the big night, Polyvore users can create special collage “sets,” themed either around their pick for Best Picture or how they think a particular actress should dress. A selection of Post editors’ favorite collages will run as part of the paper’s online Oscars coverage, while an interview with the Polyvore set judged best of all will make it into print.

Rachel Roy designs new shoe line Rachel Roy’s shoes will go on sale this August. Having taken “designer inspiration” from her footwear mentor, Manolo Blahnik, the Rachel Roy collection of around 30 shoe styles will retail from $200–600 and include flats, pumps, boots and booties.

The new venture is separate from her Rachel Rachel Roy diffusion line, but will apparently influence the latter’s look in future seasons.

“I don’t want shoes unless they are strong and sexy. I don’t want them to be just strong or just sexy. A strong and sexy look represents the woman I want to be,”Roy said.

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SOCIETY

THE NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Pa Alfred Rewane’s grandson weds in grand style

J

ANUARY 4 and 6 will remain great in the lives of Babasoji Adegbenro, the grandson of the late Pa Alfred Rewane, and Olatomi Aramide.

Activities leading to the marriage of the duo started on the first day and ended on the other.

The wedding was a gathering point for Alisters, socialites, statesmen, politicians amongst others.

The ceremony kicked of with an engagement on January 4 at Balmoral Event Centre, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos and it was indeed a superlative event. The groom’s elder brother, Adejare , the chairman of Balmoral International Limited, was one of the party pillars that made the couple’s day remarkable.

The wedding proper took place on Saturday, January 6 at Army Barracks, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Amongst reputable guests on the occasion were former Ekiti State governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Oba Saheed Elegushi, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Gboyega Isiaka, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Feyi and Deola Balli, Ebise Rewane, Segun Fowora, Femi Akande, Oyin Adenuga, Otunba Bimbola Ashiru, Lulu Enobaifo.

It was a ceremony that boasted a kaleidoscope of colourful guests, sumptuous local and international meals, choice drinks and impressive gifts for the new couple.

The couple

Debbie Oghene and Jumoke Adegbenro Ebisan Rewane, Lawunmi and Dajare Adegbenro

•Jide Coker and Segun Fowora

What and Where

•Oba Saheed Elegushi

What and Where

•Femi Akande

What and Where Princess Odediran dies at 78

LR:Executive members of the Lagos Sapphire Lions Club, Lagos, Lion Jumoke Adewusi, Lion Bimpe Johnson and Lion Tessy Osawuata during the installation of the President of The Lions Club, Chief Adenike Ogunsaya

Sekoni for burial today The final burial of Pa Rasaki Atanda Sekoni takes place today at the School for the Handicapped opposite Glorious Ambassador, Apedahun-Ijokodo Taxi Park, Ibadan.

The late Sekoni died at the age of 78.

He is survived by wife, children and grandchildren, among them is Tunde Sekoni

Princess Lydia Bolanle Odediran (nee Animashaun) of the Adegun Royal Family in Irerinde area, Osogbo, Osun State is dead. She was 78yrs.

Married to the late Hon S.O.B. Odediran (UPN Oyo State legislator 79/83),she died on December 24 during a brief illness.

She was a successful trader, a devoted Christian and a strong member of All Saints Cathedral, Balogun, Osogbo.

She is survived by many children, grand- children and

great grandchildren.

Among these is Mr Segun Odediran, a Lagos-based custom licensed agent.

She will be buried on March 9 at her church .

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

49

‘Why fees in private ‘varsities are high’

•Dr. Ayokunle

‘

When you are talking of why is it so high? You know that a professor of medicine will get almost times three of what any other professor will get. I’m not earning what many lecturers there are earning. I earn like a civil servant here...

to receive. And before you take them from government universities, you have to pay them more; and then you don’t have enough resources to make provision for that type of thing. The church is not only having education as ministry, there are other aspects of the ministry of the church which must not suffer.

What the church has done is that they are creating a conducive environment for learning and we are bringing people who can teach you.

Are you ready to pay for it? Up till now, the Nigerian Baptist Convention as a church has not made half kobo as gain from Bowen University; we are still spending. Every year, we release subvention to the university. The university is expanding; we have introduced the faculty of law, faculty of medicine and you know, medicine, by what it is, is capital-intensive, is like starting another university all over again, it costs billions.

Thank God, we had the Baptist Hospital before in Ogbomosho which they converted to Bowen University Teaching Hospital. To train a medical student in a year, it will cost about N1.75 million. How many parents can pay for that in Nigeria? They may be able to pay, if they struggle, half of that. It means that for us to continue to retain

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•Continued from Page 22 I must never appear, they must never see me. I must never get near her house until I told myself: ‘I’m a human being, if I will die, I will die.’

One day, I went to her house and her mother received me very warmly. They asked her about my name and where I came from. Interestingly, one of her elder sisters went to the same school with my elder brother; so, to some extent, and they knew our family. They were not hostile to me. She had not been living with her dad because her dad was a civil servant and he wouldn’t stay in a place for very long before they transferred him to another place. So the family decided to settle somewhere while the dad was moving north, south and east. The dad was not with them, it was very long before I knew her dad.

You appear to me a very bold person; apart from the way you talk, I look at this your environment, to me the security ought to have been very tight, yet you are comfortable with this seemingly free compound. What is your attitude to life?

The environment is too porous?

Too open? What type of security will prevent an evil person from getting to you? The bible says that God is our refuge and strength, a present help in the time of trouble.

This place has been like this for about 30 years. I will be the 4th general secretary to live in this house, and it has been as porous as this.

Not at any time hoodlum has broken into this place because angels are guarding all the time. We rather believe that it is God that protects this place. The security men here don’t have guns.

You can’t call them security men, they are not. Somebody who does not have something to protect himself cannot protect others. What we call these people are the people that stand so that goats might not come in, not the ones preventing armed robbers or criminals and each day I sleep, I sleep soundly because I know my life, my security are in His hands because the bible says, he that dwelled in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadows of the Almighty. God being our confidence, has been what made us to leave this place like this.

The Baptist Church’s university, Bowen University, is one of the most expensive universities in Nigeria. Some of your members cannot even afford to send their children to this university, why is this so?

You know that initially, university education was not supposed to be in private hands because the private organisations did not have the resources .Education is supposed to be the basic right of individuals to be made available as cheap as possible but you know that the government in Nigeria has not done enough in terms of making education available and affordable. There are so many disruptions in the academic calendars in many of our universities which have affected the standard of education and have led to frustration for many students and lecturers. Students don’t graduate when they are supposed to graduate. Not only that, making facilities available have been problems.

The church of God is coming to say that though we have little resources, we shall help in arresting the situation. In doing that, we would go to the market to get the lecturers the government is hiring and we would pay them. They would not say because they’re coming to a religious organisation, they shall receive half of what they used

medical students in that university, the Convention is subsidising each student by at least half of that, that is N750,000.00.

When you are talking of why is it so high? You know that a professor of medicine will get almost times three of what any other professor will get. I’m not earning what many lecturers there are earning. I earn like a civil servant here. In making that education available, if not because the church is subsidising it, it will be more than that. The people that are benefiting from the high school fees are the professionals employed and you cannot say they should not earn what they are not qualified to earn.

If you want qualitative education, you will have to pay for it.

What are your regrets in life?

I think one of my regrets was that I started school late. And maybe, that I was also born poor and thirdly, I was born into a family that was not very educated, though my dad could read and write. He died 33 years ago but he taught himself how to read and write after he got married. If it had been an educated family, I would have started school earlier instead of wasting time and all the preambles and meanderings in my education I took, I wouldn’t

have taken them. Do you know that it was when I was in form one, some of my age mates were in form five.

If not for God, one would have been continuously behind like that. I may also say my regret is that I didn’t start gospel ministry earlier.

I was stubborn when God was calling me initially. For about 10 years, I ran away because I hated being a pastor. I didn’t see any reason for it. Why should I be? I grew up in the Baptist. I know how they determined the remuneration of pastors; everybody in the open would discuss it and I made up my mind that my life would not be like that. I was rejecting the call for too long because of my fear. I wanted to be a bi-vocational person, that would be doing my secular job and be assisting the church to the best of my capacity, but God said no, it has to be full time.

I had to resign as a senior administrator with the Federal Government in order to go to the seminary, it was very painful. But I wouldn’t have gone to that level after my university education before accepting the call. I went to the University of Ibadan, where I did my first degree in Sociology. I did a postgraduate there in education. I did my masters there in Guidance and Counseling. I was working until God said

no. I couldn’t move forward again.

He started sending people I never discussed with to me about what God told them and what they saw about it. I was running away for too long. I would have started earlier to influence people and win more souls for the Lord.

If you were to compare yourself with those your age mates who were in Form Five while in Form One, what would you say?

Well, I give glory to God because by the time God brought me here, I wasn’t the most senior Baptist pastor. I really never canvassed for it but just by His own infinite mercies and grace, He brought me here, but not without opposition. But He prevailed in everyway and brought me here. By the time He had completed the work, He showed me the revelation, when I saw it, it was unbelievable. But comparing myself to my colleagues, by the grace of God I’m telling you sincerely, I have nothing to regret. I could see the hand of the Lord, I could see the goodness of the Lord, I could see the blessings of the Lord. He has given me everything that I think could make life fulfilling. He feeds me three times a day unless I’m fasting or I don’t want to take food three times.

So what will I regret? He gave me children; I have three. We wanted to have two, but it became three.

Our second born turned out to be twins. We couldn’t kill anyone of them, we have to accept God’s blessing. Our first born is a lawyer in Abuja and the twins are in their final year in Computer Studies, Federal University of Technology, Akure. He gave me the opportunity to study abroad. I did my Masters in Theology in Liverpool and I did my Ph.D. in Liverpool, without any support from any human being.

When I look back, I see God doing everything in my life. Comparing my life to that of my colleagues, I don’t have anything to regret. They may be great in their own areas, God has given me fulfilment in my own area.

You just mentioned that your children attend Federal University of Technology, Akure. Why not Bowen University, considering your position in the Baptist Church?

Because I can’t steal church money. Hello? I can’t steal church money. I didn’t have the financial resources to send my children to Bowen University at that time. We set up Bowen University for those who have the grace, the financial resources. I would have loved it, but you don’t cry to the moon what you don’t have power to do, you don’t begin it because Jesus said who will lay his hand on the plough and not first of all count the cost?

Baptist is known for probity and that is what we stand for. I can’t say because I hold a big position in the Baptist, I will I tell the Vice Chancellor that those are the children of the General Secretary, just take them, the thing will collapse.

Once I know that I don’t have the financial resources to take my children to the place, I only have to pray that God should open the door elsewhere. I told my children you have to be yourself to be able to secure admission to the government’s university because I cannot afford any private university. My grade level when I was presiding over a church is my grade level when they made me general secretary and chief executive of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. No changes, the allowances may differ, but the grade level is the same. You have come there to serve, not to enrich yourself. Our system does not allow anybody to enrich himself because there are checks and balances.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

•Bayelsa State Speaker, Rt. Hon. Nesto Binabo, removing former Governor Sylva’s portrait shortly after he was sworn in as acting governor penultimate Friday

O

NE week after the Friday, January 27, landmark judgment by the Supreme Court, which effectively settled the controversial issue of tenure for five governors arising from a second oath of office, the political climate in all the affected states has remained largely hazy.

Political pundits hold that the situation perhaps could have been more predictable had the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not taken the position it took.

The position of the electoral umpire which has put the stamp of authority on the election in Kogi and the announcement that it would hold elections in the remaining four states at various dates this monthhave more or less complicated issues.

Nevertheless, since the verdict last Friday, the various states have been in different political mood as the tempo of political activities have been largely dictated by the political temperament of the acting governors.

In Cross River State, for instance, it is widely believed that ousted governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, is in “very comfortable hands.”

The Cross River State political scene appears to be having a déjà vu as right from the moment the present Speaker, Hon. Larry Odey, took his oath of office on the day the governor and his colleagues were sacked.

He had made it pointedly clear that he

Hazy political climate pervades five states Augustine AVWODE, Nicholas KALU, Calabar, Isaac OMBE, Yenagoa and Bashir MOHAMMED, Lokoja had no personal agenda to pursue. It was the same situation in 2008, when Imoke was removed from office and then speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Frank Adah, had pledged unalloyed loyalty to him.

By all indications, the situation in the state would be totally devoid of intrigues that have characterized some of the other states affected by the Supreme Court judgment.

According to Odey, “This is a sober moment for us in Cross River State. I do know that in all things God says we should give him thanks. I am confident that in a short time from now the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would come up with a time table for us to re-elect Imoke to come and re-occupy his seat.

“Given the synergy that exists between the three arms of government, the executive, the judiciary and the legislature, we have defined a path of progress and growth. With all sense of humility, I say we would put in our best to make our principal (Imoke) proud of us.”

Also in a statewide broadcast the next day, he had said he will not hesitate to bring to book any act capable of disrupting the planned programmes of ousted governor, Liyel Imoke’s administration.

Odey said all on-going projects and programmes are to continue as scheduled and he directed all consultants and executing ministries, departments and agencies to ensure that all works are executed according to specifications and timelines.

After his state-wide broadcast last Saturday, the acting governor had left for Abuja on official duties, where he stayed for a couple of days before coming back to the

state and so far, observers believe none of his actions gives any cause to give Imoke sleepless nights.

Since he took office, he has not spoken much, but judging by his body language, it appears that Odey doesn’t want to risk the anger of the political class, who all seem a hundred present behind Imoke.

In Kogi State, the judgment threw up a bedlam of political activities. On that Friday, the state became the only one in the country to register the unenviable status of having three governors in a day.

Former Governor Ibrahim Idris resumed in the morning, and later two individuals, Governor–elect, Capt Idris Wada and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Abdullahi Bello, were both sworn in as governor and acting governor respectively.

On Monday morning, things moved to the fast lane after a weekend marked by a

51

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

•Imoke •Nyako

•Wada lull in political activities.

The Acting Governor of Kogi State announced the sack of all political appointees who included the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff and all other political appointees.

A statement released from the Office of the Acting Governor directed affected officers to handover all government properties in their possession to the permanent secretaries or the most senior staff in their respective ministries or departments.

He also refuted rumours that he had stepped down as Acting Governor, saying the report was a calculated attempt to destabilise the state. But when INEC took its decision, Wada moved in and consolidated his position. Along the line, he set up a reconciliation committee. Members of the committee inaugurated by controversial Governor Wada were: Prof.

Francis Idachaba (Chairman), Engr. Joseph Makoju (Vice Chairman) and Alhaji Abdulrazak Isa Kutepa as the coordinator.

Other members of the committee included: Chief Funsho Owoyemi, Alhaji Idris Isa, Professor Ihimodu, Dr. Mike Anachi, Professor Dominic Akpa, Mrs. Folashade Shinkaye, Mr. Steven Mayaki, Mr. Emmanuel Ocholi, Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed and Prof. Eyitayo Lambo.

The committee was mandated to essentially reconcile aggrieved politicians and produce a blue print for the transformation of the state.

In Bayelsa, perhaps, Hon. Nesto Binabo, Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, decided he would want to make his short stint in Government House, Yenagoa, remarkable.

After a fruitful meeting with stake holders of security in the state, including the Commissioner of Police of the State Command, Mr. Hillary Okpara including the leadership of the Joint Task Force, he stated that his mission was to ensure peaceful election in the state.

“I implore all to maintain peace in your domain. I have a short period to deliver my services; mine is to make sure there is peaceful election in the state. You should also ensure peace in your councils and communities”, he appealed.

“Within this short period, I won’t condone violence or insecurity in the state”, he warned.

However he has so far not tampered with the state executive

•Sylva •Wamakko

Since he took office, he has not spoken much, but judging by his body language, it appears that Odey doesn’t want to risk the anger of the political class, who all seem a hundred present behind Imoke team which he inherited.

Instead, in his state wide broadcast to the people, he enjoined all ministries to continue to carry out their duties diligently and with all sense of responsibility.

He, however, appointed a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG), in the person of Professor of Chemical engineering, Professor Millionaire Abowei.

He also showed that out of sight is never out of mind for appointed the ex-governor’s Personal Assistant, Mr. Austine Adio, as the new Chief of Staff in Government House.

Midweek, he removed Chief Richard Kpodoh, who was the Special Adviser to the ex-Governor on Security Matters.

The Acting Governor has also taken time to inspect projects under construction, as he urged contractors to expedite action on them.

In the meantime, Hon. Binabo

The new Speaker, Ahmed Umar Fintiri, was regarded in some quarters as not being on the same page with Nyako leadership and it speculated that he could be used by opponents of Nyako to derail his second term bid

has been doing everything possible to ensure a successful visit of the President and his entourage and the PDP grand finale rally Friday.

The election in the state is on course but the suit of Timipre Sylva at the Supreme Court is also causing sleepless nights in the political circle in the state.

In Adamawa State, the Supreme Court verdict was received with mixed feelings. The Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Ahmadu Umar Fintri, has since been the acting governor while his deputy, Barrister Kwamoti Laori became the acting speaker.

The sudden change in the leadership of government in the state, saw the opening of the State House of Assembly, which had been under lock since December 2011.

While the supporters of the

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) went all out jubilating over the judgment, some members of the Peoples Democratic Party were seeing gathering in groups discussing the fate that befell them.

However, the situation in the state has been generally peaceful and calm.

The leadership of Umar Finitri, who was reportedly elected against the counsel of Nyako, is said to be giving the Nyako camp sleepless nights.

Last December the State House of Assembly, in a surprise move sacked its Speaker, Ibrahim Sadiq and his deputy, Wale Fwa, a move said to be unfavourable to the former governor.

The new Speaker, Ahmed Umar Fintiri, was regarded in some quarters as not being on the same page with Nyako leadership and it speculated that he could be

used by opponents of Nyako to derail his second term bid.

Sadiq had taken his case to court alleging that he was improperly removed, though more than two thirds of the house members were in agreement on the issue of his removal.

Following the removal of the former speaker the state government authorised the closure of the legislative complex, citing security concerns.

Instructively, Finitiri had since his election as Speaker not been able to convene a meeting of the House even at the peak of the killings in the state.

But the fear now is that the acting governor holds the aces and could be a major and critical factor in the emergence of the next governor of the state.

It is perhaps in realisation of thjis urgent need that President Goodluck Jonathan made a passionate appeal to elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to rally roundMurtala Nyako at a closed door meeting in Abuja early in the week.

The leaders include ex-VicePresident, Atiku Abubakar, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Senator Jibril Aminu, exGovernor Bamanga Tukur and other stakeholders to avert the defeat of the party.

But some party chieftains at the session queried the rationale behind the plea by the President when Adamawa State House of Assembly had been shut for 52 days by Nyako.

There is no denying the fact that the state chapter of the party has been facing real challenges even since the first primary last year which lead to the exit of Marwa to the CPC. The same hazy situation pervades in Sokoto State, where the Speaker Alhaji Lawali Zayyanu Mohammed, took over under a cloak of intrigues and uncertainity.

For hours after the judgment penultimate Friday, speculations ruled the waves that Governor Wamakko was not favourably disposed to handing over to Mohammed.

And as if to give vent to the speculation, the Speaker was not sworn in like the others that Friday. He was inaugurated the following day. And pundits predict tense days as the governorship election draws near.

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FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

THE NATION, SATURDAY,FEBRUARY 4, 2012

God's design for a successful family life!

D

EAR Reader, You are welcome to another edition of 'Family Fo-

rum'. This month, via the Word of God, I will be exposing you to God's design for a successful family life. In this end-time, when the devil is doing more wickedly, it is essential that the secrets that make family life a testimony are discovered.

This week, I shall be teaching on The Family Garden. The family is a type of garden planted by God, Himself, for your pleasure, abundance and fulfillment. The dictionary defines a garden as a piece of ground that is used for growing things, such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc.

This garden, however, is not ordinary. God's Word makes us understand that it is full of treasures. Treasures are highly val-

ued objects. They can be traded with to make great profits. In essence, there are highly valued objects in the family garden, which you can trade profitably with, to bring you out of the realm of the natural to the supernatural.

To keep and dress the garden God had placed man, is the first assignment ever given to man.

Dressing and keeping a garden entail a process that requires a farmer to dig around the plants, as he prunes and tends them.

This assignment is necessary, in order to have access to the treasures in the family.

You will observe that I said dressing and keeping, not wishing. You cannot get the treasures in marriage by wishing. I'm sure you must have heard over and again, that if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. But, wishes are not horses! So, you cannot

7 factors that prevent weight loss AVE you tried everything possible to lose weight? Are you still

H

stuck exactly where you were?

Here are some factors that could be thwarting your weightloss efforts: •Your weight is already normal If your body mass index (BMI) is between 18 and 25, your weight is already normal and your body will resist additional weight loss.

Follow a balanced, low-fat diet and do exercise. Stop stressing about weight loss and just enjoy life.

•You eat too little If you eat too little (that is, if you're on a “starvation diet”) your body will shut down its weight-loss mechanisms and hang on to its fat stores.

Follow a low-fat, high-fibre diet that contains about 500kJ less than your usual diet and which prevents you from starving, get-

ting hungry or developing cravings. Weight Watchers and Weigh-Less diets are good examples. Add exercise to your routine to simulate your metabolism.

•Hormonal imbalances Hormonal imbalances, such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), could make it difficult to lose weight.

Ask your doctor to test you for hormone imbalances: Hypothyroidism: Your doctor will prescribe thyroid hormone, which you must combine with an energy-reduced diet and daily exercise.

Insulin resistance: Your doctor may prescribe a medication such as Glucophage and you need to consult a clinical dietician for a low-fat, low-glycaemicindex (GI) diet. Do daily exercise to improve your weight and your insulin and glucose levels.

PCOS: Your doctor will prescribe hormone treatment and

•Weight loss is a gradual process, it cannot happen in a day

stay in your house and say, "How I wish I can enjoy the treasures in the family."

If you want the treasures of peace, joy, fulfillment and satisfaction the family garden carries, then you will do some practical digging for those treasures.

However, family treasures cannot be dug with a digger. There are tools (both spiritual and practical) that are required for this exercise.

First, there's a need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, else the struggle continues. God's Word says: …for without me ye can do nothing (John 15: 5). God, Himself, established the family and placed man in the garden He planted. So, He alone knows where the treasures in that family garden are located.

That is the fundamental reason why we need Him to show us where and how to dig, otherwise, all our efforts will be eternally fruitless.

The tool of Wisdom is the second requirement. The Bible says: Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established (Proverbs 24:3).

Every wise farmer ascertains that wisdom cannot be done without, in digging for treasures. In fact, any careless digging could destroy the very treasures you are seeking for. For instance, to apyou should consult a clinical dietician for a low-fat, low-glycaemic-index (GI) diet. Do daily exercise to improve your weight and your insulin and glucose levels.

•Medication Many medications can cause weight gain or hamper weight loss (e.g. female hormone pills, corticosteroids, antidepressants and anxiolytics).

Discuss this problem with your prescribing doctor. The doctor may be able to change the prescription or the dose. Use a lowfat diet plus exercise to counteract the effect of such medications.

•Depression Depression can cause massive weight gain and also often prevents patients from doing something positive about their weight like sticking to a diet and doing exercise.

Consult a clinical psychologist and/or medical doctor. Psychotherapy and medication can counteract depression. Start your diet and exercise programme once.

•Anxiety Anxiety often causes weight gain and prevents weight loss.

Consult a clinical psychologist and/or medical doctor. Psychotherapy and medication can counteract anxiety. Start your diet and exercise programme once you're less anxious.

•Self-deception Slimmers dish up endless excuses to justify why they're not sticking to their diet or doing exercise.

Do the following excuses sound familiar?

•I don’t have time to jog/eat breakfast/shop for special lowfat foods.

•I can’t prepare diet meals, because my family won’t eat them.

•I really stick to my diet all week and then ignore the rules on weekend.

Solution: Take a good, hard look at your attitude. Stop deceiving yourself and stick to your intentions. Losing weight is up to you!

ply the technique used in harvesting yams for maize will end in useless harvest. So also are the treasures in the family garden.

What then is WISDOM? Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. God's Word says: Wisdom is hearing the sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ and doing them (Matthew 7:24-25). It demands that you take steps in applying correctly all you have learnt of God in your family life.

Only then, will you begin to reap the fruits of a successful family.

The place of wisdom in building a successful marriage cannot be overemphasized because wisdom is the principal thing on which all other things rest (Proverbs 4:7).

No matter for how long you have been married, how smooth or how rough the journey has been, you can still lay hold on God's treasure in your marriage and give Him a chance to use your home to show forth His glory this end-time. So shall it be in Jesus' Name!

This Sister's testimony could also be reproduced in your own family: "When I was ready for marriage, I noticed that some things were working against me.

But I was not a serious Christian then. However, when I dedicated my life fully to Jesus in 1992, it

became obvious that I lacked wisdom and counsel. But, as I joined this church, through the depth of understanding in God's Word shared and practised, my life and marriage acquired meaning and direction. My family has been increased remarkably and I now apply myself to the wisdom of God that He has imparted to me, by reason of the teachings and ministrations I get here." - Opara, C. Like I earlier mentioned, the starting point to enjoying the treasures in marriage is in accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you want to receive His free offer of salvation, say this prayer with me: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know I am born again!

Congratulations! Till I come your way again next week, call or write, and share your testimonies with me through: E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 234-1-7747546-8; 07026385437, 07094254102 For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all the Living Faith Churches, and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, and Building a Successful Family.

Piercing, tattoos - in fashion or infection?

Body piercing and tattoos have become increasingly popular. Why do people choose to have this done? And is it dangerous in any way?

Body piercing has been practised in many cultures for many centuries.

It was often associated with royalty and was intended to portray courage. .The origin and chemical structure of colouring agents used for tattooing are hardly known.

Pigments are mainly industrial organic pigments with high microbiological and impurities and a load of metals such as cobalt and mercury.

DANGERS VERY REAL The skin could be damaged, scarred or the wounds can become infected if someone who is not trained in that field, does the tattoo or piercing.

Severe complications can arise if the instruments that are used are not disposable or are poorly sterilised, or the venue is unhygienic.

The observed health effects, which are potentially associated with tattooing and piercing, include: •Viral infections such as hepatitis, AIDS, and cutaneaous infections; •Bacterial infections such as impetigo, toxic shock syndrome, tetanus, chancroid, tuberculosis and leprosy; •Fungal infections such as sporotrichosis and zygomycosis; •Allergic reactions such as cutaneous irritation and urticaria; •Granulomateus/lichenoid reactions; •Pseudo-lymphomas; •Lymphadenopathy; •Sarcoidosis; •Malignant lesions such as melanoma and skin cancer; •Behavioural changes; •Other skin diseases such as psoriasis, photosensitisation, phototoxicity and photogenotoxicity.

Removal?

The best way to remove a tattoo is by means of a laser treatment, which takes about eight to 10 sessions. He said some of the obvious reasons for removal might be because of religious reasons, because of new love interests, and because fashions come and go.

Piercing/tattoos not a decision to be taken lightly If you have decided to go ahead with your body piercing or tattoo, and you are prepared to take the risks, take your time and remember there are no hard-and-fast guarantees of safety. You also need to ensure that you have good after-care with your tattoo artist or piercer after the procedure.

It might also be an idea to talk to a few people that have already had the type of piercing or tattoo you are considering. Ask them about their experiences, the costs, the pain, the healing time and anything else about which you might have questions.

One important thing you might want to know is if they had the chance to do it over again, they would?

Generally if your tattoo or piercing becomes red, hot and painful and or produces a creamy yellow or greenish discharge, chances are it is infected, go and see the doctor.

A warning should be given to clients informing them on the potential adverse health effects in vulnerable individuals due to even admissible colours and materials. Vulnerable individuals include •Pregnant women •Children and infants •Atopic individuals •Individuals with heart diseases •Individuals with dermatous diseases •Individuals exposed occupationally to heavy metals, VOCs, PAHs, UV

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Creatures that affect your health:

More about cockroaches

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ANY cockroach species have special adaptations. Of those that have been studied, a female American cockroach can drop egg capsules at the rate of one per week in a home; a cockroach egg capsule typically contains more than a dozen eggs; some cockroach species use mouth secretions to stick their egg capsules to surfaces in our homes; the German cockroach carries a capsule containing many eggs that hatch into nymphs (babies) before the capsule is released and then the young develop very fast making its infestation rate very high; for some species, a female cockroach needs to mate only once and then continues to lay eggs for the rest of her life; some house cockroaches produce airborne chemicals - aggregation pheromones - that attract cockroaches together, especially for reproduction, hence a home can quickly have dense infestation; cockroaches can detect members of their colony with their antennae which supports their living together; cockroaches leave chemicals in their feces that can guide lone cockroaches to sources of food and cockroach colonies; cockroaches have claws on their feet that enable then to climb even smooth glass surfaces vertically and they can lodge and breed anywhere in homes from the basement to the roof; some cockroaches become resistant to insecticides and other chemicals that scientists have spent a lot of time and money developing to help us get rid of them; the Portuguese madeira cockroach produces a foul smell that turns you away while it escapes; a four-inch large Madagascan wingless cockroach can hiss which is sometimes used as a frightening battle sound though it cannot bite; a south African “leap roach” can per chance jump on you from across your porch while you are attempting to enjoy the outdoors or jump away from an attacker; the Australian rhinoceros cockroach lives up to 10 years - more than the usual 1 year for cockroaches.

Thus, the cockroach is more than a creature that survives; it is a creature that thrives. You never know what trick the cockroach in your house has.

Cockroaches contribute to high incidences of asthma and allergic reactions in cities. Dried particles from their feces or shed coat become airborne and we breathe them. For sensitive people, these invisible particles are allergens and trigger off allergic reactions. Young cockroaches have been known to enter and get stuck in children’s ears.

Getting rid of cockroaches can be a messy job. Insecticide sprays can kill them but the cockroaches may die all over the home. Dead cockroaches may remain under heavy furniture, kitchen appliances, and bathroom fixtures that are not regularly moved or inside inaccessible cracks and spaces in walls

P

Pelvic inflammatory disease is caused by germs that are transmitted through sexual contact and other bodily secretions. Bacteria that cause gonorrhea and chlamydia cause more than half of cases. Other organisms found in the vagina can also cause PID but are much less common.

and floors. This is an added health hazard. Exposure of humans to chemical insecticides may predispose some persons to rich-man’s diseases such as cancer.

A very effective, clean, convenient, safe, and cheap method is to use the glue pad made for catching rats. If your home is heavily infested with cockroaches, use several glue pads and place them in strategic places (on the floor, by the sink or cooker, on the counter, under the bath tub, in the store, etc.) with or without some food bait. Leave all cabinets, drawers, containers, enclosures, etc., open overnight for several days. The cockroaches will come out from their hiding places to roam around or feast on the food bait and get stuck on the glued pad. When you are satisfied with the catch, you fold the glue pad, tie it up in a plastic bag, and safely dump the cockroaches in the trash.

This can eradicate cockroaches but not their eggs. The process should be repeated periodically during several months to get rid of all cockroaches that might have hatched from hidden eggs.

You need to take care to keep cockroaches and their eggs out of the home. When embarking on eradication, you may keep the first glue pad full of cockroaches for your landlord or landlady to see so that he or she is convinced that something has to be done about the infestation. Identify cracks and entry points including under doors and through broken or crooked windows and barriers in the building. Have them repaired or sealed with the help of the landlord or landlady. Be careful when you bring items into the house and check to see that you are not transferring pests.

You might rid you home of cockroaches but your neighbor might maintain a population of the pests that can migrate to your home. The smell of organic matter is what attracts cockroaches to our homes so hygienic habits help to keep the pests out. Such habits include storing foods properly, wiping off surfaces (counters, cookers, tables, etc.) as needed, removing trappings from the sink, and doing the dishes immediately. The cockroach should not have any safe haven in the home therefore uncluttering the home and repairing leakages (e.g. under sinks) - that can create damp areas - help to keep them away. If there is an open pipe from where they climb out, try coating the inside surface with petroleum jelly to limit their ability to climb up the surface.

Take care to seal up any entry point that cockroaches can use to enter from the outdoors. On top of that, always keep a glue pad in a strategic place to catch any new entrant before it makes home with you.

You cannot trust yourself or family members to always wash up their dishes and put foods away immediately. Sometimes, we are just too eager to finish a movie or too tired late at night.

Rather than nagging the family with have-to’s, making sure the home is well sealed up, with no entry points for pests, is a singular method for keeping pests away from the home. This is usually a one-time effort that you may not need to make again and again and gives you and other family members peace.

Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please Email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

Sound Health with Banji Filani 07089729930, 07034809006

Pelvic inflammatory disease causes Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Symptoms

•If you have PID, you may have any of these symptoms: Abdominal pain (especially lower abdominal pain) or tenderness ?Back pain ?Abnormal uterine bleeding ?Unusual or heavy vaginal discharge ?Painful urination? Painful sexual intercourse Symptoms not related to the female reproductive organs include fever, nausea, and vomiting.

Your symptoms may be worse at the end of your menstrual period and during the first several days following a period.

If you are experiencing the following symptoms, you should see your health care provider: •Abdominal pain that does not go away •Irregular vaginal bleeding •Foul-smelling vaginal discharge •Unusual vaginal discharge

•Fever, nausea, vomiting Given the long-term complications PID can cause, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy, it is recommended that you seek immediate medical attention if you have any of these symptoms: •Lower abdominal pain or tenderness •Fever greater than 101°F (38.3°C) •Abnormal or foul-smelling vaginal discharge Adult women with PID are either closely monitored or admitted to the hospital.

More aggressive treatment may take place in the hospital for adolescents, who are at a much higher risk of not following treatment plans and of having complications.

You may be admitted to the hospital if any of the following are true: •The diagnosis is unclear.

•Ectopic pregnancy or appendicitis cannot be ruled out.

•You are pregnant.

•An abscess (an infection) is suspected.

•You are acutely ill or cannot manage your illness at home.

Dr. Banji Filani is the Chief Consultant of Phylarny Global Healthcare. You can reach him on 07089729930, 07034809006

53 Coping with diseases with Prof. Dayo Oyekole

Holistic remedy for HIV/AIDS HOLISTIC Healthcare is the application of the best combination of natural therapies, in the provision of complementary and wholesome health care services. Natural therapy in this context implies a non-conventional system of preventing or eliminating physical, mental, social or spiritual ailments; which may rely exclusively on past experience and observation handed down from generation to generation, verbally or in writing. It involves the use of natural plants (herbs), animal matter and mineral compounds.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a complex of diseases and symptoms resulting from unexplained immune deficiency; caused by a retrovirus, culminating in a “mixed-bag” of life-threatening opportunistic infections, which invariably result in death. The retrovirus that causes AIDS is known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with types I, II, and III already isolated.

During the past few years, a lot of technical and financial supports have been provided for scientists searching for a cure for AIDS. Many of their efforts have been to try and discover a single pharmacological or immunological solution to what is, in fact, a “mixed-bag” of different disease conditions.

Paradoxically, while orthodox researchers have been struggling unsuccessfully to produce a single drug remedy for AIDS, there has been a tremendous advance made by the unorthodox, self-financed but highly ridiculed holistic approach; and it has become clear that the natural defence mechanisms of the individual sufferer can be augmented towards evolving a panacea to the disease problem.

It is against this background of unproductive waste of human, material and financial resources, in the face of the physical, psychological and social hazards imposed on mankind by Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and several other devastating, insidious and otherwise intractable diseases; that I have embarked on this exposition of the “wisdom of ages”, as a private sector contribution to the strategies towards attainment of the much-desired "Health For All” in this millennium.

Over the past 28 years, I have conducted research at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria; as well as at Interdisciplinary Research Centres in Europe and Southern Africa; on holistic and complementary healthcare systems.

In the course of my research activities, it has become glaring that the body’s ability to protect itself from the onslaught of offending virus, bacteria, fungi, cancer cells, etc can be enhanced by holistic herbal 'immuno-modulators' , because, apart from supporting the body’s own immune defence mechanisms, they also prevent opportunistic infections.

In Holistic Lifecare, we are committed to total cure of HIV/ AIDS sufferers when they have just been tested and diagnosed positive, when they are still able to eat, drink and move around on their own, but not when they are expecting their funeral the next day!

The Holistic Natural Remedy being suggested for restoring good health, vitality, and total cure in HIV/AIDS sufferers; is a combination of herbal, nutritional and psycho-social therapies at the appropriate time and in the right proportion. Notable among the useful herbs for HIV/AIDS are Aloe vera, Allium sativum, Harpagophytum zeyheri, Echinacea augustifolia and Zingiber officinale.

For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call on: 0803-330-3897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan. Website: www.holisticlifecare.com. Distance is no barrier, we can send remedies by courier if need be. We also have facilities for accommodation, admission and hospitalization in a serene and homely environment.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is a land of contradictions. It has a rich history with some amazing archeological findings placing it on the world map and breathtaking eco-tourist sceneries. In another breath, it is a land that has seen vicious conflicts that have spawn despots such as Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada. DAVID KAYODE THOMAS was in the country and visited some of the tourist sites.

Wildlife and national bird in Uganda •Lions relaxing at one of the parks

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GANDA is a beautiful country blessed with vast tourism assets. It is a country where the Savannah meets the vast East African Lake Victoria and the result is a wonderful tapestry of wildlife assets and a very soothing ambience.

This ranges from the snowcapped mountains to the sprawling jungles. Little wonder, it is referred to as the Pearl of Africa. It is the home to half of the world’s surviving mountain gorillas.

Uganda is also blessed with half of Africa’s bird species, waterfalls, hot springs, forests, national parks and unique climate, among others. One of these birds, the crane, is the national symbol of the country.

It was a pleasure visiting the country and also having glimpses of some of the tourism assets that have made the country one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

Uganda, a neighbouring country of Kenya, is famed for “farm basket”, what may be otherwise called agriculture; they so embrace the trade or the practice that 80 per cent of Ugandans earn living by cultivating the land.

As garnered, “farm basket” is not the only natural thing this country prides itself on. It is as well renowned for myriad of wild lives. Common ones, among them, include: buffalos, giraffes , elephants, impala , black-backed jackal, crested cranes, crocodiles, snakes, warthogs, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, waterbucks, antelopes and zebras .

The nationals of the country get

They love their features, colours and characteristics to the extent that they are being used as Ugandan emblems, and they have been nationalised as Ugandan birds.

They are crested crane and Ugandan kob so attached to them for social and commercial purposes that they set up different national parks, forest and games reserves for them.

Famous national parks and game reserves in Uganda include: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Bwindi Gorilla Park for gorilla tracking, Mgahinga Gorilla Park for mountain gorillla tracking, Murchison Falls National Park for birding, wildlife and chimpanzee tracking tours, Mount Elgon for mountain climbing and hiking safaris, Kibale Forest for chimpanzee tracking and primate treks, Semuliki National Park for birding, chimp treks, scenic tours and wildlife adventures, Lake Mburo National Park for birding,

Uganda Wildlife and Education Centre (UWEC) - providing entrance to Lake Victoria and some other wildlife and foot safaris.

A visit to the UWEC last Sunday and tens of thousands of wildlife enthusiasts that thronged the place to catch glimpses of myriad of wild animals speak volume for Uganda as one of the wildlife rich countries in the world.

Among these animals, there are two peaceful, but dreaded or revered birds that Ugandans hold very dear to their hearts and are preferred to other wild animals. They love their features, colours and characteristics to the extent that they are being used as Ugandan emblems, and they

•The crane

have been nationalised as Ugandan birds. They are crested crane and Ugandan Kob. Speaking in an interview on preference for these wild, but peaceful birds, Patrick Bongole, an Ugandan tour guide, explained, “Ugandan kob and crested cranes are official birds and they are on our emblems and represent Uganda. There is quite a lot for people in the world to know about Uganda, that they don’t know. There are two significant truths about Uganda: peaceable people who are peace-loving and hospitable and these two bird ani-

•Children swimming at Lake Victoria

mals- the crested crane is a very peaceful animal; it eats things that other birds also eat and it is not harmful.

“Similarly, the Uganda kob is a peaceful bird; it eats grass and it is living in our conditions together with other animals with no harms. The two are representing Uganda because there is something that represents Uganda people, ‘hospitable’. They are loving and they are peaceful. That is why the two are chosen.”

Posture that crested crane takes has also formed part of the vista of Uganda. Speaking on this, Bongole said, “There is significance about it standing on a leg.

It shows development and growth, and shows us as a developing country.

“They were not just nationalised, it was also gathered that there is a strong legislation about them and capital punishment awaits anyone that poaches or deliberately kills them. This is where reverence and dreadfulness about them actually come from.”

In a separate similar chat, Bongole recalled a hallmark court ruling against a citizen that once killed crested crane, whose jail terms from the ruling was mitigated with payment of fine in like sum.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

NTDC appeals for tourism facilities in new FCT districts

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HE Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has appealed to the Minister of Federal Capital

Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, to include tourism facilities and infrastructure in the newly created three districts in the territory.

Commending the minister on

•Abuja Amusement Park

the creation of these districts in a statement in Abuja, Otunba Runsewe said his appeal was based on the fact that tourism activities in the new districts would open up the new districts, jobs will be created through investment opportunities in the sub-sector ,while the city of Abuja would also be decongested.

He noted that tourism is a major player in the economy of most nations now citing the creation of new districts as a trend that is ongoing in countries such as China, UAE, South Africa, Canada and Uganda. He noted that the provision of tourism infrastructure and facilities are included in the planning of new districts in these countries.

Otunba Runsewe specifically urged the minister to carve out at least 35% of each of the new district for tourism activities.

Listing other benefits derivable, Otunba Runsewe said tourism activities would bring investors, particularly in eco, cultural and agricultural tourism, thereby boosting economic and social activities at the grassroots.

It would be recalled that the minister announced the creation of three new districts in Katampe, Maitama extension and Kagini 1 covering 777,231 hectares.

UNWTO marks World Wetlands Day

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HE human love for watery places has sustained tourism and recreation in wetlands around the world for countless decades.

February 2 each year is World Wetlands Day(WWD).

Ramsar’s focus on wetland tourism to celebrate this year’s WWD has opened the way for the convention and UNWTO to join forces with Ramsar to mark this year’s celebration to explore common issues and concerns and collaborate in advancing sustainable tourism development in the wetlands.

As Ramsar’s Secretary General Anada Tiéga notes: “This has been an excellent opportunity for the Ramsar Convention to take advantage of the UNWTO’s expertise in the sustainable management of tourism, and we appreciate the added value they have brought to our World Wetlands Day activities promoting the wise use of wetlands.”

“Every year, millions of tourists fulfil their longing to see and experience the wonders of nature in the wetlands. Celebrating World Wetlands Day under the theme of wetland tourism offers the perfect occasion to recall the relevance of this unique natural scenery as one of tourism’s greatest assets and a fundamental cornerstone to its long-term growth, while stressing how tourism, when developed and managed in a sustainable way, can be instrumental in safeguarding it,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.

“Responsible, sustainable tour-

ism can support wetland conservation and wise use. Wetlands, their wildlife and the human communities in and around them can benefit directly from tourism through entry fees, sale of local products, and so on.

At the same time, the ‘use’ of wetlands as tourism locations comes with certain risks.

“The challenge is to ensure that sustainable tourism practices are being implemented and bring benefits for wetlands, their wildlife and people,”Mr Rifaisaid.

He added: “We would emphasise that tourism businesses, if well informed and prepared to adapt their operations, can certainly promote and support wetland biodiversity and the natural beauty of wetlands.”

Ramsar’s interest in tourism will not end with World Wetlands Day. The focus on wetland tourism will continue at the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP11) in July 2012 in Romania with the theme: “Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation.”

COP 11 will debate an important resolution on wetlands and tourism. One that will point the way forward and express the contracting parties. commitment to sound tourism practices. Mr. Anada Tiéga emphasizes that “the adoption of this Resolution will provide a formal framework for governments, NGOs and civil society for achieving sustainability in wetland tourism.”

Kehinde FALODE: 08023689894

Health and nutritional benefits of carrot

Spaghetti surprise Foluke ADEMOLA

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HE spaghetti surprise is a per fect and light meal which can be eaten at any part of the day. It is nourishing and refreshing when eaten on its own.

Ingredients ·•Spaghetti •Beef: 5-6 normal cuts •Vegetables: 500g •Cabbage •Green Pepper •Carrots •Green peas •Green beans •Tomato stew: 600 mls or 20 fl. oz.

•Pepper and salt (to taste) •Onions: 1 medium bulb •Seasoning – 2-3 stock cubes and thyme (1 teaspoon) Preparation Make some tomato stew, if you do not have any. Break the spaghetti into short pieces. Cut the beef into small pieces. It is best to buy the part of beef that has streaks of fat in it. This greatly improves the taste of this recipe.

Wash and cut the cabbage, green pepper and green beans into small pieces. Also wash, scrape and cut the carrots into tiny pieces. Cut the onions into small pieces and remove the green peas from the pods. If you will use tinned green peas, simply drain the preservation water and rinse with some fresh water.

Cook the beef with the onions, thyme and stock cubes, while the meat is cooking. Start cooking the spaghetti in a generous amount of water.

When the beef is done, add the tomato stew. Add the vegetables, salt and pepper to taste and cook for about five minutes.

When the spaghetti is done to your

personal preference, drain the water and pour the mixture of beef stock and tomato stew you prepared earlier into the pot of spaghetti. Stir well, cover and leave to stand for about five minutes. Your food is ready to be served.

Carrot juice is a replenish juice that has lot of vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A and C. It also contains calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, small amounts of copper, iron and zinc, among other necessary vitamins. It’s good before and after meal.

Ingredients •Carrot •Water •Orange juice •Ice cubes •Pitcher •Blender or food processor Method •Cut your carrot into small pieces

CARROTS are among the most popular vegetables consumed by mankind. It is the sweet taste and crunchy texture of carrot that make it so popular among both kids and adults.

They are available throughout the year and form an important part of our diet.

Carrots are a used in variety of culinary purposes, ranging from salads to soups. Apart from serving great taste and flavour, carrots are known to provide many essential vitamins and minerals to the body.

They are rich in essential vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K. They also contain good amount of antioxidants and fibre content. Recent studies have proved that regular consumption of carrots greatly helps in treating heart diseases. The major cause of heart diseases is high cholesterol level. Carrots can reduce the cholesterol levels in the body.

Carrots are also important to maintain normal dental health and vision. This amazing vegetable also

Carrot juice •Place your wash and clean carrots in a blender or food processor, Process until finely chopped or mashed. (One may have to add a small amount of water, if the carrots are not very moist.)

•Pour mixture into a large glass, measuring cup and add two cups (500 ml) hot water.

•Let mixture stand for 15 to 30 minutes, •Pour the juice into pitcher (optional, but tasty). Add the juice of two oranges.

•Serve with ice cubes.

helps in preventing aging signs and in maintaining good skin. Below are few more benefits: •Recent scientific studies have proved that regular consumption of carrots can help in preventing several types of cancer. Carrots contain betacarotene which reduces the risk of cancer, particularly lung cancer. Consumption of carrots regularly is also known to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Studies have also proved that the risk of breast cancer too greatly reduces from the daily intake of carrots.

•Carrots contain high amount of vitamin A which is very necessary for maintaining the healthy vision of the eyes. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene which greatly helps in protecting against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts.

•Carrot consumption curbs the level of cholesterol in the body. Cholesterol is the main reason for heart problems and reduction in cholesterol level immensely helps in preventing heart diseases.

•It has been argued that people who regularly eat car-

rots have less risk of suffering from strokes.

•It is also known for strong cleansing properties which greatly help in removing the harmful chemicals from liver.

It further helps in preventing acne. Vitamin A and other essential nutrients present in carrots facilitate in nourishing the skin and preventing it from getting dry.

•The antioxidants present in carrots help in defending the body from cell damage. These antioxidants aid in slowing down the aging process of cells and also reduce the negative effects associated with aging.

•Perhaps this fact is not known to many people, but carrots can really help in maintaining proper dental health. Carrots initiate the release of saliva which further aids in removing the teeth stains. The minerals and nutrients present in carrots play vital role in killing the germs in mouth and preventing tooth damage.

•Adding carrots to your diet can reduce the risk of other weight related illnesses that include stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Adding a few carrots to your diet will reduce your risk of these illnesses, while also helping you burn more fat.

ng hotel ic

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBUARY 4, 2012

Oodua Festival holds in Ile-Ife

•A cultural troupe at the event

THE celebration was in front of one of the most revered palaces in Yorubaland, the Ooni of Ife Palace.

As it has become an annual tradition, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), whose current advocacy for socio-cultural rebirth in Yoruba land is gradually eclipsing its violent past, once again gathered at the ancestral home of the Yoruba people to celebrate the progenitor of the Yoruba race, Oduduwa.

On hand to add glamour

•Gani Adams being congratulated by the Ooni of Ife

•Mr. Ladipo Soyode

and stamp of legitimacy to the event was the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade himself.

Ooni praised Gani Adams, the national co-ordinator of the OPC, for his dogged fight to uplift the culture of the Yoruba people and also commended the efforts of the

ITB Berlin Convention: Power shifts in hotel industry

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AFETY at hotels, the shortfall in staff in the hotel industry and the consolidation trend among hotel portals will form the agenda at this year’s ITB Hospitality Day at the ITB Berlin Convention slated for Thursday, March 8.

Cassidy Morgan, CEO, Central and Eastern Europe, Interbrand, will kick off the event with his keynote entitled “Unlimited Brand Power “. The first discussion round will take up this subject, asking: “Brands Everywhere: How Many Brands Make Sense?”.

Bernold Schroeder, CEO, Jin Jiang International Hotels, China, and Osama Hirzalla, vice-president, Brand Marketing and eCommerce Europe of Marriott International – the chain with more brands than anyone worldwide – will discuss whether many different brands offer travellers a better service or whether they are simply clever marketing strategies.

Olokun Foundation under his able leadership for staging the event annually.

The Ooni called on his palace chiefs to offer special prayer for Gani Adams. He said the Yoruba race, with a total population of about 214 million worldwide, is

unique, hence the need to preserve and protect its heritage.

Otunba Gani Adams, in his speech, called on the Yoruba people worldwide to join hands together to build the Oodua Festival

and other festivals in Yorubaland. He also used the opportunity to call for peace in the land.

He said: “You will agree with me that there is no society without culturewhether social or traditional. But how we manage our culture to achieve social cohesion, promote love and peace, train our children to be morally upright and reduce crime say much about the kind of people that we are.”

Gani Adams also used the opportunity to call on Yoruba to have property in Ile Ife being the cradle of the race.

He said: “It is surprising that a very few Yoruba sons and daughters have property in Ile-Ife, the source of the Yoruba race. I will plead with us, as a matter of urgency, to commence a conscious effort to ensure that we come back home to develop our heritage by owning property in Ile-Ife and Oyo.” He also called on the Osun State government to support the festival. In addition, the government should also renovate and develop tourist sites in IleIfe, such as the Oduduwa and Oranmiyan groves.

Although there were other activities the previous day which included the Miss Oodua Beauty Pageant, the grand finale tried to capture different segments of the Yoruba people’s sociocultural life.

The hunters protecting the community and responsible for the games people feed on were on hand to showcase their prowess.

They came with different kinds of animals that were probably caught the previous day. They included antelopes, grasscutters, porcupines and many others.

They danced, sang and intermittently released shots into the air. The Osun State Cultural Troupe and other troupes were also on hand to entertain the large number of people that turned out for the event.

The Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was represented by Mr. Oladipo Soyode, a grandson of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He is the Osun State Governor’s Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism.

Responding to Adams’ speech, Soyode said the contract for the renovation

‘

You will agree with me that there is no society without culture-whether social or traditional. But how we manage our culture to achieve social cohesion, promote love and peace, train our children to be morally upright and reduce crime say much about the kind of people that we are

’

of these sites mentioned had been awarded and the money kept aside.

He also spoke on the Oodua Festival: “It is very beautiful, and it is very nice to see this kind of event, especially when the people of Yoruba ancestry seem not to know where they are coming from and where they are going.

“People must always know where they are starting from and where they are, and that is when they know where they are heading for. It is beautiful to see the cultural and spiritual renaissance and this is just the beginning. It is our belief that we must keep our roots in order to achieve greatness.

We can actually modernise without leaving our roots behind. “ On Aregbesola’s agenda on tourism, we have gone back to the drawing board, and we have many things that are going to come to the limelight soon. This is not the appropriate place to divulge everything that we have, but one thing that I can assure you is that in the next one year, tourism and culture in Osun State will set the pace for the entire country.

“All the historical places will be renovated. The money has already been approved and provided for by the governor”.

After the performances by the cultural troupes, it was the turn of Abass Obesere to entertain the appreciative crowd with fuji music.

Benin Moats, Kano Walls make Abu Dhabi to spend $6.8bn on airport HE Abu Dhabi Government in the United Arab Naija Seven Wonders’ final list TEmirates has approved the construction of the Midfield

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HE wave of consolida tion among hotel booking portals and new economic dependencies in the hotel distribution will be the main topics of the discussion round entitled “Distribution: Less Providers with More Power?”.

Arne Erichsen, director of Markt-Management Deutschland, Expedia Partner Services Group; Monique Jaspers-Wijn, vice president, Business Development, EMEA beiSabre Hospitality Solutions;

Tobias Ragge, managing director of HRS, and Ognjen Zeric, founder and managing director of the startup Justbook Mobile will debate the most recent shifts in the market and their impact.

•Sukur

Terminal Complex (MTC), part of a $6.8-billion (Dh24.95 billion) expansion plan for the capital’s international airport.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) announced in a statement that it had received approval from the Executive Council for the construction of the MTC, which is planned to become the primary gateway for airlines operating to Abu Dhabi and the future home of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE. “The Midfield Terminal Building is expected to go live in the first half of 2017,” the statement said. And that it will be one of the region’s most architecturally impressive structures. It will be between 630,000 and 702,369 square metres in size, and visible more than 1.5km away.

“The central space of the terminal building could hold three full-sized football pitches and features a ceiling 52 metres tall at its highest point,” according to Adac’s website.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

More Cairo clashes after Port Said football deaths

A

T least four people have been killed yesterday in the latest unrest in Egypt, amid anger over 74 deaths after a football match in Port Said on Wednesday.

Many Egyptians blame the authorities for failing to protect fans.

A demonstrator and a soldier died on yesterday in Cairo in clashes outside the interior ministry as police fired tear gas at stone-throwing crowds.

Two people were also killed in Suez.

A building opposite the ministry was set on fire, state TV reported.

The report gave no details of the cause of the blaze in the headquarters of the property tax authority.

Hundreds of al-Ahly football fans carried flags and wore their scarves for yesterday’s Jumaat prayers outside the club, but this was a sombre occasion to remember Wednesday’s dead. Afterwards, they marched to Tahrir Square where they have been joined by supporters of their arch-rivals, Zamalek.

There are several thousand young men at the latest protests in central Cairo. It appears families have stayed away for fear

•Protesters during yesterday’s riot in Fgypt

of violence.

On the side streets behind the interior ministry, clouds of tear gas can be seen. There is a constant din from the sirens of ambulances heading to the scene to remove the injured.

Anger is directed at the ruling generals. Cries go up of “the people demand the removal of the marshal” - a reference to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads the ruling military council.

Demonstrators want a faster transfer to civilian

Security guard sacked for chasing thief who stole 20 DVDs

A

hard-working secu rity guard will be struggling to repay his two mortgages after he was sacked for chasing a shoplifter.

Charles Oloro was fired after he breached HMV’s health and safety policy by catching a thief outside the branch where he worked in Sutton, south London.

Mr Oloro, who had worked for HMV for 14 years, left the shop to chase a the man who had just pilfered a stack of DVDs. But HMV policy is for security guards to avoid confrontational incidents, including outside of branches, that have the potential to escalate into something much more serious.

The policy was introduced in 2007, after a member of staff in Norwich was stabbed to death while apprehend-

rule. Wider Egyptian society worries about the continuing state of insecurity and some people believe that protests like this one are not helping.

The latest bout of unrest began on Wednesday, after a pitch invasion in Port Said, when Cairo’s visiting al-Ahly side were attacked after losing to the local al-Masry side.

Seventy-four people died and more than 1,000 were injured.

Most of the dead were believed to be al-Ahly

•Charles Oloro outside the HMV store where he was sacked

ing a thief, an HMV spokesman said.

On December 31 last year, Mr Oloro was keeping his eye on the man as he made his way around the shop.

When the thief tried to bolt towards the exit, instinct took over and Mr Oloro chased him across the threshold.

Just 10m from the outside the doors, he tackled the thief and frogmarched him back to the shop where he called the police.

But, for his efforts, he was hauled up in front of HMV managers and told he would be losing his job.

Charles Oloro, former HMV security guard Mr Oloro, who has two mortgages, said he was just trying to help the shop and save them from losing money.

He said: ‘Twenty DVDs is £200 for the shop, it was too much to lose. In a time of recession, I just wanted to save the shop money, and this is how they repay

me.’

He went to his manager after the incident to apologise for leaving the shop.

An HMV spokesman said: ‘While I am not in a position to give specific details of why Mr Oloro has been dismissed from his position as an LPO at our Sutton branch, not least because he still has a right of appeal, which we would not wish to prejudice, I can confirm he was asked to leave for an accumulation of reasons, including most recently for a clear breach of company procedure during an incident that took place at the store last week.’

HMV customer Kieran Spears, said: ‘Charlie is a hero. He has been there as long as I remember, he’s such a nice guy and everyone knows him.

‘What is the point in having securiy guards if they cannot tackle thieves?’

Source: Dailymail

supporters. Hardcore fans - known as “ultras” - have accused the authorities of allowing the killings to happen.

They say the authorities wanted revenge because the ultras were among those battling the police during last year’s revolution that ousted strongman leader Hosni Mubarak.

Anger over the deaths

has combined with widespread frustration at the pace of reforms undertaken by Egypt’s interim military rulers.

On Thursday, about 10,000 protesters clashed with police outside the interior ministry in Cairo.

More than 1,000 were injured, the health ministry said.

Some 54 police officers and soldiers were also reported hurt.

By Thursday night, the unrest had spread across the country. Two people were shot dead in Suez as a crowd of hundreds attempted to overrun a police station.

Yesterday, protests resumed outside the interior ministry, where at least one protester was reported dead. A soldier also died from injuries sustained on Thursday, state media said.

The demonstrators say they do not want to storm the ministry, but to hold a sit-in in front of it, the Associated Press reports.

In Alexandria, a protest march headed for the regional offices of the military government.

Iran threatens to strike back against sanctions, attack

S

UPREME Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned yesterday that Iran will retaliate against Western-backed oil sanctions and threats of attack, as media reports say U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta fears Israel could strike Iran in the next few months.

A report Thursday in The Washington Post, later backed by other news outlets, said Panetta worries Israel could attack Iran as early as April to stop Tehran’s progress on a possible nuclear bomb. Iran insists its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes.

Panetta was not directly quoted in the report and has not commented on it.

Khamenei’s comments came in a speech on state television Friday as he marked the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Khamenei said sanctions will have no effect on Iran’s determination to continue its controversial nuclear program. He also said Iran will back any nation or group that intends to confront Israel.

Israel is among the nations, including the United States, that suspect Iran may be enriching uranium to make nuclear weapons. Israel has not ruled out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, while the United States is pushing for increased international sanctions instead.

UN considers new Syria’s resolution

M

EMBERS of the United Nations (UN) Security

Council are considering yesterday a new draft resolution to end the bloodshed in Syria, with an amendment designed to overcome Russian objections.

U.N. ambassadors say the new draft will be sent back to their governments for evaluation, but it is not clear whether the revision will gain approval by the 15-member Council.

On Thursday they failed to reach agreement on a draft European-Arab resolution to end the bloodshed in Syria, after a third straight session of talks.

The previous draft had said the Council “fully supports” an Arab League proposal for a political transition in Syria, but no longer included an explicit call for President Bashar al-Assad to delegate his powers and form a unity government ahead of elections.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told a closed-door session of the world body Thursday that Moscow will veto the draft if it is submitted with the phrase “fully supports” still intact.

Russia, a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, has promised to reject any text that hints at regime change or that does not explicitly rule out foreign military intervention.

Churkin has taken a neutral stance on whether Russia will approve the new wording, while U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice has downplayed expectations, saying discussions are still underway.

61

THE NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

EQUITIES

Market rallies on banks’ gains

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 3-2-12 2ND-TIER SECURITIES Company Name LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 18 1 5 24

Quotation(N) 0.78 24.25 8.50

Quantity Traded Value 1,896,468 5,000 8,000,000 9,901,468

of Shares (N) 1,452,815.68 115,200.00 67,989,920.00 69,557,935.68

Quotation(N) 2.07 7.87

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 7,500 16,125.00 1,709,378 13,366,478.00 1,716,878 13,382,603.00

Quotation(N) 0.50 1.15

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 3,435,500 1,717,750.00 457,976 534,314.75 3,893,476 2,252,064.75

Quotation(N) 5.52 2.67 4.19 1.56 10.51 14.65 7.20 3.50 0.84 2.00 8.65 0.50 0.55 12.40

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 16,266,621 91,014,219.65 2,458,770 6,670,160.30 1,511,089 6,137,314.90 15,009,868 23,469,714.13 26,186,971 272,944,002.16 7,871,170 113,958,652.98 391,471 2,813,629.69 10,878,231 37,937,872.15 918,698 809,129.78 224,909,713 449,784,832.85 11,771 96,757.62 1,688,200 844,100.00 1,925,953 1,030,522.44 6,879,174 84,124,053.57 316,907,700 1,091,634,962.22

Quotation(N) 4.03 220.00 5.58 94.01

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 100 383.00 804,500 177,027,277.80 7,488,086 43,819,506.48 3,984,940 374,849,536.64 12,277,626 595,696,703.92

AIR SERVICES Company Name AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 116 117

AUTOMOBILE & TYRE Company Name DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC R. T. BRISCOE (NIGERIA) PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 22 25 BANKING

Company Name ACCESS BANK PLC DIAMOND BANK PLC FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC GTBANK PLC STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC SKYE BANK PLC. STERLING BANK PLC UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC UNITYBANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC ZENITH BANK PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 111 50 27 92 619 347 24 92 23 212 7 10 29 205 1,848 BREWERIES

Company Name CHAMPION BREWERIES PLC GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 62 30 129 222

BUILDING MATERIALS Company Name ASHAKA CEMENT PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 27 17 18 17 79

Quotation(N) 10.50 4.90 115.96 45.17

Quantity Traded Value 281,431 312,453 684,357 88,755 1,366,996

of Shares (N) 2,957,088.17 1,503,550.41 79,282,355.23 4,024,105.52 87,767,099.33

Quotation(N) 9.30 14.50 1.02 0.50 4.86

Quantity Traded Value 7,525,518 193,191 6,000 1,826,000 1,000 9,551,709

of Shares (N) 63,617,236.74 2,808,676.46 6,070.00 913,000.00 4,620.00 67,349,603.20

CHEMICAL & PAINTS Company Name BERGER PAINTS NIGERIA PLC CHEMICAL AND ALLIED PRODUCTS PLC DN MEYER PLC PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 13 16 2 4 1 36

T

HE Nigerian stock market continued on the uptrend yesterday as gains by banking stocks neutralised losses suffered by several stocks and rallied the market to close the week at its highest level.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted equities gained N18 billion to close at N6.580 trillion as against its opening value of N6.562 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI) also trended upward to 20,877.64 points from its opening index of 20,822.00 points.

With 27 losers to 20 gainers, the positive overall market situation was driven mainly by gains by banking stocks, especially highly capitalised banks, which have significant influence on the overall market indices.

The NSE Banking Index improved from 278.60 points to 283.45 points, reflecting gains by highly capitalised banks such as Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Zenith Bank and First Bank of Nigeria and several other mid-cap banks.

Banking stocks also helped the core-group in-

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

dex, the NSE 30 Indexwhich tracks the 30 most capitalised companies, to close higher at 942.24 points compared with its opening index of 938.12 points. With Oando picking up, the NSE Oil and Gas Index also improved from 210.63 points to 212.75 points.

However, the NSE Consumer Goods Index depreciated further to 1,676.71 points as against its opening index of 1,683.32 points. The NSE Insurance Index also slipped from 121.28 points to 119.78.

Banking stocks made up nearly half of advancing stocks at the weekend with GTB leading finance stocks with a gain of 55 kobo to close at N14.65 per share. GTB is expected to release its audited report and accounts and dividend recommendations for the 2011 business year next week. Zenith Bank, the second most competitive banking stock, followed with a gain of 23 kobo to close at N12.40. Zenith Bank is also expected to release its audited report and accounts and dividend rec-

COMMERCIAL/SERVICES Company Name RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 6 1 7

Quotation(N) 2.37 3.45

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 213,039 505,402.43 875 2,870.00 213,914 508,272.43

COMPUTER & OFFICE EQUIPMENT Company Name TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) 2.94

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 366 1,024.80 366 1,024.80

Quotation(N) 1.39 5.60 28.51 0.54 29.50 29.85

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 923,390 1,216,013.74 284,746 1,594,577.60 1,063,031 30,312,917.69 9,548,666 5,155,992.54 3,947,307 116,895,871.35 2,760,407 82,376,635.53 18,527,547 237,552,008.45

CONGLOMERATES Company Name A. G. LEVENTIS (NIGERIA) PLC JOHN HOLT PLC PZ CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC UAC OF NIGERIA PLC UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 12 2 31 49 82 52 228 CONSTRUCTION

Company Name JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA PLC MULTIVERSE PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 29 1 30

Quotation(N) 29.11 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 286,507 8,493,050.50 1,950 975.00 288,457 8,494,025.50

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Company Name CUTIX PLC NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 5 1 6

Quotation(N) 1.40 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 159,500 223,240.00 700 336.00 160,200 223,576.00

FOOD/BEVERAGES & TOBACCO Company Name 7-UP BOTTLING CO. PLC CADBURY NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIGERIA PLC HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT COMPANY NIGERIA PLC NESTLE NIGERIA PLC TANTALIZERS PLC UTC NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 8 68 43 65 40 26 21 72 2 2 347

Quotation(N) 46.00 9.14 4.90 4.80 61.00 3.15 3.98 440.00 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 5,546 244,301.30 1,279,174 11,777,728.02 2,602,998 12,896,545.01 3,765,829 18,517,411.82 147,752 8,932,359.50 3,132,057 9,586,351.78 1,249,265 4,844,095.00 116,295 52,305,317.84 10,500 5,250.00 46,500 23,250.00 12,355,916 119,132,610.27

HEALTHCARE Company Name EKOCORP PLC EVANS MEDICALPLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 2 9 10 16 38

Quotation(N) 5.05 0.67 0.79 22.70 2.90

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,076 5,164.80 3,644 2,332.16 191,120 152,364.80 134,170 3,019,120.50 193,048 577,168.44 523,058 3,756,150.70

HOTEL & TOURISM Company Name IKEJA HOTEL PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 9 9

Quotation(N) 1.42

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 251,000 356,420.00 251,000 356,420.00

INDUSTRIAL/DOMESTIC PRODUCTS Company Name ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION INDUSTRIES PLC B. O. C. GASES NIGERIA PLC VITAFOAM NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 6 40 49

Quotation(N) 11.15 6.75 3.15

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 10,003 110,033.00 54,087 355,365.37 2,066,021 6,531,306.30 2,130,111 6,996,704.67

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Company Name CHAMS PLC e-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC IHS NIGERIA PLC STARCOMMS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 1 1 7 11

Quotation(N) 0.50 4.94 2.59 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,020 510.00 1,000 4,700.00 40,000 103,600.00 601,000 300,500.00 643,020 409,310.00

Quotation(N) 0.51 0.69 1.73 0.50 0.64 1.26 0.50 0.50 0.51 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.88 0.50

Quantity Traded Value 747,913 1,150,000 3,341,700 6,282 7,000,000 160,000 13,666 3,117,356 100,000 1,000,000 2,409,600 250 292,745 419,909

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 3-2-12 STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Sector Totals

2 1 9 124

0.50 0.50 0.50

2,000 38,000 603,194 20,402,615

1,000.00 19,000.00 301,597.00 15,881,036.05

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 121,000 60,500.00 121,000 60,500.00

Quotation(N) 0.82

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,786,597 2,310,702.70 2,786,597 2,310,702.70

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 9,000 4,500.00 9,000 4,500.00

LEASING Company Name C&I LEASING PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 3 MARITIME

Company Name JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 52 52

Company Name DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 4

MEDIA

MORTGAGE COMPANIES Company Name ASO SAVINGS AND LOAND PLC RESORT SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1 2

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 60,000 30,000.00 5,000 2,500.00 65,000 32,500.00

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Company Name CRUSADER NIGERIA PLC. NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1 1 3

Quotation(N) 0.50 1.12 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 50,000 25,000.00 800 856.00 12,501 6,250.50 63,301 32,106.50

Quotation(N) 1.74

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,799,564 4,770,981.70 2,799,564 4,770,981.70

PACKAGING Company Name NIGERIAN BAG MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 43 43

PETROLEUM(MARKETING) Company Name MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA OIL & GAS PLC. FORTE OIL PLC MOBIL OIL NIGERIA PLC. OANDO PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 12 18 7 15 19 307 11 389

Quotation(N) 48.07 28.00 2.70 12.18 133.00 17.10 190.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 160,189 7,700,285.23 26,918 716,018.80 26,200 69,928.50 24,675 285,736.50 53,328 7,075,932.25 6,655,840 110,736,296.99 6,656 1,201,461.50 6,953,806 127,785,659.77

PRINTING & PUBLISHING Company Name ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 4 5 11

Quotation(N) 2.09 2.95 3.09

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,000 1,990.00 44,625 137,891.25 132,000 410,550.00 177,625 550,431.25

Quotation(N) 12.60

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 34,612 421,550.64 34,612 421,550.64

REAL ESTATE

INSURANCE Company Name No of Deals AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 19 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 16 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INSURANCE PLC 38 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC 3 GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC 6 GUARANTY TRUST ASSURANCE PLC 4 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 2 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 2 LAW UNION AND ROCK INSURANCE PLC. 1 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC 1 N.E.M. INSURANCE CO. (NIG.) PLC. 11 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. 1 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE PLC. 6 REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 2

ommendations in the days ahead. Access Bank chalked up 10 kobo to close at N5.52.

Other advancing banking stocks were Diamond Bank, which rose by 6.0 kobo to close at N2.67; Wema Bank that added a kobo to close at 55 kobo; Fidelity Bank rose by 2.0 kobo to close at N1.56; Stanbic IBTC Bank gained 5.0 kobo to close at N7.20; United Bank for Africa added a kobo to close at N2 while First Bank of Nigeria gained 2.0 kobo to close at N10.51 per share.

Meanwhile, Oando recorded the highest gain of 80 kobo to close at N17.10 per share. Berger Paints rose by 43 kobo to close at N9.30.

Nigerian Aviation Handling Company gathered 27 kobo to close at N7.87 while Cement Company of Northern Nigeria rose by 15 kobo to close at N4.90 per share.

However, MRS Oil and Gas led the slackers with a loss of N2.52 per share.

Julius Berger Nigeria followed with a loss of 89 kobo to close at N29.11. CAP dropped by 72 kobo to close at N14.50. Cadbury Nigeria gained 48 kobo to close at N9.14. John Holt Plc lost 29 kobo to close at N5.60 while International Breweries dropped by 28 kobo to N5.58.

Total turnover stood at 425.39 million shares valued at N2.47 billion in 3,758 deals. Banking subgroup accounted for 318.14 million shares valued at N1.10 billion in 1,884 deals.

of Shares (N) 381,348.35 793,500.00 5,932,353.40 3,141.00 4,450,000.00 201,600.00 6,833.00 1,558,678.00 51,000.00 500,000.00 1,215,000.00 125.00 255,905.80 209,954.50

Company Name UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 7 7

ROAD TRANSPORTATION Company Name ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 4

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 30,404 15,780.08 30,404 15,780.08

THE FOREIGN LISTINGS Company Name ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Sector Totals Overall Totals

No of Deals 35 35

Quotation(N) 10.47

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,235,585 12,892,694.28 1,235,585 12,892,694.28

3,754

425,388,551

2,469,829,517.89

THE NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

62

SPORT EXTRA AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS...AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS...

EGYPT RIOT FALL-OUT

Ivory Coast out to trample on Equatorial Guinea

More Cairo clashes after Port Said’s football deaths

A

FTER eight days of action-packed soccer, the AFCON competition is now left eight teams as the quarter-finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations beckon.

Zambia and Sudan get the knock-out stages underway with their clash in Bata on Saturday night, before paving way for Cote d’Ivoire and cohosts Equatorial Guinea in Malabo.

Gabon will then entertain Mali in the third quarter-final tomorrow here in Libreville, with Ghana facing Tunisia in Gabon’s second city, Franceville, for the fourth quarter-final duel.

But success at the continental showpiece cannot mask the underlying problem of Sudanese football.

Eighteen of the players here are from local clubs Al-Hilal Omdurman and Al-Merreikh.

In fact, none of them play overseas. There is no such problem for the Cote d’Ivoire

• Drogba

Tunisia ready for Ghana

T

UNISIA'S Saber Khelifa feels his side's familiarity with Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final opponents Ghana could prove the difference in the tie.

The two sides meet on Sunday in Franceville, Gabon, and Khelifa – who plays his club football for Ligue 1 side Evian – said the team has been doing their homework on their upcoming opponents.

"We've been studying Ghana for a while," Khelifa told Mosaique FM. "We watched all of their games and we know their strong and weak points. We're going to focus on them even more now and watch additional videos with our coach and the technical staff."

Despite performing well in Tunisia's matches so far, Khelifa is still without a goal in the tournament, but the 25year-old said he does not care for personal glory – as long as his side are winning.

"Of course I want to score," he said. "Truthfully, there’s

•Requests to wear black armbands more to it than just scoring goals. I can create them for my teammates. What's essential is that we keep winning. God willing, I'll score in the quarters."

Meanwhile, the Tunisian Football Federation has submitted an official request to the Confederation of African football seeking permission for a show of solidarity with Egypt in their own way.

In a statement posted on its official website, the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) has announced its intention of submitting a request to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to allow Tunisia’s players to wear black armbands in their quarter final matchup against Ghana.

CAF have already mandated that a minute of silence be observed before all of the remaining 2012 Africa

Terry removed as England OHN Terry has been captain stripped of the England

J

captaincy, the Football

Association has confirmed.

The 31-year-old Chelsea centre-back was informed of the decision by FA chairman David Bernstein in a phone call at 1000 GMT. He is due to stand trial in July over racial abuse allegations after an incident with QPR's Anton Ferdinand.

Terry, who lost the captaincy once previously, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.

In a statement, the FA said Terry would not "captain the England team until the allegations against him are

resolved".

It continued: "The FA board expected the trial to be concluded prior to the European Championship.

•Terry

Cup of Nations (Afcon) matches but the north Africans have felt a need to go a step further in the wake the Port Said tragedy that claimed the lives of 74 people.

side though, as none of them turn out in Africa.

Abdel Kader Keita may ply his trade for Al-Sadd in Qatar but the big guns such as Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are at Chelsea and the Toure brothers, Yaya and Kolo, are at Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Gervinho is enjoying his first season at Arsenal. But while the Ivorians ooze with machismo, it has not brought them the Africa Cup of Nations title and if they fail to get past Equatorial Guinea in Malabo, it would be considered as one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history.

The Elephants sit at 18th spot, the highest rated African team, on the FIFA world rankings while the co-hosts are rattling around at 150, the lowest rated side in the competition.

Territorial advantage notwithstanding, it would be an immense shock for the hosts to win.

Equatorial Guinea’s stylish midfielder, Iban Iyanga Travieso, has impressed with his silky movement and eye for goal, so has right back David Alvarez Aguirre whose 25 metre thunderbolt in stoppage time sealed Senegal’s fate on day two of the group stages. The other tournament favourites Ghana have advanced as expected but they have pressing concerns.

Sudan clash, my biggest game

H

ERVE Renard says Saturday’s 2012 Africa Cup quarterfinal clash against Sudan at Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea will be the biggest game of his coaching career.

The Frenchman will be in charge of his second successive Africa Cup quarter-final match in charge of Zambia and in search of his first semifinal appearance after reaching the last eight in Angola in 2010.

"Of course, I have already played one semifinal but I was assistant coach in Ghana then later the quarterfinal in 2010 was my first as head coach," Renard said.

— Renard "Now this is the second and I also reached the Chan semifinal which is not bad."

Renard guided Zambia to the semifinals of the inaugural Caf African Nations Championship (Chan) held in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 where his team finished third.

And Renard revealed that Bidvest Wits defender Kampamba Chintu will not be part of the team against Sudan on Saturday due to injury.

Chintu has failed to recover from a tendon problem that has seen him sit out the last four days of training.

Johansson: Blatter should quit FIFA

F

ORMER FIFA vicepresident Lennart Johansson has called for the current president Sepp Blatter to step down.

Johansson lost the 1998 presidential election to Blatter, who has stayed in power since and was unopposed in securing a fourth term last year .

"It cannot be that only one man should be dictating and taking all the decisions about world football," Johansson told BBC "There is not much more to do than to get rid of the man in question."

The Swede added that former France captain Michel Platini, who succeeded him as head of UEFA in 2007,

A

T least two people have been killed in the latest unrest in the Egyptian capital Cairo, amid continuing anger over 74 deaths after a football match in Port Said on Wednesday. Many Egyptians blame the authorities for failing to protect fans.

A demonstrator and a soldier died on Friday as clashes continued outside the interior ministry, with police firing tear gas at stone-throwing crowds.

Hundreds of al-Ahly football fans carried flags and wore their scarves for Friday prayers outside the club, but this was a sombre occasion to remember Wednesday's dead. Afterwards, they marched to Tahrir Square - where they have been joined by supporters of their arch-rivals, Zamalek.

There are several thousand young men at the latest protests in central Cairo. It appears families have stayed away for fear of violence.

On the side streets behind the interior ministry, clouds of tear gas can be seen. There is a constant din from the sirens of ambulances heading to the scene to remove the injured.

Anger is directed at the ruling generals. Cries go up of "the people demand the removal of the marshal" - a reference to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads the ruling military council.

Demonstrators want a faster transfer to civilian rule.

Wider Egyptian society worries about the continuing state of insecurity and some people believe that protests like this one are not helping.

The latest bout of unrest began on Wednesday, after a pitch invasion in Port Said, when Cairo's visiting alAhly side were attacked after losing to the local al-Masry side. Seventy-four people died and over 1,000 were injured.

Most of the dead were believed to be al-Ahly supporters. Hardcore fans - known as "ultras" - have accused the authorities of allowing the killings to happen.

They say the authorities wanted revenge because the ultras were among those battling the police during last year's revolution that ousted strongman leader Hosni Mubarak.

Anger over the deaths has combined with widespread frustration at the pace of reforms undertaken by Egypt's interim military rulers.

On Thursday, about 10,000 protesters gathered outside the interior ministry, where they clashed with security forces preventing them from reaching the building.

Hundreds were injured, health officials said.

The BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says protesters spent the night dismantling concrete security walls erected around the ministry last November after a previous outbreak of unrest.

Thousands gathered outside the ministry on Thursday and became embroiled in angry clashes with security forces. Officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds.

The health ministry said more than 1,000 protesters were injured, some with broken bones, most suffering from tear gas inhalation. Some 54 police officers and soldiers were also reported injured.

By Thursday night, the unrest had spread across the country. Two people were shot dead in Suez as a crowd of hundreds attempted to overrun a police station.

On Friday, protests resumed outside the interior ministry in Cairo, where at least one protester was reported dead. A soldier also died from injuries sustained on Thursday, state media said.

In Alexandria, a protest march is heading for the regional offices of the military government. Protester Wael Nawara told the BBC's Network Africa programme that many middle-ranking officers loyal to the former president were still in charge at the ministry and were "conspiring against revolution".

"There have been many calls throughout the last few months of restructuring the ministry of interior to bring the officers who are responsible for earlier deaths to trial, but nothing really has changed much in the behaviour of the ministry," he said.

The government has dismissed several senior officials in response to the football deaths.

Port Said's director of security and the head of investigations were suspended and are now in custody.

• Blatter would be an ideal replacement for Blatter at the FIFA helm.

"He is to me closer to what I was looking for," Johansson explained. "He has tried to be fair, he's open-minded, he allows discussions and he obeys decisions made by the majority".

• Riot continues in Egypt

THE NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

63

SPORT EXTRA

Nigeria wants Benin friendly T

HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is in

talks with Benin Republic over a possible international friendly ahead of a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Rwanda.

The proposed game is been planned for Abuja and be played after another testy game between a home-based Nigerian sqaud against Liberia in Monrovia on February 15.

General Secretary of the NFF, Musa Amadu, told MTNFootball.com that the game is aimed at keeping the home-based Eagles busy before their foreign-based coun-

terparts team up with them for the game against Rwanda.

"The game against Benin Republic is tentatively for either 18th or 19th of this month,” informed Amadu.

“We are yet to decide on the possible venue but you cannot rule out Abuja.

“The plan is to keep the home based players busy before their foreign-based counterparts join them for the Rwanda game."

Coach Stephen Keshi is expected back in the country on Monday to resume a training camp for the players in the domestic league.

He has already invited 30 players for this exercise.

2012 FIFA U-17 WOMEN'S QUALIFIER

Kenyans pose no threat—Dedevbo

C

OACH of the Flamingoes, Peter Dedevbo has ruled out upset from the Kenyans on Saturday.

Coach Dedevbo's side will tackle their East African opponents in an African qualifier for the 2012 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup. The Flamingoes will be taking their 2-0 advantage penultimate Saturday in Kenya to the decisive tie at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

Dedevbo told SuperSport.com that the Kenyans are merely coming to Nigeria to fulfil the mandatory home and away requirement.

"I must tell you emphatically that the Kenyans are coming here for mere formality to complete the home and away requirement and not to win nor pose any threat to us.

"We defeated them 2-0 at their backyard two weeks back, and we will still hand them a more comprehensive defeat at Abeokuta.

"We've trained and prepared adequately. We're not living any stone unturned.

"It will be sweet victory for us on Saturday," he said.

Dedevbo who avoided comments on the allegation by the Kenyans that his players are over-aged, rather said he has no injury worry among the players.

Ahmed Musa: Tijani Babangida was my idol IGERIAN winger Ahmed Musa has told Russian Media about the assists he is getting from another African at the club, the LiberianNigerian midfielder Sekou Oliseh. The 19-year-old says he was well received by his team-mates and coach when he joined the club.

Musa said: '' I started football about eight, nine years ago. I started playing at school. It turned out quite well. My idol then was Tijani Babangida. Then I got into football academy, I started playing in tournaments. So, actually, it went well. I played at home, and during one of the tournaments I had noticed scouts from Europe. I then played for the Nigeria second team. It was a chance that I could not miss. So I ended up in the Dutch club, Venlo.''

N

• Keshi

Why Eguavoen's Enyimba deal was delayed

S

IX-TIME NPL champions Enyimba delayed the appointment of former

Nigeria Olympic team coach Austin Eguavoen after he demanded to name his own backroom staff.

MTNFootball.com had several weeks ago broken the story that Eguavoen has been hired as the technical adviser of ‘The People’s Elephant’.

However, our investigations revealed that the two-time CAF Champions League winners delayed making Eguavoen's engagement public after both parties could not agree on some

terms.

MTNFootball.com specially gathered that the former Eagles captain demanded to appoint his backroom staff, but the request did not go down well with the Enyimba management, who had already appointed Audu Maikaba as chief coach.

Enyimba chairman, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, who refused comment on how the issue was resolved, said, "We have confidence in the ability of Eguavoen. We know what he can do and we are sure he would lead us back to our glory days"

FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

Falconets to go on break

A

FTER booking a spot in the second round of the qualifier for the FIFA

U-20 Women’s World Cup owing to Sierra Leone’s withdrawal,The Nigeria’s Super Falconets players and officials are expected to go on a two-week recess as from February 17 through March 1st, NationSport has learnd.

The Assisitant Coach of the team, Christopher Nwaehi who disclose this in a telephone chat. Noted that with the retreat of their first round opponents, Sierra Leone, the technical crew wants to give the players some time off before assem-

bling them again from the first week of March for preparation ahead of their second round clash with the winner of the tie between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

He emphasised that the technical crew have thus far been impressed with the level of professionalism displayed by the lasses and their work rate during the training sessions they have had. Emphasising that if the same tempo is maintained throughout the qualifiers, the Nigerian representatives will be one of the teams to beat at the World Cup finals in Japan in August.

Musa, who has four sisters and two brothers, has football running in his blood. His father was also an attacker for a local team, but failed to play professionally He is confident that his move to the 2005 UEFA Cup Winners will bring him silverware. ''I want to win, to win trophies. This is the main goal. If I am outside the country, I need to try to show my full potential and be as confident in my abilities.

Only this would help to justify the confidence and hope, which lay on me. I said to myself: "I must be the best, no matter where I play,'' adds Musa.

CSKA Moscow confront Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League later this month. The ex Kano Pillar ace is looking forward to the clash, as he comes head to head with Cristiano Ronaldo, who he's being likened to by the fans.

•Musa

Oghiadomhe, don’t kill our soccer

• Continued from back page

scales through despite the fact that FA seats globally are won through elections as demanded by the tenets of the statutes. It is sickening to hear NSC guys say that so much money is being invested to grab positions in the NFF from the electoral system.

Show me one electoral exercise where money is not spent?

NSC men have lied to ministers- and now Oghiadomhe-that NFF stinks. That is okay. Yet, they have struggled to account for money released for the Maputo All Africa Games. They have cast indulgent eyes on queries raised over how the money appropriated to them for the South Africa 2010 World Cup was spent, when they had no team at the Mundial.

NSC whips are giving the impression that the statutes were written solely by the NFF. That is untrue. One recalls the trips made to Zurich (FIFA’s headquarters) to discuss the objections raised from our statutes before it became acceptable. Such delegations were headed by the sports minister, with former Director General Dr. Amos Adamu, NFF chairman and lackeys of the NSC as members.

Unfortunately, Adamu is in the cooler. He is not permitted to mediate in football matters until, he settles his case at the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) in Lausanne.

Political solutions to the impasse as canvassed by Bolaji Abdullahi won’t work because those in the NFF are holding the deck in trust for the real masquerades who have vowed to retain their relevance from outside. The animosity between the warring factions is that of vendetta. The real solution is to fast-track the repealing of Decree 101 to free the NFF from its monsters at the NSC. It is about time the Jonathan administration freed the NFF from NSC’s shackles. NFF can generate more than the N3 billion pumped into it by government only, if Decree 101 is repealed and no one breathes down the body’s neck.

If subsequent NFF men are found to be corrupt, the government has the machinery (EFCC and ICPC) to probe and prosecute the corrupt ones. Time for change is now, Oghiadomhe.

Osayande Osunde, this award is for you Pain ran through me on Tuesday afternoon whilst listening to a citation read for the Media Person of the Year (2011). Ade Ojeikere is Copa Coca-Cola’s Media Person of the Year, the loudspeakers bellowed.

I sat transfixed. I looked around the hall. Coca-Cola’s insignia was unmistaken. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Quickly, I tucked in my face to wipe the tear and headed for the podium to be decorated. Missing in the hall for the first time in a Coca-Cola media function was Osayande Osunde.

Looking straight into the Marketing Director, Coca-Cola, Nigeria, Austin Ufomba’s eyes as he held the transparent plaque, I wished Osayande was beside him. He wasn’t there because the former Managing Director of TQA Communication has joined the saints triumphant.

For me, this Copa Coca-Cola Media Person of the Year (2011) award is dedicated to the memory of a departed brother, friend and mentor, Osayande Osunde. It still hurts like yesterday. But who are we to challenge God’s call?

Osayande facilitated all the trips that I made to international competitions with Coca-Cola as sponsors. I have stuck to that brand and I always give my best to all its sports activities.

However, on behalf the management of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation and SportingLife newspapers, I wish to express my appreciation to the management of Coca-Cola Nigeria for the noble initiative of developing the game at the grassroots.

I urge the NFF to use this marketing interface to build a foundation for fishing out talents from the hinterlands. NFF can key into this venture to start the process of having a credible data base for talents discovered using the international acceptance of Coca-Cola.

NFF chiefs could also whisper into Ufomba’s ears the need to complete the process by bankrolling a youth league for the players to showcase their talents. I’m sure that this relationship will produce an Africa Footballer of the Year in 2020. Many thanks.

Tomorrow in THE NATION PUNCHLINE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.7, NO. 2025

What is needed is not just a constitution with well defined terms; it is one with properly conceived terms ‘that can place Nigeria in a better position to meet the challenge of nation building’ —Ropo Sekoni

E

VEN if rather belatedly, it is still a posi tive development that the Arewa Consul tative Forum (ACF), speaking through the Chairman of its Central Working Committee, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, has come out to show serious concern about the Boko Haram menace and to proffer solutions to a quagmire that constitutes perhaps the greatest threat to the nation’s cohesion since the civil war.

Yes, a summit of northern leaders was held in Kaduna last year to deliberate on the region’s security challenges. But even at that event, Senate President, David Mark, publicly voiced his disenchantment at the seeming reluctance of speaker after speaker to refer directly to the murderous Boko Haram group.

There is surely reasonable cause to believe that members of the Northern power elite were not entirely displeased with the discomfiture Boko Haram was causing a Jonathan presidency believed to have opportunistically truncated the zoning agreement that would have seen the North occupy the presidency till 2015.

It has probably taken the unimaginably horrendous scale of the latest Kano bomb attacks and the group’s threat to subject Sokoto to the same treatment for the northern power elite to realize that Boko Haram constitutes as much a danger to the peace and stability of the region as it does to that of the country.

Even then, the ACF has adopted a rather ambidextrous posture on Boko Haram suggesting it is walking a tight rope on a most delicate issue. On the one hand, the ACF rightly condemns Boko Haram’s violent tactics pointing out that “no religious doctrine permits the killing of innocent lives”. But on the other, the ACF could hardly refrain from sounding like Boko Haram’s mouth piece when Alhaji Aliko Mohammed claimed that it was the South-South that provoked the fanatical sect’s ultimatum to Southerner’s living in the North to quit by issuing a similar threat to northerner’s living in the South- South.

Since the ACF claims not to be in touch with or know the whereabouts of the Boko Haram insurgents, how could it so confidently defend what it believes to be the motive of the group’s imprudent order that non-northerners vacate the region? Now, I am completely unaware that any group ever ordered northerner’s to leave the South-South. But even if that is true, can this not be understood against the widespread perception particularly in the SouthSouth and South-East that the entire Boko Haram saga is part of a ploy to make the country ungovernable for Jonathan by elements dissatisfied with the current power equation?

I do not intend to go into the merits or demerits of this claim but it was manifestly unwise for the ACF to have attempted any rationalization of Boko Haram’s quit order on southerners resident in the North.

Apparently encouraged by President

ACF: Walking a tight rope the provisos that (1) any Boko Haram leader ready for dialogue must, first and foremost, accept the sanctity, legality and legitimacy of the Nigerian state and (2) accept that a necessary condition for the stability and harmonious continuity of the multi-religious Nigerian State is its constitutionally guaranteed secularity.

Any attempt at compulsory evangelization by any group to impose its religion on the polity is a violent assault on the Nigerian constitution – a veritable declaration of war on the State. The only constitutionally sanctioned response by the Nigerian State to any such demented demand is to employ all the force

at its command to safeguard the stability and unity of the country. The only way that Boko Haram’s purported Islamization agenda can be achieved is thus by forcefully overawing the Nigerian State if it can and imposing a new constitutional order on the country.

The important point must be made that the Niger Delta militants never questioned the legal basis of the Nigerian State. They never sought to overthrow the current constitutional order, which fundamentally is what Boko Haram is pursuing. The militants were fighting the degradation and despoliation of their environment and the accompanying dehumanization of the people of the Niger Delta.

These legitimate demands are certainly not incompatible with the fundamental objectives and directive principles of the Nigerian constitution.

It is my view that the Jonathan presidency does not have the constitutional authority to dialogue with any group as regards such a fundamental pillar of the current legal order as the country’s secularity. It is only a Sovereign National Conference that can consider and take bindings decisions on the defining elements of our federal union. Yet, the ACF insists that there is no need for such a conference asserting that “the terms of our National Union and those by which the Nigerian Federation are run have been well defined in our Constitution”. Really? Why then is the ACF supporting the perceived necessity of dialogue with aggrieved Boko Haram insurgents?

Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu’s illuminations

O • Mohammed Goodluck Jonathan’s rather inexplicable expressed willingness to dialogue with Boko Haram once its leaders come into the open, the ACF wants the Federal Government to go further by “guaranteeing the security of leaders of the Boko Haram sect when they come out for dialogue”. Now, this is a somewhat curious proposition. Have the ACF leaders listened to the chilling words of the Boko Haram leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau? Listen to him: “If Jonathan does not repent as a Muslim, even if I die myself, Jonathan’s going to see…I am not against anyone, but if Allah asks me to kill someone, I will kill him and I will enjoy killing him like I am killing a chicken”.

Here definitely is an imprisoned mind mired in impenetrable darkness. How do you begin to dialogue with anyone with such a patently absurd mind set completely estranged from reality? I think the ACF should have balanced its call for guaranteeing the safety of Boko Haram leaders willing to dialogue with

NE of Nigeria’s best and brightest economists, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, obviously regularly keeps a date with this page.

On the 14th of last month, the former Minister of the Federal Republic sent me this text message: “Just read your ‘illuminations’ back page of Saturday 14th. You write well, so it would even be better if you research better. I have been fully consistent from leaving graduate school to World Bank, private Consultancy, through Buhari (Commissioner of Finance, Imo) to IBB (Minister of Finance, National Planning, Transportation) and back to Abacha (Minister of Finance) and Chm BGL plc! If this is so, your article needs ‘restructuring.’ I offer a joint piece to enlighten our people, and do they need it! Today’s headlines: ‘Diezani ordered subsidy removal. That may be as true as the fiction that World Bank/IMF ‘ordered SAP’ etc...

Tried to reach you by phone” And last Saturday, Dr. Kalu sent me the following email: “Your jibe hit the point! What we need is the imaginative leadership that understands and can demonstrably commit to Awo’s vision! This was the vision I brought to Lagos in 1985 scripted as essential reforms and continuous restructuring of the Nigerian economy. This vision was emasculated, perhaps not intentionally, by the Presidential

Advisory Committee (PAC) and rechristened ‘Structural Adjustment Programme’ with an improbably pathetic timeline of 1986-1988! In place of my discrete exchange rate adjustment mechanism was substituted the infamous “second-tier foreign exchange market”! The second jeopardy derived logically from the equally infamous “IMF debate” which bred the national “anti-credit” psyche! As a result the second tier foreign exchange market was perennially underfunded...despite the pervasive abundance of viable investments. The World Bank gave a token initial backing, the IMF backed off completely from the outset.

The resultant inevitable progressive depreciation of the Naira made the government to panic and it decided to set up a second window, the so-called ‘’official foreign exchange” which only ended up further distorting relative prices and drove all businesses to the short term foreign exchange speculative market! This was NOT my economic reform package but the third jeopardy! The counter intuitive anti-credit psyche also lies at the root of the incredibly naïve celebration of a so-called ‘debt exit’ achievement in the midst of the same numerous terrible vital infrastructural statistics which a one-shot zero fuel subsidy is now projected to remedy!”

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

Oghiadomhe, don’t kill our soccer

H

OW busy is the President’s Chief of Staff?

I, not being familiar with the routine of the big men behind the huge walls of Aso Villa, cannot state precisely what Mike Oghiadomhe’s job schedule looks like.

But, dear reader, permit me to guess: he doesn’t seem to be busy. If he is, there will not be time for him to dabble in football crises instigated by the very body from which he has sought solutions.

One thought that sports matters were the prerogative of the Vice President. But, it appears that changes may have been made, considering the way the Chief of Staff is being dragged into the crisis at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Or is someone trying to peddle influence at the Villa? That is okay; after all, Nigeria belongs to us all.

Hitherto, the Chief of Staff washed his hands of the so called NFA. But one would love to read his defence now that there is a document (NSC/FEAD/NFA/GM/2010/CON/25 dated December 22, 2011) directed to him on the ugly

trends in our football. I also imagine that he wants to mediate in it. Oghiadohme must be informed that the directive to become a federation came from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to its affiliates in 2002. NSC only implemented it.

Perhaps Oghiadomhe needs to ask NSC why there is so much fuss about NFF, leaving other 30 sports federations intact. One must warn that we stand the chance of being a pariah in sports, if we try to breach IOC rules. What is good for AFN, TFN, NBBF, NTF etc should apply to NFF. No stories.

Oghiadomhe ought to also ask NSC eggheads, if they are known to the Nigerian laws.

Is it not, therefore, illegal for the government to release money to NSC with its nomenclature?

Nigeria is a sovereign nation. So are England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil and 201 others operating under FIFA’s statutes.

Oghiadomhe sir, our football has known no peace since the statutes removed NSC representative, ex-internationals, players’ union, referees and coaches from the NFF board.

Sir, take a critical look at the list of those in

the crusade for the return to NFA. They are perpetual members of the groups (NSC, exinternationals, coaches and referees) eliminated from the board.

FIFA has 12 members, just like CAF. Is it wrong for Nigeria to have 12 members? What are we doing with an NFA board of 22-24 members? Must we strive to please everyone and end up hurting everybody? Is NFF board a jobfor-the-boys organisation? Is it not the secretariat that does all the jobs? Why can’t those rooting for NFA seek employment into available offices at the Glass House?

Will Oghiadomhe sit in a committee whose ultimate aim is to remove him from an office, which he earned through an election supervised by the NSC? I doubt it. Will he negotiate with a committee comprising members who he beat in an election that was televised live to over 170 million Nigerians and was seen to be fair?

Will Oghiadomhe accept a committee’s report made up of people who openly criticise the Goodluck Jonathan administration in the media? NSC’s committees have had some people being permanent members, making it imperative to ask whose interest they are rep-

resenting.

Oghiadomhe must be told that on January 5, 2005, the Federal Executive Council approved the abrogation of Decree 101. This bill has been tabled before the National Assembly and is undergoing the normal legislative procedure.

Why do we want to discard what was initially sent? Is it because these complainants were not part of the process? Who has told them that others would accept what they have done?

On February 23, 2007 vide NSC/HMCH/ NFA/CON/02/2007, one-time sport Minister Bala Bawa Ka’Oje informed FIFA through the NFA that Decree 101 wasn’t the instrument for running our football, but the statutes. Whose duty is it to ensure that the Decree is repealed, more than seven years after?

NSC men have been economical with the truth to Oghiadomhe, like they have done to all the sports ministers. They want political solutions to the crisis, having positioned their cronies into the NFF. NSC buffs’ diabolical machination is to ensure that they control NFF, such that their ploy to make ex-internationals run the Glass House

•Continued on Page 63

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