The Nation July-9-2011

Nigeria’s truly national newspaper

Chairmanship: 2 Jonathan dumps South East for North East

South West Page 3 governors set agenda for development

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TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.05 N0. 1815

Police sergeant spends 16 years on suspension, fights to return to duty Pages

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SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

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My body is not for sale

—Agbani Darego

Federal cabinet

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Diezani, others may be moved Jonathan unveils portfolios next week Okonjo-Iweala formally resigns from World Bank Page

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Supreme Court affirms actress’ death sentence

N150.00

Collapsed building

Mangled body of male resident recovered Page 2 Residents vacate nearby house for fear of collapse

I’ve no Page regrets 45 conceiving NYSC scheme Prof. Adedeji

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2 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Collapsed Building: Mangled body of male resident recovered

Federal cabinet: Diezani, others T may be moved A HEAD of President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to formalise the allocation of portfolios to newly appointed ministers on Monday, there are strong indications that some of them may be moved from their present portfolios to new ones.

Already, the ministers and their godfathers have started intense lobbying for juicy portfolios, even as 12 old ministers battle to retain their offices.

The President had told the ministers that each of them would get a formal letter from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, on Monday.

Investigation by our correspondent indicated that the godfathers of some of the ministers have been lobbying and making representations on portfolios they feel are suitable for their proteges.

It was learnt that the performance of some of the new ministers during their screening by the Senate may serve as the benchmark for assignment of ministries.

It was also gathered that the outcome of the screening may alter the initial plans of the President.

A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “After inauguration, the lobbying has shifted to portfolios. The godfathers are seeking better or visible ministries for their candidates.

“Also, some of the ministers are desirous of performanceoriented portfolios where they can impact positively on the

•Jonathan unveils porffolios next week

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation lives of Nigerians.

“So, within the next 72 hours, the jostle is certainly over portfolios.”

A source in the Presidency, however, said: “The President

knows his onions. He is determined to put round pegs in round holes. That is why he has been meticulous in choosing his team.

“The question of lobbying may not work this time around because the President wants to deliver on his transformation

promise and the antecedents and ability of each minister will count.

“What he has done is to keep the government running with old ministers and two new ones. With the format the President has adopted, there is no way the ministers’ portfolios can be named. The exercise is being done in batches.

“But by Monday, he will release a comprehensive outlook of his cabinet, which will reflect the portfolios of the ministers.

“After assigning cabinet posts, he will then address the ministers on his expectations and dos and don’ts.’’

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Joke KUJENYA the agency had brought two heavy-duty tractors to the scene to fasten demolition works at the site.

“We are in the last phase of the operations because we have been able to surmount the challenges impeding works in the area in terms of narrowness and uneasy access to the collapsed building within the last three days,” he said.

The LASEMA GM/CEO also said that the agency had to pull down about eight shops after having informed the shop owners to leave the place.

“We then moved into the collapsed house with our heavy duty equipments where we were able to recover the body, which anyway could have been a major cause of epidemic in the area.

Community to appease the dead

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•ANTI TERROR: Police check on Maiduguri Road, Bauchi...Friday

PHOTO: NAN

PDP chairmanship: Jonathan dumps South East for North East

ESPITE pressure, there were indications yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan may back the North-East to produce the next National Chairman of the party.

The South-West may likely produce the National Secretary of the party. It was also learnt that most party leaders from five geo-political zones are opposed to the South-East getting the slot.

Also, one of the reasons for taking the slot away from the South-East is alleged plot by an aged ‘cabal’ in the region to hijack the party machinery.

The cabal is allegedly being coordinated by a South-East governor.

But members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are insisting that they will want to complete their tenure.

Investigation by our correspondent showed that the President is seeking the PDP chairmanship for the North-East to ensure equity.

It was gathered that the President had consulted with party leaders, including a former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, on his position.

A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The President seems to have made up his mind on the North-East producing the new National Chairman of the party for the sake of equity.

“Throughout the week, he took his time to explain how the leadership game in the House of Representatives has changed the power sharing formula of the party.

HE body of a man yet to be identified was around 1 pm yesterday pulled out from the rubbles of the collapsed building on No 6, Magaji Street, Idumota, Lagos.

This was confirmed by Dr. Oluwafemi Osayintolu, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer (GM/CEO), Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), who spoke to The Nation. “We recovered the man’s body about the time Jumat service was going on,” he said.

He said the man’s body was found wedged under a pillar on the 2nd floor of the crumbled structure. The old and feeble four-storey building crumbled at about 11.30pm on Tuesday night, about the time most of the occupants had retired to their residence after work hours.

Osanyintole also said that

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation “This position is being supported by most PDP leaders from other five geo-political zones who are tired of SouthEast politics, which led to the emergence of two national chairmen in four years.

“In deference to the SouthEast caucus, the President has confided in Ekwueme on why he must ensure equity in pow-

er sharing among the geo-political zones.

“The President and party leaders believe that the SouthEast has got more than a fair share of power in the current dispensation with such offices as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Deputy Senate President, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minister of Finance, Minister of Aviation and Minister of Labour and Productivity.

Responding to a question, the source added: “I think on or before Sunday, a new National Chairman of the PDP will emerge.

“If I may put it better, the new chairman will emerge as soon as the outgoing acting National Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Bello Haliru, is assigned a portfolio. And the Office of the National Secretary may go to the South-West.

With the latest position of the Presidency, the battle line is drawn among eight aspirants from the North-East.

Okonjo-Iweala quits World Bank to become finance minister •Aganga to head Investment and Trade Ministry

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ORLD Bank managing director, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, resigned her post yesterday in order to become the finance minister, spurring hopes of reform in the Nigerian economy.

Okonjo-Iweala will take up an expanded position as Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance in President Goodluck Jonathan's new cabinet, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said in a statement.

"Her desire to serve her country is truly a big loss for the World Bank but a major gain for Nigeria as it works to craft its economic way forward," he said.

Government sources told Reuters two weeks ago that Jonathan had asked Okonjo-Iweala, a respected former finance minister who helped negotiate debt rescheduling in 2005, to return to her old position with broad powers over economic management.

Jonathan was sworn in for his first full term on May 29 following general elections and his ministerial choices are being closely watched

by Nigerians and foreign investors keen for a team capable of driving badly needed reforms.

Ayodele AMINU Group Business Editor "We think President Goodluck Jonathan's selection of the World Bank MD will result in a vote of confidence for his administration, and suggests he is serious about initiating fiscal reforms," Renaissance Capital said in a research note.

Okonjo-Iweala laid out her vision for the Nigerian economy during her screening by the Senate on Wednesday, pledging she would create jobs and ensure the country "lives within its means" if approved as a cabinet minister.

The high cost of government has been a major concern for economists and investors. Recurrent expenditure accounts for well over half of spending despite poor public services.

Jonathan swore in 17 other ministers yesterday, including outgoing finance minister Olusegun Aganga, who is expected to be put in charge of a newly-expanded commerce and investment portfolio, presidency sources said.

Their roles will formally be announced next week.

RADITIONAL Chiefs of Lagos Island have disclosed that there would be a seven-day sacrifice to appease the souls of the departed.

Speaking on behalf of the other chiefs, Chief Nurudeen Olubiyi Agoro, Oloye of Ojoo, Lagos Island, said the sacrifice had become imperative because none of the victims expected to die in such gruesome ways on the fateful day.

He said: “I don’t know your religion and it really does not matter; but here we are going to do sacrifice. That is why you see that no market has been and can be opened until the whole thing is over with. All the people that died did not plan to die on that day. They did not know that they were going to die. It is painful and we all are very sad and it could have happened to any of us.

“So, we, the traditionalists, are going to do our own sacrifice to the gods of the land and for the souls of the departed not to come here and be tormenting us or our children. We will then invite the Muslim Alfas and the Christians Reverends to come and talk to their God for us so we will not see such again.

“But above all, henceforth, there shall be tough disciplinary measures against all landlords who build their houses with inferior materials. So, the sacrifice is going to hold as we have decided and all the market men and women are already aware.

Business will resume afterwards.”

Residents vacate nearby building for fear of collapse

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OME residents of another fragile building next to the collapsed structure on No 6, Magaji Street, Idumota, Lagos, have started moving out their belongings.

When The Nation accosted one of the residents, Mr. Ademilola Owokoniran, a businessman and father of four children, he said he had to move for fear of falling victim to such a sad incident.

He said his action was also informed by shock, adding that the building in which he resides too shook vigorously when House No 6 fell flat on Tuesday night.

He said he had moved to the house about two years ago just to be close to his office at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters, Marina, Lagos but often goes back to Ikorodu at weekends.

He said: “I am moving out before it would be hard for me to get over the death of these people we have related with for the past two years as friends, families and neighbours. I saw a few of them on the night of the sad occurrence. We greeted one another ‘goodnight’ only to be shocked by their sudden death barely hours later. I just can’t continue to imagine myself sleeping in this house.

“Another point to note is that, while the house shook before it collapsed, our own too shook violently. And we all wondered what could have happened. So, it is obvious that this house too, No 4, is

another disaster waiting to happen. The materials used is as bad as the one used for No 6. The same family line own, manage and engage same developers to handle the two houses. So, I have no guarantee that the same thing would not happen to us.”

He however appealed to relevant authorities in Lagos State to ensure that they carry out serious checks on the quality of materials used in building houses within the Island, adding that more than 90 per cent of the houses in the area are very weak. He noted that there should be proper urban planning within the area.

A female resident, Alhaja Abass, who said she just gave birth to a baby boy last month, also moved out of her apartment, carrying her one-month old baby. She was met sitting at the entrance of the Oba Onisewo.

Asked why she moved out and where she was moving into, she snapped in Yoruba: “Right now, I don’t even know where I am going and I don’t care. All I know is I am not going back into that house of death. I can never get over the shock.”

Also, Engr. Rauf Orilrishe, Head of Engineering, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Ibadan, who also resides in House No 4, Magaji Street, Idumota, Lagos, said he had to move out because as an engineer, he knows that their own building will soon crumble.

NEWS 3

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Tinubu urges Jonathan to ensure true federalism •Inaugurates new administrative block named after him at Orile Agege Council

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CTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday reiterated his call for true federalism, urging President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly to ensure devolution of power through appropriate constitution amendment.

He canvassed more powers and functions for the local government to enable the third tier of government to respond to the needs of local people and foster development at the grassroots.

Senator Tinubu also reminded Nigerians that the battle for ballot integrity would not be won unless those who perpetrate malpractices are brought to book by the courts.

The former Lagos State governor spoke at the commissioning of the new administrative block of Orile Agege Local Council Development Area (LCDA) secretariat, which the council administration christened Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administrative Complex.

A few years ago, the land on which the multi-million naira edifice was erected, was a refuse dump site, which had the potential of spreading diseases in the locality. However, the council chairman, Hon. Taofeek Adaranijo, had applied to the former governor to convert it into a meaningful use in 2005.

It was a home-coming of sorts for the ACN leader, who

Ondo ACN petitions CJN over election tribunal Damisi OJO, Akure THE Action Congress Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State yesterday raised the alarm over alleged bias against the Election Petition Tribunal handling cases arising from the last state and National Assembly elections.

The party called for the reconstitution of the threeman election petitions tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital.

The tribunal had its inaugural sitting on May 15, 2010, barely 30 days after the conduct of the presidential election.

The election tribunal is headed by Hon. Justice Aishal Bawa Bwari (Chairman) with Goddy Ifenyi Arunihu and Ineite Ebimie Thelma as members.

Six candidates from both ACN and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are contesting the victory of Labour Party (LP) candidates.

The ACN in a petition sent to Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kastina-Alu, alleged that it has noticed undue support and partial disposition to the Labour Party candidates whose declarations were being challenged in court.

Jude ISIGUZO

Emmanuel OLADESU Deputy Political Editor started his political career at Orile Agege in the Third Republic, when he contested and won his senatorial election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He congratulated the council chairman, Adaranijo, who he recognised as one of the youth activists that have remained loyal to him since then, saying that he (Adaranijo) has spread the dividends of democracy to the people of the area.

Tinubu described him as a loyal, dedicated and committed chieftain of the ACN, adding that he believed in the doctrines of party supremacy and discipline.

He said the performance of people like him has justified the basis for the creation of additional local governments in Lagos State in 2003, despite opposition by the Obasanjo Administration.

“Today, a refuse dump is now an edifice. You have turned a heap of refuse and an abandoned place to a place of gold. You have done well in education, health and road rehabilitation,” he told the council chairman, urging him never to relent in creative service to the LCDA. Tinubu said he would continue to treasure the naming of the secretariat after him as a

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• Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, flanked by Hon. Samuel Adejare (left) and Chairman, Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area, Hon. Taofeek Adaranijo, to cut the tape during the commissioning of the new council administrative complex named Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Administrative Complex at Arigbanla Street, Abekoko, PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL Agege, Lagos... yesterday.

politician who started his political career in the area.

He said the success story of the LCDAs in Lagos State should inspire the continuous fight for true fiscal federalism, urging other opposition parties in the country to press for more powers and funding for the councils.

He described fiscal federalism as the ability of individual communities to have resources to develop according to their pace and as dictated by their needs.

Tinubu said that no federal government can exist without

the local governments, adding that the President came from a community and local government from his native state.

He emphasised that the power to govern a country evolved from the sovereignty owned by the people, adding that when there is improved funding for the states and councils, under-development, youth restiveness and hunger would become a thing a of the past.

Tinubu added: “It is in our interest to give more attention to the local government. The Federal Government cannot supervise the councils from

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Damisi OJO, Akure of the bus died, the spokesman of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr. Adeniran Aremu (DSP) confirmed only five deaths, adding that several others sustained injuries.

The truck with registration number Lagos XT 460 EKY, according to police sources, was loaded with construction materials and was heading to Benin from Lagos, while the com-

mercial bus with registration number EDO XN 727 BEN was on its way to Ore from Akure.

Other sources simply said the container on the truck fell on the passenger bus andclaimed many lives.

Two persons, one of them a hawker, were said to have sustained serious injuries and were receiving treatment at Ore Specialist Hospital.

The scene of the accident was a gory sight as sympathisers and travellers wept uncon-

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trollably.

The incident caused a heavy traffic jam along the ever busy Ore-Lagos Expressway.

Sympathisers thronged the scene for a glimpse of the bodies, while officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) had a hectic time trying to remove the wreckage of the vehicles.

The remains of the deceased have been deposited at Ore Specialist Hospital.

South West governors set agenda for regional development

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OVERNORS of Western Nigeria have resolved to pool resources together to ensure rapid socio-economic and infrastructural development of their states.

This was one of the agreements reached by the governors at a meeting in Ado- Ekiti yesterday.

As a way of achieving this and other developmental agenda, the governors also resolved to constitute a 21-member Technical Committee to appraise the various issues of development in key sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, health, education, transportation, among others.

The Committee is expected to consist of three members from each of the participating states.

The meeting, which was hosted by Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was attended by Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Titilayo LaoyeTomori.

Governors Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State sent apologies for their inability to

attend the meeting.

According to a communiqué jointly signed by the governors, the meeting was held against the backdrop of the need to facilitate the process of political, legal, socio-economic development and integration of Western Nigeria.

The governors resolved to encourage their states to share from the experiences of previous efforts at regional integration as a way forward for the current efforts and evolve a graduated but definitive development programme.

They also agreed to further promote the core values of people of Western Nigeria as a basis for development plan-

Minimum wage: Ondo reverses self, now to pay N18, 000 P P A R E N T L Y spurred by the decision of the governors of the ACN-controlled states in the South West the N18,00 minimum wage, the Ondo State Government has approved the payment of the new national minimum wage to its workers in the public service.

Abuja.”

At the ceremony were Lagos State ACN deputy chairman, Cardinal James Odunmbaku; Alhaji Ganiyu Badmus; Dr Babatunde Adejare; Hon. Yinka Ogundimu; Hon. Obasa; Alhaji Dekola Abanikanda; Alhaji Shittu; Alhaji Safari Adaranijo; Toba Oke; Mrs Yinka Babalola; Prof. Tunde Samuel; Alhaji Wole Ojikutu; Rev. Folarin Fabiyi; Mr Kunle Ogunleye who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola; the Olu of Ikeja, Oba Amore; party chieftains and members of Community Development Associations.

18 die as container crushes passenger bus EARS flowed yesterday in Ore, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, as 18 persons were feared dead in a road accident.

The accident, which occurred in front of an eatery in Ore, according to eyewitnesses, happened when the driver of a lorry lost control of the vehicle and rammed into an 18-seater commercial bus.

But while eyewitnesses claimed that all the occupants

Damisi OJO, Akure

The state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who had initially negotiated N14,000 as the minimum wage payable to workers in the state, announced this at the end of a meeting with the leadership of the State Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Nigeria La-

Court remands suspected wife killer in prison

bour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Akure yesterday. It will take effect from August 2011.

Dr Mimiko said at the meeting: “You are all very familiar with the controversy surrounding the issue of minimum wage. It has been on for some time. When I came back from my recent trip, I consult-

ed with my team on all the issues involved. One issue that refused to go away is the fact that, that is the law.

“As a government that is properly constituted and especially one that has benefited from the rule of law, it will be inappropriate for us to do anything that falls short of the law.

ning that is people-centred and devoid of partisanship.

The governors also canvassed constant exchange of ideas, resources and skills for immediate mutual benefits among the states with peer review efforts.

One of the resolutions of the communiqué was the need to share experiences and explore areas of collaboration with similar initiatives from other geopolitical zones.

Earlier in his welcome address, host governor, Dr. Fayemi, said the move to restore the lost glory of the South West region had commenced in earnest with all the states in the zone back into the progressive fold.

Fayemi recalled that governors of Ekiti, Osun and Ondo had met in Akure in November 2010 to discuss the need for a platform of engagement among the states in Western Nigeria and the need for cooperative governance and collaboration.

He revealed that a follow-up meeting was not deliberately convened because of the wait for what he called “total liberation and emancipation of Oyo and Ogun States.”

KOLADE Arowolo, the 30-year-old suspected of killing his banker wife, Titilayo (29), was yesterday ordered to be remanded in prison by the Magistrate Court in Yaba, Lagos.

The order by Magistrate Mrs Demi Ajayi was sequel to his appearance in court yesterday. He was taken to court by the Police, who filed a one-count charge of murder against him.

He was, however, not arraigned as the Magistrate chose to refer the case to the state’s Directorate of Public Prosecutions for advice.

The magistrate also said in view of the nature of the case, relating to murder, the accused person should be remanded in prison.

The charge reads: ”That you Arowolo Akolade, on June 24, 2011, at about 1.30pm, at Isolo Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Arowolo Omozoje ‘female’ by stabbing her with a knife, thereby committing an offence punishable under section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code Cap C-17, Vol. 11, laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.”

A man identified as Mr. Arowolo, who claimed to be the accused’s father, wept profusely all through the court proceedings.

The father, who spoke with journalists after the proceedings, said he was aware that his son had been abusing his wife and had on many occasions intervened. He added that the last time he learnt that Akolade physically abused his late wife, he decided not to intervene anymore.

“I have not seen Akolade and Titilayo since January. I decided to stop intervening because I was tired of settling their disputes.

“So, the last time I was told that Akolade had beaten Titilayo up, I decided I wouldn’t interfere. In fact, in my heart, I was hoping they would just get a divorce.

“It was with dismay that I received news that Akolade had killed his wife. Titilayo was such a nice lady. She used to call my wife a lot because they were quite fond of each other.

“Some months before this tragic incident, we tried calling her but unfortunately, her phone never went through. It was only later that we discovered that she had changed her phone number.”

Arowolo pleaded with the immediate family of the deceased to forgive his son for his deed.

The magistrate, however, ordered Akolade to be remanded in the Ikoyi prisons.

The case was adjourned to September 9, 2011 for further hearing.

4 NEWS

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HE Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Enugu yesterday struck out the petition brought before it by the candidate of the uLabour Party (LP), Chief Mike Ajogu (SAN) challenging the declaration of Senator Ayogu Eze as the winner of the last National Assembly election held in Enugu North Zone.

The Labour party candidate had prayed the tribunal to cancel the election of Eze on the grounds that there was no primary election that led to his emergence as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He maintained that Eze ought not to have participated in the main election because there was no primary election conducted by the PDP. He also told the court that his interest was infringed upon on the election day when suddenly the name of Ayogu was announced as winner of the Enugu North senatorial election.

Ajogu therefore prayed the

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Tribunal upholds Ayogu Eze’s election Emma MGBEAHURIKE, Owerri Chris OJI, Enugu

court to grant his petition and nullify the election of Eze over the reasons he adduced.

But the tribunal presided over by Justice Abdullahi Liman in its judgment, dismissed the petition on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.

It therefore ordered the petitioner to pay Senator Eze, the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) N 100, 000 each as damages.

Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for Imo North Senatorial District (Okigwe zone), Chief Cosmas Iwu yesterday secured a major victory as the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Owerri dismissed a motion seeking to throw out his petition against the election of

...as ACN’s Cosmas Iwu wins round one Senator Mathew Nwagwu of the PDP. Senator Nwagwu had filed a motion urging the tribunal to dismiss Iwu’s election petition on the grounds that it did not comply with Electoral Act in applying for form TF 007 and form TF 008.

But the tribunal in a 35 minutes ruling upheld the submission of counsel to Iwu, Barrister D.C Denwigwe, SAN, that the pre-hearing forms could be applied for either through a letter as Iwu did or through a motion.

The ruling read by the

Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Usoro .E. Essang further held that provisions of Paragraphs 18 and 47 of the Electoral Act did not expressly state that such applications must come by way of a motion.

The tribunal in dismissing Nwagwu’s motion agreed with Iwu’s counsel that the secretary of the tribunal, who issued those forms was authorized by law to do so.

Justice Essang noted that although there was a Court of Appeal ruling which favoured such applications to be made through a motion, a Supreme

Court decision, which he cited, now takes precedence.

He, therefore, dismissed the motion and fixed hearing on the main petition for Wednesday July 13, 2011.

Iwu, former Secretary to Imo State Government, had dragged Nwagwu of the PDP to the tribunal on the ground that the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and substantial non compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act. He also averred that the election of Nwagwu as a senator was “characterised by corrupt

practices, gross irregularity, electoral malpractice and large scale violence in the six local governments that make up Imo North Senatorial District.

Iwu sought the order of the tribunal to nullify the entire senatorial election for Imo North senatorial District and for INEC, which is the second respondent to conduct a re-run election for the area.

Reacting to the ruling yesterday, Iwu expressed happiness that the attempt by senator Nwagwu to either delay or scuttle the petition has been defeated.

Chief Iwu said he was optimistic that the main petition will also be ruled in his favour as evidence has shown that the PDP massively rigged the election.

Court restrains EFCC, IGP, others from arresting Okereke-Onyuike

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Lagos High Court in Igbosere has restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector General of Police and one other from arresting former Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Prof. Ndi OkerekeOnyuike without first establishing that she has committed a crime.

Justice Ayotunde Phillips in a judgment yesterday, held that it was fundamental that security agencies must first establish reasonable suspicion against a suspect before effecting arrest.

The judge who urged personnel of the nation’s law enforcement agencies to learn from their counterparts abroad, cautioned them against being in a hurry to arrest suspects when they were yet to complete investigation and arm themselves with enough facts and evidence to secure conviction.

The judgment was on a fundamental right enforcement suit brought against the EFCC, IGP, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and the Security and Exchange Commission

Eric IKHILAE (SEC) by Okereke-Onyuike.

The court resolved the two issues raised for determination in the plaintiff’s favour and granted all her prayers.

The court struck out the preliminary objection filed against the suit by the EFCC on the ground that it was defective for not being endorsed by a legal practitioner as required under Order 6 Rule 2(3) of the Lagos High Court (Civil procedure) Rules 2004.

The court held that while no responsible court would restrain law enforcement agencies from performing their statutory duties, there was no facts before the court to support the EFCC’s and the IGP’s exercise of their rights to validly arrest Okereke-Onyuike.

Justice Phillips further held that the plaintiff, by her suit, did not seek to prevent her lawful arrest, but to prevent the violation of her right through acts of intimidation, harassment and threat of arrest, by the EFCC, IGP, the CP, Lagos who were allegedly acting on the instigation of SEC.

(L-R): Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka; Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko; Deputy Governor of Osun State, Titilayo Laoye-Tomori; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi;and the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajomobi at the South West Governors’ Forum meeting in Ado Ekiti … Friday

14 NSCDC officers in police net over school principal’s death F ourteen officers of the Abia State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are now answering questions at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Umuahia, over the death of a school principal, Magnus Obinna Ezeugo.

Ezeugo, who until his death was the principal of Bende Junior Secondary Grammar School, Umuorie in Bende local government area of the state was said to have collapsed and died hours after he

Ugochukwu EKE, Umuahia

was “severally beaten” by 14 members of the Civil Defence Corps, including his junior brother, Chibuzo Ezeugo.

Chibuzo was said to have invited his colleagues “to deal with his brother” following a family squabble, during which he sustained head injury allegedly inflicted by the

deceased who was said to be helping him to train his children.

According to the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Emilia Magnus, who spoke to journalists in Umuahia, the civil defence men had in the early hours of June 7, 2011, stormed their home at Ipupe Ubakala in Umuahia South local government, kicked the door

NIMASA DG assaulted at minister’s office

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bloody clash was averted on Thursday evening at the Ministry of Transport following an alleged assault on the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi.

Akpobolokemi, who had gone to meet with the reappointed Minister of Transport, Yusuf Suleiman, was allegedly assaulted by the Chief Detail of the minister as part of security screening process following threats from Boko Haram.

But a top official of NIMASA, however, said that there was more to the assault and attributed it to the ‘cold war’ between the minister and the DG over contracts.

A top official of the Ministry of Transport, however, said the sudden appearance of gunmen (Naval security attaché of the DG) caused a security scare which forced the Chief Detail to take charge.

Investigation by THE NATION showed that the NIMASA DG had arrived the

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation office of the minister at about 5.30pm to honour an appointment alongside the Chairman of the Board of the agency, ExGovernor Adamu Mu’azu.

Although Mu’azu had earlier been ushered into the minister’s office, the DG of NIMASA was not lucky right from the time he disembarked from the elevator as the Chief Detail to the minister prevented him from gaining entrance for security reasons unless he could identify himself.

A top source said: “As soon as the DG came out of the elevator with his naval security attaché, the Chief Detail started asking him: “Who are you? What is your business here? Could you identify yourself or get out of this place?

“The DG was amazed that the Chief Detail whom he had met six times could be raising security enquiries. The NIMASA boss explained that he is heading an agency under the minister but the Chief

Detail was not ready to entertain his plea.

“The situation became rowdy when the Chief Detail blocked the door and physically prevented the DG of NIMASA from entering the minister’s office.

“It became a shouting match between the DG and the Chief Detail with threats to deal with the NIMASA chief.

“But the tension later overwhelmed the ministry when the Chief Detail put other security men on the alert in the minister’s office and the Naval security attaché insisted on protecting the DG of NIMASA. “The NIMASA boss who had sent a text message to inform the minister of his coming was asked to turn back by the Chief Detail despite all entreaties.”

Although it was gathered that the Director of Press Affairs to the Minister, Mr. Kingsley Agha intervened, the situation almost turned bloody as security agents on both sides were almost confronting each other.

The source added: “To pre-

vent a bloody encounter, the DG of NIMASA decided to go back to his hotel.

“The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry later called the NIMASA DG and attributed the incident to “overzealousness.”

A top source in the Ministry however said: “The truth is that we were all working when suddenly we saw some gunmen coming out of the elevator and the Chief Detail quickly mobilized to conduct security checks.

“In the process of conducting the checks, there were altercations which heightened security situation in the ministry. The two sides had drawn battle line before wise counsel prevailed. In fact, the Director of Press Affairs, Kingsley Agha restored peace.

Agha, who spoke with THE NATION, simply said: “The matter has been addressed.”

“The nature of the security situation in the country now is causing all the mix-up.”

A top official of NIMASA, however, faulted the excuse given by the ministry.

The source added: “There has been a cold war between the minister and the DG over restructuring and cost cutting measures being put in place in NIMASA. “Since NIMASA DG came on board, he has resisted attempts to use the agency to bear statutory recurrent expenditure of the Ministry like estacodes for foreign trips, demands for contingency funds with written records to prove these, request for suspicious contracts and arm-twisting by officials of the ministry.

“For instance, when the DG resumed duties, he discovered that NIMASA’s headquarters was not connected to public electricity supply instead the agency was hiring generator at N150, 000 per day outside the purchase of diesel.

“What the DG did was to connect NIMASA to PHCN supply. And the cartel making fortunes from generator hiring has not been happy.

“Another issue inherited was hiring of boats to patrol waterways at $11,000 (N1.650m) per day but the DG succeeded in reducing the cost to N330, 000.”

open and gave the deceased the beaten of his life before he was bundled into a waiting van.

Mrs. Magnus said that the entire family including their three children was whisked to NSCDC office at Umuahia, where the hapless school principal received further beaten before he was allowed to go and conduct the ongoing examination in his school.

The unfortunate widow said that her husband on getting to the school after leaving the NSCDC office collapsed and died instantly, alleging that death came to her husband because of the severe beatings he received at the hands of the civil defence men.

However, the Abia State commandant of NSCDC, Nathaniel Ubong, acknowledged the arrest of the deceased and members of his family but denied that the deceased died as a result of the beating by his men.

Ubong said that since the police have invited some of the men involved in the matter for questioning over the case, “any of them found culpable would face the music because, our men are civil (and) we don’t take advantage of our uniform to beat people.”

In the mean time, the counsel to the deceased family, Eze Ihekoronye has petitioned the state commissioner of police to investigate the matter and bring those involved to book in accordance with the relevant laws of the land as murder is the highest offence known to law.

NEWS 5

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Boko Haram: Fear grips northern varsities C

AMPUSES of major federal universities in the northern part of the country have been gripped by palpable fear as the scourge of Boko Haram attack continues to ravage the region.

Investigations by The Nation correspondents across three campuses of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State; the Bayero University Kano (BUK) and the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Maiduguri showed both the staff and students in the schools can hardly sleep with

Augustine AVWODE, Tony AKOWE, Kaduna, Joseph ABIODUN, Maiduguri, Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano

even one eye closed while the authorities have taken extra security measures to ensure the safety of lives and property in the said institutions. And in the case of one of the universities, an outright closure of all academic work is being considered by the authorities there.

A lecturer at the ABU, Zaria, who pleaded anonymity, told our corre-

spondent that some of them were considering the option of relocating from the university just for their own safety.

“Life in Zaria is increasingly becoming unbearable.

This is not what we bargained for and at the moment, some of us may have to relocate from here to other universities because we cannot continue to live in fear here in Zaria”.

A senior lecturer at the institution also said in an interview that “living here has not been easy in the last few weeks. There is no doubt that

we are living in fear because we do not know what will happen next. Even though the school authorities have assured us that all is well, we cannot but live in fear.

In fact, some lecturers are currently looking for jobs in other places and if care is not taken, we might witness a mass exodus of lecturers from this university soon and that will not be in the interest of the students”.

A student of the University of Maiduguri, who spoke to one of our correspondents in confidence, painted a pathetic picture of

Actress to die by hanging for killing boyfriend

A

Kano-based actress, Miss Rabi Ismail, is to die by

hanging for killing her boyfriend, Auwalu Ibrahim, in 2002.

The Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna which upheld the death sentence passed on her by a Kano State high court.

Miss Ismail was convicted for allegedly drowning Ibrahim in a dam after giving him a drugged Eclairs

sweet which resulted in his eventual death. The act was said to have taken place on or about December 25, 2002.

In its lead judgment prepared by Justice Francis Fedode Tabai, the apex court said having examined the alleged confessional statements of the accused actress as well as the witnesses’ depositions and the records of trial within trial, it did not see any reason to interfere with the decisions of the two courts

SUDOKU Welcome to SUDOKU, the captivating and engrossing numbers logic puzzle popularised by the Japanese.

The idea of the puzzle is to fill the grid of 81 cells divided into nine 3 x 3 boxes, such that every box, every row, and every column contains the numbers 1-9, each number appearing only once in each box, row and column.

1ST STEP IN SOLVING PUZZLE 315 : Look at the 3 top horizontal (DEF) 3x3 boxes. The right box has 7 in cellEi, while the middle box has its 7 in cell De. The left box must , therefore, have its own 7 in row F, where there are 2 vacant spaces-cells Fa and Fb. But since column a already has a 7-in cell Ha, the only space available to accommodate 7 in the left box is cell Fb. Reasoning along these lines, try and fill in all the other vacant cells.

SOLUTION TOMORROW. HAPPY PUZZLING!

Kamarudeen OGUNDELE, Abuja which found Miss Ismail guilty of culpable homicide.

Rabi was arraigned before the Kano court in 2002 and charged with the offence of culpable homicide contrary to section 221 (b) of the Penal Code.

She was alleged to have drugged the deceased , alias Zazu, by giving him a doped Eclairs sweet as a result of which the deceased lost consciousness.

Rabi was represented at the apex court proceedings

by Mr. Taiwo I. Taiwo while the state was represented by Ms. Binta Lawal of the Kano State Directorate of Public Prosecution.

Reacting to the judgment, Ms. Lawal stated that the

state would not celebrate the conviction as what it wanted was justice for the two sides.

The Police FIR states: “That you Rabi Ismail on or about December 25, 2002 at Rurum dam along Tiga Road did commit culpable homicide punishable with death in that you caused the death of one Auwalu Ibrahim (alias Zazu) by doing an act to wit, drugging him by means of giving him a doped Eclairs sweet as a result of which the deceased lost consciousness and you later pushed him into the dam with the knowledge that death will be the probable consequence of your act and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221(b) of the Penal Code.”

the emotional agony the students are currently going through.

“We are living in perpetual fear of possible Boko Haram’s attack. The bombs are getting louder by the day which means they are getting nearer or closer to the campus. We’ve already heard that the school authorities are planning to shut down the school; we are praying fervently that they would do just that sooner than later”,he said.

It was gathered that the authorities in the ABU have taken extra security measured in the last few weeks to ensure that the atmosphere is conducive to learning. For example, vehicles are no longer to park close to the Senate Building which is the administrative headquarters of the institution.

Unlike before, vehicles are now parked about 50 or more metres away from the building. This same scenario applies to the Kashim Ibrahim Library which is the university’s central library. This, according to the Information and Protocol Officer of the institution, Bitrus Galmaka, is part of the measures put in place by the institution.

Galmaka told The Nation that in addition to this, there had been an increase in the number of mobile policemen present on the main campus, while the management had held a series of meetings with all stakeholders in the institution on the need to maintain peace in the university.

Galmaka said “Everybody

coming into the campus, whether staff, student or visitors, there is extra vigilance at the moment. Before you can enter the Senate building, once you are carrying a bag, you must empty the content for the security men to see irrespective of whether you are a staff, student or visitor”.

However, one student of the University of Maiduguri who also did not want his name published, said since the school resumed for the first academic semester in May 2011, the university has been very peaceful and they have been attending lectures without any molestation or any breach of peace during lectures and in their hostels.

Another student at BUK, Kano denied rumours of infiltration of the campus by the Boko Haram sect.

Even the State Police Command did not agree. Speaking to The Nation yesterday in Kano, Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Tambari Yabo said Kano is calm, while the people are going about their business.

“All is calm in Kano as you can see. There is no tension whatsoever and people are going about their business.

Also, there is no fear among students of the Bayero University over the insurgence of Boko Haram.”

The commissioner, who stated that the state has not witnessed any form of attack since the reports of bomb blast attacks in the country, however, disclosed that the command is on red alert to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

Alleged rape:Osun monarch to remain in prison

E

MBATTLED Alowa of Ilowa, Oba Adebukola Alli, alleged to have raped a female corps member failed yesterday to persuade the court to lift a remand order

Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo. placed on him as Magistrate Adewumi Makanjuola ruled that he should remain in prison

custody indefinitely.

The defence counsel, Victor Opara, pleaded with the court to lift the order on the accused who,according to him, had developed a health complication since he was under house arrest.

Amosun inaugurates Caretaker C’ttee bosses for LGs

O

GUN State Governor,Senator Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday inaugurated Caretaker Committee chairmen for the 20 local government councils in the state, including Caretaker Committee chairman for Ijebu North, Mr. Kunle Ogunlana, who was abducted in a commando style on the premises of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to notify the general public that an International Passport (No A00565989) belonging to SHOBANDE LATEEF ABIODUN of No. 8, Oduduwa Street, Olorunshogo, Mushin, Lagos got lost and all efforts to trace it proved abortive.

General public take note. If found please notify the above address or the nearest Police Station.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to notify the general public that an International Passport (No A00096478) belonging to RAMONI AZEEZ AJANI of No. 6, Cash Street, Olorunshogo, Mushin, Lagos got lost and all efforts to trace it proved abortive. General public take note.

If found please notify the above address or the nearest Police Station.

Ernest NWOKOLO, Abeokuta Amosun charged the chairmen to see their appointment as a call to serve the people,adding that they should not “alienate themselves from the people” they are appointed to serve.

The Governor noted that the environment of Ogun should be kept clean for the health and beauty of the state, hence the need for all, particularly those at the grassroots to take the monthly environmental sanitation very serious.

He urged the council chairs to ensure compliance with the monthly sanitation exPUBLIC NOTICE CHANGE OF NAME

ODOLE I formerly known and addressed as MISS. ODOLE OLAWUNMI ESTHER, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. ADESANYA OLAWUNMI ESTHER. All former documents remains valid. General public should take note.

MISSING LAND DOCUMENT This is to inform the general public that a Benue State Certificate of Occupancy No. BP 2332 Dated the 4th of November, 1976 registered as No. 83 at Page 83 in Volume 1 at the Lands Registry Office, Makurdi, Benue State, belonging to Mr. Ameh Odo, in respect of land located at No. 49/50 Ahmadu Bello, Otukpo, Benue State is hereby declared missing. All efforts to locate the said document have been futile. If located please contact the under signed or the Nearest Police Station.

AMEH ODU ODO No. 49/50 Ahmadu Bello Way, Otukpo, Benue State.

ercise and Thursday sanitation exercise in market places across the state.

Earlier, Ogunlana, a barrister at law, had come to the Assembly complex where he and 19 others were to be screened by the state lawmakers preparatory to becoming care taker committee chairmen of the 20 local governments in state.

Shortly after arriving at the Assembly Complex in OkeMosan, Abeokuta for the exercise, the youths from his area swooped on him as he was sighted.

Not even the presence of the armed policemen could deter them and as at 5:30pm yesterday, Ogunlana’s whereabouts was yet to be ascertained.

The Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, who hails from the Ijebu North Local Government Area was said to have been rattled by the incident, prompting him to make some efforts to arrest the situation.

The Nation learnt that he was seized by the men who were said to be opposed to the nomination of some members of the committee by the Action Congress of Nigeria in the local government area while waiting for his turn as the screening exercise progressed.

A witness told The Nation that Ogunlana was abducted by youths working for an interest group opposed to his nomination.

According to Opara, the accused was chained to his hospital bed at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ife by the prison officials and this is affecting him to recuperate fast from his illness.

"I submit that a remand would not aid a good access to medical treatment even if it is a temporary vacation. A medical report from Guy's and St. Thomas Trust Centre in London shows that the accused is suffering from heart problem and the house arrest and the remand have complicated his health problem.

"Oba Alli was referred by Ilesa Prisons medical team on July 2 with an assessment of partial stroke, to rule out diabetic coma.

He was subsequently seen at the Wesley Guilde Hospital , where a further assessment of acute coronary syndrome, probably a cardiac infraction was made.

"The patient was thereafter sent to us in Ile-Ife for a cardiologic evaluation and management.

Upon further review, we made an assessment of hypertensive heart disease and the blood pressure is now well controlled. The serial electro cardio-graphic done till date did not diagnose of myocardial infection ," the defence read out the content of the medical report.

The prosecutor, Olufemi Adedokun, said he left the application for lift of remand to the discretion of the court.

Ruling, the Magistrate Makanjuola said the remand in prison of the accused had ensured his safety and afforded the court adequate and prompt report concerning the accused health.

He ruled that the accused should remain in prison custody, ordering the medical doctor treating the accused to appear before the court on Monday, July 11, to furnish him about the monarch’s state of health.

6

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

7

8 COMMENTARY

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

PHCN: Power Holding Company or Power House of Corruption?

I

F the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) is abolished today, will it be of any consequence to Nigerians? This is the question that has dominated my thoughts since the news broke last week that the company saddled with the critical responsibility of supplying the power needs of Nigerians had increased its tariff by about 30 per cent.

According to the new tariff regime, the rural customer, who was paying N1.30 per kilowatt hour (kwh) in 2009, now pays N1.80 per kwh, an increase of 38 per cent. A single phase residential customer now pays N5.90 instead of N4.40 per kwh, an increase of 34 per cent. The highest paying residential customer pays N12.50 per kwh, an increase of 33 per cent from N9.40.

The lowest paying commercial customer, who used to pay N7.40 per kwh, is now paying N9.40, an increase of 27 per cent, while the highest paying commercial customer pays N12.30, a 27 per cent increase from N9.70.

Industrial customers are not exempted, The lowest category pays N9.80 per kwh, from N7.90, up by 27 per cent, while the highest category pays N12.90 per kwh, from N12.30, a 25 per cent increase.

Founded as the Electricity Corporation of

Nigeria during the colonial administration in 1950 and later renamed the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), the company has remained for decades the nation's greatest burden. It holds the record of being the most inefficient public utility company in the world and yet the most ravenous when it comes to gulping tax payers' money. In living up to its reputation as the biggest drain pipe of the nation's exchequer, it was reckoned to have swallowed trillions of naira during the Obasanjo administration between 1999 and 2007. Yet, the best it has offered the nation is the abundant supply of darkness.

Billions of naira is budgeted for the electricity company every year, but its performance dwindles proportionately with the amount of money invested. From the market woman to the corporate executive, it has been tales of woe as far as the PHCN's performance is concerned. A pharmacy operator who has just a refrigerator and a fan in her shop lamented that even before the hike in tariff, she got a monthly bill of about N4,000 from PHCN officials in spite of the erratic nature of power supply to her modest shop.

Another victim of the PHCN's inefficiency, who is in the business of recycling waste nylon materials, lamented that it had been difficult remaining in business because of the erratic nature of power supply to his factory. Yet he pays as much as N100,000 in a month. Hear him: "There was a time they gave us a bill of N150,000, and we had to sell some of our belongings to pay them or

they would disconnect us completely. Interestingly, the machine we use here needs to stay on for four continuous hours before we commence production. But what we experience often is that on the few occasions the PHCN supplies electricity, they cut it even before the machine gets set."

In the part of the country where I live, the standard practice is for the PHCN to restore electricity in the odd hours between 1 am and 3 am when everyone in the neighbourhood would be deeply asleep. It has been so bad that I had to ask the officials of the electricity company in the area whether they think we are witches. A welder beside my house has to keep vigil in order to work at those odd hours because the opportunity would not come during normal work hours.

Faced with the grim prospects of hunger, starvation and inability to provide for their families and dependants, many artisans who trained as welders, barbers, tailors or pepper grinders have been frustrated out of their vocations by the PHCN. Many of them have turned into touts at motor parks. They have become political thugs, armed robbers, hired assassins and prostitutes. I suspect the only professionals who can find the electricity company useful are drycleaners, and that is only if they decide to turn the electricity cables that crisscross their neighbourhoods into lines on which they dry their clothes.

Besides rendering millions of artisans whose vocations depend heavily on electricity jobless, the PHCN has also been responsible for many of the vices that threaten our social well being. The blackout they unleash

If it can happen to el-Rufai, then‌

F

IRST, I will make this confession: Mallam Nasir elRufai is well known to me. In spite of the many stories surrounding his stewardship as a powerful cabinet member during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, el-Rufai is one person this writer still gets up close and personal with. Therefore, I am not going to pretend that this piece will be bereft of some personal biases. Perhaps, the el-Rufai I know is different from the one so many people read about on the pages of newspapers. I know el-Rufai the technocrat; I know el-Rufai as one of the cerebral brains in the Obasanjo government; I know el-Rufai, the man who hardly suffers fools gladly; and I know el-Rufai as an engaging character and someone who turned the Federal Capital Terriotroy around in just four years! Right now, I am beginning to understand el-Rufai, the politician and newspaper columnist. That is the mystery part that I cannot really talk about.

Nevertheless, I believe that something about his recent ordeal in the hands of the agents of the State Security Service (SSS) should concern all of us, especially those who have chosen to express their views on policy and politics publicly. This is more so when the SSS, in an attempt to justify the arrest, interrogation and subsequent release of el-Rufai, disingenuously referred to the Freedom of Information (FOI) law. Now, I find it a bit curious that the FOI law has become a useful tool to justify what I consider to be a needless assault on man's right of expression.

I have taken the pains to go through the controversial article titled "What Nigerians pay FG", penned by el-Rufai and published on the Friday, July 1, 2011 edition of ThisDay newspaper. From media reports, the powers-thatbe collapsed into epileptic rage having read el-Rufai 'inciting comments'. He wrote that: "An interesting observation is the fact that the government said the problems of power shortage is a priority, yet the Ministry of Power got N91bn as total appropriation in 2011 while the National Security Adviser (NSA) controls and will spend N208bn (recurrent N61bn, capital N59bn and another N98bn for the Amnesty programme).

"This amount", el-Rufai continues, "does not include the Defence budget. The Defence Ministry will get N348bn, while the Police will get N309bn. In other words, though Nigerians have never felt so insecure in recent history, the NSA, Police and Defence will spend a combined N865bn---more than N2bn a day, weekends included (inclusive).

This does not include the 36 states' so-called security votes!"

Interestingly, the NSA was reported to have told Senators whom he officially met behind closed doors few days ago, that they require more funds. Obviously, the billions of naira going their way has not been enough to stop Boko Haram and other security problems that continue to bother millions of Nigerian citizens.

Truth, they say, can sometimes be painfully bitter. If only we can ignore the messenger and focus on the message, we would come to grips with the import of those figures. Unless we want to continue living in self-delusion and turn a blind eye to informed criticism which, by the way, is meant to deepen democracy and raise the bar of intellectual discourse, the sad event of July 2, 2011

wouldn't have graced the front pages of national dailies the next day. As el-Rufai put it, the 17-hour distraction could have been resolved with a statement by the Presidency disputing the figures quoted by the man in the eye of the storm.

Instead, what we got was the deployment of state power to, perhaps, send signals to others who could be planning to take the government on over its appropriation policy.

Wouldn't government have done better if it had chosen to tackle el-Rufai's claim, using figure for figure and facts for facts?

In pointing out these grey areas, it does not mean that elRufai was without blemish. Not at all. In fact, some persons have questioned the motive behind collapsing the budget appropriated for the Amnesty Programme with others. They think el-Rufai was up to some mischief. But then, they forget easily that he was merely expressing an opinion and he is, by right, entitled to it. In this business, we operate by the mantra of facts being sacred while comments are free.

As far as I know, there is nothing in our Constitution that bars any of us from free speech and that includes those free talks at beer joints. We may not like el-Rufai's face; we may not like the fact that he grunts his way through every issue be it political, economic or social. We may question the morality of his biting criticism of a government in which the ruling party once gave him the platform to excel as a minister. We may even ignore what he writes and choose to play the ostrich as things continue to deteriorate. Nevertheless, we cannot deny him the right to express those views and give the government a knock or two if he thinks the principal actors are derailing. In a democracy, every free citizen should be able to exercise the right to criticise those elected to govern. Here is where my fear lies. What is the point in abducting him at the airport and freighting him to the Yellow House (the headquarters of the SSS) for questioning when he could have been asked to report himself if the authorities feel terribly hurt by his comments in his weekly column? What is all that drama for?

In justifying the arrest, the SSS claimed, in a statement, that the arrest "became necessary following Mallam elRufai's recent articles in the cyber and print media which have been considered to by well-meaning Nigerians to be inciting, inflammatory and grossly misleading. It is pertinent to note that the Freedom of Information bill has been passed into law, yet he refused to crosscheck his facts before publishing. He rather chose to misinform the public with mischievously orchestrated data with the intent of causing disaffection among the populace thereby subverting government. It is expected that the former Minister should have been circumspect against the backdrop of current security challenges in the country."

Pardon the copious quote even if it is necessary before one is accused of being biased. The point needs to be made that at the heart of el-Rufai's article is a question bordering on the nagging issue of insecurity in a country where billions are budgeted annually to different security agencies.

In spite of all that, bombs are detonated in mammy markets situated in military formations and even the Force Headquarters under the nose of the Inspector General of Police!

Moreover, as if that was not enough insult, gun-toting men

on the land provides the cover that banditry needs to thrive. Their weak cables and poles snap and fall at the slightest provocation, dispatching innocent souls into early graves.

But rather than do a penance and consider compensation for the millions of families they have ruined with their ineptitude, the PHCN is demanding more money for services they have not and may never render.

Recently, a friend asked me what I would do if I were an examiner and a candidate spells out the full meaning of PHCN as Power House of Corruption in Nigeria. I told him that I would not only award the candidate full marks, I would give him additional marks for perception and imagination. I don't know what exactly other examiners will do in the situation, but I am certain that no examiner worth his red biro will mark down such a candidate. Surely, there can be no other appellation befitting an electricity company into which 16 billion dollars is invested within eight years and all you get is blackout.

Advanced fee fraud will merit no place in our criminal code, if the EFCC would not probe the PHCN for demanding payments for services not rendered. If officials of PHCN would not be arrested and tried for this brazen attempt to defraud Nigerians, then the Federal Government should immediately initiate the process of national contrition for sins committed against Fred Ajudua, ....... Iwete, Tafa Balogun, Cecilia Ibru and other Nigerians arrested or detained at various times for alleged financial crimes.

Knucklehead With

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

freely jump on motorcycles and kill innocent souls in drinking parlours with reckless abandon. To add salt to a decaying sore, state governors dubbed Chief Security Officers of the states appear to have thrown up their hands in surrender. As I write this, two ex-governors and a serving one, had gone cap in hand, asking to be forgiven for whatever indiscretion they may have committed against the Boko Haram sect. That is how bad things have gone. Daily in our country, lives are wiped off the surface of the earth while the authorities continue to assure the citizens that the perpetrators will soon be brought to book. With this kind of scenario, why should perceptive citizens shy away from asking questions about where the billions budgeted to tackle security issue are going? Or is that question too much to ask the authorities? What does accountability mean to those in power?

I really would not want to dwell on the veracity of the figures bandied by el-Rufai in his column. If those figures were wrong and concocted to incite Nigerians against the government, then the government can help us by releasing the true figures appropriated in the 2011 budget. Doing this will deepen the discourse and probably force el-Rufai to recant and apologise. In any case, if it was discovered that the figures were manufactured to paint the government in bad light, wouldn't it have been better for the government to avail itself of the lapse to rubbish el-Rufai on the same intellectual platform? That is what democracy demands. Not the vacuous attempt to abrogate press freedom.

Good enough, the SSS has deemed it fit to handle the matter with maturity by resolving the matter amicably with elRufai. Before then, one had started nursing the fear that the nation might as well be heading back for those sad days of the military jackboots where draconian decrees were used to gag the press and curtail free speech. That scary possibility had sent cold shivers down one's spines, knowing full well that if a prominent figure like Nasir el-Rufai could be arrested for voicing out his frustration over the chaotic security situation, then the rest of us who delight in penning our grievances against this choking system might as well be ready for some discomfiting qrilling. We would then be looking at real possibilities of routine arrests and detention for disturbing the peace by making 'inciting' whining against the failing state, week after week. It is a scary possibility that can only send this country back to the dark days.

Now, wouldn't that be against the spirit and letters of the FOI law that some persons have quoted with so much glee?

9

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

G

LOBAL events and happenings last week definitely lend credence to the views of critics of the ideology of democracy that it can be a messy and testy business indeed .Of course it is only in a giant democracy like the US which celebrated its 235th Independence anniversary last Monday that hackers can seize the Twitter website of a reputable global news outfit like Fox News and announce that US President Barak Obama has been assassinated when that was not the case. Similarly in Thailand's recent democratic elections last week the winner was Yingluck Shinawatra the sister of former and exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra who was bankrolling the campaign for his sister's election from nearby Dubai and everyone in Thailand knew the new PM was simply a proxy for her exiled brother . Thirdly in Nigeria banking and fiscal policies are being challenged not only by the beneficiaries of such policies but by those in charge as regulators, who have not been consistent in their utterances thus giving conflicting signals to the banking and investment communities .Fourthly we look at German democracy in the face of the legal challenge to the government's handling of the financial bailout of Greece in the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone.

What I am driving at today is that even though democracy is the most desirable ideology for human beings to exercise their fundamental human rights and be assured of respect for their dignity in so doing, certain happenings in democracies can be simply unbelievable as they are true and real. How to explain and accept such bizarre occurrences as part of the gruel of democracy which we must all swallow , accept and live with , to retain our collective sanity, is my assignment today .

Definitely it is stretching the concept of freedom of speech , broadcast or publication inherent in the use of the internet , twitter and social networks too far for hackers to use the website of Fox News to announce that US President Barak Obama had been assassinated in Iowa where he was said to be spending his vacation .The political and diplomatic implications of such news which was promptly denied by the US government are too serious to contemplate.

Indeed the hackers are so irresponsible that I think they should be prosecuted for disruptive behavior that threatens state security. This to me is a good example of cyber terrorism which if not checked could jeorpadise the gains of Information technology in democratizing knowledge globally and making information available to the largest audience ever in the history of humanity.

The hackers have indeed made a mockery of new US cyber strategy of declaring conventional war on such hackings and made the security agencies in the world's greatest democracy look stupid. It is good to know that US Security Service has promised to conduct an Inquiry on the matter. The culprits are said to be one outfit called Script Kiddies who posted information on Fox News Twitter site that ' President Barak Obama is dead and Joe Biden

The rough and tumble of democracies

is President ' Also '@Barak Obama has just passed.

Nearly 45 minutes ago, he was shot twice in the lower pelvic, the neck , shooter unknown , bled out ' .The Vice President of Fox News Digital Jeff Missenti has already disowned the news and called the hacking 'malicious ' and false .He should thank his stars that this has not happened in a third world democracy where security around the presidency is the ultimate concern as he would be languishing in detention now .

In addition the Obama Administration took every thing in its stride as the US President granted Twitter an audience in the White House later where he fielded questions from the microblogging website which the administration uses to break news and as a platform to connect with the site's users .Indeed 30 of more the more than 2.2m users of Twitter were said to be at the White House for the event tagged 'Twitter Town Hall ' .Given the way the US government has downplayed the matter ostensibly to save face, it has exposed itself to future charges that it has placed security at a lower pedestial in terms of importance to communication and that can be very dangerous indeed for security in all its ramifications now and in the immediate future .

However I won't be surprised if the beleaguered security agencies in Nigeria use the Obama Admnistration's nonchalant handling of this assassination hoax to downplay their inability to prevent Boko Haram from bombing Nigerians with im-

punity and at random . But really that hacking was one too many and is a flagrant misuse and abuse of the freedom of the use of the web and the internet in general. Although experts have asked web users to strengthen their passwords and not use the same passwords for important matters, I think governments in all nations and at regional and multilateral levels, should find a way of nipping such nuisance and expensive hacking in the bud most urgently and not treat it as part of the price of freedom in the world's democracies.

Similarly the victory of Thaksin Shinawatra's sister in Thailand's election is a victory for democracy which is government of the people by the people and for the people. It is satisfying to note that the army which ousted her brother in a military coup in 2006 has said it would not do anything to alter the victory of Sinawatra's party in an election which was agreed by all concerned including the government party which lost, as free and fair .Past election results which did not favor Thailand's ruling elite have been dogged by biased judicial decisions , parliamentary manouvres and military pressure purportedly on behalf of Thailand's well respected monarchy . This time however it seems the past of violent Orange and Red demonstrations have been laid to rest in the victory of Shinawatra's sister who was an unknown political quantity a few months ago.

She is however said to be a good and experienced corporate executive and Thailand is said to have one of the high-

est level of female participation in corporate management in the world - about 50% - although the level of female participation in political leadership is abysmally low .

Which means that in Thailand election by proxy is acceptable provided the people want it and the election is free and fair. So it is not only in law that you make an ass of the legal process. In democracies too as Thailand has shown, the voice of the people is the voice of God and even the army and monarchy cannot but concur, albeit grudgingly. In Nigeria the Central Bank and its governor have been involved in avoidable public skirmishes over the establishment of interest free banking or Islamic banking as well as the minimum deposit of 25000 naira in Nigerian banks .The CBN governor has blown hot and cold over the matter.

First he said the CBN would go on no matter whose ox is gored. Then he said his processor in office Professor Charles Soludo introduced Islamic banking .After this he said those who don't like Islamic banking could go to court.

Similarly the issue of minimum balance as the thrust of CBN banking policy was well publicized. There was no denial by the CBN or its agents.

When however the UBA announced it would commence the minimum balance from July 1 the public especially the trade unions cried foul that minimum balance would be unrealistic in a nation with minimum pay of 18000 naira . Now CBN deputy governor Tunde Lemo has come out to say that the CBN has not given any bank any di-

rective on minimum balance and UBA has an explanation to make to the CBN. All these point to the fact that the CBN has to put its house in order in terms of public communications which its governor has simply mismanaged and this is apparent in the reactions to the Islamic banking issues from two key sectors namely the religious community and labor. I mentioned the reaction of labor to the minimum balance earlier .Also it was reported that at the Synod of the Anglican Church in Enugu the Archbishop of Enugu Rt Rev Chukwuma said that Igbos would not accept Islamic banking as Nigeria is a secular state.

Just as it was reported that the CBN governor addressed Muslim youths somewhere in Hausa and assured them that Islamic banking has come to stay in Nigeria.

Undoubtedly the issue of Islamic banking has been politicized by the governor himself for the simple reason that he is approaching the issue as a Muslim instead of as an objective regulator which his office demands. Which then misses the point because interest free banking or Islamic banking is a matter of choice for anybody either Muslim or Christian? Habib Bank and before that Arab Bank had interest free banking windows and nobody raised an highbrow. That explained how and why Soludo was able to take a decision that was simply professional and proactive .The issue of Islamic or interest free banking is therefore not a jihad like the CBN governor has turned it into -nor is it a crusade like the Archbishop of Enugu is trying to say .It is just another window of opportunity or choice for the highly under banked nation that Nigeria is today - which would be made worse by the uncertain policy of the CBN on minimum banking balance .

Lastly in Germany some academics and a backbencher parliamentarian from the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel have gone to court to challenge the way Germany has participated in the bailout of Ireland and now Greece in the debt crises facing the Eurozone . They are saying that that German participation in the bail out vio-

lates the parliamentary powers of the German Parliament which has ultimate authorities for such powers. Of course the German Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schaeuble insists the German government has not violated any laws in bailing out the unfortunate nations in the eurozone and that Germany would not need to rescind any decision it has taken on the matter which is before the highest court in Germany. This, according to the Minister is because the stability of the euro is of paramount significance to Germany and the Eurozone .To me the issue here is not mere finger pointing or apportioning of blame but simple constitutionalism.

It is a willingness on the part of both the litigants and the German government to get it right that they have not broken their own rules deliberately by looking at the issues involved dispassionately even though decisions have been made which may not be reversible. Given German history of two world wars fought on the back of economic problems and runaway inflation the German democracy has learnt bitterly that it must abide by its rules to survive democratically and economically.

Which is why I like the ruling of the German Supreme Court sitting in Karlsruhe , southern Germany on the matter. The Court ruled that it is not its duty to review economic policies as that is the duty of politicians. According to the Chief Judge of the German Constitutional Court Andreas Vosskuhle -'Europe's future and the right economic strategy to tackle the sovereign debt is not to be debated in Karlsruhe . That's the task of politicians not judges. But the Federal Constitutional Court must consider the limits that the constitution sets the political realm. Self -limitation by law is the foundation of the democratic constitutional state - above all in a crisis 'That to me is vintage democracy to be copied by all democracies of the world especially Nigeria given its present state of insecurity and avoidable debilitating debate.

10 Vincent, I had not given the debate on who the better player is between the legendary Kanu and the mercurial Okocha any serious thought until I read your analysis of the antecedents of both men. I could not agree with you less.

But you forgot to add that when Kanu misses a penalty kick, he goes down on the turf, scratches his head with both hands and gnashes his teeth in lamentation.

Okocha misses a penalty and brings us more anguish by flashing a smile.

And this: while Kanu, through his heart foundation, gives hope to afflicted children, Okocha fights people like Etim Esin over a missing handset. All hail King Kanu.

Remi Adesina, Ibadan.

I could not agree less with your analysis on the greater player between Kanu and Okocha. A good and great footballer is that with skill and discipline, which is why I love Chief Onigbinde. Kanu had the two qualities while Okocha lacked discipline during their days. It is a lesson to sportsmen generally and to every being in all our endeavours.

Oseni Lanre Wahab.

I concur with your incontrovertible position that Kanu is a greater player than Okocha, just as I submit that the difference between Kanu and Okocha is like the difference between a boy and a girl. Oh yes!

The case of Kanu is veni vidi vici (I came, I saw, I conquered).

Ehimare.

Your position on Osaze/Siasia issue shows your love for football and the Nigerian national team. It also shows that you are a patriotic Nigerian. Nothing destroys a team or a sportsman like indiscipline. Most commentators on the issue know little or nothing about what makes a good team.

For instance, how old is Osaze? How many more years do you think he can serve the national team? Objective answers to these questions would tell you why no serious coach in any of the top four clubs in England, Italy, Spain, Germany, etc, who is in the process of building a new team will never sign Osaze as at today.

To cut the long story short, now that we are in the process of building a new team, we need Siasia more than Osaze.

Kris Akaze, Gboko, Benue State.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Reactions to Saturday Flakes Re: Two sickening debates on our football the Kenyan friendly due to injury, and justifiably too. But he erred by posting such an insultive comment on his national team coach on Twitters. You won’t be the only one carrying a placard in protest should Osaze be readmitted without “due process”.

Remi Abayomi, Ibadan.

I have been following Austin Okocha since May 1993. He did not score the goal in Abidjan. It was scored by Yekinni.

081890502..

•Siasia

•Kanu

•Okocha

•Osaze

With due respect, it is better to call a spade a spade. We all know Siasia’s antecedents as an egomaniac, unruly and selfish player.

If he is being paid back now, what is the problem? The guy has a complex. Or why is it that he is always picking on our brightest stars? Taye Taiwo, Mikel and now Osaze. He wants to be worshipped. He is not God. We are tired of all the miserable, cheap silvers he won. He is just a gaddem pretender. He is not a good coach. Mark my words, Nigeria will not qualify for the Nations Cup if he continues with this schizophrenic messiah complex.

As for the debate, a million Kanus cannot match Okocha’s skill. Go and ask Pele and Ronaldinho.

080339668..

Vince, Osaze might have backed out of

“While a footballer requires skill to be a good player, he must add attitude to be a great player.” You captured it well. That is enough to score Kanu, who is a good player with sterling character and Okocha whose move with the ball is dazzling but with a character deficit.

You see, Vin, have you forgotten where we are? Nigeria, the land of sycophants.

Those prevaricators know that there are a whole worl of beautiful records that speak better for Kanu than Okocha. But they have refused to voice it out because as Nigerians, they believe they might seek help from Okocha. That is what has eclipsed their sense of good judgment. Men of little faith.

Vin, well done.

Jari Abuchi.

Vincent, I admire your piece on the debate concerning Kanu and Okocha. Please, where and when can I find more of your works?

James E., Uyo Concerning your achievement in football (scoring a goal from the penalty spot without a goalkeeper between the posts), it is worth celebrating if one remembers a similar opportunity that was “Yakubued” in South Africa against Korea.

As for Osaze and his likes, they don’t know that they need the national team as much as, if not more than, the national team needs them. They should go and ask the George Weahs and the Ryan Giggses of this world, whose national teams could not make it to the World Cup. Marx Bayour, Lagos.

Man, you did justice to that comparison thing between Kanu and Okocha. I will also

join the march to Abuja if Siasia admits Osaze without an apology.

Isiaka, Abuja.

Vincent, you are not fair about your comment in today’s piece. Okocha did not dodge games without reasons. He was tired of international football at the tail end of his career, but Nigerians would not leave him alone. Siasia has always been at odds with his star players at crucial moments because of pettiness. Remember Mikel.

A good coach would rather support Osaze to play for his new club rather than a useless friendly with Kenya, bearing in mind the fact that his former club offloaded him because he performed better for his native Nigeria at the detriment of the club.

080871822..

Please extend my Kudos to Kanu Nwankwo, the Nigerian football ambassador. He should try and open a football academy and train the young talents that are roaming the streets, so that they can continue his good works in football.

Okoroafor Owoblo, Atani, Arochukwu.

Vincent, in your piece, Two Sickening Debates on our footbal, you touched on patriotism as a necessary path to national growth, an attribute Jay Jay Okocha lacked.

It destroyed Shuaibu Amodu’s team and it is threatening Siaone’s. Osaze should apologise. Anything less, I will join the placard march from Lagos to Abuja.

Oyagri Monday, Port Harcourt.

Vin, your write-up, Two Sickening Debates on Our Football, made my day.

Kanu and Okocha are two players Nigerians are proud of, and we can’t compare them for many reasons. As for Osaze and Siasia, we need to know the genesis of their quarrel before the apology and your placard, because you journalists will be the first to crucify Siasia if Nigeria fails to qualify. You don’t kill an ant with a sledge hammer.

Urewuji Goddy, Nsukka.

It pains me a lot when some Nigerian journalists, out of sheer foolery, try to promote indiscipline and immorality. The success of the Super Eagles lies in how well Siasia is able to instill discipline in the team.

Wale Olaifa, Lagos.

Reactions to Knucklehead Yomi Knuckle, I just finished reading your piece. Thanks for helping me ease some little tension I had a very deep laughter courtesy of the write-up. Laughter? Yes, sebi Mr. President too was full of smile when he was received at the Force Headquarters on the suicide bombing. I laugh away my sorrow too on Nigeria but can this eagle fly again? Nigeria, but why?

—Makinwa, 08033501418 Welldone, wonderful manager of human/financial resources! You forgot a state of the art space jet to make news gathering here on earth and outer space easier. You are indeed a prime candidate for Nobel Prize for Profligacy. Ole, barawo.

—Femi Awobote, 08080719550 Hello Yomi, aaahhhhhh, aaaahhh,

Re: An open letter to my Oga walahi, 10 billion Naira wont be enough for the kind of ‘’wonderful’’ ideas you have dealt on. You forgot to add ‘’entertainment allowace’’, ‘’spouse allowance’’, ‘stressinduced-pleasure allowance’’ (or don’t your reporters too deserve the service of Abuja babes or are they not human beings?). And am ‘’shocked’’ that you did not mention any ‘’overseas capacity building trainning’’ for the reporters. Abi, how do you want them to earn duty-tour allowances? On the plane from London recently, a government official told me he was coming from Dubai where he went to collect an award of excellence for one of the re-elected governors! You know now, junketttttiinngg! Reporters deserve better

Re: How about chop make I chop ministry?

I say a laud Bravo for your article titled, ‘How about chop make I chop ministry’? It aligns with my thought that Ambrose Bierce was writing about Nigeria, when he wrote that ‘Politics is nothing but strife of interest masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.’

—Ehimare, 08076823815

special advisers at the Presidency. We should by now be outgrowing this vexatious, childish governance! Enough of playing with our public funds! Both the parliamentarians and the executives in the Presidency should sit and do serious business. Enough of wastages!

—Lanre Oseni, 08077077044

I commend senator Smart Adeyemi for being courageous and making us know that ‘Ghana must go was rolling in for an irrelevant issue’. Is he the one worth the ‘honorable’ we freely use for them all? One wonders whether President Jonathan can deal squarely with the rot in this country. We do not need more than 20 ministers and 10

Yomi, I salute you. Your call for the establishment of a new ministry –the chop make I chop ministry means dividends of democracy to the suffering masses. But they (our leaders) may not understand you. I wonder if our leaders would ever learn lessons and move this great country forward.

—08034640316

treatment, so there is need for a ‘’wardrobe allowance’’, and better still, you award the contract for suits to be imported from Italy, say for 10000 dollars each, abi? The contract for Tea in the office can be awarded to a ‘’mai-tea’’ at Lugbe.’ And, you know, the guy then ‘’squares’’ you up monthly as the Chief in charge! You only talked of SUVs for the reporters, but with the recent development at the Force Headquarters (which yeye force?), the SUVs have to be bomb-proof specs. Abi be ko? I will advise that your boss should as a matter of urgency approve your letter to him and increase the figure to about 50billion naira! ——Fola Aiyegbusi, hefzibar2006@yahoo.com Dear Yomi, with every sense of humour, I am still laughing as I read through ‘an open letter to my oga’.You guys are too swagalicious .Nothing but the truth. Nigeria will rise again now that amnesty is the order of the day. May God help us all.

——Tolu, 08185280401 What a crafty, incisive and wonderful satire you gave us on Saturday. Kudos to you.

—Segun Falade, Abuja, .08022226484 Yomi, Obasanjo said that governments after him haven’t got the will to fight corruption. How did he get money to build his presidential library, university and mansion in just eight years? As for the eaglet speaker, that’s the result of zoning. If not for zoning, what political experience has

he to be speaker? He has disappointed the youth of this country.

- Baba Lawal, 08029877703 Why did you refuse to mention ‘Dimeji Bankole’ in the whole write-up? Why did you fail to show us the way by also not mentioning Nafada as well as their cohorts in that lower house? Are you sure they will learn that way? They will just say ‘na dog de bite o’.

—Oseni Lanre Wahab, 08055211947

Re: The way the cookie crumbles Yomi, please use the phrase ‘Mr President’ only in a direct conversation with him in his presence. That phrase appeared six times in your piece. You are too fine a writer to engage in that nauseating illiterate practice. Very warm regards.

- Anonymous My dear Mr Knucklehead, you speak the mind of us all. Mr President should read today’s topic: the way the cookie crumbles.

Kudos!

—Onu, Makurdi, 08086273909 Mr Yomi, the Yoruba always say, ‘Olorun lo mu wa’. Yes now. Vote Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, they said. It’s time to know if GEJ has any fire in his belly. His ‘godfather’ should be made to eat his words after that sarcastic low blow. The Halliburton scandal is enough ammunition. Let’s wait and see how straight GEJ can shoot!

—07033588160

'Menace' of a 'gift’ Sad world of the Nigerian artisan

Saturday

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

SPECIAL

‘I won Miss Nigeria contest 25 years ago without lipstick’

Social Scene 39

SCREEN / 23

My body is not for sale -Agbani Darego

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Victim of electoral violence recounts ordeal

My pregnant wife found me in a pool of blood, went into forced labour and died shortly after

•Alexander Iziogo

T

HE two days between March 27 and 29, 2011 will for long remain in the memories of the people of Ezza Inyimagu Community, Izzi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. It was a period the otherwise serene community turned into a war zone. Pain and agony was unleashed on it by political thugs. Men and women ran for dear lives, but not everyone was lucky to escape.

Without a doubt, it was the most vio-

Ogbonnaya OBINNA, Abakaliki

lent crisis that had been witnessed in the entire state since its creation. There was killing and maiming of innocent people. Now, many men are left to mourn the death of their wives, just as women, who were happily married, were left to mourn the loss of their husbands. Children became orphans while otherwise happy families were ren-

dered homeless.

The elections have come and gone, but not the tension, fear and apprehension that trails it in the Ebonyi community. Young women who had just put to bed were soon to realise that their husbands and breadwinners had been brutally murdered by political thugs and their babies had become fatherless even in their infancy.

A smile became a scarce commodity in the community, found perhaps only on the on the lips of the masterminds of the violent crisis. Many who escaped death by a whisker were left to nurse gunshot injuries they sustained during the crisis.

More than 50 persons, including aged women, were inflicted with various degrees of machete cuts. Buildings, household equipments, motorcycles and vehicles were set ablaze within the two days of horror.

Even at press time, many of the persons displaced by the crisis were yet to return home for fear that they might still be targets of attack by the hoodlums who still parade the town without any indication that they might be arrested.

As the Presidential Committee on

Electoral Violence set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to assess the level of destruction in some parts of the country during the just concluded election commences its fact-finding mission, the victims in Ebonyi State have been recounting their agony and frustration, calling on the Federal Government to come to their aid.

Recalling how he lost his pregnant wife to the violence, a survivor, Mr. Ikechukwu Otozi, said: “On the fateful day, I had accompanied Hon. Alexander Iziogo to address members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the community ahead of the postponed National Assembly election in our counstituency. We went in the company of two other persons, Chukwuma Onyiba and Christopher Nwibonyi.

“As we were moving along Ofianka Street, we were accosted by three young men from a nearby bush. They held me and ordered me to lie down.

I asked why they were harassing me, and they responded by asking me why I should support the PDP when I knew that the place was for the ANPP. “Before we could offer further explanation, one of them pulled his gun and shot in the air. He ordered me to lie down. They then struck me with an axe and I became unconscious.

From there, I was rushed to the hospital for treatment. When my wife who was pregnant heard about the in-

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

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•Simon Nwuzor and Simon Ominyi

•Francis Nwodom

cident, she rushed to the hospital. But on sighting me in a pool of blood, she went into premature labour and died shortly after.

“It is regrettable and unfortunate that

such a treatment was meted out to us in the name of politics. The kind of brutality and inhuman treatment meted out to people, particularly in Izzi Local Government Area, is the worst in the history of Ebonyi State. The matter has been reported to the police and they are investigating it.”

Another victim, Mr. Okechukwu Nwokpoku, a civil servant who was kidnapped, narrated his experience, saying: “I was confused on that day. I had just returned from work.

A governorship candidate in the state had visited Iziogo community for campaign. A notorious political thug in the community attempted to attack me but I managed to escape. His younger brother invited me and pleaded with me to forgive his elder brother’s action.

I did not know that while he was pleading with me for forgiveness, there were other thugs in three vehicles that were packed at the roadside.

“As we were discussing, about 11 of the thugs emerged from nowhere. He pointed at me and said, ‘This is the boy we were talking about.’ I sensed danger immediately.

But before I could do anything, the boys started brandishing gun, axe and machete. As I made to escape, they inflicted serious injuries on me with axe and machete.

“And while they were carrying out the attack, they dragged me into the booth of a car owned by a politician in the area and drove away.

“When I was rescued, I was told that the community, on identifying the thugs that kidnapped me, went to the father of one of them and instructed him to tell his son to release me or they would set his house and household ablaze. I was informed

‘

Before we could offer further explanation, one of them pulled his gun and shot in the air. He ordered me to lie down.

They then struck me with an axe and I became unconscious. From there, I was rushed to the hospital for treatment. When my wife who was pregnant heard about the incident, she rushed to the hospital. But on sighting me in a pool of blood, she went into premature labour and died shortly after

’

that his father told him about the threat and that put a lot of pressure on them.

The community was also becoming restive. The father had to call the son and ordered my immediate release.

“They shot me several times and used their axe to inflict injuries on my body.

I would not know whether to refer to my ordeal as politically-motivated, because I was not a memeber of any political party rally. I was on my own when he came with his group to whisk me away and inflicted injuries on me.”

During the political violence that engulfed the community, many prominent politicians and stakeholders were shocked at the wave of destruction, killing and maiming of innocent people. Security personnel were deployed to the community to ensure the security of lives and property. But the thugs carried out the attacks in guerrilla form.

Journalists, who were monitoring the

crisis, were not speared. Many of them were caught in the web of the crisis and received various degrees of injury. Another victim, who said he was returning innocently from a meeting, was also attacked and severely dealt with.

According to Mr. Alexander Iziogo, a ward councillor in Izzi Local Government Area, “I went for a meeting at Iziogo where I wanted to address supporters of the PDP about the election day. I asked a friend to accompany me to the place. That was on April 1, 2011. On our way back after the rally, around 7 pm, we met a roadblock and I thought it was the village vigilante that had mounted it.

“They surrounded us immediately.

I tried to run away from them but they chased me to a compound owned by John Nwibo. And when he came out and flashed his torch, the boys ran away.”

The outbreak of violent incidents, which nearly marred the April general election in the community, has seen many old women who also received various degrees of machete cut undergoing medical check-ups at Iboko General Hospital.

The gory incidents recently attracted the sympathy of some top government functionaries and other individuals who have contributed to their upkeep and offfet their medical bills.

A commissioner in the state, Dr Sunday Nwangele, said a petition was sent to the Commissioner of Police in the state and was appropriately channeled. Unfortunately, he said, there was a slight delay in the execution of their arrest and the suspects took advantage of the delay and started complaining about some of the actions of the community without a mention of the offence they had committed.

“The perpetrators of such acts should be brought to book for causing insecurity, maiming lives and destroying property. I have confidence in the Nigerian police and all the agencies investigating the matter to do a very thorough job,” he said.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

One year after, speculations trail deposed Akure monarch’s whereabouts •Estranged wife opens world-class boutique in Ibadan

H

•Bolanle

•Adepoju

deposition to be reasonably justifiable. The commissioner said the government, before arriving at the decision, took its time to study the reports of the security agencies, reports from well-meaning Akure citizens on both sides of the divide and particularly the response of the deposed monarch to a query issued by the relevant office of government.

He was later moved to Owo, where he was before his current destination became a matter of speculation.

There are different accounts about the whereabouts of the deposed monarch. While some believe that he has relocated to London, others strongly believe he is hiding in one of the South West states where he is said to have adopted a low profile lifestyle.

His wife is, however, said to have relocated to Ibadan where she is said to have opened a boutique. It was gathered that her boutique is one of the best in Ibadan, which has continued to fuel suspicions in some quarters that she might have been sponsored by some unknown agents to bring the king down.

Meanwhile, some indigenes of Akure have continued to praise the courage of the state government for removing a king they said

Damisi OJO, Akure in the state. Following the series of protests that greeted the fight with his wife, the state government was compelled to probe into the matter. The investigation ended in history, as all the entreaties the monarch made to retain his throne yielded no result.

On June 10, 2010, Adepoju became the first king in the history of Akure to be deposed.

The deposition and subsequent banishment of the monarch was announced by the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ranti Akerele, at a news conference in Akure.

Akerele, flanked by his counterpart in the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede; an indigene of the town, Prince Diran Iyantan of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Niran Sule-Akinsuyi of the Ministry of Special Duties, said the government acted in line with the provision of Section 17 (1) and (2) of the Chiefs Law 1984 as amended.

He said the provision of the law vested the council with the power to suspend or depose any chief if it considers such suspension or

,

IS is a grace-to-grass story. For an act of misdemeanour, a man celebrated by all and sundry suddenly became an object of public ridicule. Among other sins, he was accused of bringing shame to the traditional institution, which was considered by many as the custodian of the Yoruba culture and moral values. Consequently, Oba Oluwadare Adesina Adepoju was dethroned and banished from his domain after engaging one of his wives in a public brawl.

From the moment he ascended his father’s throne, the deposed Oba had exhibited acts that raised doubts about his suitability for the revered throne of the Deji of Akure.

Throughout his five years on the throne, it was one day, one trouble.

Ordinarily, he would not have ascended the throne. But the Akure kingmakers were said not to be favourably disposed to Prince Adelabu popularly called “Ileri”. Adelabu, who had already undergone various rites towards ascending the throne, was not allowed by the powers that be in the kingdom to do so.

Even after he won all the cases in the law courts, the kingmakers remained obstinate.

This paved the way for Prince Adepoju, a taxi driver in the United Kingdom, who was invited by the Akure community and made the king. But he had hardly ascended the throne when he started displaying alleged acts of disrespect for the traditional chiefs and the customs of the people. He was accused of taking decisions without deferring to his chiefs. He was also accused of turning a blind eye to the activities of hoodlums who collected undue royalties from builders of new structures in the town.

The deposed monarch was also enmeshed in power tussle with the Oloba Ile of Oba-Ile in Akure North Local Government Area, Oba Joseph Oluwadare Agunbiade, over the appointment of two village heads in Agunbiade’s domain. Oba Adepoju accused the Oloba of usurping his powers in appointing the chiefs without his consent.

These controversial acts propelled the council of kingmakers to declare his throne vacant in November 2009. The kingmakers, led by the Lisa of Akure, Chief Folorunso Davies, accused Adepoju of abusing the custom and tradition of Akure people. Davies, the Prime Minister of Akure Kingdom, said: “Since he assumed office as the Deji of Akure land on November 26, 2005, Oba Adesina has been conducting himself in a manner desecrating the exalted, revered and respected throne of the Deji of Akure land, to the bewilderment of not only the entire kingmakers and chiefs in Akure, but to the generality of Akure community.

“Individually and collectively, members of the Akure Council of Chiefs have met with the Deji on various allegations of breach of tradition, custom, peace, order and good governance and administration of Akure levelled against him, but he had on each occasion rebuffed the kingmakers to their disillusionment and embarrassment.”

The kingmakers, who had threatened to depose Adepoju, later shifted ground after much persuasion from the state government.

The state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, personally begged the kingmakers and they sheathed their swords.

But like a man destined to fall, Oba Adepoju engaged one of his wives, Olori Bolanle, in a brawl on the streets of Akure about seven months later. He was also said to have poured a substance suspected to be acid on the hapless woman. Angered by his action, some youths in the area pounced on him and gave him the beating of his life. The timely intervention of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) saved the monarch from being lynched by the irate mob.

The unruly act of the monarch attracted scathing criticisms from local and international civil rights and women groups.

This was followed by his indefinite suspension by the council of traditional rulers

There are different accounts about the whereabouts of the deposed monarch. While some believe that he has relocated to London, others strongly believe he is hiding in one of the South West states where he is said to have adopted a low profile lifestyle

,

brought Akure’s name into disrepute. Prince Adejare Adesida said the removal of the king was justifiable, adding that the state government had no choice but to remove a man who disgraced the traditional institution.

He said: “It was a good decision for Governor Mimiko to have deposed Oba Adesina, because his case had attracted criticism from all over the globe. During his five-year reign, he dented the image of the good people of Akure. He was always moving from one controversy to the other. He is a man who has brought shame to Akure Kingdom.”

Another prominent son of Akure, Dr. Dare Bada, said it was a pity that the monarch messed up the throne. He noted that what happened to the monarch was unfortunate.

“It is a pity it all ended for him in that manner,” he said.

However, some loyalists of the deposed monarch still believe that he would come back to ascend the throne because of the legal suit he has filed against his deposition. They believe that the monarch was unjustifiably removed.

One of them, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said they believed that the state government was carried away by the criticisms that greeted the deposed monarch’s scuffle with his wife. He said: “I am very sure that the court will rule in favour of Oba Adesina. The state government acted in error by deposing the monarch. Government should have exercised patience in this matter. ‘’Oba Adesina was not given a fair hearing.

The government acted on sentiments, which was totally unfortunate. The case was heightened by journalists, who were hell bent on destroying the monarch.”

But the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists said the fate that befell the deposed monarch should not be blamed on the media.

Its Chairman, Dele Atunbi, said journalists in Ondo State did their job in good conscience.

He noted that even when the journalists were trying to get the deposed Oba’s side of the story, he called their bluff. He said: “I remember that I personally called the monarch when the story broke. His reaction was shocking. He asked what was the business of journalists in a fight between a husband and his wife.

“I told him that they were about to publish their reports, but he threatened any paper that published the story would be sued. The journalists went ahead with their stories. So, what crime did journalists commit in publishing the fact? We are trained to be factual. We are the eyes of the public. So, the reports were based on facts and not farce.”

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

15

Police arrest 'most wanted Nigerian woman' •Illegally withdraws N130m in three tranches

T

•Ahmed

Ebele BONIFACE the sum of N25.5 million from an Ibadan branch of the bank by impersonating the owner of a landed property, one Alhaja Sidikat Asake Ajikanle, who had died in September 2008. Describing the mode of operation of the suspect, Isintume said she would open an account with her real picture but with fictitious names, collect drafts from victims and cash same from one of the new generation banks in Lagos, after which she would go into hiding.

When policemen swooped on them after a tip-off, some members of the syndicate were arrested and charged to court. But Abiola could not be arrested as she went into hiding and continued to operate from there.

Upon his arrest, she claimed that she was introduced to fraudulent activities by a man named Ayo. In other instances of crime she committed with other members of the syndicate, she was said to have duped a victim who was desperate to buy a parcel of land of the sum of N41 million in cash, two unregistered Mark Trucks and a Toyota Camry car. The suspect said she was aware that one Moses Taiwo Oliko, her friend,

‘

At the point Abiola wanted to cash the sum of N95 million from one of the new generation banks, SFU operatives arrested her and took her to their base. On going through their records of wanted people, the SFU operatives discovered she was the female suspect on their list of wanted fraudsters

‘

HE operatives of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested a divorcee described as the most wanted female fraudster in Nigeria.

Forty-year-old Abiola Ahmed was arrested for impersonation, forgery and fraudulently withdrawing the sum of N130 million.

She was said to have divorced her husband, Mohammed Hassan, for whom she had two children, because he advised her to stop her fraudulent activities.

Thereafter, she lived in opulence with her two children and six other relations before she was arrested by the SFU. Briefing journalists on the alleged fraudulent activities of the divorcee, the Public Relations Officer of the SFU, Ngozi Isintume, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the police records showed that she had been wanted by the SFU for various offences which bordered on fraud.

She described Abiola as a member of a fraud syndicate which specialised in defrauding innocent people of money, particularly people who were desperate to buy landed property in Lagos.

The syndicate, she said, was led by one Yinka who was still at large. She said the syndicate specialised in cloning certificates of occupancy (C of O), forging international passports and opening false accounts in banks. Narrating Abiola's antics, Isintume said the suspect, who hails from Kogi State, was arrested when in company with two of her gang members, Vincent Ezechere and one Pastor Onyechere, attempted to sell a parcel of land in the elite Lekki part in Lagos to a complainant (name withheld).

She said they presented a cloned certificate of occupancy and deed of assignment and gave the price of the land to the complainant as N95 million. They lied to the complainant that they had bought the land for N35 million from an old man at Magodo, Lagos. The complainant requested to see the old man, who also admitted being the owner of the property. But when the complainant requested the old man to go with him to the Land Registry at Alausa, Lagos, he declined. At that point, the complainant suspected a foul play, but he played along and later alerted SFU operatives.

At the point Abiola wanted to cash the sum of N95 million from one of the new generation banks, SFU operatives arrested her and took her to their base. On going through their records of wanted people, the SFU operatives discovered she was the female suspect on their list of wanted fraudsters.

Isintume said in one of the cases, which occurred sometime in January 2009, the suspect allegedly duped a victim of the sum of N21.5 million through the sale of a landed property at Magodo, Lagos.

The suspect, she said, collected

was arrested and arraigned. But she herself was not arrested because she went into hiding. When she was found, she claimed she was aware of the incident but she did not participate in it.

In yet another instance, the suspect allegedly connived with one Victor Bassi and one Stella Ogbonna sometime in May 2010 to defraud a victim (name withheld) of the sum of N25 million.

In this case, Isintume said, the suspects forged the C of O of a landed property in Lekki, impersonated one Stella Gbingie Osarhere and opened a bank account in her name. The sum of

N14 million was paid into the account and the suspect withdrew the money. Admitting participation in the deal, she said she was introduced to it by one Patricia Ogwu, adding that other people involved in the deal included Taiwo Olarikan, one Mr. Osuji, Barrister Etok and one Baba Coach.

In all, Abiola was involved in four major fraud cases. During her confession, she said she had to divorce her husband because he was discouraging her from carrying on with "a business that yielded big money to take care of my business and family. He (hus-

band) was a petty trader. He uses a Mercedes 911 lorry to go to the northern part of the country to buy fruits, tomatoes, oranges banana, plantain and pepper on credit.

"His business was not booming, but he did not encourage me to defraud people so that we could make money in millions and meet up with our domestic and social challenges and obligations. I served him a letter of divorce and took my two children and my younger ones, including some close relations.

One of them is even in the university.

"I did some of the things they are accusing me of, but there were some I did not participate in. It was one of my friends named Ayo who introduced me to this fraudulent business because of the quick money in it and the financial problems I had.

"The first deal was N21 million.

The second deal was N14 million. The third deal was N95 million. I was not aware of the fourth deal involving money, vehicle and all that.

"My role was to go to the bank and cash money for the syndicate. Once I withdraw the money, I hand it over to them.

From it, they give me 10 per cent commission. I only collected 10 per cent commission.

"They were the ones who used to ask me to bring my passport.

After perfecting it, I used it to collect money for them from one of the new generation banks in Lagos. At times, I withdrew money in instalments. If I withdraw N21 million today, I can give it a gap of two days before withdrawing another sum until I finish withdrawing all. From every withdrawal I made, they gave me 10 per cent commission.

Asked what she did with the millions of naira she had collected, she said: "My mother was very sick and I had to give her the best medical treatment because she suffered and I did not want her to die yet. I want her to enjoy the fruits of her labour while I am alive. I also took care of my younger ones. One of them is at present in one of the universities in Nigeria."

Asked how much she had in savings before she was arrested, she said she had spent all the money she collected and was even in need of money to eat good food.

"Now my children are hungry.

I don't have anybody to help me.

If I am let off the hook, I will never withdraw money for anybody. I will never allow any criminal to use me again."

But the Commissioner of Police in charge of SFU, Mr. Chinwike Asadu, said she would be charged to court. He advised members of the public who are desperate to buy landed property to verify every documents pertaining to the land, including C of O and deed of assignment.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

•Police headquarters, Abuja

Police sergeant spends 16 years on suspension, fights to return to duty I

T began like a joke when his boss told him verbally to go on suspension. But 16 years after, Mr. Amos Olaniyan, a police sergeant with Force Number 115200, attached to the Shagamu Area Command before the strange development, remains in the cold, struggling fruitlessly to return to his job.

The incident, according to the police sergeant, occurred on October 11, 1994 while he was on routine patrol with his colleagues.

He said: “I was in an anti-robbery patrol team attached to the Area Commander, Sagamu with Mr.Abiodun Asabi (then an Assistant Superintendent of Police) as the team leader.

“While we were on patrol, our vehicle developed a flat tyre at the Ogere section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. While we were looking for a vulcanizer to fix it, a friend to our team leader, who was passing by in his own car, stopped to ask what the problem was. After listening to us, he voluntarily gave the team leader the sum of N1,250 to buy a fairly used tyre.

“As we were approaching Ogere town, the then Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, who was on his way to Lagos for a meeting at the Zone 2 Command of the force, stopped and demanded to know our mission on the road. Our team leader explained to him that we were on offi-

explained to him how the money was given to him by a friend that was passing by.

“Tsav then collected the money and headed for Lagos where he handed it over to Okafor at the meeting of police commissioners at the headquarters of Zone 2.”

Three months later, Okafor summoned Olaniyan and his colleagues for interrogation on the matter. He subsequently ordered their orderly room trial. But just before the commencement of the trial, Olaniyan and his three colleagues were allegedly verbally told to go on suspension, which till today has not been lifted, even after they were exonerated by the Provost Marshal.

He said: “Before the commencement of the orderly room trial, all the four of us were suspended verbally from duty. And we have re-

Kunle AKINRINADE cial patrol to check the frequent incidents of robbery attacks on the road, adding that the patrol was ordered by Mr.John Okafor, the then Ogun State Commissioner of Police.

“Dissatisfied with the explanation offered by the team leader, he asked that all the members of the team, including myself, be searched by his security aides, but nothing was found on us.”

Speaking further, Olaniyan said: “Alhaji Abubakar Tsav insisted that the vehicle must be searched and the money given to our team leader by his friends to purchase a new tyre was found inside the vehicle. He asked him the source of the money and SUPOL Alabi

‘

Let him go to the Provost Marshal at the Police Headquarters in Abuja to know how far they have gone with his matter or, better still, write to the Public Complaint Office under the PPRO’S Office in Abuja

,

mained on suspension without any signal or document supporting the action.

“The suspension was verbally pronounced on us by the then Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. John Okafor (rtd), and the reason for such an action without recourse to the rules in the Force was best known to him.

“We were tried by Mr.M.A Yusuf, who was the Provost Marshal, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos but now the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration at the Ogun State Police Command, Eleweran, Abeokuta.”

Olaniyan said he had since made spirited efforts to intimate the Nigerian authorities with his illegal suspension from service. He said he had written petitions to the Police Service Commission, the Inspector General of Police (2008), the Presidency and the Senate President, Senator David Mark, among others, in a bid for his reinstatement but nothing had come out of the efforts.

In a copy of the result of the orderly room trial made available to our correspondent, Olaniyan and his colleagues were absolved of any wrong doing by the Force Provost Marshall, Mr.M.A Yusuf, who noted that the allegations levelled against them lacked merit.

The report reads: “In his evidence, which was taken on oath, Alhaji Adamu Musa of Sabo, Sagamu states that on the 11/10/94, at about 0800 hours, they were coming from

17

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

‘

•Amos Olaniyan in police uniform

Ibadan in a car when they saw a police vehicle parked after Ogere toll gate. As a result, they parked to ask what was happening and the policemen narrated what had happened. At the end of the day, he gave them the sum of One thousand two hundred and fifty naira (N1,250) to enable them to purchase a fairly used tyre, tube and other things they needed, and he thereafter left for Lagos.

“At the end of the orderly room trial and from the evidence before me, the following are obvious: The men were duly on patrol duty on 11/10/94 and were led by Abiodun Asabi (ASP). Evidence showed that their vehicle had tyre and mechanical problems. Alhaji Adamu Musa gave evidence that he gave them the money out of his free will. Nothing was found on them when searched, and this clearly shows that the men caught were not there to extort money from motorists but were on patrol.

“Their accusers failed to give evidence as per the state of recovery of the money i.e. whether the money was squeezed or not. The exhibit (money) tendered before me are neatly packed and in different denominations stated in the evidence of the giver of the money. They were duty bound to do stop-and-search on suspected vehicles. Hence, seeing them check vehicles did not amount to illegal duty, as they were duly posted on anti-robbery patrol.

“Had it been they were corrupt men, they would have been found extorting money when they were searched.

“It amounts to witch-hunting for the CP, Oyo State to have ordered the search of their vehicle after recovering nothing from their persons when they were searched. It should be noted that this incident occurred on 11/10/94 and as per Police Regulation 368(8) (9), this orderly proceeding should have been decided a long time ago. Hence, in view of available evidence before me, it will amount to injustice to find the policemen and their team leader, Abiodun Asabi (ASP) guilty while the contrary was the case, as the prosecution has failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.

“I found them not guilty as charged, and (they are) hereby discharged and acquitted. The recovered money should be returned to Police Reward Fund, as it was meant for the repairs of Police Patrol vehicle.”

But despite their exoneration by the trial officer since 1995, Olaniyan and some of his team members are yet to be reabsorbed into the Police Force. Ironically, their team leader, Asabi, has since returned to his duty post and is still serving in the Police Force while the prolonged suspension has continued to bite hard on Olaniyan.

He narrated how his attempt to return to his duty post at Abigi failed despite being absolved of wrong doing by the police. He said:

•Amos Olaniyan

This verbal suspension has already affected my children’s education.

My three daughters, who finished their secondary education and university matriculation examinations with good results, lost their admissions because I could not afford their tuition

,

“Based on the outcome of the report, I returned to my division at Abigi only to be told that the then Commissioner of Police, Mr.John Okafor, insisted that our verbal suspension was still valid. My Divisional Police Officer, Lawal, said there was nothing he could do except the CP gave him an order via signal for my reinstatement.

“For more than one year, I was reporting at the station on a daily basis without going on patrol and without salary.’’

Exasperated by the attitude of the DPO, Olaniyan went to the headquarters of the Ogun State Police

•A letter from the office of Ogun State Police Commissioner to Force Provost Marshall which exonerated Olaniyan of wrong doing

Command to ask for a written order for his absorption into the Force, but he was told by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration that there was a standing order from the Commissioner of Police concerning his reinstatement.

He said: “For months, I frequently visited the Ogun State Police Command at Eleweran, Abeokuta to have an audience with the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of Administration all to no avail. And for more than one year, I was reporting to Abigi Division without salary. When I became fed up with the situation, I went back to Eleweran Police Command and luckily, I met the ACP Administration who told me in plain terms that there was nothing he could do about my case and those of my two other colleagues. He specifically told me that CP Okafor had instructed him not to issue an order for our reinstatement and he warned me not to ever bother him again.

“Based on my petition to the police authorities, I was invited to Abuja on October 21, 2010 by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Mr. Azubuike Udah for a chat. But when I got there, the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of Administration, Mr.Udeh, who he asked to bring me to him, was nowhere to be found. By the time I returned to Lagos, I lost my job as a personal assistant to a cleric.

“But I went back to Abuja on January 19, 2011 on a rescheduled appointment, but I could not see the DIG again because Mr.Udeh was again said to be out of town. Hence, I became frustrated and resigned to fate.

“One of those verbally suspended with me, Sergeant Joseph Akaah, died as a result of frustration while the other team member, Corporal David Okuaraboh now provides escort for importers of Tokunbo cars.

I saw him a few years ago and he said he was doing that because of the frustration of getting a reinstatement.

“The officer who tried us during

the orderly room trial, Mr.Yusuf, is currently the ACP in charge of Administartion at the Ogun State Police Command,. Where is justice in this country?’’

Speaking further on his ordeal, Olaniyan added: “This verbal suspension has already affected my children’s education. My three daughters, who finished their secondary education and university matriculation examinations with good results, lost their admissions because I could not afford their tuition. Most of my mates are now Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). I was enlisted as a policeman on August 1, 1983, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on September 1, 1993.

“I was attached to the Abigi Police Division in Ogun State and I was later posted to Sagamu Area Command before the ugly development. Now, I want justice because my verbal suspension was carried out in bad faith.”

In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olusola Amore, said Olaniyan should employ the right channels to achieve his reinstatement.

He said “The Sergeant that was verbally dismissed should know the right channels to actualise his case.

If it is true that he has written to the Inspector General of Police, what was the response from the IGP’s office? And if truly his matter has got to the office of the DIG in charge of Administration, has he gone back to check the level of progress concerning the matter to know if his letter of reinstatement is ready or not? I think that people like him just want to remain in their comfort zone after making complaints, thinking that those in charge of their matter should run around on their behalf.

“Let him go to the Provost Marshal at the Police Headquarters in Abuja to know how far they have gone with his matter or, better still, write to the Public Complaint Office under the PPRO’S Office in Abuja.”

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

I hate my babies and my older children are animals, says Octomom Nadya Suleman

•Octomom’s Nadya Suleman says that she ‘hates’ her eight babies and has called her older six children ‘animals’

A

WOMAN who gave birth to octuplets after fertility treatment says she hates her ‘disgusting’ babies.

Nadya Suleman, an American single mother who lives on state benefits, also said that her six older children were animals.

Her outburst will add to longstanding concerns about her ability to look after her huge family.

The octuplets are now two, while the older children are all under ten. All 14 were born through IVF and three of them are said to have disabilities.

Miss Suleman, 36, who lives in a dilapidated home in La Habra, California, said: ‘I hate the babies, they disgust me. ‘My older six are animals, getting more and more out of control, because I have no time to properly discipline them.’

Miss Suleman claimed her dream of having a big family has turned into a nightmare. She said she was so poor that she had even contemplated suicide.

‘The only way I can cope is to lock myself in the bathroom and cry. Sometimes I sit there for hours and even eat my lunch sitting on the toilet floor. Anything to get peace and quiet,’ she said.

The reality TV mother has even considered suicide.

‘Some days I have thought about killing myself. I cannot cope,’ she said.

‘My bank account is overdrawn

by $300 (£186) and I have no money to pay for the children’s school, food, or the mortgage,’ she told InTouch magazine.

‘The only way I can cope is to lock myself in the bathroom and cry.

‘Sometimes I sit there for hours and even eat my lunch sitting on the toilet floor – anything to get peace and quiet. Some days I have thoughts about killing myself. I cannot cope. ‘Obviously I love them, but I absolutely wish I had not had them.’

Miss Suleman became internationally famous when she gave birth to her eight babies – two daughters and six sons – in January 2009 after conceiving them through invitro fertilisation.

Noah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Josiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Maliyah and Makai are only the second full set of octuplets to be born alive in the U.S. – and not all of the previous set survived longer than the first week.

But public opinion rapidly turned against the woman the U.S. media nicknamed Octomum, after it emerged that she had six other young children, no partner and was receiving welfare benefits.

She even received a number of death threats. All 14 of her offspring are said to have the same sperm-donor father.

On their first birthday last year she revealed: ‘I don’t get much

sleep, about two or three hours a night. But I’m continuing to move forward with my life and try to be the best mother I can.’

Miss Suleman has consistently claimed she is sacrificing everything to care for her brood, while continuing to receive help from state nannies.

‘I am doing everything I can to be a great parent,’ she declared last year. ‘I only have one nanny now, so that I can be with my kids 100 per cent.’ However, she now faces losing her home after falling behind with her monthly mortgage payments.

She has received some extra money from a number of appearances on TV reality programmes – prompting claims that she was exploiting the children.

She has just filmed an episode of Celebridate, a dating show for the cable network HDNet. She said that it was a new experience because she had never dated before, having been celibate for 12 years.

The fertility doctor who helped Miss Suleman has had his licence revoked.

California state medical watchdogs said last month that Beverly Hills doctor Michael Kamrava committed gross negligence by making ‘an excessive number of embryo transfers’ into Miss Suleman.

•Source: The Mail

•Having a break? Suleman was seen without her brood leaving the Howard Stern studios in New York City

19

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

'Menace' of a 'gift’ Sad world of the Nigerian artisan

Olatunji OLOLADE, Assistant Editor

Saturday

Continued on Pages 20-21

THRILLER

20

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

•Sola Afolabi: An automobile panel refurbisher (panel beater) claims there are still honest, dependable artisans in the country

•Continued from Page 19 But she wouldn’t get home soon. In fact, the next phone call Ebiomade received from his wife’s phone relayed news of her involvement in a ghastly accident. The new fan belt that Kolash fixed in the car had suddenly cut in motion like the previous one. But this time around, Ebiomade’s wife was travelling at high speed.

She claimed she heard some terrible noise from the engine. And no sooner than she did, the steering wheel became very stiff. Fraught by fear, she slammed on the brakes and the car skidded and swerved into a stationary truck by the roadside.

As you read, she is bedridden. She nurses an excruciating fracture at her pelvic region and her left leg is cast in a Plaster-of-Paris (P.O.P).

Her left chin is painfully swollen thus she can only afford to sip Ogi (Corn syrup) with the aid of a straw.

Much as the Ebiomades would like to have their ‘trusted’ mechanic suffer for what he did, the latter desperately claims his innocence.

According to Kolash, “God will judge me right.

I only said I should help them save money. If they had gone to a rewire (electrician), he would have fleeced them silly. But I offered to help because I am also a rewire. They claimed I committed some sharp practice but I didn’t.

I didn’t defraud them. Yet they came to arrest me. I don’t know what I did to deserve this.”

This is what “they” claimed he did to deserve it: Eight days before the mishap, Ebiomade had approached Kolash to help him change his car alternator for the second time, as advised by the auto mechanic. Alejolowo collected N12, 500 for a 75 amps alternator and N2, 500 for installation even though he collected N12, 000 and N2, 500 to purchase and fix a refurbished 60 amps alternator from Ebiomade three weeks earlier. Each alternator packed up within a month of purchase and installation, contrary to Alejolowo’s assurances that each one would last at least two years.

According to Lateef Durojaiye, an auto mechanic in Owode-Ijako, Ogun State, each alternator lacked the capacity to serve the electrical needs of Ebiomade’s state of the art Nissan Sunny Sedan. “Then it’s apparent that that so-called rewire and mechanic failed to fix the alternators properly. He worked on the second one, welding on it a metal hinge that it might fit well into the engine groove, but it didn’t. Consequently, the fan belt couldn’t lay properly in the groove casted for it in the pulley, which led to its abnormal and persistent wear and tear,” noted Durojaiye.

“To add insult to injury, while I feared the worst, he called to tell me quite candidly, that I would have to change two pulleys in my car to forestall a re-occurrence of its fan belt problem. He said although he estimated that

Sad world of the the change would cost me N14, 000, he had since discovered that the price of the vehicle parts had gone up. He said the new estimate was N22, 000 with workmanship fee and that I should hasten to effect the change as it was very dangerous to travel about with a car with dents on its pulleys…It was at that moment that I lost it. I got him arrested, but due to incessant plea by his wife and siblings, I decided against prosecuting him. My wife is alive today. That’s enough for me,” disclosed Ebiomade.

Such magnanimity is inconsiderable in the world of Bola Adele. The InfoTech guru and Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) of Sultech Ventures, Ikeja, stated that he would never consider pardoning such despicable act. “I have dealt with enough of these artisans to understand that you do not handle them with kid gloves. They constitute a terrible menace to all and sundry. I have seen my mechanic fleece an unknowing customer, a woman, of N147, 000 to change her engine block even though by second opinion, the poor woman got to know that the vehicle suffered a minor electrical fault that subsequently cost her some paltry N2, 000,” he lamented.

The auto mechanic, however, is hardly the only artisan one should be wary of, warned Modupeola Ajayi. The high school teacher argued that gross acts of fraud and disregard for work ethics remains rampant among artisans of various fields and training across the country. “Carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers, welders, foremen, tailors, cobblers to mention a few, are also culpable,” she said. Recollecting, some “terrible experiences” she suffered in the hands of a carpenter and plumber respectively in Mgbidi, Oru West Local Government Area (L.G.A) of Imo State, while she was resident in the east, Ajayi concluded that it is better to purchase imported or factory fitted upholstery whenever in need of furniture.

“I paid some swindler N13, 000 for a bookshelf. He promised to deliver it in a week but I ended up chasing him about for a month and three days before he brought me some poorly constructed shelf…The case of the plumber was different. He fleeced me of N3, 000 to repair my leaky toilet seat by reconstructing its base and sealing its cracked ends with what he called special gum…the leakage got worse after he worked on it. And one day, while my fiancé relieved himself,

‘

I have seen my mechanic fleece an unknowing customer, a woman, of N147, 000 to change her engine block, even though by second opinion, the poor woman got to know that the vehicle suffered a minor electrical fault that subsequently cost her some paltry N2,000

’

the seat totally collapsed from the base,” lamented Ajayi.

Similar sad stories are recounted with regret by people who had suffered one raw deal or the other in the hands of local artisans in the country.

Three hundred bad apples hardly spoils a bunch In spite of the disparaging remarks about them, some artisans within the country allege that they had never been handed a fair deal.

According to Durojaiye, people should exercise restraint in expressing sweeping views about him and many of his colleagues.

According to him, there are still a lot of honest, dependable and brilliant artisans in the country. “Irrespective of what anyone thinks, I can vouch for myself and a lot of my colleagues,” he said. Corroborating him, Sola Afolabi, an automobile panel fabricator (otherwise known as panel beater) said that it is wrong to label every artisan a menace just because some people suffered a raw deal in the hands of very few shady characters.

“Many of my clients have never had cause to worry. At the risk of being immodest, they claim to appreciate me for the good, honest work I do for them. The same goes for many of my colleagues. We are men of honour, undeserving of such scorn and fraudulence attributed to us.”

Artisans’ grief Not a few artisans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the degree of scorn they are made to endure persistently. Olamide Habeeb, an Iyana Ipaja, Lagos based building contractor and glass works specialist recounted his ordeal in the hands of a corporate client recently.

According to him, the client, a notable new generation bank had contracted him and one of his business partners to handle the window, door and other glass works of a new branch in Benin, Edo State.

“They paid us less than we asked for and treated us with the greatest disdain. For instance, while they lodged the Chinese foreman and his crew in a five-star hotel and provided them a brand new bus to convey them to and fro the construction site, they left us to our own devices. Consequently, we had to struggle to quickly complete the glass works of a room in the building. It was in that room that we slept with our crew. Whenever we needed to relieve ourselves, we had to settle for shot-puts (that is, they defecated in newspapers and nylon bags and threw it over the fence into nearby bushes)” lamented Habeeb.

Recently, hundreds of local artisans staged a peaceful protest to the office of a local manufacturer and importer to protest unsatisfactory work condition by their employer.

The artisans from Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos States demanded the repatriation of Chinese artisans allegedly amounting to over 3, 000 workers on their employer’s payroll and who

21

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

• A roadside bicycle repairer

cu •A Nigerian artisan being monitored by a Chinese Supervisor

•Local artisans slug it out for a daily wage in post-independence Nigeria

Nigerian artisan are doing jobs that ordinarily can be done by Nigerians.

According to Segun Olutade, Executive Director of Shelter Watch Initiative, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that led the protest, the influx of Chinese artisans into the country and their subsequent patronage

by Nigerian employers have led to serious undermining of local artisans’ interests.

More worrisome is the news that the Nigerian building construction industry loses N450bn yearly due to the dearth of indigenous artisans even as they are acknowledged to be very crucial to growth in the sector. This was the finding of a recent research conducted by the Lagos State Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB).

Expatriate bricklayers, carpenters, tillers, plumbers and electricians are currently the darling of the Nigerian construction industry.

And they are indeed having a field day repatriating half of the estimated yearly N900bn they make to their home countries.

According to industry analysts, there are over one million foreign artisans currently operating in the country, mostly from smaller West African countries icluding Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana, while a sizeable number of Chinese and South Koreans is also operating in the local construction industry to the detriment of local artisans in the industry.

A very sad situation Despite the undeniable invaluable contributions of indigenous artisanship to societal and national development, the challenge of having quality and adequate manpower for housing construction, automobile repair, steel work, renovation and fabrication works of various shades pose a lot of challenge to individual citizens, urban managers and development planners in the country.

For instance, in bid to provide adequate ‘housing for all’ by 2015 as envisaged in the nation’s National Housing Policy and the United Nations Millennium Development Goal. Manpower development has been identified as being the basic resource for the actualisation of such initiative.

Availability of manpower, in both qualitative and quantitative terms, is very crucial in housing construction, and constitutes the second largest single

component of resource input required by the construction industry. Manpower required for building construction varies from professionals like Architects, Builders, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Urban and Regional Planners, Estate Managers to building artisans like bricklayers or masons, carpenters, welders or iron-benders, house painters and electricians to mention a few.

In most cases, the types of manpower usually needed in large quantity for housing construction in Nigeria are artisans and labour thus the crucial need for artisan services remains an indisputable reality of the everincreasing housing needs in both urban and rural areas in the country.

At the backdrop of the needs of the nation’s housing sector, the provision and lack of skilled artisanship in quantitative and qualitative terms has been a major focus of development planners, urban managers and individual citizens requiring their various services in the country.

Shortage of adequate skilled artisanship across the various sectors of the society has for long been identified as a bane to development in the country. For instance, as far back as 1980, the planners of the Fourth National Development Plan (FNDP) observed that shortages of skilled manpower constitutes the most serious bottleneck to the capacity of the economy to absorb the increasing volume of investment made possible by oil revenue.

However, the Third National Development Plan (TNDP) made specific mention of the building artisans stating that ‘the categories of masons and carpenters constituted the largest deficit in the estimated manpower requirements by major occupational categories’ and that ‘about 245,000 masons, carpenters and electricians or 56.6 per cent of all manpower requirements were projected as being needed between 1975 and 1980.

Today, in spite of the unavailability of any dependable record, shortages of highly skilled and employable artisans is already been experienced in many urban areas where massive unemployment currently exists.

This acute shortage of quality artisans is persists despite the existing National Housing Policy’s goal of providing adequate shelter for every Nigerian by 2015. This emphasizes the need for urgent appraisal of the existing training programmes for these artisans if the

policy’s goal will not be rendered comatose.

The most prominent means of artisan skill acquisition for automobile repair and building construction in the country are through informal training on the job, that is, traditional hereditary form of apprenticeship and through vocational training schools.

The Nation findings revealed the inadequate supply of quality and dependable labour for the building industry among others.

According Fatai Akinsanya, an architect and building contractor, the situation is attributable to a persistent decline in the rate of supply of quality building artisans. “The avenue for training the artisans are very few and with fewer numbers of artisans in the labour market, the wages of the available ones are demanding are increasingly sky-rocketing.

He regretted that the quality of training from the existing trade centres is below standard.

The focus is on the theoretical aspects as opposed to practice. This, he acknowledged, impacts negatively on the quality of graduates produced by such institutions.

Local artisanship at a glance However, traditional apprenticeship remains a popular form of training of skilled artisans in the country. This tradition of apprenticeship is traceable to the early 16th century when earliest artisans usually acquired their skills mainly through various systems of apprenticeship. The apprentice learned his trade and practiced it under the instruction and supervision of a master.

Typically, a boy was bound to a master at the age of 14 and served for seven years. This system was in force throughout most of the renaissance period. In the 17th century, the system changed so that an apprentice lived and studied in the house of a master for an indefinite period and was free to leave when he felt he had learned enough.

In the USA, the decision to undertake to establish workable company apprenticeship programme arose as a result of the manufacturers being alarmed at the large preventable wastes incurred because their workers lacked fundamental trade knowledge. However, a vigorous coordinated national apprenticeship programme came into existence with the passage of the Fitzgerald Act in 1937.

A similar system of apprenticeship arose in Nigeria as a family institution, as a means of

supplying artisans for the various crafts then in existence and as a means of propagating the heritage of the family.

In addition, as the country developed economically, there were more bicycles, auto cycles, cars and trucks and there was need for them to be serviced and repaired. A new breed of occupations, distinct and different from the traditional ones thus emerged.

Duration of apprenticeship is either three or five years. Fees vary considerably by craft and when the apprentice extends beyond five years, there is usually little or no fee paid. In some cases, small payments are made by the master to the apprentice and sometimes contributions in the form of food, clothing or shelter.

Masters in the old crafts often accommodate apprentices in their houses, but this is less true in the new-line artisan workshops. Today, the astronomical rise in the cost of hiring bricklayers, carpenters, mechanics, plumbers and other artisans is attributable to the fact that artisans and technicians in diverse allied professions have become contractors and regard themselves more like professional engineers than skilled artisans.

This form of apprenticeship is a good means of teaching skill but it is not without its disadvantages, which include lack of programmed training. To Felix Okoromadu, a Mechanical Engineer, in most cases, the masters teach their apprentices as work comes, not as planned, and there is lack of end-ofcourse test or examination to standardise the level of craftsmanship and differences in standards of craftsmanship from one employer or master to another.

The way out Okoromadu suggested that the federal government restructure the country’s apprenticeship system and expand vocational training centres for the training of artisans such as masons, auto mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, welders, bricklayers among others.

Sanni Lekan and Alabi Folami Munta, two development experts suggested an educational system in which master tradesmen of the required crafts should be employed to handle practical aspects of the artisanship training at the country’s vocational and skills acquisition centres.

This practice, they claimed, promises the advantage of exposing the trainees to practical aspects of their trainings, and enable them interact with the practicing artisan, who, they might come to see and regard as their professional colleague.

These suggestions no doubt betray little consideration for the roadside apprentice even as he grows to become a menace to unfortunate couples like the Ebiomades.

22

CITY PULSE

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Ilorin: From ancient to modern city

•A road in Ilorin

I

LORIN, the Kwara State capital, has undergone a lot of changes in recent times in terms of infrastructural development.

Like other emirates in the Northern Nigeria, Ilorin started as an Islamic city with a populace whose main occupations were pottery and production of a local fabric called Aso-Oke. In his book ‘Track Records of Honorary Title Holders in Ilorin’, Abdulfatai Dare Magobon writes: “The life of the people of Ilorin is regulated by the dictates of Islam, and many social activities like marriage, naming, burial and graduation ceremonies are celebrated in accordance to strict Islamic principles.

“In fact, before the advent of the British colonial administration in Nigeria, there was little or no alien ideology in the governing of the people, much so that the beauty of Islam is, till today, glaring in Ilorin.”

However, its ancient and rural nature has in the last 10 years witnessed rapid transformation, making it attractive to both foreign and local investors. The transformation of the ancient city became particularly noticeable during the immediate past administration of Dr Bukola Saraki in the state. The changes cut across education, health, agriculture, energy, water supply, housing, works and transport.

This, in turn, is gradually turning the hitherto public servicedriven state into an industrialised one, where unemployment and poverty appear to be diminishing.

A visitor to the city acknowledged what he described as a “a beautiful 21st Century fly-over, which stretches across a network of well laid out roads.”

Yet, this is not an exclusive area in Dubai. It is also not a newly transformed part of the Victoria Island in Lagos or an elevated suburb of the Federal Capital Ter-

•Proposed Ilorin Central Mosque

Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin ritory (FCT), Abuja. It is the Post Office area in the heart of the ancient city.

For those are conversant with the Ilorin metropolis, the Post Office area was the hub of commercial activities, with the attendant chaotic traffic situation and pothole-ridden roads. But two years ago,was transformed into the state capital’s befitting business district. The foundation of the flyover, the first in the entire NorthCentral zone, was laid. The flyover is expected to ease the traffic congestion which had plagued the area and brought untold hardship to the people for years.

The consultant for the project, Mr Bashir Lawal, an engineer, described it as visionary. He said he was proud as a Kwara citizen that Saraki conceived the idea. Ac-

•PHCN transformer

cording to him, anybody who had visited the area three years ago would marvel at the amount of transformation that has taken

place.

He said: “I want to say with all sense of modesty that Governor Saraki has set a record that is dif-

ficult for anybody coming after him to beat. He is a leader, a builder and a courageous administrator.”

The cargo terminal located inside the Ilorin International Airport recently commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan will benefit the agricultural sector because of its export generation potential.

On the health front, the government introduced a health agenda designed to eradicate all preventable diseases. The health sector of the state, particularly the Ilorin metropolis, has been enhanced through the essential drug revolving project, war against fake drugs, construction of an oxygen plant and the ongoing construction of Ilorin Diagnostic Centre and Metropolitan Centre.

The multi-billion naira Asa Dam water reticulation project is yet another project that will ensure adequate supply of potable water to residents of the town. The Nation investigation revealed that new pipes were just being laid since the 1970s.

Also, the North Central town has worn a new look with the “Clean and Green” programme introduced the Saraki government in 2003. About 142.8km of roads in the metropolis is being covered by the scheme. When completed, the rehabilitation of the Ilorin Central Juma’at Mosque is certain to add to the beauty of the area, which like Professor John Pepper Clark’s description of Ibadan, is a “running splash of rust and gold.”

The new mosque, when completed, is expected to have “99 domes of different diameters 75ft above the floor. The large dome will be gold finish while the four big domes around it will be coated in green and reflective illumination; the accessible minarets each standing at a height of 150ft.

“In addition to all this, all the dilapidated domes and minarets with mosaic finishing will be restored and finished with cut-tosize marble. The exterior and interior will also be covered with special marble, while the expanded courtyard will be reconstructed with heat-absorbing granite (marble) finish.

The doors and windows will be replaced with specially designed ones befitting minarets, each standing at a height of 150ft,” the Project Consultant, Jimoh Faworaja, an architect stated.

Other facilities to be provided in the new complex include three modern ablution centres with toilet facilities, a well equipped multi-purpose hall, an Islamic library with modern facilities, a large park and modern lighting equipment, air-conditioners and long-range speakers for salat calls, among others.

A prominent son of the town lameneted during the N1.5 billion fund raising ceremony for the mosque: “The present Ilorin Central Juma’at mosque was officially opened in 1981 by former President Shehu Shagari. As at that time, the mosque was easily one of the most modern in Nigeria. By contemporary standards, it was an architectural masterpiece with its 101 dome.“About 30 years after, the mosque has also become inadequate to meet the needs of the ever-growing Muslim population in Ilorin.

“Apart from the fact that the present mosque has lost its original appeal and splendour, there is also the need to modernise the edifice to meet contemporary demands. This edifice that was our symbol of unity and Islamic pride has gone into almost total dillapidation, with all the fine features and facilities giving way.”

LOCATION

BACKSTAGE

SNAPSHOT

REEL NEWS

MUSIC

SCREEN

Edited by: VICTOR AKANDE

Tel: 08077408676

E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com

ntertainment

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

23

—Agbani D

My body is not for sale

arego

24

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

STANDh BY! Wit

VICTOR AKANDE

Afro Hollywood Best Entertainment Writer 2009

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

THINK

SNAPSHOTS

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

Clarion eulogises Christy Essien amid tears

A consolation for High Life!

I

think we worry unnecessarily, or perhaps we don't give our worries deeper thoughts each time we raise concern over the seeming dominance of the music atmosphere by the hip hop genre.

More often, we fear with so much exaggeration that High Life, Juju, Apala, Fuji and other local genres are gradually facing extinction because of the overwhelming impact of the Hip hop and Rhythm and Blues on the youth.

A careful examination of the current trend only shows that like old times, demographic factor in terms of population is always in favour of the youths. And so, it is not surprising that the major population that will go for contemporary genres would be found among the youths. As a result, every brand finds greater promotional values by identifying with this sect, except something is wrong with their market survey. The segmentation is a normal thing, except that unlike in the 70s, there is a closer gap between the youth and the young at heart such that the disparity in the type of music and excitement they both catch is not wide.

When and how did the gap between the young man and the adult become widen? Evidences abound that the austerity measure that pushed an average Nigerian youth to seek greener pastures abroad became pronounced in the early 80s.

About this time, an unconscious blend of the local and foreign talents began to be incubated, the maturity of which is found in the type of music that excites the youths today.

But perhaps beyond the migration phenomenon is the media revolution that began pushing the local content on TV and radio to the background, especially in the 80s. At that time, the disco jump became more dominant at local parties with Jamaican reggae (save for the New Edition group), Michael Jackson's pop, and rhythm and Blues that took turns of Michael Bolton, Lionel Richie, to mention just a few.

But apart from the likes of Sir Shina Peters, Felix Liberty, Chris Okotie, Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono, Oritz Wiliki, and perhaps Chief Kollington Ayinla with Ijo Yoyo, who made remarkable impression among the youths, Sade Adu was about the only Nigerian act whose music could be said to contain ingredients of westernization.

But as the country's musical exploits plunged into the late 90s, there appeared to be a breathe of

Our culture appears to me like something already built in the genes of our parents such that no matter where we go, and what we do, the 'Nigerianess', and by extension the 'Africaness', in us reflects either voluntarily or involuntarily fresh air that signalled a motion for independence from dominant foreign music and the trend not only hit the young man, it took even the adult by storm when the group Remedies came on board.

From that time, a gradual takeover of power has culminated in a situation whereby Nigerian music at night clubs and other forms of partying is 100 percent today. Just as we were beginning to thank God for taking our pride back, critics of the new generation type of music found a loophole in the genre of music that the Nigerian youths of today play, owing to its American Hip hop origin. The youths have even worsened the case for themselves through their dress sense, haircuts, tattoos and heavy chains that an average moralist sees as an erosion of our cultural and moral values. Worse still are some unimaginable lyrics that leave the beauty of this brand of music to mere instrumentals.

But I have good news for you, and unless you lend an open mind to what is obtainable today, unless you employ a progressive rather than a conservative mind, you are still not likely to see anything good coming out of this 'Nazareth'.

Our culture appears to me like something already built in the genes of our parents such that no matter where we go, and what we do, the 'Nigerianess', and by extension the 'Africaness', in us reflects either voluntarily or involuntarily.

In the first instance, what we discover is that the Nigerian hip

hop artiste began to use the local language for his rap lyrics. The adulteration of which became more celebrated such that today, the late Olaitan Olaonipekun, aka Dagrin, remains an icon of that brand of transformation. Before this time, choruses, slangs, codes and code switching in Yoruba language was the order of the day such that it appeared as thus, unless your song had elements of the Yoruba phrase, you are not sure of having given your fans the best. To this end, even singers from the North, East and the Niger Delta areas of Nigeria have surprisingly made hit songs, with interjections of the Yoruba language. That is a consolation in that we are able to still regard and value our own. With time, evidences of the beauty of the local language also reflected in the songs by musicians like Nigger Raw from south-east Nigeria, to mention but one.

However, the most appealing is the fact that High Life has been used to sweeten the taste of rap music in a way that even teenagers in Nigeria have savoured it, let alone the young adult. And I take my inferences from the songs of Flavour, an Eastern Nigerian singer with the song, Asawo, and M.I in his song, African Rapper Number One, also featuring Flavour. I can bet you that these two songs are the hottest at the moment for the two singers, and this is more so for one reason: the Highlife element in their tunes and beat. You may wish to ask me who are the consumers of these songs? You will be socked stiff to know that even my 10 year old son finds some addiction to the rhythm of Highlife in the music, giving justification to my claim that our culture could have been passed to us through our parents' genes.

Suffice to say that Flavour's hit song Asawo is a remix of Osadebe's song under the same title. What about the new Osondi Owendi by MC Loph, which was indeed one of the hit songs of late Oliver de Coque? I need not stress the fact that Paul Play Dairo also climbed on his father's hit song by doing Mosorire, which became an instant hit that the youths identified with.

The question is, are the youths averse to the music of old? The answer you will get going through this analysis is no! Then what could be the dividing factor, and I think this is not short of the fact that the new generation simply want to do the old things in the new way. They aren't wrong anyway, after all the only thing that is constant about life is changes.

•Clarion Chukwura and one of late Christy Essien's son

T

RULY eulogies have not stopped pouring in for lady of songs Christy Essien Igbokwe since last week Thursday when she passed on, but that of veteran actress Clarion Chukwura's, amid tears, is one that touches the heart.

“For me, Chief (Mrs.) Christy Essein Igbokwe (MFR) is somebody who has been a big sister to me. I first met her when I was 12years old; she was 16 and she was in her last year in High School. She inspired my NGO. She was a Patron and a Trustee of my NGO. She was my strongest female pillar of the Clarion Chukwura Initiative.

Unknown to me that she had died on Thursday, on Wednesday morning, I and my ICT person were busy uploading unto my website the details of the next work we were to do together, when I was called on Thursday afternoon that she had passed on. I did not know how to handle it but I'm happy because Christy Essien Igbokwe lived a good life. Though her life was short, it was a full and fulfilled life.

“She was the first female

What beauty queen Sylvia Nduka will miss most

S

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

entertainer in this country to exhibit a dexterous business acumen. By the time she was 25 years, she had won all the national and international awards that were available to a musician. She came a long way; she did so much in a very short time.

The most important legacy of hers for me is that she was somebody who gave and gave. She gave of herself. She gave of her resources. She gave beyond the call of duty. She's the only female entertainer of her generation who can say that she lived the words of her songs because when you listen to Christy Essien songs, she spoke from the heart. Her songs were philosophical. And she lived the life of everything that she propagated. She moved away from the center stage when everything became messy and it was no longer about creativity,” she said.

Clarion has never stopped to cry whenever she talks about Christy Essien. She was the only Nollywood thespian as at last week to be spotted in the lady of song's Talabi house in Adeniyi Jones area of Ikeja.

•Sylvia Nduka

YLVIA Nduka whose dream finally became real last week when she emerged the winner of the Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria (MBGN) has not yet come to terms with the fact that she wouldn't be able to eat her favourite food anymore at a particular joint in school.

The undergraduate student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), during a courtesy visit to The Nation in company with the producer of the Most Beautiful Girl beauty pageant, Juliette Hagerman, said, “there is a particular joint in school where I used to go and eat amala and ewedu ( a yoruba meal), and since I emerged winner of MBGN I've been unable to go there and I really miss it.”

Sylvia is from Anambra State but she grew up in Lagos, where she learnt to eat and love Amala.

25

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

RE ELNEW S ‘The Evening Whisper’ begins sales in August

N

EWS hounds in the federal capital territory st will from the 1 of August join other cities in the globe that have the opportunity of being served hot and fresh news as it breaks with the scheduled launch of The Evening Whisper.

In a release made available to news men, the publishers of the newspaper, The Gavel media Inc, said that The Evening Whisper will on a daily basis break the news as it were, hot and fresh.

According to the Editor in Chief of the paper, Mr Chris Kehinde Nwandu, the formal unveiling of the paper will take place at the Nanet Suites, Central Area, opposite Thisday Dome, Abuja st on Monday 1 August 2011 at 10am.

The event will be attended by the who is who in the media, members of the National Assembly, top government officials, members of the diplomatic corps ,captains of industries, the entertainment industry and Nigerians from all walks of life.

Mr Nwandu is of the belief that the federal capital territory, the seat of power in Nigeria, deserves a paper that will articulate and disseminate information to the citizenry at the speed of light.

He opined that it's rather unfortunate and unacceptable that more often than not, Nigerians usually get breaking news in Nigeria from the international media.

The Evening Whisper will cover issues in politics, entertainment, information technology, fashion and style, sports, properties, law, commerce and industry, economy and all other aspects of human endeavour.

•Cross Section of cast and crew of a movie, The Mirror Boy

F

ROM Gambia, where 80 percent of the movie was shot to a strong cinema appearance at the Empire Leicester Square in London, UK, and surviving the British cinemas for weeks, coming up among top five in the first week and top 12 in the second week, The Mirror boy has come a long way.

The Mirror Boy, featuring Africa's finest actors Genevieve Nnaji and Osita Iheme, is set to arrive in Nigerian cinemas come August 5, 2011, after a presidential screening in Gambia where a large chunk of the movie was shot, with top government officials in attendance.

The Mirror Boy is an enthralling journey as seen through the eyes of a London-born 12- year-old African boy, Tijani. After a London street fight on 13th of June, in which a local boy is hurt, Tijan's mother decides to take him back to their roots, Gambia. On their arrival in Banjul, Tijan encounters a strange apparition, a boy smiling at him in a mirror and vanishing. Seeing the same boy in a crowded street market the next day sets in motion a

The Mirror Boy in Cinema August 5 chain of events, with Tijan finding himself lost. While Tijan's panicstricken mother struggles to find her son, Tijan is left alone in the company of the enigmatic Mirror Boy, seemingly only visible to him. A cathartic climax helps

Tijani to unravel the mystery of the Mirror Boy. It also provides him with a rather mystical explanation for the way his life has cascaded from the 13th of June towards this inter-twined fate with a father he has never

Kiss and tell drags movie buffs to Cinema

G

•Monalisa

REAT compliments have continued to pour in for Emem Isong's and Monalisa Chinda's latest flick, Kiss and Tell, since the premiere of the movie in Lagos.

The movie which made a bold arrival in cinemas across the nation on Friday July 1, 2011 has since then enjoyed a huge cinema patronage, cinema halls have been packed full every time the movie is

showing.

Directed by Desmond Elliot, Kiss and Tell features top Nollywood actors like Desmond Elliot, Monalisa Chinda, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Uche Jombo, Joseph Benjamin, Bhaira Mcwizu, Darlene Benson and others.

In Kiss and Tell, Iyke (Joseph Benjamin), the ultimate player in the game of women, runs Blue Quest with his friend, Bernard (Desmond Elliot). Their friendship, however, does not apply to their coy. Iyke, who prides himself as the ultimate player per excellence, however meets his match, perhaps they laboured for. They need to more than he bargained for in benefit from the proceeds that are generated from their sweat and we Delphine (Monalisa Chinda), a divorce lawyer who is a divorcee cannot fold our arms to the herself. Iyke is about to lose a bet, detriment of Nigerian artistes, while Radio and T.V stations smile a controlling shares of Blue Quest. to the banks. I'm the chief enforcer He has to win or lose all. of this present approach and with Commenting on the success of the support of those who the movie so far at the cinema, understand what I'm saying, Monalisa Chinda said, 'the success artistes will smile again. All we of Kiss and Tell so far is not a want is accountability and surprise at all, a lot of work has compliance. We are ready to gone into the movie before we address the matter in which ever arrived at a finished product, so I way they want, and even if it think I can say hard work is what means employing the gutter tactics, is paying off at the cinemas. We we will.” also thank God for his blessings.’

MCSN battles radio, TV stations for artistes’ royalties

I

T'S going to be war henceforth, as Musical Copyrights Society of Nigeria (MCSN), the popular Collective Management Organization is spoiling for war with all radio and TV stations for non-compliance with the payment of artistes' royalties as due.

The planned battle is not unconnected to series of fruitless meetings, which have been held in closed doors to find possible ways to get radio and television stations to pay artistes' royalty within the shortest time possible or explain

how such huge amount of money is being managed amongst the Nigerian regulatory bodies.

Moreover, the controversial former president of PMAN and top executive of MCSN, Charly Boy, has been unmasked as the leader of the grand picketing of defaulted Radio and TV stations that will begin from next week. And if you recall, it was in the same vein that Tony Okoroji-led Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), the factional side of CMO, issued a directive that no station should play Nigerian music without paying for the rights.

As trouble looms, Charly Boy's previous face off with the Nigerian Breweries, N.T.A., and Multichoice among many other corporate bodies for alleged rights infringements, and which had since opened up a better deal between corporate bodies and Nigerian artistes, is gathered to have disconcerted owners and managers of the accused Radio and TV stations.

Confirming what could be best described as a Royalty battle during a telephone chat, Charly Boy said, “Nigerian Artistes deserve to have a share of what

E-STARS TV unveils Amazing Grace

S •Charly Boy

TARTIMES has unleashed the multiple award-winning film 'Amazing Grace', produced and directed by Jeta Amata, on its rise away monthly movie belt Box Office on July 3rd, 2011 at 8pm.

Bayo Adebiyi, Chief Executive Officer of Proudly Africa Media, the parent company of E-STARS TV, said at a press conference that Box Office “was conceived with the viewing audience in mind. We were looking for a content that will not only entertain viewers, but one

met.

Speaking on the movie, Obi Emelonye, producer of The Mirror Boy, said: 'The movie is a product of a Nigerian mind, so the movie is Nigerian by all means. One strong motto we adopted all through the production of this movie is quality and this is why I am confident the success of the movie internationally will be doubled here in Nigeria, because contrary to what a lot of people think, Nigerians love quality.’

Adeyeni ADEYEMO they can look forward to every month to see quality movies from the comfort of their homes.”

Successively in it's third month, Box Office had previously showcased, in full length, iconic films such as Irapada (Redemption)

by Kunle Afolayan in May, 2011 and A Private Storm by Vivian Ejike in June, 2011. The movie belt, which has grown to massive eyeballs traffic is dedicated to showing

popular flicks of Nigerian and African Origins A statement from the communications unit made available to the media recently reveals that the Box Office would run between 8pm and 10pm of every first Sundays of the month and later cut down to a 30-minute series to run on the proceeding week Monday to Thursday while the Friday will be devoted to the behind-the-scenes making of the film.

26

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Benue State-born artiste, Zaaki Azzay, whose music career for close to two decades has not suffered any setback, has just added another feather to his cap. Zaaki took a giant stride recently as he breathed a fresh air into television talk shows with his new TV series, True Nigerians. The programme is showcasing some of the heroes of our time, like Olusegun Obasanjo, Dele Momodu, Pat Utomi, and others.

In this interview with MERCY MICHAEL, the musician speaks on the TV programme, music career, marriage, and other things.

How I met and married my m y wife in one week —Zaaki Azzay

I proposed to her on my knees (laughs). But she said no, and I said, Na me go marry am e e.

I suppose to marry am e e (laughs). Well, my wife didn't believe me when I told her I wanted to marry her

27

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Winners emerge in Malta Guinness Street Dance

Lagosians in for fun as Music Meets Runway

•Banky W •Basketmouth with Julius Agwu

Basketmouth, Okey Bakassi, others for Crack Ya Ribs

Olayemi releases Were

•Olayemi

Eric makes entry with ‘Redefined’

Tosin Martins g p for ears u gears up 4th live concert

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Appointed the first ever brand ambassador for Arik Air, Agbani Darego, the first black African and indeed Nigerian to win Miss World, expressed her desire to give back to the Nigerian brand that supported her career to becoming an international icon. She spoke with a group of journalists about her endorsement among other issues, VICTOR AKANDE, Entertainment Editor, was there.

Big Brother Amplified: Karen puts self on the line

•Former Miss. World, Agbani Darego being received by Managing Director, Arik Air, Mr. Chris Ndulue and Senior Vice President-Commercial, Mr. Kevin Steele during her unveiling as Arik Air Brand Ambassador —Photo: Isaac Jimoh Ayodele

‘It’s a perfect marriage for me’ One of the things that you may not know is that I am in my final year in school in New York and the plan is when I do finish school, I want to spend more time at home... it makes more sense for me to be home

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RE ELNEW S

COVER COVER

COVER COVER

…As female housemates plot Miss P's exit

I

T was another round of suspense and edge of the seat tension when Housemates of M-Net's Big Brother Amplified had a reminder of how tough life is in the ongoing reality TV series.

They were forced to begin nominations again after getting last week off, following the merger. Karen, Alex, Miss P, Sharon O and Weza are up for eviction this week after Head of House Karen sensationally refused to nominate anyone and then didn't use her 'save and replace' to alter the nominations.

Karen revealed her shock decision during her nomination session in the Chat Room earlier in the day. She told Big Brother that everyone deserves to take the money home and it was not up to her to make the decision on who leaves the House.

Miss P seems to be the victim of a plot amongst the ladies in the house as 5 of them nominated her for eviction. Luclay was the only guy to nominate her, saying it was nothing personal and he felt that she would “cope better” outside the House.

The ladies were all in agreement that Miss P had made an error in telling them that her dalliance with Alex was purely strategic. Sharon O said she never “clicked” with Miss P from day 1, which made her decision simple. Weza, who has had several disagreements with Miss P in the last 48 hours, said that trust was key and she felt Miss P broke that by using Alex as a pawn in her game. Mumba had a lot to say about Miss P but not a lot of it was positive! She labelled her as selfish and childish and berated her for not being herself.

When the dust had settled, Miss P led the nomination chart with 6, followed by Alex and Karen on 4 each, with Sharon O and Weza on 3 apiece. The winner of Big Brother Amplified, headline sponsored by Coca-Cola, will be named on 31 July and the power to award USD200 000 each to two winners rests in the hands of the viewers.

AGBANI DAREGO

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•Karen with housemate

AHEAD OF U-20 WORLD CUP

GOLDEN CITY GAMES

Pg. 32,33

Pg. 34

Gold winners Emulate Ghana, Obuh tells players count blessings

Nation Saturday, July 9, 2011

FREE COPY

PAGE 29

•Dream Team V in training. PHOTO: Olusoji Olukayode

EGUMA TO DREAM TEAM V PLAYERS

Expect a hostile reception in Ghana Pg. 30, 35

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

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NATION SPORT

EGUMA TO DREAM TEAM V PLAYERS

Expect a hostile reception in Ghana The Dream Team V players and officials are locked in a crucial match with their Black Meteors of Ghana arch. rivals on Sunday for the second leg cracker of the All Africa Games Qualifiers at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi. In this interview with TUNDE LIADI, Assistant Coach of the team, Stanley Eguma spoke on the preparation of the National U- 23 team, otherwise known as the Dream Team V towards the return leg, what to expect in Ghana and the strategy the team plans to adopt in turning back the ambition of the rampaging Ghanaians, that denied Nigeria of the opportunity to play at the All Africa Games back to back, most remarkable is the one enroute the 2007 edition in Algeria. EXCERPTS

•Eguma

T

HE Ghanaians lodged a complaint of improper treatment when they came to Nigeria for the first leg. Coach has there been any effort from the technical crew to prepare the minds of the players ahead of the encounter?

I want to correct an impression, we never treated them badly when they came here. All the countries in Africa are aware of Nigeria’s way of hospitality when they have any engagement with their African neighbours at any stage of sporting competition. We gave them all the comfort and care when they came but we know the African mentality and that they might want to do all what they can to frustrate us perhaps to make us uncomfortable and make sure that all they plan adversely and affect our game. We are already prepared and we have prepared the minds of the players too that they should expect a hostile reception in Kumasi. It is a war and a battle and you don’t expect your opponents to give you a good treatment or conducive environment. We are aware that they complained while here and that we

should expect the worst while in Ghana.

The Ghanaians have fortified their squad with invitation of more foreign based players. Do you entertain fears over this?

No, not at all. We will work on what we have. If they like they can come with all the professional players they have from every part of the world, we will still confront them with what we have. We have a bunch of talented young men who are determined to play for their fatherland. It is eleven against eleven players on the field of play so we will take them the way we see them.

It doesn’t matter what they are coming with, in as much as it is played on level playing ground we know we are going to triumph in Ghana. Football is played in the field and not mere boasting on the pages of newspapers. We are going to concentrate on our approach to the game and also be positive as we go for the match. We are not perturbed or concerned about whom and who is playing it is less important to us.

We know we have to be cautious because they have good players and still on that we also have good players too which will make the

game more interesting when it is played in Ghana on Sunday. We know that it is will be tough and that is why we are preparing the minds of our players too to be tough too when it gets tough.

Some regular members of the team won’t play on Sunday owing to club engagements what have the technical crew done to ensure that Nigeria gets the positive result?

(Nwankwo)Obiorah is not coming that is certain and Ahmed Musa too is not here. Perhaps club engagements could have been responsible because they were not released by their clubs. These players are forgone issues and we are not thinking about them for now. The other players in camp now are those we are focusing on. Nnamdi Oduamadi is here. Nosa Igiebor is also around. Odion Ighalo and Ehiosun are also here too among other ones in camp. We will try to make adjustment where necessary in some positions because we have the confidence that these ones are capable of playing too.

Olumide Durojaiye, who was recommended by Samson Siasia and Jonathan Okafor are both in

camp too, what do you have to say as regard their performance in trainings?

We are still watching Olumide. We have seen Jonathan and we are looking at them. They are not bad players they are good players but it depends on the what we want there in Ghana. We are not ruling them out entirely some of the invited players may not travel with the team since we have specified numbers of players going for the match but we are not ruling them out of the team since we still have engagements in the near future with which if they maintain their good form in their respective clubs they will be invited again.

How will the technical crew be approaching the match based on the intense rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria in football?

We already know that and that we have to approach the tie very cautiously if we want to get anything from the match. We will go there like I told you in the past to defend the 31 lead. In modern football you don’t defend goals only, you have to defend and attack in order to put your opponent in check throughout

“

It doesn’t matter what they are coming with, in as much as it is played on a level playing ground we know we are going to triumph in Ghana. Football is played on the field and not by mere boasting on the pages of newspapers. We are going to concentrate on our approach to the game and also be positive as we go for the match.

•Ghana’s Rabiu Mohammed goes past Ibok Edet of Nigeria on Saturday in Benin.

the match and more so we know of the adage which says attack is the best form of defence. We will attack to score more goals. We know that if we get one goal in Kumasi it will compound the woes of the Ghanaians. So while we are trying to play cautiously not to concede goals, we will also push forward to get goals so as to ensure that Ghana does not give us a torrid time. We are going to play a very positive game and we are not going to approach the match as if the game was over after the first leg. We are bound to play a positive game in order not to throw away the advantage we have.

At what period of the match do you think will be crucial to Nigeria?

(Laughs) every time will be crucial from the kick off to the end of the regulation period will be crucial.

There is no time in the match that we have to lower our guard in any way from the word go. Every minute of that match is crucial and very important to us but we have to watch the early minutes of the match because I know that they will be fighting like wounded lions especially in the early minutes of the game. If we are able to curtail their forays in the early minutes we will continue to grow in confidence and this will be to their frustration.

What is the message for Nigerians?

Yeah we are very optimistic that we are going to carry the day at the end of the 90 minutes. I say this based on the level of work that we have been doing on the team ever since the conclusion of the first leg and the cooperation we have had from the players. We are assuring Nigerians that come Sunday we are going to make them proud and the ticket to the All African Games but they should pray for us for a favourable result in Kumasi.

The defence had some problems in the first leg especially towards the end of the match, what has the technical crew done to ensure that this does not come up in Ghana?

Yes it part of the work I told you earlier that we are doing on the team to make sure that our defenders are very strong and well alert and with full concentration on the field of play.

We have worked on this area and other loopholes noticed in the first leg.

If you are told to predict, what will you say will be the outcome of the match on Sunday?

I don’t predict matches but I know that we are going to have a good day in Ghana.

•Ighalo

AKINLOYE AT LARGE 08050246155 atlarge84@yahoo.com

Planning ahead for future FOOTBALL is a team game. We see individual brilliance once in a while, but it is understood that it is team work that brings success on the long run. Team work was lacking in the women’s national team in Germany and that is why they are back home having been sent out of the World Cup. The absence of team work is responsible for the inability of the Falcons winning a game in the World Cup in 13 years. The defence was brilliant, but it capitulated after ceaseless attacks and conceded goals in the first two games. The midfield was not in existence and that is why the forwards were goal-shy. A disjointed team does not win games. They may put a resistance but it does not always last. They may score one or two goals, but the goals do not stand thre test of time.

Now that Falcons are out of the World Cup, we need to chart a way forward. How do we build a team that can stand the test of time and give us a good representation outside the continent? We have to plan towards the next World Cup in 2015. If we fail to plan, we plan to fail as they say in this part of the world. Female football must be taken to schools. A competition should be given birth to for both the U-13 and U-17 and the corporate world be brought in and give their financial muscle. The U-13 will act as feeder for the U-17 team, while the U-17 acts as one for the U-20.

These competitions will feed the Falcons and ensure that that the conveyor belt does not break. Of course, there must be an incentive for the companies to come into the game. It is called tax holiday in other parts of the world.

You do not pay tax for the amount you spend on the game.

Individuals and companies that were involved in female football in the past should be wooed back into the game while the reason why they left is looked into for the betterment of our female football. The female league should also be given a shot in the arm. A sponsor should also be found for it. The marketing department of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should swing into action. We do not feel the impact of their contribution to the game in the female category in the last few years.

The First Lady should be coopted into the game. Her office should be talked into sponsoring a competition which could be called First Lady Cup. It would be open to teams from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where trophies, scholarships and monetary reward are given to winners and participants. It can be organized in such a way that no team leaves the venue of the competition without taking something home. The sponsorship should not be in a way that the competition dies as the President leaves office. It should be institutionalized to stand the test of time.

The NFF should organize clinics and workshops for coaches periodically and asked for input from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA). The knowledge of the coaches about the game needs to be updated periodically to ensure that they are abreast of changes in techniques and skills. The major problem with our teams is the absence of synchronized modern technique in coaching. The NFF should start by sending the current coach, Uche Eucharia abroad for a short coaching course to assist her in her work with the women. Maybe she will come back with better understanding of the game especially in the area of tactics. It is wrong for a coach to blame his team for losing. The coach takes full responsibility for the performance of his team. He is praised when the team wins and blamed when it loses. Eucharia apportioned blame for the attackers for not living up to expectation and praised the defence for standing tall. An experienced coach keeps his observation to himself and work on the shortcomings of the team during training and meetings. By blaming his team in public, he opens up his team to the opponent and it is easy to analyse the team and put together a strategy to win.

Precious Dede has really been precious. The captain and goalkeeper of the Falcons should be convinced to stay on. It is in the best interest of the team and the country. She should not throw in the towel because they crashed out in the group stage of the World Cup. Neither should age be used as determinant to retire her from between the sticks. Goalkeepers stay longer in the game and Dede has proved she is tireless. Kudos should go to the NFF for deciding to overhaul the female team. The rebuilding should not be done by throwing away the baby with the bath water. The team should be strengthened in the middle. It lacks a distributor or ball carrier. Falcons had none in Germany and it affected the attack negatively.

NSF: THE ATHLETES ARE ALL WINNERS The idea to attach monetary reward and trophies to he National Sports Festival (NSF) is a welcome development.

The games have gone on for so long with nothing to show for winning it. Now that trophies and monetary reward have been added to it, preparation will be intense and competition stiffer at future festivals. The monetary award or reward may not be enough considering the huge outlay to prepare for it; it should not be lost on us that something has been done to improve the outlook of the festival. The opening ceremony was top class. It shows that our youths are capable of matching their colleagues talent for talent in other parts of the world if they are well prepared. But winning formula must be found on the field especially at the Olympic Games. It means that the country must return to the old magic of early and sustained preparation. Fire brigade approach to preparation will not take us anywhere and waiting for others to prepare our athletes for us will no longer serve us right.

I covered the NSF twice as a reporter and recognized the fact that participation is not all about winning medals. It is also in fostering national unity among our youths. Friends will be made. The friendship is expected to last for a very long time. Some friend ships may end up in marriage. It is all in the spirit of fostering national unity. Therefore, I say congratulation to the winners and those that will end up winning nothing. They are all winners in the spirit of the games.

“

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

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NATION SPORT

SPORTS FESTIVAL

Good hosting, poor competition T

HE government and people of Rivers State have received accolades for the quality of facility put in place for the on-going 17th National Sports Festival which began on June 28. Even the minor recorded set-backs such as the non-readiness of some aspects of the venues have not diminished the rating of the infrastructure at the stadium befittingly named after an illustrious Nigerian sportsman of Rivers State origin, Barrister Adokie Amiesimaka.

But what is casting a slur on the festival, (not the host state) is the attitude of officials and athletes of the participating states. It is this same attitude that has made Nigeria a suspect in international sports competitions and it all boils down to cheating to win at all costs. The rules of the festival keep changing because the cheats have also always perfected their strategy to undermine the objectives of the festival. A fundamental objective of the festival is to discover fresh talents that will be nurtured to stardom. But can this be achieved when every state insists on carting home the highest number of gold medals?

It is disturbing that we will continue funding what is fast

By Harry Iwuala

turning to a charade in the name of National Sports Festival. At the end of the fiesta in Port Harcourt next week, a new host state will be announced and we will all work towards renting athletes to compete for states. Like the Olympics, the spirit of the NSF is and should be in the participation. It is the same spirit behind the Olympic movement where performance is important but not the ultimate.

However, while the reckless and blind avarice for gold is driving the competition to dangerous bends, it has also brought a positive hue to the colour of the festival over the years. While states like Edo, Delta and Ogun have become notorious for round-tripping athletes, the truth is that it has impacted positively on the welfare of these athletes and by extension, their families. It reminds one of the nascent years of professional football in the country when clubs like Abiola Babes, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Leventis United, Flash Flamengoes, New Nigerian Bank and El Kanemi Warriors were raising the stakes in players’ sign-on fees with improved offers and sometimes, cars as incentive to lure star players to their clubs.

A second point here is that some of the states that hardly showed up on the medals table are encouraged to give the image of their government and people a lift by also making long term developmental plans to join the winning train.

There is a recognized tendency for them to also copy the track of the poaching states and seek budgetary provisions that will also enable them buy made athletes.

However, one thinks that the poor placing on the medal log can actually trigger off a genuine desire to dig deep and come up with developmental blue-prints that can make such states competitive.

Overall, the problem of poaching is reflected in the failure of the country to breed new world class athletes.

What we have as states’ coaches presently are tokunbo specialists who are only good at scouting for ready-made and tested athletes that will be paid to win medals. They are no longer raising and training athletes from the scratch. The likes of Tobias Igwe, Tony Urhobo, Emilia Edet and so many others were remarkable for their abilities to identify raw talents that they honed into world beaters. It was the era of the Mary Onyalis’ Falilat Ogunkoya, Chidi

Yakubu of Rivers in black short and Bibo Melvin of Bayelsa in action at the traditional wrestling PHOTO: Bola Omilabu

Imoh, the Ezinwa brothers, Ola Adenekan to name just a few. These young lads were spotted at national sports meets and then groomed into states representatives at the National Sports Festival. How many of the athletes discovered at the games in Bauchi, Benin, Abeokuta and Kaduna are making their marks on the international scene?

While the onus is on the National Sports Commission (NSC) to fashion out a solution to this malaise, the states as stakeholders must also begin to re-appraise their approach to the festival. It should not be considered a budget justifying adventure.

A situation where the States Directors of Sports connive with Sports Commissioners to hoodwink the government into budgeting money for the poaching of athletes from other states has not and will not augur well for the breeding of future world class athletes. Money is never the incentive for class performance as we know that the passion to excel is the first driving force that turns out quality athletes. State governors should understand that the public relations points they seek to score by celebrating their performance at the festival is a further waste on the state’s resources as most of the athletes rewarded are indigenes of other states. The height of this obnoxious practice is the hiring of consultants which was started by Kano State. If we hire a consultant to win the Sports Festival, are we not making a mockery of planning, training and measuring? Like wild fire, the practice has blazed and even former State Commissioners are now consulting for other states. Nigerians are no longer found on the starting blocks of the finals of major international sports meets because we have sacrificed training on the altar of winning national sports festivals. This development calls for serious reflection.

All said, the benefits of the festival can never be lost as the stadiums in Ijebu Ode and Abeokuta can attest to for the people of Ogun State. Today, Premier League clubs from neighbouring states are now squatting on Ogun State facilities to host their matches. One is therefore hopeful that with the way Governor Rotimi Amaechi has taken infrastructural development a notch further will be an impetus for the future hosts to go all out and provide Nigeria facilities that could become future camping grounds for international competitions.

Harry Iwuala is a renowned Journalist based in Lagos, Nigeria

VOICE OF SPORTS

With Clement Nwankpa Jnr. sportswar@yahoo.com

The ‘Judases’ in Owerri THE worst enemy is the one within. It could only have taken a Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus Christ. Yes, it was easier for Judas, one of Christ’s disciples, a member of his kitchen cabinet, to know his master’s programmes. It was Judas who knew where Christ was at the time, gave a call to his trailers and planted a kiss on Christ’s cheek to aid the detractors, who hitherto didn’t know the much-maligned Christ, to identify and arrest him.

I saw many Judases at the Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri last Sunday when Heartland hosted Dolphins. I saw these men smiling while the game lasted but I knew deep in their hearts they were not happy Heartland was having an upper hand. I saw them seated at the State Box pretending they were there in the interest of Imo State’s darling club. Most painfully, I saw them hugging Heartland General Manager, Fan Ndubuoke, the very man they were secretly angling to take his job whether by hook or crook. Pardon me, but these men are so close to this club and the football fraternity in Owerri that there is no better way of qualifying them vis-à-vis their activities at this moment than ‘Judas’.

How else do you qualify somebody who claims to be a club faithful but would sponsor local fans to support a visiting team?

Yes, if they think we don’t know, we now have to tell them that some of us are aware of the fact that they paid some Heartland fans N500 each to cheer Dolphins throughout the course of that game. In fact, one of the beneficiaries confided in me that he received his own share of the money but couldn’t see himself supporting a visiting team at the Dan Anyiam Stadium so he stayed away from the arena on the day. The others were not as loyal as our friend and they were the ones seated opposite the State Box cheering every move by Dolphins. Tell me what else I will call somebody who will dine with a club GM this night but, the next morning, would be seen at the Government House lobbying for the GM’s job.

I would like these saboteurs to know that their clandestine visits to the Government House have not gone unnoticed. A top Government House source told me how they stormed the Government House the next day after Heartland would have recorded a bad result.

Again, I am beginning to question the loyalty of some players. Is it possible that these ‘Judases’ could have infiltrated the ranks of the players? When Heartland played against Kaduna United in Kaduna, Julius Ubido punched an opponent while his team was struggling for an equalizer knowing full well that the aftermath would be a red card. He got the marching orders, so how would the team equalize when it was one man short? Then against Dolphins, Chibuzor Okonkwo, who was on a yellow card, ‘retaliated’ against Dolphins’ Derek Amadi.

The rules of the game are straight. He was sent off but Heartland was lucky the referee also issued a red to Amadi so the teams were at par. If Heartland had a man disadvantage at that point with the game still goalless, how could they have won? They would have struggled to pull a draw and could have ultimately lost.

What was Okonkwo’s mission? Did he actually plan to help his team? No…no…no…I don’t want to believe what my head is telling me at this point. Tufiakwa! I know the ‘Judases’ came to the Stadium on Sunday hoping Heartland would not beat the high-flying Dolphins but left disappointed. I want to let them know that we know them. I have only tacitly avoided mentioning their names here. In fact, there is this very tall one who usually sits in the State Box but he feels so guilty these days that he watches the matches from the covered stand next to the VIP Stand. I saw him gangling away last Sunday and I could sence how uneasy he was. If he is reading this piece now, he knows himself. He is not even from Imo State.

This battle for the soul of Heartland has been the bane of the club this season and I think the solution to this problem lies in Imo State Governor Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha. The saboteurs have set out to undermine Heartland because they want to attract Rochas’s attention. It now behoves the governor to throw his full weight behind the Fan Ndubuoke-led Management. I expect him to make an appearance at the Dan Anyiam Stadium tomorrow to cheer the team against Sunshine Stars.

He should not just be believed to be supporting the club, he should be seen doing so. Is it out of place for him to display his support for the Management by raising Ndubuoke’s hand publicly? That would send a signal to the lobbyists that that very job is not available. If they know that their schemes will not attract Owelle’s attention, they will stop the shenanigans. These are the same people who ran the club for over a decade without a trophy.

In fact, it is now 18 years since the club last won a silverware.

How would they be angling for the job of a man who has barely spent 10 months in the saddle? I vote for continuity. This Management has shown a lot of promise with its ground-breaking innovations and don’t deserve these distractions. These Judases should turn a new leaf, else Ihuala Owerri and Nne Nworie, the gods of the land, will rise up and fight for their own.

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

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NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT

GARDEN CITY GAMES

Gold medallists count blessings • Omu Joseph Olima (Gold medal, Karate, FCT)

I am from Cross River state and I represent the FCT. I took part in Karate and I won gold. I took part in the minor 45kg. I was very happy when I got the gold because I have been working for it for a very long time and I thank God for giving it to me. I’m also excited because this is my first festival and I won gold. I hope to keep it up.

As the 17th edition of the National Sports Festival comes to a close tomorrow, athletes that are going away with coveted gold medals have expressed their happiness over their performances at this year's edition of the events.

NATIONSPORT duo of AKEEM LAWAL AND FLORENCE ISRAEL went round major centers that are hosting the Garden City Games to get a chat with some of them and these are what they have to say:

• Orngu Terlanga Joshua (3 golds, 1 silver, Darts, Benue) I have three gold and one silver medals from Darts. I have played darts for nearly one year now. I feel happy and a little disappointed because I lost somehow out. My intention was to scoop on all the golds but I thank God for what he has given me. Hard work and determination has brought me this far. My coach taught me and made me to do all the things I do in darts. I want to play darts to an international level. This is a very big beginning and there are more good things to come. My father and I had a bet. He told me Darts is difficult that I can't play it and I told him I can. The first two time, I was beaten flat down but after then I picked up, That was how I went into darts.

• Chimezie Emmanuel Onyejiaka [Doubles gold, Tennis, Rivers] I represent Team Rivers. We are through with our event. When we started, it was not easy. from the first round, we found it very difficult but in the end, we were able to sail through. We got to the finals and by the grace of God, we succeeded in defending what we have fought for from the beginning. We finally won gold medal in the male doubles and I feel so great.

• Alice Henry (Gold Medal, Karate, FCT) I am from Akwa Ibom and I represents FCT Abuja and I competed in karate and I won a gold medal. I am very happy because this is my first time of going to a very big tournament like this one. Am very happy to win the gold. In fact, am the happiest person on earth now.

I won one gold and one bronze and I will do all my best to make sure that I win the gold again in another festival.

• Happines Chidinma Nnadi (Gold, Para-Power Lifting, Rivers) I represent Rivers state. I won Gold in the 44kg category and I feel so excited and so happy. I was in Kada games but I did not win. This is my second festival and am happy I have something to show for it. I can not just tell how I feel because it is God that has done this for me, so I’m happy. I cannot explain more.

• Falodun Omotola (Gold, Para-Power lifting, Rivers) I took part in the fifty kilogrammes female and I feel great. I just thank God for this medal because it is not by my power but the power of God. This is my last festival. Iwas not at Kaduna but I was at Gateway games and I got a bronze medal, so am happy to say goodbye in style with this gold medal that I have won today.

• Efemuai Odafe B. (Gold, Chess, FCT) WELL, its a good thing . I just thank God because this is actually my last festival. Previously, I competed for Delta state the last two festivals and i actually used my experience to win in this festival. I have always been a winner in chess. At Kaduna, I won gold and silver for Delta state. After now, i would want to give back to chess because I have actually had enough in chess helping to ensure that more people are raised so that we can develop this game further. I want to see the growth of chess, particularly in FCT. We have several medals in chess but given little attention. The concentration is more on football than other sports and i believe that if more is given to chess, more will be achieved from it.

• Audu Member [ 3 golds, Darts, Benue] OUT of six events I contested, I won three at the gold level. I feel okay because am not the only one in the festival. I got three, let others get some.

I am happy the younger ones are coming up and I give them kudos for their performance. The younger ones must grow, moreover, I have expired my festival and I just wanted to go out in a grand style and to give the younger ones room to contest further.

• Egodo Morgan Omire (2 gold, 1 silver, Dart, Delta)

• Onovughe Ochuko Emmanuel (Gold medal, Chess, Delta) I represent Delta state and I won a gold medal in chess in this Garden City games. I really can't explain the Joy that I feel. I lack the words to explain it. I was in KADA games but I did not get a medal but my friend did but this time I have won and I still hope to better my performance in Lagos because this is my second festival and that will be my third. I feel very happy inside of me.

• Egbuchulam Godstime Adaeze (Gold, Para-Power Lifting, Imo) I am highly excited because I least expected this. I never knew it would be possible so I thank God Almighty for making me victorious. People have been laughing at me because of my condition but today am happy that I have won at this event. I part took in the 78kg category and am happy that I have the gold.

• Bose Omolayo (Gold, Para-Power lifting, Ogun) I am very Okay. My heart is filled with gladness. The last one I did not win anything but this time, I prayed to God that I want Gold and God has allowed me to have it. I am so grateful to him that he allowed me to have it this way.

• Princewill Queen Awureba (Gold, Chess, Delta) I feel proud of myself having won in this event and I thank my mother for encouraging me all the way. She does not play chess but she just encouraged me. I am a computer analyst. I was at Kaduna in the last sports festival and I won silver. Next year in Lagos, i hope to prepare well and the sky will be my stepping stone.

I will say it has been a great experience for all the contingents that came here. With Team Delta, we came in with a high spirit but the other states also had their different game plans in order to topple us in the medals table and i think their game plan is working and ours is to go back and re-strategize. Benue are the run away leaders with six golds and one silver, followed by Delta with three golds and three silver and Edo with three golds also. I give God all the glory because I cried to him when my game was not coming up and the prayer was answered and on the fifth day, I won my first medal and that was our first gold for the team. When we qualified for the finals, there was nothing to fight for because we played against one of the best teams that have an academy in Darts, Benue an we lost to them 3 -1 at the finals.

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

NATION SPORT

D

EAR readers, it is doubtful if there are a lot more rivalries in international football that are much greater and followed more keenly than Nigeria/ Ghana. The stage is set tomorrow for another clash between the two West African countries known for artistic football and on-field moves that pleases the eye and gladdens the heart like good music.

I was unavoidably absent at the first leg of this final 10th All-Africa Games qualifying fixture, which took place at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on Saturday, 25th June. I was on my way to Germany for the Super Falcons of Nigeria’s first match of the 6th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals against France, which took place in Sinsheim the following day.

However, I was able to follow the proceedings through phone calls and several text messages, sent by ‘officers on the field’. I actually thought the first half had ended scoreless until the NFF’s chief media officer called to tell me the Ghanaians had hit the back of our team’s net with just a minute left on timeadded-on.

The tension and anxiety was unspeakable, and I acknowledge, once again, the excellent role played by the Executive Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in the Dream Team’s campaigns in the 2012 Olympics and 2011 All-Africa Games races.

Comrade Oshiomhole proceeded from the State Box to the dressing rooms,and told the boys to go out there and show the Nigerian spirit. Of course, the Nigerian spirit never dies, and we all know that.

The boys went out in the second period and did just that.

But I must also commend Nigeria Football Ambassador Nwankwo Kanu for the starring roles he has been playing in gingering the U-23 team in its campaigns. In the second leg of the 2012 Olympics qualifying fixture against Tanzania at the same venue, Kanu became uncomfortable sitting in the State Box while the Dream Team appeared to have thrown away urgency after leading 1-0 at half time. The Tanzanians won the first leg 1-0 and we needed to score more goals.

Kanu sought the permission of Head Coach Austin Eguavoen (which is very appropriate in these matters) and passed a few things to the boys. The result was two late goals that earned us a comfortable 3-0 win.

Against Ghana, the Dream Team had no choice than to listen to Kanu. When he played at their level 15 years ago, there were a lot of comeback feats. I recall that in one of the qualifying matches for the 1996 Olympics, the Dream Team I that Kanu eventually captained to glory in Atlanta put itself in a difficult position by drawing the home leg against Kenya. Most people thought the journey was over for the team. But in the second leg in Kenya’s coastal town of Mombassa, the Nigeria team showed the Nigerian spirit by winning 3-0.

At the Atlanta Olympics, the Dream Team was on the back foot against Mexico in the quarter finals before going ahead to win, and against Brazil in the semi finals, the story is well-told. In the final

Inside The Glass House WITH AMINU MAIGARI

Ghana must go! against Argentina, the South Americans led 2-1 before goals

by Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke earned our country the gold medal – first by an African nation.

And for a bigger come-back story, you have to look at Nwankwo Kanu himself.

Weeks after he led the Dream Team to that triumph, his move to Inter Milan FC (which had generated some heat before the Olympics and FIFA had to step in) became endangered when doctors at the San Siro club diagnosed him of a heart defect. Kanu stayed strong and went through the required surgery in Ohio and he even got better and won more trophies, starting with Inter Milan itself!

Any team would be inspired

by Nwankwo Kanu. And us at the Nigeria Football Federation always have cause to be delighted all the time, that we made the decision to appoint him Ambassador of Nigeria Football.

Kanu helped the team’s come-back in Benin City, and that is why we feel he should also be with the team in Ghana.

As a senior international player, Kanu played several times against Ghana, and he would have a few things to pass around the boys.

Ahead of this match, Governor Adams Oshiomhole has greatly boosted morale by redeeming his pledge of N15 million to the players, just before they left Benin City for Lagos. That is something we applaud.

Surely, it is going to be a big battle. Nigeria and Ghana have nourished this globallyacknowledged rivalry for 60 years. The first game at any level between both countries took place in 1951, and in 2011, the rivalry gets stronger, bigger and more intense.

Already, we have a glimpse of what to expect in Kumasi, when on Wednesday, the Ghana Football Association informed the Nigeria Football Federation that there would be no flight to take the Nigeria team to Kumasi from Accra (a distance of four hours by road, on a good day) by air. The excuse was that there is only one flight that goes from Accra to Kumasi on Friday, and it is a 10-seater!

The information came less than 40 hours to our team’s departure for Ghana, and set our officials scurrying through available options and several possibilities.

Motivation comes in different ways. The way they have had to get to Kumasi, the huge rivalry between the two countries, the presence of a couple of new players who have promised to ‘explode’, the fact that Ghana stopped Dream Team IV reaching the last All-Africa Games in Algeria, the fact that Ghana’s Black Queens eliminated the Super Falcons from the 10th All-Africa Games at the last

fence and the reality that Nigerians would not forgive them for any slip, will combine to push the Dream Team hard at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday.

The Nigeria Football Federation has done its best to take the team to Kumasi in comfort, not minding the hurdles set by the host nation.

And we assure Nigerians that with their prayer, the Dream Team will earn the ticket to Maputo.

Well done, Super Falcons The Super Falcons might have crashed out of the 6th FIFA Women’s World Cup at the group stage, but the Nigeria Football Federation, and I am sure the generality of Nigerians, are not totally cross with the team. The victory over Canada on Tuesday was the first by the team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup since 1999, when defeat by Brazil in a hardfought quarter finals ended the team’s stay in USA. Narrow losses to France and Germany saw the Falcons eliminated. Had the strikers being more clinical in front of goal, we could have beaten the French and at least, taken a point from the game with hosts and world champions Germany.

No need crying over spilt milk, so we look ahead to the London 2012 Olympics qualifying fixture against Cameroon, which first leg comes up in Nigeria on August 27. The team is presently on a short break and will resume shortly to prepare for the matches.

The time has also come for the Technical Department to go on intensive search for fresh legs that will compete with the players of the present team. I am told that a couple of our technical officials are presently at the 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt looking for talented women players.

Flying Eagles: The final countdown to Colombia Players and officials of the National U-20 team, Flying Eagles, arrived in Faro, Portugal on Tuesday afternoon for their final

training camp ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup finals taking place in Colombia.

I wish to reiterate here that the present administration at the Nigeria Football Federation is determined to ensure that all our National Teams are adequately prepared for major tournaments, in order that each time, we go into those major competitions looking to make big impact, and not to make up the number.

Given the pedigree of the Flying Eagles at the global level, and from the standpoint of Nigeria as reigning champions of Africa, it is important that the Flying Eagles make a big splash in Colombia. All hands are on deck. The team will leave Portugal on July 16 for Panama, where a Four-Nation Tournament involving teams that will also be in Colombia will take place.

This integrated programme, starting with the camping in Port Harcourt ahead of the departure to Faro, will surely help the team to be in top shape and high spirit by the time of Nigeria’s first match against Guatemala in Armenia on July 31.

‘Jamborees’ in the media Reports of ‘jamboree’ trips were aplenty in the media since last week, and those trips were made only on the pages of newspapers and on the airwaves.

I have always said that the present administration at the NFF is a responsible and responsive one, and there was no way I, as NFF President, would have approved the trip of persons to a tournament at which Nigeria had been knocked out. Even after taking time out to explain the true situation, and statements from our Media Office, some people still went ahead on their ‘jamboree’ write-ups.

No grudges against any particular person or organization. But as partnersin-progress and stakeholders in this special Nigeria Project that is our football, one would have expected the media to be more thorough in its investigations before going to town to castigate officials.

•Eguavoen

• Ahmed Musa

AHEAD OF U-20 WORLD CUP

Emulate Ghana, Obuh tells players

H

EAD Coach of the country's U-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, John Obuh has charged his players to emulate the feat created by West African neighbours, Ghana winning both the African Youth Championship (AYC), and the World Cup. In a release made available to NationSport, the former Golden Eaglet coach said only such achievements will be meaningful to the country in the long run.

“Ghana won the African Youth Championship in 2009 and went on to win the World Cup. That is what is expected of us, but first we have to achieve some targets before we get there,” he said.

“You as a player will first need to make my final squad of 21 players. Then in Colombia, we have to get out of our first round group and continue to advance all the way to winning the trophy.”

He also tasked his wards to make the most of the chances that will be created.

Nigeria Wednesday in Faro, Portugal, began intensive preparation for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Argentina and England have also made Portugal their

training base ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off July 29.

“We need to score more goals, make the most of the many chances we create in any game,” Obuh tasked his players just before they began their first training in Faro Wednesday morning.

“This is the World Cup and any mistake on your part would be punished by the other team and so we just have to take our chances from now on.”

Obuh was so angry with his team’s wastefulness in front of goal in their last test game against Nigeria Premier League side Dolphin that he hauled top striker Uche Nwofor off the park.

The Enugu Rangers striker was also ordered to do extra laps around the pitch in Wednesday evening’s training in Faro, Portugal, as he lost a chance in front of an empty goal.

Nwofor was top scorer in the African Youth Championship with four goals.

The coach also tasked the team on the several targets leading to winning the World Cup in Colombia.

Nigeria are drawn in a first round group along with Croatia, Guatemala and Saudi Arabia.

Olubanwo Fagbemi

On Sport Sport On SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

36

Re: Unfriendly games

•Usain Bolt of Jamaica makes his characteristic pose after winning the 200m at the Diamond league Bislett Games in Olso, Norway Thursday June 9 201

F

Bolt pits self against Edwards in Paris U

SAIN BOLT will be seeking to further hone his technique ahead of the world

•Usain Bolt

championships in South Korea later this month when he races the 200m at the Diamond League.

It will be just the second time this season that the reigning world and Olympic double sprint champion, who is also world record holder in both the 100 and 200m, runs the longer distance.

“It’s only my second 200m of the season (after winning in Oslo) and I’m just working on technique.

It’s all about execution in this race, and trying to get the perfect execution,” said the 24-year-old Jamaican. “I’ve got no time on my mind. If I get a good run off the corner and my technique is right it should be a good time.

A fast time should come if I get it right.”

Bolt will be up against training partner and fellow Jamaican Mario Forysthe and also

Panama’s Alonso Edwards, the reigning world silver medallist who is working his way back from injury but looked in good form in winning Tuesday’s Reims international meet.

Edwards pipped Forsythe by one-hundredth of a second for victory in 20.28sec, with the time likely to go a lot faster.

Cuban world record holder Dayron Robles was also an athlete to win in Reims, finishing in an impressive 13.16sec over the 110m hurdles. The Cuban remains undefeated in six races this summer, and he seems ready to challenge American David Oliver in Saint-Denis.

Jamaican women’s sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown will be looking to bounce back from a rare false start in Reims.

The double

e-mail: deewalebf@yahoo.com

Olympic 200m champion and former world champion at 100m was disqualified for shooting out of her blocks too early in the 100m, which was won by Trinidadian KellyAnn Baptiste in 11.11sec.

Elsewhere on the track, controversial South Africans Oscar Pistorius and Caster Semenya run in the men’s 400m and the women’s 800m respectively. Semenya, the reigning world champion finished last in the 1500m in the Lausanne Diamond League last week, and failed to show any great improvements to her current form in Reims.

The pacemaker went through 400m in 59.03sec, and Semenya immediately fell off the pace and down the pack.

Cuban Yuneysi Santiusti eventually won in 2:00.15, with Semenya coming in fifth in 2:01.02.

OR keen contemplation of national football issues at stake, a reader’s rejoinder is today published. Rather different from views recently held by me, the thrust of the following text probably reflects the position of similarly-minded analysts. Edited to conform to space and style, it is nonetheless interesting.

Compliments, I have always enjoyed reading your write-ups in the dailies.

There is no denying the fact that you are very knowledgeable in sports issues, particularly soccer. In fact, some of us learn and get information from people like you, and your passion for the prosperity of our football cannot be questioned either.

I have followed closely and critically the recent happenings in Nigerian •Osaze football for a while, and I feel we seem to always point our fingers in the wrong direction whenever there is a problem.

I pencilled down some points concerning Nigerians and our national teams. They might not be like yours (a prolific writer), but please have a look at them.

Who is in a better position to tell how important the national team is to the player: the players or fans?

Do we treat these players in a manner that they would be ready to die for the colours; after all, who in Nigerian society works like he can die for Nigeria – from the soldiers to the police, politicians, doctors and other civil servants? I feel sportsmen are the most patriotic of Nigerians.

Does the treatment given to more successful and patriotic players in the past encourage anyone to sweat blood for Nigeria? Remember that none has ever been given a farewell match by the NFA, or even an opportunity to say goodbye as it was done for Ronaldo (of Brazil) in a friendly match.

Are our administrators operating at the level of those that have PATRIOTIC players? Who actually produces the other: officials or players?

Let’s not forget that our newspapers practically celebrate when they see our players on the bench in their clubs, as I have observed in the case of (Obafemi) Martins, (John Obi) Mikel, (Sunday) Oliseh, (Austin) Okocha, (Nwankwo) Kanu etc.

And in the case of (Super Eagles coach Samson) Siasia and Osaze (Odemwingie), we need not to be biased; we need to address this issue properly. Must Siasia have a problem with a player any time he is handling a team (Mikel, Kingsley Udoh, and Osaze)? Don’t you think he might not always be right? He needs to tell us the truth, because some of us that kept praising him are scared at the moment.

I remember how we all supported him against Mikel, and referred to Mikel as unpatriotic even though he played all Super Eagles matches and failed to honour those of the Under23s. What an irony. It’s only in Nigeria that a player is expected to be fully active in two national teams at a time.

Finally, for the fact that we still have not successfully replaced Oliseh, Finidi, Taribo (West), (Daniel) Amokachi etc., particularly Oliseh in the midfield, we need to stop claiming that no player is indispensable. We can dispense of them as we did (so very untimely) of the ones I mentioned, but what have we achieved without them? We performed poorly at Korea/Japan 2002, failed to make Germany 2006, and did poorly in South Africa 2010.

We shouldn’t deceive ourselves; we should treat players with some respect, because few Nigerians, including politicians and reporters, will be at a competition if the national team is not there.

Let’s give them some respect. Imagine Martins that we just discovered in Italy, (Yusuf) Ayila, (Shola) Ameobi, (Dickson) Etuhu – players in whose development we played no role –, and Victor Moses who lost both parents in the Kaduna riots to come and be labelled unpatriotic simply because of administrative ineptitude, or the ego of coaches and officials.

Come on, we need a rethink. These same players will be called funny names the moment they lose relevance in their clubs.

I would like to hear from you sir, but I have been pondering these issues and lots more.

Nathan Benson natib4@yahoo.com WHILE I agree that the Nigerian system breeds indiscipline and self-centredness as the antecedents of national team stars often illustrate, it doesn’t give players the right to make willful turns at the earliest opportunity. The consequence, as we witness, is Siasia’s struggle to stamp authority on today’s Eagles, lately considered a wayward bunch.

The coach is not without blame, of course, as I share many a critic’s opinion that he could sometimes be unyielding. Still, it’s his show; he takes the credit in triumph and carries the can in the event of failure. Let him wield influence as he designs, subject, naturally, to the football federation’s checks and balances.

Ultimately, progress will be measured by transparent administration, efficient youth football programmes, commensurate achievement at senior international level and stakeholders’ commitment to the lasting legacy of African, nay, world domination.

Olubanwo

38

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

MU SI C P LAT FOR M

•Mike Aremu

Kenny G’s •Kenny G

night of Sax Appeal in Lagos Victor AKANDE, Entertainment Editor

•Waje

•Yolanda Brown

•Judith Sephuma

•Kunle Ayo

Saturday

SPECIAL

Profile Partying Happenstances Style

SOCIAL SCENE

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Chief Rita Anuku won the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant and ruled between 1985 to 1986. Interestingly, her daughter also participated in the 2011 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pegeant organised by the Silverbird Group. In this Interview with Our Abuja Bureau Chief, YOMI ODUNUGA and correspondent, GBENGA OMOKHUNU, she reminisces on her reign and why she thinks the organisers of the MBGN are manipulating the event and abusing the process.

39

s s i M n o w ‘I t s e t n o c a i r e Nig o g a s r a e y 5 2 ’ k c i t s p i l t withou

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

‘Training my four children took me away from public glare’

•Anuku

N

OT much is being heard about you

after your reign. Where have you been hiding since 1985?

All this while, I have lived a quiet life. I have been in and out of the country. And, as a single parent, training my four children has taken so much time from me.

How would you rate the organisation of the beauty pageant then?

You are talking about more than 25 years ago. It was quite a marvellous experience then. The entire package was so exciting.

After that, the country has had so many pageants. Would you say the quality has improved?

Talking about the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, my daughter was part of the recently concluded one, which was quite a disaster. For more than 25 years, I never watched any. But I had to be there for my daughter and it was a total scandal. Right in front of me, I saw fraud on display. The package was fraudulent. Nothing was done right. All the intelligent, beautiful girls were put behind. Their names were not mentioned for anything.

Forget about my daughter being part of

it. Things were not just done right.

Whether my daughter wins or not, the most important thing is for people who put themselves into organising such pageants to do things well. But the truth is that the organisers of the MBGN are just a bunch of fraudulent people. Funny enough, one of the national dailies has already told you part of the story. And I will go ahead to tell you more. I was right there where lies took place and the truth was buried. What I noticed is that the organisers are packaging the pageant just the way they want it, not the way it is supposed to be done.

In those days, we had quality. But these days, they don’t even think about that.

They did not give the judges free hands to operate and make a choice. That is why I give kudos to Daily Times of those days.

I went in there knowing nobody at the zonals or at the finals, and I won Miss Nigeria . There is nothing as good as that.

What prompted you into competing in the Miss Nigeria pegeant in 1985?

Then I was waiting for my West African Examination Council (WAEC) result, and

I felt that I needed to do something to keep myself busy. I saw the advert in the newspapers and I went ahead to fill the form. And I won the grand finalle in Lagos. Those were the days when people were truthful.

Don’t you think your grievances against the organisers of the MBGN have something to do with the fact that your daughter did not emerge as winner?

No, I just feel that something has to be done about what is going on in the name of beauty pageant in this country. As for my daughter, she was not mentioned in anyway. If she did not have the qualities, I will not even encourage her to be there. They know what they are looking for. And whatever they are looking for, she would not have been able to give it. These are the same people who sent representatives to Miss World. What kind of thing is that? What kind of impression are they showing the outside world about this country? This corruption issue must be fought at all cost.

What are those things that you saw that were done wrong?

They chose the wrong girls right in the presence of people who were screaming and shouting. When you buy VIP ticket and you get in there, you are not even offered a drink. I walked into the hall, somebody took me to a sit and after a while, somebody walked up to me and said, ‘You are not supposed to sit there; the seats are branded. We paid so much money for the tables and seats, please go somewhere else to sit down.’ Can you imagine the insult?

President Goodluck Jonathan has to look into this. Beauty pageants are part of the country. When they got to the camp, one of the ladies, under the noses of the organisers, was making offers to the girls to buy long weave-on from them. I have never in my life heard of such a thing before. Even when I went for Miss Nigeria, I just had my normal cream on, just to show the natural Nigerian girl that I am, and that was it. I did not use lipstick during my time and I won. As long as they want to short-change us with the country’s name, it is not right.

What do you want government to do now?

I would want the government to step into it, because a lot of things are wrong.

We are still here. Whether they like it or not, we remain as ambassadors for this country for life. Government should be able to make them do the right things. The organisers have to appreciate what beauty is and know who is beautiful. I am not speaking for my daughter alone; I am speaking for all mothers.

Although he is more popular as a former Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Prof. Adebayo Adedeji was the originator of the now beleaguered National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme while he served in the Gen. Yakubu Gowon-led military administration as the Federal Commissioner for Economic Development and Reconstruction.

He told KUNLE AKINRINADE at his country home in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State that everything must be done to sustain the scheme in spite of the challenges it has faced in recent times and the clamour for its abolition in some quarters after some youth corps members were murdered in the Northern part of the country.

T

HE NYSC scheme is believed to be your brain child. How did it all begin?

I was given the task of designing a scheme that could foster unity among the next generation of Nigerians as the Federal Commissioner for Economic Development and Reconstruction in 1973, under the administration of Gen. Yakubu Gowon. I chaired the steering committee and called for entries from the first set of graduates who participated in the scheme for the anthem and the uniform.

At the end of the submission of entries, we picked the best anthem and uniform, which they still wear till today.

The scheme was as a result of the 30month civil war that tormented the peace of Nigeria. The war could have been avoided if there was a deliberate effort to develop Nigerianness instead of the mutual suspicion that lingers till today.

And because of the then popular slogan coined from Gowon’s “Go On With One Nigeria” made popular by the musicians of the era, the youth service programme was conceived to bridge the gap between Nigerian youths and to have an in-depth understanding of other people’s culture in Nigeria with shared values.

Did you borrow the idea from some other nations around the world?

Not at all. The scheme was a novel idea.

No other country in the world was doing it before we started. The only closeness to what we have back then was the one in East Africa where students are made to serve for a few months before going into the university for further studies. But there

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

In spite of current challenges, I have no regrets about designing NYSC —Adedeji

‘

Forget about the unfortunate violence unleashed on youth corps members in recent times. One thing that is undisputable is the fact that if there is no NYSC, would there have been youth corpers that would be used to conduct elections or conduct voter registration? The scheme has endured over the years, and the recent incident should not be used as reason to dismiss it

’

•Adedeji

is not one that is as comprehensive as our own concept. There was no syllabus or curriculum that served as our guide. We developed our curriculum and syllabus, while we took off with graduates from the five universities in existence then.

Would you say the objectives of the scheme have been achieved so far?

Yes. Because the idea was to send Nigerian graduates outside of their immediate environments to other parts of the country for cultural integration, with the hope that it would foster unity. And I make bold to say that the scheme has recorded tremendous success in that regard. Apart from that, since the inception of the programme, more than one million young graduates have participated by serving in other parts of the country. Many of them have even married from other

ethnic groups in their states of primary assignment. Therefore, the programme is one good initiative that should not only be encouraged but must be sustained to stave off mutual suspicion among the over 170 ethnic groups in Nigeria.

Do you have any regret that the scheme was founded, given the problems confronting it now?

If I have any regret, I won’t be talking to you about the scheme. There is no regret at all, because the scheme has not only achieved the primary aim for which it was conceived, it has also gone a step further to assist in nation building. Since 1973, I have not seen any Nigerian graduate who has not passed through the NYSC scheme.

Forget about the unfortunate violence unleashed on youth corps members in

recent times. One thing that is undisputable is the fact that if there is no NYSC, would there have been youth corpers that would be used to conduct elections or conduct voter registration?

The scheme has endured over the years, and the recent incident should not be used as reason to dismiss it or to call for its discontinuation at all. Doing so will amount to throwing away the baby with the bath water.

I left government in 1975 and Gowon too left. Yet, the scheme has endured this long because it has constitutional backing. So, there is no need for regrets at all.

How would you react to the spate of attacks against youth corps members in recent times particularly in the North?

The attack is unfortunate and a condemnable one because it is sad commentary on the leadership of the country. I was shocked and I felt very bad when I learnt that youth corps members were being attacked by misguided elements while nothing was done to arrest the situation before it got out of hand.

As a measure, adequate security should be built around the corps members to safeguard their lives and property. After all, no serving governor in Nigeria has been a victim of such attacks. And it is not about youth corps members alone but the lives of other Nigerians. For example, a 60-year-old friend was driving to Lagos to catch a flight to London for the marriage of one of his children, but he was shot dead by gunmen on Lagos- Ibadan expressway.

Till today, no arrest has been made.

Perpetrators of the killing of youth corps members are murderers and they should be treated as such. That is why the failure to arrest them is a reflection of the fact that Nigeria is a weak state.

How do you think a solution can be found to the fears nursed by youth corps members posted to the North?

Once there is adequate provision of security in places where the youth corps members are serving, their fears will naturally subside. The bottom-line is that

•Adedeji

state governors are not doing enough to protect the lives of these young Nigerians.

They leave them to suffer and become victims of unprovoked attacks or politically motivated violence. If state governors could be provided with a retinue of security details, the same should also apply to youth corps members because they are posted to serve the state in different capacities, thereby contributing to its development. Federal, state and local government authorities are in the best position to ensure adequate security of youth corps members.

In other words, you don’t share the opinion of those that are calling for the abolition of the scheme?

There is no basis for such demand, because you can’t throw away the baby with the bath water. Like I said earlier, once the lives of youth corps members are protected during ethno-religious or politically-induced crisis, there won’t be any problem at all. And I am very happy that President Goodluck Jonathan has said there is no going back on the scheme, thereby dismissing such calls for its abolition.

What about the decision by some state governments, particularly in the SouthWest, not to post their graduates to crisis prone parts of the North?

I think that such a decision is rather unfair. It could set a precedent for other state governors to withdraw their graduates from the scheme. Doing so would deny young graduates employment opportunities since compulsory participation in the scheme is a prerequisite for employment in Nigeria. If the scheme is stopped now, would that bring back the dead youth corps members?

What modifications would you suggest to the scheme in the present circumstance?

Well, we could make corrections or effect modifications, but not outright cancellation of the scheme. Also, the tradition of posting participants outside their region of origin should be sustained.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

‘Being a minister was good, being a governor is better’ Tomorrow, the drums will be rolled out in celebration of the 50th birthday of the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, As part of the preparations for the ceremony, he granted an interview to some journalists, including OKORIE UGURU, where he spoke about his childhood, political career and decision to set up a foundation that would aim at mentoring the youth.

D

‘ •Imoke

I grew up as a local boy. I went through my early life in the village.

Of course, I travelled abroad for 10 years.

When I returned, I noticed that something had happened in terms of societal value

’

URING your inauguration as the governor of Cross River State, you promised to make the people of the state happy. Would you say you are on the path of making them happy now?

I did not say that I would make every Cross Riverian happy. Every government, not only in Cross River, should do things that would enhance the living standard of the people. That is the standard expectation of the people.

Some people felt you should have remained in Abuja as a minister or in some other capacities instead of returning to the state as the governor. How would you react to this?

As a governor, you are closer to the people and can affect their lives more meaningfully than being a minister.

Also, I have always been a grassroots person. I grew up in a village, unlike a lot of my peers who grew up in urban areas. I had a good fortune to have a father who decided at a point that he would go back to the village. So, I ended up becoming a country boy. That affected my world view.

That is why it gives me joy to give attention to the people and the rural communities.

Do you thinkyour government is really serving the people now?

If you want to serve, you must do it evenly.

You should not say you want to serve the people that cry the most about bad roads and leave out the person who cannot afford to take her child to the hospital. You should not serve only people who have access to you or the media so that when you do, they make the loudest noise about being served. The rural people must not be ignored.

Because of our extended family system, our people are not well served the way others are in more advanced countries. There, they have social welfare programmes and systems that take care of those who need to be served.

In our own society, the extended family takes care of that responsibility. But as we develop, the extended family gets smaller and smaller.

So, you would find that there is an elite class that is emerging, which does not necessarily have to send money to the village to take care of cousins and all that. But those cousins are still there who may not have had the opportunity to leave the village.

Governments are not doing much to serve those people in the villages. So, you have the poor getting poorer while the rich tend to get richer. Of course, the definition of success in our society is how well you serve those who make the loudest noise. I can award contracts and the big boys get the contracts. I can build the biggest hospitals that are just empty, maybe with only beds, and I’m praised for doing well. Any time you see us promoting ourselves, opening roads, commissioning buildings and so on, whether they are functioning or not, people may take that to mean that we are successful. This is very difficult to explain to the majority of

our people, but that is the reality. So, in government, you have to choose between trying to be loved by everybody and hailed or bury your head and serve the people well.

If you have conscience, you will consider what I call the human factor. It is something that can’t be measured or quantified. You have to develop the desire to overcome obstacles in order to get to those who need to be served.

Could you comment on the NIPP (National Integrated Power Project) that you helped to midwife under the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo?

I really don’t want to be dragged back into that, because I am enjoying my current assignment as governor. Anyhow, I can explain one or two things about it. When I was in the NEPA Technical Board, there was a target of 4000mw. When we came in (in 1999), there was a week or so of total darkness across the country. I was winding down OMPADEC in Port Harcourt when the President set up the NEPA Board and summoned me to Abuja and gave us the target. At the end of 2001, we had completed our job, and I went back to my work as special adviser on utilities. In 2003, I was made the minister of power. In 2005, it was clear that delivering the target was not sustainable because we had not invested enough in power generation.

The first time we went in there, we rehabilitated the old plants to get the 4000mw. Most of the plants had been built under Obasanjo as military head of state in the 1970s .So, in 2005, there was a big debate about either privatization or the government adding new capacity. From 2003 to 2005, we were trying to pass the electricity reform bill.

It was stuck in the National Assembly for two years. During that period, the government could not invest in capacity enhancement because some people were still arguing for privatization.

Nobody anticipated that it would take two years for the bill to become law. When it was passed in 2005, it became clear that unless you invested in capacity, what you had would continue to degenerate because they are machines.

By the time the President made the decision to add new capacity, it became clear that we had lost many years and that something needed to be done quickly. It also became clear that selling NEPA (National Electric Power Authority) would not happen in six months or even two years. We then had to work on the process – preparing the company, breaking NEPA into 18 different companies, setting up electricity training, creating the market operator, creating electricity regulatory commission. All those things were not in place, yet we were supposed to sell the facility. We had different groups seeking different things.

We then went about identifying (generation) sites, places close to gas sources.

When the locations for the power plants were identified, the question then was how to develop them, getting the funding. To develop them fast, we needed to take them

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011 completely out of the NEPA system. That was how the NIPP came into being. It was a project where we seconded the best hands in NEPA to the project unit. Because of the nature of the project, there were several stakeholders.

We could not build the plants without gas, without experts on properties (public lands), without transmission lines to evacuate the power, without a legal department drafting agreements. So, all of them became part of the project team.

It had on board the Nigerian Gas Company, NNPC, transmission company and everybody sitting in one room to design the project. We thought of standardizing our equipment and developing our capacity to maintain them locally. That was how the NIPP came about.

Initially it was to deliver 2500mw or thereabout in the short term, while preparations for the privatisation were going on. The NIPP commenced in that manner but the funding for that kind of (huge) project became an issue. That was how the state and local governments were invited. They also had representation on the project team and the vice-president at the time became the chairman of the steering committee. That was the original design of NIPP. Because of its sheer size, it became the biggest power project in the world at that time.

The project commenced in 2006. Of course, I left (as minister) later that year because of the deadline for resignation for those with political ambitions. I left when the project was beginning to gather momentum. So, NIPP is not a company but a project.

Now that you are 50 years old, what kind of impact would you say you have made on people?

I am setting up a foundation to mentor young people as my own contribution to humanity on my 50th anniversary. Instead of putting my pictures in newspapers, those who wish to congratulate me should just put the money in the Foundation.

It is that important to me. Supporting the Foundation will help to build it.

What is your motivation for the foundation?

I grew up as a local boy. I went through my early life in the village. Of course, I travelled abroad for 10 years. When I returned, I noticed that something had happened in terms of societal value. It had actually started before I left (during the military era). When I was doing my LL.M, I worked on structural adjustment in third world countries and what it had done to them.

Based on what I knew at that time, I wished Nigeria had not embarked on SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme). It had a negative impact on our economy and our people. Of course, with military rule, all our societal values changed.

People became rich very quickly. The children after us didn’t have the privileges and opportunities that we had. Professionals in those days did not have to cut corners to send their children to school or holiday abroad. There was a respectable middle class in Nigeria. What happened to that class?

By the time I left Nigeria, the middle class was dwindling. By the time I returned, it was virtually non-existent. In trying to understand the phenomenon, I saw not only the erosion of the middle class but also our values. I saw that the new elite class that had emerged was selfish and greedy and small compared to the large middle class back then.

There was an event I attended and a young man got up and said there were two legitimate forms of government: democratic and military. I knew immediately that the poor chap grew up under the military.

So, how could you convince him that the military in governance is an aberration?

This is the kind of value our young men and women now have. I saw a decadent society. Those of us who had the privilege of being members of that middle class should educate the ones coming behind us and try to recreate that middle class by giving them opportunities and hope, so that they do not make the mistakes of the past.

In setting up this foundation, I hope that we can bring in mentors; people of my age-group who have done well, who were beneficiaries of that period, to be able to mentor a new generation of young men and women. That is one aspect. The second aspect is that I have found that there are lots of vices in the society.

Cultism bothers me a lot. You have boys and girls in secondary schools who take blood oaths on the grounds that they are joining a particular cult group. They grow up as members of that group and some of them are violent. In fact, to be initiated into some of them, you have to be beaten or injured. I don’t know of other societies with such crude cults.

We need to reform them. That is the reform component of the foundation.

The other aspect is mentoring young

•Imoke

people for leadership, no matter yourprofession. It is not enough for a doctor to go to work. There is much more tobeing a doctor. I want to do it in a manner that the foundation has the resources to sustain itself.

Not that because I am a governor now, people will associate with it and leave it thereafter. I want to set it up professionally.

Its executives will run it professionally.

Who are your mentors in life?

My father. He wrote a book about his life when he was in his 70s. He wanted me to read the manuscript and I did. I discovered that 13 years of his life, representing the period he was in politics, were missing. I asked him why that was so. He wanted to be silent about that period. I told him that the book would not sell because his political life was more popular. When I told him that I was going to work on the missing part, he said that was my problem. So, I went to the archives in Enugu and tried to obtain relevant information about his political achievements which not even his children knew about. That effort was in 1992. I had started working on the book in 1990. That experience influenced me greatly. He wanted to be remembered more for his contributions to humanity as a medical doctor.

And you, what would you want to be remembered for? What aspect of your life has contributed more to the society, having also played in the private sector?

Like I said, the privilege to serve at different levels has given me joy. But being governor has afforded me real opportunities to affect people’s lives. I feel good making other people happy; people who ordinarily don’t expect anything, especially from government. If a person knows that with only a card, she can go to a hospital and be treated free of charge, that is a good thing indeed. She can use the money for something else. What of water? Some communities had always known streams and nothing else. For others, they had only seen electricity cables

pass over their heads. Now, they can turn on the switch and have light. These are things that change their lives. So, being in Abuja as a minister was good, but being a governor and able to commune with your people is much better. And they are very appreciative.

The people in the rural areas are much more appreciative. Somebody told me that he went somewhere and people were speaking highly of me. I said yes, that must have been in the village. There, they are appreciative, even of little things.

Even paying fees for their children to enable them to sit for school certificate exams makes them very happy. For their children to get jobs means a lot. For me, being able to assist and support others is what life is all about. I always tell people that you can actually go through life thinking that you have enjoyed it, but true contentment can only come when you have served.

Should we take that as the central philosophy of your life?

Even before I went into politics, I was never a rich man. I had money but I didn’t think of having savings or investments. I would rather spend it on the people who needed it. I think it was something I picked up from my mother. My mother would spend everything on the household. And there were never less than 30 people at every point to cater for.

That was the way I was brought up.

When would you say has been your lowest point in life?

I remember I worked very hard when I was in NEPA. There were many of those days when the cleaners would come to the office and meet me there. During the period of trying to put the project together, I became hypertensive. All the same, there was total lack of appreciation. From a career perspective, not a personal one, that was probably my lowest point. You put in so much and what you got in return was abuse.

But now, being a governor is another opportunity to serve.

Thankfully, my people understand and appreciate it.

Hopefully, with your foundation, things will look even better.

I just want that foundation to be well funded. This is a good opportunity. I’m hoping that it can become some sort of institution, so it can have a physical building.

Students, young people can go there for a month of mentoring. At the moment, we are trying to sort out things like the name of the foundation and so on. On Monday (July 11, 2011), we will have a Career Day for young people.

Different speakers will be there. Series of events will follow. We will feature people who were cult members, but who are now respected in the society, to talk about themselves.

Do you miss the private sector?

I hope to get back to it. My goal in life is actually to be a diplomat. Private sector? It is good to do things and make money. I could work hard for anything legitimate to make money. It is a good feeling to close a deal, when you sign a contract. Maybe because I had older brothers when I was growing up, I didn’t have needs that were not met. But when I became an adult, I was able to moderate. I never had any desire to own a storey building or a Rolls Royce or a Ferrari. What I had was spent on the people around me.

Those who knew me 20 years ago would know better.

How do you rate the Nigerian politician?

People need to know why they are going into politics. It can never be a job, a means to earn an income. In this country, we had a generation of politicians who went into public service just to serve the people. Later, many went into it because they knew they could commit blue murder. Some of us today rode on the back of the last group to get to power. It is only now that awareness and exposure are on the increase significantly.

People are becoming more enlightened and so the consciousness of accountability is also on the rise. There is nothing like education.

Because we are becoming more responsible, we are becoming more accountable in governance. It is evolving.

It is not something that happens overnight.

But we need to sustain it.

Whether you like it or not Professor Attahiru Jega is someone who has positively affected governance. He clearly conducted a process that all of us respected and complied with. We now understand that if we do not give creditable account of ourselves, there is a possibility that we can be thrown out of office. That reality would spur a lot of politicians to do better.

Tell us about politics in Cross River I don’t like to say that we are a lost generation. In Cross River, when I came into politics, it was because I thought that there was need for a new order. I don’t call myself a reformist, but where I saw my political leaders in Cross River was not where I was going to be. When the PDP was being formed, I was the flag bearer; the founder in Cross River. How was that possible when there were notable political leaders? That was because I carried the few people I had and said let us chart a new course. While the other big names were in the ANPP as champions and leaders of that party, we were doing something different. We started it from the ACPN then to DPN and got the Abacha treatment. We got committed to a new order.

From the political perspective, when I reflect on it, I’m happy I did much of that when I was in my 30s. We were sufficiently daring when we were much younger. We could see that there was another way of doing things.

We wanted that opportunity to make a difference.

Politically, we created something that didn’t exist. You can’t say now that this person is Liyel Imoke’s godfather. That has helped us in Cross River.

Also there was a polarization that I didn’t understand. My mother was from Edo State, my father from Cross River and my mother understood my language probably better than my father but I never grew up really speaking my language.

But I grew up to meet a state in which different groups were at each other’s throat.

There used to be statements like “An Efik man can never be governor of Cross River”.

I didn’t understand what they meant. In fact, Efiks rarely ran for governor. That was why Donald Duke was such an important project for me. He was an Efik man, an urbane man, not home-grown. The message that needed to be sent across the state was that being governor was not about where you came from. The point is that we should be able to groom other leaders to take over from us. If we allow irresponsible people to take over, it will be a disaster.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

ABBA’s knowing me, knowing you No more carefree laughter Silence ever after Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) There is nothing we can do Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) We just have to face it, this time We’re through This time we’re through, we’re really through Breaking up is never easy. I know but I have to go Knowing me knowing you It’s the best I can do Memories good days, bad days They’ll be with me, always In these old familiar rooms Children would play Now there’s only emptiness, Nothing to say…

H

ELL hath no fury like a woman scorned; which means; no anger is worse than that of a jilted woman While many attribute the quote to William Shakespeare, it actually comes from a play called “The Mourning Bride.

(1697) by William Congreve.

The complete quote is “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned. Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned” It simply means a woman rejected in love can by very angry and dangerous. No fire in Hell can match the fury of a disappointed woman; scorned, Dear Vera, All these mumu buttons as they affect women put together can be put to a greater advantage by men. Every man craves for happiness and if all these would make us happy why wouldn’t we play along? But then, what assurances are there that we won’t completely be taken as real “suegbe” for showing love. Vera, I know you won’t but agree with me that most women when given the chance to take one step move ten kilometers. An addendum to your last write up should have been a recapitulation of one of the mumu buttons of men as highlighted on the earlier piece submissiveness – it’s the only way they can have the best of us.

Remi Adesina, Ibadan Dear Vera, Indeed money has taken over love. All you pointed out as women’s mumu button are real.

But unleashing them on a woman in this part of the world without money in our pocket is a wild goose chase. For the few women that are real, God will bless you. I want to equally point out that, men will learn to respect women the more when they depend less on them and gender equality will move to another level.

Don Ezeala, Port Harcourt Dear Vera, Men should try and know that we are wanted. Vera, thanks for your article you have really help singles and married. +2348033654254

slighted, a woman dismissed without notice.

No fend in Hell can match the fury of a disappointed woman scorned! Slighted; dispossess without a parting pang!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, meaning: A woman rejected in love can be very angry and dangerous.

As mortals we are bound to hurt, offend or even betray one another from time to time.

Breaking up with a loved one is one of the toughest things one can experience. Although it varies from one individual to the other. For some, when they find themselves in a love

Hell hath no fury…

triangle or when the relationship they are involved in suddenly comes to an end, they react in violent manners. Some shake it off and simply move on. Although a lot depends on the depth of the union. For instance, my late mum, of blessed memory once shared with me the fate that befell her friend who was once married. She was hitherto married to her childhood sweetheart and they were living happily ever after; or so every other person thought. It later happened that her husband accidentally (according to him) impregnated a lady outside his home. The man, we heard, was greatly troubled. How would he begin to tell his beloved wife of so many years that he had done what the proverbial great Napoleon could not do? Almost having a nervous break down trying to figure out how to go about this. He decided to confide in the elders from his country home.

They thereafter agreed to visit Lagos and try to cajole the wife. By the time they could put themselves together and visit Lagos the residence of the couple; the pregnant mistress was six months gone into the pregnancy.

The elders, three in number scheduled the meeting with the duo and even invited two of the lady’s family members to

join them.

It was at the meeting that they quietly broke the news to the wife. In reaction, she was livid. Furious, as is expected.

Her husband in turn prostrated before her and his in-laws and begged for her understanding.

Long story short, she stood before all that were present and said she had forgiven her husband’s mistake.’ Everyone left the home happy, commending themselves for a successful outing.

The husband further swore before his wife promising never to bring the lady and the child to their matrimonial home for whatever reason. One month after the meeting was held it was assumed by all concerned that all was well. They couldn’t be more wrong. One fateful early hours of the morning, at about 1.30am, a call came on the husband phone and what he on the other end of the line stopped him dead on his tracks. He was told by his family doctor that his mistress was having a premature delivery after been beaten up to a pulp by his wife. The doctor further said that his mistress’ neighbour, rushed her to his clinic and that his permission was required for an emergency caesarian operation.

It was hard to believe. The man thought to himself after dropping his phone. His wife

Text messages

Re: Women have mumu buttons too…

Dear Vera, I use this medium to celebrate your excellence, in fact you prosecute my feeling on your said articles last week… my own fact is that no matter what cultural view may prevail, all women ought to be treated with honour.

Jide Obokun, Saki Hi Vera, Re: Women have mumu buttons too… Brilliant write up, I’m sure every women that read this will be proud of you. Keep it up….

Dapo, Lagos Dear Vera, A woman loves a man who’s a great sense of humour; she doesn’t even mind if once in a while you surprise her by cooking a ‘delicious’ dinner with ‘excess salt’ in it. She goes to eldorado when you kiss her on the forehead, she is in cloud nine when treated like a queen. I have met women who appreciate men who tell them things about women’s anatomy et al. Your first paragraph is buttressed by Isabel Attende who states – “For women, the best aphrodisiacs are words. The G-spot in the ears.

He who looks for it below there is wasting his time.

Seun Osinkolu, Ogbomoso Dear Vera, Concerning your article

“Women have mumu buttons too” if a man truly wants to get the best from a woman, he has to make her feel wanted and loved.

Vera, kudos I personally appreciate your good work.

Ikenna Nzom, Ogbomoso Dear Vera, It is oftenly said that no woman is perfect, but when I look at this dishy face and complexion on this column, coupled with your counseling capabilities; I can’t help but concluding that you have attained that pedigree of perfection. However, I want to believe that you practice all your preaches. My golden question is are you married?

Meeks Ugwu, Obudu Dear Vera, Mumu buttons has been causing positive wahala in our house. Your works has been educative. Keep it on! I care for you.

Chuks, Umuahia

exhaustively into the above topic. I could not agree beyond your assertion. Vera, was your area of study in school Sociology, psychology, nursing or anthropology?

The reality nowadays is Nigeria rather than the developed world, no matter what you do or pamper women, money remains the overriding factor of the mumu button a man presses to get the much required attention.

Wahab Lanre Oseni

was lying beside him on the bed; the whole time. He was very sure there was a mix up somewhere.

He quickly pushed those thoughts behind him, grabbed his car keys and drove into the cold lonely morning. It was days after the caesarian delivery of his premature baby by his mistress that he got a clearer picture of what had really happened.

He gathered that the wife had left their home at about 11pm drove to the mistress house with a friend of hers, broke down her doors and beat her to a pulp. Calling her all sorts of names from husband snatcher to other unprintable names.

Without wasting much time, the man after his mistress’ was discharged from the hospital, he brought her and the baby straight to his matrimonial home. Of course, he threw his wife out with no option of appeal as he turned his backside on her. In Ibusa in Delta State, when a husband turns his backside on his wife, it automatically means the end of the marriage. It is called ‘Ikposike’ apologies to my non- Ibo speaking readers.

Like Abbas’ song says, breaking-up is never easy.

Truth is, the ball is in our individual courts how we handle it when our partner lets us

about your writings that just reminds me of MEE. However, what I don't understand after reading your article today is; why is a woman's mumu button seems

down for whatever reason. I have heard of wives walking out of their matrimonial homes because of a text message or two sighted in their husbands’ handset and vice versa. Much as I will not hold brief for couples that find themselves in love triangles, I assure all concerned that it is not worth breaking a home over.

A couple in a marriage should be firm and strong; if they never forget that the third party remains just that. Women who have been dumped by their spouses must not over-react or take the laws into their hands.

How are they so sure that the men will not come to his senses and come begging, if you choose to allow your fury to get the better of you.

For some ladies, when they are jilted their reactions become so violent it can only be imagined. There is no need.

I recall also a friend that was dumped by her husband for another lady. Naturally she cried everyday for almost two weeks. Who wouldn’t?

This was her husband not her boyfriend. But later on, with encouragement from friends and family alike, she moved on.

Got into school to further her studies, got a job, enhanced her looks, she simply moved on.

Eighteen months later, the same man that earlier dumped her came back; begging on his knees for that matter.

What if she had bitten off his head earlier? Supposed she had burnt down his car in her fury?

No; she did none of that. Research has shown that with time, heartbreaks will heal. For the men-folk; when opting out of a relationship, be diplomatic about it; else you might need to watch your back.

To my esteemed readers, pray for me as God adds another year to my life come next Saturday, July 16, 2011.

Please don’t come for rice because it will not be enough.

Cheers. to require so much concentration, intelligence and analysis to be able to press just one!

Arrrh… women!

Ralph Agbo, Makurdi

Hi Vera, I just read “Women have mumu buttons too” how do I get ‘every man has a mumu button’ could you please mail it to me. I would be very grateful.

Ukenne, Uyo Hey, Ukame, You can read it up when you google up my column through thenationonline.

Dear Vera, I love your write up and it puts smiles on my face. How can we see.

Patrick Msughteery Waya, Maitama

Hi Vera, I am just reading your article on women have mumu buttons too. I would like to request for the one on men as I did not see that. Could you email it to me?

Or is there anywhere else I can get it to read?

Adaon, Abuja

Dear Vera, ‘Women have mumu buttons too’ You really digged

Hey Vera, Wonderful article, I must say… There is this realness

•Paul Bassey, MD/CEO of DP Communications, Sports Journalist, Confederation of African Football (CAF) Media Committee member; is a year older today.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

•Bantaba speed dating in full session

Bantaba opens up new vista for tourism S

IX years into the hugely successful African Travel Market (Akwaaba) that has transformed into one of the most consistent tourism events in Nigeria in travel calendar,the Abuja Bantaba,has been added.

Although the Abuja Bantaba is not a tourism fair in the mould of the Akwaaba, the goal is still the same: To bring together buyers and sellers of travel and tourism products under one roof to network and clinch deals. It also seeks to reward excellence and high performance in the travel business. The Bantaba is a one-day speed dating and award night achieved in its maiden edition.

For a speculative event in Nigeria to draw companies and embassies from within and outside Africa in its maiden edition could be attributed to first , the market gap that the Bantaba has moved in to fill and also the pedigree of the organizers of the event.

On the Bantaba, Mr. Ikechi Uko, the chief executive officer of the Akwaaba group and publisher of the African Travel Quarterly (ATQ), said the event came about as a result of pressure by sector practitioners to offer them the opportunity to network and market their products in Abuja. He said he was also responding to the challenge by the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) to create such a platform for the sector.

It turned out to be successful. Airlines such as the British Airways,Iberia, Kenya Airways, KLM and South Africa Airline were part of the event. Some of the biggest local and international hospitality groups in Nigeria were also part of the maiden edition. They included the Starwood Group that came with the Sheraton and Le Meridien brands, the Intercontinental Hospitality Group that is putting finishing touches to its property in Victoria Island, the Federal Palace Hotel and the NAC Hospitality Group. From Ghana came hotels such as Labadi , La Palms, African Regent and the newest luxury hotel in the country, Movenpeck Ambassadors. Although the event kicked off on a slow note as a result of the early morning shower, it gradually picked up. Exhibitors had to cope with a steady stream of visitors.

After close to four hours of networking with sources of potential businesses, the speed dating came to an end.

A cocktail and award night was held to honour top achievers within the tourism industry in Nigeria and West Africa. Among those honoured were the First Lady of Cross River State, Mrs. Obioma Imoke, the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Developemnt Corporation (NTDC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demurin, one of the finest

electronics travel journalists, Miss Yvonne Bassey, NAC Hospitality management regarded as the most innovative hospitality group in Nigeria. The award for the wife of the Cross River State Governor was received on her behalf by the governor’s Special Adviser on Tourism.

The NCAA DG, who got his award as the Travel Personality of the Year for leading his parastatal to secure a Category A airport rating for the country and enforcing safety standard

on civil aviation in Nigeria, thanked the organizers for the award and also talked about the challenges of the sector.

He said: “ I am so much delighted that I could make it tonight. When I saw the hoteliers and other private sector tourism practitioners, I think this is what we are talking about. We want to create wealth; we want to create employment and I can see people thriving under this condition to make these happen. This is tremendous. What you are trying to do here is great. You may not know; the multiplier effect is

much.

“When we talk about safety, we don’t remember any other thing. I said we were going to shut down the Bebe airstrip.I said we were not satisfied with the level of work going on.Then they came and we sat down and discussed. I was so happy that the state government was so much determined. Each time in the course of discussion, the commissioner would say ‘you see , this is a source of tourists for Continued on Page 48

•NCAA DG, Dr. Harold Demuren, receiving his award from former House Committee Chairman on Aviation, Hon. K.G.B. Oguakwa

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Bantaba opens up new vista for tourism Continued from Page 47

us.’ We said we should hold the next management meeting of NCAA in Tinapa.

“When Mr. President went to Obudu Mountain Resort, it became an eye opener. I sincerely believe that we in aviation need to do more. We have to stabilize the airports when it comes to safety and security . We had some challenges on security after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab issue.

All these have been stabilized, but we now need to start to get the passengers and some level of comfort that will match Category One. I think that is where we are.

We talk about consumer protection, so that people can get value for money. Whenever anybody buys a ticket from us,travelling from point A to point B, it is like a promissory note that we are going to take him in that flight. We need to ensure that the passengers are well taken care of.

“One of the things we are trying to do, that will be our new phase, our target is zero accident. But every time we have an accident, we find that people come to commiserate with the family,but after that, we go back to sleep.

Nobody remembers the families of the victims. I want to start the family assistance programme. In case anything should happen, we want to make sure that they are also

not forgotten.

“Our new Minister of Aviation has resumed. He said our airports are gateways. Whenever any visitor comes to a country, the first point of contact is the airport. The impression he gets is about the country. This is very important and our facilities at the airports are not the same. We are dealing with 1970’s architecture and we don’t build airports that way again. But those are the new things you’ll be seeing in the next four years to make sure that a lot of improvement is brought into this area. We will continue to partner the tourism industry at all levels to make sure that we can attract people to our country and we can move through-

•Mrs. Imoke

out Nigeria.

“We have seen what they have achieved in Calabar. I think they have turned the place into something else in tourism. There is no question about that. I want to salute the government of Cross River State. The government has done a lot of work. I think we need to keep this up.

“We have shut down the Calabar Airport. It is for refurbishing. By the time it reopens, it is going to have a new runway and improvement in a lot of facilities there. We have also shut down Maiduguri. We will soon reopen it. They are working right now. There are quite a lot of other places that we are trying to improve.

By the time we finish all these, I believe the aviation industry will continue to take its rightful place as the engine for economic growth.

“I feel good; tourism is a particular section of our economy that we need to work with very closely.

Tourism in some countries is the mainstay of their economies. We just have to develop Nigeria’s tourism potentialities. We in aviation see ourselves as partners, and as aviation continues to become the engine of economic growth, these are people we need to work with to make sure that Nigeria can harness its full potential that we have in tourism.”

•Intercontinental Hotel’s stand

•Movenpick Ambassador Hotel’s stand

Kehinde FALODE: 08023689894

Githeri (Beans and Corn)

Uchechi NZE

Githeri is one of the main food items in Kenya. It is a mixture of maize and beans, a simple and nourishing dish. The combination of beans and corn supplies a full complement of proteins.

Ingredients • Corn, cut fresh off the cob • Cooked beans, any type • Water • Salt, maggi and pepper to taste

• Palm oil.

Method • The beans and corn will be put in a pot with water, simmer for several hours until softened.

• Add the beans and corn with s o m e chopped potatoes and chopped vegetable, if desired, then mash together well and season with salt, maggi and pepper.

• But if you want to get the dish more flavour, add some sautéed onions, cubed potatoes or cassava, stew meat or a little curry powder.

Healthy benefits of corn 1.

Corn, is one of the most popular cereals in the world, is also a good source of several nutrients. Corn is a low-fat complex carbohydrate that deserves a regular place on any healthy table. These high-fibers, fat-fighting kernels of goodness are also hearty, satisfying and notoriously hard to digest.

2.

Corn is a complete vitamin store. Vitamin B1, vitamin B5 patotonik acid, folate, niacin, vitamin B3 and vitamin C also contain abundant. It’s just as important in preventing heart disease 3.

Regular intake of corn lowers blood sugar and insulin, it also helps to balance.

4.

Magnesium is abundant in corn, it gives a sigh of resistance, reduces blood flow, improves the distribution of oxygen and nutrients in the body heal. Moreover, conditions such as asthma and migraines to reduce weight reduce high blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart disease and

diabetic.

5.

Reduce your risk of developing lung cancer 6.

Thiamine is an excellent source of corn.

7.

Corn regulates the intestines and liver function 8.

The high fiber content of corn intestine supports the transition, decrease cholesterol levels and improves bowel function.

9.

There are no particular health benefits of corn, except for the fact that it provides necessary calories for daily metabolism of the body. Corn is good for skin care, boosting nervous system, digestion, and maintaining low cholesterol levels.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Govt should divest from carnivals, says Amachree F ORMER president of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), Alabo Mike Amachree , has called on both the state and federal governments to stop funding carnivals.

Amachree, who first organised the first Abuja carnival in the early 90s, as a private sector initiative, decried a situation huge tax payers’ money will be expended on carnivals that add little or nothing in the quest to turn Nigeria into a preferred tourist destination.

He said: “We organized the first carnival with no input from the government. There was no assistance from the government. I only had assistance from Nicon Hilton Hotel now Transcorp Hilton Hotel. They gave us support. So, the first Abuja carnival was initiated by the private sector not government.

“From that carnival, we saw that foreigners did not attend, that is, we did not attract foreign tourists because we did not know.

“Tour operators were supposed to have gone abroad to market it. We were supposed to give at least six months notice. We did not do that; we only relied on domestic tourists. It was more of domestic carnival. So, during the federal government- organised yearly Abuja carnival, I observed that the number of inbound tourists to the carnival were not many except coun-

tries that were bringing their troupes to showcase their culture, but tourists from other parts of the world did not come.”

He said part of the mistake being made in the organisation of the carnivals is the refusal to to carry tour operators along.

His words: “The organisers ought to have asked the tour operators to go abroad and market the carnival. The tour operators know their agents all over the world. They will liase with their colleagues and contacts all over the world to put together tour packages, telling them about the carnival and for them to add Abuja carnival as part of the tour packages they are selling.

“With that, people will fly down to Nigeria because of the Abuja carnival just like people fly to Brazil because of the Rio Carnival or to London to watch the Nottinghill Carnival. All these people market their carnivals. This is not done by their governments.

The only role of the government is to provide the enabling environment through policies and provision of infrastructure. It is not the duty of the government to be organizing carnivals. For example, both the Abuja and Port Harcourt carnivals do not attract tourists.

“The government is coming back to its senses. You see

tourism means money. If you want to promote our culture alone, you can do that without expecting money. The government can handle that, but once it is tourism, then you don’t interfere. It is business and tourism business means making money, making money for the country, government and private individuals.

On the business angle of the festival,Amachree said:”We are not doing anything that will generate money. For instance, you don’t collect gate fees, even if you collect gate fees, people from other states do not come talkless of people from other states. So, if the government decides to reduce the budget for Abuja carnival, I know one day, they might totally forget about it.

•Alabo Amachree

“What the government should do, as I said earlier, is to provide infrastructure .

Rather than spending N500,000,000 to organize a jamboree, they should use it to invest in the development of tourist sites.

“When we travelled to Egypt, we were attracted by the Egyptian pyramids, that is one big tourist attraction that Egypt has that will make one go to Egypt. The same thing in Mexico; tourists are attracted by Aztec pyramids.

So, Nigeria has no special tourist sites to attract the world. The ones we should develop , package and promote.

“While a country like Egypt has the pyramids as a major tourist attraction, we have our cultures. These cultures must be paraded during Abuja , Port Harcourt carnivals and so on. If you parade them for people to come and see and you don’t invite in-bound tourists through marketing. If you don’t make efforts to attract in-bound tourists, it is meaningless.

You cannot just organize it for the locals.It is a waste of money. Instead, spend that money to develop tourist sites and that is why we are also soliciting for the tourism development fund. Practitioners can borrow from the fund, especially tour operators. They need their own buses for tours to different tourist sites and destinations.

49 ‘Hospitality workers need better training’

T

HE Managing Director of NAC H o s p i t a l i t y Management Group, Mr. Nnaemeka Agbasi has called for the improvement in the training of personnel in the catering and hospitality management.

Agbasi said this after receiving an award at the Abuja Bantaba as the Most Innovative Hospitality Manager.

He was speaking on the challenges currently facing the industry. He said: “The challenges in this industry are numerous, but what I want to tell you is that the •Agbasi industry is facing serious man-power challenges because it is difficult to get competent hands to man certain operations. One of the reasons is that the educational sector has not given serious thought to developing people that will do this operation. A few schools offer hotel and catering management at a higher level. You always see catering schools without complete kitchens where they can test their students.

“They don’t have specimen rooms where you teach the students what a hotel should look like. Each time they come out as fresh graduates, you start all over. That is our headache. What we have started now is battle it from within.

We do our own in-house training to make them appreciate what is hotel service. This is apart from the problem of infrastructure because that one is everybody’s matter. “ We thank God that electricity seems to be improving these days. It is getting better compared to six months ago.

The cost is coming down. I hope it is sustained.”

On his award, he said: I am elated .I thank God that people took notice. I thank God that what I did redefined hotel standards in Nigeria. I appreciate the effort of the organizers.

Cultural neglect, cause of instability in Africa— Gani Adams

T

HE National Coordinator of the O’odua People’s Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, has identified the criticism and neglect of traditional system as the major cause of instability in Africa.

Adams said this as this year’s Odun-Ifa celebration.

Gani Adams said this neglect resulted in the neglect of communal lifestyle and social welfare through which the basic needs of the people were meet.

The OPC national coordinator, therefore, called for rediscovery of the African creative energy and true cultural heritage in other to prevent cultural slavery.

He said this was the basis for the OPC’s promotion of the culture and tradition of the Yoruba people being an organization on the front-

line of promoting and propagating African values and showcasing African contributions to world civilization, He said; “ Ifa, apart from being the Yoruba’s traditional religion, is of immense importance as a source of historical rebirth. In Africa, it is generally believed that Ifa possesses enormous wisdom and knowledge that make people consult Babalawo. The historical aspect of Ifa gives a clear illustration of a past event which is similar to the one confronting the individual seeking a solution to his problem. Ifa is universally regarded as the oracle of divinity and one of the principal deities of the Yoruba race.”

As part of the tradition in the OPC-organized festival, a lecture was delivered on “The significance of Ifa to hu-

man development”. The lecturer, Mr. Lekan Oduntan, former senior arts instructor at the Centre of Cultural Studies, the University of Lagos, went through history and Yoruba mythology to talk about the significance of Ifa and concluded that: “The relevance of and contriubution of Ifa are beyond mythology. Ifa is about the facts and real occurrences in our lives. As a result, the existence of man is not justified without the application of Ifa. This is because it encapsulates physical, mental and cosmos planes of existence of mankind. It is Ifa that you can give your homage because in human development, you can find its traces. Also, it is necessary to note that it is the custodian of our destinies.”

Star Alliance regains title

S

TAR Alliance has regained the Best Airline Alliance title at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Jaan Albrecht, CEO, Star Alliance, said: “Being selected the best airline alliance by more than 18 million travellers is a great honour for Star Alliance. This award is further proof that we are meeting customers’ expectations to a high degree by providing global reach through our worldwide network, offering enhanced frequent flyer benefits and recognising the value of the international travellers, irrespective of the member airline they are travelling on”. Some of the air-

lines under Star Allaince include Singapore Airline, Air Canada, Fgypt Air, Turkish Airline, Lufthsnsa, Air China, and so on.

Star Alliance was the first airline alliance to receive the Best Alliance Award from Skytrax when the category was first introduced in 2005.

It held the title in both 2007 and 2009 (at that time the alliance award was only handed out every two years).

Since 2010, the best airline alliance has been selected on an annual basis.

The Skytrax passenger survey for the 2011 awards covered over 200 airlines, from the largest international airlines to small domestic carri-

ers, and measured standards across more than 38 different items of airline frontline product and service. The survey was conducted over a 10-month period, surveying more than 18.8 million passengers from over 100 different nationalities across the world.

The World Airline Awards are regarded as the primary benchmarking tool for passenger satisfaction levels of airlines throughout the world – comprising a unique survey format based on analysis of business and leisure travellers and across all cabin classes (First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy class passengers).

The devotees of the diety came for the festival resplendent in white. The festival was not all about talks and lectures. There was a cul-

tural display by the O’odua People’s Congress dance troupe.

The Association of Theatre Arts Practitioners of Ni-

geria (ATPN) were also on hand to entertain both visitors and devotees with a play.

•Members of the Oodua National Troupe at the festival

•Otunba Gani Adams flanked by his wife, Erelu Mojisola , and the Alado of Abule Ado, Lagos, Oba Lateef Adeyinka.

50

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Training: A vital key for raising

D

EAR Reader, I count it a great privilege to share God’s Word with you today. I will be sharing with you all through this month on the subject, Training: Vital Key For Raising Godly Children!

Children are gifts from God, blessings to the family and a unique blend of husband and wife. That’s why God’s Word says: Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward (Psalm 127:3). But children are like plasticine — soft, pliable and mouldable. They must be moulded skilfully and tenderly to be-

come battle axes in the hands of God. God’s Word says: And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed... (Malachi 2:15). So, God’s purpose for giving you children is not only for replenishing and filling up the earth, but because He is seeking a godly seed.

However, there is the best environment for raising godly children unto the Lord, and that place is called “the home”.

I made up my mind, when I discovered this truth many years ago, not to fail God in my responsibility towards my children. From then onward, after every church service, I returned home to break into smaller pieces the

message preached in church.

I have found out that even when the children leave home and are in places where we, parents, cannot be physically, the fear of the Lord implanted in their hearts and the knowledge of the Word of God keep them intact.

That’s why I asked God, many years ago, to teach me how to break the principles in His Word down to my children’s level of understanding. I then began to ensure that hardly a day passes by without a time spent sitting down with them, opening up the scriptures and ministering to them.

Some people lay up money, houses, clothes, cars and other possessions as an inheritance for their children. But the greatest inheritance you can leave behind for your children is a good Christian upbringing. God’s Word says: Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

That’s why the key of training, in raising godly children, is of utmost importance, because once a man finds a wife and they are joined in holy wedlock, what adds

Godly children!

colour to their union is the blessing of a child.

Some parents prefer to shift the responsibility of raising up their children to classroom or Sunday school teachers; but no matter how expensive the school or glorious the church, there is no better person to train your children like you.

It is the covenant responsibility of both parents (father and mother) to train up their children in the fear of the Lord. Many couples have succeeded, so you too will succeed!

Make no mistake about this truth: your children are not accidents. No! They are gifts to you from God. When you fulfil your covenant obligations to train them up in the way of the Lord, they operate as signs and wonders upon the earth.

God’s Word says in Isaiah 8:18: Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders... Therefore, God is counting on you as

How mouthwash can give you bad breath... and stain your teeth M ANY people include a daily swill of mouthwash in their dental routine to freshen breath and fight plaque – but could we actually be damaging our teeth in the process?

Some of the ingredients in mouthwash may have a detrimental effect on teeth and gums if the product isn’t used properly, says Robin Seymour, professor of restorative dentistry at Newcastle University.

Many mouthwashes contain alcohol —some are up to 26 per cent proof, research has shown. It’s used as a carrier agent, to allow ingredients such as menthol, eucalyptol and thymol to function — these help to penetrate and break down plaque.

However alcohol itself can cause dryness in the mouth, breaking down the mucus-like coating that keeps the mouth moist. This can lead to bad breath and, says Professor Seymour, cause an uncomfortable stinging sensation in the mouth.

Alcohol-based mouthwash has also been linked to an increased risk in oral cancer. Scientists in a study published in the Dental Journal of Australia in 2009 reported that the ethanol (alcohol) in mouthwash allowed cancercausing substances such as nicotine to permeate the lining of the mouth more easily. A toxic breakdown product of alcohol called acetaldehyde can also accumulate in the mouth.

Some ingredients in toothpaste, such as the foaming agent sodium lauryl sulphate, can interact with the fluoride in mouthwash, and deactivate it so that it loses its effect. For this reason, wait at least half an hour after brushing before sluicing with mouthwash.

Some mouthwashes can even cause staining. This is due to a chemical called chlorhexidine gluconate — an antiseptic designed to reduce bacteria and remove plaque, both of which can lead to bad breath.

However, when regularly exposed to the teeth it can cause brown patches on the enamel because of a chemical reaction.

Some ingredients in toothpaste, such as the foaming agent sodium lauryl sulphate, can interact with

the fluoride in mouthwash, and deactivate it ‘Chlorohexidine can produce tooth staining within about ten days of usage because it reacts with food additives which may be left on the teeth, particularly tannins, found in CocaCola, tea, coffee and red wine,’ explains Professor Seymour.

So should we just avoid these products altogether? According to Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, it’s always worth asking the advice of a dentist.

London-based dentist Dr Ogo Eze agrees: ‘If, for example, someone has gingivitis — inflammation of the gums — then it is important to keep plaque levels down, as this can make the inflammation worse.

‘The dentist may suggest a two-week course of a high-fluoride mouthwash such as Corsodyl to help reduce the risk of further decay. There is also a condition called acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis, which is an acute infection of the gums.

‘A prescription mouthwash called Peridex contains oxygen which can counteract the micro organisms that cause this problem.’ Peridex also has a lower concentration of chlorhexidine than Corsodyl.

If you don’t have any dental problems, Professor Seymour suggests using an alcohol-free brand such as Oral B Anti-Plaque Alcohol-Free Mouth Rinse.

‘It doesn’t matter how minute the risk of oral cancer might be. It is such a significant disease that I don’t think there is any reason to take the risk of using a mouthwash that contains alcohol.’

To avoid staining, he suggests products such as Dentyl, which contain cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) rather than chlorhexidine — both chemicals act as an antiseptic, but CPC won’t stain.

However, the chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, says: ‘Many of the active antibacterial ingredients in mouthwashes require the presence of alcohol to exert anti-plaque effects and help to prevent gum disease.

‘Chlorhexidine is the “gold standard” antibacterial and is often advised by dentists for acute flare ups

of gum disease to control the symptoms.

‘Chlorhexidine mouthwashes are not recommended for long-term use

since they do have the side effect of staining. This can be removed by a dentist.’

The British Dental Health Foundation recently reviewed all the evidence about the use of alcohol in mouthwashes and concluded that there is no evidence

covenant parents to effectively use the vital key of training to raise godly seeds unto His praise.

Until you are born again, you cannot operate in the wisdom to effectively use the key of training in raising godly children unto the Lord.

You get born again by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you are set for this, please say this prayer: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour.

Now I know I am born again!

Congratulations! Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through: E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 234-1-7747546-8; 07026385437.

For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all the Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Understanding Motherhood, Raising Godly Children, and Marriage Covenant.

whatsoever of a link between mouth cancer and alcohol in mouthwashes.

A spokesperson for the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association, which represents manufacturers of mouthwash, adds: ‘All products available in the European Union are subject to stringent safety requirements and each product must undergo a safety assessment before it can be placed on the market.

10 alternative treatments to bad breath From peppermint oil to magnolia chewing gum, Barbara Lantin gives the lowdown on alternative treatments for bad breath, and Dr Toby Murcott looks at the evidence •FRESH PARSLEY If you chew this herb in small amounts, you can stop people heading for the door when you strike up conversation.

What science says Anecdotally famous for removing garlic breath, there is no research suggesting that it can help with that or halitosis. Like many plants parsley does have some antibacterial properties, a possible but unproven link to curing bad breath.

•MASTIC GUM A natural resin taken from the Pistacia lentiscus tree on the Greek island of Chios is said to have antiseptic properties and to decrease acidity in the mouth.

Two studies of 75 patients published last year found that chewing mastic gum reduced the amount of mouth bacteria. However, the researchers did not measure bad breath, so it’s impossible to say whether fewer bacteria also meant less halitosis.

•Tongue scrapping for maximum effect. However, a small study last year found that tongue scraping alone is not enough; you have to brush your teeth properly as well.

•ANTIBACTERIAL MOUTHWASHES These are said to swill away the bacteria that cause bad breath. Many also have antiplaque properties, so are kind to your teeth too. As bacteria produce most bad breath, an antibacterial mouthwash can reduce the problem, according to a review published last May. Another trial of ten people in the same year found that the most effective was a mixture of chlorhexidine and zinc. However, this has yet to be confirmed by other research, and other formulations are also effective.

•“LIVE” YOGHURT Live yoghurt is said to decrease levels of hydrogen sulphide, the smelly gas produced by bacteria in the mouth, through the action of the live bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. There are no published studies on whether the bacteria in yoghurt can minimise bad breath. It might work, but without research it is impossible to say.

•BAKING SODA Brushing with baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda, is meant to counteract high levels of acidity in the mouth, a possible cause of bad breath.

Research published between 1996 and 1998 found that brushing with toothpaste containing 20 per cent baking soda reduced bad breath for up to three hours.

Interestingly, a paper published in 2001 suggested that baking soda-powered chewing gum might also be effective.

•PEPPERMINT OIL Some natural health practitioners believe that popping capsules of this oil may keep your breath minty fresh. A study in July last year of 32 intensive care patients showed that an essential oil mouthwash, with peppermint oil in its list of ingredients, reduced bad breath. But the study is too small to draw any conclusions.

•FENNEL SEEDS Chewing on fennel seeds after a meal was a traditional way of masking mouth odours.

There are no studies of the impact of fennel seeds on bad breath, but extracts of fennel do have some antibacterial properties. As bad breath is caused by some mouth bacteria it may have an effect.

•HOLLAND AND BARRETT BREATH CHECK CAPSULES These contain parsley seed oil and sunflower seed oil. I can find no published research to say whether these ingredients have any effect on smelly breath; either for good or bad.

•MAGNOLIA CHEWING GUM Preparations containing the bark of this tree are thought to help treat nausea, indigestion and menstrual cramps. Recent studies indicate that it can also work to freshen your breath. Chewing gum containing magnolia bark extract was shown in a 2007 study to reduce the amount of halitosis-causing bacteria in nine healthy volunteers.

The research was done by the Wrigley’s.

•BOOTS EXPERT TONGUE CLEANER The bacteria that cause bad breath reside on the tongue and don’t like exposure to oxygen. If you scrape your tongue, you not only scoop them up, but also expose them to oxygen, which may help to prevent halitosis. Cleaning or scraping your tongue can lessen bad breath. What’s more, scrapers appear to be more effective than simply using a toothbrush as a tongue cleaner, at least according to a review published by the respected Cochrane Collaboration. The authors examined two studies FRESH IDEAS Mervyn Druian, a dentist and spokesman for the British Dental Association, gives his checklist for keeping dragon breath at bay - Professional help Gum problems are the main cause of bad breath, so get checked out by your dentist or hygienist - Drink plenty of water Avoid having a dry mouth, as dead and dying bacteria and cells, which would normally be swept away by saliva, linger, stagnate and release pungent gases. And be aware that the more you chat, the worse you’ll smell. Talking makes your mouth dry, so drink plenty of water.

- Eat fruit Chewing fruit not only hydrates the mouth, but also efficiently dislodges the dead and dying cells and bacteria in the mouth that lead to bad breath.

- Always eat breakfast “Morning breath” is caused by breathing through your mouth during the night, making it very dry by the time you wake up. The smell will linger if you don’t eat – and coffee and cigarettes make it worse.

- Dental floss Fundamental to maintaining good oral hygiene.

- Medical problems Persistent bad breath may indicate an underlying condition such as diabetes or kidney problems. www.bda.org

S 51

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Avoiding childlessness:

Coping with diseases

Some features of art

Diabetes

•Donor eggs

E

GG donation is a third party reproduction practice adopted

by ART. The donor woman allows the doctor to remove about a dozen or more eggs from her ovaries for the use of other persons. Usually she does not know who will receive her eggs.

A woman who wants to be a mother might decide to receive a donor egg because she is infertile or because she does not want to pass on a genetic disease that she has. If the recipient carries the pregnancy herself, she becomes the biological mother but not a genetic mother. Recipients have sometimes arranged for surrogate gestation (another woman carries the pregnancy).

Donated eggs are utilized for IVF and account for about 5% of IVF babies.

Almost half the women given donor eggs get pregnant but up to 20% of women using donor eggs may end up with a miscarriage. Egg and sperm donations are fast becoming routine in many societies, akin to blood and organ donations.

However, egg “donation”, unlike sperm donation, is time consuming, demanding on the donor, requires taking hormonal Continued from last week

I

NFECTION attributed to frequent intercourse is nicknamed “honeymoon cystitis.”

Urinating after intercourse seems to decrease the likelihood of developing a urinary tract infection.

• Women who use a diaphragm for birth control.

• Men with an enlarged prostate: Prostatitis or obstruction of the urethra by an enlarged prostate can lead to incomplete bladder emptying, thus increasing the risk of infection. This is most common in older men.

drugs, is invasive and may produce hormonal side effects from induced overstimulation of the ovaries as well as complications from accidental infection or damage to other abdominal structures. Women generally do it only with compensation. University students have tapped into this business and receive an average of $4,000.00 for each donation procedure.

A donor may be anonymous and these are typically recruited by agencies or designated (e.g. a friend or relative). Sometimes participants share surplus eggs through the same IVF to reduce their individual expenses.

(They end up carrying genetic siblings). Because of monetary aims, donors may hide personal information and recipients risk accepting eggs from questionable donors.

IVF clinics are generally mandated to screen donors through medical and social history, physical examination, psychological screening, history of birth defects, hereditary diseases, and STDs. Parents having children from donor eggs must consider how to relate the child to reality in future.

Egg donors generally

with Prof. Dayo Oyekole

T never get to know what happened to their eggs.

They could become biological mothers of numerous children without knowing it. A woman could meet her own son in future in a foreign land speaking a foreign language and what if she sugar-mums him?

Donor sperm Sperm donation is commonly done by healthy men to make sperm available for artificial fertilization of a woman or women (usually unknown) without sexual contact.

The donor masturbates to induce ejaculation.

Some set-ups provide erotic aids. There are many sperm banks with sperm frozen in liquid nitrogen.

The use of donor sperm is an option for couples with male factor infertility. It is done officially or unofficially. All this is part of third party reproduction that is currently proliferating with the increasing incidences of infertility in our present world. Apart from couples, many single women opt for receiving donor sperm to have children without marriage and

are nicknamed “choice mothers”.

A woman can get a donor from an Internet contact or through a personal advertisement or from a fertility clinic. The donor may give freely or be paid for it.

The woman treats herself with intravaginal insemination at home or undergoes IVF at a clinic. Some women invite a donor for natural intercourse just for the sake of achieving conception.

Sperm donation is a business in some places, with brokers between donors and recipients. Many men will never know of their biological sons and daughters and donors often give sperm with indifference towards gaining such knowledge. A man could date his own daughter in future unknowingly. A person could have numerous real brothers and sisters across the globe and not know it. A man could marry his own sister.

The human society of tomorrow is not just nuclear, it is unclear.

To be continued

Interesting facts about urinary tract infection • Males are also less likely to develop UTIs because their urethra (tube from the bladder) is longer.

There is a drier environment where a man’s urethra meets the outside world, and fluid produced in the prostate can fight bacteria.

• Breastfeeding has been found to decrease the risk for urinary tract infections.

Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms

HE term diabetes, when not specified, refers to Diabetes mellitus, a serious metabolic disorder characterized by defects in the body’s use of carbohydrates. The other kind of diabetes is Diabetes insipidus, which is quite a different and relatively rare condition, in which an individual passes large quantities of pale, dilute urine, with consequent dehydration and excessive thirst.

Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome in which the basic defect is the absence or shortage of the hormone called insulin. This hormone is carried by the blood to the kidneys, where it limits the outflow of water in the urine.

The great majority cases of Diabetes insipidus are due to a tumour or inflammation in the region of the pituitary gland, thereby suppressing ADH production. Physical damage in form of fracture of the base of the skull or surgery in the pituitary area can also cause Diabetes insipidus. In addition, there is a rare inherited form of Diabetes insipidus where the production of Anti-Diuretic Hormone is normal, but the kidneys do not respond to the circulating hormone.

As earlier stated, in Diabetes mellitus, an organ in the body (called the pancreas) is found not to be functioning properly. Insulin is a hormone produced by the Beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Insulin is carried by the blood to all parts of the body.

The body’s cells use glucose (blood sugar) as their fuel. They have receptors to which insulin becomes attached. This binding of insulin enables the cells to use glucose by converting it into energy or storing it as fat. Any defect in this process, either in the pancreas, where insulin is being produced, or at the sites of attachment of insulin to the cells, would interfere with the body’s use of fuel to produce energy.

Apart from the malfunctioning of the Pancreas, one other cause of this disorder is unbalanced diet. Most of us consume denatured food in one way or the other. Also, food additives and unhealthy drinks, whether soft drinks, teas, coffee or liquor may predispose one to metabolic imbalance.

Symptoms: Having explained the primary causes of diabetes, let us consider the symptoms. The symptoms of diabetes are frequent urination, loss of flesh, inordinate appetite, constant hunger, mental depression, progressive weakness, great thirst, dry tongue and impaired vision. The person could be irritable, restless and morose.

The loss of energy is due to the loss of sugar, which is needed to generate the energy for daily activities.

It must be noted that it is not in every case that all the symptoms are present in a patient. Therefore, it is most helpful to do tests in hospitals and diagnostic centers, in order to confirm whether a patient is diabetic or not. Luckily, there are simple kits now available for routine tests in this case.

Treatment: Having touched on some causes and symptoms of diabetes, let us see how we can remove the causes and help quicken recovery where the disease is already there, or how one can prevent it in healthy bodies. One thing is obvious, that is, we must turn to NATURE. In Holistic Lifecare, it is strongly advised that imported styles of living (i.e. cooking, eating & drinking) must be looked into especially on the use of food additives and colourants in fast foods and so-called take-away. Heavy starchy foods should be cut down drastically, if they cannot be avoided, pending total recovery from the ailment.

As we make efforts to repair a malfunctioning pancreas, there are some fruits and vegetables known to be helpful. These include carrots, paw-paw, cucumber, onions, garlic and lettuce, combined with soya-milk mixed with guinea-corn pap or porridge.

Many of us might say that there is no time to embark on natural lifestyles, forgetting that the time required is less than the time we would spend at the clinic when we fall sick. The choice is yours.

Control: The Holistic remedy that has been popularly suggested for the control of Diabetes is a combination of the natural extracts of some herbs scientifically called Anchomanes difformis, Pergularia daemia, Vinca rosea and Viscum album.

Lower urinary tract infection (cystitis): The lining of the urethra and bladder becomes inflamed and irritated.

• Dysuria: pain or burning during urination.

• Frequency: more frequent urination (or waking up at night to urinate); often with only a small amount of urine.

• Urgency: the sensation of not being able to hold urine • Hesitancy: the sensation of not being able to urinate easily or completely (or feeling that you have to urinate but only a few drops of urine come out).

• Cloudy, bad-smelling, or bloody urine.

• Lower abdominal pain • Mild fever (less than 101 F), chills, and “just not feeling well” (malaise).

Upper urinary tract infection (pyelonephritis): Symptoms develop rapidly and may or may not include the symptoms for a lower urinary tract infection.

• Fairly high fever (higher than 101 F) • Shaking chills • Nausea • Vomiting • Flank pain: pain in your back or side, usually on only one side at about waist level In newborns, infants,

children, and elderly people, the classic symptoms of a urinary tract infection may not be present. Other symptoms may indicate a urinary tract infection.

• Newborns: fever or hypothermia (low temperature), poor feeding, jaundice • Infants: vomiting, diarrhea, fever, poor feeding, not thriving • Children: irritability, eating poorly, unexplained fever that doesn’t go away, loss of bowel control, loose bowels, change in urination pattern • Elderly people: fever or hypothermia, poor appetite, lethargy, change in mental status Pregnant women are at increased risk for UTI. Typically, pregnant women do not have unusual or unique symptoms.

If you are pregnant, your urine should be checked during prenatal visits because an unrecognized infection can cause pregnancy complications or miscarriage.

•Dr B. Filani is the Chief Consultant of Sound Health Centre, Lagos. You can contact him on 08023422010 or on facebook or email soundhealthcentre@yahoo.com.

For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call on: 0803-330-3897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan.

52

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Splendour fabric T

HE ankara fabric has actually come to stay. The amazing pieces have been good fortunes in recent time. Some years ago, on the fashion scene, ankara was only used as buba and sokoto, iro and buba and skirt and blouse. But now ankara has gone modern. It is used to sew stylish, classy and trendy sophisticated designs.

Most of the strides being made by aso oke in recent times are brought about by the fabric.

Ankara is now showcased as dinner and cocktail gowns, weddings gowns, skirt suits and so on. It is combined with chiffon, lace or satin to produce designs that will certainly blow your mind.

Foluke ADEMOLA Beauty, they say, lies in you.So don’t be surprised when you look very good in these ankara styles. They are also used for bags, shoes or hats.

Some of these designs are simply gorgeous and awesome. Kudos should be given to our ever innovative fashion designers. The beauty of ankara comes out more when it is taken as aso- ebi. It brings out the colours and beauty of fashion.

•Ronke Ashiru

•Data Okorodudu

•Kate Emiko

•Model

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THE NATION, SATUDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Dazzling rings F

ASHION rings have become the hot test jewellery statement for ladies.

These are rings to wear on the right hands to express your unique individuality.

The beauty of fashion rings is that there are many styles to choose from. With these rings, you're not limited by convention or tradition. You can choose whatever design you like, a style that shows your personality.

When it comes to choosing your fashion ring, below are a few tips to keep in mind.

• If you plan to wear your ring regularly, it's important to choose a sturdy ring style with stong metal and durable and hard gemstones.

• Good metals to choose for a right hand ring are 18kt or 14kt white gold or yellow gold or platinum. These metals are very durable and suitable for everyday wear, so they are a great choice for the right hand ring.

• When choosing your right hand ring width, make sure you know or consider the length of your fingers.

• For a lady with short fingers,a very wide ring may look a little too heavy on her hand. In that case, a width of more than approximately 6mm may be getting too wide for her.

• For ladies with long fingers, your options are entirely open - you can choose any width you like.

• As long as your right hand ring is comfortable to wear, you can choose whichever width appeals to you.

• Make sure your ring goes with your dressing, the colour and the shape.

•Genevieve Nnaji

•Rita Dominic.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

•Madueke

•Maku

•Jonathan

Waiting on drivers of transformation E

XCEPT for a few names, others are all well known; and the faces very familiar. They have been there before. Now they are back. They are the men, and if you choose, the women who are to drive the ‘transformational’ agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

In fulfilling Section 147 (2) of 1999 Federal Republic of Nigeria (with amendments 2011), Jonathan had about a month after his inauguration sent the first batch of 30 nominees to the senate for screening and approval.

The Section provides that: “Any appointment to the office of Minister of the Government of the Federation shall, if the nomination of any person to such office is confirmed by the Senate, be made by the President”.

With the ritual fulfilled, President Jonathan is expected to start the process of delivering his campaign promises which revolve around a single theme of ‘transformation’.

Jonathan had constantly maintained that he would like to hit the ground running. Perhaps, not unexpected, the first batch of 14 ministers to be sworn in were mostly the type Nigerians would call ‘returnee’ ministers, except

Augustine AVWODE Assistant Editor

Bayelsa, who returned to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, while Elder Godsday Orubebe from Delta also returned to the Niger Delta Ministry.

Others are Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu (Ebonyi) to Education; Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (Ekiti) as Minister of State FCT; Prof. Ruqqayyatu Rufai’a (Jigawa) to the Ministry of Education and Shamsudeen Usman (Kano) to National Planning.

In the same vein, Musa Sada (Katsina) returned to Mines and Steel; Bello Adoke (Kogi) as the Attorney General of the Federation and

two. And the president who had been reported to express dissatisfaction with frequent changes in the ministries, departments and agencies, did not hesitate to order 12 of the returnee ministers back to their respective ministries and to resume duties immediately.

The ministers are Emeka Wogu from Abia who returned to Labour and Productivity; Bala Mohammed from Bauchi for the Federal Capital Territory; Deziani Allison-Madueke,

‘

Jonathan had constantly maintained that he would like to hit the ground running. Perhaps not unexpected, the first batch of 14 ministers to be sworn in were mostly the type Nigerians would call ‘returnee’ ministers, except two

,

Minister of Justice; Labaran Maku (Nasarawa) returned as the Minister of Information and Communication and Yusuf Suleiman (Sokoto) to Ministry of Transport.

The other two ministers, Hajiya Zainab Maina and Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, who were sworn in on Saturday with their 12 other colleagues but were not assigned to ministries, were later given their portfolios.

While Hajiya Zainab Maina from Adamawa is to run the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Stella OduahOgiemwonyi heads the Ministry of Aviation.

Interestingly, the two ministries were formally headed by women. While OduahOgiemwonyi took over from Mrs. Fidelia Akuabata Njeze in the Aviation , Zainab Maina takes over from Mrs Josephine Anenih.

As at the time of writing this report, World Bank Managing Director, a prominent face during the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo days as finance minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was billed to be screened by the Senate. The choice of ministry that she would be asked to man was not clear, but it was being speculated that she could be asked to man the fi-

55

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011 nance ministry once again. Another person whose name has featured prominently is Barth Nnaji. He has been a presidential adviser on Power and he may be saddled with the arduous task of helping the administration to meet the high expectations of Nigerians as far as the power sector is concerned. And Nigerians are now watching and waiting to see how well and most importantly, how soon these individuals would deliver the promised transformation to them.

High expectations There is no doubt that there are high expectations on the side of Nigerians. A critical look at the voting trend during the April election showed that opposition parties abandoned their rigid voting patterns during the presidential election to vote for Jonathan only to return to such patterns a week later.

And this sense of high expectations is not lost on those in government and those outside it. In particular, Nigerians could have been said to be sucked in by the campaign slogan of President Jonathan who promised to embark on the ‘transformation’ of the country.

Even at the level of the National Assembly, there seems to be a certain urgency to get things working in a manner that will ultimately transform the country in no distant time and curiously giving no chance or place to failure.

On Monday, June 6, Senate President, David Mark, while addressing his colleagues immediately after the inauguration of the Seventh National Assembly, alluded to the need for those in government in one form or another to be serious with the business at hand. He emphasized some historical perspectives that must be taken seriously and which should drive all to success.

In his words: “This session of the National Assembly stands on the threshold of history. By 2014, Nigeria would have existed for 100 years as a country. History beckons on us to lay the foundation for a transformational agenda of development.

As we celebrate the 100 years of our existence in another three years, this Session of the National Assembly would have to render a historic account to the Nigerian people on how we have laid the foundation for a new Nigeria. This calls for landmark legislations to change the course of history for the present and future generations. ‘‘The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, made ‘transformation’ the focus of his campaign and on that basis, Nigerians gave him an overwhelming mandate. Therefore, the expectations of the people are high; we must go beyond crisis management to transformation’’, he urged his colleagues.

Annkio Briggs, a renowned Niger Delta activist put it more succinctly thus: “I don’t envy my brother, Goodluck Jonathan. The expectations from this one man are massive.

Everybody - Igbo, Yoruba, Igbira, Niger Delta people and so on expect him to make up for the neglect and abuse of the past 50 years. We should join hands to see how we can try to achieve that. We will see changes he makes in appointing ministers, assistants and so on.

“He has to run a government that would enable you and me to go to sleep in the night, knowing full well that when we wake up, we have a government that is taking us forward. Anything short of that will be a disappointment to Nigerians”, she asserted.

No room for compensation One major feature of the names of the ministers so far known to Nigerians is that no ‘failed candidate’ is among them. The common prac-

•Nweala •Adoke •Nnaji

tice in the past had been the appointment of politicians who contested one elective post or another, but failed to win to be compensated. In this present list, no one who participated in the April election, but failed has been considered, at least not now.

Before the list was made public, the talk of town was how the president’s retreat at Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State was rudely invaded by godfathers frantically making efforts to get their cronies, boys and daughters to emerge as ministers. A chieftain of the party told The Nation on condition of anonymity that “the president knows what is at stake and probably was not ready to take the risk of using the cabinet membership to compensate election losers.

There was a lot of pressure on him, but he stood his ground”.

The pressure that the party chieftain referred to has been alleged to be partly responsible for the delay which it suffered as it was a subject of intense speculation as powerful individuals and groups mounted pressure on the President to choose their nominees.

But when the list was made public largely through media report, a Lagos-based group, Committee for Transparency in Nigerian Politics (CTNP), applauded President Jonathan’s decision in superlatives.

The group, in a statement by its Secretary-General, Comrade Cletus Asikpo, noted that “with the calibre of names on the list, Jonathan has proved that he means well for the country and has also elevated himself above the kind of sentiments which had in the past years crippled the progress of the nation.

“We are very impressed with the list of ministerial nominees which the President and Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has reportedly concluded plans to submit to the National Assembly next week for screening.

“We are delighted that in spite of mounting pressures from various interest groups, including the president’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. President has finally come up with a list of names of some credible Nigerian technocrats whose track records in public service are there to speak for themselves,” Asikpo stressed.

Fear of recycling

Many Nigerians have been waiting to see those who will come on board his government as ministers.

As a matter of fact, many people have already concluded that the extent to which the president will go in achieving his campaign promises would be determined by the calibre and quality of people appointed as ministers.

Annkio Briggs again spoke the mind of many Nigerians: “The people he appoints as ministers will give us a very clear indication as to his determination to effect a positive change in the country or not because this will reflect in the policies that he would formulate. Nigeria does not really have a policy on anything. We don’t have developmental policy; we don’t have the structure. These are the issues that have kept Nigeria where it is. So these are the changes we expect him to make. We expect that people

‘ But now that the ministers are here, there is the fear that the transformational drive of the administration may suffer a stunted growth because of what has been described as a propensity to recycle individuals that have given their best to the country and who probably have nothing new to offer

,

would be nominated and put into positions that will show that they are able to function and deliver. For instance, the Minister of Health should be someone who can show that he has practised medicine. He has run a hospital, or he has worked in a hospital for him to be able to know how a hospital should be set up and how it should function. So it goes down the line of development, for instance agriculture, investment, education, human capacity development.

These are the expectations that we have”.

But now that the ministers are here, there is the fear that the transformational drive of the administration may suffer a stunted growth because of what has been described as a propensity to recycle individuals that have given their best to the country and who probably have nothing new to offer.

Lagos lawyer, Fred Agbaje, was very blunt in his reaction. He expressed doubt about the ability of some of the ministers to “take us beyond the point where we have been”. He feared that some of those who have been appointed could turn out to be “executive liability” to Jonathan and added that if care is not taken “President Jonathan could fritter away the goodwill which Nigerians have for him, and that would really be unfortunate”.

Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) founder, Dr Fredrick Fasehun, while giving Jonathan the benefit of the doubt, also raised the same sentiment. He stated that he would have loved to see more technocrats in the cabinet than “career politicians”. He argued that Nigeria is in a hurry to develop.

“I would have loved to see more technocrats in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) rather than career plliticians who are at best boys to some people. Nigeria is in a hurry to develop and we need those who understand this very clearly. “ But then one should also be ready to give the president the benefit of the doubt. He probably knows them more than anyone else and we can only hope that they know what the president wants and what Nigerians want and move to do just that”.

Chief Chekwas Okorie, founding chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) ,however, holds that there is increasing need to blend technocrats and politicians

together to achieve the best result and that is what the president has done.

“We must give the president the benefit of the doubt. There is a very thin line between those we call politicians and those we referred to as technocrats. The team as currently constituted is made up of both politicians and technocrats. You have people like Prof Barth Nnaji and there are others who are technocrats. But I would prefer a technocrat who has the knowledge of politics and a politician who is a technocrat at the same time. The truth is if a technocrat doesn’t have some idea of politics, he would not succeed. So emphasis should not be on technocrat alone”, he stated.

National Coordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG), Comrade Joseph Evah, has a word for both Jonathan and those who have been appointed, irrespective of where they are coming from. He simply wanted them to go and find the video recording of all the campaigns of the president so as to study those promises which he made to Nigerians with a view to helping him execute the same.

“The truth is that if these people know exactly what the president has in mind for Nigerians, they would be able to deliver the same to Nigerians from their various ministries.

Therefore, I want to advise them to go and look for the video recordings of all the campaign rallies of Mr President when he was going round the country. And if they are unable to lay their hands on them, the president should give copies to them to go and study. I am saying this because if they don’t help him to implement those things he promised, they will be a problem to him.

Nigerians are not ready to accept excuses and failure from the president”.

Without doubt, succeeding in his set agenda of “transformation” of the country is certainly primary to the president. But whether the present crop of ministers would help to actualize his vision of stable power supply, food on the table for all Nigerians, good roads, education, employment opportunities for the youths, affordable health care and a marked improvement in the standard of living of Nigerians and earn more respect both at home and abroad, such that his would become a benchmark of sorts for all president in the future, time will tell.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

•Ajayi

Fiscal federalism is way out of Nigeria’s problems, says Ajayi Hon. Adeyinka Ajayi, a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), is a legal practitioner and manages businesses cutting across different sectors of the economy. He was a former Coordinator of the Millennium Development Goals for Osun State. He speaks with COLLINS NWEZE on the economy and need to deliver people-oriented leadership. Excerpts:

W

HAT are the issues that need to be addressed in the Nigerian polity?

Fiscal federalism and strengthening of democratic institutions are issues paramount in my mind. These are critical issues that need to be addressed, if we are to move forward together as a nation. People have been talking about fiscal federalism for a long time, but we need to adopt a different approach to it.

It has not been easy because we don’t have the right attitude. And to show that we are taking it seriously, the leadership of the ACN is looking at calling that phrase a new name in order to make the message sink better.

Fiscal federalism, maybe, there is

something irritating a group of people about it that they don’t want to be identified with it. Or the common man on the street does not even understand what it means.

Therefore, the party leadership is looking at approaching it from the bottom-up approach. Maybe, change the name because fiscal federalism is the way out of

Nigerian problems. The earlier we understand that, the better.

But are there some benefits attached to this form of government?

Respect for sovereignty for federating states. The idea of the federal ceding power to the state is an aberration. The states that are sovereign in a federation cede

‘

The present situation is that the federal government has between 50 to 53 per cent of national income, a practice that is against the concept of federalism

,

power to the federal. Such states are sovereign, and own all that is within their jurisdictions. The present situation is that the federal government has between 50 to 53 per cent of national income, a practice that is against the concept of federalism.

The state and local government combined should earn more than the federal government because that is where the power and some of the resources reside. That is fiscal federalism.

Don’t you think that fiscal federalism will lead to a waste of public funds given the level of recklessness in the sates with such funds at present?

Resources are being wasted at the moment. If it is closer to the people, how worse can it get. The concept of throwing money at issues is also a source of the problem. If I manage my wealth in my community, the chances are that my people will feel the impact of that money more.

If I keep a large chunk of what I earn in my community, it helps for accountability, transparency.

Fiscal federalism will not encourage recklessness. Assuming it does, will it be any worse than it is right now?

So, that is not a reason enough to be against fiscal federalism. It is like the argument against the state police. Is the state police as it is currently constituted not being manipulated or abused? What about the benefits of the state police?Why can’t the refineries work?

Again with all sense of responsibility, my concern is we are running a federal system of government where the federal government owns more than the states. The usual argument that the federal government earns more because it is running federal parastatals is no longer feasible because a good number of them have been privatised. Now that many of these parastatals are privatized, it may be wise to take the burden off the federal government, and let the parastatals run the way they ought to run.

The new government has just started. Do you foresee a positive change in the lives of the people, or do you think it will be business as usual?

The question is: are we doing the right thing? Are we committed to achieving our dream as a nation?

The president is the hero of the current political dispensation. He had a choice, but decided to go for a free and fair election. I think we have achieved a great deal of success.

Despite the pressure from the ruling People’s Democratic Party to influence who became the House of Representatives Speaker, he allowed the people to decide. There are reasons, I say, the President at the moment will want to do things differently, and if that reflects well on the people, then we are on the right path.

What is Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) all about?

The MDGs have a uniform standard of human development.

It comprises of basic human needs such as water, health care, education and transportation to mention but a few. And the idea is to ensure that by 2015, the world has, by the conscious efforts and deliberate policy implementation process, achieved improvements in those highlighted human indexes.

Now that you are a representative of the people, how are you going to be using your position to execute key projects for the people?

The MDGs have steps and the application is strict. As a parliamentarian, I know that oversight is important. Whatever funds are available to my state, what is important is to ensure that

they are judiciously utilised. We don’t have situations where funds are made available and the people don’t get value for such money spent. Overpricing and over invoicing have to stop. There is no need making costs of projects exorbitant in a way it will not positively affect the wellbeing of the people.

How are funds for the execution of Millennium Development Goals projects coming?

The MDGs was 15- year plan put together by the United Nations.

Funding for Nigerian projects is coming from the oil windfall and discounts Nigeria got from debt cancellation from the Paris Club.

How easy is access to these funds?

The funds are in the custody of the federal government and any state interested in participating in the programme will apply. But such applicant has to match 100 per cent the funds it has applied for because it is a counterpart programme. Therefore, if a state applies for N1 million, it must also put down N1 million. So, it can execute N2 million worth of projects with only N1 million. If a state plans to spend N200 million, then it can raise N100 million because the federal government will match the N100 million with another N100 million.

What is the process of getting the funds from the United Nations?

Getting MDGs funds from the United Nations depends on how a country is improving. You have to apply for the funds which will be given to you based on merit. The projects carried out in the states will be used to assess whether or not the request will be granted.

These funds are interventionist.

They are meant to assist the beneficiary carry out the projects.

For instance, it does not take over the role of the Ministry of Health to build hospitals, or the Ministry of Education to build schools. This is supposed to be an additional support. Just an extra to augment whatever is available in the state.

Every state has a budget on MDGs, and the UN or federal government will support the state to execute those projects.

Do you think there is enough consciousness among the people concerning the Millennium Development Goals?

Everybody is aware that when you are hungry, proceeds from agriculture will help. Everybody is aware that when you are ill, you go to the hospital. If there is a primary health centre 10 minutes from your home, when you are ill, you will naturally go there. Once these things are in place, there is no need for awareness campaign.

We know that part of the funds used in financing MDGs is from debt. Now that the debt of the country is rising, does it give you some worries?

Debt profile can only be of concern if you don’t have the capacity to pay back. Otherwise, debt in itself is not an aberration. It is not a crime to owe . The United States of America is the world’s worst indebted nation, and still, is one of the world’s most economically viable countries . The important thing is whether the debtor has the capacity to pay back.

The debt profile can rise if we borrow money to correct the energy situation in the country. That is money well borrowed. If we borrow money to ensure that our refinery is working, that is money well borrowed. If we borrow money to have state of the art medical facilities in six geopolitical zones of the country, that is money well borrowed. But when you hear trillions of naira, and you don’t see what it is being used for, that becomes a big problem.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Politics must be for development — Senator Obende Senator Domingo Obende of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) represents the Edo North Senatorial District. In this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, he explains his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to the ACN and why the opposition cannot win future elections in the state. He also touches on the tremendous progress the present administration has brought to the senatorial district and the state in general. Excerpts: in the state?

•Obende

HY did you move from the PDP to the ACN? Sometimes in 2006, while in PDP, there was this discussion on who was going to get what and occupy where. I found out that while the discussion was on, nobody gave consideration to my local government area. So I asked why my people were not considered for anything. It was like, was there anybody in Akoko Edo that could be considered for anything? I took the statement as a slight on my people because as far as they were concerned, there was no human being in Akoko Edo. I said fine and held my peace as I pondered the next move. I strategised to move out to contest elections. It would interest you to know that as at that time I came, I was running a programme at the University of East London in Public Service, but decided to come down to give them a run. That established the fact that there were human beings in Akoko Edo, so the reference point started from there.

So, what informed my movement from the PDP to theACN was to correct the wrongs or their belief that there was no human being in the Akoko Edo Local Government Area as far as the PDP was concerned. I think today they will know that there are human beings in Akoko Edo. Thank God for the good people of Edo North who stood their ground and decided to hold on to the singular nature of the leadership that we perceive should be in Edo North and not one leader sitting somewhere deciding what goes to where and who. For instance, we were in the field while the primaries were conducted but barely after we had started, results were being announced without the process fully completed. Since this was done to undermine us, I felt there was no point challenging it. We later staged a walkout.

When you see the truth and stand by it, though many may not believe in you,the majority will eventually follow you.

How has the Edo North Senatorial District fared under the ACN leadership?

The aggressiveness of the administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has brought changes; perhaps I have never seen it before in the whole Edo State. A governor with slim resources decided to approach the three senatorial districts for aggressive development at a stretch. If you go to the south, the government is working. The central has also witnessed same development, and if you go to the north, the same approach has been adopted. I want to liken this to Johnny Walker.

No matter how tired, Johnny Walker keeps walking. Our governor is never tired.

Oshiomhole has brought a new dimension to leadership, and I believe that with this new dimension, many people will learn how to serve the people. I know whosoever will take over from him, by the grace of God after his eight years, will have a lot of challenges. The benchmark will be so high that the person will really need to work harder.

How has your party handled godfatherism

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I may have a totally different view about godfatherism. If you work like a lazy man,people will agree that you are lazy. But when you stand on your feet and try to surmount that problem, then nobody will see you as a lazy person. Godfatherism was the result of the fact that many people did not know their rights. But today we know better.

Oshiomhole has taught us that you can say no to godfatherism, and I believe a school leaver who has just joined politics knows that godfatherism is no longer the in-thing. It is no longer fashionable in Edo State. And coming to Oshiomhole, you will agree with me that in the course of the primaries, he distanced himself from what the people’s choice was going to be. Politics must obviously come with leadership and leadership that is not standing on a structured foundation cannot be assumed to be politics that can deliver the people. It is only natural that the leaders in a political party will agree with the people. And if you check today, the people you find now in elective positions in Edo State are people that are acceptable, people that we believe will be able to do well and put food on the table.

Any politics that does not put food on the table is not politics; politics that does not lead to development that you are witnessing today is no politics.

How do you intend to work for your senatorial district?

Certainly, there will be a greater level of partnership with my governor. Obviously, there will be issues at the federal level which my governor will want me and my colleagues to address. I want you to also understand that while in the senate, there is nothing like party.

It is the affiliation of the individual based on the strength of the relationship you establish with your colleagues that makes you a senator that can perform. We are going to work with our colleagues, with due respect to Senator Odion Ogbesia. I know if something good is coming to Edo State and as a good Edo man, he won’t stop it.He will collaborate with us to achieve it. I know that he has the love of Edo people at the back of his heart. Three of us will strategise and ensure federal presence in Edo State. But the strength of bringing this depends on individual senator who will be able to pull the string and know where to go. This is because information is very powerful. However, I may not say everything here because I know what I have already started and I believe God will actualise it. There will be development in Edo North in the areas of water, good roads and arresting the menace of erosion.

Edo North has the acute problem of water shortage. How will you tackle this?

The Ojirami Dam is the only source of water we have in Edo North. It has been left to waste.

It needs rehabilitation . If it has been rehabilitated, all the six local government areas in Edo North will have water up to Esanland in Edo Central. If we have such,why can’t we use it for the benefit of our people. If the dam is working, employment will be generated. It shows that we are going to have some substations in all the local government areas and this will generate employment. We will tackle erosion menace through legislation. The farms will not be washed away.That means the farmers will have their crops intact and, of course, the houses will not be washed away. Apart from attending to these problems , other aspects of the people’s welfare will be pursued with vigour.

The opposition has threatened to re-capture the state. Is this feasible?

Well, I do not see any challenge coming in the next election. Challenge can come if we fail to do the right thing. That becomes a challenge to our party.

Can you explain this better?

Anyway, where is the PDP coming from?

We defeated them in all elections. That is to tell you that Edo State has come to accept the ACN. It will take the removal of Adams Oshiomhole for that party to die in Edo State.

But as long as he is there and doing well, it will be hard to defeat the ACN in Edo State.

He is the striker of this match, scoring goals and obviously all of us behind will be energised by his conduct.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

Court jails Chinese, Taiwanese 15 years each for cocaine import J USTICE Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos has sentenced a Taiwanese, Fong Chiu Sen, and a Chinese, Wang Richard, to 15 years imprisonment each for importing cocaine which they concealed in a 20-feet container. It was estimated at about N4.2 billion.

The cocaine imported from Chile, which weighed 450.4kg, was declared as cigarette, but found on inspection to be cocaine concealed in some wooden items.

Those behind the importation used a fictitious name –

Eric IKHILAE

Honourable Mike Njoku with a bid to give the impression that the consignee was a top politician. Sen and Richard were arrested in Lagos in July last year by security agents after the container was intercepted at the Abebe village, Lagos.

They were consequently arraigned on a four-count charge with three Nigerian clearing

agents - Inua Mohammed, Ezeala Kingsley and Godswill Asomugha.

In a judgment yesterday, Justice Abang held that the prosecuting agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), proved the case against the foreigners beyond reasonable doubt. He discharged and acquitted the Nigerians on the grounds that the NDLEA failed to prove the case against them beyond reasonable doubt.

Sen was sentenced to 15 years

Ekiti monarch urges governments to halt poverty

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HE new Elekole of Ikole Ekiti, Oba Ajibade Adewumi Fasiku, has urged governments at various levels to improve on activities and policies that can meaningfully reverse current poverty by empowering people through direct job creations and other empowerment measures.

Oba Fasiku, who noted this during the courtesy visit of Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi, representing Ekiti North in the National Assembly, also described peace as primary to the endemic poverty in Nigeria, assuring the senator that he would work to ensure that peace reigns in his domain.

The new monarch further promised to assist the senator in actualising his laudable dreams for the people of the zone which comprises Ilejemeje, Ikole, Oye, Ido/Osi and Moba local government areas of the state.

Earlier in his message, the senator had made a plea to President Goodluck Jonathan

Sulaiman SALAWUDEEN, Ado-Ekiti to make good his promise to confer constitutional roles on the traditional rulers across the country to further strengthen the grassroots.

Senator Adetumbi described traditional institutions as stabilising factors in the life of the nation, adding that to give monarchs constitutional recognition is to unleash on them the desirable freedom and give development of the grassroots the needed boost.

The senator who represents theAction Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Nigeria’s Upper Chambers said the country was in need of the intervention of the monarchs at this time of incessant sectional crises to manage feuds arising from communal to ethno-religious crises currently ravaging the nation.

The senator said Elekole , as a prominent first- class traditional ruler in the state, has

roles to play in the maintenance of peace and development of the community, especially in Ekiti North Senatorial District, where Ikole Ekiti belongs.

He applauded the oba and and elders in the Ikole kingdom for ensuring peace that has reigned in the kingdom, especially after the selection process that led to the emergence of Oba Fasiku, among 13 other contestants for the position.

It would be recalled that the Elekole stool became vacant on the demise of Oba Adeleye Adetunla last year June.

Senator Adetiumbi advised the new monarch to eschew partisanship and align with the legacies of his predecessor who he described as a true traditional head who gave all for the political and economical emancipation of people of the community.

Kingmakers and chiefs of Ikole Ekiti rose from a recent council meeting at the palace of Elekole of Ikole Ekiti, passing a vote of confidence on the new monarch, Oba Adewumi Ajibade Fasiku.

imprisonment each on the two counts again, but the jail terms would run concurrently. The foreigners are also to forfeit their seized properties to the Federal Government.

The judge upbraided the NDLEA for refusing to arraign officials of the Nigerian Customs who cleared the container, saying selective justice was one of the great issues militating against the progress of this country.

“I would have ordered the arrest of the Customs officials, including their Comptroller, but to do so, I will be jumping into unnecessary legal crisis.

However, I leave the NDLEA to their conscience.”

The judge observed that the consignment of drug imported by the convict was huge. He held that they lacked the love of this country at heart because the drug could have occasioned substantial damages to the citizens if it had come in unnoticed.

The court noted that the foreigners had no sympathy for the corporate existence of the country for attempting to import such massive drug into the country.

“The facts of this case are miserable, sorry, shameful to remember and too ghastly to believe. They are harbingers of evil. They are Godless and lawless.

“They have sowed wind and must reap wild wind. They conspired to tarnish the image of this country intentionally.A drastic situation requires a drastic action and that is why the court as an instrument of social engineering must rise to the challenge whenever it is being called upon,” the court ruled.

Jonathan swears in 17 ministers, to get portfolios Monday

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HE 17 of the recently cleared ministerial nominees were yesterday sworn in by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was absent. It was gathered that she travelled to Washington immediately she was cleared by the Senate on Thursday.

This brings to 31 the number of ministers already sworn in by the president. They are expected to get their portfolios by Monday.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, will allocate the portfolios, the president said. The Ministers were sworn in in three batches.

The acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bello Haliru Mohammed, Professor Ita Okon Bassey Ewa, Commrade Abba Moro, Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom, Alhaji Bukar Tijani and Arch. Mike Onolememen.

Others are Bart Nnaji, Sen. Idris Umar, Prof. Mrs. Viola Onwuliri, Olusegun Aganga, Bolaji Abdullahi and Hajia Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi.

Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, Erelu Olusola Obada, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, Dr. Yerima Lawan Ngama and Amb. Bashir Yuguda.

Edo PDP vice-chairman, ex-Speaker defect to ACN

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ATIONAL Vice- Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Edo State and senatorial leader in Edo Central, Chief Simeon Omofuma, and one-time Speaker of the state House of Assembly and prominent PDP leader in Edo Central, Rt Hon David Iyoha, have defected from the PDP to the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN).

Those who also defected at a massive rally at the open field of Eguare Primary School, Ekpoma yesterday included Pastor Sam Odigie, Professor Ighalo, Barrister Ehigie Ehimua, son of a popular grassroots politician in Esanland known as Omosco and over three thousand of their members.

The former Speaker said he and the others decided to join the ACN to be part of the development train going on in the state.

According to him, “Without any equivocation, we are being persuaded to move to the ACN because of the developmental and people-oriented strides of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

He continued: “There is no one here or around the state that is not aware of the transformation going on in public schools and other areas across the state. Look at this school where we are? Is it not a wonder? A school like this will naturally transform the intellectual capacity of any child to excel academically.

“Your Excellency, there is no one driving or passing through Benin City that will not praise your foresight because your desire for standards is very high. These roads, like those constructed

by Prof Ambrose Alli about 30 years ago, will stand the test of time.

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SPORT EXTRA

SPORT FESTIVAL

Accusation trails Rivers’ medal haul

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S the 17th National Sports Festival tagged the Garden City Games is set to come to a close today, accusations and counter accusations continues to trail host, Rivers State as other participants believe the state’s medal haul were achieved by dubious means.

Rivers is ensuring its aim of hosting to win by leading the medals table with 105 gold, 54 silver and 59 bronze medal at the time of filing this report, while Delta State is at distance 2nd spot with 34 gold, 23 silver and 29bronze medals. position, having 64 gold, 72 silver and 62 bronze medal, with Edo holding up to the 3 Many of other teams that either failed to win or their qualification for medal slot were dashed by Rivers have been pointing accusing fingers to the host for buying medals and fielding ineligible athletes.

Some of the states that accused Rivers includes, Kaduna, Delta, Niger, Edo and Benue, whiles states like Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa believes it was the early preparation by Team Rivers that was responsible for the domination of various sports they partake.

Reporting his grievance, the Director of Sports, Benue State, Gilbert Ikaso said the host resulted to use alien athletes to prosecute some of the competitions they participated in.

“I can tell you that aliens

•As Ekeji rules out foul play From Akeem Lawal and Florence Israel, Port Harcourt

are being used by the host.

One of my coaches who informed me about the incident said he was nearly lynched by athletes who were against the National Sports Festival that is aimed at discovering hidden talents, to be used at the All Africa Games and the Olympics. If we don’t have the athletes that will represent the country there by depriving our own indigenous athletes the chance of representing their country at international level”, he said.

In his reaction, the public relations officer to the Edo State Sports ministry, Precious Igbonwelundu accused the host of using mercenaries (professional players) to prosecute the female football event of the games.

"It is so shameful that Rivers State is using professionals to compete. As I speak to you, it appears it's only Edo State that brought amateur players in football.

How can we develop sports in Nigeria when States have refused to abide by the rules guiding the National Sports Festival? The goal of the National Sports Festival is to develop new talents that can be groomed to professional level, but with the use of professionals in the games, I think one will not be wrong

to say that the aim is defeated’ she was quoted to have said.

Also, the Leader of Kaduna State delegation, Abdul Azeez Muhammed, Perm.

Sec Ministry of Youth and Sports, Niger State, including the Executive Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick joined in accusing the host of not adhering to the aims and objectives of the festival.

"We (Delta State) are satisfied with our second place so far because we won our medals decently. We have no reason to question our position," said the Delta sports boss.

But rising in the defense of the host, the Chairman

National Sports Commission (NSC), Patrick Ekeji believes the accusation is unfounded and has no evidence of truth.

“Let us not reduce it to beer palour allegation because the allegations are not true because the National Sports Commission have no team.

We are responsible for organizing festival through the Local Organising Committee, we have the rules that have been laid down.

“It is malicious for anybody to make such statement without giving proof. Of course in Nigeria when you lose, everything is bad and when you win everything is in order. From the NSC angle, as the custodian of the National Sports Festival, we keep looking at the way we could improve it and I can tell you, we have recorded milestone in the organization and conducting the festival.”

Collaborating Ekeji’s point, the Per. Sec Ministry of Sports, Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Roselyn Ekweme believes Rivers State took the festival seriously as they have been preparing for the games early enough.

•Says not good for Nigerian players

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By Ejiro Femi-Babafemi, from Germany league.

'In Nigeria our girls train everyday unlike in Europe where they don't. Yes they may have a better environment but we are better,' she told NationSport.

On this basis, the coach has, however, pleaded with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the media to help solicit for sponsors for the women's league.'That is the only way the league can grow.

•Eucharia

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HE duo of Perpetua Nkwocha and Stella Mbachu will be missed

by Falcons keeper, Precious Dede.

Both players have announced their retirement from the women national team although Nkwocha will be around for the Olympics in London next year.

While Mbachu announced her retirement after Nigeria's last game against Canada 'We are going to miss their experience. They have both done so well to build the team to this level to where it is right now.

The younger players have enjoyed having them around and would have wished they stay longer,' she told NationSport.

In Dede's she is not considering

By Ejiro Femi-Babafemi, from Germany leaving the game not even in the nearest future. 'As long as my reflexes are still sharp and intact l will still be keeping,' she told NationSport. Though very shy and withdrawn, Dede plans going into the acting world after hanging her gloves. 'I have a diploma in theatre arts,' she said.

The Rivers Angels keeper has been commended for an impressive outing in Germany despite conceding two goals.

She took over from Anne Chejeine in 2002 under coach Sam Okpodu.

Over the years she has been adjudged Africa's best female goalkeeper.

Team Lagos hauls boxing gold

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HE monthly Saturday Boxing Show in Lagos paid off handsomely for the state's boxing team as it recorded seven Gold medals on the last day of the National Sports Festival in Rivers State.With this feat, the Team Lagos brought its total to 11 gold medals.

Taiwo Agbaje defeated Lasisi Aliu of Rivers in the 52kg, while in the 51kg, Adebayo Mutiat defeated Adeniyi Fajoke of Ekiti to win the gold medal. 54kg Fatai Sikiru got the better of Sanusi Abiodun of Ogun.

Oladosu Rilwan beat Edo

By Innocent Amomoh State's Osamudiamuwen(111). Fijabi Olaide competing in the 64kg defeated Umea Ugochukwu of Rivers (20-0), while female boxer, Kate Peters beat Obiwunmi Martha of Edo State (7-2) to win in the 64kg category.

However in the 81kg category, Sango Muri lost to (1-11) to Nehikhare Nosa of Oyo State, while the 7th gold medal of the day came in the 81kg of the female category, where Temi Are of Lagos defeated Amusa Zainab of Benue (9-0).

MEDALS TABLE (As at 5:30pm July 8, 2011)

Uche Eucharia condemns European leagues OACH Uche Eucharia has kicked against the movement of Nigerian players to Europe for professional football, saying it is killing their game.

She was forced to make the assessment based on the performance of the foreign based players that featured for the Super Falcons in the World Cup 'When they return to the national team, most of them find it difficult blending with the local players and as a result they have to train harder to fit in,' said the coach.

Incidentally she is not the only Nigerian female coach with such opinion. Those interviewed by NationSport in the past have claimed that majority of the players take up menial jobs to augment their football wages.

The coach who came under severe knocks for her alleged comments on lesbianism in the women's game, however, blamed the influx to Europe on the absence of an enabling environment in the Nigerian

We'll miss Perpetua, Nkwocha —Dede

•Team Lagos in yellow jersey in action against Team Bayelsa in the game of basketball at the 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt PHOTO: Bola Omilabu Cont’d from page 64

Yobo’s challenge tape receiving money. But the player successfully defended himself in court.

He languished in custody for three days in a Turkey Police Station over allegation of match fixing, but was released on Wednesday night.

Part of the allegations stated that Emenike feigned injury to avoid playing against Feberbache in a Turkish League game. What I find absurd in this allegation is the fact that Emenike has a medical report stating why he shouldn’t play the game.

Again, I also don’t know where any player picks himself for a game. The onus of selecting players for matches rests with the coach.

If Emenike’s manager didn’t think that he should be fielded against Fenerbache, especially with his certified medical report of being unfit, how does that translate to match fixing? Is it not also puzzling that Fenerbache would sign a match-fixer in the new season, which is what Emenike’s move to Fenerbache suggests?

On the flipside, the Emenike issue should task NANF and indeed APFCON, the two bodies claiming to represent the interest of Nigerian players, to give him good legal representation which should start with hearing his side to the story.

Emenike’s revelation could help the lawyers to prepare a good defence if need, be in the court in future.

We should ensure that Emenike’s release marks the end of his involvement in it. The National Sports Commission (NSC) should liaise with the NFF to get to the root of the matter. It would be tragic, if we assume all is over. Investigation is ongoing and Emenike could be re-arrested.

SN

State

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33 34.

35.

36.

37.

Rivers Delta Edo Ondo Bayelsa Akwa Ibom Benue Ogun Oyo Plateau Abia Kano Imo Cross River Lagos FCT Kaduna Kwara Bauchi Kebbi Anambra Enugu Osun Nasarawa Ekiti Niger Borno Jigawa Katsina Adamawa Taraba Kogi Yobe Ebonyi Zamfara Gombe Sokoto

118 71 37 20 17 14 13 12 11 9 9 9 7 6 5 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

60 78 27 26 15 7 11 19 17 21 7 6 15 11 12 10 4 5 7 0 6 3 0 0 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0

62 69 34 38 30 20 20 35 21 9 12 6 32 14 23 15 17 9 6 0 11 4 9 6 7 6 6 4 4 2 2 7 3 2 2 0 0

240 218 98 84 62 41 44 66 49 39 28 21 54 31 40 30 26 18 16 3 19 9 11 8 12 10 9 7 7 4 4 8 4 3 2 0 0

Tomorrow in THE NATION PUNCHLINE

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.5, NO. 1815

It is unfortunate that the ruling party which ought to have been an epitome of honesty as the best policy was the one championing criminality as a way of life and even had the temerity to want to legalise this —Tunji Adegboyega

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is no poet. The trained scientist does not pretend to be one. He lacks Obama’s oratorical skills and makes no such affectations. He is at his best when he speaks simply and sincerely from the heart. That infectious lack of complication, in my view, was one factor that endeared him to the electorate. It was thus surprising that his May 29th inaugration speech was such a different kettle of fish. The President indulged rhetorical flights of fancy. Still relishing his emphatic electoral victory, the likeable Ijaw man soared into realms of sheer fantasy.

Jonathan’s speech writers were, on that occasion, clearly inebriated by the acclaimed credibility of the modestly successful elections. Through profuse linguistic indulgence, they transformed their man into an unconvincing sophisted rhetorician.

When officially declaring his candidature on the PDP platform in Abuja, Jonathan pledged to promise less and do more. But in the exhilarating excitement of his postelection inaugration, he did not hesitate to drown us in a sea of promises. Our season of lamentation had come to an end, he enthused. The insinuation? His election marked the commencement of a new, golden era.

We have since been lamenting the ceaseless criminalties of a Boko Haram insurgency that leaves the security establishment utterly bewildered. Of course, we can understand Jonathan’s post-election ecstacy.

His triumph at the polls was at once straight forward and complex. It is one of the most mysterious performances in Nigeria’s electoral history. Nigerians, in the presidential election, voted simultaneously for continuity and change. Most voters claimed they voted for Jonathan and not for the PDP. They want a continuity of Jonathan’s likeable style. But they want a discontinuity of the PDP’s failed policies of the last 12 years. It is a contradiction in terms; a decision we may ultimately regret.

Morning, it is said, gives an indication of what the day offers. Can Jonthan fulfill our post-election hopes he has raised so high?

So far, I cannot see the positive results of his much publicised retreat at the Obudu cattle ranch. The process of selecting Ministers and Special Advisers has been lousy and haphazard to say the least. He has been sending nominees for confirmation in batches. A number of names have been withdrawn after being sent to the Senate. The

SMS to

Rhetoric and reality ‘

•Jonathan

•Fashola

entire process seems to have been surrendered to the same party hawks and bucaneers responsible for the PDP’s dismal performance since 1999. This is clearly not the serious attitude expected of a President with a supposedly transformational agenda.

Is there any rational basis, for instance, that explains those Jonathan has decided to retain as members of his new Cabinet?

Let me cite just two examples. In what way has the Attorney General, Bello Adoke’s performance, been superior to that of his professionally and intellectually pedestrian immediate predecessor and co-SAN, Michael Aondoaka? Mrs Deziani AlisonMadueke’s dazzling face may brighten the Petroleum Ministry. But there is no indication hers is the kind of luminousity that can achieve the much needed transparency and transformation in the sector.

Jonathan has been given a mandate to

They want a continuity of Jonathan’s likeable style. But they want a discontinuity of the PDP’s failed policies of the last 12 years. It is a contradiction in terms; a decision we may ultimately regret

’

break with the failures of the past and achieve transformation. But he has picked as head of his economic team an Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who, despite her sparkling intellectual credentials and international prestige, is part and parcel of the economic failure of the OBJ years. There was no breath of economic fresh air during her appearance at the Senate screening session. It was the same old World Bank/IMF neo-liberal sermonizing that has left Nigeria economically stranded over the last two and a half decades. She may be a perfect example of a competent technocrat “expected to spearhead change in regimes steeped in bureaucratic inertia and disincentivizing motivations”.

Of course, someone like Labaran Maku will try his best. He is not only a competent professional; he has moral integrity. Dr. Reuben Abati will sparkle. Cerebral and

multi-talented, he will be adept at managing public perception. But then, managing perception or ‘manufacturing consent’ may be a Herculean task if not backed by concrete governmental performance. In that context, information management degenerates into crude and revolting propagandizing. It seems to me that there is an ongoing grim struggle between two Jonathans. One is desirous of achieving the change that his emphatic personal electoral victory demands. The other is sentimentally attached to the continuity representative of the despicable PDP platform on which he contested. By his actions and style so far, the latter seems to be winning. I hope I am proved wrong.

Like Jonathan, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State is no accomplished orator. His is the coldly logical delivery of the trained legal mind than the passionate politician capable of whipping supporters into inflamable frenzy. Fashola’s speech at the swearing in of his Commissioners and Special Advisers last Monday was clearly lacking in eloquence. I think this was deliberate. It was more grounded in reality than rhetoric. This is despite the fact that the quality, experience and expertise of the team are indisputable.

As I watched the governor speak at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium at Alausa, I had the impression that so much seemed to weigh on his mind. True, his superlative performance during the first term was universally acknowledged even by his honest adversaries. It garnered for his party 1,500,113 votes at the polls that brought him back to power. Unlike Jonathan, BRF’s electoral victory was a vote for continuity both for him personally and for his party platform. But that success seems to have engendered greater sobriety rather than unrestrained exhilaration on the part of Fashola.

Thus, he admonished his new appointees: “This new team must resist the temptation to dwell on any successes of the last team. We must see whatever they achieved as challenges to us to do better…We must challenge ourselves to exceed their achievements even if the circumstances are different…Our days will be as long as our nights. Our task is enormous”. I believe that ultimate success is grounded on such sobering reality rather than fantastic rhetoric not backed by the requisite sense of purpose, clarity of vision and courageous action.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday

Yobo’s challenge

J

OSEPH Yobo has paid his dues at Everton FC in England, which he joined from France. In fact, he played all Everton’s matches for the season with a few blips, which is human.

Yobo lost favour with Everton’s manager David Moyes last season. He was loaned to Turkey-based side Fenerbache. He distinguished himself at Fenerbache, scoring the goal that earned the Turkish side its berth in the 2011/2012 UEFA Champions League.

Expectedly, Fenerbache showed intent to keep Yobo and offered Everton £2 million for a permanent deal, which was rejected. A few pundits couldn’t understand why Everton rejected the Turkish bid, especially for a player that they said didn’t fit into Moyes’ plans.

Clear to everyone was Everton’s devious act of having Yobo return to its pre-season training to find out if he had regained his form of yore. If he had, Everton would have offered Yobo a new deal, otherwise he would have been placed on the bench. If this latter option had occurred, Yobo would have lost the permanent deal to join Fenerbache and a dream chance to compete against the bigger teams in Europe during the 2011/2012 UEFA Champions League.

Unknown to Everton’s management, Yobo recognised their devious ploy to spoil his UEFA Champions League dream. Rather than join issues with Everton, Yobo sought to force his transfer out of Everton, like the rules provide for when the club is playing games with any player’s transfer. Yobo refused to return to Everton’s pre-season training and allowed his agent to secure his transfer. Yobo even offered to pay the difference in the transfer fees like others do, and this would have compelled Everton’s management to do a rethink.

As at Tuesday night, Everton asked Yobo to stay away from its pre-season training to allow both parties in the troublesome transfer settle the issues. Curiously, Everton are asking for 4 million euros, which is quite ridiculous for a defender who had been confined to the bench until the loan deal.

The lesson of Yobo’s challenge is the need for every Nigerian player in Europe to sign contracts that make exit from clubs less troublesome.

Nigerian players must involve the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in their transfer matters as provided for in the rule book.

Our players must ensure that they sign for clubs whose nationals don’t fight for jerseys with them.

Most times, European managers tend to favour their nationals over foreigners especially when such players like Yobo lose form

or have injuries for long.

Our players must never allow European clubs to cajole them into playing matches after being injected with pain relievers because such favours don’t matter when it is time to dispense with their services.

Our players must never be persuaded by their European clubs to dump their country’s international matches during the peak periods in those clubs. They must appreciate the fact that these clubs secured their services after watching them excel in Nigeria’s colours in international competitions.

Yobo’s challenge should serve as an eye opener for those Nigerians enjoying their stay in European clubs. They must get lawyers to ensure that the exit clause in their contract permits them to leave on their terms, especially where the manager decides that their services are no longer needed. A word is enough for the wise.

Super Falcons!

The Super Falcons’ outing at the Women World Cup in Germany shows that the girls can truly rule the world, if given the same treatment as the men, in terms of how they prepare for such competitions.

The girls need to begin a good domestic league competition that would provide the platform for them to sharpen their skills.

The easiest way to source for fund for them is to get the governors’ wives in the 36 States and Abuja to identify with the project.

The league competition could be played through zones to reduce cost since not many governors would be ready to splash cash on them.

Winners of the zones could meet in Abuja or Lagos so that the blue-chip firms can see the need to back them with cash.

Now that we have broken the duck by winning a World Cup game at that level, we must ensure that the next outing is targeted at Nigeria lifting the Women World Cup. It looks like a dream. But with proper planning, which should start now, we can become the first African nation to lift the women World Cup. It must be stated that Coach Uche Eucharia should be sent to a very good coaching school where she can be attached to teams to learn new tricks in the game.

Eucharia has shown with her debut outing that she has the technical savvy to train the girls to become winners.

We need to build on the gains of the Germany World Cup lest we spend the next four years apportioning blame that would lead us to nowhere.

Emenike’s pain

These are not the best of times for Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike. Emenike was alleged to have been caught on camera negotiating to withdraw from Karabukspor’s home game against Fenerbache in return for joining the Yellow Canaries, if they become champions.

He is also alleged to have been caught on •Continued on Page 63

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