The Nation January 20, 2013

President Zuma opens 2013 AFCON party

30 dead bodies found floating in Anambra River

Cape Verde hold Bafana Bafana Morocco 0 Angola 0 Kanu tips Eagles to shine

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Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Vol.07, No. 2376

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SUNDAY

JANUARY 20, 2013

N200.00

Emir of Kano escapes death as gunmen attack convoy –Page 4 BUY Driver, three others killed Security agencies probe aspiring successors AND WIN A BRAND NEW CAR Tambuwal, Yuguda, others flay attack on monarch SEE PAGE 71 FOR DETAILS

Left is Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

To the right his vintage limousine with shattered windows following yesterday’s attack in Kano on the monarch’s convoy by unknown gunmen.

Mali Deployment: Two soldiers killed, five wounded in Kogi explosion –Page 5

•Ihejirika

I am building on Obasanjo’s foundation, says Jonathan –Page 2

Fashola:Lagosattained 89percentbudget implementationin2012 –Page 67

NEWS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

30 dead bodies found floating in Anambra River

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ESIDENTS of Amansea Community in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State woke up yesterday to find about 30 dead bodies, all of them men, floating in the Anambra River.

The river has its source at Agba Ogwudu, Enugu State, a boundary town between Enugu and Anambra States.

The bodies are decomposing already and the stench emanating from them envelopes the neighbourhood. No one could say how they bodies got there, who killed them or identify any of them.

• Government vows to unravel mystery

By Nwanosike Onu, Awka Residents were seen in groups discussing the development in hushed tones. Governor Peter Obi was out of town, but government sources said he had been notified and was monitoring the situation through his commissioners and local government officials.

The traditional ruler of Amansea Community, Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo, was dumb-founded. The water,

which is now polluted by the dead bodies, serves the five communities Amansea, Ebenebe, Ugbenu, Ugbene and Oba-Ofemili.

The State government dispatched a delegation led by the Commissioner for Local Government, Lady Azuka Enemo, and Chairman of Local Government Chairmen in the state, Mr. Dazza Udozor, to assess the situation. Enemo described what she saw as terrible and unfortunate.

“We have not seen this

kind of thing before, it is a horrible sight,” she said, adding: “we have seen a lot of dead bodies numbering about 14.

May be we have not seen the last of it because they are still floating in the water down to Anambra River.

“When we were informed, we also duly informed the security agencies and we believe they will carry out investigations to tell us actually what transpired.

“Also, we have contacted our neighbour state, Enugu,

because this is a waste of human lives. We cannot fold our hands claiming that nothing could be done.”

The traditional ruler of Amansea community said the development remained a mystery to everybody. The state Police Command pledged to unravel the mystery behind it. The command spoke through its public relations officer, Emeka Chukwuemeka.

Meanwhile, over 60 police men in three patrol vehicles from Enugu and Anambra States were yesterday strug-

gling to resolve the mystery surrounding the dumping of lifeless bodies. The policemen came in patrol vehicles with registration Number NPF 117 C, with inscription Anambra Cobra Squad B Division and NPF 2347 C Enugu State Anti Robbery Squad.

Bala Nasarawa, Commissioner of Police, Anambra State and Musa Daudu, Commissioner of Police, Enugu State both said the incident would be thoroughly investigated. They also agreed that the dead bodies were not as result of a communal clash.

Already a crack team of investigators has been put together to thoroughly probe and get to the bottom of the incident.

Amaechi-Orubebe Face-off: MOSOP, Ijaw leaders urge restraint

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HE President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, yesterday asked Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Elder Godsday Orubebe, Minister of Niger Delta, to show restraint in their face-off, which, according to him, does not do the region any good.

The governor and the minister have been locked in a war of words sparked by what is perceived as Amaechi’s political ambition ahead 2015. The governor is speculated to be interested in contesting as a presidential running mate - a move that may jeopardise President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term.

Orubebe in a veiled reference to the speculation said the governor has not lived up to expectation in the discharge of his gubertanatorial responsibility, while Amaechi replied that the minister was a failure.

Reacting to the development yesterday, Pyagbara, said: “That (face-off) is not good for Niger Delta and Nigeria. It is really unfortunate. As leaders, they must know that people are watching them. They ought to be mentoring the younger ones.

“Governor Amaechi should always criticise in love and with respect. It is not right for the NGF chairman to abuse and embarrass his Niger Delta kinsmen, especially President Jonathan and Elder Orubebe.”

Pyagbara added that it was imperative for leaders and other people of the Niger Delta to always speak with one voice, in order to move forward and urged Orubebe to ensure the

RETRACTION

Our attention has been drawn to a story published on page 6, of May 24, 2009 edition of The Nation. We have since discovered that the story was not properly reported. We hereby apologise to Mrs Esther Lawrence and regret the embarrassment and inconveniencies the story might have cause her. The story is hereby retracted.

Editor

By Sam Egburonu/ Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt early completion of the East/ West Road.

The President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Miabiye Kuromiema, asked Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) to guard his utterances and show respect to his fellow Niger Delta leaders.

Kuromiema, who hails from Okrika in Rivers State, said: “Amaechi’s comment on the East-West Road demeans the office of a governor. Rivers governor must realise that he cannot take over the East-West Road through his remarks on AIT, except he is playing politics.

“The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs should concentrate on the dualisation of the East-West Road. Niger Delta people want to see the road fully dualised very soon.”

The IYC president then called for unity among Nigerians, especially people of the Niger Delta, in order to be sure of a better tomorrow.

Chief Tunde Odanye, a top member of the PDP and former governorship aspirant on the party’s platform, told The Nation yesterday that the war of words was part of the democratic freedom and indiscipline in PDP. “I have not read the exact words the two top officials used against each other, but we are all aware of what has been happening in PDP of late. We can recall the case involving Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and that of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Olagunsoye Oyinlola. This one, the face-off between Amaechi and Orubebe is the latest. You know PDP is a big party and we allow freedom of speech in the party. So, what we are seeing today is a sign of freedom associated with genuine democracy. It is also part of the indiscipline we have to contend with.”

He explained that PDP has acknowledged the fact that it has this problem and is doing something to resolve the problem. “The worst scenario is if the party had pretended that it does not have a problem. This type of indiscipline is a problem in PDP today and the party elders are working hard now to solve it,” he said.

•L-R: Vice President Namadi Sambo, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Mrs. Bola Obasanjo; former President of Ghana , John Kuffuor and Imo State Gov. Rochas Okorocha join Obasanjo in cutting a celebration cake yesterday.

I’m building on Obasanjo’s foundation, says Jonathan

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that his administration is building on the foundation laid by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The president, who has been widely criticised by a large section of Nigerians including Chief Obasanjo himself for poor performance, praised his predecessor for providing the ‘solid foundation’ on which his (Jonathan’s) administration is now building to ensure the country’s development.

Jonathan ,represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, at the grand final of a programme of events by the PDP in the South West to honour Obasanjo, said his administration committed to the implementation of the party’s manifesto, especially the revitalisation of the nation’s economy.

Jonathan told the audience including the PDP National Chairman,Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Governors Rochas Okorocha ( Imo), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Godswill Akpabio ( Akwa-Ibom), and

By Eric Ikhilae/ Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta former Finance Minister, Senator Nenadi Usman that Obasanjo had done a lot for the country.

The former president, according to him, is “a great man whose life is tied to the history and evolution of the country. He guided our country through some of the most challenging periods of her history.

“To his credit, his administration between 1999 and 2007 laid a solid foundation for the development of our country through vibrant policies and programmes.

“He laid a solid foundation which we are currently building upon.

His statemanly role across Africa and the world at large is legendary. He is truely the leader we can trust.

“We will continue to meticulously and painstakingly push well-conceived and action-oriented policies and programmes that endure the test of time.”

He mentioned areas being addressed by his administra-

tion to include “ the need for adequate power supply, transportation system, agriculture,education, among others.”

Uduaghan and Akpabio thanked Obasanjo for his intervention in 2007 which ensured their emergence as governors.

They said that but for him, some entrenched forces in their states would have truncated their ambition.

Mrs Usman, who served in Obasanjo’s government, described him as disciplined leader, who is worth emulating.

Obasanjo said he was touched by the show of affection toward him by associates and bPDP members and urged Nigerians to identify and honour their icons from across the country especially while they are still alive.

He said that is the only way to encourage people to make the sacrifices required to move the country forward, adding he owed all that he achieved or did in life to God

and then to thousands of people who have worked with him.

Obasanjo said:”To me what is happening here today and what happened yesterday is unique. It is very unique because normally, we don’t seem to sing the praises of our leaders at whatever level until after they have passed away and then whatever we say, we will say don’t talk ill of the dead.

“To be here with you and to get this type of praises and affections, I fee touched... Let us identify icon in all walks of life among us so that we can encourage people to make necessary sacrifice to move our country forward. The second thing I want to say is that what I have achieved, whatever I have done and whatever position I have attained, God made it to happen, the glory and honour should be given to God who made it to happen.”

Ace juju maestro, Ebenezer Obey, who was on the band stand, entertained the audience.

Column

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Party deformation in perspective P ARTY formations in post-military Nigeria are in a serious crisis. But this much should be expected in a military assisted democracy and from societies in the throes of traumatic transition from despotic rule to a democratic empowerment of citizens. It is usually a tense and fraught process with the possibility of reversal and regression. Since there is no global roadmap for recovery and recuperation, every nation is a unique patient with its own unique pathologies .

In such circumstances, even the fundamental principles of party formations in modern societies are called to question. However, in countries that have successfully weathered the inclement storm of autocratic and anti-democratic adversities, notably in Ghana, South Africa and Latin America, there has always been one cultural product which makes a signal and significant contribution. That is the quality of human capital at the apex of leadership.

This is why it is unfortunate that while party formations in Nigeria are in serious crisis and the country itself is roiling in deep dysfunction, the ruling party, the PDP, the selfadvertised largest party on the continent, should be openly squabbling about posts. For a party that has ruled Nigeria for all of 14 years since the departure of the military, the PDP is nothing short of a national tragedy after the opportunity cost to the nation has been factored in.

The fixation of its ranking members on the politics of allocation of resources devalues politics as a struggle for the allocation of values. The degeneration of politics to a fierce struggle for state loot hobbles everything in its wake because it makes it impossible for political society to operate at a level compatible with the more refined ethos of a truly civilized polity. This subsistence politics with its violent and crude Hunter-gatherer code of conduct reduces everybody in its orbit to the level of primitive cavedwellers.

In the end, nothing probably could beat the brilliant description of the PDP by one of its founding fathers as a rally. Rallies are usually very riotous and sometimes have to be broken up when they degenerate to sheer anarchy. The political preferences of this column are very well known, but since we are talking about the crisis of party formation, we are talking about a crisis of the nation-state.

A national crisis is not an opportunity for crude recrimination or insult-vending. But it must be noted for the benefit of analytical clarity that unlike some of its lesser competitors that can be held down to and measured against some professed ideals, the PDP, despite its array of organic intellectuals and free-floating technocrats, boasts of no ideology apart from a nebulous pan-Nigerianism which masks its true provenance as a mere powergrabbing machine.

Yet it must also be stated that until the opposition groups transcend their own limitations, the PDP will remain rampart and rampaging and they will remain its mere dialectical mirror image. In an under-developing nation, power grabbing is a cogent manifesto because it puts food on the table and under the table as the case may be and until the ghosts also summon themselves to the banquet. In fact, until the opposition parties come up with the formula for a merger or mega-alliance, the next supper is not the Last Supper and the political gourmets will continue to dine in some style. The mind boggles not just at the culinary logis-

•Tukur

tics of making a meal of a whole country and the crude arithmetic of the feeding frenzy.

For the sake of objective analysis, and as it is at the moment, the Peoples’ Democratic Party is a prebendalist machine for scientific extortion and extraction; a perfect instrument of primitive accumulation based on industrial corruption.

The savage oxymoron of this formulation is a perfect example of what happens when instances of old feudal formations take on the garb of modernity and its cutting edge technology. When prebendalism which is a throwback to old feudal Europe becomes a modern phenomenon and when corruption is industrialised, scientific precision is brought to bear on primitive extractive predation. The nation is frozen in a time-warp. Cavemen parade as statesmen.

But we cannot complain too loudly about the sluggishness of a river in midstream without examining its source. It is only through this kind of holistic analysis that we can achieve true illumination of our precarious predicament. Like its old forebears, the PDP is a product of certain structural, political and economic configuration of Nigeria as engineered by the domi-

nant faction of the old military and as designed by the original colonial conquerors of modern Nigeria.

In the event, it is doubtful whether the two military transitions we have had so far are real transitions from military rule to genuine democracy or a mere transfer of power and personnel for the same predatory purposes. In business parlance, it was just a shuffling of Holdings. The same can be said for flag independence and the ceding of power to an indigenous political elite which did not represent a fundamental rupture of political praxis but a continuation of colonisation by other means.

In the case of colonial transition, power was ceded to a compliant and complacent political class superintended by a master-nationality which had demonstrated superior political organisation and the military initiative required to hold down the country by feudal fiat or by force if and when it became inevitable. In the subsequent political order, only the Action Group, of all the major parties, showed signs of a discernible and coherent ideology and a master plan for national development but was regarded as the most dangerous customer by both the departing colonial masters and their local inheritors. The party was to suffer savage persecution.

For Nigeria’s ancient and modern power-masters, ideology does not matter and neither does a master plan or even democracy. But as we have been taught in school, this is also an ideology and a default master plan , a modern manual for political and economic bankruptcy and a cover for anti-democratic gaming. Famously, General Obasanjo, the superintending military Caesar of the first transition, rumbled that it was not always the case that the best man would win a political contest.

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nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu Up till that point, the relationship between Awo and the military establishment had been wary and cagey. Despite the admiration of many ranking officers for his sterling personal qualities, the dominant military establishment viewed the Ikenne titan as a dangerous customer and a threat to their collective aspiration which they equated with national stability and order.

In fairness to Obasanjo, he had tried to help the old man broaden his national base and appeal by transferring him from the chancellorship of the then University of Ife to Ahmadu Bello University. But in all his political career, the late philosopher-politician had fought against the homogenisation of the Nigerian ruling class which was not based on principles and shared ideals. It was a non-starter. An earlier warm and cosy relationship with the urbane and affable Governor Robert Adeyinka Adebayo had ended in a public spat over the Agbekoya uprising.

Chief Awolowo repeatedly insisted during his epic campaigns that he was not interested in probing the military as an institution. It was the wise thing to say. But as the heat of political commotion got to him, the old man issued a tense clarification.

While he was not interested in probing the military as an institution, any departing military officer who wandered into the murky waters of partisan politics would have his background subjected to “searching scrutiny”. It was the shortest and sharpest political suicide note in post-colonial history. It led to a frantic and messy exit for the military through a legal legerdemain of dubious mathematical provenance.

With General Babangida’s permanent transition, we got to the realm of political football with neither fixed goalposts nor fixed time.

Injury time began immediately after the referee’s whistle. The game ended abruptly after an angry crowd invaded the pitch. The umpire lost his empire and almost his life.

Babangida had famously quipped that while he did not know who would succeed him, he knew who would not. It became a self-fulfilling anti-democratic prophesy.

Babangida was forced to hand over as a holding device—or is it Hold-

Farmer Oaks versus Farmer Hoax

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T is far from the madding crowd of Wadata Plaza, the PDP’s intriguesoaked headquarters. For the umpteenth time, it is meet to alert fellow countrymen —as they sayabout the ease with which superior reality trumps and trounces outlandish fiction in Nigeria. Even the most accomplished novelist must now shiver in reverence about how actual reality in the country often outstrips the most malarial of imaginative constructs. Nigeria is a great novel perpetually in progress.

It has been reported that the youthful and bubbling Minister of Agriculture in the latest edition of OFN (Operation Fool Nigerians) has officially countermanded his own permanent secretary, Ibukun Odusote, to insist that there was no going back on spending 60 billion naira to procure mobile phones for farmers. Phew, what a phoney racket!!! How a supposedly tested technocrat could find himself embroiled in this seamy scam remains one of the great twists of an engross-

ing novel. In the past, it was fertilisers that fertilised unconscionable looting, now the World Bank wonk and policy whizz kid has introduced his own Mobile Banking. Farmer Hoax finally meets Farmer Oaks.

Ever heard of Gabriel Oaks? If you haven’t you are not likely to have heard of Thomas Hardy. Hardy was one of the greatest novelists of all time. In the glorious sixties, his classic novels such as Far From the Madding Crowd, Jude the Obscure and The Mayor of Casterbridge constituted the staple fare of those tortuous O and A level exams. Farmer Oaks was the protagonist of Far From the Madding Crowd. It was a riveting tale of roiling passion and unrequited love. Oaks was a man of pious virtues, uncommon nobility and sturdy integrity. In a moment of trusting stupidity, he allowed a knave shepherd to run his entire flock over the cliff. Poverty and penury became his lot.

We must watch how reality abuses fiction. In the nineteenth century, Honore de Balzac, the great

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French novelist, was so stunned by the outlandish and improbable reality of French society that he simply appointed himself a Social Secretary who would record happenings for posterity without any embellishment. In the end, Balzac himself could no longer distinguish between reality and fiction. On his deathbed, the great man called out for a certain Dr Banchioc as the only physician capable of saving him. “Call me Banchioc!! Only Banchioc can save me now!!” the novelist screamed.

The great snag was that there was no such living doctor. Banchioc was one of Balzac’s own great fictional creations. And there the matter rested. But so too did the great novelist. As the Yoruba will say, a farmer who planted a hundred tubers but who claims to have planted two hundred must eat his fictional yam after consuming his real harvest. Can any rural farmer forward the telephone number of the honorable minister? Agrarian communication, my foot.

ings device?— to a colourless interim contraption. Three months after, the military dropped all pretences and swept back to power.

It is this anti-democratic gaming that is the basis, genesis and nemesis of the Fourth Republic. In a supreme instance of irony, when General Obasanjo collected back power in !999 from General Abubakar, he was doing so from the parade ground commander who bade him farewell as a departing military head of state 20 years earlier. But no two historical conjunctures are similar.

Obasanjo’s erstwhile military subordinates were ceding power to him based on a constitution he himself admitted he had not seen up till that moment.

In the event, the “constitution” turned out as an explosive-laden device; a patchwork of incoherent rambling that vouches for the people without the people and with the sole aim of indemnifying the departing military against loss and loss of face. Fronting for this historic fraud as usual is a grand coalition of “big” people from all over the national spectrum, a coalition of contraries without any shared notions or beliefs except a shared obsession for capturing power for the sake of loot.

But it must be obvious to even a political fool that you cannot continue to gourmandise on the national cake without baking something in return. Both the cake and the nation will disappear one day. In its classical incarnation, the nation-state paradigm was designed as a wealth and cake-creating machine meant to liberate humanity from the throes of feudal servitude and the realm of feral necessity where people are not better than foraging animals. As it is evident in Jonathan’s tragic presidency, the “turn by turn solution” is no solution because it is based on preferment without principles and eating without first sweating.

As we can see, the PDP is a victim of its own provenance and genesis. Its implosion is almost inevitable. As it is today, it is like a sealed pool of barracudas that have sniffed blood. We must pity the poor man from Otueke who does not seem to comprehend the Leviathan nature of the forces ranged against him. If the PDP implodes without a clear alternative, then it is going to be a national catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude. Stateless Somali would be a child’s play.

To our beleaguered compatriots, it should be clear that much as this is a crisis of party formation and democratisation, it is also a fundamental crisis of nationhood.

But if we get the crisis of party formation and democratisation off our back, we may find ourselves in an advantageous position to resolve the crisis of nationhood.

What is needed now is a broadbased national movement of all known agencies of peaceful change which will come up with a blueprint for national emancipation and act as a countervailing force to a failing and flailing PDP. If Jonathan wants to aid the process and retain a measure of the initiative, then he should urgently set in motion the mechanism for the convocation of an Emergency National Summit that will take a critical look at Nigeria since 1914.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

News ATTACK ON EMIR

Tambuwal, Yuguda, others flay attack on monarch

By Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

HE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal and Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State yesterday condemned the attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim.

The Speaker called it callous and inhumane “and from all indication, meant to shatter the resolve of peace-loving persons in the federation,” while Gov.Yuguda described it as barbaric.

In a statement in Abuja, Tambuwal said the Emir, one of the most respected traditional rulers in the country, is a man of peace whose words and actions have promoted peaceful coexistence among people of diverse backgrounds in Kano state and beyond.

He said the attack, coming at a time when the security agencies have made considerable gains in their fight against terrorists especially in the Northern part of the country, should be fully investigated and all those involved be brought to justice.

He condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack and urged all Nigerians to embrace peace and allow peace to reign where ever they may be.

He reiterated the commitment of the House of Representatives to work with other arms of government and all interest groups and persons to find lasting peace in the country.

Yuguda, in a statement in Bauchi said: “I received the sad news with shock, wondering why someone will want to take the life of another person particularly that of one of the leading royal fathers in Nigeria who is genuinely and deeply committed to peace and peaceful coexistence.”

The Governor, while sympathising with the immediate Royal family over the attack, also condoled the families of those who lost their lives defending the Emir, saying that, “they died in active service laying down their lives for the Emir, and may Allah grant the departed aljannatul firdaus and their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

In its own reaction, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) described the attack as “a rude shock.”

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Emir of Kano escapes death as gunmen attack convoy

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ROVIDENCE yesterday saved the Emir of Kano,Alhaji Ado Bayero from death after suspected terrorists targeted his official car,a Limousine, threw an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the vehicle and opened fire on his convoy.

The Emir’s driver, two palace guards and an official of Kumbotso Local Government, in the convoy were not that lucky: they were killed in the resulting explosion. Several others were injured.

Bayero,82, and one of the most revered traditional rulers in the country, was unhurt according to the spokesman for the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Kano, Capt. Ikedichi Iweha.

“We are still chasing further details,” he said.

The Emir who is into his 50th year on the throne was

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

returning to his palace from a Qur’anic graduation ceremony at Masallacin Murtala, on Zoo Road when his convoy ran into an ambush by the yet to be identified gunmen.

The gunmen, according to eyewitnesses, were in two groups: one group rode in a smashed Sport Utility Van (SUV) while the other were on a motorbike. The two groups attacked simultaneously with the explosive devices and guns. Time was about 10.30am. The opera-

tion was over in a few seconds. The men quickly fled the scene.

An eye witness who pleaded anonymity said that the Emir’s departure from the event started with the firing of local gun shots.

“After the traditional gun shots, we started hearing strange gun shots and everyone started running for his life. We praise Allah that He spared the life of our Royal Father,” the eyewitness said.

It was also gathered that once the palace guards sighted the gunmen they immediately formed a pro-

Bayero: The ruler as long-distance runner

By Sam Egburonu

NEWS REVIEW

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INCE October 22, 1963, when Alhaji Ado Bayero emerged the 13th Fulani Emir of Kano and the 56th ruler of the Hausa Kingdom, succeeding the late Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa, he has remained one of the most influential traditional rulers not only in the north, but also throughout the country.

Born July 25, 1930 to Hajiya Hasiya and Abdullahi Bayero, Ado Bayero’s alleged financial success became well known even before his emergence as the Emir of Kano.

For example, it is on record that in the business sector, he made a name early, both locally and internationally, especially in the stock market investment and agricultural sectors, where he excelled.

Public Service After graduating from the School of Arabic Studies in 1947, Bayero worked as a bank clerk for the Bank of British West Africa.

In 1949, he joined the then Kano Native Authority and was the head of the police division of the Kano Native Authority from 1957 to 1962. He took time off in 1952 to attend Zaria Clerical College.

Before his emergence as the Emir of Kano, Ado, the son of Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero dan Muhammad Abbas, a former Emir, who reigned for 27 years, also made a mark in the public service, serving as the Nigerian Ambassador to Senegal.

Traditional stool and politics As one of the most influential traditional rulers in the country, Bayero’s name has featured prominently in the political circles since the First Republic.

This is understandable because he became emir of one of the well established

traditional institutions in the country during the First Republic, shortly after independence, when new leaders were just emerging to take charge of the nation’s political power.

It was also a time when regional, subregional and ethnic discord first became well pronounced across the new nation. Also just before his emergence, Kano traditional stool, then under his predecessor, Inuwa, became involved in political and power struggle with new emerging political structures, including two pro-Kano political movements like the Kano People’s Party.

Emerging as emir under this political atmosphere and shortly before the major political crisis in the north, Bayero is credited with helping to create a united front in the Northern Region and for peace in the later crises in Kano.

Bayero’s powers, which many radical northern elites considered rather awesome had since 1966 also suffered in their hands, especially under military administrations.

Military regimes between 1966 and 1979, for example, actually evolved policies that eroded some powers of the emir. The Native Authority Police and Prisons Department was abolished, the emir’s judicial council was supplanted by another body, and local government reforms in 1968, 1972, and 1976 reportedly reduced the powers of the emir.

Also during the Second Republic, Abubakar Rimi-led People’s Redemption Party (PRP) came down hard on the powers of the emir.

The challenges notwithstanding, Bayero has remained a very dynamic leader and one of the most revered voices of the North. In 2002, he led a Kano Elders Forum in opposing the onshore and offshore abrogation bill.

tective shield around the Emir which made it difficult for him to be hit. It was in the process that three of them died from the volley of bullets fired by the terrorists.

Operatives of the JTF soon arrived the scene, cordoned off the area and beefed up security in the metropolis. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State last night paid a sympathy visit to the Emir over the attack. Emerging from the palace, the governor told reporters that the Emir’s convoy was ambushed on his way back to the palace after attending a Qur’anic graduation ceremony at Hausawa Quarters in Kano metropolis.

While expressing gratitude to Allah that the monarch escaped unhurt, Kwankwaso described the incident as both unfortunate and condemnable. “I’ve just met the Emir in good condition and I sympathised with him over the loss of three of his staff. We discussed at length over the issue. We thank the Almighty Allah that the Emir is unhurt,” he said.

He prayed for the repose of the souls of the slain guards and wished others who sustained various degrees of injuries during the

attack quick recovery.

Kwankwaso also prayed for peace to reign in the state and the country.

Kano has been the scene of several attacks in the last two years by Boko Haram, the deadliest so far being the January 20,2012 mayhem in which about 185 persons died.

Violence has worsened in Kano in the past week, with near daily attacks by Boko Haram against security forces. Only last Thursday, soldiers killed two Islamist gunmen in a shootout and arrested five others at a checkpoint in Kano.

Boko Haram, according to security sources, has forged links over the years with international jihadists in Mali and Niger, including al-Qaeda’s North African wing, whom French and West African forces are fighting in northern Mali. Nigeria plans to deploy around 1,200 troops as part of a West African intervention force.

The Emir has also personally been attacked in the past by youths. Soon after the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan as the winner of the 2011 election,some youths attacked the palace and set some vehicles there ablaze.

Alhaji Bayero, the 13th Fulani Emir of Kano, ascended the throne in1963.

Attack: Security agencies probe aspiring successors to Kano throne • May quiz some on Monday

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ECURITY agencies are looking beyond the Islamist sect, Boko Haram in their investigation of yesterday’s attack on the convoy of the Emir of Kano,Alhaji Ado Bayero in Kano, The Nation can report. Four persons, two of whom were the Emir’s palace guards, died in the attack. The other victims were the emir’s driver and a council official.

The security agencies, it was gathered, are suspicious of possible involvement of some aspirants to the Emir’s throne in the attack. Some of the aspirants may be taken in tomorrow for interrogation, according to sources in Abuja.

According to preliminary investigation by security agencies, the Emir was attacked on Zoo Road while returning from a Quranic memorisation ceremony at Mosalaci Murtala.

One source said last night: “From findings, the Emir went to the Quranic Memorization ceremony without full compliment of his security staff.

“We can say that he

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

was actually bereft of security aides. He felt since the event was about Quranic recitation, he should have limited security to avoid any scare.

“But his Limousine was attacked by some gunmen in an SUV.” The source added: “We are looking beyond Islamic militants; our strong clues have so far pointed to some people planning to succeed the Emir. “We also have intelligence reports that some influential people and politically exposed persons have not been comfortable with the Emir.

“Even in the past few weeks, the Emir’s Palace has had cause to report the activities of some of the aspirants to the throne to security agencies. In the light of the evidence at hand, you cannot expect security agencies to focus their probe on Boko Haram or other Islamic militant groups.

“I think security agencies are likely to invite some of these aspirants on Monday. More clues are still being probed.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

News ATTACK ON EMIR

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ESTERDAY’S convoy attack would not go down in history as the first time attempts would be made on the life of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. But for providence, the Emir would have been killed as far back as the 9th day of July, 2010.

On that fateful Friday, the traditional ruler narrowly escaped being killed by a lone gunman who attempted to shoot him during the Muslim Juma’at prayer in Kano at the palace mosque.

The suspect, 19 year-old Usman Abubakar, who lived in the Doraji Quarters in Kano Metropolis, was stopped by the police before he could carry out the dastardly act. One Alhaji Abubakar Batakayen who Abubakar said sent him on the errand to kill the Emir, was also arrested.

Although Batakaye denied ordering Abubakar to murder the Emir, the duo was charged with attempted murder, and they were still standing trial when Abubakar, the lone gunman, died in detention after suffering from an undisclosed ailment.

The Emir was once again targeted for violent attack shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan was declared the winner of the 2011 presidential elections ahead of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC’s), General Muhammadu Buhari.

A band of rampaging youths, under the guise of protesting the result of the election, set ablaze vehicles parked at the Emir’s palace and also attempted to forcefully gain entry into the Emir’s palace.

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TATE governors are opposed to autonomy for local governments and state houses of assembly to check corruption in the polity, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State has said.

The governor who spoke in an interview in Abuja said more corruption in the country is a threat to the current democratic dispensation.

“No, we do not want autonomy for Houses of Assembly and LGAs. There are two federating units (federal and states), that is what the constitution says. Now, the other thing is the local government and the state assemblies,” he said.

He accused the National Assembly of trying to instigate the 36 state Houses of Assembly to be autonomous, saying: “You see, what we have in the National Assembly is what they want to transfer to the 36 state houses of assembly and that is not correct. What we have there is that today, only the Almighty Allah can moderate what is happening in the National Assembly, nobody else.

“So, what they want is to transfer this sort of thing to the 36 state assemblies. That means I will sit here as a governor, members of the state assembly will have independence, they will give themselves salaries and allowances which they think

A monarch’s many brushes with death

By Dare Odufowokan

NEWS REVIEW It took the swift intervention of the Police to curb the attack. The Emir, who was reported to be within the premises at the time, was whisked to safety while hundreds of policemen stood guard at the palace for days after the incident.

The respected traditional ruler was again to be threatened with attack on the 28th of July, 2011when the dreaded Islamic Sect, Boko Haram, wrote to inform him of their intention to attack the

palace and the city of Kano.

The sect on the same day warned the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that it was prepared to launch a series of attacks across the state. The letters were signed by the sect’s assistant spokesperson, Abu Zaid.

The sect accused Bayero of conniving with security agents and some district heads to arrest its members.

They demanded the immediate release of their arrested men and threatened to make Kano State more ungovernable than Maiduguri the

Borno State capital.

As if to make good its threat the sect attacked the Mandawari Police Station located by Ado Bayero’s Palace, weeks after their letter.

Several police officers on duty were injured as gunmen fired sporadically at the building for nearly an hour that Monday morning.

Police reinforcement later foiled what many said was an attempt to invade the palace as the gunmen who also used explosives during the attack, were beaten back by the superior firepower of the police. No one was arrested

at the scene of the attack.

Following alleged security report that assassins may once again be after his life, Ado Bayero, according to reports, was forced to cancel the 2012 edition of the 700 year old annual Durbar ceremony.

It was the first time the Sallah Durbah would be cancelled in its history.

Sources close to the Emirate disclosed that asides the security report, the suspension of the Durbar activities was also because of the prevailing security situation in the state.

•An emergency worker inspects the carnage following an attack by Boko Haram in Kano last year.

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Mali deployment: Two soldiers killed, five wounded in Kogi explosion WO soldiers picked for deployment in Mali as part of the African Force in that country were killed yesterday in an explosion in Okene, Kogi State, an army spokesman said. Five others who were also awaiting deployment to Mali were injured in the explosion.

“We lost two soldiers while five others were wounded when the IED (improvised explosive device) planted on their route went off and hit their convoy,” Major General Bola Koleoso told AFP. “They are soldiers scheduled to go to Mali.

We are preparing them ahead of their deployment to Mali,” he said, without giving further details.

He did not say if the attack, which he said was the handiwork of suspected Boko Haram Islamists, specifically the troops being prepared for the Mali mission.

A contingent of 80 Nigerian troops departed for Mali on Thursday as part of the UN-mandated African force. Nigeria has boosted its troop allotment for Mali to 1,200 soldiers from 900 planned earlier, officials said Friday.

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Constitution Amendment: Why govs oppose LG, state assembly antonomy, by Kwankwaso • Says constituency projects are drain pipes FROM: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

should be due to them. If they bring this to me, whether I approve it or not, it doesn’t matter, it has to be done because it is their money and that is very dangerous.

“We do not want autonomy for state houses of assembly because they want to determine their salaries and allowances like they are doing in the National Assembly. We hear that in addition to salaries, allowances for them, their aides, their allowances, some get N45 billion or N50 billion per quarter.

“Let us analyse N45 million… This amounts to N15 million per month and half a million Naira per day for very member, whether you are speaking, whether you are in the beer parlour enjoying yourself, half a million naira, you are getting that every day. What sort of business will you do in this country to get half a million Naira everyday that is in addition to other things?

“My concern is the peo-

ple on the street; they will run into crisis if this is obtainable and we are endangering the political class. The sort of autonomy people are talking about for National Assembly today will just kill this country. I am one of those who had opportunity to be in the National Assembly as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. I know what I did; I know what other did to instigate the fall of that Republic.”

Kwankwaso said the governors do not want autonomy for local governments to ensure a prudent management of resources. He said the governors will also oppose any move to abolish the Joint Account System being operated by states and LGAs. “Under normal circumstance, a governor should understand the issue of development more than the chairmen of the local government especially in this part of the country. Now, before we came local governments were not paying salaries; they

were just sharing the money.

Now, for you to come and say that you are sending money to them directly in Kano, you are destroying what we have already built together with the local governments in Kano. And who has said local governments are complaining?

“We (the governors) are in favour of the joint account.

Of course, if I am not in favour of it, I don’t see today how each of the local governments working together with us will construct five kilometers of dualised road in addition to all other projects we are doing.”

On constituency projects, the governor said senators and members of the House of Representatives have no business with such. His words “When President sends a budget, they include what is called constituency projects- roads, hospital, water, and so on. They constituted themselves into another executive arm of government competing with Mr. President, Governors and

•Kwankwaso

Local Government Chairmen.”A legislator has no business in coming to his own constituency to construct roads. Just recently I went to a local government to condole with them on the death of their state assembly member. When I was coming back, I asked them to take me round. When we came back, I asked them, who did that road, former House of Representatives member said it is my constituency project and the road is not tarred. It is just a road with culvert and that road is connected to Kano-Maiduguri road. We

have many of them in the state; we have many of them in the entire northern region and probably in the East, what they call constituency projects. We have more than 100 primary healthcare centres in Kano . Every member, every senator is coming to build primary healthcare facility. Some of them are not even paying our people compensation. They will just build it and leave it. I have not seen any member who has come out to say I built this in my local government and please take over. They are all abandoned there. Now, that money for 100 primary healthcare centres that are littered around the state would have been better for Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital with a properly constructed and round diagnostic centre to save my people from going to Egypt or India.

“He also spoke on why the immunity clause for governors should be retained.

“There is need for immunity at this particular time in our history because people have turned themselves into not opponents but enemies.

What we want is for governors to concentrate and do their job.”

News Attainment of MDGs still a challenge - Sambo

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

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From Gbenga Adanikin and Faith Yahaya, Abuja

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ESPITE many big steps forward, Vice President Namadi Sambo has stated that achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the health sector remains a challenge.

The Vice President disclosed this at a stakeholders’ briefing on the application of United Nations MDGs Acceleration Framework at the weekend in Abuja.

The framework is aimed to fast track progress of the MDGs in Nigeria ahead of its target.

Sambo said: “Although Nigeria has made significant strides in reducing maternal mortality from figures that were above 1000/100,000 live births in 1990 to 545/100,000 live births in 2008, attainment of the health MDGs still remains a challenge in Nigeria.”

He charged stakeholders to come up with relevant approaches that will reduce maternal death.

On the importance of the meeting, Sambo said there was need to conduct an increasingly deeper and contextual analysis of the key challenges impeding progress of the programme, while proffering likely solutions for accelerating progress.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Dr. Precious Gbeneol, emphasised that with less than one thousand days from the 2015 deadline, it has become urgent to identify bottlenecks and barriers that impede progress against the MDGs. She explained this became imperative to prioritise maternal mortality as first of the goals to be implemented in the acceleration process.

Gbeneol said: “MDG 5 has been selected not only due to the largein-country divergence in progress, but also because of the ripple effects interventions this goal can have on the other MDGs.”

‘Why Buhari is afraid of merger with ANPP’ T

HE All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) may not be part of the ongoing merger plans between opposition parties initiated by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), it was learnt yesterday.

This is because former Head of State and National Leader of CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari, is afraid there are some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) within the ANPP that will not allow the merger to work.

Last Wednesday, Buhari inaugurated an 18man committee on the merger chaired by the former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Garba Gadi, but said the ANPP will not be part of the merger for now without concrete reasons.

Asked why ANPP is left out of the merger, Buhari explained his former party will later join the alliance.

But a member of the CPC inaugurated committee, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, who is also the National Publicity Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), told The Nation that Buhari is afraid of the merger plans with ANPP. Okechukwu vowed that the committee members will do all they can to ensure that the merger, work to uproot the PDP in 2015.

He admitted ANPP National Chairman, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, is keenly interested in the merger, but said the CPC and the ACN will be extremely careful.

Okechukwu said: “There is a national consensus that we must vote out PDP because the party has failed for 13

•ANPP may frustrate plans, says CPC committee member From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

years.

“PDP does not have any idea about governance except to share the money.

“The ACN and CPC have come to conclusion that PDP must be voted out of power even if APGA is going to join this race, the party is welcome.

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•L-R: New President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Chief Steve Onu; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Musa Babayo at the inauguration of 20th National President of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners inAbuja.

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From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin City

nesses to the transformation that have taken place in the state which was due to your individual contributions.

“Even though it was Pius and I that were voted for, it was our collective responsibility.”

He added: “my commissioners worked so hard and I wish we could play back the kind of debates that took place at our council meeting. It was characterised with jokes and tension.”

Former Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon Louis Odion, thanked Oshiomhole for allowing him to be part of the team that changed Edo. He stated: “Comrade Oshiomhole will be remembered not necessarily for the

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE embattled Ondo State Commissioner for Transport, Nicholas Tofowomo, yesterday said he had never disparaged civil servants in the state.

Tofowomo said he enjoys good working relationship with the civil service and maintains high level of respect for workers.

The Commissioner spoke with reporters in Akure following the allegation that he lambasted civil servants in the state.

He said the workers have contributed immensely to the achievements of his ministry since assumption of office, saying he could not think of any reason to lampoon them.

According to him: “I hold the civil servants in the state in high esteem and I don’t have any cause to abuse or lampoon them. We have been partners in progress.

“And as far as the main issue is concerned, I have said it times without number that I am a gentleman and I have no reason to slap a civil servant.”

Civil servants in the state had given the government a 5-day ultimatum to sack the commissioner.

Police demand release of soldier accused of murder From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

I’m back in PDP, says Kalu T

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former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that his return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will usher in sweeping changes in the party.

He said the issuance of a membership card by his Igbere ward B party executives has effectively sealed

Why Edo cabinet has not been reconstituted, by Oshiomhole DO State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has explained the delay in reconstituting his cabinet.

He spoke yesterday at a dinner organised in honour of former commissioners and other political appointees in the state.

Oshiomhole said the list of fresh commissioners will be submitted to the House of Assembly for clearance when they resume on January 28th.

He assured that the state executive council will be reconstituted once the list is cleared.

The governor attributed the remarkable changes in the state to the contribution of members of the dissolved cabinet and other political appointees.

He expressed gratitude to them, stating, “after four years, Edo people are wit-

“This first stage is between CPC and ACN. ANPP and a faction of APGA and other political parties, even those deregistered will be part of this merger.

He went on: “As General Muhammadu Buhari has said, CPC and ACN have reached a certain level before the 2011 election.

“The two parties are on the same page. Don’t forget that we were in ANPP before we left.

“We know that within the ANPP, there are some associates of the PDP there.

“That is what General Muhammadu Buhari is afraid of. There are some of PDP elements that may not allow the merger to work.

“And Buhari is of the opinion that we should allow the merger to work before we accommodate ANPP.”

‘I didn’t insult Ondo workers’

weak he defended or the countless stirring speeches he delivered, but more for the courage he showed in taking tough decisions at critical moments against even friends, and this penchant to tell the truth even when expediency or protocols demands silence.

“The result is the transformation the nation has seen in Edo in the last 50 months. Such missionary zeal is certainly very uncommon in a nation wallowing in denial today.

“At a personal level, resigning from the private sector to work for Oshiomhole means massive pay cut.

“But at the end, what you take away is something all the money at the Central Bank cannot purchase: the pride and dignity that you were part of a movement that changed Edo history for good.”

•No, you have a fake card- Abia PDP chairman From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia his return to the PDP. Orji stated that founding fathers of the party who were forced out had met and decided to return to prevent complete takeover of the party they suffered to form in 1998 by political rascals.

However, the PDP state chairman, Senator Emma Nwaka, said the former governor has not returned to the party he left some years ago to form the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).

Nwaka insisted Orji is carrying a fake membership card.

But speaking with newsmen at his Igbere country home, Kalu said the inconsistency of the leaders of the party in the state has been exposed with the initial radio announcement that the two executives of both Igbere wards A and B have been suspended.

He accused them of turning around to say they resigned en masse.

According to Kalu: “the so- called elders of the state should start looking for something to do and stop siphoning our state funds.”

He insisted there was a meeting of the two political wards A and B at the party office in Igbere where they decided to readmit him.

He claimed he was issued a full membership card with the number 9787945.

Kalu alleged that Nwaka had detailed soldiers stationed in the state to hunt down the ward party executive members since his readmission.

“I am back and have been registered. There is nothing anybody can do about it and if you don’t like it you better resign,” Kalu declared.

Nwaka, who also spoke with reporters, said: “what I am saying is that Orji Kalu is not a member of our party.

For now we see the issue of Kalu as a distraction.”

HE Abia State Police Command has written to the Army authorities in Abuja for the release of the soldier that killed the cousin of a bride during her wedding ceremony last Sunday at Isieke in Umuahia North council area.

The Commissioner of Police, Ambrose Aisabor, confirmed this to newsmen in a telephone interview, stating that the report of the shooting of a fresh graduate, Chijioke Ndubuaku, during a wedding ceremony by a soldier was true.

Aisabor said the police have no option than to write to the military top brass for the release of the soldier involved in the case to enable him face the murder charges as specified by the laws of the country.

PUBLIC NOTICE THE INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF THE JUBILEE DELIVERANCE MINISTRY This is to inform the general public that the above mentioned ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commisssion for registration under part C of the companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE 1. Akper Terkura John 2. Prof Vic Ronnie 3. Mathew Bala Any objection to this publication should be forwarded to the registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Wuse zone 5, within 28 days of this publication.

ASAMA M. A. & CO No 16 Panyam, Tafawa Balewa street Jos (Solicitor to the ministry) 08032914506

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

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IMSU, Imo Poly boards inaugurated

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MO State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has inaugurated the newly constituted governing councils for Imo State University (IMSU) and Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo.

Performing the inaugural ceremony at the State Expanded Executive Chambers, Government House, Owerri, Okorocha charged the members of the councils to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice and ensure conservation of funds.

Okorocha identified education and agriculture as the cardinal objectives of his Rescue Mission administration, and urged members of the councils to uphold the success recorded so far in the two sectors.

Okorocha further disclosed that the State University will soon be relocated to its permanent site, pointing out that the institution is facing infrastructural challenges which largely necessitated its relocation.

The governor who recalled that the Imo State University subvention was recently increased from 52 million to 252 million monthly also enjoined the governing council to ensure good managerial conduct of the funds so as to bring the university to good academic performance standard.

In response, the chairman, governing council of Imo State University, Mazi Clement Owunna, pledged that they would do their best to uphold the confidence reposed in them.

Also the chairman, governing council of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, Prof. Victor Kogha, said he was familiar with the academic terrain of the state polytechnic and assured the government and people of the state quality representation.

Members of the governing councils include Mazi Clement Owonna (chairman), His Royal Highness, Eze Thomas Obiefule, Prof.

Akabukwe, Bishop Chijioke Oti, among others.

Policeman flogs, shoots two in Onitsha A TRIGGER-happy policeman attached to Central Police Station, Onitsha on Friday shot an Onitsha-based businessman, Uche Chigele, and a commercial bus driver, after reportedly flogging them.

The policeman was attached to a police bullion van escort team.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ralph Uzoigwe, confirmed the incident. He said the police officer, whose name was withheld by the police, is facing Or-

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From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

derly Room Trial.

Uzoigwe said if the police officer is found guilty, he would be dismissed and prosecuted.

The Nation source said trouble started for the businessman when the commercial vehicle he boarded along the New Market Road, Onitsha, Anambra State, met an on-coming bullion van with police escorts.

On getting to Iboku/New Market Road junction, the driver cleared for the van

coming from the opposite direction but two of the police escorts jumped out from their vehicle and started flogging the driver alleging that he delayed before clearing for them.

The businessman, Chigele, got irritated by the humiliation from the flogging of the driver by the police men and pleaded with them to leave the driver as he did not commit any offence, having cleared for them to pass even though they, the police escorts, were on one way drive.

But the two policemen

left the driver and started flogging the businessman for daring them and as the flogging became unbearable for the businessman, he asked the driver to move the vehicle and he obeyed him.

Then the policeman pursued the bus and on getting close to it, shot the businessman on the thigh. His two legs were affected even as the bullets also caught the driver on his hand. The businessman and the driver are presently responding to treatment at a nearby hospital in Onitsha. Chigele said the aim of the policeman was to kill him.

•President Goodluck Jonathan with other Heads of State and Government at the extraordinary summit of ECOWAS in Abidjan...yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Man sues Rivers government

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MIDDLE-AGED man, Mr. Igoniwari Rowland Malafakumo, has dragged the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the State Police Com-

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

mand and others to court for alleged unlawful arrest after he was paraded naked on the street, three years ago.

Malafakumo, among other reliefs, is seeking damages totalling N1billion from the Ministry of Environment, Rivers State Government,

Flood: Edo reconstructs 18 schools

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DO State Government yesterday said it has completed renovation of 18 schools recently ravaged by flood in three local

Police arrest two MASSOB members WO suspected members of Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) were on Friday arrested at Luxury park, also known as Nwugo Park, Onitsha.

They allegedly tried to topple the management of the luxurious park. They came with L300 Bus but some policemen from Fegge Police Station, who were at the park, forestalled the attempt.

The two suspects whose names were given as Nwafor Francis and Ude Ifeanyi confirmed they were hired by one

News

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

Ifeanyi to topple the management of the park following a conflict he (Ifeanyi) had with the management of the Luxurious Park.

Police Public Relations Officer Raphael Uzoigwe confirmed the arrest, but assured members of the public of the determination of the force to clamp down on criminal elements in the society. He added that those at large would be arrested as investigation is ongoing.

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin government areas of the state, pegging the total number of completed renovated schools across the state last year by State Universal Basic Education Board[SUBEB] at 15, excluding the on-going ones Chairman, Edo State Universal Basic Education Board[SUBEB], Joseph Emoabino, who disclosed this, said no fewer than twenty -five [25] schools have been pencilled down for renovation across the three senatorial districts of the state this year Emoabino told newsmen in Benin City while officially flagging off the distribution of UBEC/FGN textbooks to public primary and junior secondary schools, said the large number of schools projected for reconstruction by the state government is targeted at

a holistic approach to develop the educational sector in the state He said arrangement has equally been put in place to employ the services of men of the state security agents so as to ensure the books procured by the federal government in collaboration with UBEC, 2012 initiative, aimed at enhancing affective teaching and learning delivering in schools get to the pupils The board chairman, also noted that the state government has perfected plan to recruit ex-service men to provide security to the renovated schools, adding that the recent monitoring of schools and projects embarked upon by the Comrade Governor and members of the board respectively has not only impacted positively on supervision and teachers’ attitude, but has equally aided the process of educational delivery in the state

Commissioner of Police, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, among others.

The sum, according to his lawyer, is for the degrading and inhuman treatment meted out to him, mental torture, illegal detention and humiliation inflicted on him by the defendants.

The victim is praying the court, through his counsel, F.U. OKORO ESQ, to declare that his arbitrary arrest, beating, stripping naked, being paraded without clothes before members of the public without any known offense, is illegal and unconstitutional.

Arguing that the respondent’s brutal attacks violate the applicant’s fundamental right to liberty and dignity of his person, he said, “Compensation would also serve as deterrent to other law enforcement agents and government officials that they cannot take law into their hands.”

Speaking with The Nation in Port Harcourt, the victim, Malafakumo expressed confidence that justice would be done eventually on the matter.

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‘Why local councils are underdeveloped’ From: Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

COALITION of civil societies, Save Local Government Council Autonomy, has accused federal and state legislators in the country of local councils’ underdevelopment.

The group spokesperson, Hon. Ngozika Ihuoma, alleged that the lawmakers had created laws that empowered state governors to spend local government funds lavishly.

He spoke during an inaugural meeting of the group yesterday in Abuja.

Ihuoma said: “The executive arm at both the federal and state levels embarked on frivolous spending of local government funds using these fraudulent legislations, thereby making the local government funds their miscellaneous expenses.”

He stated that the action runs contrary to the provision of the 1999 Constitution which empowers Local Government Areas LGA as a third tier of government and recognised local council’s role in the economic and infrastructural development of the grassroots.

Ihuoma, who is the Executive Secretary, Legislative Watch and Coalition of Civil Societies, noted that there was urgent need to stop the illegality perpetrated by the governors through the legal endorsement by the lawmakers denying the council of over 87 percent of its resources.

“The conspiracy by the federal and state houses of assemblies which enabled the respective government to fritter away over 87% of councils’ funds was deceitfully channelled to the NEPC.”

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‘Plateau built 289 schools in 2012’ From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

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LATEAU State government has said it constructed at least 289 primary schools across the 17 local governments of the state last year and will build more in the new year.

State governor, Jonah David Jang, disclosed this while reviewing last year’s government activities and budget performance during his presentation of the 2013 budget proposals to the state House of Assembly recently. According to Jang, “It is noteworthy that last year, the state government through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) embarked on the construction of two hundred and eighty-nine (289) primary schools spread across the 17 local government areas of the state.”

He said, “Government also renovated 149 existing primary schools within the period.” Jang added that the above projects in the primary school sub-sector cost government the sum of N3.4 billion.

He said, “Each of the 17 local governments in the state got 17 newly constructed primary school in the entire projects because education was given top priority in last year budget.”

Gov Jang who lamented the late commencement of the projects last year said his administration will double its efforts in the state’s educational sector this year by allocating to it over N7 billion of the state’s proposed N133.4 billion.

News

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

NOA launches keep to time campaign

Delta Auditor General dragged to court From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

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HE Delta State Auditor General, Mrs. Brown Njokanwa, has been dragged to the State High Court sitting in Asaba, the state capital, over her retirement age.

Joined in the suit in the originating summons as 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants are the State Head of Service, Sir Okechukwu Ofili, Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Establishment, Mrs. Nwabueze and the State Civil Service Commission.

Mrs. Edith Nenty, who filed the suit, is seeking an order declaring “that the 1st defendant stands retired since December, 2008 having worked for 35 years commencing from November, 1973 and by virtue of chapter 2 section 8 rules 9 of the public service rule, Delta State.”

The indigene of OkpeIsoko in Isoko North Local Government Area also demanded an “order directing the 1st defendant to refund all the monies collected as salary from January 2009 till her disengagement from the service of Delta State.”

The case which came up for hearing Wednesday at the High Court 3 presided over by Justice Ogisi has been adjourned to 14th February 2013.

PPA reacts to Orji’s return to PDP

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HE National Chairman of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), Chief Sam Nkire, has stated that the defection of former Governor Orji Kalu to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) will not affect the fortunes of the party.

Nkire, in a statement, said as a founding member of PDP, Kalu was free to return to the party or any party of his choice for that matter.

The PPA National Chairman said the former Abia State Governor left his party about two years ago, claiming the party has been functioning since then.

He said political parties were built like churches and mosques with at least two doors for free entrance and exit.

Nkire said there was no love lost with Kalu though the PPA would have wanted him to rejoin the party instead of PDP. He stated that the party is seeking alliances with other political parties, while restructuring and strengthening the structure across the country.

Madam Okunowo for burial

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HIEF (Mrs.) Juliana Adebanke Okunowo, (a.k.a Iya Eleja) the IyaIjo of St. Louis Catholic Church, is dead.

She was 96.

Until her death on 11th January 2013, she was a devout Catholic.

Her remains will be interred at the Catholic Cemetery, Eyindi Ijebu-Ife, Ogun State, next Saturday after a funeral service at St. Louis Catholic Church Eyindi Ijebu-Ife, Ogun State.

She was survived by children and relatives among whom are the wife of Alaiyeluwa Oba A. A. Oguntayo, the Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife, Yeyeluwa Olori Yinka Oguntayo; Mrs. Oluranti Ogunmuyiwa, a matron at Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos and Mrs. Bunmi Laja, CEO Fowobi Petroleum and Gas Ltd, among others.

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•Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (middle), his Deputy, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (right) and the Head of Service, Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe (left) during a 3-day retreat for members of the State Executive Council and body of Permanent Secretaries ... at the weekend

Gunmen kill Oyo NURTW deputy chair

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HE Deputy Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyo State, Alhaji Kamorudeen Beyioku, has been killed by gunmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Beyioku, who was shot earlier in the week, died at the early hours of yesterday at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, yesterday.

Medical personnel battled in vain for four days to save his life at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital.

A reliable source at the hospital disclosed that armed policemen kept vigil at the

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

ICU while the battle to save his life lasted.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr. Ayodele Lanade, confirmed the incident but explained that he was yet to be fully briefed.

Lanade, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the fortification of the hospital’s ICU was necessary to prevent the gunmen from coming to complete the killing during treatment.

Beyioku was inaugurated as the Deputy Chairman of the union last December 21 after over three years of a

properly constituted State Administrative Council (SAC) for the union in the state.

Crisis engulfed the union when former Chairman, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (aka Tokyo)-led Council was sacked by the administration of former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in 2008.

Tokyo is still in court challenging the legality of the current SAC. The 14-member SAC comprises Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde, aka Fele (Chairman); Comrade Akin James (State Secretary); Elder Lekan

Aleshinloye (Assistant Secretary); Alhaji Kamorudeen Beyioku (Deputy Chairman); Alhaji Abideen Olajide (Vice Chairman); Alhaji Ademola Adeoye (State Treasurer); Elder Joseph Odeyemi (Assistant Treasurer); Alhaji Musa Adeleke (Financial Secretary); Alhaji Abass Adigun (State Auditor) and Alhaji Kasali Lawal (Assistant Auditor).

The National President of the NURTW, Alhaji Nojeem Yasin, swore in the SAC to steer the affairs of the union in the state for the next four years.

Minister seeks strict verification of certificates before appointment

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INISTER of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’I, has advised labour employers to verify any certificate before appointment letters are issued.

The minister disclosed that the certification verification unit of the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) is active and

•Raises alarm over poor quality of education in Nigeria From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

can be consulted at any time for clarification.

Rufa’I, who gave the warning in Abuja at the post 2012 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) teachers retraining workshop review meet-

ing, reiterated that the FME is worried about the poor quality of education in the country in terms of delivery and outcome.

Government, she said, has set an agenda to continue to address the problem of quality in the education sector with the

view to ensuring that teachers’ training and retraining are given priority this year.

She said: ”The bottom-line of the training is to equip teachers with basic skills and knowledge that will enable them to improve on their professional practices.”

Suspect admits killing wife

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31-YEAR-OLD man, Henry Obialo, who allegedly murdered his wife two days after their traditional marriage said he was still wondering what led him to commit the act.

He reportedly married the late wife on January 12 and killed her on January 15 at about 2am at their residence in Benin City.

Henry, who is detained at the Criminal Investigation Department at the Police Headquarters, gave the name of his late wife as Precious.

He said he met the wife last year and proceeded to marry her due to pressure from the late wife even though his brothers were not aware of the wedding.

Narrating what happened to newsmen, Henry, who was in tears, said the incident happened at about 2am and that something unexplainable took over their room.

He said: “I am here because of the problem I had with my wife which led to her death.

“In the night, I didn’t know what came over our

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

room that brought problem between us. I was confused. I didn’t know what to do.

“I was sweating and she was struggling. I didn’t know what made my hand to hold her neck and I turned her back.

“She fell on the ground. I held her on the ground for about 30 minutes. I later woke up and the sweating stopped.”

He continued: “I went to lay on the bed feeling that

she was not dead. At 5am I woke up and touched her she was not moving.

“I was afraid to tell anybody. I went outside and knocked on the window of my neighbour who said he could not get up.

“At 6am, I touched her and she did not shake. I started crying. I went to work and told my friend about the incident. I asked him to help me contact the police.

“After he called the police, I went to the police and made

my statement. The police followed me home and they took her to the hospital where she was confirmed dead.

“When I held her that night, it was as if I was not holding anything. She was very light.”

Henry said he and the late wife planned to start having sex after their white wedding.

Assistant State Police Spokesman, Ejiroro Ahwara said the police was still investigating the incident.

Anambra is well governed - Anyaoku

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ORMER Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyanwu, has described Anambra State as one of the best governed going by indices of good governance.

He spoke at the weekend during the gathering of parliamentarians, diplomats and captains of industry to honour him as he turned 80 at the Marlborough House, London, the Headquarters of the Commonwealth.

Anyaoku worked for 34

years at the Commonwealth, rising to become the Secretary General from 1990-2000.

He said: “Peter Obi is the governor of my state, Anambra, which is one among the 36 federating states.

“In the most recent rating, Obi is acclaimed as one of the best performing governors in Nigeria. This is not hearsay.

“Even recently, Bunmi and I were in the state to cel-

ebrate the Christmas and can attest to the transformational activities taking place in the state under Peter Obi. At 80, this gives me special joy.”

Obi thanked everyone that paid reverence to Anyaoku, saying he was proud to be the CEO of a global and wonderful brand.

He said that the real celebration would be in Anambra where he will take the opportunity to present Anyaoku as a role model.

HE National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Anambra has launched a campaign to encourage Nigerians imbibe the habit of keeping to time.

The campaign was tagged ‘Do the Right Thing; Keep to Time Nigeria,’ and was aimed at boosting the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.

The state Director of NOA, Mr. Obi Enemuo, who led the campaign team, kick-started the sensitisation at Central School, Awka, and later led the team on a road walk from St. Faith Cathedral Anglican church, Ziks Avenue to Aroma junction.

In a remark, Enemuo said the agency started its campaign with the school to educate the teachers and pupils on the importance of keeping to time.

According to him, Nigeria is losing a lot of man hour to what she calls African time. “We know the right thing to do, yet we ignore them,” he said.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Balla Nasarawa, who was represented by DSP Oyekan Alabi, said the police had already begun the transformation process under the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

NLNG set to honour Chika Unigwe

By Edozie Udeze

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HE winner of the 2012 Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Chika Unigwe, is set to receive the award.

Unigwe’s novel On Black Sisters Street was announced as winner in Lagos last year but the author was not available to receive the $100,000 prize award.

The winner will be publicly presented next month in Nsukka, Enugu State.

She will be honoured not only for her effort in telling the vivid story of African prostitutes in Antwerp in Belgium but also her ability to distinguish her work among the over 200 books that entered for the competition.

Her work was described by the panel of judges as deep, different and incisive on the issue of women problems in Europe and beyond.

Group kicks against calls for sack of Oyo ACN exco

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HE Progressive Mind, a group in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo State, has described agitations in some quarters for the removal of the Chief Akin Oke-led executive as “appalling and irritating.”

It said the current leadership of the party has been effective in maintaining party unity, internal cohesion and internal democracy in the party.

A statement yesterday by the group’s chairman, Abdul Azeez Bolaji, said: “The Oke team secured the coveted crown for our party in the face of no-holdsbarred onslaught from a well oiled competitor with almost unlimited power, patronage and huge state resource- based war chest and financial muscle.”

It berated elements seeking the sack of the winning team, saying, “it is a disgraceful act for some set of political scavengers and prostitutes to call for the disbandment of the exco.”

It also urged Governor Abiola Ajomobi to distance himself from such undesirable characters.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

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COMMENT and ANALYSIS THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Re: Beyond promises of deliverance Y

OUR article of January 6, 2013 was, as usual, highly cerebral and thought-provoking and I am proud to say that as one of your ardent readers, I have come to derive so much from reading you and your other very brilliant columnists over the years. However, for the very first time, I want to disagree with your analysis that seems to suggest that the people and not leadership is the problem with Nigeria.

Is it really so that Nigerians “have contrived to make their homeland the most wretched on earth”? Evidence suggests that, on the contrary, those who Nigerians have been unfortunate to have as rulers (I hate to call them leaders) since independence have been solely responsible for the sorry state of affairs. The author of From Third World to First World paints a graphic word picture of how Nigerian rulers shortly after independence exhibited so much corruption, ostentatious living, selfishness and inept leadership while he and his team were frugal and laboured selflessly to transform their country. Now, the result is there for all to see. Sir, I ask, what has changed between then and now?

You yourself admitted that President Jonathan’s team is not “Nigeria’s finest”.

So, what miracle are you expecting from such a collection? Or, did the people put them there?

It is indeed very worrisome that the President does not see corruption but attitude as Nigeria’s greatest problem. Is the practice of corruption not an attitude, albeit a negative one? If the various revelations of mind-boggling figures from various sections of government in corrupt practices do not bother the President, it simply means that our situation is hopeless. Let the looting continue. The common man is certainly not responsible for the outrageous and over inflated N16 billion that the government wants to spend on the Vice President’s official residence. Nor are they culpable in the annual allocation of N150 billion to take care of less than 500 individuals in the National Assembly. Mark you, nobody oversees the budget of the National Assembly and no audit is carried out at the end of the year to know how this stupendous sum is spent. If this is not corruption, then lexicographers should give us a new definition! Yet, we are talking of transformation. If our rulers are not transformed, it is asinine and the height of hypocrisy to ask or expect the followers to transform.

You talked of Nigerians going back to their old ways shortly after Major-Gen. Buhari left the scene. Agreed. But what kind of leadership did General Babangida provide? If succeeding governments had sustained that legacy of enforced discipline, it would have been part of us by now. That was how organised countries were able to institutionalise order and it has become part of them today. It is a fact that humans by nature need sanctions in order to rein in their excesses. Where there is no sanction, the tendency is for people to act with impunity. The recent riot in Britain when youths went on a looting spree just because there was a breakdown of law and order for a few days is a classic example. Also, a little over a decade ago, policemen in Brazil went on strike and several hundred decided to commit all manners of infractions. This only proves that lawlessness is not peculiar to Nigeria, it is a worldwide malaise. But where leadership is seen to be firm, just and leading by example, the people have no choice but to follow the lead even if reluctantly. I agree with you that “No government will work… as long as Nigerians retain their contempt for the rule of law.” But who is the greatest violator of the rule of law? The answer is very obvious. Take a look at the issue of traffic you mentioned. Have you ever experienced top government officials

Lekan Otufodunrin Otufodunrin@thenationonlineng.net 08023000621 (SMS only)

For Mali, for Nigeria

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•Nigeria: Can something good come out of this chaos?

FEEDBACK TO FESTUS ERIYE’S COLUMN

By Tony Esho being chauffeur-driven? It is always an exhibition of sheer madness. Woe betide you if you are sluggish in getting out of their way. Your vehicle will be vandalised and you will be lucky if you escape without a few bruises. The recent altercation between Governor Okorocha and Senator Chris Anyanwu over the right of way is a good example. All this happened right in the very presence of their security details.

Remember also former Governor Ohakim.

There are so many others. What example have these top government officials set?

Is it any surprise then that their subordinates also terrorise road users on their own in the absence of their masters? Even money bags that are not entitled to the use of siren used it with impunity, complete with police escorts and also harass other road users.

And, talking of people “stripping off miles of transmission cables with a view to selling same”; while admitting that such an act amounts to sabotage and deserves severe sanctions, have you forgotten so soon that a former President spent US$16billion on this same power problem without results and did not honour the invitation of the National Assembly to come and explain how? Or, of the House of Reps committee members who did the probing but were also found to be corruptly involved? How did the case and so many others bordering on corruption involving the high and mighty end? Such malfeasance, I dare say, is the exclusive preserve of our rulers. While it is so easy to pillory the wretched-looking policeman who collects pittance from

motorists, it is meet to ignore an IG who stole N17billion but who today is a free man. If “ripping aluminum railings” to make profits is a “deranged behaviour”, then certainly, our overfed but irredeemably kleptomaniac public officials in all arms of government surely need the services of a world-class professor of neuro-surgery to examine their brains, because, only demented minds can carry on such senseless acquisitions in the face of grinding poverty and dwindling national resources.

I do not believe that Nigerians are as bad you portray them. Yes, there could be very few malcontents. As we all know, just a handful of Nigerians in the Diaspora have contrived to give Nigeria a bad image by their iniquitous activities compared to the hundreds of thousands who are living clean. As you rightly observed at the outset of your article, Nigerians are among the “best minds”. The problem with Nigeria is that we have been saddled with a succession of horrible rulers lacking in vision and selfless service but abundant in shenanigan, selfishness, and other forms of despicable attitudes. As long as such people continue to rule us, we should not expect our situation to change except we are ready to call them to order. In a situation where unworthy people are appointed based on party patronage, cronyism and other sundry considerations; where our law-making chambers are peopled by indicted governors, pedophiles, corrupt ex-military autocrats and others with malformed personalities, the people will only be too glad to follow in their bad footsteps. Like Tatalo Alamu once said in one of his articles, Nigeria is a great country waiting for a great leader (I add, leaders).

When those leaders appear and take charge, mark my words, the followers will be inspired to emulate them and things will certainly take shape. For now, Nigerians only have bad examples to emulate.

“The problem with Nigeria is that we have been saddled with a succession of horrible rulers lacking in vision and selfless service but abundant in shenanigan, selfishness, and other forms of despicable attitudes. As long as such people continue to rule us, we should not expect our situation to change except we are ready to call them to order”

ORE than ever before, Nigeria has been at the receiving end of attacks from terrorists operating from not only within the country, but from members of the international network of terrorists’ organisations that are determined to make the country one of their major bases in West Africa.

Some of those arrested for various terrorists’ related offences in the northern part of the country have been found to be non-Nigerians who sneak into the country to carry out their dastardly acts which have left thousands of persons dead and property destroyed.

The Boko Haram members behind most of the terrorists’ attacks in the country are reported to have received weapons and training from the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) which has gained a foothold in Mali and is gradually spreading its influence to Mauritania and Niger.

As The Times of London rightly noted in its January 18 editorial, titled: Today Mali, tomorrow Nigeria for al-Qaeda, the biggest prize for the al-Qaeda would be the destabilisation of Nigeria to the southeast. Evidence abound that the insurgent group is determined to accomplish their goal and everything has to be done to stop them.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Azubuike Ihejirika, during the week confirmed that Mali-trained militants are in the country and security agencies are working together to track them down.

It is against the background that the Federal Government ordered the deployment of 1,200 Nigerian troops to join the African-Led International Support Mission to Mali. Much as we have not been able to effectively contain the various conflicts in the country, we cannot afford not to be bothered about the situation in Mali.

Undoubtedly, we are currently facing daunting security challenges as President Goodluck Jonathan admitted in his letter to the Senate to seek approval for the deployment. But true to his claim, our proximity to the Sahel region makes the regional intervention compelling to avoid a spill over to Nigeria and other West African countries with grave consequences on the security, political stability and development efforts.

The deteriorating situation in the north of Mali, where the terrorists had taken the law into their own hands in total disregard for the government of the country, requires swift response and the time to act is now before we all get consumed by the actions of the lawless gang who don’t have any respect for human lives.

Good enough, Nigeria is intervening in conjunction with other African countries based on the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council in response to Mali’s request for an international military force. The best strategies must be adopted to avoid a failed mission. The troops must be well equipped and taken care of to enable them go all out to accomplish the task of routing out the terrorists.

Minimum force except where maximum force is the only option should be applied for the sake of the people who have been held hostage under and subjected to all forms of inhuman treatment in the guise of enforcing Islamic injunctions.

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Ogochukwu Ikeje ohgeeoh@gmail.com 08084235961 (SMS only)

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Comment & Analysis

ORECASTERS are at it again. A projection has gone out that Nigeria may, by the year 2050, become one of the world’s leading economies, enjoying a handsome 13th position among 20 nations of the world.

The forecast, published last week, came from PricewaterhouseCoopers, an accounting firm. It sounds good, doesn’t it? In fact, the report suggests that even lowly Vietnam could also join Nigeria in outpacing such developed economies as Australia in a mere 37 years. The reason for this, PwC economists believe, is that developed economies are still struggling to recover from the recession of 2008 and 2009, while emerging ones like Nigeria and Vietnam have been “relatively insulated despite the slowdown of 2011 and 2012.”

According to the projection, the area Nigeria may out-muscle other economies is in purchasing power parity or PPP. Economists say PPP is a theory which states that “exchange rates between currencies are in equilibrium when their purchasing power is the same in each of the two countries.” They explain that this simply means “the exchange rate between two countries should equal the ratio of the two countries’ price level of a fixed basket of goods and services.”

Non-economists, like this columnist, understand this to mean that by 2050, the naira could be strong enough to fetch Nigerians goods and services of appreciable value, not minding the geographical location. By this lay perspective, the miserable, flip-flop tale of our national currency would have since been forgotten, replaced by a respectable profile of power and value. By this same unsophisticated appreciation of the PPP forecast, I should hit the roof for the good times are

Nigeria a giant by 2050?

There the forecasters go again not so far off.

But I won’t, for this piece of projection hangs on nothing else but a mighty, big IF. Nigeria can become an economic giant in the world IF...Nigeria can be a giant in the world IF it can put a few things in place. Nigeria can overtake the leading economies, all things being equal.

That is the language of economists; it is their stock-in-trade.

The accounting firm’s forecast makes little sense to me, for obvious reasons. It reminds me of the 2020 mantra much trumpeted by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua administration. It was projected that by 2020, which is now only seven years away, Nigeria will be among 20 industrialised nations of the

world.

Industrialised nations are giants. As such, they have power and voice. As giants, they are reckoned with. When their leaders speak, no one pretends not to hear. That was the league our country was projected to join by the year 2020. But as everyone knows, no nation climbs to that platform merely by imagining it just because motivational speakers say whatever your mind can conceive you can achieve. Everyone knows that no nation attains giant status without stable electricity, good infrastructure and, crucially, a credible anti-corruption stance.

PricewaterhouseCoopers even reckons, though, that nothing is easy. “Nigeria,” it said in that projection, “could be the fastest

“Industrialised nations are giants. As such, they have power and voice. As giants, they are reckoned with. When their leaders speak, no one pretends not to hear. That was the league our country was projected to join by the year 2020.

But as everyone knows, no nation climbs to that platform merely by imagining it just because motivational speakers say whatever your mind can conceive you can achieve. Everyone knows that no nation attains giant status without stable electricity, good infrastructure and, crucially, a credible anti-corruption stance ”

growing country in our sample due to its youthful and growing working population, but this does rely on using its oil wealth to develop a broader based economy with better infrastructure and institutions as regards rule of law and political governance and hence support long term productivity growth –the potential is there, but it remains to be realised in practice.”

Now, that’s where the frustration of these forecasts lies. We all, including non-economists, know what the forecasters know.

They know, like we do, that our oil should make us wealthy. The economists, like all of us, know that we have a young, schooled, skilled and energetic population, willing to work and turn their country around. We know that we have all it takes to join the big league.

But just as all that is clear, so is it also beyond question that we are our own biggest enemies. It is paradoxical. Nigeria’s potentials have so far failed to enrich it. Its oil has not lubricated its engines. Rather it has remained a source of perpetual worry, eliciting a pile of questions. Why, for instance, have otherwise lowly nations, without oil, even in Africa, outpaced us in development? PricewaterhouseCoopers believes Nigeria’s oil can support “a broader-based economy” but why has that economy continued to elude us? We know that nothing can be impossible for us and that we can do all things with the riches God has lavishly given us. What we don’t know is why even the simplest of things seem too difficult to accomplish.

Forecasters seem to wonder why our infrastructure is woeful. They worry about rule of law. They are concerned about governance, about accountability. They know that these things matter.

Truth is, so do we. We have always known what they know. So, what use are their projections?

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Comment & Analysis

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Sultanic candour Sultan: The North must solve its security problem, in the context of federal Nigeria. But how?

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LHAJI Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), hit the nail on the head on January 14 in Kaduna, the North’s political capital, saying northerners were to blame for that region’s retardation. The sultan spoke at a meeting of the Northern Governors Peace and Reconciliation Committee.

Referring to the Boko Haram insurrection that has rendered a large swath of the North prostrate, Sultan Abubakar declared that no Muslim group could Islamise Nigeria any more than any Christian group could Christianise the country. He therefore called for dialogue for mutual understanding, pledging traditional rulers were ever ready to play their parts in finding solutions to the North’s – and the country’s – problems; as they had always done in the past. He further stressed that dialogue, never violence, would solve the problem, in an apparently subtle appeal to both the Federal Government and Boko Haram insurgents.

At that same meeting, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria’s latest cardinal and foremost Christian leader from the North, fingered poverty as the core of that region’s problems, and called on the authorities to do something fast about it. That was well said.

But between Sultan Abubakar and John Cardinal Onaiyekan’s diagnoses, how does the North start fixing its problems? And how can it be done in the context of a federal Nigeria, since the North’s problem is clearly a Nigerian problem, just as the problem of any part of the country is ultimately a national problem?

Northern leaders need to go back to the basis. To start with, it is an open secret that the Northern ruling elite has been anything but altruistic. It is on record that the North has been heavily represented in the Federal Government since independence, whether as head of those governments or very influential parts. Yet, poverty has been all pervading in that region, with the North East virtually a poverty arid zone. That the North East is home to the root of the Boko Haram insurgency is therefore hardly surprising. Only those with the least hope to live find comfort in mass murderous religious dog-

W

E say no to autonomy for local councils. We also wonder at the apparent zeal to create more states despite prevailing realities. If our distinguished senators insist on autonomy for local councils as a third tier of government, let the states be abolished.

Enlightened opinion has rejected attempts by our legislators to amend a fundamental document guiding their operations. Such exercise should be more appropriately handled by an independent ad-hoc body so constituted.

Only such a detached assembly can produce a thorough, dispassionate and enduring constitution. The Nigerian state glaringly slides downwards as it now exhausts 70% of its annual budget on recurrent expenditure, a clearly unsustainable profligacy. For a nation dangerously tottering on the brink, autonomy for local councils, creation of additional states, should only be treated as incidentals after much more critical and urgent agenda. Our distinguished senators need to rise above narrow partisan interests to produce a befitting document.

The only genuine reason for constitutional review now is to redefine our nationhood, so that a proper nation-state can evolve to give Nigerians hope. We want devolution of power back to the regions, or zones, as it was in the First Republic. We want to control

mas that Boko Haram sickeningly epitomises.

But even beyond the North East, more disturbing has been a recent survey that found Sokoto as the poorest state in the country. Sokoto is part of the more privileged North West, which for a time produced streams of Nigerian leaders. The northern ruling elite therefore need to do some radical introspection; and change from the innate selfishness that has turned their region into a desert of want instead of a spring of opportunity, given the wealth of the region. That admonition falls squarely within the Sultan’s declaration that North’s problems are self-inflicted. It rankles but it is the bitter truth. But redemption is as simple as changing tack. What is needed is a will to make a change.

Beyond elite selfishness, however, is the region’s pristine conservative feudal system that tends to limit developmental opportunities to the privileged elite, rather than the general masses of the northern people.

The situation, to be sure, has marginally improved over the years, with conscious efforts by northern governments to make access to education far more liberal.

Still, contrasted to the situation in the South, the efforts have been too little, too late. Indeed, as golden as the Sardauna era had been, when the best brains in any part of the North were identified and trained, no matter what their faith or ethnic groupings were, it could not be compared to the Awolowo free primary education campaign in the West, and the raw determination of the Igbo in the East to self-train themselves, even if there was no systematic success by the region’s government doing

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

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

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

so. That explains the gulf between the North and the South in education; and much of the so-called religious riots in the North often emanated from raw xenophobia against “strangers” (southerners) who had come to snap up limited opportunities; and were almost always victims of those riots’ mindless killings.

It is high time, therefore, the northern system was re-jigged to create mass opportunities for the talakawa.

If the Sultan, the religious head and prime symbol of that political system, has said the North suffers because its leaders had left what they should have done undone, then the time for positive change cannot be better than now. If, therefore, members of the Northern Governors Peace and Reconciliation Committee could achieve a developmental template change that would be binding on all northern states, that would really be the beginning of progress.

Even then, far-reaching investments to turn the North from a sprawling cost centre to a massive profit centre, with the concomitant development, cannot be attained with Nigeria’s present over-centralised structure, wherein the North cannot even mine the rich minerals in its bowels, except an ever hesitant Federal Government is ready.

The Sultan rightly suggested that talks should be encouraged among traditional rulers, to find a solution to the North’s problem. But these talks should not be limited to the conclave of northern traditional rulers alone.

Rather, the Northern Governors Peace and Reconciliation Committee should nudge the North towards accepting the inevitability of a grand All Nigeria Constitutional Talk that would break up the present unitary constitution posing as a federal one.

The resultant restructuring would free the creative impetus of all sections of the country and place the development of every part of it in the hands of the people domiciled there. The North can mine its minerals for the development of its people and the Niger Delta can mine its petroleum, with both, and other areas, paying tax over their economic activities to the Federal Government.

That is the most logical way to solve the North’s pressing problems in the context of a federal Nigeria.

LETTERS

Memo to Senate constitution review committee our own resources, insignificant as they may be. We want to determine our own future within the context of a properly structured federation. In short, we want a truly peoples’ constitution, so that the Nigerian project can stand. Only our elite who earn their living directly from government may be pretending all is well, when the

house has all but collapsed.

A properly structured federation cannot tolerate the cynical, derogatory six-zone imposition which the committee has assumed as sacrosanct. Nigeria consists of over 250 ethnic nationalities.

The southern minorities herded into the so-called south-south zone number over 100, with as many dis-

tinct cultures and languages. If, for example, Izon land were geographically contiguous, nothing prevents Nigeria’s 4 th largest ethnic group from having its zone. The Mid-West Region stood on its own in the First Republic. It can do so now.

So also can the minorities of the former Eastern Region.

Your amendment should,

therefore, incorporate a minimum of five regions from southern Nigeria alone, please.

The argument between indigene and resident should never arise. The distinction between them is clear and should be left as already constitutionally provided for. Our worry is that abrogating one for the other

suggests a subtle attempt to impose unitary government through the back door. A multiethnic secular state should forever abhor and reject the unitary system of government. Let the review committee prove its critics wrong. We plead with our distinguished Senators to strive to let the authentic wish of the people prevail, so that Nigeria can celebrate her centenary in one piece, and in peace.

John Ingwu, 4, Winners Way, Calabar, Cross River State

WAEC should brace up to their responsibility

S

IR: The recent comment by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) that school administrators are responsible for examination malpractices is like running away from the main issue. About 14 years ago I was involved in supervision of the school certificate examination under WAEC. With what I saw, I wish to say that the root of the failure and flagrant misconduct in examinations is from WAEC. The WAEC officials are as corrupt as the school heads and teachers. Examination malpractice is a network and a collaborative action between WAEC staff, school heads, principals and supervisors. After all, it takes two

to tango. I agree that there are other principal agents in this malaise like parents, community leaders, ministry of education officials etc. WAEC is the owner of the exam and they should take responsibility for any failure. It is their duty to ensure proper supervision and the deployment of men and women of integrity on the field. Most WAEC field officers are simply corrupt and are just out to make money.

I remember an instance when I supervised the exam.

On arrival at the school, the school principal welcomed me thus “ we treat our supervisors well, sir I will like to know your terms.” He spoke to me as if it was a normal thing and I later discovered

that it was really a normal thing for them. On further discussion, I learnt that most supervisors who had come earlier and even WAEC officials had their terms and were “treated well”. WAEC should mobilise credible and sufficient manpower to the field as supervisors and appropriate sanction should be meted out to defaulting ones. That means, strategies have to be in place to monitor their conduct.

I strongly believe that if WAEC officials do their job well, it will go a long way to check exam malpractice. I must say that one of the things that gives school heads and teachers the boldness to continue in this act is the moral failure of WAEC officials. In the exam

malpractice network are supervisory agents from state’s ministries of Education.

There are another set of people government must handle squarely. Schools should only nominate teachers of integrity and repute for supervision not those who can make returns to school heads.

There should be very stringent penalty for schools and head of schools involved in exam malpractice. Its a shame to see cases where teachers write on the board for students or dictate answers to them on exam day.

If a school is closed down for such an act, I am sure it will serve as a deterrent to others.

The question is, have WAEC in collaboration with

the appropriate bodies come up with well defined and actionable policies to curbing exam malpractice? Charity, they say, begins from home.

Let WAEC clean her house first before spreading the dragnet to others. This is not the time to pass blames. They must take responsibilty as the body empowered to conduct and supervise the Senior School Certificate Examination Pragmatism and leadership is required at this time from WAEC. The future of Nigeria’s educational sector is on the precipice and to salvage it, WAEC must play her statutory role well.

Alexander Ighoro Warri, Delta State

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Comment & Analysis

On our nation’s unity or uniformity (2) Ropo Sekoni ropo.sekoni @thenationonlineng.net

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E said in this column last week that political and cultural leaders, particularly those from the north are fond of putting the cart before the horse of Nigeria’s unity.

They often argue that all discussions must begin and end with the inevitability and non-negotiability of the country’s unity in a language that is reminiscent of military government’s famous No-go Areas. Many leaders who see themselves as owners and guardians of the country’s unity have the tendency to reduce all issues pertaining to the health of the country to their understanding of what it means for Nigeria to be united. Today’s focus is on homilies, particularly from retired or serving military leaders from both north and south about unity as the panacea to all problems facing the country.

Response from military leaders to complaints about the health of the nation falls into the same pattern with those of most leaders from the north. For example, when General Obasanjo was civilian president, he was fond of calling calls for re-structuring of the country as a means of restoring true federalism as syn-

One indispensable tool of politicians and their supporters is sermonising or preaching onymous with calls for secession or disintegration of the country.

Even after his departure from power, his views on calls for true federalism remain the same. The military dictator that General Obasanjo succeeded in 1999, General Abubakar Abdulsalam, is also not left behind in the race to use sermons to keep the country united. He has said on several occasions that Nigeria has been together for too long for it to break, regardless of untoward events that threaten the country’s unity. This sermon is in preference to discussing the threats to the nation’s unity and looking for ways to neutralise such threats.

Even one of three executive presidents that is not a civil war hero like Obasanjo, Abdusalam, and others, President Jonathan, is more eloquent that retired generals in his effort to oversimplify the issues that have potential to affect the country’s unity. He has chosen the metaphor of marriage to convince Nigerians and friends of Nigeria that there can be no threat to the nation’s unity, after 100 years of marriage of proverbial Northern Prince and Southern Bride. Saying this to the hearing of Boko Haram, President Jonathan’s optimism about the age of a married couple as a guarantee against divorce is ample. Nobody should expect the president to feel otherwise, as no sane person would want a country that he rules to disintegrate. At the same time, citizens should expect more than

homilies from the president.

The latest vibrant voice in support of the sermon of uniformity or the ideology of unity at all cost is the governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido. In his own variant of efforts to cover the contours of the nation’s diversity with the blanket of uniformity, Sanusi takes advantage of his exalted position to ask for banning of religious and socio-cultural organisations such as CAN, JNI, Afenifere, Ohanaeze, and other and groups that feature the country’s cultural diversity.

Sanusi’s call falls into the pattern of thought that believes that muzzling signals of diversity is the best way to ensure the unity of the country. His recommendation is in sync with a view more prevalent among political and cultural leaders in the north (than among their southern counterparts) that uniformity is the answer to the question of how to manage and optimise the country’s diversity.

Our concern is not that there is no space for sermons from political and cultural leaders. Sermons are an intrinsic part of socialisation of citizens, especially of efforts in all cultures to create compliance habits in the citizenry.

For example, all major religions of the world exist and thrive on sermonising. One indispensable tool of politicians and their supporters is sermonising or preaching. It is a universal practice that leaders whose interests are likely to be af-

fected adversely by calls for interrogation of the status quo and for change by those that feel that the status quo does not promote their interests have to adopt the sermonic mode to keep what they perceive to promote their own interests. Otherwise, such political and cultural leaders resort to violence, to sustain their current advantages.

The point at issue is the danger inherent in leaders’ proclivity to use sermons as a way of skirting issues that may be fundamental to the health of our nation. It is an understatement to say that our country is at risk. It is at risk at the hands of Boko Haram forces that set out to destroy western education; impose Sharia jurisprudence on the country; and kill or maim innocent citizens with a view to browbeat the government and citizens into accepting their worldview. The nation’s health is also endangered because citizens feel that the governance of the country is circumscribed by a constitution that citizens from various sections of the country believe to have been imposed by a handful of military dictators who appear to have set out to remove most of the federal principles and practices that nurtured the country’s unity from 1946 to 1966.

It is reassuring that the most authoritative cultural leader in the north, the Sultan of Sokoto, has called on all interests in the country to respond to the nation’s security and other challenges with a

high sense of realism. He has asked all parties to the Nigerian experiment to enter into heart-to-heart dialogue on how to keep the country peaceful, united, and progress-friendly. One hopes that other leaders of thought in the north and in the military will pay attention to the Sultan’s sermon on conditions for peaceful co-existence of diverse cultures in one nation-state.

The tension militating against progress in our country will not go away because articulate leaders and organisations are able to use the mantra of unity as the beginning and end of political debate, just as the call for visionary leaders may not be at variance with demands for a conducive political structure and a constitution that reflects the yearnings of citizens. Most modern democracies thrive on constitutions negotiated by citizens or those given the mandate to prepare a constitution on citizens’ citizens.

As we have argued several times in the past in this column, a major source of tension in our country today, apart from the worldview and ideology of Boko Haram, is not opposition to the unity of the country.

It is the opposition of many of the country’s leaders to calls for open dialogue on how to manage the nation’s diversity in a manner that will sustain and enhance the nation’s unity. A conducive constitutional framework is (more likely than not) to enrich the qualities of political leaders with inclination for good governance.

PDP: United only by the illicit, not manifesto Femi Orebe femi.orebe @thenationonlineng.net 08056504626 (sms only)

‘

…BOWING to the wishes of Nigerians, General Abubakar unveiled an eleven-month transition programme, which will terminate on May 29, 1999. The “five fingers of the leprous hand”, which operated as “political parties”, namely, the UNCP, CNC, NCPN, DPN and GDM were dissolved.

Nigerians were now free to form genuine political parties to compete for political space without the suffocating tailoring by agents of the state. The G-34, which was now established as an embodiment of the hope and democratic aspirations of Nigerians having demonstrated courage when it was convenient to show docile acquiescence became the rallying point of a blossoming trans-ideological movement willing to offer leadership to Nigerians.According to Chief Solomon Lar, the first elected chairman of PDP, the G-34 captured the excitement of Nigerians “because of the quality and integrity of its members”. To him, Nigerians were no longer willing to gamble away their future to fortune seekers who dominated the failed politics of the Abacha era. As a consequence of sustaining the momentum of democratic struggle, the G-34 attracted several political associations that shared the vision of a truly formidable national political platform.On August 19, 1998, several political associations including the All Nigerian Congress (ANC), Peoples Consultative Forum (PCF), Social Political Party (SPP) Peoples Demo-

Nothing any longer unfazes a PDP member, whatever his level in the party cratic Movement (PDM), Peoples National Forum (PNF) and twenty-five other associations resolved to form a political party known as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The overriding goal of the new party was to bring together all patriotic and like-minded Nigerians into a single formidable political party capable of organising and making productive the energy of the people.’

Obviously not many of them, members of the largest ‘rally’ in Africa, would ever know that the above extract came from the official website of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party. And this is so for many reasons.

For one, the venerated ‘quality and integrity’ Chief Solomon Lar spoke so glowingly about are long gone with the winds but much more importantly, the party and its original raison d’être have changed so fundamentally since former President Obasanjo’s entry into it that were the likes of Abubakar Rimi and Okadigbo to suddenly resurrect today, they would not as much as recognise the party they risked all to form.

Readers will remember that to mould the party in Obasanjo’s image, and, almost unprecedented in the annals of political party evolution, the maximum civilian ruler and leader of the party, as he then was, caused all members to be de-registered and decreed a fresh registration. So mystifying, but self-serving was it, that even Atiku Abubakar, his Vice President and, technically, the No. 2 in the party, was casually humiliated in his own village when he was refused registration only for the entire party leadership to later beat a retreat and head to his office, tails behind their backs, to present him with a membership card at Abuja,

the federal capital.

All this history becomes relevant now that leaders of the leading opposition political parties in the country are, for the very first time ever, working seriously towards ending the reign of impunity by a political party that has, far more than the military, pulverised the country beyond the widest imagination of its enemies in its 13year strangle-hold. It is heartening that for the same first time, these opposition party leaders have all verbalised their readiness to subsume all narrow interests, personal, regional, political or economic, in the larger service of the country we call our own.

Nothing confirms this seriousness more than the recent launch of the manifesto of the incubating merger, an event which witnessed the presence of nearly all the relevant leaders of the agenda. Those who could not make the occasion physically, were specifically represented. To understand the import of that event is to appreciate that without a manifesto, a political party is nothing more than a rally –read PDP- the clueless party that continues, unabated, the ruination of Nigeria with each of its leaders, as President, coming with either a 7-point Agenda which the current CBN governor, at his confirmation hearing advised should be reduced to one, or one nebulously called a Transformation Agenda but singularly devoid of any positive transformation.

Beginning from Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel’s address to his Tamworth constituents in preparation for the 1835 British general election, a political party manifesto has come to be known as the public declaration of the aims, objectives and policies of that political party, especially where issued ahead

of a coming election and to which the electorate can hold it, in or out of power.

It will be recalled that all we can remember of PDP’s manifesto or that of the late Yar Adua’s campaign at which Nigerians could not quote him on one single subject was: PDP: Power!, as then President Obasanjo played the role of campaign spokesperson.

In my recent 3-part article on corruption, I drew attention to the fact that salvaging Nigeria was the duty of all and that the worst we could do is leave the country to continue its present path of retrogression under the lead of the PDP.As you read this, the party is again in the news for the wrong reasons; for jejune reasons completely unexpected of a ruling party in a country like ours. Whether at the Wadada Plaza, where the falcon can no longer hear the falconer, or in Adamawa State as in sundry other states, especially in the South West, where its one-time poster boys have since been banished to political Siberia, it is war; total and unremitting war, the very end of which none can predict with any measure of certainty as the countdown to the presidential roforofo unfolds. It needs be said, however, that the ‘casus belli’, this time around, is tied to Obasanjo’s unedifying marriage to impunity. Time and again, he has indulged in these thoroughly illegal and indecent ‘fehingbe pons’ – acts of impunity- until now that Kashamu, who though a party financier, is young enough to answer thrice to a single Obasanjo call, has decided that enough was enough and decided to fight him eye ball to eye ball. Unlike what happened elsewhere, Obasanjo had merely decreed who should be what, at the South West PDP zonal congress, but as is usual in his home state of Ogun, he is being told again that there is a limit to one- ups-man ship. The silly things

he rammed through PDP governors then in Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, he never dared try with governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State, and where he did, he failed signally.

Nothing any longer unfazes a PDP member, whatever his level in the party; not thieving of billions of pension funds, not stealing billion dollars voted for modernisation of roads or the power sector nor are they collectively averse to creaming Nigerians off billions of naira claiming that ships which never visited any port on the African continent, indeed, actually delivered petroleum products at Apapa.

But it gets far worse when a President, elected on the platform of such a party, looks askance, with such rogues left free to go about their illegitimate businesses and presidential aides eagerly trying to exculpate him with the spurious claim that the presidency is not the judiciary; conveniently forgetting the aphorism that the buck stops at the president’s table. Of course, it must be conceded that ours is now a poor caricature of the American president who knows that he occupies, not the coziest but the hottest, part of the kitchen.

In the weeks and months ahead the 2015 elections, indeed from now on, given the vacuity and the allround negativity of the Peoples Democratic Party on Nigeria and its peoples, I intend, God willing, to do my utmost best in promoting the manifesto of the emerging merger in the full knowledge that it will provide the much- needed elixir for the hapless citizens of an abundantly resource -rich country which has, unfortunately, been more than blighted by a succession of rigged-in, soporific and inane, PDP governments at the federal level.

That much I promise.

Comment & Analysis

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

17

Tracking Governor Chime T

HEY move about wearing band of black cloth around their left arm; Women in black or all white. No mourning, no death. Nobody talks audibly, all in a whisper. That is the mood in Enugu where the shines of street lights dim the dazzling light of night moon.

The gift from Governor Sullivan Chime! Never mind, the layers in morgues is true reminder that worldly bliss is vanity.

However, this benefactor, Chime, who made things happen, in the coal-city since his ascendancy to power in 2007, disappeared from the tube since September 2012. It’s not like he is a publicity fad as his predecessor, but once in awhile, his feminine face dons pages of national newspapers or is a whiff on national television network.

Nevertheless, what matters, his followers say in defence of his aversion for publicity, is showing the difference that a governor is on course and that his state is working.

True, the state worked but not now.

The governor is on AWOL or is ‘kidnapped’ in transit holidaying abroad, his traducers, these mischief makers spread maliciously. ‘Don’t blame the people,’ Robert Cirino, aptly titled his book of how news media use bias, distortion and censorship to manipulate public opinion. Aren’t denials of information to the people the success tool of propagandist to manipulate the unwary? Here in Enugu, information from government is a luxury. And the rumour spreads.

There are stories surrounding the disappearance of Governor Chime in Enugu and in such other dignified

Postscript, Unlimited!

By

Oyinkan Medubi 07057012862 (SMS only) puchuckles7@gmail.com

O

NE of the prominent features of modern urban living is the firm grip that Nigerian religious pundits have over our early morning sleep. I tell you, the prison warden’s grip over his prisoners cannot come anywhere near it. Each dawn, I am rudely pulled out of my dreams by the vehemently inconsiderate shrills of religious men and women from mosque-church loudspeakers calling me to pray or shout ‘Amen’ willy-nilly when all I want to do is get a little more sleep. Sometimes, I wonder what the gates of heaven and hell must really look like – perhaps they are lined with marketers touting the advantages of the two places. It is quite enough to make me appreciate the age-old adage which I whisper repeatedly to myself: Silence is golden! Silence is golden! I think somewhere in my sub-conscious, I believe that if I repeat the sentence long enough, the noise will stop. It does, but well into the sunrise, when it is time to get up anyway. Grrrr! They always win but someday, I intend to win too.

So, from sunrise to sunrise, the average Nigerian seems to be surrounded by nothing but noise; which he seems to take in his stride.

If the irreverent loudspeakers of religious or music shopkeepers are not assaulting our ears, then party

By Josef Onovo places where governors of states converge for national tête-à-tête and where unfortunately, his presence usually was a mere representation of Enugu ‘sovereignty’. These stories range as wild as wishing him dead (God forbid), to series of terminal illnesses that had confined him to hospital bed overseas. Nobody seems to give an official account of the governor. The closest being contradictory statements from his media chiefs that he has gone overseas for his earned vacation or that ‘Chime is back, hale and hearty and presiding over the state executive council meeting’ or indeed any of those functions where his presence was mandatory and of course, irregular.

The governor has spent over 100 days, leaving the state in a flux as his administration was surreptitiously handed over to appointed political and social proxies, as events have shown. His deputy, Sunday Onyebuchi watches in disbelief. Do we blame the deputy governor who was only informed by the governor as he was rounding off the state Executive Council meeting, that he was travelling overseas to spend his vacation and that he, the deputy, would act in his absence? No other protocol, either in writing or by way of briefing while his kitchen cabinet are in attendance. Spare tyre! Is that not what deputy governors are?

Never mind. In our democracy, all are spare tyres, including our

legislatures. Why not, when the diarrhoea patient is the favour of the little dogs? Or as we would say, “the goats track the palm frond bearer.” This is not to say that the Enugu State House of Assembly members, the true representatives of the people, are either dogs or goats. No mischief intended and don’t read the pun literally. They are honourable members, with very unquestionable character, to be sure. But as is being held in Enugu now, they are branded, “docile dogs” at Independence Layout Enugu. That is the people’s opinion, democracy grants that.

Truly, if Chime is “lost” trying to enjoy his leave overseas, whose responsibility is it to ask, “Governor, where are you?” The legislators seem to have defaulted providing answer to this and the people who they represent are now asking, ‘where is our governor?’

No answer from anywhere. Even the privileged contradictory statements from his media managers, is not forthcoming. The media managers are confused just as any other person except the kitchen cabinet who are said to be family members that are manipulating the Enugu people according to their like.

This is not tidy. We have the right to know where the governor is because we voted him in, and he lives on our expense. Not until he is no more a governor and turns a private man as he was, prior to May 1999, we will continue to ask, ‘where is our governor?’

The legislators in Enugu House of Assembly have a duty, a constitutional duty for that matter,

duty to provide answers to our inquisition about the where about of the governor. They have also the constitutional role to check the waddling work of the state government. It is a matter to be seriously handled, because what is going on now is a breach of the constitutional provision in the exercise of governmental powers.

There is no doubt that high position in our shores creates sybarite personalities, distracts the unprepared in such new positions from the ideals of public good and goals or focus. But must we allow this to continue even when there are reasons to believe that the machinery of the government is hitting zero on the scale? And it is surprising that not even the Enugu elders is shouting as late C.C. Onoh, the grandeur of Enugu awareness, would have done. The step the elders have taken so far is not assuring, if any, and is at par with the State House of Assembly silence. From what have been read from the press few days back, it did not express the aggressiveness needed to situate the Enugu government and thus fill the vacuum created by the long absence of the governor which nevertheless, in a vibrant political environment, the legislators and the people would have invoked the necessary statute to keep the machinery of government in normal course to swear in the deputy as the acting governor, if not the governor.

The state House of Assembly members haven’t raised a voice or dared the cabals by whatever means to discourage their

unlawful act and the twist of government in Enugu.

Governor Chime has taken Enugu some steps high and has shown that his development means creating new sybarites. He has shown that those who work hard both in government and private should have a feel of good life.

Depending from what cliff you perch overlooking Chime’s sixtythree months as a governor, he distinguished a standard. His family or kitchen cabinet’s indiscrete manoeuvre to shield him away from his duty post or who considers illness as a metaphor for divine curse ought to realize that their action is not only an affront to the state legislators and their people but also dubious posturing as if we are not subject to ill-health.

For sure, Sullivan could not have deliberately stayed out of the job that he longed for and got if he is hale and hearty. If indeed he is not strapped to a hospital bed, he must have been “kidnapped” by his selfish and insensitive kitchen cabinet members. And since this is a country of federating state, operating one constitution, all must rise to yell at the pig that snorts near the graveyard in Enugu. The graves could as well be elsewhere, where the pigs could exhume the graves of the forebears. So, all should rise to ask the Enugu state legislators, ‘where is Governor Sullivan Chime?’ It could be any other state. Democracy is on trial in the coal city.

• Onovo, a retired civil servant lives in Enugu

When silence is golden What farmers need is a facilitated access to soft loans from banks persons are doing their stuff right into them. And now, we have to contend with the noises of and from mobile phones. Recently, I saw a cartoon showing a man and a woman at a dinner date in a restaurant. Instead of doing the reasonable things such as looking deeply into each others’ eyes, holding hands or, at the least, eating, they preferred to talk into their individual phones. I just thought, the blessed things that had been invented to keep the world out were being used to bring the world in.

Even more recently, I read of our dear federal government, which never tires of putting its foot in, obliging our Nigerian farmers to purchase mobile phones willynilly. Come now, I am thinking, is it for lack of mobile phones that we have no food to eat? Ever heard the children’s refrain, and I think I have used it here before, for want of a shoe the horse was lost and all that?

Well, we have a new take on that.

For want of a phone the farm was lost; for want of the farm the farmer was lost; for want of the farmer the citizens were lost; for want of the citizens, the country was lost.

Honestly, I had no idea we still had farmers, let alone farmers whose farm lives would depend on the mobile phone. I have since regarded Nigerian farmers, and I mean no disrespect here, as charming antiques who made themselves but have been relegated to the shelves for posterity as showcases for aliens who once lived here. I thought no one, least of all the government, cared about their existence. No one, least of all, even knew their uses. The

Nigerian farmer is the least considered of the low. Seriously again, I mean no disrespect either to them or the government, but all at once, too much is happening and too late. Suddenly, the government seems to have turned around, seen the farmers and exclaimed, oh look, the farmers!; let’s see what the mobile phone will look like in their grubby hands. And so, it is even now shoving the strange things into the farmers’ calloused hands and asking them to grin into the camera. I tell you, I tell you.

Growing up at my grandmother’s, a worthy farmer in her own recognition, I believe I have had a few farm experiences; not what you would call the heavy duty kind, but somewhat enough to help me know which end of the yam to dip into my plate of palm oil at lunch. Now, you believe me, don’t you? Of course, in the course of gaining my farm education, I also came across a few farmers. Yet, in all those days, I never did come across one farmer who sat down moaning that his greatest problem in life was not being able to talk to his neighbours. No sir; to talk to their neighbours, most farmers simply hollered. Believe me, I have heard whole conversations enough to fill your ears conducted over the air waves and over long distances.

The golden silence was sufficient to ensure perception. WHY DID YOU NOT COME TO THE FARM YESTERDAY? YOU WERE SICK? YOU THIS LAZY THING, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR WIFE’S PEPPER-SOUP IS FOR, SLEEPING? NO, YOU DO NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH FOR MY WIFE’S PEPPER; YOU WILL COLLAPSE. FOR

THAT, WHEN YOU FINISH ON YOUR FARM, COME TO MY FARM AND SERVE YOUR PUNISHMENT. And the laughter rang through the air, pure and delightful, energising the work.

True, farmers are no longer what they used to be; but honestly, in Nigeria, who is? It is quite clear that the problem of the federal government at any season seems to be that it never realises that the people are often smarter, more advanced, knowledgeable and forward thinking than it is. For some queer reason, however, it seems to think that it is always smarter, more advanced, knowledgeable and forward thinking than the people, so it thinks that it can think for the people. Big mistake. The farmers have told the government that they do not want mobile phones.

Each farmer can procure his/her own phone or their children will.

Yet, the government insists on going ahead. Why? Come, government, let us reason together. Pre-paid mobile phones have habits of consuming money either to purchase them or to run them. On whose account can that be charged to: the farmer’s anticipated profit, or will there be a regular subvention from the government for that? More importantly, what is the phone for – to talk with the government or their neighbours or their families? Most farmers are tired of talking to the government: it has not listened to or heard them so far, and is even now not hearing them say they do not need or want the mobile phone.

To talk to their neighbours, they

visit; and to talk to their families, they send SOS. Even most importantly, a large number of our farmers do not have the required literacy to manage those demanding things, and who is to teach them?

But what do you know? The government insists it knows what the farmers want: mobile phones. I suspect those phones are coming from a source which has tied the supply of fertilizer to the purchase of the phone to farmers. In other words, the government has done what it thinks to be some neat packaging of ideas and products without considering all the issues.

I honestly do not know how this phone thing can work. Do you know sir how many phones will be spoilt, lost or stolen within a week of taking delivery? Besides, how on earth can a phone enhance the growth of a farmer’s farm or his farming methods? Listen, dear government, what farmers need is a facilitated access to soft loans from banks so that they can have some long-term plans for their farms and be able to purchase items they want such as fertilizer or tractors on the open market like anyone else. Fertilizer can be subsidized; even end products can be subsidized but not at the expense of the free will to grow.

Then, each can move from subsistence farming to large-scale farming at their own pace. Otherwise sir, you just may hear your phone lines crossing one day and someone saying, ‘Eh hen, Baba Sikira, now I have a phone; are you going to let me take Sikira as my third wife now?’ Then you will appreciate, as I have done, that silence is golden.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Comment & Analysis

Azazi: Tribute to a noble man

IFE is good but death is inevitable. Opulence is desirable but good health and longevity are divine gifts. That is why the Holy Bible states in Psalm 39: 5, 6 & 11 that: “Indeed You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but a vapour. Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them. ...You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapour.” (NKJV).

It is in confirmation and conformity with this truth that many people die in fearsome and tragic circumstances that reflect quick disappearance of vapour into the air. Hence, death is an irretrievable loss of human life just like vapour cannot be retrieved from the air. The fact remains that no tragic event is ever anticipated or welcomed; but one of the most shocking of such bad occurrences in 2012 was the air mishap that claimed the lives of General Andrew Owoye Azazi, the immediate past National Security Adviser, NSA, the amiable Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa and four others on Saturday, December 22, 2012 in the home state of Azazi, Bayelsa.

Azazi’s death, like that of Yakowa or any other tragic incident, still remains a nightmare especially to those who were close to him through official and personal relationships. He was a complete gentleman. He related very warmly with people not on account of their status or the level of intimacy with him but as a lifestyle; he treated and addressed people with humility, respect and candour.

He was a congenial person to work with. Azazi never for once made his staff or subordinates feel that he was the boss but a team leader.

Even as Chief of Army Staff, those who knew him intimately maintained that he was “very civil and fair minded in all his dealings...too gentlemanly that some people could not believe that we still had his ilk in the military.”

Azazi’s disposition to issues had never been hinged on any other fac-

By Michael Awe

tor than merits and facts; unlike some other ‘big bosses’ whose mood often dictate their reactions. He was a good listener and a meticulous decision maker. Regardless of who was offering an idea, the late Army General usually respected, accepted and applied superior views, arguments and ideas. He enjoyed engaging his aides in sound intellectual debate as a norm towards taking feasible and defensible decisions.

Azazi was very desirous of good governance, peace and credible public administration while in office as the NSA that he willingly offered help and co-operation to a few MDAs not only in the area of security but in some ways of enhancing their operations. Labaran Maku, Information Minister, had in a live telecast in January 2012 acknowledged this cooperation offered to his ministry by the office of the NSA. Poor information management is a major but often ignored problem of government. Azazi believed that if your employers (Nigerian people) are not getting correct assessment of your performance, it would give them the reason to give your tenure a poor rating. This, he believed had been the major channel often appropriated for misinforming the public and blackmailing the government. Hence, Azazi nurtured a robust relationship with the media through which occasional interactive sessions were held with media executives.

Azazi changed the cult-like administration of national security. He believed that Nigerians should be adequately and regularly informed about their security situation; whereas withholding information for too long often encouraged foreign media to inundate Nigerians with distorted facts.

He was a patriot of the highest order. He would stop at nothing to defend the corporate interest and integrity of Nigeria whenever the need arose. One of such instances was when the United States alerted its citizens, nay, Nigerians that some designated spots and hotels had been marked for attack by a terrorist group. Hours after the announce-

ment, Abuja, indeed, most parts of Nigeria were struck with fear as vocal Nigerians asked what our security chiefs were doing if information like this could elude their notice.

Azazi was miffed not at the piece of information but at the needless sensation and panic the announcement generated. Explaining to a select media executives at an interactive session barely a week after, he said the information was not new.

“We had been on top this situation since we got wind of this plot. In fact, we alerted our security collaborators and the management of the facilities concerned to step up security checks and surveillance. Thus we moved security personnel into the marked areas to void the plot.

“But when we asked the US officials (after the announcement) if there was any development on this information other than what we already know, they said none. But in the US, security alerts flow in torrents per minutes yet they won’t send such panicky alerts to their public. All you will notice is the swarming presence of security agents, gadgets and dogs within the affected areas. They won’t throw their people into needless panic or fear like they often do to us.” The beauty of it was that the US officials did not only apologise but also reversed the statement less than 48 hours later.

The perennial bombing of public and worship edifices and killing of innocent people by an extremist Islamic terror group, Boko Haram, characterised most of Azazi’s tenure as NSA. In fact, the dare-devil activities of the ruthless sect eventually led to his removal and a few others from office. Explaining the reason for his abrupt sack, President Goodluck Jonathan said Azazi and others had been quite efficient at fighting the terror upsurge, but their removal was a way of responding to the security challenge as a change of government’s tactics.

While maintaining the norm of working behind the scene to ensure adequate security, his prognostic approach to information flow with astute military intelligence had been the pivot upon which the national security network had been sustained.

He supported the idea of dialogue with the sect leaders. He strongly believed that government could use the ‘carrot and stick’ method. While dialoguing with the terror group, military force would be used to counter its insurgency. “We will not fold our arms because we are discussing with Boko Haram and allow them to keep killing people.

We will of course repel and foil their planned onslaught, burst their hideouts and arrest their members while still appealing to them to embrace dialogue,” Azazi had said at another parley.

In proffering solution to the security challenge, Azazi was a proponent of state police option. I’m not sure if he ever made this public but he believed the tendency for abuse of the process by state chief executives could be taken care of in the provisions of the law. He also had a feasible idea on how to achieve effective policing. Meanwhile, Azazi had embarked on a strategic overhauling of national security network through which enhanced security system would be put in place. This project, for which he desired to be remembered as NSA, could not be nurtured to fruition unfortunately because he didn’t stay long enough in office.

His Asaba (Delta State) statement which traced the unabated upsurge of terror attacks in the country to the conflict of political interests in the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, was typical of Azazi’s candour.

Even when I told him that President Jonathan seemed not to be on the same page with him over his statement, he said: “I can’t join issues with Mr. President. He’s my Commanderin-Chief. I have simply expressed my mind and those concerned know very well what I’m talking about.”

Azazi’s life after his tenure of office was that of rest; this was evident in his fresh look. Also, he had more time for his family and private business. On August 30, 2012, he celebrated the wedding of one of his children in Lagos. The joyful event took place a few days after an online publication alleged that he bought a choice property in Abuja at a very costly amount. He wasn’t perturbed as he asked the authors to

forward the details of their findings to any anti-graft agency. Unknown to many people, Azazi went into real estate business immediately after his retirement as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in August 2008. In fact, he was on his way to the airport on a business trip to the United States in October 2010 when President Jonathan invited him for the NSA job. He usually reacted to such spurious allegations with witty anecdotes believing that cheap blackmail was a burden of leadership or success in our nebulous society.

As NSA, his duty primarily was to advise the President on security matters based on of information and intelligence reports at his disposal.

While his office co-operated with that of the Inspector General of Police and other service chiefs, NSA’s office directly supervises the State Security Service, SSS, and the National Intelligence Agency, NIA. A brilliant and consummate intelligence officer Azazi had one of the fastest growing military careers in the present day democratic Nigeria. Between May, 2006 and June, 2007 the late General was decorated with the ranks of Major General, Lieutenant General and General.

Many who called or sent sms to express grief at his sudden exit described him as a “great man.” His ilk are few among the top echelon of the society. He had seen it all but not blinded by the spoils of office. He was philosophical about life; hence he said to me: “Whenever I was in a convoy with siren blaring ahead of us, I often asked myself ‘is this what life’s all about?’ of course not. I see opulence and power as ephemeral and I was never excited about them. Though it was a privilege for me to experience this for a little while, making the best of every opportunity for humanity is enough satisfaction for me because I know there is more to life than all these.” This was the personal creed of General Azazi and he lived a noble life spurred by contentment, service to humanity and fear of God. Good night Azazi the Great.

Awe is a Lagos-based media consultant

Awo, Jan 15 and the phantom of an Igbo coup “In most of the Tiv Division, people had to carry green leaves to be left unmolested. There was the pathetic story of a peasant who forgot to do so. Some rioters reminded him of this by carving a leaf with a knife on the skin of his hand.”

Headlines, August 17, 2003, Vol. 435 page 7 HE young captain who was the Chief Detail escorting the Supreme Commander to Ibadan had made up his mind. Brandishing a hand grenade, Theophlous Danjuma, commanding a mutinous detachment from the Nigerian 2nd Battalion had caged in the Government House before moving in to confront his unsuspecting quarries, the Supreme Commander, General Aguiyi Ironsi, and his host, Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi.

Fajuyi was the celebrated hero of the UN operations and the first Nigerian officer to be awarded the British Victory Cross. The Supreme Commander and his Governor host did not get it until the captain still caressing his grenade, with all audacity, accosted them and violently stripped them of their epaulets. In the military tradition, such brazen truculence by a very junior officer is more than mutiny. In the military eye, that brazen indiscipline is tantamount to instant execution of the hapless senior officers. With those officers condemned, this unprecedented effrontery by Theopholous Danjuma ensured the bloody change of the Ironsi Government. Unlike Nzeogwu and the Jan. 15 boys, the young captain, took no prisoners. Indeed, Major

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By Emma Okocha Kaduna Nzeogwu had prophesied that any coup operations without the demobilisation of the Supreme Commander was a suicide enterprise and therefore, had preferred to personally head the Lagos operations. His colleagues were rather impressed by the myth built around the Sarduana, Premier of the North, another main target who indeed was the orchestra that was playing the scotch earth policy against the so-called “Tiv Rioters.”

Kaduna Nzeogwu, describing the Premier as a “bloody Civilian,” warned his colleagues that the Jan. 15 operations would derail if the General was not demobilised.

After all, Aguiyi was the first black man to command a United Nations contingent in the Congo. Before the Revolutionaries Ironside, was doing the impossible as long as the Crocodile was flagging in the field in place of his official pistol. (please see Chris Okigbo, NZEOGWU: THE UNFINISHED REVOLUTION, Snaap Press, Enugu, 20012] Col. Martin Adamu, Danjuma, Col Muritala Mohammed, arrowheads of the Araba coup, July 29th , 1966 wanted the Supreme Commander dead, primarily for their coup to succeed. To be cut down also was Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, for the historical fact that the former Governor was in the know about the Jan. 15 uprising and actively supported the Revolutionaries. Chris Okigbo in his soon to be released account, revealed that in the operation ‘Charming Girl,’ Col.

X

Adekunle Fajuyi was the Commander at Lanlate, Abeokuta, of the mock battle, preparing the Jan. 15 boys ahead of their strike on the D. Day. Also, Adekunle Fajuyi, in drawing up the aims of that January 15 revolution, insisted that the release from Calabar Prison of Chief Obafemi Awolowo would proceed his eventual announcement as the Prime Minister of Nigeria.

An officer and a gentlemen, when eventually the coup failed, it was he and his colleague, Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, who resisted the “northern officers’ demand to the Supreme Military Council, asking for the hanging of the young Revolutionaries.

The account, which gave the death choice to Fajuyi in solidarity with his cornered Supreme Commander is, therefore, without collaboration as the mutineers had deliberately gone for the senior officers, epaulets, sentencing those fine officers to a slow and gory end.

Furthermore, the infantile impression that Col Unegbe, the Quarter Master General, was shot because he would not hand over the keys to the mutineers is a marine story.

Why would a planned coup and its operatives depend on a locked armoury to procure their fire arms in a night every second counted. And when they shot the Igbo Colonel without retrieving the keys from him, how come they continued with the operations and almost succeeded but for the betrayal of another Igbo officer, Major Obienu, who did not

show up with his Reece platoon from Abeokuta?.

All said and done, the January 15 Revolution stopped the genocide against the Tiv freedom fighters. The early ‘60s blizzard against the people at Gboko, Tombul, Adikpo, Lafia and Daudu was commanded

by Col. Pam, who later was promoted Adjutant General. His unprofessional use of the military against the people affronted Major Chris Anuforo, the Commander of the Reece unit at Gboko. Chris was so agitated with the treatment meted out to the Tivs that on the night he had the gun, he personally went for Col Pam. The Second Battalion at Ibadan was commanded by Lt. Col Largema and he was the officer who moved the soldiers into the streets to cause mayhem in support of the marooned Premier, Chief S.L.A. Akintola. He also tutored him on how to use fire arms and the Premier on that night opened fire against the soldiers who came to arrest him. Unlike his Deputy, Fani Kayode, who cried like a woman, on sighting the soldiers, Akintola fought and died like a man.

Jan 15 restored normalcy, brought to an end the bleeding in the streets of Yorubaland. Contrary to Danjuma’s persiflage and propaganda to respected Guardian Columnist, Dr Edwin Madunagu, falsely demonstrating that the Jan 15 Revolutionaries targeted ‘our Brother Officers.’

The boys did not ‘murder Danjuma’s

brother officers’ to install an Igbo hegemony.

Rather, our over twenty years of research is reading a shocking result.

The January15 Revolution, in the perspective of the African political development, was a move from Nigeria with the destination of engaging in the final liberation of South Africa from Apartheid. In his last statement to his mother, Nzeogwu was fatalistic, “Nnee, that’s why you cannot count on me. I’m not going to be married, because I am going to die in the battle field,” Nzeogwu consoled his mother who was worried that her son was not planning like the other officer friends of his to get married.

A putshe that was motivated by the horrendous death of Patrice Lumumba plus the unacceptable antics of the ten percenters, sacrificed the cream of the first generation of the Igbo fine officer corp. Danjuma’s hallucination and the false perspective of chroniclers of the Nigerian Civil War history aided the waste of the Igbos, climaxing in the 1967 recorded first Black aon Black genocide in Asaba 1967.

As we celebrate another January 15 anniversary and miss Nzeogwu and his patriotic prophesies, why did we not hear from Awo or his school on Jan 15 until the sage passed on?

And why have the Tiv nation maintained over 50 years of ungrateful silence? Whatever, was Col. Atom Kpera and Lt. Katsina part of the January 15 strike force?

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

•Amaechi

•Sekibo

2015: Rivers-East as political battleground Dare Odufowokan takes a look at the deepening political intrigues over PDP ticket for 2015 governorship election

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HE Ikwerre and Okrika ethnic groups in Rivers East Senatorial District of Rivers State may once again be enmeshed in open hostilities, no thanks to the ethnic colouration being given to the 2015 gubernatorial contest in the state, especially within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Sources have alleged that the bid by the senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator George Sekibo, to succeed Governor Rotimi Amaechi as governor of the state in 2015 has once again pitched the two political associates-turned-rivals against one another.

Further checks by The Nation revealed that Amaechi, who is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election in 2015, is opposed to Sekibo’s ambition and is actually set to facilitate the emergence of another serving Senator as the next governor of the state.

It was learnt that in continuation with his determination to ensure the rotation of political power in the state, the governor is poised to stop Sekibo from emerging as the candidate of the ruling PPD ahead of the 2015 governorship election.

“Long before now, the governor said he would support the rotation of power among the three senatorial districts. If you look at it, Sekibo and Amaechi are both from Rivers East. Odili is from Rivers West, while both Ada-George and Omehia are from the East as well.

“I can tell you that the governor’s sympathy is for the people of Rivers South East Senatorial District. He feels they should be given the chance to produce the next governor of the state.

“His not supporting Sekibo is not out of any personal hatred as some of you may want to paint it. It is actually in line with the party’s principle of sharing political power,” an aide of the governor

said.

But Sekibo’s kinsmen are not ready to be swayed by the argument for rotation. Already, many of them are viewing Amaechi opposition to the senator’s ambition as a frontal attack on the entire people of Okrika.

“Given how we supported Amaechi’s ambition even against our own person, Abiye Sekibo, in 2011, it is unimaginable that the governor is now working against the interest of Okrika people.

“Our commitment to the PDP was displayed when we refused to endorse or support Abiye’s ambition on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (A CN). Rather, we saw Amaechi as our brother from Ikwerre and voted massively for him. He won.

But now he wants to turn the people of Rivers-East against one another by endorsing an aspirant from another zone to vie against our brother. He has forgotten that for him, we buried our

age-long hostility against the Ikwerres in 2011,” Tamuno TamGeorge, convener of the Okrika Mandate Movement (OMM), said.

Observers of the politics of the state are of the opinion that the struggle for the 2015 gubernatorial ticket in the state will be a fierce one given the antecedent of the political rivalry between Amaechi and Sekibo.

An architect, Sekibo served as Special Adviser on Works to the Rivers State government under former Governor Peter Odili. Amaechi, from Ikwerre, also in the same Rivers East Senatorial District as Okrika, was the Speaker of the State House of Assembly at the time.

Many pundits pronounced a second term in the Senate for Sekibo, impossibile, after Amaechi became governor. This was because he did not support Amaechi’s court battle to regain his mandate.

And when Amaechi’s then Chief of Staff, Nyesom Wike, declared interest in the position, it seemed a foregone conclusion that George Sekibo would have to pack up from Abuja and return home as not a few saw Wike as Amaechi’s

proxy in a political battle with his arch-rival.

As the struggle for the ticket raged, the governor on many occasions showed his support for Wike, but Sekibo emerged victorious and returned to the Senate for a second term.

Sources were later to claim that it took the direct intervention of Dame Patience Jonathan to save Sekibo’s job. At the time, it was largely believed that there was no love lost between the governor and the First Lady who is also from the Rivers East Senatorial District.

Sekibo’s surprise victory over Wike established him as one of the strongest political forces in the senatorial district, especially with the failure of Abiye Sekibo’s attempt to dislodge the governor from office in 2011.

Consequently, his gubernatorial ambition is not being handled with kid gloves by the Amaechi camp. Regarded as a grassroots mobiliser of no mean repute, the governor’s men are leaving no stone unturned to stop him midstream.

Already, the ruling PDP is feeling immense heat according to party sources as allegations and counter-allegations fly back and forth between the two contending camps.

On Monday, PDP youths on the platform of the Rivers Youth Alliance (RYA) stormed the party secretariat in Okrika to protest what they called the intimidation of Sekibo’s supporters by Amaechi and party leaders.

Among other things, the protesters accused the governor of instructing the leadership of the party in all the local government areas in the senatorial district to reject Christmas gifts given them by the senator.

“The governor told them that Sekibo is contesting for governor against his wish and so should be rejected by the party. He said no politician in Rivers East should associate with our Senator who is a son of the soil like him.

He is threatening to remove any party or government official found associating with the senator.

These are the reasons why we are here to confront the party elders and ask them if the governor is God,” Tekena Wariboko, leader of the group, said.

But party elders are of the opinion that the situation is not as bad as the youths painted it.

Stakeholders, therefore, urged the contending camps to put party interest ahead of personal ambitions if the PDP is to continue to rule the state.

“It is not true that the governor instructed party leaders to clamp down on members associating with any aspirant. Senator Sekibo is a member of the party and we are relating with him well.

These allegations and counter allegations are products of a charged political atmosphere which should be expected in a large party like ours. But one thing I can tell you for sure is that the governor has not instructed the party anywhere in the state to victimise any member for whatever reason,” Clem Orikeoha, Chairman of PDP Stakeholders Forum, said.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Politics

The power game in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepen during the week, leading to fears that Bamanga Tukur’s tenure as National Chairman was under threat Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, examines Tukur’s leadership style, and reports that he may need to change tactics to survive the current storm.

A

S the ongoing crisis involving the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepens by the day, many observers have tried to offer explanation for the impasse, suggesting possible solution.

While few observers who spoke to The Nation blamed external forces for the current troubles, who, according to them, are out to destroy PDP, many contend that PDP leaders themselves, like the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, share the larger chunk of the blame.

Those advancing this latter argument contend, for example, that Tukur’s style of leadership, which they described as “tending towards imperialism,” has neither succeeded in soothing the numerous frayed nerves within the party nor facilitating the return of former members who left in anger, a development that has rather stunted the growth of the party ahead 2015.

So, as the battle for the soul of PDP rages on in courts and other battlefields across the country, it seems the heat is piling up more on Tukur, leading to the view that the former governor of the old Gongola State will need to employ an unusual political strategy to survive the current power web.

The questions many are asking, however, are if Tukur has the political sagacity, the tact and the right connections to survive the intrigues?

His emergence into power Born in 1936, Tukur first gained national attention way back in the mid 1970s, when he served as the General Manager of Nigeria Ports Authority. It coincided with the period of scandals over huge importation of cement.

The consequent politics of cement then projected Tukur into national consciousness as he led government’s efforts then to tackle puzzles associated with cement importation, storage and distribution.

When he later left that juicy position, he went into politics and contested for the Gongola State governorship seat in 1982.

He won the election and was sworn in as the executive governor of the old Gongola State, which comprised today’s Adamawa and Jigawa States. He, however, governed that North-

•Tukur East State for just three months (between October 1983 and December 1983 ) before the democratic dispensation was cut short by a military coup.

Stripped of political power so early in his tenure as a governor, he tactically withdrew from big time political theatre as he threw his weight into the field of business, founded and lead his BHI Holdings (DADDO Group of Companies).

He, however, served as minister of industries under the military government of late General Sani Abacha.

That executive assignment asides, insiders said Tukur was literarily outside the mainstream of North-East politics until March 2012, when he suddenly emerged the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in spite of high wire politics and intrigues engineered by political big wigs in the zone opposed to Tukur. His critics tried to give impression that Tukur was finished politically and so cannot be given the such intricate assignment.

But by then, Tukur had earned some reputation as a big

“Though I am not a member of PDP, as an active player in Nigeria politics, I can say that Tukur’s appointment was funny ab initio. One would have expected PDP to elect a younger and more dynamic National Chairman at this point of its history.” player in African business development initiatives through his association with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and his role as President of the Africa Business Roundtable.

This notwithstanding, some observers seemed determined from onset that Tukur was coming to confront an opposition he cannot overcome to succeed.

Whether that prediction would be fulfilled depends so much on Tukur himself and the actions of the other leading forces in the party.

His style and prospects of survival Way back in his days as one of the leading officers of the then ruling National Party of Nigeria

(NPN), Bamanga Tukur has been marketed by his opponents as a conservative hard liner. Deliberately or by omission, it seems Tukur has allowed that image to stick. Today, as the National Chairman of PDP, some of the officials at the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the party allege that he tries to lord it over his associates and that most of them loathe this tendency and may have aligned secretly with his known opponents because of this singular reason.

A source close to the party’s secretariat told The Nation within the week that the chairman seems unaware that many of his associates feel bullied and are no longer ready to tolerate it since they feel the governors opposed

to Tukur and the president on this matter will protect them.

“The Chairman is unaware of how unpopular his style has become. Most of his associates got fed up during the face off between the National Secretary and the then Chief of Staff, Fari. They felt it was the chairman that emboldened his chief of staff to attempt intimidation of elected officials.

So, though the chairman later sacked the chief of staff then, he did not change. He is therefore to be blamed for what is happening,” the source said.

Another source within the PDP leadership, however, said criticisms against Tukur today is understandable because the aggrieved governors have divided the party in a bid to dethrone Tukur. “They will not succeed, since the man’s hands are clean,” the source said.

Assessed from outside however, most observers said Tukur’s recent actions do not really project him very democratic. For example, as members of the National Working Committee failed to take a decision on the way forward, last Monday, after the embattled National Secretary of the

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Politics

21

Political Politics

turf Can Tukur in 2013 (1) survive PDP Politics T power web? with Bolade Omonijo boladeomonijo@yahoo.com

party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was sacked by the Federal High Court, two days earlier, the decision Tukur took has been described by some as ‘grossly undemocratic.’

It was alleged that after the session of the NWC failed to form a quorum and thus unable to take a decision over the running of the secretariat pending the determination of Oyinlola’s legal fate, Tukur quietly left the meeting and later wrote a memo, announcing the appointment of the Deputy National Secretary, Onwe S. Onwe, as the Acting Secretary. This decision, has since sparked off another controversy as his critics alleged that Tukur’s decision was not only unilateral but also based on an amended constitution which is yet to be ratified by the appropriate authorities of the party.

Why would Tukur choose to act alone when he knows that the party has a well denied structure? That has been the major question on the lips of many? “He has to do that to avoid a situation where the party would be grounded,” said one of his aides who declined to be be quoted, since he was not detailed to comment on the matter. Others think otherwise. One of his associates, who also declined to named, said “It was a big mistake, but no one is above mistakes.”

Outside the PDP secretariat, other

stakeholders and outsiders have also tried to assess the current situation, noting specially the fate of Tukur in the imbroglio.

Shehu Garba, commenting on the PDP face off and the fate of Tukur, had said in an opinion piece: “As good politicians, PDP governors, who are toying with the idea of a bloody fight with Jonathan for the control of the party should, in their own interest, have a re-think. A good politician should be able to make adjustments without being handicapped by ego.

At present, the President seems well disposed to Bamanga Tukur as PDP Chairman and may be prepared to swim or sink with him. This is easy to understand, considering that it was the President who in the first place brought Tukur against the wishes of the governors and the electorate. In power calculus, his own strategists may have convinced him that if he allowed Tukur to go down at this time, the next thing the insatiable governors will do is to chance him by asking for his head.”

Maxi Okwu, a former presidential candidate and political analyst, was more direct as he blamed the current problems in PDP to the choice of Tukur as the National Chairman of the party, describing his election as “funny, given his age.” According to Okwu, “Though I am not a member of

PDP, as an active player in Nigeria politics, I can see that Tukur’s appointment was funny ab initio. One would have expected PDP to elect a younger and more dynamic National Chairman at this point of its history.”

He argued that Tukur has therefore not advanced the fortunes of PDP since he became chairman, as he had failed to curtail the neck- deep intrigues and unending controversies within the party.

Taking a critical look at the crisis within PDP, Okwu told The Nation, “I think Tukur will lose out ultimately in the ongoing power game.” Reminded that the National Chairman still has the full backing of President Goodluck Jonathan, the National Leader of the party, who sponsored his emergence as chairman in spite of stiff opposition, Okwu said, “Looking at the way the political pendulum is swinging, it is obvious that Jonathan will sacrifice Tukur as it becomes clear that his own ambition is threatened. In the power game they are playing, they will use the Pawn to save the King. As we all know, PDP power structure is built around some forces, which includethe Governors’ Forum, party elders and of course, the President. The current power game may therefore not favour Tukur in the long run, if you understand what I am saying,” he concluded.

Political

ripples Obasanjo under pressure C

HIEF Olusegun Obasanjo, who allegedly grabbed and pocketed all the power arms of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) when he was the president of Nigeria and leader of the party is believed to be under pressure from his loyalists to take advantage of the current crisis in the party to take back total control of the embattled party.

•Obasanjo Obasanjo, who was recently alleged to have been dumped by the powers that be in the party, when he suddenly resigned as the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, is today considered the only person that can be listened to by all the current factions of the party in the ongoing face off. Already, he is being lobbied to help out. But the question to be asked is if his reconciliation efforts will help revert to statuesque or re-enthrone the big man in Ota as the true leader?

•Jonathan

More recruits join Jonathan 2015 campaign

I

N spite of several denials by presidential spokesmen, it has been uncovered that the team packaging President Goodluck Jonathan’s early 2015 presidential campaign is not resting on its oars as it has continued to recruit new underground staff.

During the week, Ripples learnt that some top ex- militants in the Niger Delta were approached to help persuade some SouthSouth people currently against the reelection bid of Jonathan. We gathered hat they have since commenced work.

It would be recalled that some of the exmilitants recently dismissed the possibility of Jonathan’s return, dismissing the claims that the president has performed.

HE year following general elections in Nigeria should ordinarily be a year when stakeholders sit back to review the tapes of the election with a view to noting what went wrong and identifying where they got it right. Of course, to a politician, the next election is never totally kept out of view, but the post-election year is expected to be spent by losers licking their wounds, and winners setting the priorities.

But, this has not really been the case in our dear country. The first post-independence federal election was held in 1964. It generated so much heat that the country’s corporate existence was threatened. There was still so much heat in 1965 that no one could breathe easy. This was so also because the Western Parliamentary elections were held that year.

The desperation of the Northern Peoples Congress to consolidate its hold on the power structure led it into an alliance with SLA Akintola’s Nigerian National Democratic party. The NNDP was a party only in name and democratic only by nomenclature. It could not strike a pact with the people of the West; yet the NPC was determined to donate to it the region’s power structure.

To form the federal government in 1960, the NPC had to enter into an alliance with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens. But, along the line, the accord turned to discord and NCNC was driven into a counter alliance with the Action Group. So, 1965 was a year of sweat, tears and blood. Fire burned, especially in the west. Chaos and anarchy reigned. Eventually, by the end of the year, it had become obvious that no force on earth could support the Akintola infamy. Two weeks into 1966, the gale swept away the governments.

The story was slightly different in 1984. The 1983 general elections were so shamelessly rigged by the central government that it would require a battalion in every community of the aggrieved states to sustain the imposed governments. The National Party of Nigeria pushed away Bola Ige in Oyo State , Jim Nwobodo in Anambra, Ambrose Alli in Bendel, the two NPP governors in Borno and Gongola as well as PRP in Kaduna and Kano . Nigeria was literally turned to a one-party state. It created an opportunity for the military, ever hungry for power, to strike. Democracy created condition for military dictatorship. The 1991 t0 93 set of elections was an aberration.

But, since 1999, the first post-election year has been non-eventful. In the years 2000, 2004 and 2008, Obasanjo had so dominated the scene, fouled the air that no one really bothered to breath easy. He systematically decimated the opposition that the leadership merely wrung their hands and took time to think of the next line of action. By the time they woke up to the reality, another election was already at the corner. The situation was so bad that the 2007 elections were held without a valid Electoral Act. Yet, the opposition was still so confused that it did not realize that disaster was looming.

2012 was again different. There were governorship elections in Bayelsa, Cross River , Sokoto, Adamawa and Edo States with internal strife threatening to snuff life out of the PDP. Only in Edo did the ACN which was already in party able to trounce the national ruling party.

If the first post-election year has been so controversial, the next year that marks the mid term marks the beginning of real politiks. The party in power wants to justify why it must be reelected, and the opposition gets jittery and begins to assemble its arsenal.

2013 is here. It is mid-term again. After the lethargy of 2012, it is time again for active politicking. In Anambra, the electorate will be called to action in deciding the party to hand the mantle of power. Three political - the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, ACN and PDP parties are strong on ground and ready for battle.. The fact that Governor Peter Obi is running his second term, and thus ineligible for reelection, makes it even more open. His party, APGA, is in dire straits and the grand patron, Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, who contributed immensely to Obi’s return to office, is no more. Victor Umeh, the national chairman, is fighting for his political life and unlikely to back any candidate that Obi may support. Obi, too, in case Umeh takes over the party structure and finds a way of fielding the candidate, would rather work for another party.

Is Chris Ngige, a senator, likely to throw his hat in the ring again? What about Andy Uba, Nicholas Ukachukwu and Professor Charles Soludo. The heat race will come up stronger from the second quarter.

2013 is not just about Anambra governorship election.

The PDP has already shown that the stakes in 2015 are so high. Already, just two weeks into the new year, the BoT politics is threatening to tear apart the party. The tendencies and caucuses are agog.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Politics

Understanding Obasanjo’s leadership and lesson

By Tony Olutomiwa

•Obasanjo

S

ITTING down there at his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta watching him play his favourite Ayo game, relishing in banters and wisecracks, the mind of the close observer was actually racing through his life’s trajectory to properly locate his place in history. Of course the memory will keep coming back: the memory of an extraordinary life well spent to serve the nation and humanity at large. Yet, he does not seem to be tired – still very relevant in our national life: bracing the odds to add value in public discourses, policies and development matters even with strong commitment in aggregating collective efforts at maintaining peace through dialogue on conflict resolution both in the sub-region and the African continent.

President OlusegunObasanjo remains an enigma whose voice even in international affairs is still important and he continues to inspire. When he recently resigned as chairman of the PDP BoT, so many political slants were ascribed to it but the reality, going by his calendar, is that he is actually

well engaged, doing the rounds in global diplomacy, facilitating investment drive to Africa and mentoring towards attainment of global peace and social progress.

Critically situated, Obasanjo’s leadership qualities have made him a relevant statesman who is accorded respect and remarkable attention as a notable African figure who is conscious of his place in history and lending his robust influence in this regard to create such worthy solutions to myriad of human conditions and public policy issues particularly in making governance more meaningful to development around the world. Like Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, Obasanjo has demonstrated that quitting the seat of power does not make a former leader a laidback but an opportunity to do more in enhancing humanity.

Thus his leadership, in an enlightened reckoning, deserves a second look, probably researching into it as it is done elsewhere, to properly dissect and document it for a better understanding and of course this could be useful in furthering the national conversation in various spheres of our life. Indeed, in so doing, posterity can better appreciate him and his leadership contributions beyond the presidential tag.

In analyzing President Obasanjo’s leadership content, I think political historians would likely find his intellectual bent as a formidable tool which has been instrumental to his accomplishments. We follow him through his era both as a military leader and democratic president to see conscious and deliberate actions in instituting intellectualism in his leadership style and the results have been quite impressive. From African Leadership Forum to the OlusegunObasanjo Presidential Library, we can see genuine commitment to scholarship, leadership, cultural and human advancement.

However, a major aspect of this orientation which actually prompted this piece is Obasanjo’s literary contributions to national development and his current effort in authorizing the conversion of his popular Radio Nigeria programme, The President Explains, into a book is vintage Obasanjo. Short of a full memoir (yes, he told my friend Sola Ojewusi he is writing his memoir), the publication which chronicles his policies and programmes as president for eight years is thoughtful, effectively documenting his AsoRock years for the benefit of history and a testimony to his convictions that those years were not without some substance in effective leadership and national regeneration.

The 389-page book is divided into 15 chapters covering issues such as poverty alleviation, labour, productivity and work ethics, the anti-corruption crusade, re-inventing the nation: the Kuru Declaration, primary health care, reform, development and growth, NEPAD, democracy and democratic governance, agriculture and food security, among others. Readers will find the 20 pages of rare colour pictures of the former president at different levels of power and leadership at home and abroad interesting as we are also engaged by a penetrating insights provided by Prof.

Akin Mabogunje in his forward to the book.

Indeed, The President Explains has done us the favour of having Obasanjo’s voice on his policies and programmes documented in words which can also help us to review his presidency to either condemn such policies and programmes or possibly mark them up astruly relevant then and even now as some have suggested. Now, it will be difficult for any future revisionist to distort his stewardship because he has been quite sensitive to the burden of history by giving a democratic account of his leadership in his own words, nowin print and quite frankly The President Explains is amodel for current and future leaders at such critical levels to emulate.

Looking back, Obasanjo’s sense of history and responsibility to the nation and the larger world would also find expression in so many literary works, thirteen in all, which have also documented the various phases of his life and perspectives on leadership, governance and development issues. From My Command, an account of the civil war,Nzeogwu, an intimate portrait of a friend and mastermind of the regrettable first coup to Not My Will, a personal account of the military government of Nigeria, A New Dawn, a collection of speeches to The Animal Called Man, his prison notes, Africa through the Eyes of a Patriot, Challenges of Leadership in Africa to other such dense topics on war, conflict resolution and development issues etc,Obasanjo has been alert to the need to preserve his history, our history, which is a rarity among his contemporaries.

Yet, from generation to generation, it is the responsibility of leaders who were privileged to be in position of authority either in government or business to document their stewardship and indeed their broad views on various subjects as a reminder of what they stood for both in private and public lives. This is why, memoir, especially in contemporary times, has become such important engagement by leaders who really worth their salt and as •Continued on Page 65

Oshiomhole: The man Nigeria needs I

AM deeply convinced that this piece will generate a lot of dust, especially from sections of the country who believe it’s their turn to occupy the presidential villa.

However, I owe nobody or group of persons or any section no apologies. As a free born citizen and a full-blooded Nigerian at that, I have the right to hold and express opinions on any issue, it may not be palatable to the other party. Aside the constitutional backing, its part of the fundamental human rights.

The presidency is an issue that concerns us as a people bounded by a common destiny. So, we must start discussing it now; put the possible materials in one basket for proper assessment before the year 2015.

In fact, I am happy that the foot soldiers of President Goodluck Jonathan kick started the campaign in Abuja early this month with the posters of their principal littering the entire landscape of the city, the feeble denial of the Presidency notwithstanding. As a trade unionist cum journalist of over two decades, I will not beg the issue, rather, I will say it the way I feel and strongly believe it is. If we must get to the Promised Land and stand tall in the comity of nations, we need a leader with very strong character, detribalised, a moderate, not a religious bigot or a fundamentalist, a bridge builder who sees Nigeria as his constituency, etc. Without mincing words, Comrade Adams Aliyu

By Ebomhiana Musa Oshiomhole perfectly fits into this mould. A hard core trade unionist of great repute whose popularity resonates beyond the shores of this country. This political strategist and master negotiator who led a unified labour movement at a very critical time in the history of this great country and left unblemished, is the one we need. The Nigerian work force, a critical segment of the voting population placed their trust in this man and he did not disappoint them.

This comrade can be the Lech Walesa or the Lula da Silva of Nigeria. Walesa, a Nobel Prize winner was the foremost charismatic trade unionist in Poland who successfully steered the labour movement in that country, becoming a thorn in the flesh of the Soviets.

This dissident union activist later won a popular vote in the 1990 presidential election to become the second president to rule the former communist country. Lula da Silva on his part led the worker’s party in Brazil and eventually became a two term president of the country having been elected in 2002 and in 2006. He served his country meritoriously till December 2010. Today, Silva is about the most popular politician in that Latin American country. These can be replicated here in Nigeria if majority of us resolve that enough is enough and invest in this selfless comrade

come 2015. Electoral investment in Oshiomhole is a worthy and highly rewarding one. The Edo example is a test case. The people invested in him heavily, today, they are reaping the gains of that investment. The gains are simply overwhelming. Edo will never be the same again after the exit of this human dynamo who came at the right time to salvage our dear state.

Comparatively, Nigeria is at the critical state akin to where Edo pitiably found herself before the coming of Oshiomhole in November 2008 .

Despite his radicalism and a no-nonsense disposition, Oshiomhole is seen as a strong political brand across the country.

Born in Edo, South -South region and lived all his working life in Kaduna, North West region, he speaks Yoruba and Hausa, two of the three major languages in the country. He is by all standard , a religious moderate and about the only governor across the country who appoints non indigenes into very sensitive positions in government. The late Olaitan Oyerinde, an Osun State indigene, was his Principal Private Secretary until his brutal murder in July 2012. He appointed Comrade Yakub, from the core north to replace him. Only last week, he announced a retired army major, Ondo State indigene, Lawrence Oloye, as a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment. The man who heads the

•Oshiomhole

youth and students affairs arm, a Senior Special Assistant, SSA, Comrade Musa Alechenu, is from Otukpo in Benue State. These are just samplers of the kind of leadership Nigerians desire.

Oshiomhole is one leader who abhors nepotism, tribalism and all other primordial vestiges that tend to stagnate us as a people.

Fully convinced that he was doing the right thing as a leader, Oshiomhole closed his hears to the barrage of criticisms and protests that greeted those actions.

On what platform is this Oshiomhole presidency realisable?

Again, I will say categorically that for now, nowhere other than the rampaging Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. I said for now, because politics is dynamic and highly fluid.

I believe it’s high time we did away with tribal politics. The ACN has risen above a mere tribal party to a truly national and robust political party. A party that won senatorial seats in Anambra and Benue States aside other legislative offices cannot be tagged a tribal party. About 15 unbroken years of our democratic governance, tribalism should have no place in our political lexicon; rather, we should be discussing and scouting for the best candidate to lead us as a nation. It is either now or never.

• Musa is a Benin - based Public Affairs Analyst.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Politics

North’s position over PIB, threat to national unity —Izoukumor Niger Delta activist and leader of Ijaw (Izon-Ebe) Oil Producing Communities and spokesperson (Fiyowei) of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Favour Izoukumor, in this interview with Shola O’neil, spoke on a number of burning issues, including the contentious Petroleum Industry Bill, submitting that the position of the north over this bill is a threat to national unity. Excerpts: •Izoukumor

W

HAT is your view on the Petroleum Industry Bill?

First, let me state that the process leading to the drafting of the bill (PIB) was not inclusive enough for us in the Niger Delta region. This is a bill that concerns us directly on the question of the oil produced from our back yards.

We expected the Presidency and those involved in the process to carry us along from the time it was first mooted under the late President Musa Yar’Adua’s administration.

On northern leaders’ and governor’s opposition, I have not been privileged to read the full content of the bill because there were so many versions in circulation and we do not know which is the right one. My reaction to the north’s opposition is that I do not blame them because they are playing the African politics where people protect the interest of their people at whatever cost. So, I see their opposition as a stance to protect the welfare and interest of their region.

The Niger Delta politicians are our problem. They are not speaking out because they do not have the interest of their people at heart.

Now, the north has taken a position that the bill will only favour the South-south and that it will make the people of the oil producing areas richer. It is now left for our leaders to make their position clear. The reason the north opposes PIB is because of our leaders. They see it as another avenue to enrich South-south state governors. Remember, in the past they have criticised our governors that they are not utilising the money as expected.

So, I can understand their position because if I am in their shoes, I will never allow a policy that will empower individuals to the detriment of the nation. It is a dangerous step to the collective interest of the country. It is expected that our governors will use the 13percent to develop the region. The money does not belong to them.

To the best of my knowledge what is happening is a national

risk because we cannot have individuals richer than the nation. It is a risk to have individuals richer than the collective. Money plays a big role in African politics and if these persons (governors) are allowed to continue to amass so much wealth, they will become very domineering for good or evil.

So, while not justifying the north’s position, I support the call for direct payment of the money to the oil producing communities. If the money will not be paid directly to the oil producing communities, there is no need for more money for the governors because they are using the fund as they please without being accountable to the people. That is my position.

What is the way forward?

Having spoken on the shortcomings of our governors, let me state that the position of the north is a threat to national unity. Their position is a call for anarchy and threat to the survival of the nation.

If not because of our politicians’ nonchalant attitude, our position has been for resource control, like what former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently said that he expected all the regions to control their resources and pay tax. That has been our agitation until our political leaders betrayed us by accepting the stipend of 10% in the PIB. My advice to South-South leaders, politicians and others, is that we are in democracy and this is not military era - democracy is about lobbying and sound arguments. Let them lobby their colleagues and give them reasons why the south needs more money.

If they are really developing the region as the money was meant for, then the position of the north would have been an insult to our people.

Some people feel that paying 13% fund to oil communities will cause crisis Those holding that view are those in government and that is a typical African phenomenon. If they are privileged to be in government they use their influence to

oppress the people they are governing. Are these persons speaking the voice of the people they are supposed to be representing? I tell you they are not. They feel they govern themselves and not the people and this is because they are not genuinely elected by the people. If they were elected, they will respect the views of the electorate.

What the oil producing communities want is very clear - we want a direct control of the 13% and whatever revenue is coming from crude oil production from our communities. I have a formula that will benefit everybody. The agitation is as a result of the failure of the governors of the SouthSouth, who are enriching themselves with the fund. We no longer have confidence in the state governors. My suggestion is for the Federal Government to find a way, either through a trustee or commission, to set aside at least 30% for the non-oil communities because they also feel the brunt of oil exploration. Pollution does not discriminate between those producing and those not producing the oil. Everybody suffers, so everybody should benefit and develop.

Is what you are suggesting different from the oil producing areas development commissions across the states - DESOPADEC in Delta, OSOPADEC in Ondo etc?

Let me state that there is nowhere the 1999 Constitution stipulates that the fund should be paid to the coffers of the state governments - if there is, I have not seen it.

I am not a lawyer, but I have read it so that nobody can intimidate me with it.

Now to the issue of the state commissions, I want to state that they are also subject to the same political manipulations. If you have a PDP-led government as we have in most South-South states, then only PDP members will be appointed into the boards and they become a tool for political handouts. What this means is that if my community is not a PDP-lean-

ing one, we may not get our dues for obvious reasons.

We will consistently agitate until we are allowed to control our resources. Our youths - MEND and others - tried, but because their struggle is not ideological, they have not been able to stand the test of time. If their agitations had clear ideology, today the agitation would have continued - through legal means. We intend to achieve our desire through agitation.

Are you saying that the MEND uprising was a failure?

No, that is not what I am saying. They did not fail; they made some gains but those are peripheral achievements or what I would call temporary gains/achievements.

Even in the means of the leadership getting appointments, the group ought not to have died. Today, even some of the founders are saying that MEND has gone to the grave.

The federal government needs to be sincere with its policies towards the development of this region - they should stop this divide and rule policies. They have to be sincere; we cannot expect the Niger Delta development master plans to become a sing song, year in year out.

We want to see practical developments in terms of human resources, practical development, human development and all forms of development.

If those things are not done, this carrot giving to agitators to quell the tension and all that will not help the nation. They are just postponing the evil day.

If you have a Niger Deltan as the President of the country, what else do you want?

The president is an individual and nobody should expect that the individual (president) can singlehandedly develop the region.

It is the institution, that is the FG, that can develop it. My reason is that we know what is happening in the country. What we want the FG to do is to take pragmatic approach and implement the various plans they have put in place. It is the obligation of the government, not president. Individual appoint-

23

ment does not attract development...

If so, why do you agitate for a South-South president?

A South-South President (or President Jonathan) wasn’t part of the agitation of the Niger Delta people. We never expected that merely producing a president is the solution. We do not need to agitate, as Nigerians, to be president - that is our birthright constitutionally as Nigerians.

Do you think the president has done well considering the myriad of problems and particularly the issue of corruption in the FG? Will you say after his tenure that a Niger Deltan made the difference or did better?

To my view, I think he has done very well but people are collaborating to frustrate his efforts. If you judge the president based on what people are saying in the papers, you will feel that he is not performing as expected. I have a contrary view and not just because he is from this region. You cannot judge the president in isolation - you must consider the National Assembly and a lot of intrigues going on.

Right from the day he was elected, there has been no peace especially from the northern parts of the country. How do you expect the president to be focussed when his people (Nigerians) are being killed on a daily basis? His attention is being distracted. How can a leader be focussed when you hear reports of deaths, bestial killings of the innocent in parts of the country you lead?

But do you think the president is doing enough in terms of security?

I think he is. Don’t forget that he is a purely civilian president...

He is the C-I-C of the Armed Forces and people expected him to rise up to the security challenges in the country. We also have civilians as head of government in over half of the world’s nations.

That is not what I am saying.

As a civilian president, he is performing. The point I am trying to make is that Nigerians have military mentality because of the long years of military rule and we want quick results. The JTF and others are all over the place protecting lives and properties. Boko Haram did not start with President Jonathan. The difference is that during his time, it has assumed political dimension and has become an instrument for politicians who have lobbied and infiltrated them. In spite of all these, the president is trying. He needs our support.

There was uproar recently when supporters of the president flooded the streets of Abuja with his campaign posters... ..(cuts in) Let me state it outright, those who pasted those posters are opponents of the president who merely want to use it to heat up the polity. And that is wrong. 2015 is a long way away and the president has said so on a number of occasions.

The brouhaha over 2015 is completely uncalled for at a time when the president is trying to fix the country. I see it as a ploy to distract Mr. President. Why not let’s wait till he has declared his intention.

Let me also state here that it is very disheartening the way certain leaders, former presidents and others are taking these issues. I expected people of their calibre to be talking about the issue of the peace and unity of the country. Unfortunately, nobody is doing that at the moment. What they seem to be interested in is, which region will produce the president and all that. All the past leaders are holding meetings about how to produce the next president. Is the issue of the next president more important than the peace and unity of Nigeria? Where are the nationalists, everybody is now about region? I am surprised.

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THE SUNDAY INTERVIEW

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

‘It will be horrible when our oil wells dry up’

A

T over 52 Nigeria has been described as a giant with clay feet due to her lingering socio-economic challenges. Why do you think the country is yet to attain its full potential as envisaged by the founding fathers?

My father was among the founding fathers of the country. He was the treasurer of the Action Group. In their day they must have had dreams and visions as to how they wanted the country to grow. I remember I used to sit by the radio and listen to my dad, Awolowo, Fani-Kayode and co.

These were men nearly everybody idolised because of their strength of character and courage. Looking back now, one can only feel sorry for what has become of Nigeria, in terms of her great potential, missed opportunities. And as for who to blame for Nigeria’s travails, well, the fault is ours. That’s all I can say.

What do you make of the country’s development plan as encapsulated in the now famous Vision 20: 2020? Is it really realistic?

I wrote the vision 2010. But what do you do in a situation where those saddled with leadership role are busy working at cross purposes? There is hardly any significant progress you can achieve in that kind of situation. So, let Nigerians go and sort out themselves: I have done my bit.

The jury is still out as to the propriety or otherwise of petroleum subsidy, but what in your view is the best way to determine petroleum pricing?

I was the one who started it all as the chairman of Petroleum Products Pricing & Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as president. At the time, the nation was inordinately consuming petroleum product. My idea then was how we would consume a final product that we were lucky to have through the blessing of God in a way that we were not using much, but reserve for development for the sake of posterity. I said we didn’t have the right to consume everything in our life time because petroleum is finite. You dig a hole, it springs up, but someday it’s going to dry up. I had the opportunity of representing Nigeria at the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as well as having served as Minister of National Planning. It was based on some of these experiences I was advised to entrench a sensible price regime for us not to be wasteful.

Coming from an economic background, it has taught me that we should always save for tomorrow. So, you don’t have to consume all you have today. Someday the resources might dry and you won’t have any problem because you have made provision for the rainy day. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s attitude was otherwise. We tried to change the trend through various price regimes until ‘superior’ wisdom prevailed. As if to make matter worse, it was also said that the nation has to take money largely from the petroleum sector to subsidise consumption and that is still going on.

So in effect, you’re saying subsidising petroleum products is wrong?

Absolutely! If you want to continue to consume today you won’t leave anything for your children. What you need to do is build infrastructure, be as open as possible. Tell our people the issues at stake. I don’t know who to blame? It’s us collectively. I feel very sorry for us. Someday those oil wells will dry up. I hope and pray I would have been dead by then because it is going to be horrifying. In fact, I’m yet to know any economic proposition that says you can use the streams of income of today to subsidise what you shouldn’t do (current consumption). What economics teaches is, let today pay for itself and do not overburden the coming generation. Unfortunately, we labour hard in Nigeria to create problems for our future generation. We’re just piling up debts on their behalf. The funds that should be conserved to develop electricity, fix roads, railways and other key economic infrastructure are used up in subsidy. That is what I find wrong in the whole thing.

Other countries are developing their resources but we are just busy consuming. Countries like America have produced enough quantity of oil to last them a lifetime and so are others out there. A time would come What economics when these people will ‘go, we don’t need teaches is, let say your oil.’ So, what do you today pay for itself do then? Will you go and the oil? and do not drink There is a lot of rentoverburden the seeking and patronage those sitting in coming among positions of responsibilgeneration. ity. It is believed that once are there, you have Unfortunately, we you to spend the resources to labour hard in look after your pockets all that, and not for Nigeria to create and developing Nigeria. I problems for our can’t exist in that kind of future generation. environment at all. I’m tired.

We’re just piling totally How will you deup debts on their scribe your experience in over the behalf. The funds government years?

I recall writing sevthat should be eral articles on everyconserved to thing from budget, ecodevelop electricity, nomic management and Intellectual activism fix roads, railways all. on my part was probably and other key what brought me attenout there. ‘All these economic tion economics you have infrastructure are been preaching, national and everyused up in planning thing, come let’s see what subsidy; that is you can do’. remember at 29, I what I find wrong wasI appointed a comin the whole thing. missioner of Lagos State under Major General Mobolaji Johnson during General Gowon’s regime. The second time was when I was invited by General Abdulsalami Abubakar to serve in his transition government as Minister of National Planning. I was there for close to one year before he relinquished power to a democratically elected government.

Both experiences were eventful for me because they brought me closer to the corridors of power, and gave me first knowledge of how things run. But I would rather leave others to assess my performance out there.

Although your governorship ambition was abruptly truncated by your dad, people still believe that you’re nursing a political ambition? Can you clear the air on that?

Yes my dad truncated it because he was wiser than me.

For a 69 year old man going to 70, what future political ambition can I still be nursing by now? No, there is nothing like that! (Laughs) As an ardent patron of the arts do you think Nigerian artists have what it takes to compete favourably with their peers abroad?

Look, generationally, there is always a change. Those we are lionising today won’t be there tomorrow. I just like •Continued on Page 25

“

“

Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi is a noted arts enthusiast. But he’s also a former Minister for National Planning and Chairman of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). In the latter capacity whilst serving under President Olusegun Obasanjo, he often took the position that it was wrong to subsidise consumption of petroleum products. An economist by training and a successful industrialist, he is not happy with the parlous state of the economy and the fact that the present crop of leaders are not doing what is required to address the issues of the day. He shares his thoughts on the polity and sundry issues in this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

THE SUNDAY INTERVIEW

PHOTOS: MUYIWA HASSAN

•Gbadamosi

“

What you call witchcraft is rubbish as far as I’m concerned.

You condemn it; I don’t. I don’t buy the proposition that things are necessarily fetish. My proposition is that any science or art that has motivated man to create something and be in tune with nature is commendable.

So, I don’t understand why you criticise witchcraft.

“

•Continued from Page 24 enjoying myself and I pray I don’t go bankrupt doing what is essentially my unbridled passion for the arts. Right now, a friend of mine, who is a drama enthusiast, has suggested that I should make one of my plays, “Behold My Redeemer”, one of my plays which I wrote in-between London and Nigeria, into a film.

How soon should Nigerians look forward to it?

It’s not easy! We are still trying to put the money together.

On a lighter note, it was believed that your closeness to Fela in those days made you live a rather carefree lifestyle and all that?

(Laughs) We had a very middle class background. If your parents could send you top Europe to go and study, it meant they had a few naira. They doted on us. We never had to scratch our fingers to feed. Life was our oyster. Fela’s mother was political, my father was political. My father told me the story of pioneering as a young politician, his role in the reinstatement of Alake, Oba Ademola, back to the throne. He was very young at the time and people cast aspersions on him, saying “Ewo ni ti Gbadamosi (what concerns this overbearing Gbadamosi) Ah, awon olowo ilu niyen (Don’t dare him, he is one of the weathly men around) He did all these things with the governor at the time. Nigeria was small, everybody looked after everybody else. They had interactions.

Whenever I went to Fela’s house, his mother would say, “Omo Baba Ikorodu” (son of the man from Ikorodu). She belonged to NCNC, and my father belonged to the Action Group. But not that it mattered. Fela was in Abeokuta Grammar School while I was at Methodist Boys High School, Lagos. Rebelliousness is a factor of growing up; it made it easy for us in our London days.

The late Beko was my senior at the University of Manchester. He was reading medicine and I was reading economics. We used to play table tennis during lunch break. During lunch break he would come to the Union Building. I have very great memories of him. When I finally met Fela, it was at the London underground train. He was wear-

25

ing this all-white suit and he had his trademark sax box. But when I returned to Nigeria in 1969, I had to seek out where the action was. So, naturally, I gravitated towards him (Fela) because I was leftwing (boisterous laughter). I joined him in his radicalism, though I was working with my father at the time, who was rightwing (laughter). The likes of Kanmi Isola Osobu, late Wole Bucknor set up an association where we discussed everything from literature, music to jazz and society and all. We were going to Idi Oro to the night clubs and fooling around.

There were days we had night of awareness at the University of Lagos or Yaba College of Technology, where we talked truth to power; we were enjoying ourselves. Anyway, I invited Fela to MUSON and people sneered that what’s this amu’gbo (marijuana smoker) doing in this kind of place? People like me said ‘ah ah, no, Fela is good’. He trained musically; he started with jazz at Kakadu.

Before then, it was all about Bill Friday and Bobby Benson and highlife. There are several anecdotes about that.

Fela’s dying days...

I took him from one point to the other to escape the prying eyes of journalists like you (laughs). Then at the middle of the night, Yeni called to say that Fela wanted to eat jollof rice. I rushed to the hospital quickly. By then I told my wife ‘look, Fela wants to eat jollof rice’ and she quickly prepared it and we took it. By the time I got to the hospital he was in coma. But when he saw me he made feeble attempts to recognise me by throwing up his clenched fist as a symbol of the struggle. That single act shocked me to my marrows. That was Fela for you, demonstrating his belief in the struggle until the very last breath. And when he died, I had to be part of the funeral all the way. I slightly moved away because I had become bourgeois, but I could never have forgotten the good time we spent together.

And that was why I gravitated towards

Seun, Femi, Yeni.

So you’re still in touch with Fela’s family?

Yes, very much so. They are adults in their own right but must be assisted.

What was the motivation for building the Yusuf Grillo Pavilion?

When I did follow-follow Fela, I said to myself, what next can I do and I decided to build a gallery within my premises in Ikorodu. I built the gallery and named it after one of the Zaria ‘Rebels’, Yusuf Grillo. So far, we had hosted Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Uche Okeke and David Dale.

We are trying to pick a date for the next occasion in April. It has been eventful.

How can you explain your interest in culture and customs?

I have tried to read about the history of various ethnic groups in Nigeria to learn what makes them tick; what accounts for their mode of behaviour, arts and so on - even the mode of worship of various people. What you call witchcraft is rubbish as far as I’m concerned. You condemn it; I don’t. I don’t buy the proposition that things are necessarily fetish. My proposition is that any science or art that has motivated man to create something and be in tune with nature is commendable. So, I don’t understand why you criticise witchcraft. Such varied knowledge enriches my life. I love nature and that’s why I collect art works, sculptures etc. In fact, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan gave me a traditional title for what he described as my keen interest in the affairs of our people. I can recite Eyo incantations; that doesn’t make me a heathen. We are not kafirs (infidels) (laughter).

You have reached the twilight of your career.

No, eh eh. mio ti fe ku o. (I don’t want to die now). I have retired. As for legacy, let other people be the judge. I don’t usually want to talk about it because one day I also will join my ancestors. The only legacy I want to leave is “I came, I worked very hard, I enjoyed myself, I was a friend of Fela and I took part in cultural activities. I’m the Olori Eyo Agere (leader of the Eyo Agere)! (Laughs)

26

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Politics

“We’re a nation with faulty leadership -Senator Kaka N

IGERIAN government has continued to vote huge sums of money on the controversial fuel subsidy policy, yet the people can’t see the impact. What do you think is responsible for this?

Like I asked before, what stops us from having refineries in all the six geo-political zones to complement the four existing, moribund ones. We have licenses issued to about eighteen companies during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo, up till now, nothing has happened.

That must have gulped some money, and nobody is being made accountable. We talked of the fuel subsidy problem that consumed the lives of people during the demonstrations and right now, nobody had been brought to book.

Recently, we were made to approve the sum of 151 billion naira which brought the total current year budget for subsidy to 1 trillion. You will agree with me that when they were talking about the regulation of the anticipated amount of money which they planned to use SURE-P for the betterment of the people, I feel it is nothing but mere duplication of efforts of the executives. I can't imagine how SURE-P will be running a parallel administration especially doing what government should be doing. You have so many agencies doing virtually the same thing, including the First Lady's office. So it goes to show that we are a nation that has got no focus, we are a nation that the leadership is faulty. It is faulty because we have selfish leaders.

From the look of things, we have the minister of finance, minister of national planning. From CBN, NNPC, we have trillions of dollars of our crude oil being stolen on hourly basis, and nothing has been done about it. So, it shows we are not serious, and why are we not serious? It's because we have powerful people, the elite, who are benefitting from the rot, who sabotage the efforts to make oil generation and distribution work as well as power generation and distribution (PHCN).

These people are there and we have leaders that are not ready to step on toes and nip them in the bud.

We know the number of banks we have, some of these banks have at least 250 branches, and each of these branches run on generator on a daily basis, ditto for various ministries and departments of government and of course, the private sector. You can imagine the quantum of generators that are being sold in this country, imported from other countries that produce it even though they don't need or use it themselves. They produce it and dump it on us here.

And some of our own elites keep working with them to undermine the generation of adequate electricity that will enhance our own development.

The question now is "What is the transformation agenda?" We are not transforming anything.

Nobody can deregulate without a solid foundation, there can be no attraction of foreign investment if the environment is not conducive.

The question is what have we done to make the environment conducive? In the last one year, the

Senator Gbenga Kaka, representing Ijebu East Senatorial District, in this interview with Tosin Adesile, speaks on current national issues, alleging that Nigeria has faulty leadership.

•Kaka

rate of rural-urban migration has been more than double what it used to be to the extent that most farming communities have become desolate. Those left are averaging about 60 years of age and don't have the strength to do anything again. And yet , we are talking about transformation agenda.

We also talk of value addition.

How can we add value to something that we don't produce?

The budget has become a ritual, without that, there is nothing remaining for the rural community. We have a structural defect, and much as we continue to do our best as legislators, the executive arm also needs to be on its toes. They need to block all the loop-holes so the leakage will be reduced to the barest minimum.

Until we are ready to do that, we are going nowhere. One trillion has gone to subsidy this year, definitely next year another one trillion is being expected, and that is about twenty per cent of our annual budget. By the time you remove that, the overhead and the recurrent expenditure, that is about 70 percent, then we have a problem. Unemployment rate is very high, that is paradoxically, we have a job to be done, we have men to do the job, the resources are there to back up the men, but the leadership to manage, co-ordinate, review and energize the system is sadly lacking.

What are your contributions to the senate in the last one year as a law maker?

The three bills that I proposed, one is just awaiting second reading, two have passed through first reading and the fourth one is yet to be listed. So, you can imagine what we’re going through, the slow process sometimes serves to discourage, not providing the necessary impetus. But by and large, many of us believe we owe the nation a duty to provide purposeful leadership, to try as much as possible to be honest and be on the side of the common people. If you’re talking about people from my constituency, so far so good. Our constituency projects, we’ve been able to build a block of classroom in some of the local governments, we constructed a bridge that linked Ayepe and Ikorodu over Imu river which could serve to decongest Lagos – Ibadan expressway hopefully. It’s just at the design stage, whether it would be awarded or not, the answer is somewhere in the wind.

So also, we have another one linking Imuren but sadly enough we have a list of abandoned projects, the Ikorodu/Sagamu road that was used during the colonial days, the only link between Lagos and Ibadan used by our prime minister and famous premier, Obafemi Awolowo, and others, in total disrepair. There was provision on this one for capital projects, but there are delays. Delay on the part of the ministry of finance not releasing money as at when due, then on the agencies involved who would not award

contracts when it should be awarded and even when awarded, we have the problems with the contractor.

These are parts of the inefficiency within our system. These are the things we need to eliminate, failure to eliminate them, there would be no development at all.

What efforts have you put up so far in the area of agriculture since you have expressed belief that it could change the lot of this country and diversify our economy from oil?

In fairness to the minister of agriculture, he has been up and doing. He has put everything towards the development of agriculture in the country with a b e a u t i f u l blueprint, but the best idea cannot be translated into reality without adequate backing of funds, there is financial starvation of the agricultural sector in Nigeria. We are only paying lip service to the issue of agriculture. We are not serious. I can’t imagine why we now have people who are ready to work on the land begging for tilling, the rural areas are totally desolate, a lot of work needs to be done, rural road network, there is also a lot of food wastage because of inadequate storage facilities, and we complain as more and more billions of naira are being spent on importation of agricultural produce. Emphasis has been placed on value chain addition, yet, we have poor funding.

To me, 79 billion in 2012, 81 billion in 2013 budget, when you discount the overhead that is hovering around 50 billion, the remaining 30 billion cannot effectively create the enabling environment in just two states of the farming community when you talk about infrastructural provision, a good road network for the movement of their raw materials and incentives for bringing in people to farm, water to drink, good water, electricity and of other meaningful things in life that will make them want to stay in the rural areas. So, all our governments are doing, from the local, state to federal level , is to spend all the money on urban centers, causing more people to flock there. They will later come back and say they are doing urban renewal while the rural area,

which is the goose that lays the golden eggs, is being neglected.

If the environment is conducive, you and I will be ready to stay in the rural area rather than being in the urban centre and having to endure the traffic jams, insecurity, carbon monoxides and other such disadvantages. That is why we need a shift, if need be, if we are have a DIFRI, directorate of rural development, so be it. We are not serious.

As it is, Tai Solarin University of Education(TASUED) is not recognised by the law. As a legislator, what is your opinion on the development and what should be the role of the NUC and the legislature?

The NUC is responsible for the accreditation of various courses. In actual fact, they have responsibilities over the existence of universities in Nigeria, because any institutions that is not meeting up with the expected standards, they have the right to hack them.

Under these circumstances, accreditation has been done and they have done some reaccreditation. So, I see no reason why the school should not be left alone. More so, when we realise the importance of the institutions visà-vis the gap of qualified teachers, the need to train and re-train our teachers and improve the quality of education becomes pertinent.

There are many private universities in Ogun State, yet the admission rate of qualified people is not up to 35 per cent of our annual turnover from secondary schools.

So, there is no justification why the institution should not be allowed to live, no reason whatsoever and I hope it has come to stay.

What is your opinion on performance of ACN Governors?

I don’t have the raw data but the general consensus of the people is that the new ACN governors, despite the shortcomings, are by far better than the administration of the PDP. Those in PDP acknowledge what Fashola is doing in Lagos, as well as Oshiomole in Edo. Even when you get to Ogun, Osun and other ACN states, people appear to be satisfied with the achievement particularly when compared to others. As I said, I don’t have raw data, but the judgement of the people is enough for us to rely on.

2015 is very close. What is your ambition?

Almighty Allah is the master planner; nobody can plan except Him. I don’t have any predetermined plan; I surrender myself to the wishes of the Almighty and ready to serve humanity to the best of my ability irrespective of the position, even if it’s as a councillor.

What advice do you have for the people of Nigeria and the government?

We must not despair. When God wants to do something very marvellous in the life of a nation and an individual, it starts with difficulty and in some cases, impossibility. So, it gives good tidings to those of us who can persevere when anything happens.

Believe in God. We should all be honest and steadfast. People should be hopeful and be prepared to take their destinies in their own hands. Oil has turned us to lazy beings, when you travel to India, America, they worship work, there, we are averse to work here. Not our making but the making of our leadership. So, we need to reorientate ourselves and discover our value system. The oil money is not encouraging us.

The government should hearken to the needs of the people.

Listen to them, know what their problems are and not foist your solution on them. Let the solution be what will serve the purpose.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Why I dumped PhD for music –Gospel singer, Aity Dennis

–Pages 34 & 39

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Glamour

Stylish shoes for 2013

29

• Rizieri shoes

T

HESE days, fashionable ladies want to wear unique and very attractive shoes that will set them apart from the crowd. As we all know, nothing guarantees you that special look than stylishly and perfectly cut shoes. With the help of the right footwear, you can move from looking ordinary to looking fabulous.

A beautiful shoe is useless unless it feels as wonderful as it looks. So, make sure that they fit properly in the store before paying for them.

Designers are presently invading the fashion scene with trendy and colourful shoes that add that extra charming touch. And there are different styles, colours and brands to choose from!

Below, we show you the best styles you can choose from in 2013!

There are different brands of high heel shoes, and one of the things that differentiate them is the sole. It could be pencil heels, b locked heel, flat, clogged, medium or silhouettes heels, etc. Some come plain, while others are studded with stones, sequins, metals, etc

• Red Leopard open-toe heelless curved platform wedge • Flat-Shoes

•Pump shoes with open-toe design shoes

by Pour La Victoire Bianca

• Silk surface peep toe shoes

Heel-less wedge

T

•Dolapo Oni

• Goldie

• Mariam Okoya

HERE are three varieties of wedge that are hotly in vogue now: the wedge sandal, wedge shoes and the wedge slippers. A wedge shoe is guaranteed to make you look chic.

But never buy one without trying it out very well and making sure it fits at the store.

Peep toes shoes They are simple, yet solid shoes that allow a lady to show off her lovely feet while just revealing a bit of the toes.

Stilettos Everything you could want in a pair of sexy high heels, from strap sandals, peep toe to covered shoes with sexy heel. They are the most elegant shoes of the season. They are a must-have for women of style, who need to look classy and different.

Flat shoes These well-balanced, trendy and funky shoes are another women foot wear that cannot go out of fashion.

The pattern and style may vary per season, but the flat shoes will forever remain in fashion.

Pump metallic These shoes have had almost the same shape for ages without changing. It is a fashion material that women can’t get tired of.

Bow shoes Otherwise known as butterfly shoes is trending.

Matching pair of bag & shoes The Italian shoes are forever getting more stylish and designers are experimenting with mixed fabric.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Glamour

'I would never make a dress I can’t wear' A graduate of Business Law from Portsmouth University and South Thames College, United Kingdom and Essex County College in New Jersey, USA, Adewunmi Yesufu of TailorLoRoN Clothier started designing clothes for her personal use. She later dumped the law profession for fashion designing and today has a success story to tell. In this interview with Kehinde Oluleye , the multi-talented designer speaks about her career and foray into the fashion world.

H

ow did it all start? Although I didn't start off designing clothes for the public, I actually started making clothes for just myself first, then my immediate family. But along the way, I widened my horizon, and I started designing clothes for my close friends who loved what I wore. As I continued to enjoy doing this, friends of my friends began to show sheer interests in my works too.

Thereafter, when referrals to me became astounding, it encouraged me to dive into fashion full time, and officially too. And today it has birthed TL Clothier. Glory be to God Do you feel your formal fashion education helped prepare you for the industry?

Absolutely not! I have had no formal or informal trainings whatsoever as far as fashion is concerned. I am not afraid to declare that I am an amateur who's learned extensively on the job. However, while it is encouraging to get properly trained on the logistics/rudiments of fashion designing, I also think it has more to do with being gifted. I am of the stance that it is necessary to further inform one's gifts by enriching it with adequate education.

But personally, in the area of fashion, I humbly say that I have learned that your merit is more dependent on your ability/gift to discern. More so, to be able to put clothing items together accurately.

All these I narrow down to being gifted in the overall.

What inspired you to go into fashion design?

My inspiration came from God. I only just found it to be a true part of my existence. Quite apart from that, I get inspired solely by overwhelming commendations, feedbacks, and by the continuous out-pour of encouragements from ladies, and at times even from males.

Initially, it was a question of “Oh you carry this outfit well” and “Whaoo...I love your designs, I want one too”. Notice these comments are two different things. The former will make anyone believe they are the reason the outfit looks gorgeous because they carry themselves well. And

the latter will inform you that the outfit itself is absolutely fantastic. Hence, it will suit anybody else. So these were the sorts of applause that compelled me into fashion full time. And I have never enjoyed any other job like I do this one.

When did you realise your passion for fashion?

Again, like I said in my earlier statements, fashion has always been in me.

I only just started serving my taste of it to the public since moving back to Nigeria few years ago. Matter of fact, I have been doing this for barely 2years.

What is your philosophy about the art of fashion?

My philosophy about the art of fashion is thus; wear ONLY what suits you irrespective of what may be in vogue. And this includes colour combinations, fabric prints/texture and the overall style of outfit. Also, it is advisable to be very mindful of your body shape before you make anything. Don't just follow the crowd complacently, you can stand out in a spectacular way, no matter what the fashion statement of the time or day may be.

Two things attract people to your mode of dress sense. It is either because you are too clumsily conspicuous in your appearance of unmatching colours, or because your simplicity and demeanour is absolutely regal. These are the two extreme reasons people pay attention to you.

What do you enjoy most in designing clothes?

I enjoy tossing around with different fabrics, with a combination of reasonable colours in one outfit. Nothing gives me more joy than when I spontaneously get a new inspiration for my next outfit design.

The natural impulse is always amazing and exciting for me.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to start a career in fashion?

Well, I would say, pay attention to your intuition, make sure you aren't only verging into it because of monetary benefits. To carve a niche for yourself in

fashion, be innovative, do not imitate. Avoid mental laziness and full reliance on catalogue/fashion magazines, because any idiot can copy what they see in a magazine. So try to be different. Ultimately, make sure it's your calling. Encourage feedbacks momentarily, be open to criticism, and be very patient with your clients. Unlike me, you may wish to enroll in a formal fashion tutorial, so as to amplify your creativity; as not everyone can get away without it. I am just a lucky rugged person that trained herself on the job (Laughs).

Having been around for a while, w h a t would you like to see fashion designe r s i mp r o v e on?

First of all, as a full blooded Nigerian, I applaud every distinguished fashion designer in this country. In the last 5years, I must say that the overall outpour of fashion consciousness in Nigeria has been very encouraging. The awareness has been blown up like a parachute. And for years to come, I am certain we'll be one of the best, if not the best in the world. All thanks to our fine African prints. For the overall improvement, I say, designers should try do away with complacency.

Avoid being monotonous with fabrics and styles. Be innovative and copy less. With these, the sky will be just the beginning for all.

Where do you get your design inspiration?

My design inspiration? Hmm, like I told you the other day, am an insomniac. So I get my overflowing inspiration to design in the wee hours of the mornings, say between 2 and 5 o'clock, and within the confines of my bedroom. It just comes naturally. When am informed, I draw it out instantaneously, and boom! I make it real as soon as possible(asap).

That has been my pattern over the years.

What is the best perk in being a designer?

The best perk for me is that I get to model my designs myself, and I get to wear every one of them first. I love to show off. After all they say charity begins at home (Laughs).

What do you wish people would understand about the fashion industry?

That it is a very wide platform that can contain every intending fashionista, no matter how many want to do it. And that it is also an intricate venture, given that crises are inevitable, it will always occur. For example, you may get a client who wants an outfit they have seen on you or another client, wanting it the exact way they have seen it. When you make a replica for such a person, they may find it doesn't suit them like the person on whom they first saw it. This in fact is a major challenge in the fashion industry. And not many understand this aspect. Therefore, I always advice adequate consultation is put in place with every client. Don't assume you know what they want. And even when they choose something they love, it is the designer's prerogative to advice such on whether or not their choice will be suitable for their body shape and colour. That is key.

What trends do you see becoming big in 2013?

I see the Peter Pan collar all the way. I see the bright colour mixes. Even though in recent time, some people have made the colour combo situation a very appalling sight to behold - the 'colour blocking' mix, as it is called in Nigeria.

We need to be very careful with these colours, not all of them are appropriate to dress sense.

And again, the ankara prints are going nowhere! I see them more in 2013 and far beyond.

If you could design the wardrobe for any movie star, who would it be & why?

Whao, interesting question, you got me on this one. Didn't see it coming.

Hmmm, never given much thoughts to this. Genevieve Nnaji and Bisi Ibidapo Obe. If both ladies get to read this, get in touch with me fast (laughs). See, both ladies have body shapes that I love absolutely. For Genevieve, she's got carriage that I would love to be a part of. Same with Bisi, she's a tall woman with a good sense of dressing, and I would also love to see my designs on her.

If you could be a famous designer for a day, who would you choose to be and why?

Oh oh, I assume that you mean Nigerian designer? I would love to wear Lanre Da-Silva's shoe for a day.

Reason is because I love her concepts, more like the Ancient Scottish taste of fashion. Peculiar but fantastic. Kudos What is your absolute favourite item that you've made?

This would be the 'Cinderella dress', undoubtedly. I love the concept.

Does your work reflect your personal fashion taste?

Oh absolutely indeed. Don't forget what I said earlier, I get to wear all my designs first. Would never make you a dress I cannot wear myself. So yes, my works are a total reflection of my personal fashion disposition.

Please describe your style.

Very simple, precise, yet stylish; less for me is more for me. I love comfortable and very versatile outfits.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Nollywood actress, producer and entrepreneur, Biodun Okeowo, reveals her favourites to Kehinde Oluleye

Glamour

Jewellery

31

1

Favourite shoe I love Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Tory Burch and Niche.

2

Favourite hand bag For my bag, I love Louis Vuitton and Hermes bags.

3

Favourite watch designer I love Raymond Weil and Calvin Klein

4

Favourite Nigerian designer Africanso and Tiffany Amber 5

Favourite perfume I love 1million dollar, Chanel, Bvlgari & Given

6

Favourite pet Rottweiler

7

Recent book read Rights of man,

by Tom Paine 8

Favourite car Honda Pilot

Okeowo’s

top

10

9

Favourite skirt Short skirt

10

Favourite bra La Senza

32

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2012

Glamour

RIHANNA

Fierce, fearless and unapologetic R

IHANNA'S moving forkfuls of calamaretti fritti onto her plate at celebrity hot-spot Giorgio Baldi, her favorite restaurant in Santa Monica. Even when she's eating, her posture stays upright like a ballerina, long and graceful. In between bites, she explains how to take a flattering selfie for Instagram. “Get a good light,” she says, adjusting the Prada Minimal Baroque glasses on the bridge of her nose. Her heavy gold necklace slinks around the front of her black adidas sweatshirt as she turns to order spaghetti semplice from the server. “Get a good angle on what's working for you that day,” she says with a laugh. Rihanna enunciates every word and hits every consonant, her hands dancing as she talks. “If it's boobs, make sure you hit that. If it's face, make sure it's fierce.”

Today's a good face day for the 24-yearold singer. After putting in work all week in L.A., including a signing for her new per-

RIHANNA has come a long way from the cute teenager from the Caribbean doing dancehall-flavored ditties like "Pon De Replay." Now she's the biggest pop star on the planet. Her new haircuts make headlines, her tours sell out, and everybody has an opinion about her love life.

After her recent world tour, she sat down with SOOYOUNG KIM for this wide-ranging chat. fume, Nude, a photo shoot for a new clothing collaboration with River Island, and plenty of promo for the Grammy Awards, she'd love a chance to catch her breath. But alas, the life of the third-highest-earning celebrity under 30 offers no breaks. She says she spent the day packing for tonight's flight to Switzerland.

Rihanna may be tired, but she's always ready for a close-up. She holds the phone just

•Rihanna and Chris Brown

so to capture her stony demeanor in the small square frame. Slick specs, diamond studs, Cuban links. She selects Inkwell. The black-and-white filter applies a grainy texture to the photo, giving it a rugged feel. This is the mood she wants to display: no smiles.

She taps her touch screen and shares the image with @badgalriri's 4.3 million followers.

Since opening her Instagram account last March, with a selfie of her blowing smoke, Rihanna has posted more than 230 self portraits. “It's narcissistic, but whatevereveryone does it,” she says. “I'm capturing personality... Everybody has their thing they like or don't like to see. It's all in your head. That's why people take their own pictures, because it's difficult for someone else to capture what you seek.”

Rihanna is photographed regularly, whether for magazine spreads, album covers, or by the paparazzi. But when it comes to self-portraits, she's the one in control. She projects the image of someone who doesn't care what people think, but she's come too far to leave her image to chance. Moving 26 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide has earned her a lot of moneyan estimated $53 million last year. It's also afforded her the freedom to be as wild as she wants to be. Although it's useful to have a direct channel to reach her fans, social media has been a blessing and a curse.

Some of Rihanna's more buzzed-about selfies are the ones she takes topless (with arms strategically placed over her chest) or

with a blunt between her fingers. And then there is the semi-nude shot she posted in December with the caption, “Who needs fashion when there's pu$$y.” Provocative, even illicit, these are not the kinds of images a publicist would greenlight. In fact, they may have cost Rihanna her Nivea endorsement. The skincare company broke ties with her last August, explaining that she did not embody their image of “trust, family, and reliability.”

Even more controversial are the shots she posts of herself and Chris Brown, the popstar boyfriend she broke up with after he assaulted her in February 2009when he was 19 and she was 21. Despite a stay-away order issued by the Los Angeles Superior Court, the two have remained close friends. The exact status of their relationship remains unknown, but the takeaway from social media has been that they are hooking up again.

The couple became the talk of gossip blogs last June when Brown and Drake got into a fight over her at W.i.P., a club in NYC. In August, Rihanna told Oprah in an interview that she and Brown were “very, very close friends.” In September, they greeted each other with a brief hug and kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards. At the time Brown was dating model Karrueche Tran. In early October, Brown and Rihanna were spotted at various New York clubs and photographed together at a Jay-Z show. The next day, Brown released a statement: “I have decided to be single to focus on my career. I love Karrueche very much but I don't want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna.” He then released a video in which he asked, “Is there such thing as loving two people?” By the end of October, Rihanna was using Instagram to send subtle signs that she and Brown were growing closer.

First she posted a shot of herself wearing sweatpants by Black Pyramid, Brown's streetwear brand. Later that month she uploaded a photo of herself with a “miss

Contd on page 46

THE NATION SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

PAGE 35

Cassandra: My unquenchable love for Siasia

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

PAGE 38

‘My undying

love for

Siasia’

“

Life is a journey,” stated Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, “not a destination.”

Indeed this saying aptly captures the love story of immediate past Super Eagles' manager, Coach Samson Siasia and his wife, Cassandra, which has spanned a period of almost three decades.

Way back in 1985 when the journey of love commenced, little did Cassandra understand that 'sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.'

Twenty-eight years on and seven children between them, Samson and Cassandra are having a jolly ride and tied together through endurance and perseverance.

The couple met when Samson was plying his trade for local team, Flash Flamingoes of Benin (now defunct) alongside Stephen Keshi and Austin Eguavoen in the 1980s, and they have stuck together through thick and thin ever since.

In a conversation with The Nation Sport & Style from their home in the USA, Cassandra stated matter-of-factly that she and her beau are like Siamese twins inseparable!

“Samson and l are soul mates and we have come a long way,” she said.

The beautiful Cassandra, who is yet to lose her grace and gait despite giving birth to seven grown up children, has made it a point of duty to be with Siasia during landmark occasions in his career. For instance, she came all the way

By Taiwo Alimi

from the U.S to be with her hubby on 4th of November 2010 when he was officially appointed and unveiled as Super Eagles' head coach in Abuja, Nigeria.

In spite of the distance between them, she says they are like 5 & 6, a local parlance used to describe two people that are extremely close and fond of each other.

Hear her: “Siasia is more than a husband, he is a friend and father.

“It has been like that since our first meeting in 1985 in Benin.

“Samson came into my life like he was waiting for me and those that knew us then, like Stephen Keshi and Austin Eguavoen, know we have always been very close.

“We hit it off quickly and have always been close; we are like a brother and sister now. I remember how Coach Paul Hamilton would screen out other women looking for Siasia and would promptly allow me to see him in camp.

“He's a great guy and l would do more just to be with him. When he lost his job in Nigeria, we returned to the U.S and l think God has been kind to us. The children are happy to see more of him too,” she added.

So how did Cassandra meet Samson? “I must say here that l did not meet Samson on the football field like many would have thought, it was designed and divined by the Almighty God. “I was not really passionate about football. I've always liked basketball and it was Samson that introduced me to football.

Our meeting was designed from above,” she noted, as she further spoke on her husband's intimate lifestyle, family and home front. Excerpts...

Would you say your husband is romantic?

He can be romantic if he wants to be.

Do you miss Samson when he is away on duty?

Not really, because my husband has empowered me to run the home front well in his absence and once l am free I can join him in Nigeria or any other place he is. So I have always been busy doing one thing or the other which really does not give room for me to really miss him. Like said before, we don't stay too far from each other for too long. If he is extremely busy that he can't come back home, l would find time to be with him. That way we don't get to stay too far away from each other and that has helped the relationship to blossom to what it is today. We also have mutual respect for each other and would not do anything that could hurt the other person.

Tell us about your children We have seven great kids.

They are all grown up. Our first daughter is 24 now and she is an undergraduate in Georgia. Our last child, Sean, is 14 now; he is staying with his sister. While the others live in the boarding house.

They all live in the school.

After the Super Eagles job, we see more of each other now than before and they are all doing fine.

Who among your children has shown the trait and signs of following the footsteps of his father as a footballer?

My oldest son, Samuel Siasia, used to be crazy about football but I never gave him that opportunity like I gave to his younger brother Sean, because I wanted him to play and as well go to school. But he wanted to play and play and play so I think that is where the discouragement

came from. But Sean is just the last child and we just allowed him to be what he wants to be. Sean's real name is Shevoen Ebeiye Siasia but we prefer to call him Sean. He reads football, he eats football, he plays football and he has everything about football in him. He is by the grace of God the star we have in our family.

Tell us some of your happiest moments with Siasia I was quite happy when Samson landed the Super Eagles' coaching job. It was something he had longed for and I was happy when he finally landed it. When he had to leave, l felt sad too, but that is in the past now. He has moved on and that is what is important, l believe. I also remember the kind of pain l felt when Clemens Westerhof denied Samson his right as top striker and that time I prayed to God to bring back the lost glory of my husband. It affected him somehow that time because he is very patriotic about his country and passionate about the national colours too. In the end, things worked out right and he made it to the World Cup and played well too. We were all happy for him and that again was the highpoint of his career. Whenever he is happy l am happy and when he is sad l am sad too.

Are you choosy about cars?

Samson loves Mercedes Benz and l fell in love with it too. So our choice car is Mercedes Benz. It is rugged and classy. We also have other brands like Range Rovers and Audi, but what l really like most is Mercedes Benz.

Have you had problem with female fans and admirers of your husband since he's a football celebrity?

No woman can take away my husband and I'm not afraid of any woman taking him away because they cannot. I am not in any way worried. When we were dating, many girls tried it. Women have always been there and they will always be there, but it is when my husband gives unnecessary attention to them, that I would have problems.

But he is a wonderful man.

40

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

T was indeed a night of pure entertainment at the annual music and fashion festival, Music Meets Runway (MMR), held recently at the upscale Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos, as Wizkid, Iyanya, Naeto C, May D, Burner Boy and others took their fans to cloud nine with breathtaking performances.

The red carpet of the music and fashion fiesta had one of the largest turnout of celebrities. The artistes and other stars in attendance kept the lenses of the photographers and videographers busy while the red carpet lasted.

The high octane event was loaded to the hilt with fantastic performances from the star artistes on parade. The likes of D'banj, Davido, Wizkid, Naeto C, Iyanya, May D, Ajebutter and others dished out hit tracks from their various albums.

The ten designers billed for the occasion also complimented to give a blend of fashion and music, as the models strutted to the designers' collections on the runway with fantastic designs that can compete in any fashion show in the world.

Koko Master D'banj, who proved his adaptability on the night as a compere and a performer, combined well with the super model Millen Magassi to light up the arena with a scintillating performance. Special appearance by Kaffy and her dance group no doubt proved she still remains the energetic dancer. She and her dance group gave absorbing and thrilling dance steps that spawned yelling from the audience asking for more.

One of the highlights of the music and fashion event was the modelling competition that saw the emergence of a new face of Music Meets Runway for the next one year. Good tunes from the world class DJ Exclusive at interval, which combined well with the ambiance of the well-decorated arena, provided the audience with feel good experience that lasted for the night.

“I'm extremely grateful to everybody that made this event a successful one and for all those who supported us; we really appreciate your effort. I say a big thank you to all those who came for the event. I look forward to seeing all of you again and also look forward to a greater Music Meets Runway next year,” Jennifer Olize, producer of the show, enthused.

I

My respect for AY—Elenu

N

Flakes from Music Meets Runway …as Wizkid, Iyanya, Burner Boy, D'banj and Super Model Millen Magasi dazzle

2face Idibia, Rita Dominic, Mo Abudu for TFA Enterprise Conference

C

ONVENED to facilitate practical and direct knowledge exchange for young entrepreneurs, professionals, innovators and creatives, the organisers of The Future Awards have announced the date for its annual conference (previously titled The Do-Something PreAwards Conference).

The renamed National Enterprise Conference, now in its fifth year, will hold on Saturday, January 26, 2013, at the main auditorium of the University of Lagos, Yaba.

Themed 'Our generation needs to get to work', several of the speakers slated to appear at the event have been recognised by The Future Awards for their outstanding efforts in their

respective fields. They include: 2face Idibia, Rita Dominic, Stephanie Okereke, Ohimai Atafo, Omawumi Megbele, Bridget Awosika, Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Steve Babaeko, Kola Oyeneyin, Lamide Adedeji, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Funke Bucknor, and Linda Ikeji. Ugochukwu Nwosu from Microsoft and Ayodeji Adewunmi from Jobberman will join the speakers.

The event will also feature veterans and mentors including chairman of Channels Television John Momoh; chief executive of Inspire Africa, Mo Abudu; cinema icons Joke Silva and Tunde Kelani; music icon Shina Peters; executive director with Nestlé, Iquo Ukoh, and group managing director, Folorunsho Alakija.

Skales N releases video for

•Skales

My Baby

IGERIA'S leading record label, EME, has released the seventh official video off the label's collaboration album titled "Empire Mates State of Mind".

The video which premiered last Wednesday, was for the hit track, “My Baby” featuring the young and talented rapper, Skales, popularly called “EME Soldier”.

“My Baby" which was produced by top music producer, Sarz, is a classic laid back hip-hop track and the video boasts an impressive display of creativity and style.

Directed by talented cinematographer, Michael Williams, with close supervision from Skales, “My Baby” video was shot in Lagos.

OTABLE stand-up comedian, Elenu, has said that the reason he dedicated his first major awards, Modemen and Dynamix, to Ayo Makun, otherwise called AY, was because the latter is his boss.

Elenu who further described AY, who is a rave-of-the-moment comedian, as a prudent and dependable mentor, who noticed his talent when nobody thought he could make a headway with comedy.

“AY has been a great source of blessing to me in the comedy industry ever since I won AY's Open Mic Challenge in 2006. AY gave me the chance to participate in the competition.

He groomed me under his roof for two years, and on every edition of his AY Live CDs you will find me. He even refers me to some of his big clients when he is too occupied to MC at their functions. There's God who gave me the talent and there's AY who helped discover and groom the talent,” he said.

The artiste, who started stand-up comedy professionally in 2006 after winning the third edition of AY's Open Mic Challenge, expressed gratitude to God for the success he achieved in 2012, describing the year as the beginning of great success for him.

“I bought myself a car as New Year's gift in 2012, and then I moved my mother to a more tasteful apartment and set up a very good business for her. In the process, the people of Apapa/Ajegunle Local Council gave me the Pride of the Community Award.”

Katherine set to feature in

Lekki Wives

K

ATHERINE Obiang, an on-air personality and ex wife of the MTN sponsored Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Frank Edoho, has finally found love again, but this time in Nollywood.

Ever since she featured in Ashionye's film, Journey To Self, she has found acting so interesting and doesn't feel like quitting, at least for now. After that amazing debut, Katherine is due to star in yet another movie called Lekki Wives.

She would be starring in the drama series by Blessing Egbe alongside Kiki Omeili, Adaora Ukoh, Keira Hewatch and Chinonso Young.

The series will chronicle the lives of five women who live in the high end part of the Lagos metropolis, Lekki.

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

41

Building a ‘moral task force’ for Africa

Nigerian professionals cast in Desmond Tutu's mission drama on Aljazeera D

ESCRIBED as fascinating and thought- provoking, a fresh generation of Nigerian leaders will be featured on new Al Jazeera English series entitled Tutu's Children.

The drama is the outcome of leadership training by Archbishop Desmond Tutu for select African visionaries. A statement by Aljazeera publicist, Joy Sapieka ,says the workshop was a way of tackling peculiar problems around the continent, by building a new network of African leaders who are together committed to tackling their countries' most stubborn problems.

Sapieka hinted that through the four documentaries, viewers will witness the legendary archbishop pass the baton of moral leadership to these emerging Africa leaders.

From Nigeria alone, three outstanding personalities from different professional callings are said to have played key roles in the series.

They are Dr. Amy Jadesimi, manager of Lagos port development project; Emmanuel Ada Ogejuma, regional manager for pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline; and real estate executive, Elijah Onyeagha. These participants and their counterparts from other African countries have been bestowed with Archbishop Tutu's fellowship, which is run in conjunction with Oxford University.

The project is such that, once they pledge themselves to Tutu's mission, participants are put through group tasks designed to bring out their true colours - from conducting a choir to cooking under pressure.

Employing different forms of communication capable of impacting the messages on viewers, cast are provoked to re-examine their opinions in debates on the most controversial 'African' issues - racial hierarchy, corruption, privilege, and Western democracy. This experiment, Sapieka explains, also pushes them out of their comfort zones emotionally, culturally and intellectually.

She noted that the series follows Tutu's class of 2012, focusing, in particular detail, on the lives of five very different participants, who are together coached to become a 'moral task force' for Africa.

The young leaders are followed in their home cities as well as during the coaching, with filming in Tunis, Cape Town, Kigali, Johannesburg, Oxford and London over a period of seven

•Desmond Tutu

is currently up in full on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K f6qkLGkHHw. Sapieka said that the second episode, where the participants meet Tutu, Black Consciousness co-founder Mamphela Ramphele, and Kenya's former Anti-Corruption Commission Director Patrick Lumumba, screens on Thursday: 20h00; Friday: 12h00; Saturday: 01h00; Sunday: 06h00; Monday: 20h00; Tuesday: 12h00; Wednesday: 01h00 and Thursday: 06h00.

Promo for the second episode can also be seen and embedded at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2 WjMNzXD564.

Gani Adams to flag off 'Odua Fest'

F

ACTIONAL leader of the Yoruba cultural sect, Odua People's Congress of Nigeria, (O.P.C) Otunba Gani Adams is expected to unveil activities leading to the next edition of the annual Oduduwa Festival in Lagos, on January 23, 2013.

A highly anticipated event, Oduduwa Festival is being organised

by Akede Oduduwa Magazine, a widely spread Yoruba Magazine, in conjunction with Africano Cultural in Brazil.

Publicist to the project, Ajibade Alabi, said in a statement that a team of supporters for the festival will be on Wednesday at the Abule Ado, Badagry home of the OPC chieftain where the ceremonies will kick off.

The delegation includes: Otunba Jacob Babatunde Festus, founder of Akede Odua Magazine and Chairman of the Festival; Erelu Olaide Gold, Editor of the magazine; project

dubbed fastest growing film marketer

A

By Victor Akande months.

According to Al Jazeera director of programmes Paul Eedle, "Tutu's Children offers a rare chance to witness a turning point in the lives of those who may one day change the course of Africa's history. The travails of our fantastic onscreen characters will entertain and will also give our viewers a strong glimpse into the big issues affecting Africa.”

Desmond Mpilo Tutu, 81, is a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. He was the first black South African Archbishop of Cape Town and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa).

Tutu has been active in the defense of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed.

He has campaigned to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984; the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986; the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987; the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999; the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

The first episode of the drama series made a debut on January 10, 2013 and

Okiki Films

coordinator and other members of the committee.

Alabi stated that the team, will later visit the palace of Oba Olamilekan Ifayemi, Oba Saala Ogboni Agbaye and Onikosi of Ikosi, Kosofe land, Oba Alamu Oloyede Edun Arobadi 1.

•Gani Adams

T a period when distribution of home videos are done haphazardly, owing to the activities of pirates, a young marketing outfit, Okiki Films and Music Productions, has lived above board in the areas of marketing drive, dependable business structure and accountability. This feat has led to the acquisition of several awards by the company in 2012 from different reward schemes.

In December 2012 alone, Okiki Films got five different awards, putting the total laurels clinched by the company in 2012 at 11.

Awards received by the outfit in December 2012 included: Marketer with the Most Didactic Film, 2012, by the Nigerian International Students Association, based in Ohio, United States of America; Most Dynamic Film Marketer in Nigeria 2012, by the Video Club Owners Association of Nigeria; Best Yoruba Film Marketer, 2012, by the Arts Faculty of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Ogun State; Nigeria Fastest Growing Film Marketer by the Video Rentals Association, Ekiti State chapter and Most Media Friendly Film Marketer, 2012 by the Celebrity Media Awards, organised by Media Ace, Publishers of Infinity Magazine.

It would be recalled that apart from Isese (Tradition) a flick by Moji Olaiya, which won two awards at the inaugural edition of the Yoruba Movie Academy Awards, other movies that made top sales chart courtesy of the marketing company include: Alata Sue, Were Sango, Rado, Sebi Ni Abese and Wura ati Fadaka, among others.

Commenting on the success of the company, Chief Executive of the firm, Omowumi Esan, said the company was not totally surprised about the recognitions from both within and outside the country, stressing that with diligent staff and highly skilled production crew, there was no doubting the possibilities of the company to make headway.

“We are really grateful to God for the recognitions from both Nigeria and the United States of America. It shows clearly that our films are being appreciated all over the world.

We pay attentions to details and we have resolved never to sell any film that the audience will not learn from. Our payoff line is, Simply Different, and this means that we are different in all ramifications, from production to distribution, so when people say we are the best, we just remain humble, believing that our best is yet to come.”

Okiki's in-house Director, Yemi Amodu, who directed most of the company's films, also said the Awards came about as a result of thorough research and that the awards were just a clarion call on him and his crew not to rest on their oars but to do more and produce better films to win more awards.

Esan assures that the company will explore family-oriented and highly didactic movie themes in 2013. “We will do more, produce better quality films and in no time, Okiki's production will be at par with the very best in Hollywood. We know that it is not easy for people to part with their hard-earned money to buy our films, and that is why we also go the extra mile to ensure we release quality films that would make the viewers happy.”

Entertainment

42

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

CINEMA GUIDE

BIG

LAGOS

PICTURE

Street Of Calabar Genre Action/Adventure Life of PI 3D Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 127min Rise Of The Guidian Featured Actors Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin and Isla Fisher Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 97min Inside Story Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 100min Arinzo Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 124min Pitch Perfect Featured Actors Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson Genre Comedy Running Time 112 min The Hobbit : Unexpected Journey 3D Featured Actors Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 169min The Hobbit : Unexpected Journey Featured Actors Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen,

Supported by: SILVERBIRD CINEMAS

Doctor Bello: traces cancer cure to Nigeria

Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 169min Here comes the Boom Featured Actors Kevin James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 105min Wreck It Ralph Featured Actors John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch Genre Comedy and Sequel Running Time 101min

PORT HARCOURT

A

Tony Abulu's high budget Nigerian film, Doctor Bello, it was, which first accessed the federal government intervention fund for the entertainment industry, through the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM). The film boasts of A-list Nollywood stars, including Genevieve Nnaji and Stephanie Okereke. And with an eye to attracting an international mainstream audience, Abulu brought in several Hollywood actors, including Isaiah Washington, best known for “Grey's Anatomy”; Vivica A. Fox (“Kill Bill” and “Independence Day,” among many others); and Jimmy Jean-Louis (the NBC series “Heroes”).

The film is an ambitious film schedule that straddled Nigeria and the United States, making the filmmaker to hire Americans for key creative positions, including his

director of photography, Scott St. John.

Doctor Bello tells the story of a brilliant cancer specialist, Dr. Michael Durant, who battles with the traumatic loss of his 10-year old daughter from cancer. He blames his wife for the tragedy and he immerses himself in work, eventually bonding with sick seven year old Sam, son of a rich Jewish couple who are major contributors to the hospital's cancer research fund.

With only a few days to live, a Nigerian nurse convinces Durant to seek the help of Dr. Bello, an uncertified Nigerian doctor known in the Brooklyn-African underground as a miracle worker. Dr. Bello secretly visits the child at night and administers a strange African potion and incantations. The next morning, the child is on the path of recovery.

However, the hospital medical board suspects foul play and at that point, the plot thickens.

Durant's solution is discovered, and he is suspended by his hospital while Bello is imprisoned for medical malpractice. Soon, however, Bello himself falls critically ill, and it falls to Durant to save him by locating the secret elixir, which is found only in the “Garden of Life” on a mountain range in Nigeria.

D'jango Unchained: fantastically outrageous!

A

brilliant and brutal revenge western, with its bromcom double act from Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz, is set among the slave plantations of pre-civil war America. It is partly based on the 1960s cult Django westerns starring Franco Nero (who returns in cameo here) and partly on the notorious 1975 exploitation picture Mandingo. The film is, however, distinctive on its own fantastically outrageous terms: an audacious and horribly funny comic-book nightmare.

Produced in 2012 in the USA, and released this month, D'jango Unchained is directed by Quentin Tarantino who is known to have always been the master of a certain type of narcotic euphoria in the cinema. The film stars Amber Tamblyn, Bruce Dern, Christoph Waltz, Don Johnson, James Russo, Jamie Foxx, Jonah Hill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kerry Washington, Kurt Russell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Carradine, Samuel L Jackson, and Zoe Bell.

Foxx plays Django, a slave in 1858, who on being transported through Texas in the bitter winter

cold, has a fateful encounter with the extraordinary Dr King Schultz, a mysterious German former dentist played by Christoph Waltz with dapper and dainty eccentricity and smilingly faultless English.

Django's new friend gives him a taste of freedom, but is astonished to learn of his connection with a fellow slave, a beautiful woman named Broomhilda (Kerry Washington); it is a mis-hearing of the name

"Brünnhilde" given by her German masters.

She is being held at the plantation Candieland in Mississippi, owned by the revolting racist and sadist Calvin Candie, unforgettably played

by Leonardo DiCaprio. Somehow, and with Schultz's help, Django must get her out. His soul will never be unchained until he sets his love free and takes a terrible revenge on her oppressor.

Life of PI 3D Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 127min Street Of Calabar Genre Action/Adventure Rise Of The Guidian Featured Actors Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin and Isla Fisher Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 97min Arinzo Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 124min Pitch Perfect Featured Actors Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson Genre Comedy Running Time 112 min A Thousand Words Featured Actors Eddie Murphy, Cliff Curtis and Kerry Washington Genre Comedy Running Time 91min Hotel Transylvania Featured Actors Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Andy Samberg Genre Comedy ARGO Featured Actors Ben Affleck,

Bryan Cranston and John Goodman Genre Drama Running Time 120 min Twilight Saga 2 Featured Actors Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 115min Skyfall Featured Actors Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 143 The Meeting Featured Actors Rita Dominic, Femi Jacobs, Linda Ejiofor, Jide Kosoko, Kate Henshaw & Nse Ikpe Etim Genre Drama Running Time 120Min Featured Actors: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans Genre: Action/Adventure Married but Living Single Featured Actors: Funke Akindele, Joke Silva, Joseph Benjamin, Tina Mba, Femi Brainard, Kiki Omeili, Yemi

ABUJA Street Of Calabar Genre Action/Adventure Arinzo Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 124min Inside Story Featured Actors Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji Genre Action/Adventure A Wish Featured Actors Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse and Bingbing Fan Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 131min Here comes a boom Featured Actors Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Andy Samberg Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 91min Premium Rush Featured Actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon and Dania Ramirez Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 91 min Argo Featured Actors Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston and John Goodman Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 120 min

Sparkle Featured Actors Jordin Sparks, Carmen Ejogo and Whitney Houston Genre Drama Running Time 116 min Skyfall Genre Action/Adventure The Meeting Genre Drama Taken 2 Featured Actors Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace.

Genre Action/Adventure Running Time 91 min

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Abimbola Azeh is the CEO of Mona Matthews, a frontline shoe and bag outfit based in Lagos.

Interestingly, she found her calling in accessory designing sometime in 2002 after studying law.

Her quest for shoes that fit her was the path that led to the establishment of Mona Matthews. She speaks with Yetunde Oladeinde

Glamour

43

n i o d u o y g n i h t y r Eve e c n e u q e s n o c a s a life h -Abimbola Azeh H

OW are you coping with the business environment?

Well, I would say that business has been good and we are doing well.

Let us compare business when you started and what obtains now?

There has been a lot of difference. Now, I would say that the people are more receptive to made-in-Nigeria goods.

They actually encourage you and then we have definitely gotten better. Interestingly, the shoemakers have also gotten more skillful. And as business managers we are now more experienced and we have a better idea of what we are doing.

What were some of the initial challenges then?

I think that the very first challenge was really getting the kind of materials I needed to create the kind of designs I had in mind.

Even though it was a challenge at the beginning, it later turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me. I eventually learnt to be more creative to get what I wanted and it paid off in the long run.

How do you source the materials you use for your products?

Yes, the materials I use are available but we also make ours; these include the heels and soles used in the production of our shoes. We actually get the wood carved, and that makes a lot of difference. The advantage for us is that we are in better control of our quality as well as the production process.

Where do you get personnel, or do you train the people who work with you?

We actually do a lot of mentoring and we have helped to develop talents in young people. We also have people who just walk in and they want to learn. So, we give lessons and we train them and equip them with skills that would ultimately make them independent.

For a number of small-scale entrepreneurs, getting the right personnel is usually a problem. How has it been with you?

T h e way my business is structured, e a c h p e rs o n who

works with me is on contract basis. So they are not staff and that takes away a lot of headaches usually associated with staff. That actually has been our model from the beginning and it worked for us.

Some people are of the opinion that young ladies are lazy and they do not want to work hard these days.

For me, there are no hard and fast rules about that.

There are young ladies that are lazy and there are young ladies that are hard working. You also have young guys who are lazy and guys that are also hard working. What I know is that there is a lot of corruption in the system.

And so a lot of people are not very hopeful that if they work hard they would eventually achieve the measure of success that they want. I think if we still continue to try hard we can still make this country work.

If we go into your wardrobe, what are the things that we would see there?

You would see t-shirts, jeans, ankara dresses, ankara skirts and a lot of other ankara outfits. I like comfortable clothes; I like to wear a lot of things that have stretch because they are more comfortable to wear. I have people around me that are creative, so we buy from each other.

Nigerians are very creative, very stylish. When it comes to clothings and things like that we know what we want. When it comes to forms, texture and colours together we know what we want. I am very supportive of our creative industry. A lot of good things come out of this country Can you tell us one or two memorable moments as a shoe designer?

Whaoh!

I think I have had so many. But the things that make me happy is when you finish making a pair of shoes for a costumer and they are satisfied and they send you a text or a note, saying, 'thank you very much, I really love my shoe.' That makes me very happy. I also like the creative process which starts from design and then you come up with a concept and when you bring it to fruition, when the actual product is ready and the shoe goes up the shelf.

What is the greatest influence in your life?

The greatest influence in my life is Jesus Christ obviously, I am a Christian. What he did for us in terms of dying for us and taking us out of darkness and bringing us to light have had the greatest influence upon my life.

When you are not thinking about your business, what else occupies your time?

I love reading. You know with the internet, it's very resourceful these days. I like reading current affairs, biography, things like that. I love music as well; I like to go to concerts and live shows.

Talking about the internet, there are lots of cyber crimes going on. We had the case of Cynthia that's still fresh, and more.

Well, I don't know about cyber crimes, every piece of technology can be used for good or bad. It is up to you to decide what you want to do with it. But what I know is that everything you do in life has a consequence. If you choose to do the right thing, you would gain from it. If you choose to do the wrong thing you would gain from it too.

Let's talk about people you consider as role models or mentors..

I admire a lot of people but they are not necessarily known people. I don't look up to people who came about their money either crookedly or whether someone dashed them an oil well. That doesn't trip me; I like people who have worked for their money, those who have built something from the scratch. Those are the kind of people that encourage me and the kind of people that I look up to. I draw inspiration from people's lives.

What about your mum, what are the things you admire about her?

I love her for different things. She is a fantastic cook, a fantastic mother and fantastic grandmother.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

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Social

ADETUTU AUDU (E-mail: crownkool@yahoo.com, Tel: 08023849036)

Chinyere Okonkwo’s passion

Akinfenwa Akinsola's latest vocation

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ADY Chinyere Okonkwo is the very adorable wife of Senator Annie Okonkwo, the chairman of the defunct Zoom Mobile and Clemco Group.

Though an Igbo lady to the core, she loves Yoruba attires to a fault.

She is usually well turned out in them when she steps out to events always in company of her husband. Despite that she is the wife of a public office holder, the graduate of University of Lagos also gravitates to a service club, the Ikeja Pearl Lions club, where she served and rose through the ranks as secretary, second vice president, and first vice president.

Sources close to her said doing charity has enriched her life.

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KINFENWA Akinsola was one of the bank MDs affected by the sweeping reforms embarked on by the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. He has since moved on to a new lease of life. Apart from his consultancy for various banks across the country and beyond, the bespectacled banker has now ventured into the hotel and hospitality business.

The former bank Chief, we gathered, is exploring new frontiers in Ondo State, where he has unveiled a multimillion naira hotel.

Cecilia Bissong resurfaces

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NE-TIME Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Cecilia Bissong, who has been hibernating from socials for a while now, was spotted at the birthday bash of Ene Lawani along side other guests like Oona Pridy, Elfreda Edewor, Caroline Danjuma, Oge Okoye, among others.

After her reign in 2003, Cecilia went abroad.

She went into modelling and also studied accounting at City University of New York.

Since she returned few years ago, she ventured into television production and went into social oblivion.

John Obayuwana spoils Ene Lawani

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HOSE who thought the relationship between Polo boss, John Obayuwana, and former beauty queen, Ene Lawani, will be a flash in the pan, may need to have a rethink. The head honcho of the luxury shop spoiled the former Miss Nigeria with a brand new BMW 5 Series last weekend on the occasion of her birthday. Ene already drives a GWagon Benz 550, which we learnt was also a gift from her man.

Not only this, Ene Lawani's party train, we gathered, started with breakfast at Radisson Blu Hotel, then a party later at night at Sip Lounge.

The former beauty queen and the Polo boss have been an item for a while now despite their age differences. And the way the two lovebirds are going, the suave businessman, we gathered, may be giving marriage another shot.

The easy-going Obayuwana is a respected figure. He built his world from his knowledge of fashion and he is a self-confessed lover of good things. While Ene, since she was crowned in 2004, has maintained an almost permanent presence on the social milieu.

Obateru Akinruntan’s royal wheels

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HE Chairman of Obat Oil and the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom in Ondo State, HRM Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, has continued to prove that affluence and royalty go hand in hand. The royal father added a 2014 model of Bentley to his garage. We gathered the wonder of wheels was specially customised for him. The car, we learned, will arrive Nigeria in February. Before now, Oba Akinruntan also has a custom-built 2012 Rolls Royce similar to that of Queen Elizabeth II.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

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Inside Kayode Oke’s mini-zoo

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ALL, fashionable, and handsome, he bestrides the social and business terrains like a colossus. Ask the average resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and he would tell you that this gentleman's impact in the entertainment industry in general and the hospitality industry in particular is significant.

What many don't know about the Chief Executive Officer of wavemaking Softess Group of Companies, Otunba Kayode Oke, however, is that he owns a talk-of- the-town mini-zoo at his palatial mansion in a highbrow section of the capital city.

The stylish mini-zoo is reportedly populated by a number of carefully selected animals, including some rare species of dogs, lions, tortoise and peacock, among others. The proactive business mogul, who opened some branches of his Softess Hotel and Suites in Accra and Dubai recently, has been scarce in the social circuit lately, but bounced back in style few months ago. We gathered that he just opted to make a tactical withdrawal of sort, mainly to take his business to another level by expanding his business tentacles from Abuja to Kaduna, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Calabar and do more for people in terms of philanthropy.

Benny Obaze jets out for honeymoon

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EWLY married businessman and socialite, Benny Obaze, has jetted out to Dubai with his wife, Lizzy Finecountry, for their honeymoon. The couple, we scooped, will also move to U.S from there.

The CEO of Bevista, Rivista and Jevista married the astute businesswoman who operates two major businesses in Port Harcourt, last December 2012. Fun-loving Benny had been single for many years and had been linked with many women in the past before his marriage.

Sylvia Nduka gets engaged

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HESE are best of times for Sylvia Nduka.

When she won the 2011 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, there was such uproar that we were not sure if she would make it through her tenure, as it was riddled with controversies. Despite all, the former beauty queen remains undaunted. After her reign, Sylvia runs a hair extension line “Sylvia's Hair” and a hair salon/retail outlet “Sylvia's Hair Gallery” in Surulere. In addition, she launched and completed the first season of the “Face of Sylvia's Hair” competition in 2012. In addition, the winner smiled home with N1m, other prizes included a brand new KIA automobile and a trip to Dubai. Well, the one-time beauty queen is engaged. Though the identity of her man is still shrouded in secrecy, we gathered that the wedding is billed for the later part of the year.

Liz Garvey’s shoe lounge makes waves

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OCIALITE and serial entrepreneur, Liz Garvey, is having the best of times right now. The very stylish owner of Gavyz Couture has just extended her business tentacles again with a new store 'Shoe Lounge'. We gathered that she got a deal with a Brazil-based shoe manufacturing company. The strictly shoe store has become a Mecca of sort for shoe collectors, shoe aficionados and the fashion savvy who basically want very good but affordable shoes.

Hajia Aminat Dangaji's secret pain

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OCIALITE and businesswoman, Hajia Aminat Dangaji, is not in her best of moments. The Edo State-born socialite who is an associate of the state governor is battling to recoup the money she invested in maverick musician, Majek Fashek.

Dangaji's company, A-plus Entertainment, we gathered, has invested over N35m on the reggae musician. The widely-travelled entrepreneur cum philanthropist has been working tirelessly to release the latest album of the musician by end of January, only for some people to hijack the musician whom she had already rehabilitated.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Glamour Continued on page 32

you!” caption and, that same day, reposted a still from Brown’s latest music video.

According to a Department of Justice study, roughly 1.3 million American women are abused by their husbands or boyfriends each year, and one in every four women are victims of domestic abuse at some time during their lives. Rihanna, as we all know, is one of those womenthe most famous of them alive today.

While many victims of abuse return to the men who abused them, almost none go through that painful process while being scrutinized in public by the world. No wonder Rihanna requires final say over what images she shares. “People take the little bit of information they’re fed, and they draw a picture of who you are,” she says. “Most of the time it’s wrong.”

When Rihanna first opened her Twitter account on October 2, 2009, it looked like any other official celebrity feed managed by a PR flack. This fueled speculation that she was just a pretty face whose every move was controlled by handlers. Around a year later, during the release of her fifth album, Loud, Rihanna got hip to the game. These days she doesn’t just send messages, she also reads her timeline, and she’s not afraid to fire back at critics. When she posted an Instagram shot of herself at last year’s Coachella Music Festival, sitting on her bodyguard’s shoulders and rolling a blunt on top of his head, MTV.com linked to the photos with a Tweet that said “Yikes.” Rihanna didn’t hesitate to tweet back that she “ran out of fucks to give.” That statement was retweeted over 13,000 times.

Rihanna’s not the first sexy young megastar with a hedonistic bent. Madonna did most of her dirt long before the Twitter era, but as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have learned, the Internet is a vicious place that can turn on you with the drop of a hashtag.

Somehow Rihanna has found a way to weather all the negativity. The girl isn’t just thick-skinned, she’s fearlessand unashamed to put her business in front of 27 million followers. She makes it work for her. It isn’t enough to prove she’s not a manufactured pop star; Rihanna’s trying to be seen as the realest bitch in the game.

Last November 14, Rihanna emerged from the first-class section of her rented Boeing 777 jet carrying two gold bottles of Ace of Spades.

“Champagne anyone?” she asked. A sea of hands stretched out plastic cups to receive tiny portions of the expensive Armand de Brignac brut. The first flight of the 777 Tour was off to an excellent start. Rihanna and her personal assistant, Jennifer Rosales, were only halfway done working the press aisles when the singer asked, “Where are all the fans at? I got to get back and see my fans.”

The 777 Toura seven-day, seven-country, seven-show journeybrought along 150 international journalists in addition to some contest winners and four die-hard members of the Rihanna Navy to party in the sky.

Designed to kick-start promotions for Rihanna’s seventh album, Unapologetic, ahead of its November release, the tour devolved into a shitshow of delayed flights and acrimonious press relations. From the beginning it was clear which audience on the plane Rihanna was playing to.

Zipping past throngs of thirsty journalists, she headed straight to the back, where a group of her most trusted fans, Tamara Wray, La’Ashia Holmes, Janise Williams, and Johnny Marmolejos, were sitting. Rihanna said she hand-picked these four because, “They’re probably more like me than the rest of the world.” The photogs and writers had already finished their two sips of bubbly by the time Rihanna blessed the fans with a full bottle of the $300 champagne.

As the tour went on, the reporters got increasingly aggro, shoving cameras in Rihanna’s face. But the fans remained calm, confident that respecting her space now would mean spending more time with her

Deacon Adejo Daniel Akor @ 80

RIHANNA:

Fierce, fearless and unapologetic later. “I guess we’re not like other fans,” said Tamara, a slim 20-year-old college student.

Johnny, a husky 24-year-old server at T.G.I.Fridays, nodded in agreement: “You knowcrying, screaming. Kind of like an attack thing.”

But crazy fans are nothing compared to frustrated bloggers. The tour rapidly became a publicity stunt gone wrong as journalists hoping for juicy stories got nary a quote. The blog posts grew snarkier with each passing day while Rihanna’s fans had the time of their lives. Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith, a co-founder of Roc Nation, which has managed Rihanna since 2010, insists the tour was actually a big success, if only because the press needed to get an idea of what the young star’s life is really like. “It’s good that you guys got to see that it’s not all about champagne and bubbles and blunts,” he says. “She’s working really, really hard.”

Well, maybe just a few bubbles and blunts.

After the Toronto stop on November 15, Rihanna’s creative director Ciarra Pardo posted a picture of the young star topless, scattered with flower petals, money covering her eyes, and smoke leaking from her mouth.

In retrospect, Rihanna kept it real throughout the tour. If you stayed home and followed her social media, you had as much access to her as the folks who had to wait on the tarmac for four hours while she finished shopping in Paris.

Fresh off the 777 Tour, Johnny and Tamara stop by Complex to talk about their unique bond with Rihanna. Tamara’s got a tomboy swagger. She’s wearing a baseball cap and Jordans. She’s reserved but Johnny’s loud and playful. As two of Rihanna’s most trusted fans, they go to every signing, promo event, and concert she has in New York City, and they remember every interaction with her vividly. “The first time I met her was October 11, 2007,” Tamara recalls. “I was at her Nokia theater concert. That was during the Good Girl Gone Badera, when her hair was in a bob. She wore a gray dress and high boots.”

Rihanna follows them on social media. She replies to their tweets and “likes” their Instagram photos, inspiring a sense of closeness and fierce loyalty. “We know more of the real Rihanna than the general public,” Johnny says. They also know what not to say.

Navy members characterize Team Breezy as “crazy” and they call themselves “shady,” just like their leader. Rihanna concurs: “We don’t start the trouble, but that’s how we’re defending ourselvesby saying some slick shit.

That’s how I’ve always been. I was so rude when I was a little girl. I got my ass beat by my mother for that. Most of the time it was because of my mouth.”

Rihanna’s willingness to let that mouth run sets her apart from certain other megastars.

“I’m a former BeyHive memberreformed,” says Johnny. “I don’t want to talk bad about anybody, but there’s a strong disconnect between Beyoncé and her fans, and I was a Beyoncé fan since forever.” He finds Rihanna’s down-to-earth candor refreshing.

Johnny and Tamara’s ride-or-die devotion to their icon is clear. When the subject of Chris Brown comes up, their backs straighten. What do they think about Chris and Rihanna’s friendship? They look toward each other before answering, their voices sounding practiced and defensive. “It’s nobody’s business,” they reply in unison. On their way out they say they don’t like speaking about Brown on tape, and half-jokingly threaten to sue if this story makes them look bad.

Rihanna’s fans also rushed to her defense when the blogosphere suggested that Brown was playing her. Things seemed good between them after the 777 Tour wrapped up.

First she posted a photo of herself on a private jet with the caption: “All alone in my big ole jet!!! See u soon lover.” Three days later, she uploaded a photo of Brown lying face down in bed, shirtless. Five days after that, she posted: “Home is where the cock is,” with the hashtag #frankfurt. Brown was performing in Frankfurt, Germany at the time. That same day, she put up a photo of him in her arms captioned: “I don’t wanna leave!!! Killed it tonight baby!!!” In December, Brown posted a shot of himself with Rihanna. Soon after she posted a photo of Brown’s tattooed arm over her shoulder. The caption read “Damn...I miss my nigga #thuglife #BFFlife.”

Brown flipped the script the next day by posting pictures of items from “THE KILL,” Karrueche Tran’s clothing line. Rihanna’s Instagram was flooded with comments asking her to leave him alone for good. “There’s no question that life throws us curve balls,” she wrote in an open letter to fans. “We do our best to deal with them, take the lessons and keep it moving without regrets.” Then on December 18, she posted an e-card that read, “Being single sucks. The only thing I get to do anymore is whatever the fuck I want to do.”

Despite all the drama, Rihanna continues to take care of business. She has racked up 12 No. 1 singles in the USthe youngest solo artist to do so. “Bigger” is Rihanna’s one-word mission

Deacon Adejo Daniel Akor & his wife Ladi cutting his 80th birthday cake

statement. “It’s all about growth.”

Roc Nation president and co-founder Jay Brown vigorously defends her right to be herself. “There’s nothing wrong with being 24,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself. You can’t be upset with someone who’s having fun. Let her have fun.”

Last November, Rihanna reached another career milestone when Unapologetic became her first album to debut at No. 1 in the US. “When I was making this record I had no intention except the truth,” she says. “So whatever is there is real. It’s raw. That’s why the album is called Unapologetic.” Not that she was apologetic in the past, but this time she says she dug deeper.

“I held back before. I didn’t show a lot of myself. I was very guarded,” she says. “I needed to be open and free and fearless.’

What’s the worst that can happen? They’ll hate me? They’ve done that before.”

When it comes to projecting raw vulnerability in her music, Rihanna knows exactly how to make it work, and who to make it work with. She builds with a team of A-list writers and producers, choosing songs with lyrics that relate to her personal life. It’s enough to provoke interest, but not enough to reveal anything substantial.

Her song “Half of Me” speaks directly to her public image: “Everybody knows that I’m crazy / I’m the type that don’t give a ...” But as the song points out, that’s only half the story.

Rihanna considers the album’s first single, “Diamonds,” one of her favorite songs since “Umbrella” because of the way it makes her feel. “It was so inspiring and uplifting,” she says. “It was giving me hope, that song. I was tired of angry love songs. Love doesn’t always have to be about breakups, and ‘We’re never going to be together again.’ It could be sweet.

It could be, ‘Hell yeah! We’re diamonds!’”

Curiously, the video features a heavily tattooed arm that bears a striking resemblance to Chris Brown’s.

But no song got people talking like “Nobody’s Business,” her duet with Brown.

Whether the pair likes it or not, when they sing “Always be my boy / I’ll always be your girl” to each other, their words are interpreted as confirmation of their current relationship status.

Yet for all the realness she promises, Rihanna refuses to entertain any such discussion: “It’s nobody’s business,” she says flatly. And all her people, from label bigwigs to loyal fans, are on the same page.

Apparently, her record label and management team had no second thoughts about her making a record with Brownespecially after the success of their “Birthday Cake” remix. Ty Ty is surprised even to be asked about the collab. “We don’t focus on the media, so it was never a question,” he says. “It’s all about the music.

Everything else doesn’t even play a part in the studio.” He insists that the record wasn’t made with Brown in mind. “The-Dream didn’t write it for them as a duet. Jay-Z and I were in the car together listening to the song, and we thought it would be a great duet. It sounds dope. It feels good. That’s how Chris ended up on the song.”

Before leaving the restaurant for the airport, Rihanna addresses one last question. It’s the biggest question surrounding the song: If her relationship with Brown is truly nobody’s business, then why make a record about it?

Her voice, usually warm and cut with chuckles, turns cold. “Pardon me?” she replies, her eyebrow slightly raised. Even after the question is repeated, she hesitates to answer. The hands that moved up and down throughout the conversation, suddenly fall flat. “It’s the truth. Remember?” she says, turning toward the other side of the table to gather her belongings. As she gets up to leave, she adds: “It’s a fun record that The-Dream wrote and we loved the lyrics. You’re still asking me questions about it so clearly you don’t know.”

Maybe she doesn’t know either.

Courtesy: Complex magazine

Reverend Jacob Akor & Elder Peter Attaboh of United Evangelic al Church Gadumo, Lokoja

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

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ROMINENT sales authority, professor and author Neil Rackham states: “Irresistible new forces are reshaping the world of selling. Sales functions everywhere are in the early stages of radical and profound changes comparable to those that began in manufacturing 40 years ago.

But one change outweighs all the others.

The meaning of selling itself is shifting. The very purpose of sales is being rapidly redefined.”

Consequently, sales organisations face a huge challenge, because there is no longer any sustainable competitive advantage through product superiority.

Author Jerry Stapleton points out that the second problem is that the sales rep’s customers just do not need him or her any longer. At least, not the way they used to.

Traditionally salespeople brought value to their customers by facilitating transactions and communicating information about their products and services. Almost overnight, these two core functions of the salespeople have been lost.

Belatedly, sales - long the corporate stepchild - is emerging not only as a topic worthy of academic and executive attention but also as the business function where substantive improvement is not only doable but also capable of delivering extremely attractive improvements in shareholder returns.

Sensible investment, handsome returns In short, sensible investment in sales effectiveness produces handsome returns.

•Sales forces, rated as world-class by their customers, showed organic revenue growth of nearly 50% per annum over the last five years. All of this in recessionary markets.

•An increasing number of business-tobusiness (B2B) sales forces, facing the insidious effects of commoditisation and margin erosion, are focusing increasing attention on the very purpose of their sales forces. And many are concluding that sales is less about selling their wares, and more about making customers successful.

If you accept this assertion, the implications are profound. It changes everything. What you sell. How you sell.

What kind of salespeople you recruit. How sales managers manage. How you align sales and marketing. How you are rewarded for the value you deliver. And the kind of relationships you have with your customers.

•In the US, there are an estimated 19 million B2B field salespeople and, over the next decade, this number is likely to shrink to about 10 million. The middle-ranking “field sales rep” who sells products, features and benefits is becoming irrelevant and unaffordable, and will be replaced by competent and well-qualified internal telephone-based salespeople, who carry out account management and other roles.

•This will create a requirement for highly educated, financially literate, business-savvy, well-trained consultanttype salespeople who are highly paid. These salespeople are in short supply, and there will be an increasing demand for universities to fill this void. In the US, around 60 universities now offer degree courses in sales, and 94% of their students are recruited before they graduate.

•In South Africa, finding a sales organisation with a clearly defined and articulated sales strategy is all but impossible. This results in lack of focus, confusion and appalling inefficiency.

•Some business processes have achieved extraordinary levels of accuracy and precision. Commercial airlines have a defect level of 3,2ppm, and electronic chip manufacture 3,4ppm. Sales, in contrast, not only tolerates but accepts as normal extremely low standards. Lack of process, poor adherence to process, hiring failure

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2013 trends: Reinventing the sales function

By Peter Gilbert rates of 50% and sometimes higher, inaccurate forecasting, forecasting slippage, untrained sales managers, and much more.

Massive improvement is both necessary, and achievable.

•According to ASTD in its 2011 report ‘Developing Sales Teams that Win’, more than US$15.5 billion is spent annually in the US on sales training. Yet, despite this level of investment, ‘conventional’ sales methods seem not to be delivering profit at the rates required by most B2B companies and, as ASTD so elegantly put it - that’s “[a] large investment to attain more mediocre results”.

Sales effectiveness Unfortunately, most discussions on sales effectiveness default to a discussion on sales training, which should actually be

the last step in the sales enablement process.

•Sales effectiveness begins with an informed management decision to capitalise on the economic benefits to be derived from a highly effective sales organisation. The second step is to decide upon an appropriate go-to-market sales strategy for each business unit or line of business.

Many companies, trying to shed the shackles of commoditisation, are electing to play in the solution space. This, however is very challenging, and most fail to get any return on their investment, often because they strive to deliver value to their customers, but have no clue how much value they actually deliver, and find themselves unable to get paid for it.

•Customers are increasingly demanding ROI when purchasing large complex solutions, but few suppliers have an effective

and credible mechanism for building a robust and logically unassailable business case. Those that do are achieving remarkable growth, with much smaller sales forces.

Two other areas handled very poorly are recruitment and onboarding. Research by CSO Insight reveals that in a survey of some 2000 B2B sales force, on average, 20% of salespeople delivered 62% of revenues. In industries such as real estate, 10-15% of salespeople deliver about 80% of revenues.

This is totally unnecessary and, with readily available tools and systems, a hiring accuracy of 90+ percent is achievable. The financial impact is dramatic.

In summary, a carefully considered, and well-planned investment in sales effectiveness will yield substantial financial returns, and a 50% improvement in sales productivity should be well within the reach of most organisations.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

'Pray for your in-laws so you can have peace ' Mavi Isisbor is the Chief Executive Officer at Poise Nigeria. Having gathered over a decade of experience grooming young people and preparing them to effectively handle the dynamics of corporate etiquette, in this interview with Rita Ohai, she shares from her wealth of wisdom.

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hat prompted you to set up a finishing school?

We noticed that the quality of education that graduates get from our universities is not al-encompassing.

Employers have had troubles with it and they have found out that there is a shortfall between what the schools are churning out and what the employers require. Therefore, we have a lot of graduates that are not employable because they do not have the required soft-skill.

Many employers can test basic results but there is no way for them to check the true nature of a person's attitude, initiative, interpersonal skills or creativity level, which is why we created a programme that bridges this gap so that these people are work-ready.

From your experience, what are some of the counter-productive behaviours that women display in the workspace?

I believe that the way women are brought up in Nigeria is not helpful. It does not empower the woman to come into her own as an individual. A lot of women are not able to assert themselves and they cannot speak up most of the time.

A woman is taught from birth to submit to a man so that even when a woman is the boss in the office, automatically, she defers to the male who is her subordinate. This is something that we need to overcome because it is ingrained in the mentality of the women due to the panel-beating done to condition her mind-set while growing up. For this reason, you cannot expect magic when she gets to the corporate world.

Women often complain about their maternal responsibilities, among other things, as factors hindering their performance at work, how can they break beyond this restriction?

Society is changing. In the past, one would have advised the ladies to quickly have all their children and then go back to work.

I know that during my time, I decided I would have my kids, take a lower paying job that would allow me close early so that I could take care of the family, but with the current economic demands, the man's salary cannot do it alone. So the woman would have to step up.

Nowadays, you take the best-paying jobs and such jobs have their own demands because you definitely cannot get home before 8 or 9pm. Your kitchen will suffer, your marriage and children may suffer too because both parents are working.

But if you are going to flow with the current demands, then you need to learn to buy convenience which is very expensive. For example, you need to get a nanny and house keeper because your children need more than two pairs of eyes watching over them so that you can concentrate at work. This is why many women have battered cars on the road because their minds are always busy.

With this growing trend of 'buying convenience' and abandoning the children with other adults, the moral decline and waywardness of kids is on the increase, what can a woman do to protect her family?

That is very true, but we have to find a balance somewhere. The economy is harsh and the kids need attention but somewhere along the line you would have to find a threshold that is comfortable for you.

You cannot sacrifice financial gratification for the children and vice versa because the family is driven by finances.

You must be able to juggle things. There are women who go to bed on a daily basis at 12 am and by 5 am, they are out of the house; so, it is evident there is no time.

When you look at the type of husband you have and you examine your job with other social activities around you and then you balance things out.

How do you handle in-laws as a busy woman?

Sometimes, in-laws play a very good role for working women in the

sense that they can help with the kids.

There is nothing as good as having someone who is family taking care of your children when you are away.

As for the bad in-laws, there is something my uncle told me years ago.

He said, 'Your in-law will not come and make trouble in your house if that person is happy in his or her own home.'

This means that if they have some worthwhile business and are very comfortable, they will leave you alo

ne. The devil finds work for idle hands, so what you can do is to pray good prayers for them and for God to open doors for them. Pray for them to find 'Oil jobs' and feel important so that your family will have some peace.

Also, help them to get on their feet so that they can be independent and there will be mutual respect.

What are the ways a young woman can gain respect in her office?

First of all, as much as possible manage your home front so that there will be no excuses. The major reason people lose respect is because they always have one excuse or the other.

Ladies always say things like 'my child is ill' or 'I had to drop my husband at the airport'; you will never hear a man say that! Your boss does not have to know the issues you have at home because when you start to play on the weaker-vessel syndrome and on people's emotions by trying to draw sympathy, they begin to see you as unserious.

And do as good a job as any man and even better because you are already at a disadvantage due to the fact that you are a female.

You need to get to the office earlier and close later.

Finally, initiative is the key.

Many ladies, because of the way they have been brought up, have been conditioned to believe that the man has superior intelligence and so you leave all the thinking to him and do not become proactive or try to improve on your skills. That is wrong, take your brain to work and do not leave it in your house.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20 , 2012

New WOMAN

49

with

YETUNDE OLADEINDE

molaralife@yahoo.com

Not what you get but what you give

S

n o i t c e t o r Self p n e m o w r tips fo W

ITH the harsh economic impact on the lives of Nigerian s , many have decided to use this as an excuse to engage in various acts of wickedness.

Being attacked by armed robbers or rapists is gradually becoming a regular occurrence such that many women are forced to take drastic measures to stay safe.

Deola Ayobami narrowly escaped being robbed on her way home from work. “I was at the bus stop at Oshodi when I suddenly felt someone standing behind me. I didn't take it serious initially because I thought the person wanted to board a bus too. But when I noticed the man was not moving, I turned to look at him and he just ran away. “When I looked at my bag, I saw that the side had been torn open and I started shouting. Luckily, he was not able to take anything.�

While you should not live your life in fear of being a victim, you should be aware of the common crimes that happen to unsuspecting women like you every day. Here are some of the most common ways we can protect ourselves.

1. Be very careful about keeping your personal information

Rita Ohai on ways women can keep safe from harm and defend themselves in dangerous situations. confidential. Don't leave mail in your car or write your phone number and address on random pieces of paper.

Have a policy of never giving your email address to a stranger, not even the cute guy you meet at a bar.

Ask for his number instead. Cyberstalking is another big problem these days, so make sure you have strict privacy settings set on all of your social media accounts, and do not post information about your whereabouts or hangouts on these sites.

2. Become very selective about whom you allow into your life. A man who is overly jealous, irrationally suspicious, or aggressive in ways that make you uncomfortable may become dangerous as your intimacy grows.

And if your friends, family, or colleagues are concerned about the guy, listen to what they say. Also, try to find out how he behaved in previous romantic relationships.

Arrests or charges for domestic violence, harassment, or any other aggressive behaviour are very bad signs.

3. If you are attacked or robbed by thieves go to the nearest police station and report the incident immediately. This will protect you and serve as evidence if any of the information stolen from you is used in a fraudulent transaction. It is also vital to ask for a police report while at it.

Try to record any harassing phone calls or interactions. This means keeping careful logs of everything that happens and reporting them frequently. Alert friends, family, neighbours, and coworkers about your stalker and try to provide a photo and description of the stalker or thief's car. Try to maintain an inconsistent schedule so people will not be able to predict your movement.

4. If you have to fight, kick them in their most vulnerable spot. A shot to the groin should cause pain. Pick up any weapon around you and hit them hard. If you have a can of body spray in your bag, use it and aim for their eyes. Finally and most importantly, run hard! A little exercise each morning should help prepare you.

HE spent a fortune to buy the jewelry and every morning, all she did was to take a good look at it, smile and put it back into the treasure chest. Great investment, and then one day she needed some cash and her mind riveted that way. Yes, she was going to use this investment to get what she wanted. But to her utmost surprise, the charming gold bracelet was fake. Fola felt really bad, she threw away the box and it content. How can she hold on to something that is so worthless?

Interestingly, that is the way it is for a lot of relationships.

You keep the person you treasure in the uppermost part of your heart. Like gold and diamonds, they have been treasured for so long and your dream is to keep them there forever. But then somehow something happens and your emotional treasure turns out to be a bundle of affectionate disappointments. It becomes useless and you just want to put 'it' behind you. Usually, when you end a relationship that felt like it had a lot of "promise" and connection, it's hard to believe you'll ever find love again, at least in quite the same way.

You might even vow not to date again for a long time, because you just don't want to get hurt again. It can feel pretty safe to live inside the little "bubble" you make for yourself, just working on your career, spending time with friends, doing things that make you happy. What do you need a man for anyway?

You put yourself and your love life in a "holding pattern" because you don't want to let another man in or get close.

You don't want to be vulnerable. What's the point, if all that's going to happen is that you'll end up feeling more of the same? Well, the truth of the matter is that love does not always work this way. Sometimes you win and there are times when you lose.

If you are really honest with yourself, you'll realise that you don't want to shut yourself off from what can be the opportunity for an amazing, life-long experience. As a matter of fact, one great guy you're meant to be with could be out there somewhere. And unless you create the "space" for him in your life, you won't be ready for love when he finally surfaces.

If you're not taking a risk, then you may just be risking never feeling the love and connection that could transform your life someday. Of course, if your experience with the opposite sex has been, well, less than great, then you would surely have some reservations. For those in this category, they would rather stick a twig in their eye than date again.

But the simple truth is that you can experience the kind of love that you've always wanted in your life, regardless of what kind of bad experiences you've had before.

When you wear an emotional love crown there are lots of expectations. And because so much has been given, you would also want to give back to your crown prince. Once you do not meet the person's expectation, then things are likely to fall apart. Here you would be thinking of how to get back the love, passion, and enjoyment out of love and life. For a lot of women it is important because they prefer to stop the vicious cycle of getting into a relationship, getting a man, and then losing themselves. The ultimate goal usually is to have a truly loving and "evolved" relationship.

You can also achieve this if you learn to change the way you go about your relationship, you can make this change happen in the man you're with - or in the kind of man you attract.

Some, however, believe that you can only get to your love destination if you get the right partner. Sometimes , you don't need to wait for the right relationship to "happen to you," when you have the power to make it happen for yourself and feel 100% confident about where your love and relationship is headed.

In a lot of relationships the sparks reduce when there is breakdown in communication. Mistrust, arguments and feelings of hurt are likely to occur and recur in this kind of relationship. It further leads to a continual state of frustration, misunderstood feeling and being unappreciated. The truth of the matter is that unexpressed feelings usually pile up and poison the relationship. The emotional buttons that your partner pushes in you can make you happy or angry depending on how you guys connect.

So, it is better to be committed by listening not only with your ears but also with your heart.

Always remember that in any relationship it is not what you get but what you give that matters. Criticism, contempt, being defensive and stonewalling are signs that the sparks you once enjoyed in a relationship are going or gone. Even though teasing is an important tool for building healthy relationships, you need to understand your partner to know what jokes are appropriate and those that are not. Please don't overstretch your limits when it comes to joking or teasing your partner.

The truth about attraction is that it is not just about being a great beauty, or about seducing a man into having feelings for you. It is actually about something deeper and more longlasting. And the best part is that once a man feels this level of attraction for you, almost nothing can keep him away from wanting to be with you.

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Etcetera

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi

POLITICKLE

deewalebf@yahoo.com 08060343214 (SMS only)

Things Blow Apart

OH, LIFE!

THE GReggs

A grasp of contemporary national issues as well as previous knowledge of popular titles from the African Writers Series should, as usual, enhance the reader’s comprehension of the last of a spoof literary series.

The House of Blunder by Obije Babz Or The House of Representatives. A perceived determination to represent the people poorly masks obscene pay or arm-twisting of the executive to expand the budget and probably accommodate inordinate inclination.

The Enslaved by Alchi Emdi To slavish labour and child slavery add less visible but more encompassing political, cultural and economic slavery prescribed for all by the self-perpetuating political class.

Detained by Innocent Sitizin A compilation of detention notes by mostly innocent citizens from police holding cells and ‘Awaiting Trial’ inmates of Nigerian prisons.

Small Ones in the Dock by E.F. See-see The revolting sequel to Crime and Puny Men. My Commandeering: A Post-Nigerian Civil War Account by Obije Babz From abuse of power to influence of office, the tale of an old man’s mockery of his people is endlessly woven.

Things Blow Apart by Shin Akebe With government officials in blatant pursuit of yet another ‘juicy’ contract or scheme stumped by daily shootings and serial detonation of IEDs, the collective dream goes up in literal smoke.

Bakazi Shall Be Free: an autobiography by Mumi Bakazi And the people dreamed of weeping no more, settled on a land as fertile as the ancestral territory infamously ceded to Cameroon.

There Was a Community by Shinner Akebbe A yarn some wannabe of the old master spins to rally his estranged Bakazi people.

Oppressors of the City by Sidonluk N. Wori Read all about it: custodians and guardians of Nigerian cities turn chief tormentors of the ordinary folk.

Weep Now, Child by Konsand Sitizin Contemplating lament one day and wailing the next for a tomorrow all but ruined by yesterday men in government.

Football failures In support of Nigeria’s campaign at the 2013 Africa Nations Cup finals holding in South Africa and in defiance of a potentially crippling culture of mediocrity, the writer freely kicks the following gags into play in the hope that the reader, football aficionado or less so, would subsequently cheer for victory.

A Nations Cup Own Goal

CHEEK BY JOWL

A FOOTBALL-MAD man who stole an Africa Nations Cup ticket from a woman’s handbag was caught after sitting down to watch the game next to his victim’s husband.

The crook mugged the woman as she made her way to the National Stadium for the opening match and discovered the ticket in her bag. He then took the woman’s place in the stadium which happened to be just beside the woman’s husband. The husband immediately called security to apprehend the villain.

A police spokesman said: “The thief found the ticket in the bag and decided to watch the game, not expecting to sit next to his victim’s husband, who immediately informed officers on duty at the stadium.”

Ignorance Complete A COLLEGE football coach noted for his ability to get players to give their best walked into the changing room before a game. He looked over to his new signing, a thick-skulled but talented player, and said: “I’m not supposed to let you play since you failed arithmetic, Mathew, but we need you to be in the team.

So, what I have to do is ask you a math question, and if you get it right you will be allowed to play.”

The player agreed, so the coach looked into his eyes intently and asked, “Okay, now concentrate hard and tell me the answer to this: What is two plus two?”

The player thought for a moment and then answered: “Four?”

“Did you say Four?” the coach said, excited that the player got the answer right.

All the other players on the team began shouting. “Come on coach, give him another chance!”

Jokes Humour Always One A MAN walked into a bar on a slow night and sat down. After a few minutes, the barman asked if he wanted a drink. “No thanks,” he said. “I don’t drink. I tried it once, but I didn’t like it.”

So the barman said, “Well, would you like a cigarette?”

The man said, “No thanks. I don’t smoke.

I tried it once, but I didn’t like it.”

The barman asked if he would like to play a game of pool, and again the man said, “No thanks. I don’t like pool. I tried it once, but I didn’t like it. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be here at all, but I’m waiting for my son.”

Said the barman, “Your only son, I presume.”

25-cent Johnny LITTLE Johnny used to hang out at the local corner market. The owner didn’t know what Johnny’s problem was, but the other boys constantly teased him. They said he was dumb.

To prove it, sometimes they offered Johnny a choice between a dollar and a 25 cents coin. And Johnny always took the cents

“because it was bigger,” the boys said.

One day, after Johnny grabbed the cents as usual, the store owner took him aside and said, “Johnny, those boys are making fun of you. They think you don’t know that the cents is worth more than the dollar. Are you grabbing the coin because it’s bigger, or what?”

Johnny turned toward the store owner and a big grin appeared on his face. Johnny said, “Well, if I took the dollar, they’d stop doing it. So far I’ve saved $20!”

In the Same Vein ...

•When Sammy thought about the evils of drinking in the New Year, he gave up thinking.

•After the tournament, the star athlete fired his personal physiotherapist … he rubbed him the wrong way.

QUOTE I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.

— George Carlin •Adapted from the Internet

A

D D I N G Writer ’s Fountain colour to your stories: Imagine a writing with and lovers’ gossip into a classic. He found vibrant little phrases, stunning images and a nuggets of stories everywhere and each one surprise in every line – a writing with freshness presented a fresh fragment of perception.

Now, here’s an idea for generating stories of perception, in other words. But how can you through observation. Go into a shop and stop achieve that?

As every serious writer, you must keep a to look hard at whatever is in front of you. You notebook handy. Or blank file cards. A famous must not only see but hear, smell and, if possible, writer used tens of notebooks to record the touch and taste it. Then describe what you trivia of his wanderings in the streets. He turned perceived as if it had never seen it before. The his notes of shopping bills, maternity wards results are often remarkable.

You can also take a fresh view of some ordinary experiences and add conflict to them Hear this: such that each incident becomes, in itself, a tiny •“Ma is as selfless as I am” can be read the same story. And each story might be used as a symbol way backwards. If you take away all the spaces within a greater story to sum up the mood or you will see that all the letters can be spelled theme of the narrative. Any trivial thing can be out both ways. made vivid and reminiscent of some deeper •“Almost” is the longest commonly used word meaning if we look upon it with the nonin the English language with all the letters in judgmental eyes of a child. It’s the trick of alphabetical order. making the familiar unfamiliar.

•A poem written to celebrate a wedding is called So, wander anywhere. Stop at random. an epithalamium.

Disengage your critical mind. Look, hear, •“Taxi” is spelled exactly the same in English, smell, feel or even taste what you perceive. Note French, German, Swedish, Portuguese, and down your immediate thoughts, and then the Dutch. imaginative places your thoughts lead you to.

•Perhaps the toughest tongue twister in English: You’ll hardly again be short of fresh vivid “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.” perceptions to inspire your stories.

THE ARTS P

ENULTIMATE weekend, the art community in Lagos gathered in large number to celebrate one of their own. It was a day when Sefi Atta, one of the foremost writers of her generation presented her latest novel – A Bit of Difference to the public. The occasion did not only offer artistes and art enthusiasts the opportunity to interact with Atta, it was equally a rare moment to discuss many issues affecting writers and writings in Nigeria and other societies across the globe.

And in the course of the intellectual discourse that followed, Atta was able to handle issues on a wide range of areas. From marriage to writing, to racism, to religious matters, and so on, Atta zeroed in on her style of writing, what informs her themes and why racism outside the African continent has become a global issue. Even the story of Deola Bello, which she handles in A Bit of Difference, critically examines life in and outside Nigeria.

At 39 years of age, Deola, a Nigerian expatriate in London, is dissatisfied with being single and working overseas. She works as a financial reviewer for an international charity. And when her job takes her to Nigeria in time for her father’s five-year memorial service, she finds herself turning her scrutiny inward. At home here in Nigeria, Deola encounters changes, deep-rooted changes for that matter, in her family and in the urban landscapes of her home.

Now, new acquaintances offer her more unexpected possibilities. Her return, therefore, exposes the changes in her society and those of other foreign lands where she has been living for too long.

Here in this story, like Atta reveals, she uses Deola’s voice to unearth the various images of Africa and the realities of the contemporary Nigerian life.

Deola’s voice is incisive, precise, strong and urgent. She captivates the intricate nature of a society at the crossroads of confusion, a society where everything happens, yet there is no decisive and concerted action to show that there is any meaningful progress in sight. The situation is so pathetic that Atta shows how precarious that can be when compared with life being lived across other more developed continents of the world.

Instructively, Atta handled the interactive session with the precision and boldness of a writer well attuned to her art. When asked if her exposure abroad has helped her to see the Nigerian situation more clearly, she said, “Well, I think I write what I see and what I experience. Even though I went to live abroad (Mississippi, USA) in

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

‘I don’t understand feminism’ Sefi Atta, a trained accountant is the author of three novels and a number of plays. Penultimate week, she presented her latest work, A Bit of Difference to the public in Lagos and had time to interact with fellow artistes and journalists. Edozie Udeze recounts that event

•Atta reading from her new book

•Artistes and journalists during the reading by Atta

1977, I come home often not only to mingle but to also see my people. In other words, I don’t have any other writing experience but what I see in my own country. And this is what I write about all the time.”

Even though as a writer, Atta comes home and is equally grounded in the affairs of the nation, she agrees that the year 2012 was very productive for her. “I did pretty well in 2012 even though at 49, I wish I can slow down a bit. You can see that the speed is no longer as high as it used to be. Mine has been good because I deliberately concentrate attention on social issues when I write. There is plenty to write about in this country”, she reveals, smiling in the process.

Asked to comment on the problem of racism and tribalism in America and Nigeria respectively, Atta replied, “Racism is rampant outside the shores of this country. Although it is more carefully applied now, it is still there and will continue to be there. Even in churches in Mississippi where I live, people discriminate along colours and creeds. Here too in Nigeria, ethnic problems abound. But my greatest worry is that life is so cheap in Nigeria.

And coupled with that, nothing gets

done by government and so the society remains redundant; remains unprogressive year in year out. And so in the midst of all these, a writer’s work has to develop, has to come from somewhere. It is for me then to look deeper, to observe, to ask questions, to interact with my people in order to produce my stories,” she added, while the gathering gave their acclaim.

After three novels, one of which has been so well acclaimed (Something Good Will Come), Atta agrees that she is happy but not yet satisfied. “I love what I have done so far as a writer. Even as a trained accountant, I often think as a writer and no writer is ever satisfied. We keep imagining, pushing on, thinking and trying to better ourselves … Yes, I don’t want to be seen as a famous writer. I hate the word famous. I only want to be recognised for what I do. Recognition for me is good for a writer. Let the world see and recognise and appreciate what I do.”

As a writer, Atta said she hates to discuss other people’s work in public or to draw comparison therefrom. “I respect other authors and hate to say

whether their works are good or bad.

Every writer has something to offer, even though we know there are bad writings too. For me therefore, I just use what happens to me and to people around me to justify my stories. Before I begin to write, I first dream up the story. Essentially, my books explore how women make it in a patriarchal society like ours. It surprises me too how these women find time to overcome issues and become strong in such a society like Nigeria,” she said.

Asked if she is a feminist writer and whether marriage should be a binding factor for young girls, Atta first played on the issue thus, “Ah you don’t have to be dictated to by the society,” she grinned, turning round to face the large audience.

“Well, for me, if you want to marry, go on ahead and do so. After all, there has to be continuity in the society. If you don’t want to get married and then as you approach 40 years, what happens? What do you do at that age? It is not my duty though to dictate to you or decide for you what to do.”

Concerning feminism which many said reflects a lot in her works,

Artistes thrill at countdown festival

A

•Omawumi performing at the event

51

LONG with the world’s top tourist destinations, Lagos State played host to a world class cross-over festival on new year’s eve. The bouquet of activities created by the Lagos State government to mark the Lagos Countdown 2012 came to a climax with a thrilling display of spectacular fireworks, laser beam and water projection as never seen before in the entire continent of Africa. This was complimented by rich musical performances by a long list of top Nigerian artistes which include Tu Face Idibia, Omawunmi, Darey, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, MI, Banky W, Skales, Burma Boy, Ice Prince, Brymo, Dr. Sid, DePrince, Durella, Davido, Inyanya, among others.

The event, in its maiden edition, turned out to be the largest musical concert of the year in terms of artiste performance and attendance. Over 100,000 people converged on the Eko Atlantic City on the year’s eve to

welcome the new year in true Lagos style, while millions of people experienced the event via the mass media as well as the social media.

The Lagos Countdown was featured live on CNN along with other choice tourism and business locations such as Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York, thus elevating Lagos State’s tourism profile and projecting its potentials to the world. According to the organisers of the event, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, the strategic intent for hosting the Lagos Countdown was to put Lagos on the global tourism map in the league of cities as Sydney, New York, London, Paris, Los Angelis and other major destinations that will be commemorating the cross over into the year 2013 in spectacular ways.”

George Noah, the Managing Director, LASAA, while speaking with newsmen at the

she declared, “I don’t even know what feminism means or what it stands for. But if it means people reading my works and identifying whatever that is in it, I don’t mind.

For me, it is the news from home that matters so much.”

On the whole, Atta promised to do more plays now, which she confessed is less stressful. “I even started out as a playwright. I wrote plays for the BBC which were broadcast. For me, my plays have to have plenty of Nigerian issues, and scenes and events in order to identify with my audience. Although a play is not easier to write, it gives me less pain to do so. Hopefully, I want to write more plays henceforth,” she stated.

Atta who attended the event in company of her husband, daughter and mother, demonstrated how much strength she draws from her family. Also in attendance were Lagos socialite and former commissioner in the state, Wale Edun, Ogun State commissioner for Health, and son of Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, Olaokun Soyinka, London-based Nigerian writer, Chibundu Onuzo. Others were human rights activist and researcher, Ogaga Ifowodo, culture activist, Toyin Akinosho, and many writers and journalists.

Eko Atlantic City, venue of the event, hinted that, “what the agency is doing on behalf of the state government is leveraging the proposition of Lagos as a premium destination for business and leisure.” The Bar beach end of the Eko Atlantic City became a beehive of major commercial and leisure activities, thronged by thousands of domestic and foreign tourists who were entertained every evening by different artistes at the instance of some of the sponsors of the event who give away various mouth-watering freebees night after night.

The celebration officially began on Thursday 20th December 2012 as the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola officially “switched on” the Lagos Festival of Lights, heralding the holiday season. In his remark at the flag-off ceremony, the Governor said that the Lagos Countdown was conceived to create an end of year cross-over tradition that engages citizens of the state, tourists and investors throughout the end of year holiday season.

52

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Arts/Reviews

HAT to you is the role of the National Troupe of Nigeria in a bilateral cultural exchange like we had during the Nigeria cultural week in Beijing, China?

The National Troupe of Nigeria has found this opportunity, a singular one for that matter, to prove its mettle, not only in the eye of the international community, but actually to express what we can do to our law-makers who happened to be on ground and who fortunately were satisfied with what we have done. It has not been easy but the most important thing is that we have been able to do what we are established to do – perform Nigerian dances to the best of our abilities not only in Nigeria but anywhere, where the country demands that we do so. What we have done during this celebration and how the people have received us have proved that we can always do it if the mandate is properly in place.

What you saw yesterday and what the Minister of Culture, Chief Edem Duke, said is that the bond of friendship which has been more on the pages of newspapers has been realised now. The level of cultural relationship between Beijing and Abuja has been elevated and we all are elated about it. It is now on a more concrete terms. You could see Nigerians and Chinese bond together in love and peace.

From the type of songs and dances on stage, both from China and Nigeria, you could see that we have certain similarities in terms of culture. This is going to promote a lot. Nigeria is more of a cash society and that aspect was hammered on by the minister. But that does not mean we want to launder money. Although gradually we can become a cashless society and that way we will come to terms with what obtains elsewhere, this is therefore part of what this visit will do to the understanding of both nations in terms of culture. It may not have its immediate yields and impact now, but what is there is that we have gone round to see that the possibility of empowering our creative sector is there.

In terms of technical facility, we can partner with our Chinese counterparts and you saw that they have plenty of it.

But in terms of workforce, Nigeria is equally rich. We can give much to our culture. The content of our culture is what the National Troupe of Nigeria

W

G

BE Ku De is not just a peculiar Yoruba play in the context of satire and ululation of the oddities of life, it is formed and put in place by the original playwright Adegoke Durojaiye, to dramatise life in its entirety.

But in translating the play into English with the name Death Entrapped, Deji Medubi, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, has succeeded in enlarging its literary scope and reach and appeal in order to portray to the world the place of Poverty, Death, Wealth, Contentious and more, in the organisation and perception of life.

It is a play that draws extensively from the every-day method of living by the key players in the society. But in this format, Poverty takes the centre stage. He implores his own wisdom and gimmick to handle Death, distort the normal flow of things and put his wife, Contentious, where she belongs. He is not just the protagonist, he is a crook who

•Adaji

It is goldmine; it yields money, but a lot of people may not know. People can build and let them out and make money from there. If we do that and develop the sector well, we will be able to keep arts alive and also attract tourists to the country.

From what we have seen here in China, you will agree with me that culture holds a lot for a nation. But first the sector has to be properly developed by those who love to preserve culture. And you see, if we can take just two percent of Chinese going out of China to Nigeria during this cold period, we have a lot. And that means a lot of foreign exchange for Nigeria and for the sector.

We should also stop thinking that tourism is an elitist pastime. No it is not. And that is why we need to develop our

domestic tourism in order to encourage our people to fall in love with it. I know there are challenges with every day living. Nigeria is not an exception. But if you take a holiday for say a week or two in a year, trying to visit one destination, you discover you’ll be much more productive when you resume. As at the moment a lot of departments in the sector are making it possible for people to show more interest in tourism.

I am sure if we key into this agenda, we will make room for more money to be generated internally from tourism, not to think of people coming from outside.

We have infrastructural problem in the sector. How do we overcome it?

Yes, insecurity is also a problem. But it is over bloated somewhat. Nigeria, to tell you the truth, is not the worst in the world. There are plenty of security problems in the world that are never reported. The press will help us in this regard. Other parts of the world fight for people to come to their country.

This is what we need to constantly do too.

Yes, the infrastructure will develop gradually. More people now show interest in the sector and with time it will be better. Nigeria is a beautiful country. You are here now in this room, you can’t get out because of snow. We do not have weather challenge. It is warm in Nigeria, the people are good, the food is good and so on. So, we will get there someday soon.

Yes, we will, I can assure you of that. Let all of us put hands together to build an endearing sector for all of us.

asks Poverty, “Ah, you ensnare Death? Poverty, you are a real man.” And so, as he does so, he goes far afield on page 42 where he says: “Yes, I’ve captured Death. So let him be enjoying himself there.” In his reply, Death squirms: “Poverty, you’ve cunningly bound me just because I’ve come to kill you. But I want you to realise that I’m working at the order of the creator…”

The climax of the play is shown on page 40 where another funny character Feme, says thus: “As Poverty will not die and his wife, Contentious, will not die, how will the world be conducive for one?”

To which Intelligence gives a protracted reply that goes this way: “Oh yes, we kneel to choose destiny. We prostrate to take advice. We came to the world but become impatient … By marrying a restless woman he has carried a dead bush-fowl, thereby overloading himself with myriad

of problems…” What a hard lesson to learn from the play!

Apart from a few typographical errors, Medubi has shown that drama is the centre-piece of life. The play is instructive, having been originally written in 1970 but which still today harbours ingredients of lessons for mankind.

•National Troupe performing on stage

‘Theatre is the soul of a nation’ Martin Adaji is the Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria whose outing in China recently proved to the world the importance of culture in bridging friendship among nations. In this interview with Edozie Udeze held Beijing, Adaji China, bares his mind on the role of dance, theatre, tourism and more in keeping the world as one is meant to portray and has been portraying. That content has to be provided for. A lot of people on the streets have the creative skills but cannot go beyond their practice.

To empower such people is what we have been able to do so far. In order to make them flourish we provide them with some of these technical support.

If we then have China as our partners, we will go a long way indeed.

We propagate so much theatre in Nigeria, but do we truly practice theatre?

What we must realise is that we have theatre, but do we really have a Nigerian theatre?

Can we say we have a Nigerian theatre? See, we have over 250 distinct ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. To me, that is credit because it means the freshness of appeal of all our cultural her-

itage can never run dry.

We have variety; all these ethnic nationalities have other distinct cultures which account for the variety we have in Nigeria. So, China has the packaging, we have the content. If we merge both, we’ll be able to develop our own. And you must know that the world is a global village now; no one individual nation wants to do it alone. You have to be in contact with others; you have to be in touch too making friends where necessary in order to move ahead.

We have a lot of content but we lack in the area of packaging. In this area, we can now come to an agreement between the two countries. You see, what the Chinese team did on stage was not really extra-ordinary, it was the packaging that did it for them. There were no

drummers but the music played on because it was produced. If we partner along that line, we can travel with less people and so on.

Most troupes that come to Nigeria, they mime a lot but you’ll never know. They look so real and so nice. So, if we can package ours like that we can go places. We use so much human efforts to do little. But what we do now is to take so many people off the streets who will live on culture, ply their trade and move on.

We do not have enough stages to do all that. What can government do in this regard?

For me, this is a fertile ground and government cannot do everything. Capacity building can be private-sectordriven. A lot of entrepreneurs in Nigeria can go into it. They can build theatres on their own.

Transcending poverty

By Edozie Udeze hoodwinks all and sundry.

It is ironical how poverty has continued to pervade the surface of the earth. Even when the opportunity to eradicate it presented itself on a platter of gold, Poverty is not only tenacious, and cunning, but aggressive and stubborn. In a case where he refuses to allow new trends to hold sway, both Wealth, Death, Intelligence and others have no choice but to bow to his whims and caprices.

With Contentious as his wife, and a very contagious one for that matter, the duo continue to pose as a threat to the world. In their poverty, a very terrible one for that matter, they terrorise the world and pust their neighbours in jeopardy. Peace eludes them, so also the people around them. Poverty is not prepared

to let go, his smartness is for the wrong reason and intent.

For how long will poverty and hunger continue to mesmerise the world and be a force to reckon with?

With a horrible wife whose tongue tears the heart like bad news in a harmattan season, no one can be in a proper frame of mind to plan and achieve. So, with the sort of wife Poverty deserves, so to say, the stage in now set to unleash on the world these two worrisome issues that the society may never wish away.

A Stranger comes around and asks Poverty to choose what he wants in life. Surprisingly, he does not choose wealth or progress or peace; he chooses to have his only apple tree produce ripped fruits. Both the Stranger and Contentious are amazed. But then too, Contentious chooses

the death of her man. But Poverty proves smarter, for in the process his landlord comes around and he ensures that his fingers are glued to the tree.

So also is Death whom he makes to follow suit.

With so much power and sense in the hands of Poverty, how can poverty, backwardness, idiocy and so on, be eradicated in the world? The story is to show that most people who find themselves in that position do not want to be free from it. It is incongruously the truth, but the sort of truth that the world will for ever live with. Poverty has come to stay, has come to invent various ways to manipulate the world and remain endemic. Who can then beat poverty in this game of intrigues and self-centredness and survival instinct?

On page 40, Intelligence

WORSHIP

53

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

INTERVIEW

I

T’S a New Year and there are many prophecies and predictions as usual.

What do you say about some of these things?

The problem with us here is that we approach everything from a metaphysical angle. We all want to know who will die and all that. To know all those that will die in 2013, all you need to do is to consult the devil’s list. The Bible says he comes to steal, kill and destroy. So, once you access that list and the people on the list are careless not to approach God, then they will die as you predict and people will say you are a great prophet.

So, what does God have in store for Nigeria in 2013?

First of all, you need to know that the plan of God is good. He is a God of sowing and harvest. To know what lies ahead, we need to ask ourselves what we are sowing. God is not mocked; whatever a man sows he will reap.

If you discountenance that and look into a crystal glass, you are deceiving yourself.

If I look at Nigeria now, there are four things that must be handled. If we don’t tackle them, we are only deceiving ourselves with prophecies and predictions.

What are those?

First, we have to tackle corruption, which has reached epidemic dimensions. Corruption has permeated every sector of the society now. To handle corruption, we need to educate the nation on what I call collective guilt. Somehow, we are all guilty of where Nigeria is in terms of corruption.

Two, we have to address the increasing devaluation of human lives in Nigeria. Human life is worth nothing in Nigeria. Nigeria is the second worst in infant mortality rate, which means if there is a curse for getting pregnant, Nigeria is the second most cursed nation in the world. We also have the second worst maternal rate.

That means it is better to give birth in Togo and Sudan than in Nigeria. There are kidnappings, accidents and deaths every moment in Nigeria. People die for avoid-

‘The four demons Nigeria must fight’ Rev. Ladi Thompson is the Special Adviser on Conflict Resolution & Counter- Terrorism to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). He spoke with Sunday Oguntola on how Nigeria can overcome the inherent dangers in 2013 and tackle growing religious extremism. Excerpts: able and preventable reasons. Our roads are death traps. We don’t demand quality service delivery from contractors, instead we allege the roads are filled with bloody-thirsty demons. The church capitalises on that and asks people to bring their cars and vehicles for special anointing. Until September 11, many embassies did not provide shades and shelters for Nigerians to access visa.

When the bombing started, they realised they must protect their property and provided shades for us. Until we give value to lives, collapse is inevitable. A country that has value for lives will take good care of the young and the elderly, but what do we have?

And the third malaise?

We do not place value on time and planning. The whites said in apartheid South Africa that an average African cannot plan beyond a year. They said we lack the capacity to plan long term.

We have no value for time and planning and that is why chaos is inevitable until we change. The fourth is that this country is built on a foundation of deep distrusts and mistrusts. In Nigeria, there are religious and ethnic distrusts. Whenever those two things are allowed to fester into sores, they will blow any nation apart.

How do we deal with these distrusts then?

It is easy to deal with

KSM elevates members, preaches godliness

S

OME members of the Order of Knights of Saint Mulumba, Lagos Region 1, have been elevated to the second degree level of the prestigious organisation.

The newly elevated members were charged to shun corruption and maintain strong faith in God at the investiture ceremony, which held at the Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Victoria Island, Lagos, The Deputy Grand Knight, Lekki Sub Council, Arc Johnny O. Ngonadi, explained the group was

By Sunday Oguntola

formed to promote evangelism.

According to him: “We help to attract more members into the Order of Knights of Mulumba by living good Christian lives so that when people see us they will know why we’re knights.”

Grand Knight, Lagos Sub Council, Dr. Charles Mbelede, said elevation within the group is a tedious process.

“In the Order of the Knight, we have four degree level which a member has to attain through exams in line with the pre-

them. We need people who can build consensus and intra-national protocols. The South West can, for example, through people like General Alani Akinrinade and Governor Aregbesola, among others, who have shown interest in the survival of the ethnic nation, host a symposium to put together intranational protocols. These are just guidelines for all exchanges among ethnic nations. In ancient years, people made more progress through consensus-building.

We need dialogues to resolve religious and ethnic distrusts. The Arewa and Northern elites are clamouring we must negotiate with terrorists. That will only strengthen terrorists.

Do you then agree with the CBN Governor’s suggestion that all religious and ethnic bodies should be banned?

I don’t think Sanusi is sincere in his comments. I listened to the Sultan also accusing Northerners for the insecurity in the region. Why are all these comments coming up this time? Where were these voices of reasoning five, four years ago?

They have realised that global attention is now on terrorism based on the French’s intervention in Mali. When it is Nigeria’s turn, a lot of people who have facilitated this insurgency will be exposed. If we have had the Boko Haram designated a

Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), we would have tackled the sect long ago.

You really believe so?

Absolutely, because some of us have discovered that the kind of terrorism that Osama Bin Laden promoted in Sudan during his six-year- residence is what operates in Nigeria. You see, terrorism stands on four legs but Nigeria’s intelligence and security are only focusing on one. All those who trained in Sudan know what Osama promoted. We have concentrated on violent attacks and ignored others.

What are these other legs?

Osama remodelled terrorism. He took part of corporate structure to repackage it. He took some models from multi-nationals and used them to promote extremism.

One leg was violent a t tacks. The other is clerical outpouring of venoms to recruit religious extremists.

There is also a financial leg that mobilises and moves funds across the globe for terrorists. Then, the last leg is image-makers, the media.

They are the ones making Boko Haram look more or less like freedom fighters.

We cannot tackle Boko Haram without neutralising

•Thompson these departments that are highly organised with great intelligence.

What are these protocols that you spoke about?

They are just guidelines for inter-ethnic relations. In the South West, there was a protocol established as far back as the 12th century. That is why you can find a part of the same family practicing Islam and Christianity with-

NEWS cept of the knighthood.

“What we did here is the 2 nd degree and the procedure is that the knight of the lady or brother must have passed an exam to get to the next degree.”

Grand Knight, Lekki Sub Council, Femi GiwaAmu, stated that knights are men dedicated to the church and service to humanity.

“In our order, you are first and foremost admitted into the order and within two years of your admission, working you will be confirmed a knight. Then you move from 1st degree to 2nd degree. “We now have longer, stronger and younger members who are now in the order to serve God the more,” he explained.

out clashes. The central theme is what the Yorubas call ‘orisa bo o le gba mi fi mi le bi ose bami’, which literally means, if a god cannot advance me, he should just let me be. When it comes to spiritual affairs, any spirit that does not bring progress but backwardness and bloodshed should be jettisoned. If ancient wisdom did this, we should follow suit.

Ministry opens orphanage in Ogun •Promises ‘inmates’ world-class services

I

F churches pay more attention to humanitarian services, the mass poverty in the land will become history in no time, the President of Sanctuary of Peace Mission, Pastor Dele Akeredolu, has declared.

Akeredolu spoke last weekend during the commissioning of the ministry’s Orphanage Home at Ilese, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

He said: “It is good to preach about godliness and holiness. It is fine to say God will bless you but we have to demonstrate the love of God. “The church must pay attention to charitable services and activities to convince Nigerians that this is not about

By Sunday Oguntola

tithes and offering.”

He added: “If all the churches around decide to do one humanitarian outreach or the other, Nigeria will change and will know no lack.”

Akeredolu, who is based in Canada, said the home was established to cater for homeless and helpless Nigerians.

He lamented that too many orphan children have nowhere to turn to, while also saying many have been rendered homeless by natural disasters.

He said the home will attempt to meet their needs within available resources.

The Ilese Orphanage

Home, he said, is the first by the ministry, stating that plans are on to establish others within Nigeria and Ghana.

A coordinator in the ministry, Pastor Samuel Adelakun, also advised other Christian bodies and organisations to consider ways of ameliorating poverty in the land.

He stated: “Building schools by churches does not benefit the less- privileged in the society because most of these schools are even more expensive than the government schools.

“Churches need to concentrate on projects that will benefit the downtrodden, such as scholarships, grants and others.”

Worship

54

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Love Fever (contd.)

Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi CHRISTIAN ROMANCE SERIES

O

N Sunday, Tosin woke up early, as usual. With the breakfast prepared, she served everyone and went back to the room to lie down. She would wait until Ladi had left for church, then she would go to the other church.

Some minutes later, Ladi entered the room. He closed the door and stood still, looking at Tosin’s still form on the bed. Then he walked over and sat on the bed beside her.

“It’s time for church.” The words were quietly spoken.

“You can go.” She said simply.

“What about you?”

“I will go when I am ready.”

Ladi breathed in. “Tosin?”

Dark eyes peered at her intently.

She didn’t respond.

“I want to apologise for what I did on Thursday. I guess I shouldn’t have sent the woman away like that. It was wrong and I’m sorry.”

She looked unconvinced.

“There’s no need to say you’re sorry because I know you can’t mean it. You did what you wanted to do, and of course you were right. As always.”

“We’re not talking about who is right or who is wrong.

I’m saying I’m sorry. I want you to get up. Let’s go to church. We’re almost late.”

“I’m not going.”

He let out a long breath before he said, “Please, Tosin.”

“No.” A look of irritation crept into his eyes. “Well, suit yourself.”

Getting up, he brought out his suit and began to prepare.

Tosin smiled sadly. If he had insisted on her going with him or persisted in persuading her, she would have changed her mind, but he had left her.

And that was part of the problem. He would just turn away from her, and leave her.

He had told her to suit herself, well she intended to do just that, as soon as he left.

Soon Ladi was ready. He

went out to the living room and saw that Sade and Tireni were dressed up too. He entered the bedroom again, holding the door open.

“We’re leaving.” He said.

“Don’t take Tireni with you!” Tosin told him.

“Why not?”

She got up from the bed. “I’ll take care of her.”

“It’s okay.” Ladi turned and called out, “Tireni? Mummy is calling you.”

Tireni came in, wearing a beautiful pink gown and matching shoes. Tosin pulled her close.

“Bye.” Ladi said and left with Sade.

Tosin heard the front door close and soon there was the sound of tyres on the gravel outside.

She brought out a blue and white iro and buba lace and a matching head gear. Some fifteen minutes later, looking elegant, she drove toward the church in the neighbourhood, with Tireni seated in the passenger seat.

As Tosin was seated in the church, she felt somehow guilty and a little out of place. She tried to shake the feeling off, convincing herself that it was normal to feel that way since it was her first time in that church.

The choir came up to sing and as she joined the congregation in clapping, she heard her conscience ask her - What are you doing here?

She felt troubled in her heart immediately. Her clapping subsided and the smile faded.

She frowned as she answered I’m here to worship God. Your place is with your husband - the inner voice persisted.

I know but he left without me, he couldn’t be bothered she said lamely.

She continued to argue silently with her conscience, and it was when the congregation clapped again that she realised she hadn’t heard the song rendered by the choir and she had spent ten minutes lost in thought.

She would listen to the message of the pastor, she hoped God would speak to her through him. ********** On Friday evening, on the way to the car park, Tosin asked Chichi if she would be at Lola’s child’s naming ceremony the next day.

“I can’t be there. I told you I’m travelling to see my mother and won’t be back until Sunday evening.”

“Oh, yes you did.”

“But you should attend.”

Chichi pointed out.

“Of course, I will. It’s at four o’ clock. I’ve already taken permission from my boss, I’ve told him that I won’t be in the office at all tomorrow.” Tosin said as they reached their cars.

“Goodnight. My regards to your family.”

“Goodnight.” Tosin said and smiled fondly at her friend. ********** On Saturday, Tosin opened her jewelry box and considered her collection. She eventually decided to wear the earrings and necklace she bought recently for Lola’s child’s naming ceremony.

She looked over her clothes thoughtfully. She would want to look attractive as Joe might be there.

Joe? That his name popped into her mind frightened her. Why should she be thinking of him?

She’d better be careful, she lectured herself. She should act non-challant if she saw him.

She finally settled for a yellow knee-length gown and a complementing shawl. She wore it and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had a good figure, and with her long hair and beautiful face, she looked cool and elegant, her eyes very bright.

When she was set, she called Sade and gave her instructions. “Don’t open the door to anyone except Ladi, and please take good care of Tireni.” Then she told Tireni, “Darling, Mummy will soon be back.”

Tosin told Sade, “Please carry her and give her ice cream.”

Then she left, closing the door after her.

She opened her car door and put the key in the ignition to start it. It spluttered and stopped. She tried again, the car spluttered and stopped again. Frowning, she leaned back against her seat. Not now!

What’s wrong with this car?

Disbelieving, she tried the key again but to no avail.

She sighed and got down wearily, opening the bonnet.

Could it be fuel problem?

Carburettor? Injector? The battery? She took the spanner from the boot and hit the head of the battery a number of times. She checked and turned some other things but nothing succeeded in making the car work.

To be continued.

For this novel and other books by the same author, Contact: 08023000773, 08058040949

•L-R: Area Pastor, Ogundiran Gbenga, guest artistes, Bella Rose and Benita Okojie, Pastor Dotun Adelowokan and Mrs. Adenike Mayungbe at the RCCG Gethsemane Parish, Province 25, Trueworshippers special praise penultimate weekend

Righteousness exalts a nation

Bishop Abraham Olaleye

REVIVAL HOUR

T

HAT the earth belongs to the Lord is not contentious since we know that He created all things (see Genesis 1). It is true that Adam sold out to the Devil at Eden. From that time until Jesus came 2000 years ago, God sought out a people that will be governed by the rules of His kingdom.

Since God is righteous and holy, it becomes necessary that righteousness must be the rule among the people He governs. God said, “let us create men in our image and after our likeness”(Genesis 1:26).

Since God’s natures include righteousness and men were created in His image and likeness, man automatically possessed that image.

This image and likeness was lost the moment man yielded to the Devil. Nations have since been looking for other ways apart from righteousness, to become great.

Even though many nations have become great, the moment they cast away this holy virtue, they got into trouble. Justice breaks down, crimes and other societal challenges become the order of the day. Satan is really having great time with so many advanced countries today in these areas while the developing ones are struggling to combat poverty and other common challenges peculiar to them. If the church will take responsibility and be the voice of God for this generation, the Lord will make good His promises in the scripture; “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall

look down from heaven. Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway” (Psalm 85: 10- 13).

Greatness belongs to God and He gives it to the people to worship and serve Him. As a matter of fact, many of the great nations today are not as spiritual as one would expect but they are great anyway because many of them understand the rules of righteousness and practise them.

These rules should be normal lifestyles for countries professing Christianity.

NEW NAME CODE One of the challenges of the Church today is that unrighteousness, which is the trademark of the world, has subtly found its way into the church. In other words, God’s supposed people are now living the lifestyle of unrighteousness.

This instrument of Satan has been renamed again and again. We may at times argue it away politically or professionally but God Has placed a demand on those called by His name to “come out from among them and do not touch the unclean” (2 Cor. 6: 17) Even the world knows that unrighteousness is ungodly and they try from time to time to give it ‘better’ names. It should be said however to the church that whatever name the world gives it, unrighteousness remains unrighteousness before God and wherever it is practised, God’s disdain will be present while His favour will be absent.

Let the nation, the community or the people that live their lives in unrighteousness know assuredly that God’s mercy is far from them. In addition, whatever is gathered through unrighteousness cannot be durable. On the other hand, the Bible says, “righteousness exalts a nation.” It doesn’t matter how long the righteous have been down God will, some certain day, show Himself mighty in

the lives of such people. This goes to say that God will do likewise in a community or in the individual life that lives righteously before God. REKINDLING THE FIRE OF THE EARLY CHURCH In the last five years, the Lord has been laying revival burden on my heart. I have been sharing this burden with pastors and lay Christians - people in every country I have been for evangelistic campaign. Recently, the Lord began telling me that the time has fully come to declare this reformation message to the body of Christ. On the night of 24th of September 2003, the Lord spoke to me in a loud and audible voice, “declare a special revival meeting in your local Church from 6th to 10th of October.”

While preparing for the revival, I asked the Lord what He would have me tell the people. “Read the entire book of Acts” was the Spirit’s response to my enquiry.

The meeting began and we obeyed the Spirit to read the book of Acts.

In the course of reading, I began to sense the coming of a mighty move of the Spirit similar to the one the early church experienced beginning at the upper room in Jerusalem on Pentecost day. The Spirit of the Lord made me to pay deep attention to every detail of St. Luke’s account of all that the Holy Spirit began to do by the hands of the Apostles.

The Lord told me that we have experienced God the Creator, God the Redeemer and that we are about to experience God the power. The Spirit showed me the many factors that brought about and sustained the revival and made it the most durable revival in the church history. I will share three of the factors here.

You can reach the author for prayer and counseling through adeewumi@yahoo.com OR Call 0806 285 6991

NEWS

‘Nigeria will wax stronger’

T

HE General Overseer of Christ Miracle Church Mission (CMCM), Ojudu, Lagos, Prophet Peter Adebisi, has dismissed predictions that Nigeria will break up at any time.

Contrary to permutations in intelligence and spiritual circles, Adebisi said Nigeria will wax stronger and become an envied nation.

The cleric spoke with newsmen last Wednesday after a special service to commemorate his 50th birthday anniversary.

He said: “Those saying Nigeria will break up are not in the spirit at all. Those who know God and hear from Him will bear me witness that this country will remain one and become stronger.

“The Lord told me Ni-

By Sunday Oguntola

geria will become exceedingly great and people all over the world will want to come here. What we are going through now is just a passing phase.

“Soon, we shall reach our Promised Land and God will be glorified”.

He urged Nigerians to keep faith with God and the nation, saying the challenges of today will become the testimonies of tomorrow.

Adebisi appealed to government officials to initiate measures that will regain the confidence of people and usher Nigerians into greater success.

“Our government must fear God and put the people first. They must stop this pessimism in the land for people to believe in the fatherland again,” he reiterated.

•Adebisi

He attributed the explosive growth in the church to the fingertips of God and the encounter he had years ago when he was starting the ministry.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

55

‘How we lost contact with Sade Adu’ —PAGE 56

‘My life as an interpreter for Presidents’ Mr. Muyiwa Philip is a polyglot and certified leading international interpreter. Sunday Oguntola writes on the astounding encounters of the multi-linguist with Presidents and Heads of States as well as his battle withxx cancer.Mr. Muyiwa Philip is a polyglot and certified leading international interpreter. closed that an average interpreter does not make anything less than $500 every six-hour.

“Six-hour means you do only three-hour per day and rest for the other. That is what you are allowed to do for a day. You are not expected to do much more because it demands much mental exertion,” he explained.

On his encounters with Heads of States, he said: “I have worked with over 1,000 Presidents over the last 40 years but only few caught my fancy.

Abroad, I worked for Mandela and I am grateful for it. I worked for Nyerere, Sekou Toure, Kwame Nkrumah and Bill Clinton.

“I have never worked with George Bush. I was invited but I declined working for him because I hate his violent personality. Another thing about the job is that you work only for those you want. It is like freelancing. You choose who you want and refuse assignments with people you don’t really like.

“In Nigeria, I am fascinated by (Gen Yakubu) Gowon though he was too young and untrained (then) for the job he did. If he were a Head of State now, he would have done a better job. I have nothing against all the others but I wished that (the late Maj-Gen Tunde) Idiagbon or (the late Gen Murtala) Muhammed had a chance to transform this country.”

From medicine to interpretation Yet, he would have missed out on all these access and privileges. In 1969, his father sent him to France to study medicine. But he needed to study French to be able to gain admission into medical school. This romance with another language enthralled him and since then he never let go.

He recalled his transition from medicine to being an interpreter: “It dawned on me in the course of learning to go to the School of Medicine that I

couldn’t handle seeing blood.

It made me want to vomit. So, I started thinking of what to do to please myself

•Phillip and my father.

“I was in a student’s hostel and his world view. He said: “I am there was this woman, a student exposed to the French culture who came in. I noticed she was and I have learnt a lot of it from pregnant, which was unusual for that background. I am not resta student in the hostel. I started pity- less like a typical Nigerian. I take ing her and would offer her help in lunch break everyday and rest very well. house chores.

“I eat good food and look af“So, we got talking. She asked what I was doing and I said I was ter my health. We spend too at a loss. I told her I was learning much time looking for money French and seemed to love lan- and forget why we are looking guages. Then, she said, ‘Why don’t for that money in the first place. you become an interpreter?’ I was The French take their time looklike ‘an interpreter?’ She convinced ing after their health and less me and I became enthralled by lan- looking for money. So, when you guages. I finished French then went expose yourself to that kind of to do Spanish, German and so on.” culture, you get the better of the Today, he speaks five lan- two and adapt it as against beguages fluently and has lived in ing just one-way.”

At a time most Nigerians are different parts of the world. Besides the glamour of being a polyglot, shunning learning more foreign Philip said he has been exposed to languages, he said, they stand different cultures that have shaped to benefit more by becoming

‘

I have never worked with George Bush. I was invited but I declined working for him because I hate his violent personality. Another thing about the job is that you work only for those you want. It is like freelancing. You choose who you want and refuse assignments with people you don’t really like

‘

H

E wines and dines with Presidents and Heads of States. At the last count, he has been with hundreds of them in the last 40 years. The list is as intimidating as interesting: President Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, the late Kwame Nkrumah, the late Sekou Toure and the late Julius Nyeyere, among others.

Many of them share intimate moments and secrets with him. Yet, it is so easy to miss the unassuming, down-to-earth, high-flying Nigerian rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty. Welcome to the amazing world of Mr. Muyiwa Philip, arguably Nigeria’s leading interpreter.

His career as an interpreter began in 1973 with the Africa Development Bank (ADB), Abidjan, Cote d’Ivorie during a board meeting.

Before then, he appeared under supervision in Geneva at a UN session. Since then, there has been no looking back for the Ogun State born interpreter.

The glamour of interpretation Working as an interpreter has opened unimaginable doors for me. According to him, “You get to sit one-on-one with Presidents and Heads of State. You dine with them and talk without hinderance. They call you at awkward times, asking for your advice and to talk on their behalf. You get to see the dynamics and intricacies of becoming a Head of State.”

He has also travelled to all continents of the world and over 50 nations for speaking engagements.

These trips come with numerous fringe benefits such as staying in the best hostels and access to the corridors of power. Philip has seen so much of the glamour in the highest places that he is no longer impressed. “These days, they don’t matter to me anymore. I have seen it all,” he stated.

Aside the prestige, the profession also pays well. Philip, who works with international bodies such as ECOWAS, AU, ADB, UN, World Bank, among others, dis-

multil i n gual. “I find that most positions in international organisations that Nigerians would have taken are lost because we are mono-lingual. Having a second language would give us more leverage in the region.

“No matter your profession, it is best to have a second language because you will be working with other people from many other countries. We are surrounded by Francophone countries and we are not playing our role well in the region because we are mono-lingual.

We pay one third of ECOWAS budget yet we do not get much positions because of language barriers. We have nine French-speaking ECOWAS countries out of 15,” he stated.

Interpret or perish But becoming an interpreter is no mean feat, he warned. The job, he explained, demands much mental exertion and skills. On the technicalities of the profession, he said: “Every profession requires talent but in interpretation you cannot pretend. When an interpreter talks even those who don’t under•Continued on Page 57

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Life

xx

Yetunde Oladeinde was recently in IkereEkiti, the ancestral home of the world renowned singer Sade Adu. In this report she chronicles her meeting with members of her family.

•Sade Adu

I

T’S a Thursday evening and you are in Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Then someone points at a structure in the neighbourhood saying it belongs to Sade Adu’s grandfather. There is no mistaking that name. Sade Adu, the Nigerian singer, musician and model who has put the name of the country on world map long before many of today’s music stars were born.

A well-heeled family Other structures owned by members of the Adu family are only shown to you and you know it is indeed a well heeled family.

And they are indeed proud of this ‘daughter of the soil’ and wished she visits home more often!

You get curious and want to know more about the family. You take a look around the buildings and you get different versions of her family’s history, especially the fact that they have recorded a number of firsts. This takes you deeper and deeper into the family tree of the singer, song writer and music producer whose fame and achievement made the nation proud especially in the eighties.

A neighbour pays tribute to Sade’s father, Prof Adebisi Adu, the Nigerian lecturer who married an English district nurse, Anne Hayes, in 1955. A spot is pointed out to you, “He (Sade’s father) was buried somewhere here initially but when they were having road expansion his body had to be exhumed and it was taken to a new site.”

James Adebola Adu, brother to Sade’s father lives in the neighbourhood and you finally locate his house somewhere close by. He receives you warmly and happily he goes down memory

‘How we lost contact with Sade Adu’

lane to talk about his late brother, family history and life as an engineer. “Sade’s father and I are from the same mother and father.

The Adu family is situated in Afao in Ikere-Ekiti. Our father was Josiah Alawemo Adu, a popular chief.”

Ask him about what he admired about his brother and he laughs, looks up in the sky as if he trying to find answers to your question and he continues: “My brother was a lecturer at the University of Lagos. He later became a professor.”

Memories are made of these What are the things they share in common? “He came with his life and I came with mine. Share? I came to do my own thing in this life and he also came with his own agenda. We had nothing similar.

We only share the same blood. I respect him and anytime I need his service I go to him and anytime he needs my assistance I also go to him.”

Next you want to know what he does for a living and he answers this way: “I am an engineer, I am retired and also tired.” You take a look around and you find some of the things he does around. “That is what I do when there is nothing to do. I worked as an engineer in Dunlop and retired in 1993. I did some electrical sales in Lagos before moving here. I sell some parts and do some minor repairs, which is what I do now.”

Why did he decide to go into engineering? “First I joined the Police Force and was there for about three years. At a point I wasn’t interested in what was going on and so I left the Police.

Then I went to Yaba College of Technology where I bagged my OND. From that point, I went

Awards in her kitty 1. Sade Adu was awarded OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2002 at the New Year’s Honours, for her service to the Music industry.

2. Nominated by the American Music Awards five times and won once. Here she was the Favourite Soul R and B Female video artiste in 1986 and 1989. She finally clichéd the Awards in 2002.

3. Also nominated for the Brit Awards four times and won it once.

4. Adu got nominated nine times for the Grammy Awards and won it four times.

5. MTV Video Music Awards nominated Adu twice but she didn’t get it.

6. She was also nominated seven times for the Soul Train Awards.

Some of her hit songs 1. Smooth Operator 2. Silver Shadow 3. Promise 4. Stronger than pride 5. Bring me home 6. Baby father 7. By your side 8. Please send me someone to love 9. No ordinary love 10. Diamond life straight to Dunlop and I worked all my life there, and never changed job. I love engineering very much. After my education at Yabatech, I would say that Dunlop was almost like a higher institution to me. You know, they had all the equipment and I had the opportunity to work with all the machines. At the latter end of my career I became the chief electrical engineer, which made me work everywhere. We worked mostly in the night. I was the most senior man on duty, morning afternoon and night. This made me know so much about engineering.”

So, did this experience change his life? “Yes. I earned a very good salary, lived very well. I married and had children, eight of them.”

You also want to know if any of his children followed his professional footstep. “The only one who read engineering is dead.

All the others include accountants, teachers and other professions.”

What about music, is anyone singing like Sade? He replies: “When you talk about music there are lots of musicians in my family.

•Adu’s cocoa store, now church

•Continued on Page 57

Life

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013 On my mother’s side that is their business, we have a lot of them, they are just local musicians. That is the talent that we have. The real local music, my mother was also very good in it.”

Dunlop wound down its business in Nigeria recently, as an insider what really happened?

“Well, I had left before they decided to move to Ghana. They moved to Ghana but I don’t know what happened. Everything collapsed and I don’t know the situation now.”

Sade, the family’s icon Are you in touch with Sade Adu? “No! When I was in Lagos she used to phone me, she wrote me once. I used to talk to the mother, I used to talk to her brother, Banji.But since I moved down to Ikere I lost my phone and I don’t have any contact. For the past four years now, I would like to have the contact if I have the means. Sade is a nice girl. During the time I was in contact with them (with her brother), they used to send me a lot of money.” When last did she come to Nigeria? “She was born here and when her father died about 18 to 20 years ago she was here.”

Sade’s grandfather Pa Josiah Adu was the Baba Egbe of African Church Cathedral, Afao, Ekiti. “In fact, he was one of the strong members of the church who fought cultism in the society and so they compensated him with that title.

By the time the church was to be built there, there were lots of occult people who ganged up against it vehemently.”

A brave grand father History had it that when the foundation of the church was to be laid, the cult people went to the piece of land overnight and planted maize which grew that same day in order to scare people away! “By the time the masons and those who were to dig the ground for the foundation laying got there, they were scared, but Pa Josiah went there, took a cutlass and weeded everything and he stood by them to start the construction. That was how the church was erected.”

Adu continues: “During his time he was a cocoa merchant, he gave people money to train their

•Adebola Adu

57

‘My life as an interpreter for Presidents’ •Continued from Page 55

•Adu’s family house

children in exchange for cocoa. He was a lover of education and that was why nearly all his children went to school. Majority of them went to Christ School, which was a missionary school and in terms of quality of education it was one of the best then. He was a religious man to the core and a polygamist.

Sade grand’s mother happened to be the second wife and their mother too was a renowned businesswoman. She stayed most of the time in Ikorodu, Lagos State, and at a time she was referred to as ‘Iya Ikorodu’.”

She stayed there and carved a niche for herself selling traditional medicine and herbs. “That was

what she was known for until shortly before her death, she had to retire and came home. Sade’s father was the first born of the mother and second born of the father,” Adu said.

The Adu family is quite large and they have a lot of achievers in Nigeria and in the Diaspora.

“Some of the Adus have featured in the Olympics; these includes Bunmi Adu, who represented the country in chess. He is one of the grandchildren. There is another member of the family who retired as General Manager at Afprint Textiles. Sade’s father, by records, happened to be the first Statistics graduate in the country and one of the first graduates in Ekiti. He was a lecturer at the University of Lagos. Of his children I know Sade and Banji very well, their mum is Anne Adu and she is based in the United Kingdom.

Then they used to come home but there are speculations that they had other siblings from another woman.”

On the major road you would find the family house and the building next to it used to be the cocoa store. Adu stated further: “At the moment, one of the Adu family members who is a pastor is using the facility as a church; it’s called King of Kings Christian Assembly. He is also a returnee from England after he had spent most of his time there and studied Mathematics. He is Pastor Rufus Adu. In the government of Governor Kayode Fayemi administration, there is Richard Adu, a retired engineer with Ilesha Breweries. We also have Biodun Adu, a medical doctor who was formerly with the UCH, Ibadan who is now in London practising Medicine.”

In conclusion, he has a word of advice for President Goodluck Jonathan. “As far as Jonathan is concerned, I love him. He is trying his very best. I love his administration but I think he is weak about the Boko Haram thing.

I believe that there are big guns behind them and that is why he is •Adu’s afraid.

Myfamily advice house is that he should not be afraid of them.”

stand the language can know when he is talking rubbish or very good.

It is a profession where you must have the talent and show it from day one. That is why there are not many interpreters in the world.”

Nigeria boasts of less than 50 successful interpreters, he disclosed.

There are just about 6,000-10,000 interpreters across the globe. This, he said, is because it is not an all-comer’s field. “Apart from knowing the language well, you must be a very liberal person. If somebody comes and say it is midnight, you don’t look at the sky and wonder if he is mad.

“You just literally say whatever he has said. At any given time, you must be able to swap your role with the speaker. If he says something you totally disagree with, you say it like that. You must be dispassionate and you are not yourself at any given time.

“If you interpret for a politician, for example, who is lying, you have to say it without judging. You must even sound more convincing than him in passing that message and not everybody can do that. You must be able to think, process, talk and write at the same time.

“It is not many people that can do that. If an accountant is talking and launches into figures, you must follow suit by tapping into the part of the brain that handles calculations. A lot of people do not know how to do this even those who have PhD in languages. The mental awareness and dedication to passing a message as it is being done is difficult to do.”

My battle with cancer However, in the last five years, Philip has been managing a prostate enlargement. He discovered after losing a daughter to the ailment in the United Kingdom (UK). He said living with cancer has been relatively easy because he studied so much on the condition. “I have read almost everything available on cancer. I have also travelled to Germany, India, European countries, South Africa, Caribbean countries and so on. I have been to everywhere there is a treatment therapy on it.”

Cancer, he said, must be demystified for effective management. “I realised the whole world has a different and naïve attitude to cancer.

They take cancer as if it is a disease. It a malfunction of the body; everybody is prone to cancer but the propensity for cancer to develop depends on lifestyle. If you eat well, exercise well and avoid stress, the possibility of cancer is reduced to the barest minimum.”

He explained further: “Cancer is like a family of four children. If they are well handled well, you reduce the possibility of radicalism in any of them. If you mismanage, it spreads to other children. Once in a while, one cancer can begin to over-multiply randomly. If your body is strong enough, the immunity fights it back. But if it overpowers the immune system, it keeps spreading. It is a cellular malfunction or misbehaviour. If you are lucky and know when it starts the reckless multiplication, you are lucky. But if you are unfortunate not to detect early, it is too late to have surgery.”

He believed chemotherapy is never the way to go with cancer. “In the West, they have surgeries and start bombarding the area with chemo.

What happens is that it goes in there with a good intention to fight the cancer but the first thing it does is to destroy the immune system in that area.

“Any other organ around that area becomes prone. Chemo only suppresses, not kill cancer. But it has killed the immunity of that person and other cells functioning. From the documentations available, the chemo only kills the person not even the cancer again.”

Philip said those who rest well and maintain healthy lifestyle stand a big chance of living well with cancer for years without hassles.

He is thinking of turning his 25-acre resort home in Ajilete, Ogun State to a mini-cancer clinic, stating that the ailment is killing more people than what is reported.

•Phillip

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Your HEALTH THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Home remedies in your cupboard

Stop the

cough

C

OUGH is an ailment that runs rampant among many around this time of the year. With the increase in dust particles in the air, it is often common place to find young and old hacking away in discomfort due to this illness.

Even though a cough is usually regarded as a mild health disturbance, it is most times an indication that the body is fighting a serious infection which goes undetected until it reaches an advanced stage.

Giving insight on this health condition, Dr. Chioma Obiakor said, “Usually, coughing is a reflex action that shows there is a foreign object or particle in the lungs of the patient. It is actually one of the body's defence mechanisms against things like dust, liquid or other kinds of particles from entering the lungs such that the lungs constrict and force air out so that the disturbance can be expelled.

“On average, a patient should not cough for more than three weeks at the maximum.

If a person keeps coughing much longer than this time frame, it could be a sign that either the cough is not being properly managed or the cough is a symptom of a much more complicated illness that the patient and doctor do not know about,” she concluded.

While the patient battles with the illness, medical practitioners say that it is important to be vigilant in order to identify the relevant causes and avoid them as a preventive measure in future.

According to a World Health Organisation report, over 133,000 Nigerians die annually from cough-related diseases.

Revealing some of the contributory factors of cough, Dr. Bisoye Ayoola stated, “Most patients who have a common cold come down with a cough because the body is trying to get rid of the excess mucous lining the lungs. The mucous could be a reaction to too many irritants in the air the person is breathing which can cause an infection. It may also be due to a bacterial, viral or fungal infection which can be found in pneumonia, bronchitis or whooping cough patients.”

Highlighting symptoms of severe respiratory diseases to watch out for if the

T

Being out in the cold and inhaling dust particles can expose you to cough. Identifying irritants and taking preventive measures are important, Rita Ohai reports cough persists for too long, she further stated, “If a person who is suffering from a respiratory irritation or cough notices that the phlegm or mucous has a strange colour or it is blood-stained and foul smelling, when there is a presence of chest pain,

C

wheezing, sudden weight loss and even fever, it is time to go to the nearest hospital for a sound check up because you might be carrying a communicable disease like tuberculosis or a non-communicable one like asthma.”

Steps to healing

OLD and harmarttan seasons bring on hacking coughs that can leave your chest aching. But these are not the only problems that cause coughing.

Allergies, asthma, acid reflux, dry air, and smoking are common causes of coughs.

Most of the time, cough can be brought under control by applying some of these simple home remedies; 1. Stay Hydrated Drinking fluids helps to thin out the mucus in the chest and keep mucous membranes moist. This is particularly helpful this harmattan season when the air tends to be dry. Sipping warm tea with honey can also soothe the throat.

2. Take-in Steam A hot shower can help a cough by loosening secretions in the nose. This steamy strategy can help ease coughs not only from colds, but also from allergies and asthma.

Inhaling steam helps flush out mucus, and it moisturises dry, irritated air passageways. Fill a cooking pot one-quarter full with water. Boil, turn off the heat, and if available, add a couple drops essential oil of eucalyptus or a scoop of Mentholatum.

Carefully remove the pot from the stove, and place it on a protected counter or table.

Drape a towel over your head, lean over the pot, and breathe gently for 10 to 15 minutes.

Don't stick your face too far into the pot or you'll get a poached nose.

In a dry home, nasal secretions can become uncomfortable. Putting moisture back in the air can help your cough, but be careful not to overdo it. The downside is if you don't clean out your shower, air conditioner or humidifier they become reservoirs for pumping out fungus and mold into the air and bacteria.

3. Remove Irritants in the Air Perfumes and scented bathroom sprays may seem harmless, but they can cause chronic sinus irritation. This leads to chronic cough because of the production of excess mucus.

The worst irritant in the air, of course, is smoke. Almost all smokers eventually develop the “smoker's cough." Everyone around the smoker may suffer from some airway irritation.

HE common cough can be harmless, but it can also signify a more serious illness. Learn more about the reasons why we cough and how to treat it with a few simple home remedies.

Raw honey and lemon for sore throats A mixture of fresh lemon juice and raw honey provides soothing relief for sore throats and helps stop the tickle that stimulates coughing. Raw honey with all its components including royal jelly, propolis and bee pollen is high in nutrients and enzymes which kill bacteria and viruses. The vitamin C and antioxidants found in fresh lemons boost the immune system, speeding healing. Together these two home remedies are a powerhouse for getting over a cold and sore throat. Mix the juice of 1/2 the lemon with 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey and sip throughout the day as needed.

Garlic.

Some experts advise that to reap garlic's full cold- and flu-fighting benefits, you have to eat it raw. Yet swallowing 4 to 8 raw garlic cloves a day, which is the recommended amount, is hard for most people to stomach. Cheat a little by mixing the cloves into plain yogurt or putting fresh pieces in your soup can help. It is essential for the garlic to be eaten raw because heat damages the active ingredients in it.

Pepper.

Pepper is a bit of an irritant but this characteristic is a plus for those suffering from coughs accompanied by thick mucus. The irritating property of pepper stimulates circulation and the flow of mucus in the airways and sinuses.

Salt.

A saltwater gargle is a simple solution to a cough, although you have to remain devoted to gargling to get results. Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt into 4 ounces warm water. Mix and gargle. Repeat this every one to two hours each day for best results. The salt, combined with soothing warm water, acts as an astringent to help ease irritated and inflamed throat tissues and loosen mucus.

BUSINESS

59

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

Omatek boss tasks FG on local content T

HE Chief Executive Officer of Omatek Ventures Plc, Mrs Florence Seriki, has said that unless the federal and state governments lay good examples by patronising locally made products, Nigerians will not take the government seriously.

The Omatek boss said for the local industries to grow, government at all levels

By Bukola Afolabi

must lead by examples and stopping patronising foreign goods. She added that Nigerians must also shun the rush for foreign products as the locally made goods are of the same quality with those made abroad.

“Unless the president and other government officials put their trust in local products by patronizing

them, Nigerians will not take them serious,” she said.

The ICT boss added that the company is poised to produce quality computers and other technology products and urged Nigerians to trust local manufacturers.

She also advised President Jonathan to do more for the ICT Industry by providing funds for researches to be made.

It would be recalled that the federal government recently announced plans to ban foreign computers and technology products in public institutions and schools to encourage patronage of “Made-in-Nigeria” and foster growth in the local ICT industry.

She equally advised Mrs Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology, to be proactive by ensuring that all ICT products that are used in the ministry are locally made as this will not only take the sector to its next level but create unprecedented employment opportunities for the teeming youths of this country.

LCCI decries planned importation of rice mills

T

HE Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has taken a swipe at the Federal Government’s plan to import 100 rice mills from China for distribution to states.

LCCI, through its President, Goodie Ibru (OON) said the plan, if implemented, will spell doom for the local

industries.

Ibru said: “The proposed acquisition of rice mills raises a number of specific concerns, some of which are the way the rice mills will be distributed, how will they be managed and operated alongside the existing rice processing mills owned by small scale operators without creating

the challenge of unfair competition?”

He advised the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, to engage local operators in the plan so as to avoid any unforeseen difficulties that might arise. “The minister’s vision and programmes must align with the needs of the agricultural com-

munity since they are the operators that would ultimately translate the vision to reality.

This can only happen if there is meaningful engagement with the operators in the sector. The agricul.tural transformation agenda will be better enriched through a better consultative process,” he stressed.

CAC committed to service delivery

A

S part of efforts to ensure effective service delivery, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has opened additional offices in some parts of the country, a move, it says, will enable friendlier environment for trade and investment to thrive.

This revelation was made by the Registrar-General of the Commission, Bello Mahmud, in Abuja recently.

“This is part of measures to ensure efficient service delivery to its customers and reform of the investment climate through the provision of an electronic system of registra-

Expert makes case for improved automotive industry

T

HE Director-General of the National Automotive Council (NAC), Engr. Aminu Jalal, has urged the Federal Government to improve the automotive sector to sustain economic growth in the country.

Stanbic IBTC Pension records one million customer milestone

S

TANBIC IBTC Pension Managers, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, recently celebrated its achievement of one million retirement savings accounts, thus maintaining its position as the leading pension fund administrator in the country.

At a forum to celebrate this achievement, the company described the industry-first milestone, accomplished in less than a decade of record-breaking growth in the country, as a sign that customers views the company as safe haven for investment and as an institution that delivers exceptional service to its clients.

Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Dr. Demola Sogunle, said that the or-

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

ganisation’s achievement of this historic milestone demonstrates its leadership position in the industry, being the first pension fund administrator to reach and surpass the one million customer mark. “One million customers in less than a decade is an important achievement and reflects well on the solidity of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers as Nigeria’s leading pension fund administrator.

We are very optimistic about the future and the assurance that we give our present and our future clients is that we will continue to manage their funds in a very responsible manner,” he said.

With the achievement of

the milestone in June 2012, Sogunle added, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers now has over one million retirement savings account holders and assets under management of more than N865billion, paying about N1.5 billion to over 23,000 retirees monthly.

“Over N112 billion has been paid regularly to retirees since we commenced operations in 2005.

Our aim is to continue to set ever higher standards of service delivery and ensure that our retirement savings account holders derive maximum value from their investment,” he explained.

On her part, Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mrs. Sola David-Borha, credited the organisation’s success to its

•From left: Group Head, Marketing Communications, Emma Esinnah, Managing Director/ CEO Fidelity Bank Plc, Reginald Ihejiahi and the General Manager, Lagos Bank, Fidelity Bank Plc, Emeka Obiagwu at the 2nd Mega Draw of the Fidelity 25th Anniversary Cars and Cash Savings Promo in Lagos at the weekend

understanding of local needs, driven by a vast pool of sound and experienced personnel, coupled with its membership of Standard Bank Group, Africa’s biggest banking conglomerate.

According to DavidBorha, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers leverages on Standard Bank’s over 150 years of experience and pedigree in offering its clients excellent services. This foundation, coupled with the organisation’s strong customer understanding, drives its ability to succeed through the right use of insights on its clients’ needs.

“This is a key historical milestone in Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers’ successful growth story. The achievement reflects the collective focus and com-

tion that allows customers to transact with the Commission remotely, the CAC has introduced various reform initiatives,” he said.

Expatiating, the CAC boss said: “The CAC has taken practical steps to decentralize its operations by making the state offices more functional and at par with the head office. The new system has taken off in two Lagos offices since November 1, 2012 with the official launching by the Honorable Minister of Trade and Investment. Necessary test running is being carried out in the remaining three offices of Kaduna, Enugu and Kano.”

mitment of the organisation. It also illustrates the power of our shared values and vision, enabling us to drive these results and also ensuring the safety of clients’ investments. I congratulate all of our employees, partners and customers who contributed to this incredible success story.

The milestone will inspire us to achieve even greater success in the years ahead,” she said.

David-Borha assured customers of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers’ commitment to delivering exceptional value to retirement savings account holders and retirees and on that basis, reinforces its leadership of the pension fund administration segment of the economy.

He said this recently in Abuja while addressing some of the challenges hampering the growth of the automotive industries.

“Historically, the auto industry in Nigeria performed well with increasing local content up to 1985, but declined from 1986 onwards due to the uncontrolled importation of used vehicles, obsolete technology, difficult manufacturing environment exemplified by lack of power supply and other essential infrastructure. Other problems encountered include lack of access to long term, low interest funds, inadequate trained manpower and difficulty in obtaining relevant data.”

He, therefore, advised that if government adopts some development policies, the industry will be brought back to life. “Government needs to bring incentives and supportive measures, skills development, market development and consistent policy through the legislation so as to revive the industry. There are prospects in the industry because, currently, our potential vehicle market is about a million vehicles a year.”

•From left: Mr. Philip Akinola, Acting Chief Operating Officer, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited; Mr. Olufemi Otufadebo, JUHI Manager, Total Nigeria Plc; Mr. Babatunde Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Tusen Consulting Limited; and Mr. Olaniyi Sholanke, Human Resource Manager, Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, at the 10th anniversary dinner of Tusen Consulting held in Lagos…recently

60

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

INSIDE BUSINESS

•Floor-of-Nigeria-Stock-Exchange

F

RESH facts have emerged as to why the nation’s stock market failed to achieve optimum growth potential in the outgoing year.

Early last year the managers of the Nigeria stock Exchange had projected that at the end of the year 2012, a record 20 companies would be listed at the Exchange.

An upbeat Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer of the NSE in a manner somewhat reassuring had told a packed audience at the time that the prospective companies would be substantial in terms of equity and value.

But one year down the line, the blessed assurance has turned to forlorn hope.

The NSE boss said that much at a news conference last Thursday where he lamented the parlous state of the market. According to him, the market for IPOs and new equity listings was flat – no IPOs and there were two new listings on the main board while a total of four companies were delisted, including FinBank Plc, following its acquisition by FCMB Plc, and Ablast Products Plc, Udeofson Garment Factory Plc and Hallmark Paper Products Plc, as a result of noncompliance with the Exchanges’ post-listing standards.

Three banks were also delisted and relisted in compliance with the holding company structure mandate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), following the repeal of the Universal Banking Guidelines, in a move to restore regulatory and corporate governance soundness in the Nigerian Financial system.

He said 20 companies indicated there interest at the end of year 2011 that they are coming to the stock market to be listed only 2 companies show up.

According to Onyema besides unfavorable effects of the global financial crisis which lingered throughout the year, the country suffered fiscal challenges, doubledigit inflation (12.3% in Novem-

Why investors shun Nigeria’s capital market At the first public engagement with the media last Thursday, the management of the Nigeria Stock Exchange led by Oscar Onyema gave insights on how the stock faired last year, reports Bukola Afolabi ber), high lending rates (MPR of 12% in November), and a decline in GDP contributions from key sectors such as oil and gas (13.42% in Q3, down from 15.80% in Q1), to record GDP growth of 6.48% in the third quarter.

The implementation of the nation’s policy on fuel subsidy last January also stalled economic activities at the beginning of the first quarter, the result of which was felt in the capital market through the first half of 2012.

There was more excitement in the second half of the year with steady growth across most sectors, and the inclusion of selected Nigerian government bonds in the JP Morgan Government Bond Index Emerging Markets (GBI-EM).

Consequently, international institutional investors flocked to the Nigerian bond market, while local institutional investors’ appetite for equities was reawakened.

Notwithstanding certain prevalent, national and marketspecific challenges, the NSE’s major index closed the year with its strongest performance since 2008, while other indices topped their performance pre-global financial meltdown.

The NSE All Share Index gained 35.45% in 2012, as the Bloomberg showed, soared to 44.63% while the NSE Lotus Islamic Index, comprising Shariah-

compliant equities, saw a 44.21% jump.

Besides, the Bloomberg NSE Consumer Goods Index grew 42.29%, and the Bloomberg NSE Banking Index added 23.84% to its 2011 value.

A few indices mimicked the negative trends affecting their respective economic sectors, including the Bloomberg NSE Insurance Index which shed 17.45%, and the Bloomberg NSE Oil/Gas Index which plunged 30.53%.

Onyema has said entrance of local companies into the capital market was expected to improve the Exchange.

The NSE boss, said the capital market which was dominated in the past by forging companies has witnessed increased in the presence of local companies being listed on the stock Exchange.

“It is time that the rise of the Nigeria Stock Exchange was at the back of foreign companies and investor but we are happy to know that local companies are beginning to show interest into the market which has been responsible for the improvement of the Exchange. We are working hard to bring in new good local companies and we believe the rise in the market will encourage more local companies to come on board. Hopefully we will see companies coming into the market,” he said.

The NSE boss also recalled that in March 2012, offered issuers greater flexibility to raise capital from the market, just as the Exchange amended its listing rules to include quantitative measurements for profit, market capitalization, price and public float, among others.

To increase the level of market compliance, the NSE launched the Broker TraX tool at the start of the year. The tool provides transparency of broker and brokerage firm compliance with the rules of the market.

The exchange also introduced the XCompliance Report, a transparency initiative designed to help maintain market integrity, by providing compliance related updates on all listed companies.

This was followed by the release of the Market Quality Report (XQual) in November 2012, which offers brokers and analytical investors insight into how to derive best execution of orders in the market, and the quality of execution that can be expected.

To enhance the investor experience, the NSE launched its new Web site in January 2012 with a real-time feed to a ticker, and rolled out X-Net, a virtual private network (VPN), to enhance brokers connectivity (20x faster than the previous offering) to the Exchange’s trading systems.

The Exchange also commenced development and testing of its new trading platform, X-Gen, which will go live in 2013.

NSE boss said that they are seeking Federal Government support to hit $1trillion capitalization mark in 2016.

According to him, it is not impossible for the NSE, which currently has a market capitalization of N10tn, to reach $1tn (N150tn) mark by 2016, however, the support of the FG is needed in many ways to achieve this.

He said “When we gave the target of 1trn market capitalization in five years. It was an aspiration target, we were aware that a lot of things had to align to be able to achieve this, for instance, we depended on the regulation of the power sector and the quick passage of the petroleum industry Bill.

“And so, we need the support of the government to ensure that the 16 companies that would come out of the power privatization process would be listed on the NSE. The same goes for the telecoms companies we need government assist in getting them to list their companies also.”

The NSE helmsman is also optimistic that this year would see gains by global investors hoping to emerge in the frontier markets.

Despite an anticipated dip from 5.0% to 4.8% by the OECD, economies in Africa are forecasted to maintain a positive growth trajectory, underpinned by factors such Continued on page 61

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

INSIDE BUSINESS

61

Ajagu tasks telecoms operators on effective branding

D

R. Ausbeth Ajagu, a renowned political economist and entrepreneur, has impressed on telecoms operators in the country the need to carry out effective branding.

According to him, this becomes necessary because the force of a brand is such that embodies values which define a given product.

He made suggestion as a key facilitator at a strategic conference in Cotonou, Benin Republic, recently.

Speaking on the discourse, “Building a Powerful Entrepreneurial Brand”, Ajagu asserted, “There is enough space for all products to sell, though depending on what your desire is. However, if your desire is to be the market leader, then you have to go the extra mile to subdue your competitors.

“Always remember that the market place is not meant for the chicken-hearted but the lion-

•SEC DG, Arunma Oteh

Stories by Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

hearted, thus capitalism by default.”

Expatiating, he said: “There are numerous characteristics of a good brand and you must screen your potential brand against these characteristics. You must select the right branding strategy.

“One of your most important tasks is to create and sustain brand equity. Brand equity provides you with a competitive advantage and allows you to command a premium price. It also increases the value of your business. There is also the need to entrench the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), meaning that the organisation’s culture is defined by and supports the constant attainment of customer’s satisfaction through an integrated system of tools, techniques and training.”

Ajaugu, who is President, Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies,

•Ajagu

Nigeria (AES), also reaffirmed the need for ethics and morality in the workplace and condemned every vice of immorality that is likely to amount to ineffectiveness.

Council, hospitals take delivery of DFID-funded drugs

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•Onyema

Continued from page 60

Why investors shun Nigeria capital market as strong performance of oil-exporting countries, continued fiscal spending on infrastructures projects, and expanding economic ties with Asian economies, Onyema stressed.

In a related development, the African Development Bank has issued the following GDP projections for key African economies: Ghana 7.7%. Angola 7.1%. Nigeria 6.6%.

Kenya 5.5% and South Africa 3.6%.

The outlook for the Nigerian economy also remains promising with a projected growth of 7.67% by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

While the impact of government policy on fuel subsidy and other macro-economic shocks were felt last year, the CBN’s restrictive monetary policies, expectations for stable crude oil prices, and the FGN’s continued effort at fiscal conservatism should create an environment for single-digit inflation rates and MPR reduction by the CBN. Although existing challenges such as the security situation in the country are not expected to disappear, on-going governments initiatives to increase power generation, financial inclusion, and transformation of the agriculture sector are expected to carry over into the new year.

The Nigerian Capital Market will continue to face challenges around liquidity and depth in

2013, however, there is a concerted effort to drive improvements in market participant experience.

The CBN’s efforts to achieve single-digit inflation and a lower MPR should have a positive impact on the equities market. As investor confidence measures implemented by the NSE mature, we expect that a growth trend similar to that experienced in Q4 2012 will extend into 2013.

On the fixed income side, we anticipate the relative attractiveness of FGN bonds will continue for local and global investors, as a result of record-high yields. With the upcoming inclusion of Nigerian FGN bonds in the Barclay’s Emerging Market Local Currency Bond Index, this should keep the nation’s bonds in the international spotlight.

Furthermore, foreign issuers such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) are expected to enter the Nigerian bond market this year.

Other contributing factors to optimism about the capital market include early passage of the national budget, which creates an impression that fiscal policy is being prioritized.

The pronouncement to begin investing proceeds of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) in March 2013.

Besides, Onyema is persuaded that the elimination of VAT and stamp duties, which should take effect in 2013, freeing up funds for capital market investment just as continued product innovation by the Exchange, such as the commencement of secondary bond market trading, and the introduction of new indices and ETFs. Notwithstanding the hopeful promises, many analysts are of the view that a lot is required to turn the tide for the market.

OSOFE Local Government Area on Lagos mainland and six different healthcare centres have taken delivery of health commodities and equipment worth several millions of naira as part of the Drug Revolving Fund scheme by the DFIDUKaid channelled through Partnership for Transforming Health Systems II (PATHS2), Lagos.

The official roll-out of the first phase of the scheme which kicked off at the Lagos State Central Medical Stores, Oshodi, recently, is expected to provide drugs and equipment valued at about N750million to various public and private healthcare centres across the state.

While presenting the drugs to Executive Chairman, Kosofe LG, Hon. Babatude Sofola, Mrs. Bisi Tugbobo, State Team Leader, PATHS2, Lagos, who led other officials of PATHS2 including Pharm.

Salihu Idris, States Logistics Coor-

P

HASE3 Telecom, West Africa’s leading aerial fibre infrastructure company, has lmade a bold statement in the education sector of Nigeria. The company currently provides broadband connectivity to several primary, secondary, and tertiary schools in Nigeria. And recently, Phase3 Telecom provided broadband internet and Wi-fi connectivity to Baze University, Abuja.

The CEO of Phase3 Telecom, Stanley Jegede, stated, “The ability for the Nigerian student to go beyond the knowledge of their teachers through research via eBooks and eLibrary is the cultural shift that takes education from the conventional platform of lecture and teacher focused education to a more open collaborate approach that reaches beyond school hours, beyond classroom walls, and between geographically dispersed locations.”

He also added that the company has plans to increase the role of ICT in many schools especially in the rural parts of Nigeria by providing high speed broadband connectivity via their Open Access Network. The company provides broadband connectivity to, amongst others, Spring Hall British School, Cradle to Crayon School, Centagon International School and The Regent Secondary School in Abuja.

Education is one of the main instruments for repositioning Nigeria’s global status in science and technology. The Information Technology Association of Nigeria

dinator, PATHS2, Abuja, Logistics Adviser PATHS2, Kano, Pharm.

Kabir Yusuf and Strengthening System Logistics Officer, PATHS2, Lagos, Pharm. Oluwafunmito Adeyanju, said the council was chosen for the pilot scheme having met all the requirements.

Justifying the need for the scheme, Mrs. Tugbobo said it was a pro-poor programme which has the potential of delivering quality healthcare services to the populace.

“With the funds from UK Aid channelled through DFID to PATHS2, Lagos, we were able to provide 3million pounds (about N750miilion) worth of drugs and equipments to 143 facilities in the first phase and additional 62 facilities in the next phase which takes off soon,” she said.

An elated Sofola, who thanked the UKaid for the kind gesture, assured that his administration would build on the foundation laid by PATHS2 in

its quest to ensure access to medical care for the under-privileged.

In a related development, PATHS2 also presented various drugs to six private hospitals including Barbinton, Deltacrown, Firstcross, Ram Salom, Rally and Yomi Convalescent Home, all of which have signed a memorandum of understanding with PATHS2.

Dr. Ademola Yusuf, Medical Director, Barbinton Hospital, who took delivery of the drugs for his facility at the Lagos State Central Medical Stores, Oshodi, lauded the initiative

by PATHS2, saying it has the potential to improve healthcare delivery in the state.

Echoing similar sentiments, Mr. Tachere Urhoro General Manager, Deltacrown Hospital, confirmed the receipt of over N800, 000 worth of drugs, adding that the gesture will no doubt help to reduce the cost of treatment both to the patient and caregiver.

Firm boosts eLearning (ITAN) and the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) signed an agreement to influence critical government policies at all levels with regards to the Information and Communication Technology at all levels, which includes education.

“I see Baze University setting standards for excellence in this part of the world. Currently, no Nigerian University is rated in the top 5,000 in the world. Many Nigerians thus feel compelled to send their sons and daughters to be edu-

cated abroad. We are determined to deliver the same quality of education that many of these high ranking schools offer abroad. The need to raise the education standard in the country led us to partner with Phase3 Telecom for high-speed and high-capacity internet connectivity so that Baze University students can experience online research and eLearning as do the students in quality schools abroad,” the founder and Pro-Chancellor of Baze University, Sen. Datti Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, stated.

•From left: Ajay Banga, President and CEO, MasterCard Worldwide, Oluwatoyin Jokosemimi , Head FSS2020, Omokehinde Ojomuyide, Country Manager, MasterCard Worldwide at MasterCard Thought Leadership Session, held in Abuja recently

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Business

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O achieve its commitment on job creation, the Federal Government needs to partner the private sector more effectively, the Chairman of Tusen Consulting Limited, Mr. Babatunde Johnson, has said.

Speaking at the 10th anniversary of Tusen Consulting, formerly known as Adecco Consulting, Johnson noted that the task job creation in Nigeria is beyond the Federal Government if more people are to be employed and socioeconomic disaffection in the country is to be curbed.

According to him, Nigeria is not creating enough opportunities for young people in the country and as a result, there was increasing generation of persons who have lost their direction and are facing a bleak future. He added that the Federal and state governments had yet to address the alarming rate of joblessness in the land squarely.

He said, “I don’t think in Nigeria the government has really faced this issue of unemployment headlong. And it is a powder keg that will blow

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

Expert to FG: Partner OPS on job creation

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

up if care is not taken. This is because there is a whole generation going through life without opportunities and without hope.

“And tell me, how long is that going to last? Yet, we don’t seem to have viable policies to address it and that is a big challenge.”

He added, “I know they are running some programmes for I actually met a young lady who said she was a beneficiary of one of those empowerment programmes.

She was very positive about it, for she said she had got some funding to set up a small business and they were helping her with her business plan and all that. But that is only a small part, there is a bigger picture.

“There is a powder keg of

people who, maybe, don’t have the same kind of skills that she has and are still looking for work. And there are ways in which you can channel their skills in terms of training and other similar development initiatives.”

Johnson said government can partner private firms such as Tusen Consulting to design special scheme on creation of jobs instead of spending funds without getting the required results.

Johnson said, “What I have always been against is where a government tries to create jobs, which it cannot sustain.

Governments don’t create jobs, businesses do. So, the government has to work with businesses to do it.

“When a government gets involved in setting up organisations, it becomes very bu-

reaucratic and suddenly the money is actually more in managing the administration, rather than in creating the jobs and the opportunities that they are supposed to. I will prefer the government works with the private sector.”

On the name change from Adecco to Tusen, he said the management of the company became wholly indigenous in 2007, after the current chairman acquired 100 per cent of the existing business from Adecco SA and became a franchise holder.

“In 2011, the company completed the full transition to becoming an indigenous company. It dropped the Adecco brand name and became Tusen Consulting Limited. Adecco SA remains a partner with a commercial agreement in place,” Johnson said.

•From

left: Managing Director Quardrant, Mr Bolaji Okusaga, Chairman Trokya, Mr Biodun Sobanjo, and his Vice Mr Jimmy PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN Awosika, at the end of the year party of the company in Lagos recently.

Strengthening SMEs to boost national productivity

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HE problems Nigerian artisans and tradesmen face, which includes a lethargic vocational and technical education system, have displaced them from modern reckoning, giving their jobs to foreign artisans and thereby causing an annual capital flight estimated at N960bn. But a panacea is being implemented in Lagos State, Segun Balogun writes.

While speaking at the School of Vocational Education, Federal College of Education (Technical), in January, 2011, a human rights lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, painted a grim picture, saying “a country that fails to take the ‘production of technicians’ seriously such as Nigeria has sentenced itself to perpetual underdevelopment.

Government’s failure to streamline its policies in line with World Bank’s prediction now translates to an annual loss of N960m, as estimated by Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, while speaking recently in Lagos. This figure is the estimated value of jobs that should have been executed by Nigerian technicians and artisans but which were done by their foreign counterparts operating in the country. As this figure suggests, confidence in “made

By Segun Balagun

in Nigeria” is daily eroded.

Foreign technicians and artisans operating in Nigeria are preferred to their native counterparts. Though, Nigerian vocational and technical schools have not ceased to churn out graduates, that is as far as it goes. Those graduates soon find their skills irrelevant in the labour market.

“SME’s are the greatest employers of Labour in China and the UK, but that is not the case in Nigeria,” said Director, Global Economic Policy Institute, Professor Paul Reynolds, while speaking last year at the 18th Nigeria Economic Summit.

As panacea in Lagos State, the government is currently implementing two objectives.

First is the revamping of technical education system to produce artisans fit for a 21st century megacity economy. This has led to the launching of School Leavers Modern Appreciation Training Programme (SL-MATP) and the Graduate Vocational Employability Skills Training Programme (GV-ESTP), to provide both work-based and on-the-job training for youths.

Also, CG – Eko LLP Automobile Centre and Samsung

Engineering Academy were also established. The former is a partnership, between the state government and Coscharis Motors, which overhauls the defunct Eko Engineering Ventures, a firm initially setup to maintain and service vehicles of the state’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The modernised centre will now engage in the sales, service and repairs of automobiles and also produce about 650 technicians in four years.

Significantly, it means the prospective trainees will acquire both technical and entrepreneurial skills and Governor Fashola, at the launch, said, “Our biggest achievement will be the skilled personnel that will come out of this institution.”

The Samsung Academy partnership, which has turned Government Technical College, Ikeja, to a specialised institute for electronic engineering, is even bigger. In the next five years, it is expected to train at least 2000 youths as Advanced Technicians in such areas as refrigeration, air-conditioning and electronics instrumentation. The clincher is: Samsung, as promised by the Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Af-

rica, Mr. Nicholas Shin, will employ graduates of this institute.

The training, according to the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Wale Raji, is one of the three components of LASTAEP. The other two components – the equipment acquisition and insurance welfare schemes – will commence this year. Raji said the equipment acquisition scheme will ensure that artisans have access to the best technology around and the insurance welfare scheme is designed to free their minds from the pressure of undue financial pursuit.

“The Lagos megacity dream requires some minimum standards. If we are going to build infrastructure, intermodal transport system, etc, we require very good technical manpower to build and to sustain it,” said the Executive Secretary of LASTVEB, Engineer Olawumi Gasper.

“Now, we are already equipping the young ones with such skills through our various Technical Colleges. But the number we have in those colleges may not be sufficient in a large city like Lagos. That is why the Lagos State government has decided to organise this training.

Beyond Talent

By Adetayo Okusanya Email: adetayookusanya@hotmail.com

Prophecies for 2013

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HIS time last year I wished I had a crystal ball that would tell me what 2012 would bring my way.

Today, being a year wiser, I realize that I possess more predictive powers than I give myself credit for. For instance, I can predict with absolute certainty that there will be exactly 365 days in 2013, no more, no less. I can also predict that, all things being equal, your account will be credited with 8,760 hours to spend, the same as the other seven billion inhabitants of planet earth.

Lastly, I can foretell that most people, including you, will spend almost two-thirds of their credit hours on sleep and work, and charge the outstanding one-third to sundry and miscellaneous activities.

There is however a select group of people who will achieve breakthrough success in 2013. These are the people, who invest a significant portion of their time in high risk, high yield activities. They are the Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Aliko Dangotes, Mark Zuckerbergs, Nobel Prize Winners, Oscar Winners and CNN Heroes of our time. People who spend their time thinking of creative ideas that solve global or community challenges, and bringing those ideas to life in a way that disrupts and redefines the world we live in. They do not spend their time the way the average individual would spend his or hers. Think about this, “How does Aliko Dangote spend his time and how is this different from how you and I spend our time?” Compare the results that Dangote achieves for every unit of his time with your accomplishments.

The essence of this is not to try and turn you into a “Dangote-Wannabe”. Perhaps your ambition in life is not to become a Dangote. I can bet, though, that you aspire to be something more than you are today. Therefore, you must do something different from what you did yesterday. My conversations and the way I spend my time now as an entrepreneur are very different from what they were when I was an employee. In those days, my network was comprised of mainly of similar individuals. The minute I decided to become an entrepreneur, I knew that my focus and actions had to change. I was in desperate need of a paradigm shift and so I actively sought the company of individuals with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Ask yourself, “When last did I innovate?” “When last did I come up with a creative idea?” “What did I do with it?” If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got. They say madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If you want a 2013 that is better than 2012, you must spend your 8,760 hours in a different way. For example, you cannot expect to be promoted in 2013 with 2012 results. Why would any business leader give you more responsibilities and higher compensation if the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of your work will remain the same? You cannot desire to be several sizes smaller than you were in 2012 and still keep the same diet and schedule. You cannot increase your professional competence if you do not take on new work challenges or invest in continuous education. If you want to become an entrepreneur in 2013, you must do more than talk the talk. You must walk the talk. You cannot continue to oscillate around your eight-to-ten job and home, and expect that an entrepreneurial venture will somehow crawl out of your rear end.

It is already the third Sunday in the month of January. Eleven more days and the first month of the year 2013 will be behind us. Now I understand why someone felt compelled to come up with the catch phrases “Time Flies” and “Time Waits for no Man”. I am still getting used to the idea that we are in a new year, my 2013 goals are still being refined and January seems to be galloping at break-neck speed to its finish line. It is very obvious that whoever the Great Timekeeper in the skies is, he is certainly not a Nigerian. Otherwise, our days would start much later and extend much longer.

380 of our 8760 hours have already been spent. Did you invest yours? Or did you fritter it away? Each one of us has the same opportunity regarding the time we have been given, however we will all have different results when the 8760th hour arrives. When I say results, I am not referring only to absolute results. I am more interested in how much farther away from your starting point you are and how much closer you are to your end-goals when the 31st day of December 2013 comes around.

Remember this faithful saying “If you want to be a millionaire, THINK and ACT like a Millionaire. My dear brothers and sisters, in this arena called “LIFE” there is no “Naija Time”. Tick! Tock!! Goes the Clock!!!

• Okusanya is CEO of ReadinessEdge

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013

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EBERE WABARA

WORDSWORTH 08055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

Technical English

ATIONAL Mirror of January 17 welcomes us this week with a few solecisms right from its Front Page: “2015: ACN, CPC set to merge for better governance— Buhari” We should be talking of good governance—not better governance which will mean that there is good governance by the ruling party: unprecedented corruption, insecurity, social infrastructural decay and visionless leadership egged on by citizen docility!

“N12b pension scam: Court admits banks documents” No news: bank documents/banks’ documents.

“LASTMA deploys more officers to (in) traffic prone (traffic-prone) areas” “…his team’s way of testing the water over his second term (secondterm) ambition.” Not my view: testing the waters.

Now to the Editorial: “The OAU deserves to be congratulated for (on/ upon) braving the stormy Nigerian….” “…we can have a data to tell users of….” Education Today: a datum or just ‘we can have data….’

This is called technical English.

Still on National Mirror infractions: “Varsity part-time enrolment reduce (reduces) in UK” “Ajasin varsity alumni holds (hold) reunion in Lagos” Finally from the Back Page: “…where majority (a majority) of the masses engage in daily struggles for survival as if they are (were) living in a war front.”

“But this time around….” (DAILY SUN, January 16) The politics of Anambra 2014: this time around.

The Guardian of January 15 from its Front Page to the inside pages goofed: “Again, hope dims for Eco’s takeoff in 2015" And now the story: “The take off (sic) date of the common currency in the West African Region….”

Which one is correct: takeoff, take off and take-off?

Of course, the last entry.

“Lagos to quicken processing of Dana Air crash victims (victims’) entitlements” Now to The Guardian Editorial which disseminated two solecisms: “Expectations of a life lived in abundance and reasonable security is (are) a mirage today in Nigeria.”

“They are funding…awards by ev-

N

ery (all) manner of men or groups in….”

“The Spirit of Africa will flow through our lands, rise in our sons and unleash their might in (on/upon) the Orange Africa Cup of Nations….’

(Full-page advertisement

by DStv…World of Champions LIVE/HD) Finally from Rutam House of improprieties: “Group passes vote of no confidence on (in) leadership” A review of THE NATION ON SUNDAY of January 13 threw up the following gaffes: “Kenya (Kenyan/Kenya’s) president rejects lavish pay for legislators” “…represented Anambra between 1999 to (and/or from 1999 to 2003) 2003….”

“Unforgetable” Spellcheck: unforgettable “Lanre and Modupe Ogunlesi’s love deepen (deepens)” Lastly from last week’s edition of this medium under our searchlight: “…Obanikoro’s moves have flagged off (sic!) descreet (a discreet—note the spelling and article) campaign for the PDP ticket ahead of 2015 (the 2015) governorship election in Lagos State.”

There was a mild intervention last Sunday on the usage of ‘arrest for/ over’. One of my readers who called from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, pointed out that ‘arrest over’ could be used in uncertain circumstances, while ‘arrest for’ applies to certainties! This uneducated and illogical rationalisation/justification that borders on linguistic sentiment is unacceptable. ‘Arrest’ takes ‘for’. That some incorrigible sub-editors and editors use it regularly does not confer correctness on the phrase.

Let us welcome John Momoh’s medium for the first time: “Keshi says Super Eagles must be discipline (disciplined)” (Channels News@10, January 9) “Reacting on (to) the report that the NFF was yet to get the….” (THE GUARDIAN Sports, January 8) “…her life in a society largely comprising of ‘settled citizens’ should be applauded by all without ill-feelings.” Delete ‘of’. “…the nation is rent apart by all manners (manner) of rancour, acrimony and divisiveness, while the people have

lost total confidence in the regime’s capacity to govern.”

“Leaving this lovely little girl with ‘uncle’ could result to (in) a rape of her innocence.”

“Generally, a country’s criminal law apply (applies) only to acts committed within its territory.”

“But now that the middle class has fizzled out, a good number of alms givers has (have) turned to beggars, particularly in the urban centres across the country.”

“Yet, the CBN mops up millions of Naira intermittently from the economy on the ground that there is liquidity in the system!” Beyond the realm of politics: on the grounds.

“This notwithstanding, some distinguished personalities, brilliant schoolars and astute politicians got elected into the National Assembly.” Not just an opinion: scholars.

“When an administration confronts them, they sometimes lie low, knowing fully well that they outlive administrations.”

Get it right: knowing full well. “...he as a secret wife of Igbo origin whose offsprings (sic) prefer to bear their maternal grandfather’s name.” This way: offspring (non-count and one word).

“It was a siege on (to) the court…on (to) the judiciary.”

“New wave of arrest (arrests)” “The trend obviously reflects the growing unemployment problem, lack of social security and an absence of a welfare system in the society.”

Unemployment is a problem. So, delete the pleonasm. “…the least that should be done is for it to handover (hand over) power willingly to a civilian administration and depart in peace.”

“Because the Nigerian economy has been in the doldrums for quite sometime (some time)….”

“Usually, the word ‘rights’ appear (appears) to….”

“In the final of his fourth part (four-part) analysis on (of) the present political state in.…”

“Holy Bible says that money is the root of all evils.…” No distortion: It is the love of money (and not money itself) that is the root of all evils.

Next week: Readers’ feedback.

Understanding Obasanjo’s leadership and lesson • Continued from page 22

we can see from the western world, leaders find it necessary to write their account in office and telling us about their lives in greater detail and we can better recognize their worth or otherwise by individual judgments, in spite of the reasoning by critics that such publications tend to emphasize personal achievements.

Yet, the important thing is that history is richer for it.

Using the Obasanjoideal as an example, therefore, we need to ask our leaders both in government and business: where are the memoirs?

Towards the 70th birthday of former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, I had cause to call his spokesman, Mr. KassimAfegbua, to find out if there would be a book, obviously IBB’s memoir, to commemorate the day and he answered that there was “something like that.” My interest was actually personal out of sheer interest in the amiable general and the fact that he has so much to say because of his peculiar position in our national history, but alas the birthday came without any book presentation.

Again, I called Kassim but this time he had a pleasant answer to the effect that the book I wanted to see would be out soon and actually being written by two big names in Nigerian journalism (mentioned the names) and this was also confirmed by IBB in his interview with Thisday’s Jaiyeola Andrews, promising to even write more.

Insa Allah. This is cheering and we are waiting with the high expectation that such publications would be frank and deep as IBB’s recent interviews have signposted.

But as we hope to read IBB, we can never have the account of the civil war as would have been rendered by the late Biafran leader,Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu. Years before he died,journalists were wont to pester him on “the book”, his civil war memoir, but would always promise to write it, yet he never did. Now an important part of our history has been lost forever! The issues are well known but his specific penetration and candid takes on the inherent issues as they relate to the nation’s political and economic configuration( the political economy — who gets what, how and when) and such allied topics as power structure, sharing or rotation and leadership recruitment then and now will make a difference.

Are the circumstances surrounding the civil war still prevalent today or not? Why has the presidency eluded the Igbo for so long in spite of

•Obasanjo

their remarkable contributions to national development? Should we still continue with the presidential system or return to regionalism as being currently canvassed by eminent voices?

Was Governor RajiFashola right or wrong on his development narrative at last December presentation at the Island Club? Is the problem with leadership or followership or both? Is the bureaucracy structure in Ghana and Dubai same as we have it in Nigeria and what implication for government efficiency? And the 1999 Constitution: is it really a liability or otherwise in proper governance? These are issues we might have gotten answers to in such oracular book the late Ikemba could have written because they constitute associated points of divergence as we headed to the civil war.

This point also bears relevance to my friend, YusuphOlaniyonu’s postulation that the Saraki’s family shouldas a necessity engage someone to do the autobiography of the late former Senate Leader, Dr. OlusolaSaraki. In his intimate tribute, while extolling the great attributes of the politician, he lamented his futile efforts at writing Oloye’s biography. Then death struck and we also lost so much to the man generally acclaimed to be a friend of the poor. Now how do we get to know his deep philosophy, values and candid opinion on such issues that influenced such dispositions to life? No expert can do proper justice to that except Dr. OlusolaSaraki himself but that will never be!

So, where are the mem-

oirs? Where was Chief Ernest DegunleSonekan when Abacha struck? What was he doing at that particular moment? As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, why didn’t he stop the coup? Indeed, what are his recollections in office and perspectives on an Interim Government, particularly the one he headed? These are salient topics Nigerians would like to read from him in a memoir he should write for posterity and advancement of our nation. Other leaders like Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Generals Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari and Abdusalami Abubakar will also be fulfilling their leadership to the nation by writing without inhibition, all towards creating a new clime of serious engagement in nation building.

These were thoughts for reflection as my friend Sola Ojewusi and I bade Baba Obasanjo bye at Abeokuta.

Still we made efforts to see the OlusegunObasanjo Presidential Library, a monument, now in proper shape, and where The President Explains would be presented to the public on January 22, and we were not oblivious to the good work of the man whose intellectual thinking compares to a modern president in enterprise and leadership. Our leaders at every level of government and business must begin to write from this day. This is the lesson in Obasanjo’sleadership from the perspective of his literary contribution and preservation of our national history.

Olutomiwa is the National Co-ordinator, Action for Democracy and Development.

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News

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Lagos attains 89% budget performance in 2012

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Fierce, fearless and unapologetic

AGOS State budget recorded an 89% performance rate in 2012, the highest since 2007, Governor Raji Fashola has disclosed.

He said this was despite all the economic challenges in 2012.

Fashola spoke at the weekend with newsmen after the first session of the 3-day Executive Council/Permanent Secretaries retreat with the theme ‘’Enhancing effective and efficient service delivery in Lagos State.’’

He said the improvement was the fulfillment of the promise he made during the third budget review to do better in the fourth quarter.

The governor attributed the increase in performance to availability of resources and hard work.

He said: “It was due partly to the fact that it was when we closed on our bond; we had more money to finance our projects.

“It was also attributable substantially to much more rigorous work in ensuring that the projects were made ready that they got to implementation promptly within the last quarter with contractors moving to site”.

Giving a scorecard on his administration’s feats, he added: ”We have seen construction of housing projects at various stages of implementation from Epe to Ejinrin to Agbowa, to Sango-Tedo, Mushin, Ilupeju, Igando and so on and so forth.

“Of course we have seen the progress we are making on the Light Rail project, road construction from Mile 12 to Ikorodu, the Waterworks at Adiyan now in progress and so many other areas where we clearly saw progress including the Health sector, the School of Nursing in Alimosho and the Maternal and Childcare Centre in Amuwo-Odofin.

“So, the direct impact of

the budget is clearly visible and demonstrable.”

Expressing the readiness of his team to perform even better in 2013, Fashola appealed for voluntary payment of tax by all taxable citizens of the State, saying it is the only tool with which government can work effectively.

According to him: “We have demonstrated that the more money we have, the more performance of the budget and the more impact it will make on the lives of our people.”

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, said the performance would go a long way to encourage the team to do even better in the 2013.

He added that the policy thrust for the 2013 Budget remained Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Economic Growth anchored on infrastructural renewal and development.

Heritage Bank begins account validation Jan. 29

By Collins Nweze banking system is improving, adding that the lenders

will naturally fit into the system.

The operational licence of SGBN was withdrawn by the CBN in 2005 over poor liquidity challenges but was later returned in 2008.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

•To offer commercial banking services

H

ERITAGE Banking Company (Heritage Bank) will on January 29, 2013 begin account validation for customers of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN). The exercise is in line with the terms of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approval of its banking licence to offer commercial banking services under a Regional Bank status.

In a statement signed by the Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Heritage Banking Company Ltd, Josephine Aligwekwe, the lender said as a preliminary step, the validation exercise for account holders of SGBN will last for four weeks.

Aligwekwe said that with the CBN approval secured, the bank is set to commence operations immediately in conformity with the terms of the licence. “As a first step, the statement said, Heritage Bank would commence from Tuesday, January 29, a four-week exercise aimed at validating the accounts held by customers of the old SGBN,” she said.

According to her, the letter conveying CBN’s approval for grant of Banking Licence to HBC titled, ’Re: Application for a Commercial Banking Licence with Regional Authorisation’ was dated December 27th, 2012 with reference number FPR/LAD/CON/ HBC/02/062, and signed by the CBN Director of Financial Policy and Regulations, Chris O. Chukwu.

She advised all customers of SGBN to look out for announcements in the national dailies detailing the processes and procedures for the account validation exercise.

CBN spokesman, Ugochukwu Okoroafor, had earlier told The Nation that the bank has shown greater capacity to comeback and expressed the regulator’s willingness to work with it and facilitate its return to business.

“We will encourage the bank to return to business even if it entails granting it a credit line provided it meets specified terms,” he said. He said corporate governance in the

IBEZIM

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS IBEZIM CHIDINMA BEATRICE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UKAZIM CHIDINMA BEATRICE. All former documents remain valid. IMT, NYSC and general public take note.

TAGBO

OTUONYE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Otuonye Florence Nnebuihe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ikenna Florence Nnebuihe. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ODURO

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AKINSOLA

I, formerly known and addressed as Yahaya Mariam Temitope, now wish to be known and addressed as Yahya-Shiru Mariam. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

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All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

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All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

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YAHAYA

AJAYI

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS MOFOLUWASO SUSAN AJAYI, now wish to be known and addressed as MOFOLUWASO SUSAN ODEWALE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AGBAJE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Agbaje Folashade Adeyemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs oluyadi Folashade Adeyemi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

COLE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Cole Olufunke Olubukola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Uwadinisu Olufunke Olubukola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AKINFENWA I, formerly known and addressed as Akinfenwa Nasiru Adeseun, now wish to be known and addressed as Akinfenwa Nasiru Adisa. All former documents remain valid.

Access Bank Plc. and general public take note.

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I, formerly known and addressed as EFFIONG ASUQUO EKPO, now wish to be known and addressed as DAVID SIMPLY EDISANA. All former documents remain valid.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

World/Commenatry

ANDLOCKED and straddling the edge of subsistence in the best of times, Mali has slipped into the lap of chaos. Trapped between the evil of the past and that of the present, the sleepy, bucolic state has transmogrified into a battlefield between the West and that which the West dreads: violent radicals seeking to establish a society based on a mutant understanding of Islam on any inch of dirt to which they are able to stake claim no matter how wretched the soil. Bit players in this showdown are the Malians themselves. The sad motif recurs. Once again, Africans become the dangling branches of a strange tree planted on their land. They are the recipients, not the makers, of their destiny.

For decades, Mali complied with the neocolonial instructions of the western powers. The nation was heralded as a model of African development and democracy. Little of this was African and not too much of it was development or democracy. Having invested significantly in Mali, the West had to proclaim Mali worked well in order to vindicate the neoliberal molding of that nation's political economy. The West dubbed the country a resounding success; the West was guilty of false advertisement. The nation's progress was shallow and transient. Even this progress in miniature was not a homegrown, organic occurrence; it was imported in the briefcases and tutorials of Western subvention. In effect, Mali stood on borrowed legs. Borrowed limbs are never enough to prevent a tumble for the limbs always return to their master.

The nation's slow descent would have gone unattended by foreign hands but for the Libyan crisis. Libya represents an abject lesson in foreign policy humility. Libya should have remained an internal affair. Western claims that Gaddafi was intent on massacre in Benghazi is not substantiated by objective evidence. Gaddafi never threatened such a thing. The claim was a manufactured pretext for Western intervention to oust the hated dictator though he posed no threat beyond his borders.

So confident in their superior power, Western nations believed they could firmly control the crisis and its aftermath.

They were wrong. In operation were complex undercurrents and riptides the West did not even recognize, let allow comprehend. Gaddafi was a ruthless man whose rule constituted a grave disfavor to his people. A man who cannot govern his impulses cannot wisely govern a nation. Yet, he served as warden in a harsh, parlous neighborhood. His demise loosed destructive forces which he had contained despite his long tryst with mental derangement. These forces would leave Libya to find homestead in weak, decaying Mali.

On one hand, Taureg irregulars from Mali had allied with Gaddafi. The dictator's relationship with the Tauregs served both countries. It shored Gaddafi's security machinery while being a release valve for Taureg separatist pressure in Mali. When Gaddafi fell, the Tauregs went home with war hot on their minds.

Their return transformed meandering separatist activity into a purposeful, wellarmed independence movement.

So eager to undo Gaddafi, the West allied with radical Islamists to reach this goal. The union dissolved as quickly as it had come. With Gaddafi, the West was assured extreme Jihadists were not welcomed in Libya. Now that he is gone, violent radicals who once had no say now seek to control Libya and have poured into Mali for the same purpose.

Although foes in Libya, Tauregs and Jihadists joined hands in Mali. Mainstream news reports claim the Jihadists have taken over the insurrection, embittering and sidelining the Tauregs in the process. These reports must be taken with a grain of suspicion. Dissension between the two groups has occurred but probably not to the extent the media claims. Reports of Taureg-Jihadist scrimmaging are infrequent and do not imply a total split. Moreover, it seems unlikely that ad-hoc contingents of foreign intruders could advance so adroitly over unknown terrain without significant local help.

War often is bought on the cheap but its end always is a costly purchase. In this exchange, the world purchased war with Libya and acquired an unwanted one in Mali. For the West, this is a considerable mistake causing its nations to

Making a mess of Mali •In the space between Hades and Hell lies the reality of war

•(L-R) Senegal's President Macky Sall, Guinea's President Alpha Conde, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou, Tchad President Idriss Deby, Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma, and Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan during the regional bloc ECOWAS summit on expediting an African force to come to Mali's aid, yesterday in Abidjan, Ivory Coast AFP PHOTO

BRIAN BROWNE

expend resources they would have rather kept inactive but on the ready.

For Africa, the crisis is a bulging error.

Supporting the West in a war that did not need fighting, sub-Saharan Africa has brought to its doorstep a war it must fight but one for which it is ill-suited.

Opportunistically focusing on Mali, the Jihadists realized the country was a chicken ready for plucking. The government was in disarray and the army in tatters. Key Taureg commanders and soldiers had defected from the army to join league with their brethren returning from Libya. In an instant, the balance of military power had shifted in Mali. Regional and domestic dynamics had suddenly turned the low-simmering Taureg revolt into the dominant power. When Jihadists entered the fray, the balanced tipped more unfavorably against the demoralized government.

In short order, the rebels seized the northern half of the nation and advanced toward a strategic airfield, important water and agricultural installations and ultimately, toward the capital. The demise of the government in Bamako seemed ordained. Enter the French to save its former ward.

The previous years of western investment in Mali have come to naught.

America has engaged in the unreliable business of training West African militaries for years under the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative, the precursor to today's AFRICOM. Until the coup, the Malian army was considered one of its achievements. The coup calls into question the utility of American military training to the goal of democratization.

After all, the putsch was engineered by a captain who had been one of the primary beneficiaries of intensive American training. Sad coincidence? Perhaps.

More likely it is form of caveat emptor regarding struggling African nations and Western military training. Upon purchasing a rabid wolf, one must not be surprised or declaim too loudly when it rips at your leg.

The struggle for Mali is now portrayed as one of democracy versus reli-

gious intolerance, the West against the Jihadists. This portrait ignores the genuine internal fissures that afflict Mali.

Tauregs ignited this rebellion for reasons they believe important. Land and water grabs by Western and Libyan firms linked to the West threaten Taureg economic interests. Without settling these issues, the crisis in Mali will not be resolved. As long as Tauregs are disgruntled, Jihadists will find an alcove among them just as they do with frontier tribes in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen. Sadly, events have taken on such a martial trajectory that political discussions will be precluded for the time being.

The French have rapidly deployed well over a thousand troops and have commended daily bombardment of the Islamists' forward positions. This decision was not a sudden one. The French had a counteroffensive contingency plan on the ready. Paris hoped the Malian army would have been better at self-defense, thus making French direct intervention unnecessary. When the army crumpled like a cheap box, the French were forced to act.

Once France made its dramatic entry, African nations were duty bound to follow. Yet, this situation gives sad testimony to the present state of many African nations. Instead of looking toward an independent future where the nation can plot its own way, Mali is left with the choice of falling into the hands of its colonial master or of falling prey to the excesses of vile zealots. No doubt, the former comes with strings attached. The latter comes with the danger that one's head might be detached at the slightest perception of heresy.

Consequently, the nation is left to choose between bad and worse.

All of this places African nations in a diplomatic bind. The French objective is to stop extremists from gaining a toehold from where they can hatch plots against France. While this may give respite to Malians, French concern s more to stop the extremists than to help Mali out of the bog. However, ECOWAS's objective is

to restore the American dream of constitutional democracy and free markets to Malian soil. The French have firepower but a limited objective. ECOWAS has less firepower yet the larger objective.

There will be friction between the two allies. This will be resolved to France's liking. The military division of labor will be that France controls the airspace. French troops will protect Bamako and other strategic points. Some French troops will engage as skirmishers to halt radical advances and to probe for alleys of counterattack. The French are unlikely to commit themselves to a significant ground assault. In essence, the French are in a holding position. They are biding time for ECOWAS to deploy. Once deployed, ECOWAS troops will be expected to take the frontline to spearhead the decisive counteroffensive with the aid of Western aerial support. This accords with the division of labor used in Libya. Just as in Libya, the conflict in Mali will take months to determine if this truly becomes the division of military labor between the West and Africa. Such gradualism will heavily test the capacity of African nations but suits Western interests. The longer the war, the larger the profits for the Western military complex. Moreover, the weaker other African states become due to this exertion, the more leverage the West will have over them.

Already, the trouble in Mali has not stayed in Mali. Mayhem has spilled into Algeria in dramatic and lethal fashion.

The deadly hostage episode there will not be the last in that nation. Ironically, Libya announced it had closed the border with Mali due to the unrest. Tripoli apparently feared the desert winds would blow back into Libya the unrest Libya had chased into Mali. As such, the border closure is a sad joke. Additionally, the weakling Libyan government does not control the streets of its own capital. How does it think it can regulate a distant border separated by hundreds of miles of desolate sand, heat and lawlessness?

Perhaps the most salient news this week was a CNN report confirming United States Defense Secretary Panetta's previous statement that American unmanned drone bombers may soon fly Nigerian airspace. This confirms America sees a direct, growing link between Al Qaeda and Nigeria's Boko Haram. Given the violence Boko Haram has unleashed on innocent people, the American position incites an emotional appeal.

Hardliners and Old Testament, eye-foran-eye apostles will applaud this move.

Yet, the logic behind it is deceptive and dangerously so. The policy's bottom line is to kill Boko Haram leaders in retribution for their murder of the innocent.

This is easy to conceive but nigh impos-

sible to implement simultaneously with precision and decisive effect.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the laboratories were drone experiments have been conducted the longest. The drone campaigns have succeeded in killing thousands of people, many of them the intended terrorist targets. But many have been unarmed innocents whose only crime was to reside in close proximity to the bombs' targets. Despite the years of strikes, neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan is better off. Both are rife with violence. For every terrorist slain, another is recruited. The same goes for Yemen and Somalia. While effective tactical killing machines, drones have demonstrated only negligible strategic value in defeating the organizations of terrorism.

In Nigeria, terrorist leaders hide in more urbanized, densely populated areas than in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If drones are used in this environment, more innocents will be killed here than in the other nations. Yet, like Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is unlikely the drones will decapitate the target organization.

Resort to drones only makes strategic sense based on the conclusion that Boko Haram will collapse if a few key members are silenced. However, if Boko Haram is an amorphous affiliation of gangs and sub-sets, drones will do no better in Nigeria than in Pakistan. Instead, constant bombings will raise antiWestern sentiment to a higher pitch. For every innocent person killed, two will come to sympathize with or join Boko Haram. The empirical evidence indicates that drones contribute to a war of attrition where the thing mostly attrited is peace. Drone use tends to radicalize populations affected by the bombing.

Tactical kills are registered but the objective of ending terrorism grows more distant because bombing is reviled by the people on the ground. This is the human factor that drone advocates ignore. Ending an insurgency is predicated on shifting the goodwill of the people away from the insurgents. Yet, assassination by drone is a campaign more vindictive than victorious. If drones are deployed, America would have tossed the hearts and minds of the people into the gutter.

Should Defense Secretary Panetta have his way, planes dispensing death will soon be overhead in northern Nigeria. These planes belong to a military superior to any in Africa. That foreign military will decide which Nigerian is a terrorist and will make the decision based on secret factors of which no Nigerian will be aware. This will take place in the skies over Africa's strongest nation.

To say that colonialism is dead is to mouth one of the world's seven greatest fables and no one presently remembers the other six.

In the early 20th century, the gunboat was the preferred instrument of strong-arm diplomacy. In the early 21st century, the gunboat has been supplanted by an unmanned aerial assassin, the drone. While the devices have changed, the mean calculations rationalizing their usage remain constant. Scientific man has advanced but political man remains a beast that prowls on all fours. He perverts science to create machines that fulfill selfish objectives more incarnadine than intelligent, more feral than fine.

Africa has entered a dangerous period. Mali is the first nation forced to walk the slim precipice between the neocolonial interests of the West and the rapine ways of extreme Jihadists. Instead of determining its own fate, an African nation once again has become the playground for the machinations of others.

Sadly, Mali will not be last of our nations made to take the dire walk. The weaker the nation and its institutions, the more likely it will be to fall into the swell. This is a moment for the nations of the continent to marshal their scarce resources to take the lead in rescuing Mali and not merely trying to hold the extremists to a stalemate. It is beyond time for the nations to marshal their diplomatic courage, wisdom and foresight to forge a coordinated, strategic response to the twin dangers (neocolonial encroachment versus jihadist chaos) made manifest by the Malian crisis. The time is late. Soon the clock strikes twelve.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

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THE NATION SPORT SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

SPORT EXTRA

Fergie slams foreigners for diving scourge ...As Man Utd faces Spurs

M

ANCHESTER United manager Alex Ferguson says he believes overseas players are responsible for the blight of diving in the English Premier League.

Today,United come up against Tottenham Hotspurs ' Gareth Bale, who has been booked for simulation three times this season, while rumoured United target Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace has also been accused of going down too easily.

Ferguson, though, is adamant that the influx of foreign players in the English top flight is to blame for the practice becoming more widespread.

"There is a connection to the foreign players coming into our game, I don't think there is any doubt about that," he said.

Ferguson's remarks follow the controversial admission by Liverpool's Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez that he dived in an unsuccessful attempt to win a penalty during a league game against Stoke City in October.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has pledged to punish Suarez over his comments and Ferguson agrees that the responsibility to police the matter falls on club managers.

"Do the sanctions come from the club or the FA (Football Association)?"

Ferguson asked.

"The FA have a problem because, is it legal? How can they prove a lad has purposely dived?

"It is very difficult. The FA have always said that. Does it go to the clubs?

At the end of the day, it probably does.

"We did it with Cristiano (Ronaldo).

He was only a young boy when he came to us and it took him a couple of years to understand. But after that, he was fine.”

Federer, Serena blast Armstrong

R

OGER Federer says Lance Armstrong's admission that he took performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career has affected all of sport and the world's athletes.

"What a sad story," Federer said after his three-set win yesterday over Bernard Tomic at the Australian Open.

"Obviously he's hurt his sport in a big way, even though he helped it in the beginning. But now the burden they live under, all other sports maybe as well."

Federer, a 17-time major winner, said he watched the first portion of the interview that Armstrong did with Oprah Winfrey.

"I guess all I needed to see was the first few minutes and then I knew what was the deal, and the rest I don't really care," Federer said. "I'm an active athlete right now, and it's not fun times really to be in sports to a degree."

Guardiola won't drag Barca stars to Bayern

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EP Guardiola's father says his son will not look to take any Barcelona stars to Bayern Munich.

The former Blaugrana boss will take over from Jupp Heynckes in the Allianz Arena hot seat as of this summer, following an announcement earlier this week.

Since then, rumors have linked Guardiola with a number of his former players after he admitted he would look to replicate the style of football he implemented at Camp Nou with his new club.

"Barça is his home. He's not going to pull it apart, how would his home end up then?", Valentí Guardiola told Deportes Cuatro.

He then gave his thoughts on a possible language barrier stalling his son's progress at Bayern and whether or not he will be able to enjoy the same success in Germany as he did in Spain.

"Only time will tell. He'll put everything into his job and he will be able to defend himself in German," he added.

President Zuma opens 2013 AFCON party Chelsea's Nigerian midfielder Victor Moses (L) vies with Swansea City's English midfielder Wayne Routledge (R) during the English PremierLeague football match between Swansea City and Chelsea at Liberty Stadium in Swansea yesterday. The game finished 1-1. AFP PHOTO/IAN KINGTON

..as Cape Verde hold Bafana Bafana

P

RESIDENT Jacob Zuma officially opened the 29th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer tournament at the National Stadium in Soweto, south of Johannesburg, on Saturday.

Zuma lifted a flame after the opening ceremony, which had started on schedule at 16:00, with a distinctly African theme, as a heavy downpour subsided.

Structures resembling brick walls were assembled on the pitch with the words "poverty" painted in black and "HIV/Aids" painted in red.

The entire soccer field was covered in rainbow-coloured material. Masses of children danced on the material, and after joining in the centre of the field, the children took apart the structures piece by piece.

The rain began two hours before the ceremony was due to start, but lightened about an hour before the start.

Most of the crowd took shelter behind the stands during the ceremony. The seats were left almost completely empty as supporters waited for the rain to stop.

The majority of fans were dressed in yellow in support of Bafana Bafana, who were set to face Cape Verde Islands in the opening match.

Meanwhile, South Africa played out a disappointing goalless draw with newcomers Cape Verde in the opening game of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Bafana Bafana struggled to overcome their tag as a side who struggle to score goals, failing to create clear-cut chances in the Johannesburg rain.

Cape Verde had the best opportunity of the game, with striker Platini dragging his closerange shot badly wide.The result, however, gives the Blue Sharks their first Nations Cup poi

•Cape Verde midfielder Platini (L) vies with South Africa's defender Siyabonga Sangweni during a group A football match at the 2013 African Cup of Nations in Soweto yesterday at Soccer City.

AFP

Egwuekwe doubtful against Burkina Faso

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IGERIA defender Azubuike Egwuekwe is a major doubt for tomorrow's opening Group C match against Burkina Faso due to illness.

The towering Warri Wolves stopper missed the team's accreditation for the AFCON on Friday.

However, Eagles spokesman Ben Alaiya assured Egwuekwe will be fit for Monday's match.

“He's just under the weather and should be fine for the first game.

Previously an ever-present under coach Stephen Keshi, Egwuekwe has lost his first-team place to Godfrey Oboabona, who is now expected to partner skipper Joseph Yobo in the heart of the back four.

Meanwhile, skipper Yobo has vouched for the discipline in the Eagles team.

Players of Super Eagles in recent past have been accused of not showing enough commitment during national team action.

However, Yobo has insisted that indiscipline is a thing of the past with this team.

"I think the discipline level is very high. We have a coach who is an ex-captain of the team and knows what it means to keep a discipline side. We are getting better and the issue of indiscipline in the Eagles does not exist in this team," he said.

The coach Keshi-led side had a closed-door training session and the team are billed to meet with the media today at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Malian Eagles in high spirit despite civil unrest

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ALI team spirit is high for the Africa Cup of Nations here even though the country has been embroiled in a conflict with Islamist militant groups in the vast desert northern region.

Since January 2012, insurgents

Ethiopia finally Referee Bennett named for Ghana-DR Congo opener OUTH African referee Daniel least two games involving the Black Bennett has been appointed Stars at the previous editions of the arrives Nelspruit to handle the Black Stars biennial championships.

E

THIOPIA finally completed Group C after they arrived in Nelspruit on Friday night and were accorded a Swati Warrior welcome.

The Walia Antelopes rolled into the Protea Hotel Winkler under police escort at 19:45 hours to officially end their 31-year-old absence from the Africa Cup. A Swati Warrior dance troupe treated Ethiopia to song and dance in the early evening warmth as the team went about their arrival formalities at The Winkler located 22 kilometres outside Nelspruit.

Assistant coach Seyoum Kebebe said they were not worried about arriving just two days on the longhaul flight from Addis Ababa to Nelspruit via Johannesburg before facing defending champions Zambia in their Group C opener at Mbombela Stadium on Monday.

"It was our plan to come today (Friday), but we will recover, no problem," Kebebe told MTNFootball.com at The Winkler.

RESULTS 2013 AFCON South Africa 0 - 0 Cape Verde FIXTURES January 20: Group B Ghana Vs. DR Congo Mali Vs. Niger January 21: Group C Zambia Vs. Ethiopia Nigeria Vs. Burkina Faso January 22: Group D Cote d'Ivoire Vs. Togo Tunisia Vs. Algeria

S

Group B opener against DR Congo today at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Bennet, a teacher at the Mondeor Primary School in Johannesburg is unarguably one of the finest referees on the continent and has officiated at every Africa Cup of Nations since 2008.

The 36-year old is no stranger to Ghana matches having handled at

The South African was at the middle between the Ghana-Guinea group phase clash at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations as well as the quarter final clash involving Ghana and Nigeria during the 2008 edition.

According to GNA Sports, Bennet will be assisted by compatriot Siwela Zakhele and Marwa Range of Kenya with Egyptian Gehad Grisha serving as

have been fighting Malian troops for greater independence for northern Mali. This month, troops from other African states backed by French air and ground forces moved in.

French-born Mali coach Patrice Carteron said the involvement of foreign troops has made his players feel a lot safer and they are now confident the conflict will end soon.

"It has not been easy as this war has been going on for a year now, but the involvement of foreign troops led by France has lifted the spirit of the players as well as the entire country," said the former Lyon defender.

"They are now a lot more confident that the country will be peaceful again soon and life can return to normal."

Football has been a big uniting force for Malians amid insecurity in the country, Carteron added.

Sociedad stuns 10-man Barca

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EAL Sociedad scored twice after Gerard Piqué was sent off ten minutes in to the second half to pull off the massive upset of Barcelona.

Minutes after just missing a great chance after breaking Sociedad's offside trap, Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead 1-0.

Soceidad goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was the root of the evil, sending a clearance right to Andrés Iniesta who wasted no time crossing the ball in to the center of the pitch. Cesc Fábregas put a light touch on the ball, directing it to Messi who danced around a Sociedad defender and beat Bravo with a soft shot.

Despite some close calls for Sociedad, they simply couldn't slow down the Barcelona attack.

In the 25th minute Xavi send a ball over the top to Dani Alves who settled it quickly before finding Pedro Rodriguez behind

Bravo for an easy tap-in to make it 2-0.

Sociedad pulled a goal back right before halftime after an initial cross was blocked and popped up in the air at the top of the Barcelona box. Antoine Griezmann headed down the ball to Carlos Vela who moved it wide to Castro who took a touch and placed a pinpoint shot past Victor Valdés hand in to the far corner.

Sociedad kept up the pressure in the second half and things turned in their advantage in the 55th minute when defender Gerard Piqué brought down Vela and earned his second yellow card of the match and the corresponding marching orders that come with a red card.

They were quick to take advantage finding an equalizer in the 62nd minute. Barceland appeared to be on their way to at least holding on for the draw but

Sociedad wasn't done. Imanol Agirretxe finished a Carlos Martinez cross one minute in to stoppage time to give Sociedad the unlikely victory.

It's Barcelona's first lost in La Liga this season while Sociedad leaps up to fifth place in the table for the moment.

ENGLAND Liverpool 5 - 0 Norwich Manchester City 2 - 0 Fulham Newcastle 1 - 2 Reading Swansea 3 - 1 Stoke West Ham 1 - 1 QPR Wigan 2 - 3 Sunderland RESULTS Germany - Bundesliga Leverkusen 3 - 1 Frankfurt Bayern 2 - 0 Greuther Furth Hoffenheim 0 - 0 M’gladbach Mainz 05 0 - 0 Freiburg Wolfsburg 2 - 0 Stuttgart Bremen 0 - 5 Dortmund France - Ligue 1 Sochaux 1 - 0 Reims Marseille 3 - 2 Montpellier Spain - Liga BBVA Granada 2 - 0 Vallecano Sociedad 3 - 2 Barcelona

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THE NATION SPORT SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013

SPORT EXTRA KANU HEART FOUNDATION

Jonathan to grace N5b Cardiac Centre launch

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, Governors, CEOs of notable companies and multinationals as well as wellmeaning Nigerians are expected to grace the N5billion Kanu Cardiac Centre fund raiser to be held in Abuja on March 14, 2013.

Speaking exclusively to Sunday Nation Sport before departing for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, Nwankwo Kanu noted that the realisation of the Kanu Cardiac Centre would facilitate the dream of its 13year-old foundation of treating more children having heart-related problems.

He informed that President Goodluck has graciously accepted to be Special Guest of Honour at the fund raising event, while calling on wellmeaning Nigerians, corporate bodies and multinationals to be part of the laudable project.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h Coordinator/Trustee of Kanu Heart Foundation, Onyebuchi Abia, when in full operation, the centre would save an average of 250 children and 100 adults heart patients in a one year through the free surgery initiative of the foundation. Heart patients between the ages of 0-12 will also receive free surgery treatment, while patients above 12 years old will be treated at a highly-subsidised fee. It would also save this nation about $5million annually and reduce capital flight.”

Kanu added: “The truth is that we have done 452 in all. We started from UK and it was quite expensive. On a kid we have to spend between 15,000 and 20, 000 pounds sterling and we are talking about the cost of operation alone. “We are not talking about flight, accommodation and feeding.

We were forced to seek alternative in

By Taiwo Alimi Israel where it is less expensive and we are able to touch more kids. All the same it is still expensive.”

He said he was touched by the plight of parents and children in the country who do not have the advantage that he has, hence his desire to bring smiles on the lips of more victims of heart-related ailments.

Meanwhile, Kanu has tipped Super Eagles for glory at the ongoing Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) which kicked off in South Africa yesterday. The two-time African Footballer of the Year, said the Nigerian players only have to self-belief in order to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament, adding that current African champions, Zambia, won last year's AFCON because they believed in themselves.

“It is only in football that you cannot say one plus one will give you two. And so we should not write Eagles off in South Africa,” he stated.“Look at the Zambian team that defeated Cote d'Ivoire to win the trophy last year, they did not have the same calibre of players yet they won because they believe they can do it.”

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WO goals from David Silva saw an off key Manchester City overcome Fulham at the Etihad Stadium, closing the gap on Premier League title rival Manchester United.

The reigning league champions were ahead within two minutes, as Silva calmly guided Edin Dzeko's parried shot past a hapless Mark Schwarzer.

City looked set to run riot, but didn't strike again until mid-way through the second half, as Silva latched onto Carlos Tevez's through ball and expertly chipped it over the Fulham keeper, guaranteeing all three points.

Roberto Mancini picked an unchanged side for the first time this season, with Vincent Kompany remaining in central defense. Fit-again Sergio Aguero was listed on the bench.

Fulham made six changes to the side that stumbled past Blackpool in the FA Cup. Kieran Richardson, who scored against the Tangerines, was picked at left back, while Bryan Ruiz and Dimitar Berbatov returned up front.

•Suarez

Five-star Liverpool destroy Norwich IVERPOOL is back to winning ways in the Premier League after a marvellous 5-0 win over Norwich City at Anfield yesterday. A wondrous strike from Jordan Henderson gave the Reds the lead, before a well-worked move saw Luis Suarez double the advantage before halftime.

Daniel Sturridge got his third goal in three matches for Liverpool early in the second period, and that was followed by a great Steven Gerrard pile-driver and a Ryan Bennett own goal.

Brendan Rodgers made four changes from the side that lost to Manchester United last time out as Pepe Reina, Martin Skrtel, Joe Allen and Raheem Sterling dropped out for

Silva’s brace cuts United lead at the top

Brad Jones, Jamie Carragher, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge.

Norwich boss Chris Hughton made four changes too, with the Canaries drawing 1-1 at home to Newcastle last week. Out went Sebastien Bassong, Anthony Pilkington, Wes Hoolahan and Simeon Jackson, and in came Ryan Bennett, Elliott Bennett, Jonny Howson and Grant Holt.

The match started with Liverpool controlling proceedings, knocking the ball around confidently in midfield without creating much, and soon Norwich nearly took the lead as Robert Snodgrass delivered an excellent free kick from the right. Ryan Bennett's header forced an easy stop from Jones.

Albiol plays down Ronaldo-Mourinho incident

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EAL Madrid defender Raul Albiol has played down an incident between Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo in the aftermath of the Blancos' Copa del Rey win over Valencia in midweek.

Several reports claimed that a heated confrontation had taken place between the Portuguese duo after Tuesday's match, but Albiol has stressed that it was nothing more than a normal discussion.

"Ronaldo and Mourinho are both winners.

They only exchanged their opinions. What happened does in no way affect the rest of the team," the defender said at a press conference.

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20-01-2013

QUOTABLE "I challenge Minister Orubebe to show the world projects he started and completed in the Niger-Delta as Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs. I challenge Miniser Orubebe to show the world one project he started and completed in Rivers State with the huge resources allocated to his ministry."

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 7, NO. 2376

— Governor Amaechi's spokesperson's response to the Niger Delta Minister, Godson Orubebe, who accused the governor of disrespecting President Jonathan

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N January 15, at a dinner organised by the Northern Reawakening Forum (NRF) in Abuja, the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, once again managed to shock Nigerians out of their wits with his high-octane denunciations of societal foibles. Demonstrating the constancy of spirit and viewpoint that has made him even more famous than his sometimes puzzling financial panaceas ever attempted, Sanusi piquantly suggested that all socio-cultural and religious organisations, which he believed impacted society wrongly, should be banned. He stopped just short of calling for the abrogation of religions altogether. It was probably apparent to him that even for a radical, calling for the scrapping of a religion would have been every whit suicidal.

In the words of this puritan hater of societal quirks: “When I was approached to speak on the economy at the forum called the Northern Reawakening Forum, my initial reaction was that I don’t go to these regional and ethnic groups because I have very strong views against Arewa, Afenifere, Ohaneze and other regional and ethnic groups. And I think these regional and ethnic groups should be banned; including, by the way, Ja’amatu Nasril Islam (JNI), and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

They should be banned because they are not religious organisations; they are not cultural organisations; they are political associations in disguise of religion and region.”

Sanusi, it is evident to every Nigerian now, is an iconoclast. He is as fond of demolishing reputations, when he thinks they are built on shallow foundations, as he is eager to destroy symbols of our childish fancies, be it in religion, in politics or in the economy. No one is too high or too low for his shrill attacks. All he asks of himself is whether the object of his scorn is deserving of attack. Once convinced, he does not shirk a fight, and he gives it his impudent all. But by calling for the scrapping of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Ja’amatu Nasril Islam (JNI), two of Nigeria’s leading religious umbrella associations, he seems to take his iconoclasm to new heights. And by adding into the mix his abjuration of ethnic groups such as Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Afenifere, and Ohaneze Ndigbo, which he disdainfully dismissed as noisome masquerades for pestilential political interests, he climbs what his detractors describe as monomaniacal fondness for self-preserving posturing.

But while it is true that Sanusi’s fiery denunciations have increased in amperage over the years, he makes his enemies squirm even the more because he is seldom misguided. For instance, his description of invitees to Aso Villa as effete champions of dishonest causes can hardly be faulted, for this is as true of Niger Delta militants as it is true of northern and southwest leaders, many of whom have risen to prominence by dint of their capacity for mischief, betrayal and general villainy. His observation that religious leaders perennially engage in the most opprobrious romance with power is so apt that he even seems to underestimate public revulsion against the alliance between religion and politics.

Sanusi’s observations offer an opportunity for a reconsideration of the place and role of religion in national life, that is, if we are capable of such introspection. And though the CBN governor doubtless sounds stiff and sanctimonious in his denunciation of umbrella religious associations, like all his other pithy remarks on the economy, National Assembly profligacy, malodorous aviation policies, and banking malfeasance, he still makes more sense than most public officers.

Rather than take on Sanusi for his daring and irreverence, it may be time for religious leaders to ponder whether in fact they have not become overly political in their dealings among themselves and with the people in power. Religious leaders seem to us to exult when the powerful worship with them and sit in the front rows, and lend personal and state support to multi-million naira religious projects. There is today less

Sanusi talks shop

•Lamido Sanusi

•Sa’ad Abubakar

emphasis on the content of a man’s character than on whom he portrays himself to be.

It is indeed very apparent that our society is laid waste by the scale of our wrongdoings and the sanctimoniousness of our religious observances, with neither religious nor political leaders, nor yet cultural paragons, anxious to bell the cat for change.

Nigeria is one of the most religious societies in the world today. But religion has profited it little, though some cynics point out it could have been worse had there not being at least a public gesture towards some religiosity. The country’s civil service is weak, mediocre and corrupt. The country’s leadership itself, though it revels in the appurtenances of a mosque and a chapel at the State House complex, is increasingly felonious, overtly compromised, and subverted by special interests and overweening cabals.

There is no altruism anywhere, and no patriotism left in anyone’s bosom. With depravity elongated and held so high, it is no wonder that the society is wracked both by guilt and by violence.

Sanusi rightly frets that the evil compromises ethnic and religious groups have entered into with the men in power have sunk the country. But the answer may not be in their proscription. If they are proscribed – and this is not possible anyway, no matter what the letter and spirit of the constitution say – other perhaps more insidious groups would simply take their places. Nature abhors vacuum, it is said. What has the country offered in place of socio-cultural organisations? Do we have a sense of nationhood?

Contrary to the Lugardian ratiocination suggesting that unity is a physical, geographic thing, the fact is that it is a psychological and spiritual thing. Any deep thinker knows the ethereal rules the real in the same way the spiritual rules the physical and the intangible rules the tangible. Until the nation becomes the mathematical locus of attention and the steely core and substance of our being and existence, ethnic nationalities will continue to offer cultural and psychosocial affinities for groups to bond and coalesce.

Sanusi and many northern leaders, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, have suggested corrupt leadership and poverty predisposed the North to the violence and lawlessness it is witnessing today. The real problem is much more nuanced, as this column has sought many times to clarify. A leadership is first weak before it is corrupt. More, the breakdown being witnessed in the North is a function of the weakness of its binding symbols. Politics no longer offers that bond around which a sense of northern identity could coalesce; nor, sadly, does religion offer safe anchor, for this too has been deeply corrupted and its sinews corroded by years of abysmal politicisation and reckless exploitation.

No society can cohere without a substance or a person around which to coalesce.

Once a society loses its inner core, its soul or its mind, it will begin to fracture badly.

The remnant sense of northernerness which the people of the North still have today was partly a creation of the Sardauna of Sokoto,

Sir Ahmadu Bello, as it was a creation, in a different sense and under a different era, of Uthman dan Fodio. There must always be something or someone to give a society its sense of being or drive. Modern analysts, like US President Barack Obama during his visit to Ghana, talk of creating strong institutions rather than strong personalities in order for stability and peace to be engendered. This is only true when that society is already driven by persons or sets of values that propel it into greatness and competitiveness. Except during occasional periods in their histories when they require strong personalities, many Western societies have sets of values and lodestars to propel them into greatness. Nigeria does not have either a set of lofty values or even the strongmen to give the country form and substance.

Since amalgamation, the Sardauna was the first and the last to play that role for the North; Chief Obafemi Awolowo for the West; and Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, more than the great Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, as I have argued in this place before, for the East. In the absence of these eminent men, their societies will need a set of values, religious codes, and cultural templates to make their societies cohere. The denudation of these values and codes and templates, which in the case of Nigeria are at different stages, much more than poverty, predispose societies to anomie. Indeed, what make Nigeria to maintain a semblance of stability are the socio-cultural organisations which Sanusi deprecates. The groups have been corrupted, as the CBN governor notes, and religions attenuated by the anthropomorphism of our various cultural antecedents, but they still have their uses.

We can discern from the imprecise thoughts of Mallam Sanusi the salient message that our society is endangered by many factors. My opinion is that that danger comes principally from a lack of knowledge. We must strive to understand what ails us first before we find the panaceas. There is no competent national leadership that understands what must be done, and the regions are decaying into anarchy and unraveling into fragments depending on what stages of leadership failure or value attenuation they are. Mr Obama speaks of strong institutions. But he speaks only about a minute part of the truth. After all, Richard Kagan, Paul Wolfowitz and the neo-conservatives could not have designed the failed New American Century project if they did not have a sense of America’s manifest destiny (Global leadership anchored on military strength and moral clarity). What is ours? Through their prisms, the Southwest was reminded of its sense of being by Awo, the North by Sardauna, and the East by Zik/Ojukwu. Who has tried to define for Nigerians who they are, what the Nigerian dream is, and what its manifest destiny should look like? If this definition had been made, it is doubtful whether any rational leader, let alone a sensible historian, would suggest that, of all things, we should be celebrating the centenary of Lugard’s amalgamation.

Jonathan’s shocking comments after visit to Police College, Lagos

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FTER Channels Television broadcast the incredible rot that has overtaken the premier police training facility in Nigeria, the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, an enraged President Goodluck Jonathan paid a flying visit to the institution. Reports indicate he was deeply moved by the sorry state of the facility.

However, the reaction of the president to the rot must have truly baffled every Nigerian. Rather than wonder how the rot escaped the attention of the government and police authorities for so long, or even marvel at the incompetence of senior police officers in allowing the rot to graduate to that magnitude, the president turned his rage on the people he suspected connived at the television documentary. In his view, the broadcast was meant to embarrass his government. This president is truly baffling.

According to newspapers, the president paid an unscheduled visit to the police training college. And after he toured the college’s decrepit facilities, he asked the flustered commandant of the college, Police Commissioner I.F.Yerima, three questions.

Read the account of this newspaper: As the president made to enter his car, he suddenly paused and faced CP Yerima to ask him a few questions.Then came the first question for the College Commandant: How was Channels TV able to penetrate and record the mess without detection? The CP had no answer.

The second question followed: When was the recording done. Again there was no answer.

The Commandant turned to his deputy and other senior officers to assist him in answering the President’s questions, but none was able to help him out.

The President then quipped: “This is a calculated attempt to damage the image of the gov-

ernment, as the college is not the only training institution in the country.”

He soon entered his car and left.

It does not require clairvoyance to know that the presidency will wield the big axe.

As far as the trainee policemen are concerned, as long as the situation is remedied, they couldn’t care less whose head was taken to the guillotine. But given the rot in the police facility, quite like most barracks have fallen into near disuse, is it any wonder that on graduation the law enforcement agencies, particularly the police which had complained bitterly of neglect, adopt brutal and unfeeling methods in tackling crime and suspects? In all, let us hope that the president’s anger would spur him into taking measures to renovate police training facilities all over the country rather than punishing those he feels are complicit in the television broadcast.

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