July 5, 2014

THE NATION,

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

Boko Haram: Troops arrest three more suspected female terrorists

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HE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said that troops have arrested three suspected female terrorists allegedly recruiting ladies for the female wing of Boko Haram.

The three suspects were named as Hafsat Usman Bako, Zainab Idris and Aisha Abubakar.

The DHQ, which made the claim in a statement signed on behalf of the Director of Defence Information by Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the suspects were intercepted on their way to the dreaded Sambisa Forest.

The statement said: “In the aftermath of the failed suicide bombing attempt on a military facility by a female

•Lay siege to Sambisa Forest routes

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation terrorist who blew herself up in Gombe recently, troops have arrested three suspected female terrorists who have been secretly recruiting ladies into the female wing of the terrorists group.

“The suspects, Hafsat Usman Bako, Zainab Idris and Aisha Abubakar, were intercepted while travelling to Madagali from where they were to transit to the forest to reunite with their cohorts.

“Investigations revealed

that the suspects, led by Hafsat Bako, have the mission to recruit members into the female wing as well as conduct espionage for the group.

“Hafsat’s link with the terrorists group had earlier been a subject of investigation in 2012, when security agents on a manhunt for one Usman Bako, her husband who was identified as a terrorist, stormed their residence in Jimeta.

“This resulted in the discovery of an AK 47 rifle and two loaded magazines. Though Usman Bako later died in an encounter with troops in

Sokoto where he had relocated to continue his terrorist activities, Hafsat continued with the terror group specialising in surreptitious recruitment of members into their fold.”

The statement said the suspects specialised in hiring widows and young girls under the guise of marrying them off to good homes.

The statement added: “The arrested three suspects were luring ladies, especially widows and young girls, by enticing them with male suitors who are mainly members of their terror group for marriage.

“Before their arrest, they

were on a mission to take additional briefing from the leadership of the terror group.

“The three suspects have been operating together as members of the intelligence team of the group. Their arrest has yielded information still being verified by security agencies.”

A reliable military source, who spoke in confidence, said as part of the “proposed final onslaught against Boko Haram by the military, troops have been mobilised to all routes leading to Sambisa Forest.

“Coded as frontline zones, the siege on the routes had

enabled the troops to arrest one of the masterminds of the abduction of the 223 Chibok girls, Businessman Babuji Ya’ari, and two women serving as spies for Boko Haram, Hafsat Bako and Haj Kaka. These three were actually going to Sambisa Forest.

“The strategy is to embark on pre-emptive steps to limit link with Boko Haram.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “We are ready to take the battle to Sambisa Forest. But we want to avoid as much collateral damage as possible. Our real mission is to liberate the abducted girls alive.”

Sect not sponsored by anti-Jonathan politicians -- US officials •Say group gets most funds from lucrative kidnapping •’No substantial aid from al-Qaeda and AQIM’

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ASHINGTON – When Washington imposed sanctions in June 2012 on Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau,he dismissed it as an empty gesture.

Two years later, Shekau’s skepticism appears well founded: his Islamic militant group is now the biggest security threat to Africa’s top oil producer, is richer than ever, more violent and its abductions of women and children continue with impunity.

As the United States, Nigeria and others struggle to track and choke off its funding, Reuters interviews with more than a dozen current and former U.S. officials who closely follow Boko Haram provide the most complete picture to date of how the group finances its activities.

Central to the militant group’s approach includes using hard-to-track human couriers to move cash, relying on local funding sources and engaging in only limited financial relationships with other extremists groups. It also has reaped millions from highprofile kidnappings. “Our suspicions are that they are surviving on very lucrative criminal activities that involve kidnappings,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview.

Until now, U.S. officials have declined to discuss Boko Haram’s financing in such detail.

The United States has stepped up cooperation with Nigeria to gather intelligence on Boko Haram, whose militants are killing civilians almost daily in its northeastern Nigerian stronghold. But the lack of international financial ties to the group limit the measures the United States can use to undermine it, such as financial sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury normally relies on a range of measures to track financial transactions of terrorist groups, but Boko Haram appears to operate largely outside the banking system.

To fund its murderous network, Boko Haram uses primarily a system of couriers to

move cash around inside Nigeria and across the porous borders from neighbouring African states, according to the officials interviewed by Reuters.

In designating Boko Haram as a terrorist organization last year, the Obama administration characterized the group as a violent extremist organization with links to al Qaeda.

The Treasury Department said in a statement to Reuters that the United States has seen evidence that Boko Haram has received financial support from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM), an offshoot of the jihadist group founded

by Osama bin Laden.

But that support is limited.

Officials with deep knowledge of Boko Haram’s finances say that any links with al Qaeda or its affiliates are inconsequential to Boko Haram’s overall funding.

“Any financial support AQIM might still be providing Boko Haram would pale in comparison to the resources it gets from criminal activities,” said one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Assessments differ, but one U.S. estimate of financial transfers from AQIM was in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars.That compares with the millions of dollars that Boko Haram is estimated to make through its kidnap and ransom operations.

LUCRATIVE KIDNAPPING RACKET Ransoms appear to be the main source of funding for Boko Haram’s five-year-old Islamist insurgency in Nigeria, said the U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In February last year, armed men on motorcycles snatched Frenchman Tanguy MoulinFournier, his wife and four children, and his brother while they were on holiday near the Waza national park in Cameroon, close to the Nigerian border.

Boko Haram was paid an equivalent of about $3.15 million by French and

•Continued on Page 59

•Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha ( third from left) in a group picture with leaders of Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria led by Mr. Kolawole Onyeka, during their visit to Government House in Owerri

Minister begs ASUP to call off strike ...as committee to bridge HND/B.Sc dichotomy submits report

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HE Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Nyesom Wike, yesterday appealed to the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to call off its 11-month-old industrial action in the interest of the country.

Wike assured that government is working assiduously to see that issues surrounding the strike are properly addressed.

He said this in Abuja at the presentation of the report of the technical committee set up by the Federal Government on the removal of ceiling on career progression of HND holders and dichotomy between HND holders and degrees holders.

The minister promised that the report would be forwarded to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for immediate action.

His words: “Let me on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for completing the assignment given to them. Of cause we all know that this assignment is very serious; it is not any easy one, but what is important is that you have come up with far reaching decisions that would help to address some of the challenges that have been identified in the polytechnic sector.

“It is for ASUP to know that government is willing to solve the entire problem, but ASUP should know that the interest of this nation is paramount to everybody and that government is doing a lot of

Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Abuja sacrifices to meet up on its own demand. ASUP should also in the interest of the nation call off the strike.”

The committee called for the strengthening of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) so that it can continue with the review of curricular of the polytechnic sector and bring it in line with global and industrial standard.

Presenting the report the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr. MacJohn Nwaobiala, who is also the chairman of the committee, explained that the committee identified the imperative for changes to be made in classification of HND holders in the Scheme of Service as a first step to opening the career ladder to enable them reach the maximum grade levels in the civil service.

He also underlined the

need to maintain standards, by not creating two different B. Tech degrees, and therefore considered it more beneficial to synchronize the B. Tech Curriculum proposed by the NBTE, for the polytechnics with the B. Tech degree approved for the universities by NUC, to avoid further dichotomy.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the presentation of the report, the President of ASUP, Chibuzor Asumogha, disclosed that the presentation of the report was “a step forward” in calling off the strike.

Boko Haram took us unaware, says Jonathan

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan Friday admitted that the current insecurity in the country especially the intensity of the Boko Haram crisis in the North East caught the government and the security agencies unaware.

The President also admitted that issues of ethnicity and religious intolerance poses one of the greatest danger to the survival of the corporate existence of the nation especially if left unchecked.

The President who spoke through his vice! Mohammed Namadi Sambo at the graduation ceremony of the Senior Course 36 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna state however assured that the government will continue to equip the armed forces to ensure that, the activities of the insurgents are brought to a permanent end.

President Jonathan said: “Nigeria is faced with contemporary security challenges that were not envisaged some decades ago, as exemplified by the various terrorists attacks currently being experienced in some parts of our country”.

He told the officers who are of the rank of Major and ifs equivalent in the Airforce and the Navy that as members of the armed forces, they have a crucial role to play in ensuring that the lives and property of the citizenry are protected from all forms international and external threats.

According to him: “We must remember that, the greatest danger to our collective security as a people and a nation lies in the issue of ethnicity and religious intolerance.

“These twin evil, if not checked are capable of threatening our corporate existence as one sovereign and indivisible nation. You must there-

fore discourage such sentiments and encourage our men to view themselves as comrades in the pursuit of a common destiny.

“Furthermore, you must continue to anticipate and reflect on the noble idea of the membership of the armed forces; you would be judged by your roles and actions of your men. Therefore, the military must remain apolitical and neutral in performing her constitutional roles”.

Commandant AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal John Chris Ifemeje said, the 147 gut adjusting officers include 12 allied officers from 11 sister African countries went through 48 weeks of intensive training in the college.

He charged them to take along with them as they return to their various services, everything they have learnt from the college, which he said will go a long wY to assist them in the assigned areas of operations.

THE NATION,

NEWS 3

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

•Apprehensive passers-by while the mayhem lasted

•Wreckage of some buses burnt by irate soldiers

PHOTOS: Biodun WILLIAMS

Soldiers unleash mayhem in Lagos over death of colleague

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T was all fury at Palmgrove,Lagos yesterday after soldiers seized a stretch of the ever busy Ikorodu Road, vandalising vehicles ,beating up motorists and commuters and disrupting traffic flow for several hours.

Thousands of motorists and commuters caught in the breakdown of law and order ran helter skelter for their lives.Many motorists abandoned their cars.Commuters were harassed by the soldiers and street urchins who cashed in on the situation to deprive people of money,handsets and other valuables.

Newspaper photographers who rushed to the scene were also attacked by the soldiers and hoodlums.Their cameras were either seized or smashed.

No fewer than four buses belonging to the Lagos State –owned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) were burnt and eight others vandalised.

The soldiers were venting their anger over the alleged killing of a fellow soldier in a motor cycle accident at the Idi-Iroko Bus Stop on the road earlier in the day.

They blamed a BRT bus for killing the soldiers.

There were two versions of how the soldier died.

One was that the soldier rammed into the brokendown BRT bus and died instantly.

The vehicle was said to

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It’s a very irresponsible conduct, says Fashola

OVERNOR Babatunde Fashola took exception to the soldiers’ violence. He was disappointed that the soldiers who are paid from public funds could descend on buses that Lagosians are already complaining are inadequate to meet their transportation needs.

The state Government,he said ,only recently completed the rehabilitation of a police barracks destroyed by soldiers in 2006. He said he would wait for formal report from the Brigade Commander to enable the state government take a decision on the development.

He said:”there is an allegation that someone who was not supposed to be on the BRT route was on it. As far I know, if something happens to you while you are conducting an unlawful act it is a criminal offence. “ But it is really disappointing that public servants, and that is what soldiers are, paid with tax payer’s money, will act in a manner that is being suggested.

“I am waiting for the official report to let me know who played what role and what happened. And whether the Bri-

Adeyinka ADERIBIGBE, Innocent DURU, Jude ISIGUZO, Precious IJEOMA have been parked on that spot since Wednesday after developing a fault.

Apparently,there was no hazard warning to alert other road users to danger ahead.

The other version was that two soldiers were riding motorcycle on a BRT lane when they were hit by a LAGBUS at 9 am.

One died instantly and the other slightly injured.

The deceased soldier was said to be on the back seat of the motorcycle when tragedy struck. Small motorcycles are banned

from plying Lagos highways.

Witnesses said the second soldier then rushed to a nearby barracks and mobilised his colleagues to the accident scene. About a hundred of them rushed to the scene and immediately went on the rampage.

They were soon joined by the area boys to unleash terror on passers-by.

There were no deaths or injuries in the incident. The soldiers blocked the road and s gridlock soon ensued.

Policemen looked on as the soldiers and the street urchins terrorised innocent citizens.

Drivers and passengers inside BRT buses fled as the rampaging soldiers went for

Miriam EKENE-Okoro gade Commander has been able to identify the people who committed the offence. If it turns out to be true, it will be a very irresponsible conduct, to put it very mildly.

“In 2006 soldiers stormed the Area C Police Station. We have just managed to reconstruct it. If buses that citizens are complaining are not enough are set ablaze, I do not know how setting ablaze buses recompense any injury that one may have suffered. I do not know how damaging public property is the restitution for any injury that may have come. For now, the only thing that I can say to you is that when I get the full fact, I will address the residents, to let them know what happened and what the state action will be.

“I have been in touch with the Brigade commander, who assured me that he was managing the situation. Nothing I have here is verified, I am waiting for a formal report before we can ventilate a position”.

them. Passengers of smaller buses had to abandon the buses and run for their lives.

As the traffic situation on the road deteriorated,commercial vehicle drivers hiked their fares.

Commercial activites in and around the area were paralysed for as long as the rampage lasted as shops and offices shut down Television stations broadcast pictures of the buses up in flames. Twitter and Facebook buzzed with comments from residents lampooning the soldiers for their action.

NURTW 1st BRT,the transport company which is in charge of the operation

of the Bus Rapid Transit buses plying Mile 12 to TBS route denied that its vehicle killed any soldier yesterday.

Public Relations Officer of the company, Nonye Onwumere, said in a statement that the deceased soldier ran into a stationary LAGBUS bus and died in the process.

She said: “On Thursday night, a red LAGBUS, which is run by Mutual Assurance and marked Mo63, broke down on Ikorodu Road before Palmgrove Bus Stop.

Early in the morning, around 7.15am, a military personnel on a bike, driving on top speed, ran into the stationary bus.

“After the accident, three female and two male

2015 poll: Jonathan camp splits on VP slot ahead of declaration

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AHEAD of the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan for second term, there is a split in the President’s camp over the Vice-President slot.

The choice has been narrowed down to either the retention of Vice President Namadi Sambo or Governor Ibrahim Shema.

The President is however expected to break the ice when he declares for second term in office.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that in spite of repeated moves to suppress the division within the Jonathan camp on the VP slot, it is still a major hurdle to cross.

Findings by our correspondent showed that some stakeholders loyal to the First Lady and some ministers are pushing for Shema as the next Vice President, but Governor Henry Seriake Dickson and other stakeholders from Bayelsa State have pitched their

•First Lady insists on Shema, Dickson adamant on Sambo Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation tents with Sambo as Jonathan’s running mate for second term.

Some ministers were also said to be supporting Sambo underneath since they do not know the mindset of the President.

A few ministers are however in favour of Shema as the next VP, based on their reading of some loyalists of the First Lady.

One of the anti-Sambo ministers is said to be lousy and eyeing a governorship seat in 2015.

The recent victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has also buoyed the rating of Sambo for the slot because he coordinated the campaign for the Governorelect, Mr. Ayo Fayose.

A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “As the President prepares to declare, there is still a crack in his camp on the VP slot.

“Some forces in the presidency are still pushing for a change. They are making a case for Shema, who is gradually getting the ears of the President again after initial dust over the jostle for VP ticket in 2015.

“In fact, the President recently conceded the office of the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to Shema where his godfather heads the board of the agency.

The source added that UBEC is one of the agencies planned to be used as war chest for the 2015 poll. The Almajiri project being handled by Sambo is also under the management of UBEC.

He continued: “The same forces encouraged the President to visit Katsina State to have first hand information on the achievements of Shema and why he is being recommended.”

But the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, is uncomfortable with moves to upstage Sambo.

“Dickson has made his position known to those who matter in the Presidency why Sambo should be retained for his loyalty, patience and stabilization of the Presidency.

“To demonstrate his commitment, the governor has led a delegation of stakeholders from Bayelsa State thrice to Sambo on solidarity visits.

“During one of the visits, the governor went with traditional rulers and all members of the National Assembly

from the state.

“The successful privatisation of the power sector is a major argument the backers of Sambo have been advancing for his retention.

“The recent political mileage of Sambo in Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano and Kaduna was said to have also encouraged Sambo’s adherents like Dickson.

“To prove that he has got the right political rhythm, Sambo also went to Lagos with about 100 Northern leaders and politicians for the commissioning of new coaches for the Nigerian Railway Corporation.”

The source further revealed that some pro-Sambo leaders in the cabinet and PDP are also warning against the danger of dropping the VP; the implication being that the President will be admitting that he has no competent assistant.

“This can be politically fatal to his success at the poll in 2015,” he said.

soldiers going to work, alighted from a vehicle to help their colleague. After seeing the extent of the accident, they gathered and became violent, stopping all BRT buses and ordering the passengers down. They beat some of the passengers and BRT personnel and then set some of our vehicles ablaze.

They did not even care to know that our BRT are different from the red buses.

“The accident, which was not caused by our vehicle, has caused enormous losses as four of the buses which are not up to a month old have been burnt beyond repair while 13 others have been seriously vandalised.

We lost over N100m” “According to corridor supervisors at the scene, four BRT personnel were beaten and abducted by the soldiers but were later released.”

An eyewitness who gave his name as Bade said: “ a few minutes after the incident occurred, we just saw a lorry load of armed military men. They set a BRT bus ablaze. “ An officer among them who probably was averse to the action tried to put out the fire. The situation went out of hand after another officer who was boiling with rage charged the junior officers to show what makes them different from civilians.

“Immediately he made the statement, the soldiers went wild , setting ablaze every BRT bus that came their way and vandalizing several others.

They vandalized no fewer than seven buses. They did not limit their anger to the buses alone. They also unleashed terror on innocent road users who were trying to use their Ipads, camera phones and other devices to take shots of the burning buses. Some of the victims had their devices seized and smashed by the soldiers.

Others were thoroughly beaten and later released for attempting to take photographs of the scene.”

A BRT bus driver who preferred anonymity said he and his passengers were forced to disembark from the bus by the angry soldiers. “Immediately they ordered us to get down, they instructed us to frog jump. I can’t remember the last

•Continued on Page 59

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NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

South East, Ijaws differ on additional states n Ugochukwu UGOJI-EKE, Umuahia n and Bolaji Ogundele,Warri ONTROVERSIES have continued to trail the recommendation of the ongoing National Conference for the creation of additional states in the country.

While the south-east zone of the country has hailed the recommendation, saying it will correct the imbalance in the number of states in the six geo-political zones of the country, the Ijaw people of the south-south zone rejected the recommendation of the creation of only one state for the one.

In its message, the South East Governors’ Forum commended the delegates for making such recommendation.

The forum said that the recommendation of the confab should not be allowed to die a natural death, and called on all well-meaning Nigerians to endeavor to see that the recommendation becomes a reality for equity and balance in the country.

The commendation was contained in a statement by the forum’s chairman and governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji. He said that the creation of additional state in the zone will bring the zone at par with other zones of the country.

The statement reads, “South East Governors' Forum has commended delegates at the ongoing constitutional conference in Abuja for their unanimous recommendation that an additional state be created for the zone to bring it at par with other geo-political zones of the country.”

But in its own reaction, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) rejected the recommendation of the National Conference.

It said the recommendation of only one state for the Ijaw as against the two sought by them was unacceptable.

The IYC, in a statement in Warri by its spokesman, Eric Omare, also threatened that the Ijaw would start reconsidering their status in Nigeria should the conference fail to make amends and give the 'fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria' a fair consideration in state creation.

The IYC said only the creation of Toru-Ebe state from the present Edo and Ondo states and Oil River State from the current Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states would appease the Ijaw.

The group also said it would soon convene a meeting of Ijaw youth leaders from all parts of the Niger Delta to take a decision on the representatives of their ethnic nation at the conference, whom it described as 'docile' and having 'no agenda'.

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•From left: Former Director-General, Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Chief Gordian Oranika, discussing with the son of late Prof. Cukwurah, Anthony, and the chairman of the occasion, former Vice Chancellor, Imo State University, Prof.

Michael Echeruo, at the first memorial lecture and posthumous book presentation of Prof. Cukwurah on Bakassi in Abuja...yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Police invade Edo assembly, threaten to shoot speaker •We’re ready to die –Speaker •Action meant to prevent clash –Police HERE was chaos at the premises of the Edo State House of Assembly, located at the Oba Ovonramwen Square, when about 50 armed mobile policemen stormed the assembly complex in a commando style and chased the workers away.

Some of the workers hired to carry out renovation work, including the removal of the assembly roof, were beaten up and asked to lie down.

The assembly staffers who heard of the invasion ran out of their offices and were ordered to leave vacate the complex.

The workers were allowed to hurriedly drive their vehicles away.

Many of the workers said they did not lock their offices or switch-off appliances when the policemen stormed the assembly complex.

The policemen were led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Florence Joseph.

The Speaker, Uyi Igbe and other lawmakers who were at the assembly premises had a shouting match with the policemen, but ASP Florence insisted that they must leave the premises.

She shouted, "Why are you carrying out renovation work? I am doing my job here and all of you must leave."

The ASP later sprayed substance believed to be tear gas on Speaker Igbe and other lawmakers.

She snatched a camera of a local television station and also pursued some journalists around to prevent them from recording the fracas.

Another policeman said, "Where were you people when we were fighting for the unity of this country."

In the fracas that ensued, a policeman cocked his gun on the Speaker, who dared him to shoot.

The lawmakers blocked the gate and insisted that the policemen would not leave until they revealed who sent them.

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n Osagie OTABOR and n Ben OGBEMUDIA, Benin The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Youths and Sports, Kabiru Adjoto, said the Police Commissioner and Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 5 denied knowledge of the presence of the policemen.

He said, "We are going to defend our ground to the last.

The last they can do is to kill us. The police have said they will aid the PDP lawmakers to come here to sit on Monday.

"We are warning and not appealing to the IG to maintain peace in Edo. Mr. President should call his men to order. They cannot kill Edo people. The multiplier effect will be more than what happen in Normandy landing in Germany. Let the police come here on Monday with their rifles. These are rifles they were supposed to take to Sambisa forest to rescue of our girls but they are here intimidating people.

"They should go to free our girls if they are so powerful, they should go to where militants are killing. We will not

allow it. We are going to use the power of the people to defeat the police and the PDP. Governor Oshiomhole should find out where the policemen come from as the chief security officer of the state.

Speaker Uyi Igbe said said the action showed that the Nigeria police was working for the PDP, saying, "the PDP lawmakers were called here by the police."

"The PDP lawmakers want to forcibly gain entry into one of the rooms and we are telling them it is not possible for them to come in here and attempt to sit. We will rise against it and defend ourselves without our security.

Our blood will spill on this matter because we know we are on the right. They have threatened to kill me and on Monday will be the right time."

Impeached Deputy Speaker, Festua Ebea, who led other PDP lawmakers to the assembly premises, described the removal of the roof as executive brigandage of the APC. Ebea said the roof was replaced last year and that no

budgetary provision was made for the on-going renovation work at the assembly complex.

He said, "I am the chairman, Tender Board. Nobody ever reached me that we are doing renovation work. It is executive lawlessness which Oshiomhole has turned the state into. This is pure wastage of tax payers money.

This is brigandage, outright stealing and wastage. All these things are being done to prevent us from sitting here on Monday. Whoever they award this contract to should go and fix them back."

Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, said the police were deployed to stop the renovation work to prevent possible clash between PDP and APC supporters.

Adebanjo disclosed that security report indicated that PDP supporters were mobilizing to attack and stop the work, while APC supporters were also mobilizing to prevent them.

He said the action was to prevent the destruction of properties in the state, and vowed not to allow any blood to be shed in the state.

Benin monarch expresses shock at son's resignation HE Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, has expressed shock over the resignation of his son, Osama, from the cabinet of Governor Oshiomhole.

It will be recalled that Prince Osama, on Thursday, resigned

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his appointment as an Executive Director in the Governor's office and joined the Peoples Democratic Party.

Oba Erediauwa, in a press statement signed by the Secretary of Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, said he was

solidly behind the administration of Governor Oshiomhole.

He said the statement was to let mischief makers know that the decision of Prince Osama to join the PDP was a personal discretion of Prince Osama and not the Palace position.

…Obi hails Confab’s decision ORMER Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has expressed happiness over the decision of the National Confab to grant additional state to the South- East, describing it as one decision taken that would address the injustice in leaving the South- East with one State less than other zones in the country.

Recalling all the efforts to people of the South-East had made in that regard, Obi thanked the SouthEast delegates for pulling it through and encouraged them to seek more issues that will benefit the people and the entire delegates for their understanding.

Obi, who spoke to jour-

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nalists at the burial of Lady Prisca Obiamalu at Nnewichi, yesterday, said he had followed closely the decisions of the conference since it started siting, and thanked God for granting President Goodluck the wisdom to convoke it. He said the Conference was gradually settling many contentious issues in the country.

Commenting on the security challenges facing the country, Obi said he was gladdened by how seriously the president is facing it and expressed strong optimism that the country would come out of it strengthened and more at peace with one another.

Nzuko Aro CEC meeting holds today LL roads, on Saturday July 5, lead to Rosies Hotel, Ofoma Street, Aba, where officials of Nzuko Aro Central Executive Committee are meeting.

The meeting, which will be presided over by the President-General, Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, starts at 12noon.

According to a statement by the Secretary General, Mazi Ernie Onwumere, matters for deliberation include Ikeji Aro 2014; the deplorable condition of Arochukwu roads, plans for 5th All Aro National Conference coming up in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; update on Aro Diaspora matter; Civic Centre project and the Women’s Wing election.

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Abia police deny bomb rumour HE Abia State Police Command has denied the story making the rounds that a bomb or Improvised Explosive Devices [IED] were discovered in Ohafia, Ohafia Local Government Area of the state.

The command, in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer [PPRO] ASP Geoffrey Ogbonna, said that the command had read the story in one of the national dailies with the caption, ‘Bombs found

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n Ugochukwu UGOJI-EKE, Umuahia n in Abia, military cordons off area’.

The PPRO said that there was no time any type of bomb or IED was found in any part of the state, adding that the command is abreast of the security situation in the state and that they are equal to the task of ensuring the security of the state and its people.

Ogbonna said, “The truth of the matter is that there was a bomb scare

when the people along Asaga road in Ohafia saw an object, which they could not identify. And in line with the security alert on such matters, which the command has been harping upon, an alarm was raised.

“Following the report, the bomb disposal unit of the police command was drafted to the scene where the ‘suspicious object’ was discovered to be a textile materials [rags] packed in a polythene bag.

“It is believed that the bag, which some people saw and believed to be an explosive device, may have fallen off from a motorcycle and trapped under a fallen high tension electric wire.

“The scare is in line with the command’s clarion call on the public to report promptly any suspicious objects or persons found within their vicinities vis-a-vis being security conscious of their surroundings.”

NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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Human rights lawyer, Fadipe, murdered n Adeyinka ADERIBIGBE n

AGOS-BASED human rights crusader, Mr. Olakunle Alexander Fadipe, was killed at home on Thursday night by a lone assailant.

Fadipe was stabbed to death in his sitting room at Harmony Estate, College Road, Ogba, Lagos, at about 11pm.

Fadipe’s son, Folarin was also stabbed, as was his mother-in-law.

The suspect was arrested before he could escape from the scene and is now in security custody at the Olowosokedile Police Station.

Eye witnesses said he may have

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gained access into his victims’ residence by scaling the fence.

He was said to have first pounced on Folarin when the boy opened the door to go and switch on the electricity generator.

Folarin, with blood gushing from the severe knife wounds inflicted on his head and wrist by the assailant, rushed inside to alert the father to the presence of the intruder.

The suspect followed him and upon sighting the lawyer demanded the sum of N500,000,

which the late Fadipe declared he did not have at home.

He offered a lower amount and any other personal effect, including mobile phones which the intruder reportedly rejected .

He insisted on collecting the half a million naira otherwise he would kill someone He reached for the lawyer’s mother-in-law, but the lawyer rose to defend the woman, and Fadipe, according to eyewitnesses, succeeded in wrestling the suspect to the ground.

In a twist, however, the intruder

gained the upper hand and stabbed Fadipe repeatedly with a butchers’ knife and a kitchen knife obtained from the late lawyer’s kitchen.

Sources said Fadipe, a former member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and a member of the editorial board of The Guardian Newspaper, was stabbed on the left side of the neck, armpit, and stomach, losing a lot of blood in the process.

The Divisional Police officer (DPO) of the Olowosokedile Police Station, Mr Olatunji Ajimuda, con-

firmed the incident.

He said he received the alert at about 12am.

The police are already investigating the matter.

Sympathisers, including the Chairman, Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, Hon. Oloruntoba Oke, member, Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ifako Ijaiye (II), Hon, Saka Fafunmi, as well as the former chairman of the council Hon. Demola Doherty, yesterday visited the house to condole the family.

They described him as a worthy and courageous lawyer.

Group hails new APC executive group, the New Lagos Movement, has congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC), on the successful holding of its national convention and the emergence of new national executive.

While condemning the concept of appointing a caretaker committee in the local councils, the group advised the national executive of the party to uphold the cardinal principle of existence of democratically elected local government councils in all states as rigidly enshrined in the constitution .

The group insisted that the policies of the party, as encapsulated in the APC Roadmap to a New Nigeria, must be fully implemented at all levels of government in any state controlled by the party..

“Our leaders must understand that the consciousness of the masses cannot be substituted in a twinkle of an eye hence the need to implement friendly policies capable of galvanizing the people to appreciate our good governance strategy. We must realize that we have nothing less than 215, 000 registered members in Ekiti, but unfortunately, our party polled less than its numerical strength in the election,” the group said.

Oyo floats health insurance scheme for Okada riders

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Don lauds NYSC scheme, commends corps members HE Acting Provost, Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora, Professor Jacob Gbemiga Adewale has described the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) as a viable tool in fostering national unity, peaceful co-existence, as well as the provision of skilled manpower to some part of the country.

Professor Adewale stated this during the send-forth programme organised for the six outgoing batch B corp members posted to the Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora.

He noted with greatest delight the immense contributions of the outgoing coppers serving in the College as applauding and memorable.

He prayed the almighty God to grant them guidance, favour and good success in their future endeavours. In their responses, the corps members appreciated the college management, and staff for the love, care and hospitality shown to them in the last one year of their service, and promised to be good ambassadors of the college.

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OVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has announced the introduction of a contributory health insurance scheme for commercial motorcycle riders in the state.

He made the announcement on Thursday at the distribution of crash helmets to members of the state chapter of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) at the Governor’s Office, Ibadan.

The governor said the introduction of the health insurance scheme to Okada riders was in line with his administration’s commitment to the provision of quality health to the people of the state.

Ajimobi explained that government would contribute 50 per cent of the medical bill to be paid by any member of the association, including surgical operations and drugs.

He also reiterated his administration’s resolve not to ban the activities of Okada riders in the state, adding that government would not deny anybody of his means of livelihood.

He said that the donation of the 2,500 crash helmets would go a long way in preventing accidents among Okada riders in the course of their duties.

In his remarks, the Executive Director, IBTC Pension Managers, Mr. Eric Fajemisin said the donation of the crash helmets by his organization was in line with the existing partnership with the state government to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the state as part of its corporate social responsibility

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•Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (middle) flanked by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Ayo Phillips (left), and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye (right) during a Law Conference with the theme, “Delay in Justice Administration – Beyond the Rules and the Law”, organized by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice in conjunction with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), at the City Hall, Lagos...Thursday.

Ondo Jigawa, Ebonyi, others get new date for permanent voters’ card distribution HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced a new date for the second phase of its programme of distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

12 states are involved in the second phase, which has been shifted to 15th to 17th of August, 2014.

The states involved in the second phase of the programme are Yobe, Bauchi (North East), Jigawa, Sokoto (North West), FCT, Kwara (North Central), Anambra, Ebonyi (South East), Ondo, Oyo (South West) and Delta,

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n Vincent IKUOMOLA, Abuja n Cross River (South South).

INEC had initially fixed 18th to 20th of July for the programme.

The change in date was announced through a press statement signed by Mr. Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman.

The statement reads in part: "The PVCs will now be distributed at the polling unit level in the affected states from Friday, August 15, 2014 to Sunday, August 17, 2014; instead of July 18th to July 20th, as was earlier scheduled. At the end of the polling unit

level distribution, uncollected PVCs will be taken to respective local government office of the commission for subsequent distribution.

"CVR in the affected states will now be from Wednesday, August 20th, 2014, to Monday, August 25th, 2014; instead of July 23rd to July 27th as was earlier scheduled.

"With the rescheduling of Phase 2 of the programme, new dates will be announced later for Phase 3 involving Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Edo and Rivers states."

Ramadan: Fayose distributes rice to Muslims, urges religious tolerance KITI state Governorelect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has distributed about 14,500 branded 5kg rice to Muslim faithful across the 16 councils of the state.

Distributing some packs of the rice at the Central Mosque yesterday, Fayose, who spoke through his deputy, Dr. Olusola Eleka, said "the gesture was in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan".

Eleka said: "You know the Governor-elect is a man of the people and he sees and seizes opportunities such as this to make a statement regarding his undying love for the people. He is doing this to identify with them as he has always done."

Urging Muslims to use the

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Sulaiman SALAWUDEEN, Ado Ekiti opportunity of the month to pray for the country and Ekiti State, the deputy governor-elect expressed gratitude to the people for their massive vote for the Peoples

Democratic Party's (PDP's) candidate, Fayose, assuring "the incoming administration would deliver on the promises made during electioneering campaign".

Noting that the peaceful atmosphere in the state was a result of the prayers and

spiritual efforts of both Muslims and Christians, Eleka said, "the governor-elect appreciates your prayers for him, this state and the country at large and I urge you not to relent especially now that a new government is on the way".

‘Intensify efforts to find Chibok girls’ WO non-governmental organizations, the Vision Spring Initiatives and Echoes of Women in Africa Initiatives (ECOWA) have called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts towards finding the over 200 school girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State.

According to Lousia Ekhomu, the Executive Director of ECOWA, “ We condemn in the strongest terms the abduction of school girls in Chibok in Borno State of Nigeria. It is sad that more than 200 Nigerian school girls who had gone to write examinations were forcefully ab-

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Dorcas UMUNAGBE ducted by the Boko Haram insurgents.

Ekhomu added that there is an urgent need for government to motivate security operatives and improve their operational capacity to live up to expectation of protecting the people.

Also speaking, Bridget Osakwe of WANEP used the opportunity to appeal to government and traditional and religious leaders from the north to address and resolve the root cause of the insurgency towards ensuring restoration of sustainable peace in the north.

Ikeja Rotary hosts new DG HE new district governor of Rotary International, District 9110, Nigeria, Rotarian Dele Balogun, will visit the Rotary Club Ikeja on Monday, July 7, 2014 in his first official assignment as the District Governor for the Rotary year, 2014/2015.

During his visit, he will be discussing Rotary International’s theme for the new Rotary year ‘Light up Rotary’ and the club’s programmes and plans with the club leadership and members.

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THE NATION

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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HE Minister of Agricul ture and Rural Develop ment, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, yesterday debunked the presence of Genetically Modified Organism, GMO, food in Nigeria.

Adesina said this in Abuja when a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency,IAEA, led by the Deputy Director-General, Dr. Kwaku Anings, paid him a

Nigeria has no GMO food, says minister Frank IKPEFAN, Abuja

visit in his office.

The minister said Nigeria was ready to partner the IAEA to boost food production.

He allayed the fears of positive effects of using

atomic energy to ensure food security and availability in the country.

Adesina said: “We must never be afraid of atomic technology in food production. We want to raise productivity, good health and environmental sustainability.

We must not listen to those who want to create fear in the minds of people on things they should not be scared about with half-baked knowledge.

“We must not be afraid of science. We can use science to make our food safe and for

IAEA, FG to work out legal framework for nuclear power T HE International Atomic Energy Council (IAEC) Deputy Director-General, Mr. Kwanu Aning, yesterday revealed that having got the assurance of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the development of nuclear power in the country, the next stage is to put the legal framework in place.

His words: “There should be a legal framework that covers the use, liability and emergency preparedness, among others. So, all of these things have to be in place. And then, of course, the actual development of the facility which is something you are going to be doing with vendors.”

John OFIKHENUA, Abuja

He led a delegation of the council to Abuja where he visited the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, who assured him of the country’s readiness to adopt energy mix, including the nuclear power.

Aning, who had visited Vice President Namadi Sambo and took a tour to the Nuclear Power Facility in Sheda, Abuja, noted that the council is working with

the ministry and other relevant organizations to get set because of the complex undertaking for safety issue.

Nebo told the delegation in his office that it is no longer acceptable for the nation to put all its eggs in one basket, insisting that Nigeria will need to correct and avoid in the future hiccups occasioned by lack of gas to power plants.

He said: “We need coal, biomass, small hydros, solar, even nuclear, if it is designed it is the best as it remains the cleanest and safest form of

energy”.

The minister told the delegation in his office that with regard to implementation, the ministry has a national mandate to superintend over the entire power supply in the country from generation to transmission to distribution.

He explained that there will be a framework for the building and transferring of a nuclear power plant between Nigeria and its partners.

The minister noted that whatever the case may be, there must be a bilateral agreement between the Federal Government and its partners for them to forge ahead.

‘US, biggest oil producer after overtaking Saudi’

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HE US has overtaken Saudi Arabia and Rus sia to become the world’s biggest producer of oil as extraction of energy from shale rock strengthens the nation’s economy,according to Bank of America Corporation.

U.S. production of crude oil, along with liquids separated

from natural gas, surpassed all other countries this year with daily output exceeding 11 million barrels in the first quarter, the bank said in a report yesterday.

It became the world’s largest natural gas producer in 2010. The International Energy Agency said in June that the U.S. was the biggest pro-

RAMADAN GUIDE WITH FEMI ABBAS

e-mail: femabbas756@gmail.com Tel: 08115708536

Ramadan and your health

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EAR in year out, muslims in most parts of the world always view ramadan from economic, social, moral and spiritual perspectives. What they don’t seem to know is that the practical lessons of this divine month are far beyond that scope.

Science is in a state of continuous evolution and new discoveries follow one another's heels. There is a large flow of information coming like a spring from symposia, encyclopaedias and medical journals which put the modern man always on the right path of knowledge.

Biologically, human beings grow old and eventually die. Very few people ponder over this occurrence. We have all accepted it as a natural phenomenon which we must abide by willingly or unwillingly.

Apart from old age, most people die not because they are naturally ripe for death but because the blood flowing through their coronary arteries clots sometimes prematurely and render their body systems partially effective in fully ineffective.

Because of the excessive consumption of such improper diets, and other defective factors in our biological set-ups human arteries become hard and rusty hence the mad rush for treatment.

This process of rustiness in human system is medically called atheroma. And many theories have been advanced to explain its mechanism especially how it causes rustiness in human the blood vessels.

One of the great advantages of fasting (especially ramadan fasting) is to increase the power of the blood to dissolve blood clots whether the clots are in the coronary arteries of the heart that cause heart attack or in the cerebral arteries that cause stroke.

Fasting, therefore, does not only lower blood pressure and alleviate angina pectoris (severe chest pain resulting from a reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the heart); it also prevents arteriosclerosis (an arterial disease occurring especially in the elderly, characterized by elasticity and thickening of the blood flow).

Not only that. Fasting also reduces the mortality rate of myocardial infarction otherwise called heart attack.

The blood sugar is maintained at a steady level during fasting, the glucose being formed in the level from glycogen and natural fat which have been mobilized to dispose tissue. If, however, there is any tendency of hypoglycemia (a decreased sugar level in the blood), the adrenal medulla a (vital endocrine gland that secretes hormones into the bloodstream) immediately secrets increased amount of catecholamine: Adrenaline and non-adrenaline which prepare the body for either "fight of flight".

Ramadan brings about an increase in secretion of growth hormone by the pituitary. Growth hormone causes an increase in human weight and acceleration of linear growth with widening epiphysis (the end of a long at the point where it was previously separated by cartilage to allow bone to grow) especially in young animals.

ducer of oil and natural gas liquids.

“America is now the world’s leading producer of oil and gas,” Francisco Blanch, the bank’s head of commodities research in New York, said in the report. “The American shale revolution has had a transformational effect on the U.S. and global economies in recent years. Low energy prices are a key edge of the U.S. economy.”

Oil extraction is soaring at shale formations in Texas and North Dakota as companies split apart rocks using highpressure liquid, a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The surge in supply combined with restrictions on exporting crude is curbing the price of West Texas Intermediate, America’s oil benchmark. The U.S., the world’s largest oil consumer, still imported an average of 7.5 million barrels a day of crude in April, according to the Department of Energy’s statistical arm.

U.S. oil output will surge to 13.1 million barrels a day in 2019 and plateau thereafter, according to the IEA, a Paris-

based adviser to 29 energyconsuming nations. The nation will lose its top-producer ranking at the start of the 2030s, the agency said in its World Energy Outlook in November.

Production growth outside the U.S. has been lower than the bank anticipated, keeping global oil prices high, Blanch said. Partly as a result of the output boom, WTI futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange remain at a discount of about $7 a barrel to their European counterpart, the Brent contract on ICE Futures Europe’s London-based exchange.

Rising U.S. oil supplies come as an Islamist insurgency threatens output in Iraq, the second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia. Territorial gains in northern Iraq by a group calling itself the Islamic State has spurred concerns that oil flows from the south could be disrupted. Exports from Libya have been disrupted by protests, while Nigeria’s production is crimped by oil theft and sabotage.

the issue of food security. We must be aware that technology is the only way we can open up opportunities and we have to understand the risks and put good regulations in place to reduce those risks.

“The fact remains that we have nothing in this country called GMO. People confuse modern day science to GMOs. People say hybrid maize is from GMO, but it is from conventional maize.

“Our rice, wheat, cassava varieties are not GMOs. It is important we don’t confuse issues because we don’t have GMOs in NIgeria, but we use modern technology and will continue to use modern technology. “ The minister said the IAEA should assist in training staff of the ministry for capacity building and also assured the delegate of the ministry’s commitment to the earlier signed

agreement on technical cooperation which was from 2012-2017.

Head of the IAEA’s delegation, Dr. Kwaku Aning, said the agency was not into GMO food production, but to fast track the yield of crops as it had done in countries like Tanzania, Vietnam and Kenya.

“We do the same thing with those into GMO food.

We speed up evolution and we don’t change the method.

We speed up the evolution of the crop, maybe, which would have taken 50 years.

We produce other species of the crop that will be drought and pest resistant.

“We have developed species that are cold water resistant. In Vietnam and Bangladesh, they are using rice that is developed in our laboratory and is thriving in salt water. The potential of this technology is very large,” Aning said.

Nigeria reduces number of gasoline licensees for third quarter

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IGERIA has reduced the number of compa nies licensed to import petrol in the third quarter to 27 from 40 in the previous three months, it was reported yesterday.

The 27 companies were allocated import rights by the downstream regulator Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA).

These companies are expected to import around 1.7 million tonnes for third quarter, down from 1.85 million tonnes in the second quarter.

Though market sources expect some winners will be unable to import owing to financing obstacles - some are still waiting for a backlog of subsidy payments owed by the government following the 2012 subsidy fraud investigation, which unearthed billions of dollars worth of fake claims.

Nigeria imports fuel through two state-owned authorities - PPPRA and the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, PPMC. The PPPRA allocations vary quarter-on-quarter while the PPMC typically brings in about 1.4 million

tonnes per quarter through crude-for-product swap agreements with traders, market sources said.

Total imports are expected to be close to 3.1 million tonnes.

The country is chronically short of oil products, particularly gasoline, due to a long period of under-investment in its domestic refineries.

MRS Oil Nigeria was absent from the list, after being included in the second quarter, but some return winners were Oando, Total, Conoil, Folawiyo Oil and Gas, Forte Oil, Techno Oil, Mobil Nigeria PLC, ExxonMobil’s local arm, was listed among the winners with larger volumes as well as Aiteo.

Allocation sizes vary from 30,000 tonnes up to 120,000 Following is a list of companies licensed to import gasoline for July to September by PPPRA: A-Z, Aiteo, Avidor, BSR, Bovas, Conoil, Cybernetics, Folawiyo, Forte, Gulf Treasures, Hyde, Integrated, Matrix, Mettle, NIPCO, Oando, Rainoil, Sahara, Shorelink, Total, TSL, Mobil, Ascon, Hudson, Dee Jones, Techno and Masters,

Ex-editor Coulson gets 18 months for hacking

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NDY Coulson went from the editor’s of fice at Britain’s bestselling newspaper to the corridors of 10 Downing St as Prime Minister David Cameron’s communications chief. Yesterday, he went to prison for conspiring to hack phones.

Coulson was sentenced to 18 months by a judge who told him his considerable accomplishments “now count for nothing.”

Coulson was convicted last week after an eightmonth trial triggered by a tabloid-wrongdoing scandal that led Rupert Murdoch to shut down the News of the World in 2011. Another former editor, Rebekah Brooks, and four others were acquitted.

Judge John Saunders said over several years, Coulson

and several senior News of the World journalists listened illegally to the voicemails of celebrities, royals, politicians and crime victims in a bid to beat the competition.

Saunders said 46-year-old Coulson “has to take the major share of the blame” for the hacking that took place, while he was editor between 2003 and 2007.

“He knew about it. He encouraged it when he should have stopped it,” the judge said.

The defendants have said they did not know phone hacking was illegal when they used the technique to get scoops. But the judge said they knew it was “morally wrong.”

Saunders highlighted the now-infamous targeting of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped and

murdered in 2002. The News of the World listened to a voicemail left on the missing girl’s phone, and staff delayed telling police so they could try to get a huge scoop by finding her.

“That was unforgivable,” the judge said.

The hacking revelations outraged many Britons and triggered police inquiries that led to the arrest of scores of journalists, police officers and other officials.

This was the first major trial to stem from the scandal, and Saunders acknowledged that “there will be those who will be outraged” that the sentences were so short — as well as those who saw the trial as an attack on press freedom.

He said the legal maximum for phone hacking was two years in prison, regard-

less of the number of victims.

Saunders said he was reducing Coulson’s sentence from the maximum to reflect his “good character” and because it had taken years for the case to come to trial.

Coulson faces a retrial on two charges of bribing police officers for royal phone directories.

The judge sentenced former journalists Greg Miskiw and Neville Thurlbeck to six months in prison. Another reporter, James Weatherup, received a suspended four-month sentence and community service.

All received shorter sentences because they had pleaded guilty.

Saunders said they and Coulson had all been “distinguished journalists” who had achieved a great deal.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

COMMENTARY

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Indeed the Chinese are the market dominant minorities of the Asian tigers nations in the book ‘World on Fire’ attracting the envy and hatred of the communities in which they operate because of their poor social responsibility approach and response to social matters

write today as a victim of a new form of terrorism which is so arrogant and unfeeling that it was really difficult identifying it for what it was.

This, in retrospect, could be due to its novelty and nature as it happened in broad daylight and its victims could do nothing but watch it explode, silently and creepily and without a drop of blood except perhaps the notorious or inevitable rising blood pressure of the hapless victims. The terror group ‘China Civil‘ whose nonchalant workers wore the t-shirt with the infamous inscription ‘China Civil‘ belong to the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company operating at Mile 2, at the intersection of the flyover bridge on the Badagry / Apapa Expressway where I spent nine - 9 -hours commuting between the second festac bridge and the underground connection to Lagos, on the first day of this new month of July on a journey that should not be more than 10 minutes, under normal times and circumstances. But then, these are not normal times as the Boko Haram’s bloody terrorism and bombings seem then to have dehumanised all of us not only in Nigeria but indeed globally in the way we perceive, side step or ignore man’s inhumanity to man, which is basically what terrorism is all about.

Undoubtedly I have a grouse, albeit a non bloody one. But it is one that I think is inhuman and bad enough and makes it difficult for anyone earning his livelihood in Lagos to do so successfully and profitably, if he has to spend an entire day in the sort of traffic logjam and terror that ‘China Civil‘ Workers inflicted on Nigerians on July 1, this week on this busy economic and commercial artery on the West African Express Highway. All ‘China Civil’ workers on that construction site needed to do was to divert traffic in such a way that road users businesses are not crippled by their construction contract which has obviously has no input on respect for social responsibility and is being executed with such impunity and recklessness that is becoming a daily nightmare or form of terror on those plying that route to earn a living in this part of Nigeria, and it should just stop.

Let me state that all acts of man’s inhumanity to man start like little drops of water that make a mighty ocean. Boko Haram started with unknown motor bike riders attacking hotels and night clubs in the serene and posh town of Maiduguri. Now, thanks to benign neglect, akin to official sadism at

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‘China Civil’, Boko Haram and Iraq both state and federal level, it has become an agenda on the UN Security Council in New York, and now the US military is said to be using aerial drones to do surveillance on Nigerian airspace for Nigeria to find out where Boko Haram is hiding our over 200 Chibok girls abducted since April this year. Similarly as ‘China Civil ‘workers taunted worried and stressed Nigerian road users, petrol tankers and trailer drivers that they will sleep on the road and there was nothing they could do about it, then there is more to the construction than meets the eye and again it has to be stoppedright in its tracks. It is very important to make ‘China Civil ‘ realise urgently that it is not a part of its construction contract to kill existing Nigerian businesses in the course of executing its train tracks construction project on the Badagry Express Highway project.

We know of course that modern China, where ’China Civil’ hails from is a communist state where a lot of infrastructure projects have been executed successfully for the welfare of the Chinese masses who are the largest population in the world today. We also know that the Chinese Communist party in power China is desperately looking for oil to engine its growth and has signed huge oil contracts with Nigeria. Also we know that China donated the beautiful $20m African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to get a proper economic foothold in Africa as our normal, historical and colonial western European benefactors are running fast out of steam to satisfy our huge need of development and growth funds. ‘But we also know ‘like US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Syria’s use of chemical weapon, that the Chinese are keen business men with a high penchant for profit at any cost and a low tolerance for human rights both in China and in their dealings with their trading partners overseas. Indeed the Chinese are the market dominant minorities of the Asian tigers nations in the book ‘World on Fire’ attracting the envy and hatred of the communities in which they operate because of their poor social responsibility approach and response to social matters.

In addition we saw on the internet this week that China has an Islamic insurgency problem in one of its regions like our own Boko Haram sprung from the North East. We are not however amused by the manner of resolution of the matter which included asking

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the Chinese Muslims in the state public service not to fast during this holy month of Ramadan. This is sheer religious intolerance and high handedness. One only hopes that such attitude is not transplanted to Nigeria by ‘China Civil‘ whose actions and inactions on train and road construction along the Badagry Expressway has been anything but civil so far.

Similar concern and approach need to be addressed to developments in far away Iraq where Sunni Militants are trying to topple the democratically elected Shia government of Prime Minister Maliki in Baghdad. This is because the Sunni Militants from the same religious stock of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein have the same goal of establishing and practising Sharia law in both Iraq and Nigeria.

The Iraqis have now gone further to establish a Caliphate which they have called the Islamic Caliphate of Syria and Iraq headed by one Abu Bekr Baghdadi. It is noteworthy that Boko Haram started with Al Qada as the Americans have revealed to us.

But now this new Caliphate according to the pronouncements of its new Caliph is far bigger than Al Qada and has asked ISIL – Islamic State of Syria and Levant, and ISIF – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, that preceded it and evolved from the Syrian civil war and the Sunni attack on Baghdad. Now the Caliph has asked both bodies to acknowledge his authority as Caliph saying that he has cancelled national borders and that his hegemony extends to anywhere with a Muslim population. Which to me is a very grave and present danger to any community or nation with a large Muslim population like Nigeria. I expect our Muslim elders and leaders to make pronouncements distancing Nigeria from this new Caliphate now, before Boko Haram allies itself with them and complicates the terror in our midst. Iraq may be far but the world is now a global village where jobless youths are now finding jobs making bombs and betraying Nigerian soldiers protecting them by giving information to Boko Haram in bloody assault and ambush as the captured Boko Haram king pin from Maiduguri admitted this week. Surely on this new caliphate, a stitch in time saves nine. Just as the Marxists say eternal vigilance is the price of liberty- from either road or religious terrorism, both present and looming.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

COMMENTARY

Of tears soaked in painful laughter IFE, I’m aware, never gave us the assurance of a harvest of unlimited laughter neither did it promise us unfathomable thorns of sorrow. However, as the Nigerian situation sinks frustratingly deeper into a state of anomie, the Hobbesian prognosis of man’s life being “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” gets too close for comfort. In all honesty, I had vowed, some few days ago, to stop haunting myself with the songs of lamentation that pervade our land and focus on the small things that seem to drive away our collective pain. Tried as I could, my laughter bleeds blood and aches with deep pain. I have often wondered why, in recent times, every smile that I manage to etch on this seemingly eternally forlorn face is interjected with the eerie silence of anguish. Somehow, and without realising it, violence now defines our jokes as fear rules the land and we laugh through the drop-dead anguish. Before now, we thought we could reclaim the humanity we lost on the altar of cheap politicking. Today, no one is sure if we ever had any. Or did we?

Like I have often ranted, we need not bother asking where and how we got to this bloody plain. It’s simply pointless especially with the infantile politics strewn around this calamitous rendezvous. You can hardly make sense out of this nonsensical maze. You are condemned to waking up the next day to be confronted with another sad tale of lives snuffed out in one village, town or even city.

You ask if a nation could ever survive this endless bloodletting and you are told the authorities are clipping the wings of the perpetrators. You dare them to name and shame the blood sucking vampires but a tribe of babbling voices shouts you down, offering reasons why it is not politically expedient. Yet, daily, we count the body bags in tens, scores and hundreds. Now, how do you reconcile this with the thunderous silence in high places sans the monotonous echoes of presidential platitudes? Why is there so much hatred in the land? No one is sure of any answer. Everyone trudges on until the next tragedy happens and, as usual, we shrug it off with our ‘ahs’ and ‘ohs!’

This life!

If the dead could move, I’m sure my friend, Suleiman Bissala, would have turned in the grave when President Goodluck Jonathan repeated the same line at the scene of the June 25 bombing in EMAB Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja. For sure, no one is asking our President and his men to perform magic. No. But what’s the point in offering a relief that everyone knows is a no-brainer. As terror grows in monstrous velocity through the years from Plateau State to virtually every parts of the North with shades of its showing up in other geo-political zones, it’s been a repeated streak of hopeless assurances laden with ignoble lethargy. It's easy to whine that it was unfortunate that Bissala, a Managing Editor (North) with The New Telegraph, happened to be at the right place at the wrong time and that he was one of the victims that fell into the

Knucklehead

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With

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

deadly trap set by the evil ones pumping fear into our hearts.

But how would that guarantee a better future for his wife and five young children? How do they start foraging for faith in a society that has lost its humanity as the ogre of mutual distrust grows by the day? How does one rationalise the tragic loss of professional colleague few moments after observing the Asr prayer as a devout Muslim? Do we even understand the collateral damage this harvest of needless deaths is inflicting on families, on our psyche and on the society at large?

The crying truth is: terror has seized this country by its tender balls. It is killing us softly. Aside the abductions and killings in Borno, Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states with hundreds of casualties, the spate of bombings or blast in just ten days, as captured by a report in the July 2, 2014 edition of the Daily Trust, should be of major concern to all of us, especially those who pretend to be on top of the situation.

According to the report, eight souls were lost in the car bombing in a school in Kano on June 23; the EMAB Plaza bombing wasted 24 lives on June 25; the hotel bombing in Bauchi claimed 13 lives on June 27; a whopping 56 bodies were recorded at the market bombing in Maiduguri on July 1; two persons died in the Kaduna blast on July 1; and many were injured in the ‘carbide’ blast in Osun State on July 1. The paper forgot to list the number of people that died in the controversial car/oil tank explosion in Lagos. All this in just 10 days in the life of a nation that pretends to be on a roller-coaster!

With all this, you'd have thought fear would have cowed the average Nigerian into a state of paralysis where laughter is a sacrilege, an impossible reality. Not really. If anything, Nigerians, once described as one of the happiest people in the world, have reawakened their sense of humour in an astonishingly brazen manner. And so, in defiance to those peddling hate messages, killing and maiming with reckless abandon while taunting the authorities to get them if they could, Nigerians have evolved an ingenious way of soaking their pains in the ocean of painful laughter. You just need to read through some of the jokes being shared on the social media and other platforms to appreciate the creative instincts that Nigerians employ to poke fun at their pain and lighten the

gloom. Below are a couple of the interesting ones that this writer has come across in the last few days which has rekindled some form of hope in this fallen house!

There was this one which makes light joke of the Super Eagles' ouster at World Cup. It reads: "After their return from Brazil World Cup, Super Eagles players were so ashamed of their failure that they decided to disguise so as not to be recognised. Mikel disguised as a Reverend Father. While walking on the streets of Lagos, suddenly, an old lady walked up to him and said: 'Hi, Mikel!'

Amazed and annoyed that an old lady had seen through his disguise, he went back and dressed like a Mallam.

Again he bumped into the same old lady and she said: ‘Where are you going to, Mikel?’ Confused and puzzled, Mikel asked: ‘But how did you recognise me Mama?’ The old lady laughed out loud and replied: ‘Are you stupid or what? Oloshi, it’s me, Calamity Yobo!’

Another post, a rehash of a recent true life incident somewhere in Nigeria, really got my eyeballs rolling in tears. It asks: "Do you come with the FIFA World Cup Trophy? Oh, you were not informed...ehn? Kontunu...no problem. God will see us. There is God, there is God in everything we are doing. Those goals that are sharing in Brazil will answer. What of two goals, two goals? Ehn, what of two goals that can tell us that you guys prepared for the match...? Do you come with any? Keshi...no? Na only you waka come? Will you keep quiet? Chai! Chai!!

Chai!!!

And then this one that has gone viral on many platforms: "Nigeria don nearly doroscatter . Everywhere is dorobombing. Over 200 girls are doromissing and yet we are singing dorobucci. Hmnn, let us doropray before things doroworsen. So, my doropeople , do have a nice doronight and be dorovigilant if you don't want to dorodie. This is not dorofunny ooo. Please doroshare if you dorolike it!

You may laugh it off as one of those jokes but they are more than that. Deeply embedded in these funny lines are the pains of a nation in tethers---a country in search of redemption. These little nuggets somehow help in keeping hope alive. We laugh because we are tired of crying to the deaf ears of those who simply do nothing other offering excuses for incompetence. We are not unmindful of the fact that this dangerous bell of violence, killings and bombings do toll for all us. Oftentimes, we do ask: who's next in this senseless carnage? No one knows as the enemy lurks in the shadows, baying for blood. However, since life is for the living, we've resolved to soak our tears in the ocean of painful laughter, fully aware that tomorrow's promises are shrouded in the mystery of the unknown. That's the reality that confronts us daily as we, the living dead, bury the dead. What's next in this stream of tragic impulses? If you ask me, who do I ask?

Just before the proposed HND/B.SC parity T HE news of the inauguration of a committee by the Federal Government (FG) to bridge the gap between Higher National Diploma (HND) and university degree is relatively a cheering one. At least, after ten months of academic shut down by polytechnic lecturers across the states of the federation, the FG is planning to put a ‘lasting ‘solution to one of the major demands (removal of HND/university degree dichotomy) of the aggrieved lecturers.

As much as I wouldn’t want to pre-empt the report of the committee, I wish to state that removing the disparity or bridging the gap between graduates of the two programmes would be more akin to the wisdom of a man that ignored leprosy only to dissipate his energy to treating ringworm.

First, all stakeholders will agree that the Walter Elliot Commission of 1943, Eric Ashby Commission of 1959, Dr A. Skapski‘s report of 1962 and other conferences sought to engender the development of technical manpower in Nigeria. Therefore, the polytechnic education was not illconceived, but misunderstood to date. The wrong perception of polytechnic education is evident from the way lecturers are recruited to the admission process of prospective applicants; from the curricula development to the relevance of the courses; from the government regulatory agencies to the ownership (state, federal & private); from the employers of labour to several policy somersaults. The list is endless. Hence, for the stakeholders, a rare cognitive restructuring or pragmatic approach towards tackling these problems is necessary before anything good can come out of the polytechnic education reforms.

Second, if really the private sector is the major employers of labour in Nigeria, then the removal of the disparity would be a mere effort in futility. The government may decree that public and private sectors should give polytechnic graduates and their university counterparts equal opportunities to work with the same entry levels and promotional growths, however, can the government mandate private companies from which schools they should recruit from? Subsequently, the problems would be far from being solved and would greatly affect the private sector.

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Steve ‘Aanu ADESEMOYE

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Three, FG may need to tackle a bigger disparity that may endangered the socio-political and economic systems of the country in the nearest future if this committee does not extend its dragnet to tackling disparities amongst private , state, federal and foreign universities especially from the neighbouring countries.

Government may not see the need for that now until another five years when the products of these neighbouring countries’ universities flood Nigeria. The attention would then shift from the army of unemployed graduates to unemployable certificated individuals. Unofficial visits to these universities in Republic of Benin, Ghana, etc could be of great assistance in this regard.

In furtherance to my little modifications, I will toe the line of the Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (COHEADS), in their memorandum submitted to a Presidential Technical Committee on the Consolidation of Tertiary Institutions in 2007. The recommendations include; consolidation of tertiary institutions by converting and upgrading polytechnics and colleges of education into campuses of proximate universities to address carrying capacities issues; with additional 1,000, 000 admission spaces estimated, HND should be scrapped. The National Diploma (ND) programmes should remain in all universities of technology (new & old). With the reform, middle level technical manpower will henceforth be clearly defined

by ND qualification.

The largest federal and state polytechnics in each of the six zones should be converted into full fledge universities. These institutions should remain technical institutions where 90% of all enrolment must be in core technical programmes. The ND should be the entry qualifications to the universities of technology and the new universities. The main focus of these institutions should remain inculcating technical skills and competences at very high level.

The curricula in these institutions must be thorough-

ly reviewed to reflect need- oriented, contemporary and futuristic courses. The curricula development should involve 50% end users, 35% practical-oriented Lecturers, 10% education specialists and 5% genuine Nigerian educators in the Diaspora. This should not be made ‘food for the boys’.

The other polytechnics should remain but affiliated to the newly established or existing universities.

However, they should be allowed to produce technicians only at the ND level. Those wishing to further their technical training would then enroll into the universities of technology or the newly established universities.

The entry qualifications for the ND programmes should be five credits in parity with conventional universities. The ND programmes should be a comprehensive three-year programme as proposed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). The regulatory framework that already exists for polytechnics should be upgraded to take charge of the proposed universities of technology.

The committee must ensure that modalities for improving capacity, both human and physical, at the new universities be put immediately into place. A fiveyear moratorium should be given to all the new universities to enable them improve capacity. There must be a strategic plan for aggressive staff development and upgrading of facilities while funding should be provided to implement these plans.

With regards to the current holders of HND certificates, windows of opportunities should be opened to them to convert their certificates to university degree certificate .This would even serve as additional Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the universities to develop at a fast pace. The committee must ensure that the introduction of the reforms will not lead to retrenchment of staff. These can be ensured by allowing the staff sufficient time to upgrade, reskill and upskill.

• Adesemoye is a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication of Lagos State Polytechnic.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

COMMENTARY 9

‘Help, my life is in danger!’-Gabriel Olafenwa OME days ago, I came across a clip on the internet that left a big impression on me. It bothered me so much I felt compelled to change the initial subject of insecurity, which I had previously intended to discuss this week, in order to write about the topic I saw in the footage. The video was posted on YouTube by Mr Moses Olafenwa from Ogun State, Nigeria and it was a cry for help regarding the ordeal of a Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa and his family.

The video was a four and a half minute clip which told the story of the alleged breach of the human rights of Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa and his family. At the end of the clip was an appeal for intervention by Mr. Olafenwa, where he claimed that his and his family’s life was in danger, and there were also details on how to contact him for further information.

Ordinarily, I would not respond to such appeals online, after all, hardly a day goes by without some sort of scam being sent to one’s inbox or social network pages in the form of a cry for help. But there was something affecting about this particular clip. There was something about it that struck me as being earnest and grave. I picked up the phone and called the number that was left at the end of the clip and asked if I could please speak to Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa. When he said that he was the one speaking, I went ahead and introduced myself and explained how I came across his story and was interested in knowing his version of what transpired and what his situation presently is.

My first impression of him, over the phone, was that he was a man who was very sound and articulate but was so franticly desperate to be heard. In his anxiety to give me his full story possibly in the best way he could, I could barely put together a clear picture of what exactly happened. But after failing to comprehend exactly what he was communicating to me, I resolved that knowing the full story from beginning to end at that stage was not of most importance. What was most critical was to ascertain the answer to one basic question and the response to that question would determine whether I wholeheartedly would be engaged in his full story. So I went ahead and asked him to be frank with me and answer me truthfully; I asked whether he honestly believed that his and his family’s life was in danger. It took a few seconds before the reply came but when it came, the tone was very stern and serious. “Yes,” he said, “Yes, I believe that my life and the life of my family is in danger!”

That was all that I really needed to hear at that point. With that, I bid him farewell and told him that I would be in touch with him soon. I dropped the phone and immediately went on my social media pages and posted his video clip and an appeal of my own for intervention in his case to numerous government personalities, human rights activists, prominent personalities who were Nigerian and active on social media. I also made a few calls to some of the people in government that I know and asked them to watch the clip, make the necessary inquiries and if there was a need, to intervene if his was a genuine cry for help. To my surprise and disappointment, there was hardly any response from those that had I reached out to.

I then decided to get back in touch with Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa, gather all the information on his case and dedicate my article this week to telling his story. I wanted to use this medium in order to bring awareness to his case and prompt a response from the relevant authorities. If Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa’s life is truly in danger, then there is a need for an investigation into his allegations.

From the information that I gathered from Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa, he is currently homeless, at the mercy of friends and is terrified for his and his family’s lives. He broke down his version of the events that pushed him to make and post the clip that I saw on YouTube.

The narrative concerning events that led to the attack on Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa, his family and property from his perspective are as follows: On the 30th of April, 2014, officials in Yewa South Local Government, Ogun State, allegedly led a mob of arsonists to attack and burn down the house of Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa on claims that the latter’s house was used for ritual activities.

During the raid, Mr. Gabriel and his family narrowly escaped being lynched. From his account, the genesis of this event, which led to the eventual destruction of his house, began in 2008.

Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa explained that in 2008, a group of landlords living in his vicinity had purportedly agreed to frequently collect illicit fees from the community on the pretext of purchasing electric poles, wires and repairing existing functioning PCHN power installations. On one occasion when these fees were demanded from him, Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa refused to succumb to paying what he believed to be illegal fees.

According to him, in response, his electricity was disconnected, so he reported the case to the Ilaro police station.

Subsequently, those identified to have facilitated the disconnection were duly arrested. They were later released on bail with a stern warning of disassociating themselves with electricity dis-

S

connection due to the fact that they were not PHCN officials.

Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa recounts that in the aftermath of that incident, some of those that he had reported; who were later apprehended for the crime began waging a retributive war on his household by allegedly throwing stones, broken bottles and human excrement into his compound.

Ultimately, the apparent persecution of Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa culminated in an incursion on his property in which a team of officials, a cameraman and a mob descended and rummaged through his house in what they explained to be a search. Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa asserts that the people who searched his house did so under the pretext of searching his compound on the allegation that it was being used as a ritual den.

Throughout the attack on his family, Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa says that the police were not part of the team So, Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa stood his ground and told the group of people who came to search his house that the police had to be involved and a search warrant had to be produced before he would agree to any further search. He recounts that the police were later called and they ensured him that a search warrant had been issued before the search had been conducted. Although Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa never saw a search warrant, since the police had confirmed that they had issued a warrant, he eventually allowed for the search to continue. After the search, nothing incriminating was found in any part of the compound and the group of people left dispersed.

However, after that particular search, Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa says that another group later made their way forcefully into his compound and began to wreak havoc. They allegedly looted and destroyed everything in sight. The few policemen that had approached the property during the second onslaught merely looked on and did nothing to stop the attack.

From Mr. Gabriel’s account, that particular mob attempted to lynch him and his family. However, at that stage, a few of the policemen at the scene intervened and rescued the Olafenwa family and took them away from the area. It was not until some hours after that Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa learnt that his compound, containing his home, the registered office of his storage construction company, Olafetech Nigeria Limited, and its workshop, equipped with industrial machines and tools had been burnt down by arsonists in the attack.

Subsequently, some of the people involved in the destruction of Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa’s property were arrested and charged to the Isabo Magistrate Court in Abeokuta on May 7, 2014.

Shockingly though, the case was withdrawn from court the very day it was charged by the police. On enquiring further, Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa said that he discovered that the case was withdrawn on the request of some government officials within that locality. Apparently, they had pleaded for an out of court settlement with Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa on the promise to pay for all that was lost to him and his family in the attack. He was offered the sum of N200, 000 and a rented apartment. Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa rejected this offer.

As a result of rejecting the offer, Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa says that he has continued to be persecuted and harassed and there has been no action in regards to his case by the authorities in Eleweran, Abeokuta, Ogun state.

Most worrying to me as I heard the account is Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa’s allegation that there was a plot to assassinate him in order to cover up the case. In his words, “June 30, marks exactly two months that the arson took place. The fact that all the perpetrators of the injustice, including the Vice Chairman are walking about scot free and all they could offer is a plan to put me in a rented apartment so that they could easily have access to me and assassinate me, hence, I cry out to seek justice.”

If the account that Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa’ told me is authentic, it indeed is a very pathetic story and deserves to be looked into thoroughly by the appropriate authorities. This is the 21st century and no one, irrespective of position or class should be above the law. If what Mr. Gabriel communicated to me is correct, exactly what was his crime? If he refused to be extorted by thugs, does that make it alright for him to be persecuted in the manner that he allegedly was and to lose his home, his livelihood, his business and for his family’s life to be in danger?

With the current security situation plaguing our nation, and on the backdrop of the violence and mayhem inflicted upon innocent Nigerians, such an atrocious act against the Olufenwa

family, if established as legitimate, shouldn’t be allowed to happen. Our society shouldn’t be allowed to degenerate to a spate of lawlessness more than it already has.

When I first came across this story, it really moved me. At the time I responded to Mr. Gabriel Olufenwa’s call, I knew that I was concerned but I was actually perplexed as to why this one story of a family in Abeokuta tugged at me so much. After all, with all the recent killings, mayhem, kidnappings and bombings so widespread in Nigeria, Mr. Gabriel Olufenwa’s story should probably have been on the lower scale of urgency. But for some reason, this story really bothered me. It was not until I started writing this piece that the “A-ha” moment struck me.

As I am telling the story that Mr. Gabriel Olufenwa relayed to me, it dawns on me why it is vital to help him spread his cry for help.

In so many of the tragic tales that we have come to know in Nigeria, there has often been indication and warning of a calamity, which we so frequently ignore. In the case of our Chibok girls, a letter was sent by WAEC warning of the danger of leaving the girls in that particular school for that exam; that warning was ignored until a disaster happened. In the case of the ALUU 5, when our poor boys were being lynched, people came and saw, the police were alerted, but nobody stopped it until a disaster happened. In the case of beautiful Cynthia Osukogu when she was being lured into that hotel room, some of the hotel staff were suspicious, the pharmacist selling the drugs, the person buying her phone were wary but nobody did anything until a disaster happened. In a number of the bombing and sectarian incidents we have recently seen, security reports have indicated the potential risks but hardly anything was done, until the disasters have struck. In every one of these cases, it has always been in the aftermath of a disaster that Nigerians sit and ponder as to why it was allowed to happen.

It seems to be always after a disaster that we go on talk shows, begin demonstrations, set up committees in order to begin the ‘blame-game.’ At what point do we take some of these warnings in order to avert a disaster before and not after it happens?

I don’t know whether all that Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa told me is completely true but I am prepared to give him the benefit of doubt up and until there is an official inquiry that invalidates his claim. Mr. Gabriel Olufenwa’s story may not grab international news headlines the way our Chibok girls have, his account may not sound as intense as the circumstance surrounding our ALUU 5 boys, his ordeal may not even seem as important as the mass deaths brought about by the bombings, but surely his life and the life of his family is just as valid as the life of any Nigerian anywhere.

When I think of our Chibok girls, I think ‘what if’ the authorities had heeded that warning and taken our girls out before the insurgents came? When I think of the ALUU 5, I think ‘what if’ someone in authority had instructed the mob to stop their jungle justice and taken our boys to court instead. When I think of Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa and his family, I think ‘what if?’ What if his allegations are correct? What if their lives are truely in danger and it could be saved just by an article written to create awareness? What if…?

Whether Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa’s account is accurate or not, I don’t know! Whether he and his family are truly in the grave danger that he told me of, I cannot say for sure! But what I do know and what I can say is that I am not prepared to stand by and ignore yet another prospective warning, to watch more lives possibly be endangered without responding. I am not prepared to just sit idly by until another disaster occurs.

Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa has made his desperate cry for help; “My life is in danger…,’ he says. Now, what we each need to ask ourselves is whether we are all willing to yet again ignore a plea at the risk that our disregard could potentially mean the we have condemned a man and his family to, at best, great harm and, at worst, to death?

This story is just one example out of thousands of potential incidences that are widespread across the country. It is indeed just one example where the authorities and human rights bodies have an absolute responsibility to launch an inquiry and ascertain the true situation of the case and investigate the allegations Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa has made on the danger to his and his family’s life. At this stage, intervention in the case need not mean anything more than an inquiry to determine the legitimacy of his very serious claims.

I urge the government, human rights commission, legislature, every appropriate authority and the Nigerian people to watch the video Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa posted online through Moses Olafenwa’s YouTube page on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNcV7kN8JB0 in order to see the full story and pictures from the scene. I appeal to the authorities to further investigate the claims of Mr. Gabriel Olafenwa and his family and I call on all these bodies’ to critically look into this case without prejudice or favoritism to Mr. Gabriel or to those he accuses and ensure that lives are protected and justice is served to all parties concerned.

C/River education college sacks lecturer for fraud HE College of Education, Akamkpa, Cross River State, has sacked one lecturer and investigating four others for academic fraud.

Also, four students of the college are currently standing trial for impersonation.

The college Provost, Dr. James Ejue, who disclosed this during a press conference in Calabar, said

T

n Nicholas KALU, Calabar n that the move is in line with the school zero tolerance policy on malpractices.

He said: “One lecturer has already lost his job because he was caught extorting money from students, and four others are already undergoing investigation because those ones

already have confirmed appointments. We are following proceedings and if found guilty, they will be shown the way out.”

Ejue also promised to give full sponsorship to the first ten academic staff of the college who get admission into universities abroad, adding that the essence is to ensure effective staff training and development.

The college provost also said plans are underway to establish a department of Chinese language in 2015.

"This is because Nigeria and the rest of Africa is turning to China. Chinese firms are everywhere and we are doing business with them, and if we must have the best of negotiation and benefit, it will be an added advantage

if we understand their language.

“We will recruit some persons and send them to China to study Chinese language and when they return we will introduce the programme in the Pre-NCE level," he said.

He also said the college is working towards the introduction of degree programmes in 2015.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

FEATURES

•A broken fence at Ikot Nkebre

•Mrs. Orim and her damaged car

•A flooded area of CRUTECH staff quarters

Calabar residents as flood, rainstorm

,

Orim was taking his daughter to the University of Calabar Demonstration Secondary School in his brand new car at about 8 am and had just entered a pothole when he heard a loud thunderstorm. The next thing he saw was a big tree that fell and landed on the car they were riding in. He and his daughter were trapped in the car for more than 40 minutes that the rain lasted...

,

OR many residents of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, the past couple of weeks have been those of nightmare because of the damage caused by series of rainstorms that ravaged parts of the city. Most of the areas affected were Ikot Ansa, Ikot Eneobong, Ikot Nkebre and Big Qua Town in Calabar Municipality, as well as some parts of Calabar South.

The storm and flooding in the affected areas of the city have come with a fury that is yet unparalleled since the advent of the rainy season. Fortunately though, no life has been reported lost.

According to a statement from the State Emergency Management Agency, no fewer than 60 buildings have been badly damaged by storm in the past two weeks. About 11 vehicles were also said to have been destroyed.

F

n Nicholas KALU, Calabar n

In spite of the fact that no life has been lost, the disaster has left most residents of the city in pains. Their traumatic experience came at a time the state government was committing huge amount of human and material resources to the rehabilitation and construction of roads and drainages across the state capital.

The Vice Chairman of Ogoja Local Government Area, Mr John Orim, and his daughter only narrowly escaped death in one of the incidents. Orim was taking his daughter to the University of Calabar Demonstration Secondary School in his brand new car at about 8 am and had just entered a pothole when he heard a loud thunderstorm. The next thing he saw was a big tree that fell and landed on the car they were riding in. He and his daughter were

trapped in the car for more than 40 minutes that the rain lasted before help could come from the people who pulled them out of the badly damaged vehicle.

In fact, he had to go to the Calabar Urban Development Authority to get a chainsaw with which the tree was cut into pieces in order to retrieve the car. Orim, who was full of gratitude to God for sparing his life as well as that of his daughter, urged the government to always check for those among the abundant trees in the city that are in delicate conditions, so that they could be cut down to forestall a repeat of such incidents in the future.

Another resident, Mr. Paul Bassey, whose home was ravaged by flood, recalled that no fewer than 12 houses in his neighbourhood at Ikot Nkebre had their fences destroyed while property worth millions of naira was lost to

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

FEATURES

11

,

In spite of the fact that no life has been lost, the disaster has left most residents of the city in pains.

Their traumatic experience came at a time the state government was committing huge amount of human and material resources to the rehabilitation and construction of roads and drainages across the state capital...

,

•Two of the cars at Ikang's house

count losses wreak havoc rainstorm.

Mr. Gabriel Ikang, who had two of his cars destroyed by a collapsed fence at Itu Okon Extension, Ikot Ansa, lamented the incident he said had brought economic hardship to his family.

He valued the items destroyed at over N15 million, pleading with the state government to help him and other victims to minimize the loss.

Mrs. John Obi, who resides at No. 6, Parliamentary Extension, Calabar, expressed shock at the enormity of the damage caused by flood and rainstorm in the area. The damaged items, she said, included an access road. She appealed for government’s urgent intervention through the construction of drainages. He also charged the law enforcement agencies in the state to fight illegal sand miners who he said have contributed in no small measure to flooding in the Calabar metropolis.

She also complained about the atti-

•Another view of Mrs. Orim's car with symphatizers

tude of residents who take delight in dumping refuse into drainages and undesignated areas, thereby causing flooding.

Mr. Osim Ofuka of 30, Itu Okon Street, counted his losses to include a broken fence and destroyed livestock and other property. He lamented that the incident had dislocated his economic life.

A lecturer at the Cross River University of Technology, Calabar South, who gave his name as Dr Effiong and had his house at the staff quarters flooded, also appealed to the government to do something about the area, which he said was always facing the same problem whenever it rained heavily.

He attributed the flood disaster to blockade of drainages and other waterways, as well as the construction of buildings along flood prone areas.

Director General, Cross River Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), also attributed the incidents to blockade of drainages with refuse and other forms of silts by unscrupulous persons, warned that more disasters should be expected unless the people concerned changed their attitudes.

He advised residents of cities in the State to adhere to the campaign against indiscriminate waste disposal and other harmful environmental practices.

He warned motorists to stay clear of flooded roads and reduce speed to reasonable limits during storms to avoid accidents.

According to him, children should not be allowed to play around flooded drainages and ponds, as doing so could lead to accidents that may culminate in deaths.

Mr. Aquah also advised that people should avoid running water, no matter how narrow, as it could easily knock one off. He warned that people should never try to walk, swim or drive through such water.

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

Herdsmen’s killing fields •Stakeholders lament worsening bloodshed in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba •Experts proffer solutions Clashes between herdsmen and farmers are almost as old as human history. But the ones that have occurred between these two classes of people in Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and other parts of the north in the last couple of years are of a different dimension. Thousands of lives have been lost as a result of alleged attacks launched on native farmers in the aforementioned states by people believed to be mainly mercenaries hired by Fulani herdsmen to protect their interests and help them secure grazing fields for their cattle. Our correspondents, Fanen IHYONGO, Yusuf AMINU IDEGU, Tony AKOWE and Ujah EMMANUEL, write on the horrible fallout of the bloody clashes.

Story on pages 14,15&16

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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Sad tales from herds IGHT months ago, Liamber Aungwa and members of his family woke up in their rural home in Ibi Local Government Area, Taraba State and sat in front of their house because it was dry season and they had little or no work to do on the farm. Aungwa’s wife, Mama Ngodoo, prepared porridge for breakfast, but they had hardly eaten the meal when they saw smoke billowing from a neighbouring house. As they sought to find out the cause of the blaze, a group of hefty armed Fulani men emerged, shooting without provocation.

As they ran into safety, the invaders set their compound ablaze, after looting its valuables. Aungwa and his little son, who were not strong enough to run, were gunned down in a heinous manner. Those who escaped sustained severe gunshot injuries. By the time the attackers left the small community, no fewer than 18 Tiv farmers lay dead while scores of others were severely injured.

Two weeks after, Aungwa’s eldest son clandestinely went to inspect the ruins of their home only to find that the compound had been taken over by some Fulani and their livestock. He saw cows feasting on a yam barn where the family had stored their yams and other farm produce.

In the first quarter of this year, full-blown hostilities of Fulani herdsmen against Tiv farmers had extended to Takum, Donga and Wukari in the southern part of the state. Tiv villages in Gassol and Bali local government areas in Central Taraba have also come under ferocious attacks by Fulani herdsmen. 24 Tiv farmers were massacred in cold blood in the first attack on Takum. More than 100 others were wounded while 68 homes were reportedly razed.

Since the beginning of this year, Fulani insurgents, believed to be made up mostly of mercenaries and numbering more than 6000, have laid siege to the southern and central districts of the state. Tiv villagers, working on their farms, sleeping in their homes or walking on the road, have been their target.

The insurgents, sometimes clad in military camouflage, can attack at any time of the day.

They have killed thousands of Tiv farmers, wounded hundreds of thousands and made the rest to flee their homes. Not a few Tiv women have been raped and dehumanised by the herdsmen as their attacks worsened.

In Gassol, more 30 Tiv men, women and children were killed by Fulani herdsmen insurgents who have razed more than 50, 000 houses and displaced about 300, 000 residents. Tiv linear settlements in Sabon-Gida, Dan-Anacha, Chediya, Mahanga and Dorowa on Jalingo-Wukari road, have been reduced to rubble and left deserted. Also destroyed are their farms, shops and even worship centres.

In Bali, displaced Tiv residents are still being killed in covert places where they are taking refuge. In May, two Tiv farmers were macheted to death and their heads and vital organs were removed while working on their farm in Jatau area of Bali on a day the Fulani, Tiv and Jukun elites signed a peace deal at the palace of the Aku Uka of Wukari, Dr. Shekarau Angyu. As if that was not enough, a Tiv family of nine was gruesomely burnt in a house in Kungwana where they were taking refuge.

The same week, six Tiv villagers were gunned down in Maigoge while a Catholic Catechist was axed to death in Gazabu. Eyewitnesses said 46 bodies were recovered and 6,086 houses torched when police combed the area in search of the attackers. “Many of our people are still missing,” said Torver, one of the 148, 036 displaced persons taking refuge in Kungwana. “It is very painful. We have been dehumanised, killed and maimed.

I slept in the bush for three days to remain alive today.”

Like Torver, many Tiv residents in Taraba southern and central districts are living in fear. Many have either been traumatised or lose their lives from the shock of seeing their dear ones strangled to death.

In Donga, 20 Tiv people were killed by Fulani herdsmen in separate attacks at Ananum and Wahanye settlements. Today, many Tiv villages in Bali, including Alakpa, Igboor, Tavershima and Utsua Daa, look like ghost

E

•Berom and Fulani men at a peace parley in Jos towns, having being deserted by their inhabitants.

Cause of violence: The Fulani ethnic group has said clearly that they are on a “revenge mission.” They cite instances where the Tiv have rustled their livestock. The Tiv have also complained that Fulani herdsmen often graze their cattle on their farmlands without realising that their right to graze their livestock ends where the right of Tiv farmers to protect their own sources of livelihood begins. It was gathered that the Fulani hired mercenaries from other states, trained and armed them with sophisticated weapons to help their home-based militia to this effect.

The recent attacks on Tiv residents and their villages have been totally different from the usual pockets of conflicts the Tiv had had with Fulani herdsmen in the past. The calculation, Chairman, Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier (CTTYF), Goodman Dan Dahida said, is to annihilate the Tiv in Taraba State for political reasons.

•Some houses destroyed in an attack

Destructive impact Besides the killings and burning of Tiv homes, farm crops have been destroyed too.

This means that food crisis is imminent in the state in the near future. The Tiv are predominantly farmers, contributing 68 per cent of the state’s internally generated revenue via their agricultural produce. Commercial activities in the rural areas have been paralysed by the crisis. Travellers are also having hectic time plying particular routes.

How to end the crisis Taraba State Acting Governor, Garba Umar, has proffered “dialogue and enlightment campaign” as possible ways of ending the Fulani/Tiv clashes. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Kefas Sule, the acting governor noted that the warring communities (Fulani and Tiv) must be involved in the reconciliation process.

“This is a disagreement between two ethnic communities, so you cannot find a solution to their conflict without their participation. That is why the government has always called on both groups to dia-

logue,” he said.

Umar said on no fewer than three occasions, the Tiv, Fulani and Jukun have signed peace deals, once in his office and at the palace of the Aku Uka. Umar added that enlightenment committees were set up at the state level, headed by him; at the zonal level, headed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Josiah Sabo Kente, and at the local levels with local government chairmen and traditional rulers as heads.

He said he had provided about 75 patrol vehicles to the police, army, civil defence and other security agencies, and 180 motorcycles to vigilance groups to help clamp down on the insurgents. “The security agencies have also been directed to set up security posts in the crisis zones to curb violence in the areas,” he added.

He said an assessment had been done by the peace committees and the displaced persons asked to return to their homes with the assurance that no one would occupy their places. “32 trucks of assorted relief materials have been distributed through SEMA (State Emergency Management Agency) and

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men’s killing fields properties worth billions of naira have been The issue became so serious that the Eurodestroyed. In each confrontation, the Fulani pean Union (EU) had to broker peace beare always accused of being the antagonists. tween the Fulani and the native population.

The Fulani invasion on the Plateau was The EU launched an 18-month peace parley impelled by the need for grazing fields for popularly called Plateau Peace Architecture their cattle. The resultant clash of interest Dialogue. The EU peace building project, with the native farmers has bred an ethnic known as European Union Instrument for conflict compounded by allegations of cow Stability Support of Peace Building and Conrustling leveled by the Fulani against the naflict Prevention in Plateau State, was to be tive farmers. implemented by a civil society organization Findings by the Special Task Force (STF) called Search For Common Ground (SFCG) on Jos crisis code named Operation Safe According to the EU, "Plateau is already Haven shows that of the 17 local government overcoming its security challenges and the areas in Plateau State, 10 are in violence conEU feels it’s high time it provided support to flict with Fulani invaders. The local governgovernment and people of the state to conments include Riyom, solidate on the peace Barkin Ladi, Jos South, achieved so far. The proMangu, Bokkos, Wase, gramme will be directed Few days after the Shendam, Langtang to solving the basic North, Langtang South, causes of conflict and the family of seven was and Mikang. consequences of the conThe task force stated flict, including tackling wiped out, the inearly this year that the poverty, job creation, invaders came again atstate had witnessed 160 come generation and caattacks by gunmen in pacity building. tacking three villages just six months between Following the EU insimultaneously. By the tervention, the last quarter of 2013 one of the EU and the first quarter of peace project impletime the dust settled, 2014. It also added: "In menting NGOs, (SFCG) over 100 men women the 160 attacks, over 260 introduced a monthly people were killed, 2,501 peace parley in collaboand children lay dead. cows were rustled. ration with the office of Nursing mothers and About 1,312 cows were the Special Adviser on recovered. Over 88 arms Peace and Conflict Mantheir infant children were recovered, and agement, Mr. Timothy 2,734 ammunition were were not spared in the Parlong. But at a point also recovered. during the fifth peace attack which forced The worst period of parley, the Fulani boyFulani invasion on the several people to aban- cotted the meeting, Plateau occurred beclaiming that their cattle don their homes and tween 2011 and 2012. In were being rustled by a single attack in 2012, Berom youths; an allegafarmlands.

The vigimore than 80 Berom tion the Berom described lance of a 17 year old people were killed by as false alarm. The Fususpected armed Fulani lani returned to the boy was said to have men in one night attack. peace parley after a lot prevented the entire During the mass burial of persuasion by Parof the victims, the gunlong. villages from being men struck again, and The Nigerian Police the stampede that folalso launched their own wiped out lowed led to the death of intervention to also broSenator Dalyop Dantong ker peace between the and the Majority Leader warring tribes. The interof the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. vention came through the office of the James Gyang Fulani. Both legislators hailed Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) from Berom.

Michael Zuokumo. Zuokumo, who is in Before the 2011/2012 episode was the facharge of Operations at the Force Headquarmous Dogo Nahawa massacre where gunters, Abuja, is the Chairman of a reconciliamen suspected to be Fulani stormed a Berom tion committee set up by the Force village at night and killed over 500 Berom Headquarters for settlement of communal men, women and children. Some of the susclashes across the country. pected Fulani arrested after the attack said The committee also visited Jos and apthey were on revenge mission. pealed to Fulani and Berom people as well as Berom people themselves has estimated other ethnic groups in the state to sheath their kinsmen allegedly killed by Fulani men their swords and embrace peace. at over 7,000 while the properties destroyed Zuokumo said: "The Federal Government were worth more than N10 billion. has already given them terms of reference on

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NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency),” he said.

“Government is still talking, and government is aware of the role some illustrious sons can play to restore peace. Ours is to continue to provide logistics. The areas are under air surveillance by military jets and choppers to locate the bearings of insurgents,” he added.

But the Chairman, Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier (CTTYF), Goodman Dan Dahida, blamed the crisis on laxity on the part of government. He called on the state government to take “more pragmatic steps” in ending the crisis.

Dahida said: “The government of Garba Umar is not doing enough to protect our people who have become prey in the hands of Fulani grazers, even as it has embarked on propaganda in deceiving the people that the state is peaceful and safe for displaced persons to return.

“The security patrol vans distributed in the troubled zones have not improved the situation, as the vehicles are driven without personnel. They don’t get into the rural areas to instill confidence in the people.

“We are equally of the view that there is a grand conspiracy to eliminate the Tiv people in the state for reasons we do not know. The so-called peace initiative of the state government, headed by Bishop Charles Yohana, has not yielded result as killings and burning of Tiv houses continue.”

He urged the government to “provide adequate security to protect the people and ensure their safe return to continue with their lawful business of farming.”

“Government should set up a joint task force of credible and reliable persons” to ensure safe return and rehabilitation of displaced people. Those occupying Tiv settlements should be ordered to vacate such places immediately.

“A commission of enquiry should be constituted to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the crisis, with a view to bringing it to an end and punishing the perpetrators and their sponsors.”

The senator representing Southern Taraba District, Emmanuel Bwacha, believes that the violence has political undertone. “The crisis is being masterminded and fuelled by the powers that be in Jalingo,” he said.

The lawmaker has since asked President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency in Taraba and deploy more troops to clamp down on the insurgents. Bwacha had in his open letter to the Acting Governor said: “Our people were getting ambushed and killed by insurgents who confessed that someone paid them to come and unleash hell in our area.”

The Fulani ethnic group has been at war with the native tribes of Plateau State since the last decade. During the period, thousands of deaths have been recorded while

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how to curb the communal attacks. The common denominator of this crisis is the Fulani in all the states we visited. The committee has also been to Benue,Nasarawa,Taraba,Kaduna and Zamfara states.”

According to him, "we all know that we have been having problems here in Plateau State: ethnic problems and cattle rustling between the Fulani herdsmen and the local farmers. But the problem here kept rising where the Fulani complain of rustling of their cows while farmlands are being destroyed. We see loss of settlements and wanton killing of people. We want this to be put to an end.”

The interventions by STF, Police Committee, EU and other NGOs notwithstanding, it is not clear if the ethnic violence will be over any time soon. There are still pockets of clashes, especially between the Fulani and the Berom in Riyom Local Government Area.

The Berom recently alleged that they had discovered a training camp of armed Fulani men in a forest near Rim village. They also alleged that they could not go to the farm for fear of the Fulani people who are locking around the areas.

While the Fulani have denied the existence of such a training camp, their denial did nothing to change the belief of the Berom people. Incidentally, a few days after the alarm by the Berom, some gunmen struck and killed about 13 of them. Up until now, the people in Riyom Local Government are living in fear.

However, Parlong said: "The issue between the Fulani and the Berom will soon be over because it is part of what government intends to achieve through the ongoing peace parley. I have the conference because we have been able to solve and stop the issue of cattle rustling in the area. That is why you can't hear of attacks relating to cattle rustling anymore.”

The Chairman of Riyom Local Government, Mrs. Josephine Piyo, said: "Restoring total peace in my local government is top on my agenda. We can achieve that through dialogue, I will bring the Berom and Fulani to a roundtable for us to find a solution to the conflicts. I know the security agencies are doing a lot. I will also do my own part."

Attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen on communities in southern Kaduna has continued in spite of the ceasefire agreement signed between their leaders and the leadership of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union. Even though the agreement did not go down well with the people of southern Kaduna who insisted that they are not at war with the Fulani, they resolved to accept it and live in peace with them.

Investigations revealed that the attacks began shortly after Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa assumed office as the first southern

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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A herdsman and his cattle

Worsening bloodshed in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba arrested and handed over to security agencies for prosecution only for the culprits to be seen working freely the next day.”

Goje alleged that “the attack in Bondong was led by two well-known young Fulani resident in Manchock town, who died in the process. Their bodies have clearly and unambiguously been identified by the natives and their corpses are now kept by the Joint Task Force (JTF) Command in Kafanchan for further forensic screening. This has clearly vindicated us and confirmed our earlier position that the Fulani have declared a Jihad on the people of Southern Kaduna and Nigeria, as evident in this genocide."

It was the widespread condemnation that followed the killings in Bondong and other communities in other states that forced the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to set up a committee to find a lasting solution to the incident. The committee met with the stakeholders in Kaduna; an approach that was condemned by the state governor, Mukthar Ramalan Yero, who insisted that the meeting should have taken place in the affected communities so that the people would not feel abandoned.

The meeting came up with what it termed a ceasefire agreement between the leadership of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union and the leadership of the Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria. The agreement however failed to stand the test of time as barely two months after it was signed, southern Kaduna villages once again came under heavy attack by the herdsmen.

This time, they moved from village to village with impunity and with nobody stopping them even though there was a 24-hour curfew in Sanga Local Government whose

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Kaduna man to occupy the governorship seat in the state and many southern Kaduna people were quick to say that it was an attempt to make the state ungovernable for him. From October 2010 when communities in Zangon Kataf were attacked by the Fulani till date, the attacks have continued and, curiously, no arrest has been made by the authorities.

The people have always cried out, accusing the government of doing nothing to protect them. Some stakeholders even called for a state of emergency in the area as well as the establishment of a military station for quick response. While the attacks between 2011 and early part of 2013 were isolated with minimal casualties, the attack carried out on Mafan, Zilang and Telak communities on March 29 and 30 2013 left the first major casualty, with 30 people, mostly women and children, killed in the attack. Interestingly these attacks are always carried out at night.

From Zangon Kataf local government, the attackers moved to Kaura Local Government. It was believed that the first casualty in the local government would have been the Kagoro people. They were said to have taken immediate steps, including expelling the Fulani in their midst to avert any attack.

The Attakkar people in the local government became one of the major early targets as their villages were attacked. Zilan, Mafan, Talek, Kirim, Danti, Mayit, Zadian, Dajak, Tinga Mogwai and Dugurang communities were all sacked by the invaders who were said to have been on a revenge mission.

Forty-four people reportedly died from the attack and for several days, the people could not go back to their houses as the attackers were said to have occupied the villages and even security men found it difficult to penetrate due to the difficult terrain.

Dr. Ephraim Gojd, President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, had told The Nation in an interview in 2013 that the attack on his people was becoming unbearable. He said: "Since November 2011, we in Southern Kaduna have witnessed incidents of organised and sporadic attacks on our committees.

It started with an incident in a village called Fadia. Shortly after, there was an attack in Bitaro village in Jaba land. From Bitaro, there was another one in Kusom, a village not far from the Gwong community where the late Governor, Patrick Yakowa hails from. There were also attacks on Kagoro chiefdom and Bajju land in Zangon Kataf Local Government, as well as another serious massacre in Gbagyi land in a village called Chukun where more than 18 people, including a Priest, were murdered.

“The most recent attack in Southern Kaduna is the one in Attakkar land where three villages were wiped out on the hills of Attakkar land and over 100 houses were set on fire. In fact, in that place, the only building standing is a church that was partly damaged."

After the massacre in Attakkar land, the attacks seems to have stopped and the government assured the people that all was now well. The people believed what they were told and went back to their homes. But the Attakkar people reportedly expelled the Fulani from their midst. While this could not be confirmed, Maro'o people were said to have embraced the expelled Fulani people. They struck again in March 2014, wiping out a family of seven in Manhok, headquarters of Kaura Local Government.

The people revolted and resorted to stoning the convoy of the governor who had gone there to sympathise with them. They accused him of playing politics with their lives; an accusation the governor promptly denied. But unknown to them, the worst was yet to come. Few days after the family of seven was wiped out, the invaders came again attacking three villages simultaneously. By the time the dust settled, over 100 men women and children lay dead. Nursing mothers and their infant children were not spared in the attack which forced several people to abandon their homes and farmlands. The vigilance of a 17 year old boy was said to have prevented the entire villages from being whipped out.

The affected villages were Ungwan Sankwai, Tyekum and Ungwan Gata in Bondon District of Moroa Chiefdom. The attack turned out to be the worst invasion in the life of the people. Goje told The Nation after the attack that they were able to identify those who were responsible for the attack, saying however that “each time we raise this observation, the Fulani socio-cultural organisation within the state has outrightly denied the involvement of their people, asking for proofs.

In some of these attacks, suspects have being

But while that remains a joke, the reality is that until recently Tiv people were regarded as Fulanis’ best friends, given the cordial relationship they had enjoyed even in national affairs. For instance, during the First Republic, Sir Ahmadu Bello was said to have sent some Tiv people abroad to study, after which he gave them employments in the northern Nigeria. This accounted for the emergence of Prof.

Daniel Saror, a Tiv, as the Vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

In the Second Republic,when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, many Tiv people were appointed into key positions in his government. Isaac Shaahu was the Minister of Communications, Paul Unongo was the Minister of Power and Steel, Hon. Benjamin Chaha was the Speaker House of Representatives, while Simon Shango was the National Publicity Secretary of the then ruling party, NPN. For the love of Tiv people, Shagari kicked off his reelection campaign in Gboko, the ancestral home of the Tiv people. It was tagged Gboko 83.

During the administration of the late Umaru Yar'Adua, Tiv people occupied very sensitive positions as Mike Aondokaa was the Minister of Justice, DR. Paul Orhii is serving his second term as the boss of NAFDAC, while Farinda Waziri was appointed the first female boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

It was gathered that there had always been skirmishers between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers over grazing, but each time the matter arose, it was amicably settled until sometime in 2009 when suspected Fulani herdsmen launched bloody attacks on five Tiv wards in Gwer West Local Government Area. They set houses ablaze, destroyed farmlands and killed many people.

The herdsmen sustained the attack till March 2014, with the traditional rural of Gwer West, Chief Daniel Abomtse, putting the death toll at 120 while property and farmlands destroyed are worth N100 billion .

Farmers were at the receiving ends as their means of livelihood have gone with the winds. Most of them became displaced because the herdsmen, armed with sophistication weapons, also set their houses ablaze.

The attacks and killings have brought about hunger and threaten the status of Benue State as the food basket of the nation.

The Benue State Commissioner for Works, Chief John Ngbede, told The Nation that the people of Agatu in Benue South senatorial zone cannot say why the Fulani attack them and kill their people. Chief Ngbede said the people had no problem with the Fulani herdsmen before they storm many villages in Agatu and killed harmless farmers, including their wives and children.

He said about 10,000 farmers in Agatu are taking refuge in temporary camps with no basic amenities. The works commissioner said as things now stand, farmers in Agatu Local Governments face the danger of starvation because there has been no farming activity for more than a year now because of the attacks that have also claimed many lives.

According to him, the solution to the crisis is for the Fulanis to leave Agatu land .

DR. Eugene Aliegba, the immediate past Commissioner for Environment in Benue State and governorship hopeful, said that criminal elements have also contributed to the bloody crisis .

Aliegba said the solution to the crisis is to identify the Fulani leaders so that they would be held responsible for the actions of their members. He said that peaceful co-existence should be encouraged between farmers and Fulani herdsmen as part of efforts to reduce tension.”

villages were being attacked.

The recent attack in Fadan Karshi District and other parts of Sanga Local Government came less than 24 hours after the President declared open an international conference seeking to find a lasting solution to such attacks. At that meeting, the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina, said the Fulani who were carrying out attacks on southern Kaduna villages and indeed other villages in the country could not have been Nigerians but those from other countries in search of grazing lands for their cattle.

However, the intensity of the attacks on Sanga tends to prove the Minister wrong since foreigners could not have understood the terrain of an area they have not lived so well as to know how to evade security operatives Anyone who is versed in the history of the relationship between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Benue State is bound to wonder how hostile the two have become in recent years. Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen were said to be the best of friends many years ago. They cohabited and even intermarried.

The seriousness of the hostile relationship between the two tribes is underscored by a joke to the effect that their hostility is predicated on betrayal of trust. As the joke goes, a Fulani man who was going on a journey once handed over his cows to his Tiv friend to look after.

Upon his return, however, the cows were nowhere to be found.

The Fulani man asked his Tiv friend about his cows and the Tiv man told him, "mun chi", meaning we have eaten it. From that day, the Fulani nicknamed Tiv people Munchi while the Tiv also call them Agwai. The Fulani then made it a habit to destroy Tivs’ farmlands with their cows while the Tivs retaliate by killing their cattle.

The most recent attack in Southern Kaduna is the one in Attakkar land where three villages were wiped out on the hills of Attakkar land and over 100 houses were set on fire. In fact, in that place, the only building standing is a church that was partly damaged

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Olatunji OLOLADE, Assistant Editor and Kunle AKINRINADE

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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Prince Eze Madumere, a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic and a Knight of Saint Christopher, is the Deputy Governor of Imo State.

In this interview, he spoke on the values he cherishes and the challenges being encountered in the governance of the state, among other issues. Excerpts: S the incumbent Deputy Governor of Imo State, what do you consider as challenges being encountered?

Challenges, as far as I am concerned, are natural. They are part of us as human beings. Many problems confront us on a daily basis. It is how we take them that matters. In life, it is not everything that you do that will yield the expected result. That is why we are humans. I must thank God for his mercies first and foremost for how far he has led me.

I have always told people that I have passion for what I do. I love to work and go the extra mile to deliver. My challenge on a daily basis, at least at the moment, is what do we do to realize fully the dream of our visionary governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. He is a man endowed with wisdom, and when such visions come, it takes other like minds to have them interpreted and sent for onward implementation after it would have been properly channelled through the necessary processes for it to become a policy. For me, that is the only challenge which is rather no challenge, but a task we deem necessary for the good of our people.

Another challenge is maintaining an alertness towards finding solutions to problems, both envisaged and not envisaged. For me, the essence of remaining relevant to your people and to any environment you find yourself is that vision and one's proactive posture.

It is very apparent that your contribution so far has immensely added value to the administration of this state .What can you on this?

First and foremost, one must appreciate God, who in His infinite mercy, has brought us thus far. My success is my leader's success. Whatever I would have contributed is a function of confidence and trust reposed in me by Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Again, one would not be discussing achievements, except where you have responsibilities . For me, I have enjoyed such goodwill from His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Those assignments given to me, to the glory of God, our leader has always found them satisfactorily handled.

In terms of real achievements of our government, it is no news that in less than three years, we have done very well, both in visible and invisible dividends. The free education programme is one of the five-star achievements of the Owelle Rochas Okorocha led government. In terms of infrastructural development, it is no mean feat. Do not forget that this government is at the vanguard of enthroning true democracy. It is only in Imo State that people's voices are heard without any fear of molestation. In justice and fairness to the commoners, this government's effort has remained unequalled.

Our rural development is next to none. You may have heard that every local government in Imo State can at least boast of many tarred roads. Then, with God, our little effort in conjunction with the security agencies: police, DSS and the army, Imo remains the most peaceful state in the country.

The saying used to be see Paris and die, today, our city, Owerri , has become the preferred destination for visitors and tourists alike. His Excellency, in his wisdom, thought of doing something to attract corporate bodies to Imo State. That was what brought about the birth of Imo International Conference Centre. It is awesome. Very soon, Imo State will be hosting most of the summits, annual general meetings, workshops, conferences and what have you. Our Community Government Council has been a veritable vehicle in the reinvigoration of our culture and tradition, combating crime and other social vices at the rural areas and jump starting development in the communities. It is also in appreciation of this that the Country Manager of IFAD paid us a visit in Imo for partnership. So much has been achieved in Imo. The latest is the engagement of twenty five thousand youths in Imo State. This has its unquantifiable positive impacts in our polity.

At 50, do you feel fulfilled?

True, I feel fulfilled so far. This does not mean wealth or merely political position, but reaching out to as many people as possible and changing their lives both mentally and physically . The focus should be on the youths because we no longer bother about quality and values.

At 50, I must tell you I have not seen any change in my body chemistry. I have every cause to give glory to God. I wake up everyday asking God to guide me in all my undertakings. I must say I have every reason to celebrate. It is said that life begins at 50.

It is true that I have always taken it easy. I must say I am a happier person with my privileged position to serve my people. In a nutshell, I have had the opportunity of dealing with the poor, the downtrodden and the less privileged. As the Chairman of Red Cross Society, Imo State Chapter, I feel glad getting involved in things that concern securing the future of the downtrodden as our leader, Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha.

How would you celebrate your 50th birthday ?

Well, 50th birthday is a landmark indeed and it calls for celebration. But I have a little situation to manage here. As a matter of policy, when I turned 40 , I resolved to celebrate my birthdays with the less-privileged persons and special people. I would always prefer to visit motherless babies’ homes and special homes to celebrate with them. This year's birthday has coincided

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•Madumere

it not for little privileges I had, I would have been killed or remained in prison for long. What I am saying is that it is not every one you see in prison that is guilty of a crime being alleged.

Again, apart from capital punishment for capital offences, prison is meant to change people . People in prisons face rejection. There is stigmatization and due to the perception of our society about those in prisons, it only causes dejection and being in a state of despair.

Why don't we show them love? Why don't we preach to them that there is life after their immediate challenges? Why don't fish out those who may have been unjustly imprisoned? Let us give them hope and cheer them to become better people tomorrow rather than allowing them becoming even worse criminals who would come back to hurt us.

What have you done to those behind your illegal incarceration?

Truly, I only mentioned my experience here for the purposes of establishing my case. I have nothing against them now. I mentioned recently that I had forgiven those behind my unjust incarceration. I bear no grudges or any ill feelings about them. We can always forgive, but it is difficult to forget. We no longer forget with ill feelings, but as lessons for others.

Recently we learned from a newspaper interview that you sleep less than four hours in a day; would you step down a little now that you are 50?

Man is born and created a worker. As long as we live, we continue to work. The more we work, the stronger we become physically, mentally and otherwise. I love to work. I love to get busy. In strategic thinking, even when you are resting, your brain would always be put to work, and if you must be proactive, you must consider your options.

What do you consider your greatest ambition?

My ambition remains the success of my leader, Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha. Let me also throw more light on ambition. Wherever you find yourself, the first thing is to be appreciative. I have always said that that there is nothing wrong with people having ambition. What some decent people have against it is when it is inordinate. As for me, my greatest ambition is the successful delivery of whatever that has been entrusted to you to handle at one time or the other whenever you have the opportunity. The success of our administration led by Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha remains a dream come true and we are gradually achieving all that. God gives power and God will see us through, as we join hands with His Excellency, Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha to continue in that divine agenda to the glory of God. People believe that you are running for the governorship election in 2015; how true is that?

My friend, I will tell you frankly that we are still busy with governance. We have discovered that people are already jumping the ship and are seriously campaigning. What is paramount and uppermost in our mind is making Imo better first. We hear them say: Aga m, aga m, ( We will do this and that). For us, we have long passed that stage. We have done it and we are doing it and we are about breaking new grounds . Why don't you stay away from politics a bit.

Let us celebrate yet another God's mercies upon me and my family.

Your relationship with the governor has indeed brought some harmony in the governance of the state; do you see it as the handiwork of God? The mistake people make is usually seeing my relationship with His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha from the purview of government. This is a man I had known for over two decades, especially from the standpoint of his charity work and philanthropy. Our coming together, I must tell you, is divine. Our robust relationship is also a function of his good nature, love and above all God's grace and His divine agenda for our people. Our relationship is meant to teach others a lesson of what progressive partnership and relationship should be. Again, it is a lesson to us that it is not invalid like in Igbo culture to say that your brothers are not only those who are biologically related to you. Jesus Christ says his brothers and sisters are those ones that do the will of his father.

What has been the secret of your success in life?

There are things that no lecturer, not even a professor in Harvard will teach you. You see, pray to have these virtues: hard work, good sense of judgement, loyalty, humility, deference, patience and perseverance. They are nothing, but they remain indispensable virtues . I see people even forget their beginning and those they met on the way while climbing the ladder. It takes those virtues to remain humbled by every unfolding event around whether for good or bad.

Your advice?

My advice will always go to the youths. I always do so because if they lose their sense of direction, then our future is bleak. They should remain focused. If their pursuit does not work today, it does not mean it will not work tomorrow. The safest and the only way to real success is hard work, being consistent and patient. If you are in school, why not give your best shot, come out best and join the first eleven. I suggest that it is safer to remain patriotic, stay away from thuggery and say no to impunity.

For fellow politicians, let us play by the rules and let our comments be issue-based. Politics is for development and it brings about development. Let us always have worthy debates for the good of our people. It is also said that the kind of leadership people have is what they deserve. I will believe this to an extent. If we allow pettiness to thrive amid us, we will only produce mediocrities. Say no to bribery and corruption. Say no to hawking of votes and say no to rigging. It is your life and your future.

Again, I will not end this without speaking to our people of the fourth estate of the realm who are my very close friends.

Journalists should be diligent and investigate before going to press. Sitting at home and writing fiction is undoing the profession. Journalists are social engineers, but when badly practised, it becomes the fastest way to destroy the society. Professionalism should remain the watch word.

Why I celebrate my birthday in prisons

— Imo Deputy Governor with the Annual National Convention of my people. They have requested I present myself before them for issues of special importance. I would be in the United States of Nigeria to be with my people.

However, my birthday would still be marked at special homes like motherless babies’ homes and prisons, even in my absence.

I have already made my plans for those beautiful ones. They will definitely feel my absence, but would have their party with goodies. That is fulfilment to me.

Why are you celebrating with those in prisons ?

I guess, if it were right to say that I am from the Prisons Constituency, I would have accepted that. I have been there. I should tell you what happens there. I have been there, so I should tell you more on the need to see reason to visit prisons and speak hope to them.

I was once a victim of injustice. More often than not, good logic and some interpretations of law may not lead to justice. During 2011 elections, for no justifiable reason I was charged with treason. I was locked up in a police cell on trumped-up charges of attempted murder. Ridiculously, I was alleged with eighteen others to have plotted to kill the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and the former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, with a sachet of water. This led to my detention in police custody for five days before charging me to court. And before we knew it, I was already in a prison awaiting trial. Had

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My birthday would still be marked at special homes like motherless babies’ homes and prisons, even in my absence. I have already made my plans for those beautiful ones. They will definitely feel my absence, but would have their party with goodies. That is fulfilment to me

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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CRIME & OTHER STORIES

Ex-policeman, others held for kidnapping, ritual killings EN of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested a former police officer, Eze Onyebuchi, over alleged kidnapping and ritual killing.

The 41-year-old was allegedly dismissed from service in Anambra State in 2010 for complicity in a botched plan to kidnap one Mr. Nwa Okafor, who he was assigned to as an escort.

Onyebuchi was paraded at the Rivers State Police headquarters by the Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin.

He was said to have abducted and killed a woman, simply identified as Vicky, for money-making rituals.

The suspect, however, claimed that the victim died after she was set ablaze by some indigenes of Igwuruta community of Rivers State for stealing cassava.

“This woman, whose skull I am holding, is called Vicky, but I don’t know her husband’s name. She was killed by some people in Igwuruta community for stealing cassava. She was actually set ablaze and her remains were hidden in a bush. I stumbled on her skull while I was farming around the scene and I took it home to be making money for me.”

Asked how much the skull has made for him since he took it home, he said: “It has not made any money for me. I was apprehended barely two weeks after I took it to my residence.”

According to Ogunsakin, “the suspect, in his confessional statement, said the skull has been vomiting money ranging from N10 to N20 and N30.”

In a related development, two suspects have been arrested for sending threat text messages to people, including a Port Harcourtbased broadcaster. One of the suspects, Ndubueze Udesie, 41, from Abia State, said: “I am very knowledgeable in computer, so somebody approached me to get a profile of some militants for him. I went on the internet and got data of some ex-militants, and I wrote threat letters to one of them.

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•The suspects

n Rosemary NWISI n “In the letter, I asked the person to comply by paying the sum of N15 million to a certain account. I was handling the calls myself.

From the beginning of the deal, I told my partner that I would handle the ‘transaction’ myself. I assured him of my competence when it comes to handling phone calls, assuring him that the deal would pull through. Unfortunately, I was tracked down before the payment was fully made, and it was when they came to arrest me that they found the dollar box in my possession.”

Another kidnap suspect, Miss Mary Amadi, said: “I threatened a presenter with Wazobia FM, PortHarcourt, Racheal Ohiowele. She

gave out her phone number on air. I did not know what came over me when I copied the numbers and began to send threat messages to her.”

Ogunsakin restated the readiness of his men to combat crime in the oil-rich state, saying : “I want to use this medium to reiterate our commitment to continue our crusade against crime and its perpetrators. “I want to advise all perpetrators of crime to desist from their actions or relocate from this state. I also thank members of the public for their assistance to the police in combating crime in the state.

“As a law enforcement body, we shall not leave any stone unturned in protecting lives and property in the state, and people should continue to cooperate with us.”

Couple in police net over alleged N8.6m fraud PERATIVES of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of Lagos State Police Command have arrested a couple who allegedly obtained the sum of N8.585 million by false pretence. The couple allegedly presented fake customs allocation paper to auction 437 bales of textile materials, valued at N8.6 million, to their victims, simply identified as Mrs. Chinyere and Mrs. Nkechi.

Police sources said the couple falsely obtained money from several traders in Lagos under the pretence of having large textile materials or electronics to sell without suppllying any item to the victims in the last five years.

Before their arrest, the husband was said to have been detained for defrauding someone to the tune of N19 million, a case the Command’s ‘X’ Squad is still handling and likely to transfer to SARS for investigation. However, in an attempt to bail her husband, the wife was said to have posed as his sister.

“It is likely that their arrest by SARS will alert many of their victims who are still looking for them,” said a police source who asked not to be mentioned.

On why they brought the case to SARS, a source revealed that the offending couple was using their money to frustrate the quest for justice by the victims, who later resorted to a petition to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko.

“CP Manko then directed the officer-in-charge of SARS, Mr Abba Kyari, to carry out the arrest of the couple and investigate the case. When they were arrested, they confessed to the crime.”

Narrating her role in the fraudulent transaction, the wife said: “He is my husband. I have five children and my first child is 12 years old, while the last is four. I am from Epe in Lagos State. I reside in Ikotun, Lagos, which also serves as my office.

“I am a business woman. I import textile materials and electronics from Dubai and London. I am also a licensed auctioneer. I spend five to seven million naira to import goods or get customs allocation papers for goods meant for auctioning.

“I have been doing this business for seven good years. I later dragged my husband into the business. We also use agents to clear goods. I don’t have a common bank account with my husband.

“Everybody knows that we buy directly from customs

Speaking with our reporter, the husband said: “I am from Niger State. I am a freight forwarder at Tin Can Island, Lagos.

I am a member of the Customs Licensed Auctioneers Association and I have been in this business for eight years.

“I have two wives with 10 children; my first son is 14 years old. I had a problem with my first wife, so I am now with my second wife.

“When I got to the Ikorodu terminal, the container was carrying only books and I told them to be patient. When I could not see the textile materials, I called our agent in Abuja to inform him about the development.

“I collected money from the two traders and I could not deliver the goods to them: I have spent all the money, including paying my agents and retired customs officers.

“I have a storey building at Akute (Lagos) worth N30 million and a warehouse worth N13 million. If you see a buyer, I can sell them and start settling my victims, one after the other.

“My lawyer has a chamber in Ikeja. He was the one who told my wife to act as my sister to bail me in the other case being handled by X-squad. I am sorry for what I did, please forgive me.”

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n Ebele BONIFACE n

HE Police in Kwara State have identified an 85-year-old woman as the owner of the abandoned buildings where decomposing bodies and human parts were discovered at Eiyenkorin, along the Lagos-Ilorin expressway.

The unnamed woman, who is said to be a socialite, according to Kwara State Commissioner of Police, (CP), Mr. Ambrose Aisabor, is currently undergoing interrogation following the horror discovered inside the six buildings of 18 flats.

CP Aisabor said: “We discovered some abandoned buildings along Airport/Eiyenkorin on the Ilorin-Lagos expressway, suspected to be hideouts for criminals dealing in human parts.

•The dangling cloth used “When we got the information, we •The abandoned buildings to strangulate victims went to the place and actually discovered a bizarre scenario and the following items were recovered at the scene: den Adekunle JIMOH n composing headless body of a man, a human foot, snail shells, and clothes suspected to be used in strangulating their victims. human parts. The case is still under investigation and we will let you know the result of our investigation. The buildings beIf you get there, you will still see particles of human parts.

“I believe that place has been a human parts market where long to an 85 -year-old woman and we are currently interrogatpeople who are involved in ritual activities go to purchase ing her.

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•A victim’s clothe found in the building “Maybe as investigation progresses, we are going to make some arrests, but we have not made any arrest at the moment.

I want to use this medium to assure the people of the state that we are ready to protect them.

“We are blocking all avenues where criminals can infiltrate the state. The state remains a no-go area for criminals and criminal activities,” he added.

Delta police smashes alleged car-snatching gang t was a day of reckoning for two suspected notorious armed robbers who specialised in snatching exotic cars in Delta, Anambra and Imo states.

They were arrested by operatives of the Delta State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Asaba.

While the suspects, Ifeanyi Anyaogu and Chidubem Nwaeke, were lucky to tell their stories, a member of the gang, simply identified as Ike, was shot dead during a gun duel with the police along Lagos-Asaba expressway.

The gang had successfully snatched a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in Owerri, Imo State and drove it down to Asaba, where they used the car to trail a man who was driving a Toyota Highlander SUV. It was gathered that as the man drove into his compound, the suspects held him at gunpoint and hit him in the head with a battle-axe after which they snatched his car.

The suspects were, however intercepted by operatives of SARS, led by Mr. Ademola Adebayo, a Superintendent of Police (SP).

The gang was said to have opened fire on Ademola and his team, who swiftly returned fire. During the shootout, one of the gang members was shot dead, two were arrested, while others escaped with injuries.

One of the suspects, Anyaogu, pleaded with the police to pardon him, while promising to repent.

“If I am left off the hook, I will not go back into robbery again.

I will become a born again Christian. I swear with my life, I will be in church serving God. I will never do evil again.

“I know that what we did is very bad, but the economy is not favouring us and we must do something to make ends meet.

Now that I know better, I feel very sorry for what I did.

“I did not want that man we slashed his body to die. That was why I begged my gang members to stop cutting him with axe. If they had continued to cut him with the axe, he would have died.”

His accomplice, Nwaeke, blamed Anyaogu for his woes.

According to him, “I thank God that I was not killed during

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where Anyogu would sell the vehicles when the police started shooting at us; we ran for safety.

“I ran into the swamp, but I was brought out. Anyogu had already escaped, but he too was arrested. He then lied to the police that he was a passenger coming from Edo State and was running for safety when he heard sporadic shooting. But I later identified him to the police because he is my master, having introduced me to the business that has ruined me.

I regret ever meeting him because I would still have been a responsible man that I was before he reunited with me.

•Anyaogu and Nwaeke “That is why I am begging the youth out there not to go into crime, as it only brings n Jude ISIGUZO n shame to a man. I was well-respected when I was working as a the bus conductor. Now, my family members, friends and my foes encounter with the police. I would have died like Ike did. I was will mock me. living a good life, even as a commercial bus conductor. I later “Well, it has happened and there is nothing I can do. I know met Anyogu. He was a bus conductor, but he later left the job. that my blood is on the head of Anyaogu who pushed me into One day, I ran into him and he asked me why I was still doing robbery.” the job he quit. It was at that time that he told me that he deals The Commissioner of Police (CP), Delta State Command, Mr. in stolen vehicles. He now introduced me to other gang mem- Ikechukwu Aduba, said the suspects had been on the wanted list bers. of the command.

He told me that he was the brains behind a robbery gang. Well, “We noticed that the hoodlums were coming from neighI was very happy because, the way I saw him, I knew he was bouring states, and will placed them under surveillance. I now okay and I needed to look good too. So, we went for the first ordered the officer- in- charge of SARS, SP Ademola Adebayo operation, and it was successful. and his team to fish them out.

“The second outing was very bad. We just finished snatching “Few days after I gave that order, the hoodlums were arthe Toyota Highlander and we were moving in a convoy to rested. One of them was shot dead, two arrested and two others escaped with bullet injuries.

The police boss said that operatives of SARS also smashed a gang of notorious kidnappers who threatened to abduct a veterinary doctor, Dr. Michael Olatubosun and his 18 staff if he failed to pay them N5 million. n Kunle AKINRINADE n an Ebute Metta Magistrate’s court.

“The gang was carefully monitored and some Police prosecutor, Mr. U.A Moses, said the offence committed by of them have been picked. The arrested suspects The accused was said to have dumped Afolasade’s body in a canal the accused contravenes the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, adding have confessed that it was the doctor’s driver who close to his office. He was, however, exposed by his immediate boss, that he would forward the case file to the Directorate of Public Pros- arranged the deal.

Mr. AdekunleAdegoke, who on hearing the gunshot, rushed to the ecution (DPP) for advice.

“The driver has been on the run, but he will not office of the accused.

While asking the court to grant the accused bail, his counsels, run as far as my men are on his trail.

The accused had allegedly told his boss that nothing was wrong, Messrs Ola Ogunbiyi and F.C Osordi, told the court that the accused “I want to use this medium to warn criminals, forgetting that the woman’s blood had spilled on the floor. He was did not deliberately kill Afolasade. especially kidnappers and armed robbers, to eisaid to have revealed where he kept the body of the woman after The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. Y.B Badejo-Okusanya, asked that ther repent from crime or quit the state, as Delta is neighbours who heard the gunshot stormed his office. the accused be remanded in Ikoyi Prison while the court awaits the no more a safe haven for them.

He was later arrested by the police and arraigned for murder before DPP’s advice. The case has been adjourned to July 28, 2014.

“I will deal ruthlessly with them if they fail to heed my warning.”

‘Accidental discharge’ lands man in prison

•The suspected couple

officers. The racket is such that the customs officers act as the middle man in any seized goods that they want to auction.

“There is also this retired customs officer based in Abuja who we use as a middle man. My trouble and arrest started when my husband told me that customs wanted to auction textile materials and that the goods were at the Ikorodu terminal.

“I then contacted the two women who deal in second hand clothes, otherwise called Okrika. I collected money from them, and gave it to my husband. I collected N5.285 million from Chinyere and N3.3 million from Nkechi.

“I am not involved in the other case being handled by XSquad in which my husband allegedly collected N19 million.

I only lied that I was his sister in order to secure his bail.

“The police needed two sureties and our lawyer had gotten a Level 14 officer, so he asked me to pose as my husband’s sister to enable me sign the bail bond as the second surety.

“I first paid N50,000 to secure a warehouse before I realised that my husband had no goods. I feel bad now. I am a responsible woman. I did not know that my husband is into advance fee fraud. Whether I will divorce him after this case is still a difficult question for me.”

Police identifies 85-yr-old owner of Kwara house of horror

34-year-old man, Jelili Falana, who shot dead a 42-year-old trader, Afolasade Salami, has been remanded in Ikoyi Prison.

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The incident was said to have occurred on June 22, 2014, when the deceased trader visited Falana at the Neighbourhood Watch office in Orile Agege, Lagos State.

The duo were said to have been playing when the accused, who is also a member of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), brought out a gun he claimed was recovered from some robbers. He was allegedly fiddling with the gun when it suddenly discharged, killing Afolasade instantly.

Man arraigned for stealing N500 ticket 27- year- old railway ticketing officer, Kennedy Ogbonna, has been arraigned before an EbuteMetta Chief Magistrate’s court for allegedly stealing ticket worth N500.

He was accused of abusing his office by selling expired tickets to passengers for the purpose of obtaining undue advantage.

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n Rukayat JIMOH n The accused pleaded not guilty to the four charges preferred against him.

The railway police prosecutor, Mr Silas Emmanuel, told the court

that the accused committed an offence punishable under the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The presiding magistrate, Mr. O. O Olatunji, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100, 000 in like sum and two sureties. He adjourned the case to July 22, 2014.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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My wife was delivered of twins after we had remained childless for 25 years —Alaafin’s envoy Aare Ayanlakin n

Kunle AKINRINADE

n

T was sunrise penultimate Thursday and the Royal Ambassador to the Alaafin of Oyo, Aare Ayandotun Ayanlakin, was resplendent in his cream coloured agbada (flowing gown) matched with the traditional abeti aja cap and a pair of black shoes. He evoked royalty as he alighted from his chauffeur-driven sports utility vehicle which bore the insignia of a royal envoy. With a walking stick in his hand, he took quick and graceful steps as the colourful beads on his neck swung sideways. .

For about 15 minutes, he moved round his palatial home on the outskirts of Lagos to get feelers from some of his aides about what had transpired in his absence before returning to his tastefully furnished living room where the reporter awaited his arrival. “I am sorry for keeping you waiting for this long,” he said in a tone of profuse apology. “No two days of mine are usually the same. I never expected that I would go out early this morning.” He then stretched out his arms with a winsome smile to welcome the reporter.

But in spite of the smiles that graced his face that afternoon, the 65-year-old native of Akinmoorin, Oyo State, who sits atop a group of companies, has gone through stormy moments in life. One of his earliest shocks was the loss of his father in his boyhood. The other was the political differences that temporarily created a wedge between him and his late mother who passed on in 2005.

Going down memory lane, he said: “My mother had two children for my father before he died, and she suffered a lot in order to take care of us.

My elder brother was an employ-

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ee of Leventis in Ibadan before he was murdered by unknown persons.

“After the death of my father, my mother remarried a man called Sosan from Iperu-Remo, Ogun State. She gave birth to four other children. She was a successful business woman who imported stock fish from Europe and owned many buildings in Lagos. Beyond business, she was an Awoist, while I was a supporter of the former premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintoa . And because of my political leanings, my mother, Omorinola Abike Ayanlakin, was not willing to offer me any financial support when I finished from Oranyan Grammar School, Oyo. “I faced a lot of challenges trying to make it. I later worked at the then Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), Ibadan where I presented ewi (Yoruba poetry) on a weekly basis. Indeed, I inherited poetry from my late father who played the talking drum. My grandfather, in his days as a drummer, entertained the then Alaafin with the talking drum. I waxed three albums that recorded huge acceptance in the 1970s on the stable of Olumo Records and Good Samaritan Records. I sang the praises of a number of Yoruba traditional rulers in the albums. I equally dedicated an album to King Sunny Ade and did another one with the doyen of waka music, the late Alhaja Batili Alake. ”After a few years in the employ of WNTV, I left to join Evening Times as a reporter when the paper was edited by the late Mr. Titus Soyombo, and I was there for some years.”

Enmeshed in economic hardship as a result of his poor salary, he decided to go into. ”Business had always been on my mind, and because of my poor salary, I quit journalism and went into trading. In this, I received tremendous support from the late National Chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Chief Meredith Adisa Akinloye. Immediately the Second Republic collapsed, I moved to London where again I met Chief Akinloye, and I was exporting foodstuffs from Nigeria to London with the help of Chief Akinloye. I cannot forget him till I die.

“I also went into importation of building materials from China and the business turned out to be a success even beyond my imagination. I thank God that I have grown from there to establish other companies which include Danny Dotson Nigeria Ltd; Dotjok Petroleum Ltd; Ayanlakin Farms Ltd and Taiken Victoria Trading Ltd.” While his path had crossed with his wife, Victoria Oyejoke, in the neighbourhood of Bariga, Lagos about 35 years ago, their first encounter was not anything warm. She had reacted derisively to his offer to take her out. He was, however, saved from further embarrassment with the intervention of an elderly acquaintance of his.

He recalled: “I was standing in front of a photography shop on Omowale Street, Bariga, Lagos when she was passing.

She refused to give me any audience and shouted back with jibes. Her reaction didn’t surprise me because she did not know much about me. The owner of the shop, called Tunde, later helped me to tell her that I was the son of a popular businesswoman called Awin, and that Awin Street was named after my mother.

“From then, we developed a relationship that led to marriage. But my mother was not comfortable with the fact that she could not conceive before moving in with me.”

Given the way the average African react to a fruitless marriage, Aare Ayanlakin must have experienced pressure from family members to try his luck with other women outside his marriage.

“Yes, they did,” he said.

But he was quick to add that he did not despair and so had no reason to succumb to pressure from family members who asked him have children through other

‘

Initially, some members of my wife’s family persuaded her not to marry me because of my poor status. Others advised her to adopt children. But she ignored such calls and stuck with me. Ironically, when I experienced a turnaround, my family insisted that I should send her away because of her inability to bear children. But I refused because I had vowed to compensate her with my true love because she really stood by me during my struggling years •Ayanlakin

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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My philosophy is that you should enjoy yourself while you are alive. I love to look gorgeous in native attire. My aso oke fabrics are usually sourced from Iseyin, Oyo State, while my tailor is the official tailor of the Alaafin

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women.

He said: “There was a lot of pressure on me to send her away, but I was not bothered at all. Initially, some members of my wife’s family persuaded her not to marry me because of my poor status. Others advised her to adopt children. But she ignored such calls and stuck with me. Ironically, when I experienced a turnaround, my family insisted that I should send her away because of her inability to bear children. But I refused because I had vowed to compensate her with my true love because she really stood by me during my struggling years.

“When I was working as a newspaper reporter, she would give me her London vouchers, which she was receiving from her office, to augment my meagre salary then.

“I remember also that at some point, one Mr Toyin Fagbenro, who is also one of my benefactors, gave me N250, 000 to travel abroad. He had met me when I went to a restaurant with a friend called David Oketiku. When he sighted me, he asked me if I was related to David Ayanlakin because of the striking resemblance, and I told him that he (David) was my elder brother. He (Fagbenro) told me that my brother had once helped him when he was working at Leventis, Ibadan. So, he gave me N250, 000.

Eventually, I gave the money to someone to change for me when I got to London, but he duped me.

“Some people went to tell him that I had squandered the money on drinks and he was upset with me. So, my wife went to see him in order to explain what really happened to me. She also promised that she would refund the money from her over a period of time. Mr

•Ayanlakin and family

•Ayanlakin and Alaafin of Oyo

Fagbenro did not bother me about the money after some time, and today we are very good friends. How can I ever forget a woman like that?”

Aware that he could be subjected to further pressure to dump his wife, Ayanlakin shocked his family by taking his wife to London to consummate their marriage.

He said: “To stave off the incessant pressure from my mother and relatives, I took her to London and we got married at the Hackney Council, London, through the support of Engr. Olufisayo Fawehinmi and a host of others.

“My wife was a manager with Union Bank Plc. We were childless for 25 years before God eventually answered our prayers when she had a set of twins, a boy and a girl. She was 44 then. The twins, who were born in America, are now 16 years old and are currently seeking admission into university.”

His decision to seek superior medical consultation in America was based on advice from his younger brother, Olayinka Sosan, an architect based in the United States, whose daughter is a medical doctor.

“He was very worried about our childlessness, so he invited us to the US to see a doctor for proper medical checks. After conducting the necessary examinations on me, the doctor said that I didn’t have any problem.

The doctor said my wife had a minor problem that could be treated and she was placed on some drugs. My brother defrayed the huge medical bill and about two weeks after, my wife became pregnant.

Six months after the birth of the twins, I built a house for them in Lagos and named it Ejire Villa. It houses the corporate office of one of my companies, Taiken Victoria Trading Limited.

The company deals in the sale of building materials. I understand my wife very much and love her so much that I cannot take a second wife because I don’t want any problem for her. Before I met her, I was still struggling, but my life witnessed a turnaround soon after we started dating and we have been happy since.

Meanwhile, I named my street after my mother because of the pains she suffered while raising us up after our father died.”

The easiest way you can incur the wrath of Aare Ayanlakin is to speak ill of the Alaafin. ”The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, is not a monarch that can be insulted,” he said. “No one can fight the Alaafin and win. Only those that are ready to suffer a reversal of fortune and sink deeper into

poverty would hurl insults at him.

“If you see the Alaafin, you would acknowledge that he is truly the custodian of the Yoruba culture and tradition. In Yorubaland today, there is no oba or chief that can dress as elegantly as the Alaafin of Oyo. He has about 70 rooms in his palace and each of them is stockpiled with his dresses, meaning that he can change his royal garment at any time, without stress.

“Another thing about Oba Adeyemi is that he does not make mistakes. And that is why chieftaincy titles are not for sale in Oyo kingdom. Before you can earn a chieftaincy title in Oyo, the Alaafin would have carried out a thorough investigation about you and would have been convinced of your impeccable character. For example, despite the fact that I introduced Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi to the Alaafin, the Kabiyesi took his time to carry out some findings about Yuguda before he accepted to honour him with the title of Obasayero of Oyo. “The honour has further boosted the Yoruba/Fulani relationship, and I am so happy to have played a role in his installation. Because of Yuguda’s chieftaincy title in Oyo, no fewer than three governors from the northern part of the country have signified their intention to receive similar honours, but the Alaafin is not a monarch who rushes to stamp such requests. He is still studying the governors in question before taking a decision.

“My core duty or responsibility is to project the image and office of the Alaafin to the world. This explains why you see me appear like him every day.

“Because of the mandate to foster relationship between the Yoruba and other ethnic groups in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, I have made friends with some northern political leaders and state governors.

My resolve is to support the Alaafin in promoting the Yoruba culture beyond the shores of South-West.

Therefore, going to the north is meant to foster a kind of cultural integration with the northerners. I have visited some emirs in Bauchi on the strength of my relationship with the Bauchi State Governor.

“Northerners love and cherish Yoruba culture, and they are willing to relate with us as brothers. I have a mutually beneficial relationship with Governor Isa Yuguda. From what I have known of him in the last three years, he has done well for Bauchi State, because when he promises anything, he fulfils it. He has kept to some of the promises he made to me, and I strongly believe that he will fulfil the ones he is yet to meet.

“One of his wives, Mrs. Abiodun Yuguda, a Yoruba, has been fostering relationship between the indigenes of the state and the Yoruba people there. Apart from that, some of her charity projects have impacted positively on the lives of the people of Bauchi State. That is why upon my recommendation, he was admitted as a member of Island Club and Yoruba Tennis Club.”

The stylish businessman and multiple chieftaincy title holder spoke on his social life and fashion style, before bringing the more than one hour interview session to a close.

He said: “My philosophy is that you should enjoy yourself while you are alive. I love to look gorgeous in native attire. My aso oke fabrics are usually sourced from Iseyin, Oyo State, while my tailor is the official tailor of the Alaafin. I belong to a number of social clubs and organisations including Island Club, Yoruba Tennis Club, Ikeja Golf Club and Oyo Alaafin Premier Club, among others.

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

•Monalisa Chinda

•Daisy Danjuma

•Joan Okorodudu

•Liz Black

Chinda opted for a glitzy maxi gown. It was an ankara affair for beautiful Madam Joan Okorodudu, the CEO of Nigeria's Next Super Model.

•Agonkhese Vivienne

•Dayo Adebayo

•Kemi Adewunmi

PHOTOS: maestromedia.com

•Hajia Abah Folawiyo

•Jennifer Egbukole

ankara attire, as she rocked a blazer over pants of the same fabric. Elegant Senator Daisy Danjuma rocked her permed hairdo with a gold embellished black Asian dress, while Monalisa

•Laitan Olubi

the main hall of the prestigious Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Some of Nigerian celebs and fashionistas sported eye-popping styles. Ageless Mama Folawiyo was in

•Agbonkhese Vivienne

T

HE Nigerian version and maiden edition of the popular Africa Fashion Week, London (AFWL) was held some weeks ago at

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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Gov. Mimiko

Prof. Ojerinde

GOVERNOR AJIMOBI

Gov. Wada

Gov. Ajimobi

Gov. Suswam

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

46 (This week, we continue with our ever popular 'Escapades...' series with the story of Naomi, a young lady who was jilted by her fiance, Thad, a month before their wedding.

Thad later ran off with another lady, Madge whom he had fallen in love with. About eight months later, their relationship breaks down and a remorseful Thad begs Naomi to take him back. She does but there's a twist to the tale. Love, passion, betrayal, revenge are all interwoven in this story that will help spice up your weekend. Enjoy!) ***

‘

I first met Thad in the second company where I worked after leaving school.

He was already a manager then and was full of drive and ambition, traits that I find very attractive in a guy.

Maybe that was what drew me to him because back then, I already had a boyfriend, Jeff. The only problem was that the relationship with Jeff had no future as he had made it clear to me that he was not ready to settle down anytime soon

‘

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

48

•Suspected highway robbers

‘We robbed motorists with fake police ID cards’

T

HE leader of a suspected four-man highway robbery gang, Charly Ebube, 42, has said that his gang robbed innocent motorists on highways by flashing fake police identity cards.

Ebube, a.k.a. Chairman, a native of Isele-Asaba, Delta State, was believed to have led other suspects, including John Ogaba, a.k.a. General (43), Olawale Aminu (49), a native of Owode Obafemi, Ogun State, and Chidozie Aniekwe (29) from Arondizuogu, Imo State to terrorise travellers and rob them of money and valuable items.

A police source said that Charly, who is now cooling his heels in the cell of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command, recruited the other members of the gang. He was said to have paraded himself as a police constable with a fake police identity card and force number 7425. He was also said to have claimed that he once functioned as a police spy attached to Johnson and Johnson Company in Ajao Estate, Lagos.

He was said to have claimed that he left Johnson and Johnson Company because of poor salary and desire to get rich quick.

Ebele BONIFACE Their gang's mode of operation, according to the police source, was to go to the highways in a car and use fake police identity cards to stop any vehicle they intended to rob. They were said to have confessed that they operated on the highways in Abuja, Ile-Ife, Osogbo, Lagos and Ibadan. Once they had information that a vehicle was conveying traders who were going to buy goods, they would wait for the vehicle at a certain point on the highway.

Once the vehicle arrived, the leader of the gang would bring out his fake police identity card and flash it to the driver, meaning that he should stop. They would do as if they were policemen on patrol.

They would ask the driver and any other person in the vehicle to alight after which they would ransack the vehicle, removing money, mobile phones and other valuable items before zooming off.

At other times, they would push the driver and other occupants of the vehicle out and run away with the vehicle. And

whenever they needed to escape after an operation, they would divide themselves into two groups. One group would enter their operational vehicle, while the other two would enter a commercial vehicle because the police might have been informed that four armed robbers had just robbed and escaped in a vehicle.

Each of them went to each operation with two or three different clothes, so that after an operation, they would change into another dress to avoid being recognized by

anyone who had seen them earlier.

Charly was said to be responsible for recruiting new members into the gang and was always the first to take his share of the gang's loot before he would hand the rest over to Ogaba to share with the remaining members, as directed by Charly.

Ogaba claimed that he was awaiting his ordination as a pastor in one of the new generation churches in Lagos after he completed pastoral training in a church. He said he was still a house leader pending the

I operated with the gang more than six times. From the first operation, I got N90,000. The second operation fetched me N55,000 and the third one, N10,000. But I got nothing from the fourth, fifth and sixth operations, while we were arrested during the seventh one

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

day he would be ordained as a pastor.

Chidozie, on his part, was a bus driver before he joined the gang. Altogether, the gang was said to have carried out about 15 operations before they met their waterloo.

Confessing his role in the gang, Charly said: “I was a trader before I became an armed robber. I live at No. 8 Zone B, Odono Elewe, Ibadan, Oyo State. I have a house in Ibadan. I was building a 12-room hotel in my village before it was destroyed by people who were fighting over the land.

“I was arrested during a robbery operation. We did not know that the operatives of the SARS were trailing us. As we reached where we wanted to do the operation and came down from our vehicle, they pounced on us and arrested us.

“We were not using guns. We were using fake police ID cards to stop any vehicle we intended to rob. We pretended to be police officers on patrol. Once we saw a vehicle we wanted to rob, we would flash the fake ID cards for the driver to stop. We robbed only on highways, particularly when we got information that a trader was carrying a large sum of money or had just sold his goods and was taking the money home or to the bank.

“Each of us went to operation with three different clothes to enable us to disguise after an operation. I have a three-bedroom flat in Ibadan.

“It was not in every operation that we got something. I bought a Space Wagon car for N388,000, and also bought a Nissan Micra for my wife for N300,000. I bought one Mikano generator which I use in my house.

“Each time my wife sought to know where I used to go to for two or three nights, I would tell her that I went on a business trip to Tin Can Island, Apapa, Lagos, and she would believe me. I have four children. I opened a beer parlour for my wife at Ibadan with N1.5 million.

“I was introduced to robbery by one Egbo Lance. He has since travelled to South Africa or Italy after one successful robbery operation we did together. I took charge when he travelled abroad and started recruiting new members.

“After 10 operations, any member is free to back out, so far he swears to an oath not to betray the gang or return to it if he is broke.”

Asked if he had any regrets, Charly said: “My wife will not be happy to hear that my

•Recovered materials

49 •Fake ID card used by one of them

friends and I were arrested for armed robbery. I used to tell her that they were my business partners. I had wanted to resign after building a hotel, but I changed my mind when the hotel was demolished.

“If I regain my freedom, I will never engage in robbery again. It is better to be poor than to be arrested for armed robbery. I am finished. Please tell my wife and children that I am a victim of circumstances. Don't tell them that their father is an armed robber.”

The second suspect, Ogaba, said: “I am a pastor. I completed a pastoral training, but I am yet to be ordained. I only head a house fellowship.

“I was into transportation and trading before I met Charly who lured me into his gang in July 2011. My role in the gang was to act as an assistant to Charly.

“I joined the gang in order to get money to buy land and build my own house, so that I could give a testimony.

Other people in the church had been giving testimonies, but I could not give any after the many years I had spent as a member.

“Another thing that made me to join a robbery gang was that between 2011 and 2013, I passed through some horrible financial problems caused by family

I would not have been arrested if I had listened to my wife because she had told me that she dreamt that policemen arrested me during one of my business trips. I did not tell her that my business was highway robbery illnesses. My sons and daughters became seriously sick and the hospitals gave me very high bills that consumed all the money I had.

“We operated from Monday to Friday. We would be on the highway looking for victims while on Saturdays, we would go home to see our families.

Sometimes our vehicle would break down and we would have to go and repair it for two days.

“We used to lodge in an hotel in the Sango area of Ibadan, but the hotel's management did not know that we were armed robbers because we disguised as responsible men any time we went there to lodge. We used to take the rooms that were very close to the backyard. We would not go to the bar to avoid meeting people who would know us.”

The third suspect, Olawale, who claimed to have five

children, said: “What is paining me now is that my wife does not know that I am an armed robber. If she gets to know that I have been arrested, she will become hypertensive. I am the gang's operational driver. I drive a Nissan Primera car painted in police colour with police stickers on the windscreen.

“It is our chairman, Charly, who holds the fake police ID card. He is the commander of the gang and he flashed it to the driver of any vehicle we intended to stop and rob. I joined the gang in December last year. I was riding okada (commercial motorcycle) before I joined the gang last year.

“It was the accommodation problem that took me to Charles for help. I saw him as a very generous rich man. He used to give me N2,000 to go and drink and eat pepper soup every week.

“When I had the problem, I met him and he promised to help me solve my problem and even set me free from poverty. He told me where to meet him so that together we could go to Tin Can Island, Apapa, Lagos to do business. I did not know that we were going to rob on the highways.

“When they started operation, I was surprised. But I could not do anything because they would kill me if I acted funny.

Most importantly, I needed money desperately to solve my accommodation problem. Unfortunately, the money I got after the first operation made me think of going to more operations.

“Even the first time he asked me to come and see him at the hotel, he asked whether I could drive and I thought he wanted to give me a commercial bus to drive for him. I did not know that he was preparing me for a robbery operation.

“It was when I was arrested that my eyes opened. Even when he gave me a Nissan Premeira car, I thought it was for commercial purposes until he asked me to slow down on a highway and he flashed his ID card to the driver of a vehicle. When the driver parked, they asked to park in front of the vehicle. They came down and went to the vehicle. I was asked to sit in the vehicle while they went to do the job. When they had finished with the vehicle, they joined me and we zoomed off.

“I operated with the gang more than six times. From the first operation, I got N90,000. The second operation fetched me N55,000 and the third one N10,000. But I got nothing from the fourth, fifth and sixth operations, while we were arrested during the seventh one.”

The fourth suspect, Chidozie, who said he was born in 1955 and hails from Arondizogu, Ideato LGA, Imo State said: “I drive commercial bus. I reside at No. 53 Owodunni Street by Orile. I have a wife and two children. My wife left me because I had not done the marriage rites.

“The owner of the LT bus I was driving bought it with hire purchase and when I could not meet up with the sum agreed as daily returns, he collected the bus from me.

I became jobless and my family started suffering hunger and starvation.

“That was the situation I was when I met Charles and Ogaba at Alafia Bus Stop in Orile Iganmu, Lagos. My only regret is that I had planned to quit the gang after the last operation in which we were arrested.

“I would not have been arrested if I had listened to my wife because she had told me that she dreamt that policemen arrested me during one of my business trips. I did not tell her that my business was highway robbery.”

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Accusations, counter-accusations over Nigeria Fans Village

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Email: counselling@faithoyedepo.org

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

54

‘How I rescued IBB University from NUC’s axe’ Prof. Ibrahim Adamu Kolo was appointed the third vice-chancellor of Ibrahim Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Niger State, amid some crisis in the state government-owned institution about five years ago. But he has managed to preside over a stable academic environment ever since. As he nears the end of his tenure as the vice-chancellor, Kolo tells his story in this interview with WALE AJETUNMOBI. our tenure will expire this year…

Yes. By the end of December, I should have spent five years as allowed by the law. Therefore, I would be on my way out. I assumed duty on January 1, 2010.

How has the institution fared under your leadership?

It has been a huge challenge.Initially, I could not say whether I would continue with the appointment or not. In other words, the challenges were so huge. First, the programmes had not gone through accreditation, and at that time the university had 26 programmes, but none had been subjected to accreditation. In fact, the university was already on a yellow card, so to say. It had the responsibility to either get the programmes accredited or pack up.

And it was even more difficult, because the National Universities Commission (NUC) had written to say we needed to get the programmes accredited in February 2010. I assumed duty the previous month. I observed what we had on ground and it didn’t look to me that we were ready for the accreditation. I had a choice between failing the accreditation or pleading with the NUC to shift the date for us. The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, being an understanding academic, looked at the fact that I was just resuming at the school. And with the level of his familiarity with the situations in universities, he agreed and gave me the reprieve to prepare the accreditation exercise for June.

•Adamu In preparing for the exercise, we saw that we needed to put certain facilities in place.

We needed laboratories for our science proordered for books to build up the stock we had in the grammes; we needed classrooms for other programmes; library. At that time, all the faculties and departments we needed office space for lecturers and library; we need- had no library. There were rooms we could use but there ed to provide water to all offices on the campus and also were no books in them. We had to make provisions to get needed to connect the school to the national grid for elec- books for faculty and departmental libraries. tricity. The point is that 75 per cent of these facilities were It was not an easy exercise but we prepared for the not there at the time I came. accreditation. On our own, we had to drop two proYou would be wondering how come a university grammes out of the 26 we presented for accreditation. would have been in existence and lecturers didn’t have But out of the remaining 24, only 18 were already mature offices. The fact is that my predecessors had completed for accreditation within the grace period. And of those 18, building for as many programmes as possible, but these one was placed on interim accreditation when the NUC facilities were short in number. So, that was the challenge team came for the exercise in June 2010. That was we faced during accreditation. We needed to upgrade Business Administration. And it was so because we were these facilities to prove to the NUC team that we were short of staff. PhD holders in Business Administration really ready to start quality academic programmes. Very want to work in oil companies and the media where critically, we were short of staff. In some departments, there was a few staff to teach a large number of students.

Those staff would not match accreditation requirement in terms of every programme having a professor and senior lecturers to guide the students. If you go and recruit Master’s degree holders and Lecturer 1 and Lecturer II, it It has been a huge won’t give you accreditation, even if you have all the challenge.Initially, I could not say facilities. We had to go round, making contacts in order to attract people. Then, we said we needed to pay the salary federal universities pay to make people willing to whether I would continue with the come and teach here. appointment or not. In other words, How did you surmount these challenges? the challenges were so huge. First, First, I had to convince the state government that we needed money. And thanks to God, we have in place a the programmes had not gone governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who knows the value of education. I took the problem to him one-onthrough accreditation, and at that one. I said this is the problem we are having now, and he time the university had 26 proapproved, as at that time, over N260 million for us to begin with. From that time, the subvention of the univergrammes, but none had been subsity became stable. The university receives subvention both from local and state governments every month. We jected to accreditation. In fact, the were able to plan with this money even though we did university was already on a yellow not have the kind of funds we needed.

We had between February and May to prepare for the card, so to say. It had the responsiaccreditation. We had completed staff quarters, in which many of the rooms were unoccupied at that time. We bility to either get the programmes encouraged the staff to move in and we embarked on accredited or pack up recruitment of more staff. We called back contractors who had abandoned some of the infrastructural projects of the school. We connected the campus to the national grid. We

Y

‘

there is more money.

They don’t want to teach.

That was how we fared for the first accreditation. When the NUC team returned for the second exercise, all the remaining programmes were given full accreditation.

With all the challenges you mentioned, do you think it was right for the government to set up the university without putting in place a mechanism for the school to take off properly?

I am happy you asked this question, because you are probably asking the right person in Niger State today, whether the government thought well to have started this university. First, the school did not start during the present administration of Dr. Muazu Aliyu.

The governor inherited the university. It was established during the less than last two years of Governor Abdulkadir Kure. It was he who actually started the university. I was among the first set of academics of Niger State extraction drawn from universities across Nigeria, who the former governor gave the responsibility of producing a blueprint for the take-off of the university.

The question then was to justify whether it was desirable and whether Niger State could start a university. At that time, when we looked at the situation, we said Niger State desired a university. Now, desiring a university is different from the state government’s ability to adequately fund the university. We felt the state desired the university because as at that time, there were quite a number of Niger State indigenes who had met the requirement to go to the university but were not getting into the federal university in the state. They were not even offered admission into universities that had Niger State as a catchment area.

Apart from that, which part of Nigeria today does not actually deserve a university? Forget about whether the money is there or not. When Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) was started in the 1960s, Sir Ahmadu Bello never said we must have enough money before we would build this university. When University of Ife was being established by Chief Obafemi Awolowo during his days as the premier of the defunct Western Region, his administration did not wait till there was enough money before establishing the university. But the two universities are reference points now. Eventually, they were taken over by the Federal Government.

Universities are built on vision; systematic planning over hundreds of years. So, a university project is not a journey of one day. And we told Governor Kure that what we needed was to start. We did a blueprint, justifying the need for a university in Niger State. Above all, we advised on what could be done to begin the university project. Having done our own part, the remaining part was left for the politicians who were in power to take a decision. Eventually, they accepted our recommendation for the establishment of the university.

A university project anywhere in the world is always challenging; even in 1956 when the free Universal Primary Education started in the old Western Region of

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

‘

If you raise school fees up to N150, 000 and N200, 000 in the South West universities, people may complain but they will pay.

We charge students just about N40,000 as school fees and many that we offered admission could not come because their parents could not afford it. So if I say today that we will increase the fees to the amount they charge in the South-West universities, the purpose of creating the university would be defeated

55 in the South West universities, people may complain but they will pay. We charge students just about N40,000 as school fees and many that we offered admission could not come because their parents could not afford it. So if I say today that we will increase the fees to the amount they charge in the South-West universities, the purpose of creating the university would be defeated.

If I say we should go out to look for consultancies and we need people with the expertise, when it becomes competitive, the older universities have more expertise than the new ones. But more importantly, IGR can be distracting to the existing system, because if I had started a Sandwich programme in IBUU now, we probably would not have been able to get our full-time programmes accredited to the level that we want. This is because the professors would want to be participating in that one than facing their primary assignment.

So, when people talk of IGR, a university has to reach a certain level. Gradually, IBBU will also reach the level where we can start

‘

Nigeria, nobody was waiting for the money to be available completely before they started. You have to start and give the project priority. Gradually, the challenges would be overcome.

Didn’t your predecessors do anything to put the university on the track of progress?

I would not say they didn’t do anything. In fact, they did what they could in the context of what was available to them. I would give you a typical example: the level of resources from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) available to me was not available to the first vice-chancellor. If I have access to TETFund with more money, it is because by the time I came, TETFund had restrategised and stopped funding primary and secondary education. The focus of the body had changed under the former Executive Secretary, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu. TETFund was now focusing on only tertiary institutions. It meant that more money was now coming into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. My predecessors didn’t have that opportunity.

These funds assisted my administration greatly in consolidating the infrastructure on the campus, in addition to what the state government is fundamentally doing. It is not as if my predecessors didn’t do anything. Of course, the first vice-chancellor recruited staff even though they might not be up to the level that we wanted. Of course, he started the academic programmes and he maintained the university up to the time an Acting vice-chancellor was appointed to also stabilise the system. So, I am merely building on what my predecessors did.

Would you say the university is now adequately funded?

One important thing, as far as the government of Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu is concerned, is that we have never had any cause to start running to government for money since I stepped into office in 2010. Today, IBBU is funded by all the local governments (in Niger State) and the state government. The state gives us subvention, which we use to match what we get from the local governments. I have never run to the ministries of finance and local government to say ‘you have not paid us’.

Of course, there were initial hiccups. But as soon as we stabilised, we have never had any cause to complain about funding. Although we require more, whatever is due to us is made available as and when due.

Doesn’t the university have ways of generating more funds to meet its needs?

When you talk of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the university system, there are circumstances by which every university can generate it. One of them is the location of the university. For example, the University of Abuja could make billions compared to Nasarawa State University, because the former is located at the centre of power, which can give it access. So it can generate IGR through contacts, consultancy and numerous other activities. These it can do with little effort, compared to IBBU which is located in Lapai, some 120 kilometres away from Abuja. And most importantly, older universities have more expertise than a university that is growing and trying to find its feet. If you talk of oil firms and telecommunication companies that want consultancy, you would find them more readily in older universities. We are still looking for experts to beef up our programmes.

Another big factor that tends to contribute to the capacity of a university to generate IGR is the people in the area where the university is located. Any of the universities in the South West can run a Sandwich programme and it will be filled to capacity because of the awareness about the values of western education in that part of the country. If you raise school fees up to N150, 000 and N200, 000

•Adamu

Sandwich and consultancy programmes which can attract money. We are just waiting for the NUC now to come for inspections to enable us to establish a post-graduate school. These are the opportunities that would build IGR for the university.

Didn’t the government foresee these challenges before siting the school in a rural area?

For conduciveness, universities don’t have to be sited in the city. They can be sited in less urban communities to create the atmosphere of conduciveness for teaching, learning and research. This notion has worked in several places like South Africa. But when you site universities in such places, you must take into consideration that the challenges could be more. For instance, if you site a university in the city, access to municipal facilities is easier than if you site it in a remote area. But this one has its advantage. What is important is to have the university and have the will power and the commitment to develop the university.

When Obafemi Awolowo wanted a university for the Western Region, places like Abeokuta were far bigger than Ife, but he didn’t go to Abeokuta. Even Ijebu Ode is far bigger than Ile-Ife, but he chose to go to Ife because he wanted a university in an area that would provide the conduciveness for teaching and learning. And that is exactly what OAU has become today. In IBBU’s case, government must have thought of the same thing.

How far has the school gone with its post-graduate programmes?

The post-graduate school of any university is dependent on already existing undergraduate programmes. No post-graduate school has its own set of lecturers. What you have is beef up the programmes in terms of the number of professors you have and then the facilities.

Apart from the accreditation challenges you inherited from your predecessors, what other challenges do you face?

It is the completion of the foundation programmes. The university keeps growing and the subvention we are receiving is becoming inadequate to complete the foundation structures that were to be completed at the pace that we want. In some schools, they complete all the structures before programmes start. In our own case, structures were

still ongoing and programmes started. Once we start programmes, it starts eating into the subvention we get. For example, you will now have to start recruiting lecturers to meet the number of students in order to balance the lecturer-student ratio that is required for accreditation. Then, the salary or wage bill will keep increasing and the money you will now have to pay staff will double.

For the past four years, we have been making contacts with prominent indigenes of Niger State to get them to understand the need to establish an endowment fund for IBBU to complete these foundation projects. By last year, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar agreed to chair the endowment fund’s Board of Trustees, which was inaugurated by Governor Aliyu. The body has the target of completing all the foundation projects of the university. We didn’t sit back waiting for the endowment funds; we have to keep relying on TETFund to expand existing facilities.

For instance, through TETFund, we were able to construct a central laboratory with about eight sub-laboratories inside it for the sciences and applied science and technology. We were able to put in place a twin-theatre complex, which made up to expand our facilities. TETFund is also building an auditorium and another twin-theatre complex. We had assistance from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which identified IBBU as one of the universities to start programmes in maritime studies. Four universities were identified and we are lucky to be one of those schools. What NIMASA has done for us is that they have helped us to complete one of the foundation lecture theatres. Again, they remodelled what was supposed to be the university cafeteria and they sited the NIMASA Institute there. The good thing is that work has started on the construction of permanent building of the NIMASA Institute within the university. So, we didn’t rely on one source of project funding.

It appears the university is considerably popular among admission seekers despite its challenges.

What is responsible for this?

Part of the reasons why a number of applicants like to come to IBBU is that many of them are convinced about the fact that our lecturers are quite up and doing. They take their primary responsibilities seriously. Largely also because we do not rest on our oars as a management; we insist that the lecturers do the correct thing. Secondly, I think the fee is attracting a lot of candidates from outside the state. Moreover, the university enjoys relative peace in terms of things like cultism. We have never had an incident of cultism.

Perhaps, the name ‘IBB’ too may have attracted people, but certainly, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida is not the owner of the school. The institution belongs to the state government. It was named after Babangida because he is an illustrious son of the state.

What do you wish to accomplish before you leave?

It is to complete the projects I started.

I am not a magician at this point in time, but I am happy that we have put in place a mechanism to complete those projects.

I am quite happy about that. But it could have been my wish that it is during my tenure that those projects are completed. Unfortunately now, it is too late. But I will be part of the story and the legacy. I thank God for that.

Another thing I would have wished to do is to have been able to attract more quality lecturers than I have done now, unfortunately, it is not easy to come by PhD holders and professors. We did our best. We have some of our lecturers currently in universities abroad. We have them in the United States, England and Malaysia. Some of them are already coming back and beefing up their respective departments.

How do you want to be remembered?

I want to be remembered essentially as somebody that came and ensured that the university came to stay and remained so after it was founded. I want to be remembered for the fact that when I came, I did what I could to ensure continuity. I ensured the formal recognition of IBBU as a university in Nigeria. In my public life, I want to be remembered as somebody who took teaching not only as a career, but as a vision, and lived for the education system of Nigeria.

Do you have anyone in mind to succeed you?

No. In fact, I don’t know who my successor would be.

But if there is any input I want to make in the selection of vice-chancellors, not only for IBBU, I would say that the applicants should have specific criteria that are objective and balanced in the interest of the development and growth of the Nigerian university system. Once everybody has the criteria, I would always say go for the best irrespective of where that person comes from.

For instance, somebody that can take IBBU to the next level in terms of development does not have to come from Niger State because when he makes IBBU one of the best universities in Nigeria, he would not take the glory away when he is leaving. People are always very myopic when it comes to issues like that, but sentiment should not be used to appoint vice-chancellors. I will always advise that Visitors (governors) should go for academic pedigree and cognate experience of the individual that will be coming in. If you go and get somebody who is a greenhorn, I’m afraid, he would have to do a lot of experimentation.

Before you know it, time would be up for him to do anything meaningful.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

56 NEWS peratives of the National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have arrested a 46-year-old man with 19.180kilogrammes of dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis.

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Man arrested for concealing 19.1801kg of Indian hemp The suspect concealed the drug as food ingredient inside his luggage. He was to export the drug to Guangzhou, China on an Ethiopian Airline flight when he was

arrested.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport Mr. Hamza Umar who confirmed the arrest, said that investigation was on-

going. In his words, “the suspect, Egbuteigbo Aloysius Chukwuwike was arrested during screening of Ethiopian Airways flight to China.

“During search, sachets containing dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis and packed as food source were found in his bag.

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

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58 NEWS

THE NATION

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

North kicks against governors’ power to create councils N

ORTHERN delegates at the National Con ference yesterday declared their opposition to moves to remove local governments from the constitution and empower state governors to create councils.

Spokesman for the Northern Delegates’ Forum,Mr. Anthony Sani, said in a statement in Kaduna that the proposals are dangerous for the polity in view of what the governors currently do with councils and state electoral commissions.

According to him, for local governments to deliver on the promise of their existence, they should remain in the constitution as the only way to ensure the whole nation can have a say in their creation.

He said : "The 36 states of the federation could as well be called 36 zones of Nigeria.

It is just a matter of name.

The advantage of smaller units as the federating units like states is that apart from addressing the concerns of the minorities, the states cannot be strong enough to be a threat to the centre, thereby making for a stronger Nige-

Tony AKOWE, Kaduna

ria. So let states be the federating units.

"Nobody is preventing South East from asking for additional states. But there must be criteria for creation of states. Mere clamour on the basis of equality is not justice because equality should come with equity.

"We must remember that the former Eastern Region currently has nine states, while the former Western Region has eight states. If it were on basis of equality, the West would have hankered that the zone should have nine states also.

"The North that has three zones and with big land mass and huge population over the South which has only 19 states. But we know land and population are serious factors in creation of states for obvious reasons that states exist for human beings and there is problem of development, and so should be considered in any exercise for creation of states, however defined. “ The recommendation by

the conference for the creation of 18 new states in the country had sparked tension at Thursday’s session after a northern delegate qualified the Southeast geo-political zone with “so-called”.

Alhaji Magaji Dambatta, elder statesman on the platform of the North West geopolitical zone, was contributing to the debate on state creation as contained in the report on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government.

A delegate from South East, Goddy Nwazurike, and Dr. Haruna Yerima from Borno responded immediately that Danbatta should apologize immediately.

Danbatta was not moved.

The leader of the South East delegation, Gen Ike Nwachukwu, raised a point of order asking that to refer to a group of people and a component of the country in such derogatory manner was unacceptable.

He askedthe confab leadership to tell Dambatta to apologise to the South East.

On being recognized, Dambata refused to apologize and said: “The way I re-

•From left: Fresh Democratic Party Legal Consultant, Barrister Fred Agbaje; former Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and the party’s National Legal Adviser, Barrister Kola Dopamu, during a press conference in Abuja to protest the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recertify the party.

‘Closure of Abuja airport not out of place’

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HE Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, yesterday maintained that the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja expected to start tonight is not out of place.

Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, he said that the closure of airports for maintenance is a normal practice across the globe.

He said that potholes at the airport are already posing hazards to the use of the airport.

He said: "This was done for obvious safety reasons. We have some potholes that are already seen as serious hazards. And don't forget that that is the only runway that lands our President, all the VIPs, and all the investors that come into this country.

"So, at the last time, there was a technical audit by the

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja

FAAN in keeping with international regulations and they opened items on the country, component among them was the Abuja runway. So, we now had a series of meetings with the Minister of Aviation and the airlines and agreed that from today’s midnight to Sunday that Julius Berger will take enough time to repair the runway and commence navigation once again.

"So, it is just for pure maintenance programme based on safety reasons and it is welcome by all of us," he said.

On alternative landing places, he said: "Well, all over the world, they know that we have one runway in Abuja.

The next thing anybody can do is to look for the nearest airport close to Abuja, either Kaduna or Minna, and then choose whether it will make

a better business sense to land there or not to fly at all.

"And whatever may be the case between midnight today and Sunday, it's not something anybody can cry about.

All over the world, airports and runways are usually closed whenever there are obvious maintenance programmes that bother on safety. So, our own should not be an exception."

Also speaking on national carrier, he said: "So, for us to have a national carrier, it is an airline that the government must own 100 per cent, and I doubt whether the government has the managerial and technical capability to begin to float an airline in an economy that is being privatized.

"In this situation, what happens is that private people will own the airlines and government will continue to support and then they will carry our flag. It is important to see airline that is carrying our flag," he said.

ferred to South East is the way I will refer to North West.

In the context of my argument, I was talking about the creation of state and that nowhere in our constitution is that geo-political zone mentioned.

"Also, there is nowhere in the recommendations of the committee where zones are referred to a tier of government. They are not recognized by the constitution, therefore, they are not constitutionally valid. That was my point.

"Secondly, when I was making my argument, it was not against the creation of additional states in the South East. I was referring to selectivity of the committee. In one breath, they said one state should be created by a fiat.

And in another, they said oth-

ers should be on merit.

"All I am saying is that all states to be created should be on merit, including the one being recommended.

"To Dr Haruna who regretted that I made that statement and that Sir Ahmadu Bello would not have supported such remarks, I want to state that I am a nationalist. I have been in the vanguard of nationalism since 1951. I am sure there is no one in this hall, except, perhaps, Richard Akinjide that was a nationalist then, not even Edwin Clark.

"I was in the field for the fight for our independence. I am not a parochial person. I am a nationalist.I respect every person in Nigeria. I stand by word that in all the provisions in the constitution,

there is no reference to the zones as a tier of government .That was my point".

After his submission, the Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, asked the next speaker to continue with the contributions to the debate.

The chairman's action was met with shouts of no each time the speaker attempted to make his submission.

On realizing that the situation might raise undue tension in the hall, Danbatta took the microphone again and asked to be forgiven.

"Because of my disposition and my standing in this country and the service I rendered for the development of this country, I did not mean any offence with my remarks,”he said.

MAS deadline: NAFDAC begins enforcement

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N a decisive move to achieve President Goodluck Jonathan’s declarative statement on zero tolerance to counterfeit drugs, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced enforcement of the deadline for implementation of the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) by pharmaceutical companies nationwide.

The enforcement operation, which started in Abuja on Wednesday, July 2 under the auspices of the Pharmacovigilance and Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate of NAFDAC, was geared towards mopping up from circulation all anti-malarial and anti-biotic medicines that do not carry on their labels the MAS scratch and text authentication codes which were introduced since 2010 by the NAFDAC’s Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, to save con-

sumers from the menace of fake drugs.

Dr. Orhii, who is currently celebrated worldwide for introducing multi-layered anticounterfeiting technology, said there is no going back on enforcement of compliance with the MAS deadline which has previously been shifted twice in the last three years due to plea for more time by a segment of the pharmaceutical the industry.

Dr. Orhii said NAFDAC has the full support of the President and the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, to enforce implementation of the service in a bid to eradicate counterfeit drugs in the country.

He disclosed that firm instructions have been given to all NAFDAC offices across the country to go round various pharmaceutical outlets to enforce compliance as deadline is irreversible and sacrosanct.

According to him, the

scratch and text service (MAS) has put the power of detecting counterfeit drugs in the hands of over 100million mobile phone users in the country.

The Director-General stated that the international community is full of commendation for Nigeria for pioneering the use of cuttingedge technologies in combating counterfeit medicines.

Meanwhile, the enforcement team led by Director of PVG/BMS, Mrs. Adeline Osakwe, cracked down on over 50 pharmacies in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, which were found to have stocked anti-malarial and anti-biotic drugs without the scratch and text codes.

A consultative /sensitization forum was organized last week by the NAFDAC to iron out the grey areas preparatory to enforcement of the MAS deadline.

THE NATION,

News 59

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

Suspension: FG doubts Sanusi’s intention to withdraw suit

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HE Federal Government is not convinced about the sincerity of the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Lamido Sanusi, in withdrawing the suit he filed to challenge his suspension from office.

Mallam Sanusi applied to withdraw the suit following his assumption of office as Emir of Kano.

Counsel to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), told the court yesterday that although he was not opposed to Sanusi’s decision to file a notice of discontinuance, he was unwilling to withdraw his own pending motion for stay of execution of the judgment by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on which basis the case was transferred to the National Industrial Court (NIC).

Ozekhome said he was not sure of Sanusi’s next move and was unwilling to be taken unaware because the ex-CBN governor was yet to withdraw his appeal against the judgment by Justice Kolawole and the motion for stay of execution of the judgment which he also filed before Justice Kolawole.

He told Justice Babatunde Adejumo, President of the NIC (the trial judge in the case) that if the plaintiff really meant business, he should also discontinue his appeal and the motion for stay of execution pending before Justice Kolawole.

Sanusi had, shortly after he was suspended on February 20, 2014 by President Goodluck Jonathan, sued, challenging the President’s action and sought to restrain the Inspector General of Police (IGP) from arresting him.

Defendants in the suit were President Jonathan, the AGF and IGP. IGP’s name was later struck off the case in a ruling by Justice Kolawole, on the ground that the IGP was not a proper party.

The suit originally filed at the Federal High Court,

Eric IKHILAE, Abuja Abuja was transferred to the NIC by virtue of Justice Kolawole’s judgment of May 20 this year.

The judge had held that his court was without jurisdiction to hear the case, which bordered on employment and labour issues.

Both Sanusi and the AGF appealed Justice Kolawole’s decision to transfer the case.

The plaintiff, in his appeal, faulted the judge’s decision to transfer the case, arguing that his case was not labour and employment-related.

The AGF is contending in his appeal that the judge ought to have dismissed the case on realising that he lacked jurisdiction.

When the case first came up before the NIC on June 13, plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr.Kola Awodein (SAN), sought time to enable him consult with his client on what further steps to be taken; a request that prompted the court to adjourn to yesterday.

Before yesterday, Sanusi had filed his notice of discontinuance, a development Awodein announced to the court yesterday.

Shortly after Awodein informed the court about his client’s notice to discontinue the case, Ozekhome said although he was not opposed to the plaintiff’s intention, he would prefer that his pending motion for stay of execution be sustained until he receives further instruction from his client.

He said before the last date and yesterday, further steps have been taken in respect of the plaintiff’s appeal. He added that the plaintiff’s motion for stay of proceedings was still pending before the Federal High Court.

Ozekhome said although he chose not to oppose the plaintiff’s notice to discontinue, because it was within his (plaintiff’s) right, he needed time to confer with the AGF on what next step he should take in respect of his pending motion before the court.

Adamawa CJ constitutes panel to investigate Nyako, deputy

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HE Acting Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, yesterday named a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct levelled at Governor Murtala Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, by the State House of Assembly.

At the head of the panel is Mr.Buba Kaigama.

The committee members are: Laraba Hassan, Njidda Kito, Joshua Abu, Binanu Esthon, Sa’ad Lawan, and Esthon Gapsiso.

The panel will be inaugurated at a later date, the Chief Registrar of the Court, Abubakar Bayola,said in Yola.

He said “The Hon. Acting

Chief Judge Hon. Justice Ambrose D. Mammadi by the powers vested in him under Section 185(5) of the 1999 constitution as (amended) has approved the appointment of seven (7) Man Panel to investigate allegations of Gross Misconduct of the Executive Governor of Adamawa State Admiral Murtala Nyako and the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State Mr. Bala Ngilari,” the registrar said.

Allegations against Nyao and Ngilari include corruption and mismanagement of state funds. The anti-graft agency, EFCC, has frozen the state’s accounts over corruption allegations.

Lawyer to the President, Mathew Echo, was indifferent. He did not object to Sanusi’s discontinuation notice, and refrained to comment on Ozekhome’s position in relation to the

pending motions and appeals.

Ruling, Justice Adejumo struck out the substantive case on the ground that the plaintiff had filed a notice of discontinuance under

Order 19 Rule 17 of the NIC Rules.

He however adjourned hearing to November 7 on the pending motion for stay of execution of Justice Kolawole’s judgment.

Justice Adejumo, relying on the provision of Section 20 of the NIC Act, implored parties to further explore ways of ensuring that the case was eventually settled amicably.

•Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State (left), Alhaji Tajudeen Olaosebikan, Chairman NASFAT, Oyo State Zone (middle) and Sheikh Saadudeen Adekilekun, Chief Missioner, Oyo State NASFAT (right) during the NASFAT weekly prayer meeting in Ibadan on Friday.

PHOTO: Oyo Government House

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FG to introduce farming in schools

HE Federal Government has disclosed plans to introduce farming programme in secondary schools.

The programme is expected to take off in 12 states across the country’s six geo-political zones.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Schools Agriculture Programme, Dr. Baraka Sani, explained that the programme will alleviate poverty, create jobs and close the age gap of the existing farmers According to her, “in the pilot phase, students agriculture club will be established in selected schools from 12 states of the federation, two from each geo-political zone. Each club would compromise approximately 120

members.

“The multiplier effect of this programme in the respective household would definitely play great role in poverty eradication, help with nutrition and at the same time create jobs, especially at the rural level.

She explained that it will expose participants to various skills in the areas of agriculture.

Speaking on the goals of the programme, she said: “The programme is expected to develop positive attitude amongst youths towards agriculture, equip school leavers for job opportunities through practical teaching of skills for life, build entrepreneurship skills in students to run agri-

culture as a business, to offer the young farmers a voice and to create a stronger spirit of working together and unity amongst students.

Dr. Sani, while urging youths to embrace the initiative, said involvement in agriculture will reduce the rate of unemployment.

She advised youths not to depend on white collar job.

“Farming can be done before the white collar job comes and it will reduce the agitation of the young ones that they are out of school and the government is not giving them job.

“Really, the white collar jobs are not meant for everybody.

“Some people are meant to work in the private sector or be self reliant; it depends on where

your luck is and where you think you can do better. But I tell you, even if you have the white collar job, it is better to acquire skill and agricultural skill is a good option.

She added: “It is a skill for life, and it will give people better standard of living and make life more comfortable for everybody.

The programme is expected to focus on food/vegetable production, including small scale irrigation where needed, fisheries and aqua-culture, poultry, nutrition, processing and packaging, apiarist training for honey production, livestock production and entrepreneurial programme for members of the club.

In February, dozens of its fighters descended on a remote military outpost in the Gwoza hills in northeastern Borno state, looting 200 mortar bombs, 50 rocket-propelled grenades and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Such raids have left the group well armed. In dozens of attacks in the past year Nigerian soldiers were swept aside by militants driving trucks, motor bikes and sometimes even stolen armoured vehicles, firing rocket-propelled grenades.

Boko Haram’s inner leadership is security savvy, not only in the way it moves money but also in its communications, relying on faceto-face contact, since messages or calls can be intercepted, the current and former U.S. officials said.

“They’re quite sophisticated in terms of shielding all of these activities from legitimate law enforcement officials in Africa and certainly our own intelligence efforts trying

to get glimpses and insight into what they do,” a former U.S. military official said.

U.S. officials acknowledge that the weapons that have served Washington so well in its financial warfare against other terrorist groups are proving less effective against Boko Haram.

“My sense is that we have applied the tools that we do have but that they are not particularly well tailored to the way that Boko Haram is financing itself,” a U.S. defense official said.

Faith YAHAYA, Abuja

‘Boko Haram not sponsored by anti-Jonathan politicians’ •Continued from Page 2

Cameroonian negotiators before the hostages were released, according to a confidential Nigerian government report later obtained by Reuters.

Figures vary on how much Boko Haram earns from kidnappings. Some U.S. officials estimate the group is paid as much as $1 million for the release of each abducted wealthy Nigerian.

It is widely assumed in Nigeria that Boko Haram receives support from religious sympathizers inside the country, including some wealthy professionals and northern Nigerians who dislike the government, although little evidence has been made public to support that assertion.

Current and former U.S. and Nigerian officials say Boko Haram’s operations do not require significant amounts of money, which means even successful operations tracking and intercepting their funds are unlikely to disrupt their campaign.

LOW-COST WEAPONS Much of Boko Haram’s military hardware is not bought, it is stolen from the Nigerian army.

‘Soldiers unleash mayhem in Lagos over death of colleague’ •Continued from Page 3 time I did such a strenuous exercise. ” A resident who gave his name as Sunday berated the military for the action saying: “Even if their colleague was truly killed by a BRT bus driver, they shouldn’t have gone ahead to unleash terror on the people. ”It was an accident which could have happened to anyone. If all of us act like this every time someone is killed in an accident, what would become of the state and the country at large?

Spokesperson for the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army , Lt Col OA Ochagwub said of the development: “This morning (yesterday) between 6:30 – 6:45am, a BRT bus knocked down and killed a soldier around Obanikoro area while on his way

to the office.

“The driver of the bus took the body of the soldier into the bus and attempted to drive away. But when the other soldiers who witnessed the incident rushed to the scene, the driver of the bus ran away with the key.

The soldiers then secured the vehicle which was later towed away to safety in our custody.

“Area boys then took advantage of the incident and started attacking BRT Buses.

From observation you will discover that, the BRT buses bunt are far away from the scene of the incident and that the BRT bus in particular that killed the soldier was not attacked nor vandalized and it is still intact.

“Our personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene to restore normalcy.

So that traffic could flow. .

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NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

Doctors’ strike: Journalist loses wife HE ongoing strike action by members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has claimed the life of Christiana, wife of the Kwara State correspondent of the National Trumpet newspaper, Mr. Kehinde Akinpelu.

Mrs. Akinpelu, aged 43, died at the Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho in Oyo State, where she had been referred to by a private hospital in Ilorin due to the ongoing doctors' strike.

As a result, journalists in the state have urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders in the health sector to immediately bring to an end the on-

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n Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin n going strike by medical doctors.

According to family sources, the late Christiana had taken ill on Thursday night and was rushed to a private clinic, from where she was later referred to Ogbomosho.

In a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Correspondents chapel, Kwara State council of the NUJ, Bolaji Olanrewaju and Biola Azeez, chairman and secretary respectively, the NUJ said: "If the doctors were on duty at UITH, Ilorin there wouldn't have been any reason to be sending this young family

back and forth and the precious time wasted travelling between Ogbomosho and Ilorin could have been devoted to saving her life.

Even the unnecessary stress the deceased went through were clearly avoidable in an environment with quality health personnel, but who are up in arms against their employers over issues they argue are justified.

"We believe that both government and the doctors should sit down and be reasonable in ending this unnecessary strike that has led to a number of avoidable deaths. We would like to tell the doctors that no welfare package is worth the life of a single patient.”

…patients desert public hospitals in Ogun EDICAL services in public hospitals in Ogun State remained largely in the doldrums as the nationwide strike embarked upon by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) entered its fourth day yesterday.

But there are indications that the strike may be suspended next week as the Federal Government had indicated the willingness to meet some of the doctors' four - points demand in a meeting with the striking doctors in Abuja.

The National Secretary of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, said though the executive of the doctors' body, have met with the representatives of the Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja where the government had expressed willingness to meet some of their demand.

Alayaki, however, said that does not in any way suggest that the strike would be called - off soon or not, as the decision to end the strike can only come at an emergency meeting of the NMA's National Executive Committee (NEC).

The NMA national scribe, who was the immediate past Chairman, Ogun State chapter of the NMA, said the body would meet soon to review the situation - to appraise what the Federal Government is offering visa vis the doctors' demand, and

M

n Ernest NWOKOLO, Abeokuta n

take a position on whether the strike is worth suspending or not.

At the state hospital, Ijaiye and the Federal Medical Centre, Idi - Aba, Abeokuta, there were no sins of patients, who sources say may have elected to go to private health centres for their medical attention.

At the Ijaye General Hospital, the Out-Patients unit, witnessed empty seats, contrary to the usual crowd of patients it routinely attend to on daily basis before the strike began.

A couple of nurses and midwives in uniforms were sighted at the hospitals attending to the few patients that probably have no choice than to stay back due to unaffordable bills of the private hospitals.

At the State Dental Clinic, Nawar-UdDeen, Isabo, there were no patients. Our correspondent observed that two dentists were around in the reception area. They said they were around to attend to patients who were on appointments before the strike began, while new cases would not be accommodated until the industrial action is over.

The Nation gathered that emergency cases may receive treatment, based on what one of them said would be on humanitarian grounds.

Mob kills man for stabbing boy man, who was simply identified as Ayo, has been beaten to death by an angry mob at Isanlu, in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, for allegedly conniving with other men to a stab one Michael Moses with a knife.

The man, who was beaten to stupor by the angry mob, died at the hospital where he was rushed to by sympathizers.

His alleged accomplices, Tope Joshua (a.k.a Adeola), aged 21 and Sesan Osagbemi, 19, were, however arrested by the Kogi State Police Command.

Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Saidu Madawaki,

A

LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to notify the general public that the C e r t i f i c a t e o f Occupancy in respect of Block 1, plot No1 omole Residential Scheme, Omole, Lagos State is missing. All efforts to trace and find it proved abortive.

If found, please return it to the nearest Police Station.

n James AZANIA, Lokoja n

said the two other suspects will be charged to court soon.

His words: “The facts of the case are that on June 30, 2014, at about 8.30am, the complainant, Samuel Ige Moses came to Isanlu Police Station and reported that on the same date at about 7.30am, one Tope Joshua, Sesan Osagbemi

and Ayo, surname unknown, who was later killed by an angry mob, conspired and stabbed his son, Michael Moses with a knife on the chest and was rushed to Rotab Hospital, Isanlu, but died while receiving treatment.

“The arrested suspects will be arraigned as soon as investigation is completed,” the CP added.

Two men regain freedom after spending 10 years in prison n Rukayat JIMOH n

ustice S.D. Bage of Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, has discharged two convicted men, Sopurochi Obed, 24, and Oto-Bong Sunday Edet, after spending 10 years in jail.

Obed and Oto - Bong were first arrested and arraigned at Ebute Metta Magistrate Court before Magistrate Nwankawo on two-count charge of arm robbery and conspiracy Obed was 14 years old, while Oto bong was 27 when they were arraigned in court.

They were alleged of robbing one Praise Lawani of N54,000, a digital Kodak camera, worth #60,000; Motorola handset, N16000 and two kitchen knives and cutlass, valued at N300000.

They were first arraigned on 30th of September2004, before Chief Magistrate Nwankawo. The matter was later transferred to the High Court in Lagos before Justice M.A. Dada, who found them guilty in 2009.

They spent the first three years at Ikoyi prison, and were later transferred to Kirikiri prison where they spent the last seven years.

J

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

61

'Fela of Benin’ knocks ‘political prostitutes’ in new album • Salutes Oshiomhole ONG before hip-hop overtook the Nigerian airwaves, protest music flourished across the land, with the likes of Fela Kuti and Sonny Okosun as the leading lights.

By deploying music as a platform for sociopolitical commentary, such practitioners no doubt helped to fulfill one of the sacred responsibilities of art: the promotion of common good.

Not surprising, this special breed were fondly addressed in their heyday as 'freedom fighters' in appreciation of what clearly was their forsaking of fortune from commercial music to embrace penury and constant state harassment.

In Yoruba-speaking South-West, for instance, the older generation would readily recall poet Olarenwaju Adepoju whose caustic tongue seasonally harangued the 'oppressors' as well as spoke truth to power. Though still very much alive, the Ibadan-based poet is no longer active on the scene.

Overall, the reason for the decline in the protest flavour in our music culture is partly attributable to changing political environment and the rise of crass materialism. Under military dictatorship, daily reports of arbitrariness surely provided more than enough inspiration for the muse. Fela's hits, for instance, were mostly inspired by the bitter taste of state repression. Okosun's evergreen 'Papa's Land' mirrored the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and the remaining vestiges of imperialism in post-colonial Africa.

While it is true that the democratic space has today appreciably expanded on account of sustained civil rule, that is not to say iniquities have abated or ended in the society. Evil continues to contend with good. But the bitter truth is that in the unbridled craze for materialism, the rank of 'freedom-fighters' ready to speak up has grown lean indeed.

It is against this backdrop that the latest offering by Osayomore Joseph should not only fill the older generation with nostalgia for a glorious yesterday but, more importantly, serve as a cautionary tale to the younger folks that there is honour in standing for the truth or resisting the temptation to sit on the fence in the hour of moral crisis.

While he may lack the national appeal and the global reach of the late Fela, the Afro-beat originator, back home in Edo State, Osayomore Joseph is nonetheless popularly called the ‘Fela

L

n Osaetin INEGBEDION of Benin’ on account of his militant lyrics and fearless political commentaries rendered in the admixture of pidgin English and his native Bini. Though he became popular with a song, "Efewedo", rendered in Bini in the early 80s preaching the virtue of contentment, Osayomore Joseph grew increasingly political in subsequent years. So also did his visits to the military gulag become more frequent.

Political historians will certainly recall his definitive "June 12th Is God's Mandate" released days after the annulment of the results of June 12 election in 1993 and easily became the national anthem in the popular resistance of the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. The title track, "Baba Na Wah", was a searing caricature of the military dictator.

Now, with particular reference to the current political tension in Edo State ignited by the defection of erstwhile political disciples of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who have since declared a dirty war against him, the sexagenarian "Fela of Benin" appears to have cut short his musical holiday.

Indeed, so much dust has been raised in the political scene of Edo since a group of chieftains of the ruling party (APC) defected to PDP. It has been a cacophony of accusations and counter-accusations.

Incidentally, the defectors were among those who had shouted "hosanna" to Oshiomhole between 2008 and early this year, only to change tune in April after the conduct the APC primaries whose results did not favour their individual aspirations or ambitions.

In the new song, Osayomore Joseph pulls no punches in hitting hard at those he strongly believes are working against the ongoing "march of progress" in Edo. Entitled "Aziba-Ziba (Ashawo Politicians)", Osayomore Joseph's new album has three tracks.

Against a fast-tempo beat and assertive base guitar, he sings: "When God gif you opportunity, make you leader, make you Governor, make you govern your people well, well".

He frowns at those who will rather betray public trust: "Instead make you build roads, "build schools, build houses, make your people dey happy, "Instead you come carry the money either make you gif

• Joseph

am to your father or give am to your mama, "Gif am to your children, your wife, "Na only your family plus yourself, make your people dey suffer, "Bini get name for am, Edo people get name for am, "Una name na Aziba-zeba."

In another stanza, the fiery musician did not mince word in showering encomiums on Oshiomhole for judicious utilisation of taxpayers' money for public good. He singles out the chairman of the state revenue board, Chief Oseni Elamah, for his exemplary service: "When Oseni Elamah came on board to be Oga for IGR (Internally Generated Revenue), "Edo IGR today don go up well, well."

He goes down memory lane: "Before 2008 (2ce), anyone wey live for Edo State dat time, "make una go play the video before 2008, "Today, make una play the video as we be now for 2014, "So, so beautiful!"

By now seeking to "repay Oshiomhole's good with evil", the "Fela of Benin" describes those mounting calumnious campaign as "enemies of the masses".

He has a warning for those practising politics without principle: "Na God send Oshiomhole, "very soon im tenure go end, "Na dat time una go come know which kind Governor im be."

"While asking the "Ashawo politicians" to cover their faces in shame, he sings: "One thing wey I "dey happy about be say nobody dey complain say Oshiomhole no work, "the only thing they are complaining about be say "Oshiomhole no share the money to party leaders as before."

Those interested in hearing more about this explosive album will surely have the opportunity to grab copies beginning from today. The formal launch of the album is slated for today at the Sam Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

With its biting lyrics and haunting message, surely Osayomore Joseph's new song will ruffle feathers in Edo political circuits in the times ahead, especially as 2015 general elections draw closer.

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

62

SPORT EXTRA SACKED NFF BOARD

FIFA threatens to ban Nigeria

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HE Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) has ordered the ‘relevant authorities’ in Nigeria to reinstate Aminu Maigari as the president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), as well as to restore to office - not later than Tuesday, July 8 - all of the Executive Committee members of the NFF Board who were temporarily unseated on Thursday, by a court order.

An order of interlocutory injunction obtained on Thursday by Mrs. Ebiakpo Rumson Baribote from the Hon. Justice P.L. Lot of the Plateau State High Court, restrained Maigari, all the members of the NFF’s Executive Committee and the NFF Congress from running the affairs of Nigerian football forthwith, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice before the court.

In compliance with this order as well as a separate mandatory injunction, Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo appointed a senior member of the civil service in the NFF, Lawrence Katiken as Acting Secretary-General of the NFF, to command, control and manage the affairs of Nigerian football.

However, in a swift reaction to this development, the Sepp Blatter-led world football governing body has declared that its laws do not permit ‘undue interference by third parties in the NFF’s affairs, which prevent a FIFA member association such as the NFF from managing its affairs independently. Such third parties

•Gives FG July 8 deadline to rescind decision •Maigari arrested by the SSS •SSS operatives in hunt for other NFF members

By Robert Egbe would include governments, civil courts, etc.

In a letter made available to NationSport, FIFA stated that it will neither recognise any person or organ not elected in compliance with NFF statutes nor consider the appointment of Katiken as Acting Secretary-General made by minister Danagogo.

FIFA’s letter, signed by its SecretaryGeneral, Jerome Valcke, further warned that if Maigari and co were ‘not fully reinstated by Tuesday 8 July 2014, we would have no choice but to refer the case to the appropriate FIFA organs for sanctions…’

The world’s football governing body further cautioned that unless the matter is resolved, the country stands the risk of international football isolation. This, among other things, would mean that ‘no team from Nigeria of any sort (including clubs) could have any international sporting contact.’

NationSport gathered that in the early hours of yesterday, Nigeria’s official Brazil 2014 World Cup delegation comprising the Super Eagles, their coaches and officials were led into the country by Aminu Maigari and other NFF officials. But as they got off the

plane at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Maigari was identified and whisked away for questioning by operatives of Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS). He was not allowed to leave until after an hour.

FIFA’s letter however alleges that operatives of the SSS are also in the hunt for other members of the NFF.

•Maigari

Keshi sets conditions, terms for new contract

S

UPER Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi after meeting with Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo yesterday in Abuja, told reporters that he won’t accept any new contract from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) unless it is satisfies his terms and conditions.

The history-making coach told sports writers in Abuja that many clauses in the contract he signed with the NFF were violated and that this time around he wants to guide against this.

“If they agree to my conditions, why not?” he began. “Like I said, I have started something here in Nigeria which I would love to finish if everything comes good.

But if not, I would like to move my trade to somewhere else. It is

From Segun Ogunjimi always a good experience when you go out there and do something different.”

He also stated that the choice of where to go in the future will not be any problem as he has lots of offers other than that from South Africa.

“It is not just South Africa that wants me. They are the ones who have gone to the media to make it public, lots of countries want me.

If nothing good comes out I will move my trade elsewhere.

“No need to bring in sympathy here, I have served this country very well.

It is about professionalism now. I have kids in the university who I have to take

AIRTEL RISING STAR SEASON 4

Kwara tackles Ekiti in male, female finals •As Ondo wins female third place

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HE zonal qualification for the South West reached a crescendo yesterday when Kwara State qualified for both the male and female U-17 finals of the Airtel Rising Stars Season 4 decided at the Kwara Football Academy practising pitch.

Both teams will play against Ekiti in both categories of the final slated for same venue today.

In front of excited spectators, the four teams showed class, coupled with a display of skills and determination, to ward off all opposition on their way to the finals.

For the Kwara male team, it took a spirited effort defeat Ondo State 5-2, and Oyo 3-2 to book a final slot, while Ekiti went past Osun 1-0 to qualify for the finals.

In the female category, Kwara State defeated Ondo State 2-1, while Ekiti State went past Oyo State 1-0 and Osun 5-4 on penalties after playing 0-0 in regular time to set up a final spot against Kwara.

Meanwhile, Ondo won the third place match defeating Osun 2-0 in a keenly contested encounter.

The third place match in the male category will be played today before the final matches.

It is however gathered that players will be selected from all the participating teams to represent the zone in the national finals that will kick off later in the month.

care of. Sympathy will not take care of my kids and family,” Keshi stated bluntly.

The former Super Eagles Captain insisted on new contractual terms and complained about the alleged neglect of certain clauses in his subsisting contract. “The definition of a contract is when two parties talk and agree on what is suitable and not suitable. You cannot just give me an offer and say sign and I will sign, it does not make any sense,” Keshi said.

“Any trip I take to the US to see my family is from my pocket, for a year and a half I have been paying my assistant coach Valeri’s salary, which is not supposed to be.

Silvanus Okpala is not in the team for no reason.”

The former Nigeria international stated that he has been very patriotic and would like to finish what he started by grooming the Eagles for the next two years, but that as a professional he does not work on the basis of sympathy.

WORLD CUP Q/Final Results France Brazil

0-1 2- 1

Germany Colombia

•Early Advantage Montessori School, Ikeja Inter-House Sports Competition which took place at MAN Centre Field, Wemabod Estate, Ikeja. Picture shows the Director of the School, Mrs. Celine Nwosu rejoicing with some staff and students from White House, the overall winner of the competition.

Deaf, dumb... not blind •Continued from back page of conduct saga, the question of allowing wives and girlfriends to have access to their players as morale boosters and other despicable reasons.

Once the Eagles coughed, the country tremble. It suited Westerhof then because he had access to those in power. But, like the dictum goes, those who ride on the back of the tiger end up inside the beast’s bowel. The Eagles turned against Westerhof in the United States, when they refused to obey his instruction that they change their hotel to a more serene place before the game against Italy, which Nigeria lost 2-1. Had the Eagles obeyed Westerhof, Nigeria would have hit the final because Bulgaria that we beat 3-0 won the fourth place game at the 1994 World Cup in US. Westerhof, who erroneously thought he had the ears of those in power, was startled to see the players have their way over his decision, like it always happened between the Dutch and his employers, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA). The Dutch was unceremoniously eased out of his job much to the delight of some of his players who plotted his exit.

Westerhof’s exit provided a coaching lacuna in the Eagles. Rather than throw open the search for a competent coach to replace Westerhof, the NFA listened to Eagles’ stars who infiltrated the media to that all that Westerhof achieved was because of his assistant’s (Johannes Bonfrere’s) tactical savvy. Jo Bonfrere replaced Westerhof.

Bonfrere did well with the Eagles, not after the players he invited for the international friendly against Togo in Lagos and refused to play. Togo beat Nigeria 3-1 with most of the invited players in the stands. The players in the stands escaped when the fans went on rampage, thanks to the police.

In fact, Jonathan Akpoborie, who came to watch the game as a spectator, had to his suit for a jersey to play for Nigeria. That was how Akpoborie made the team despite his being our best player in Europe, specifically playing in the German Bundesliga.

In spite of Akpoborie’s patriotic act against Togo, Bonfrere dropped him from the squad, and opted for the gang in the team. Nigeria won the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games but this marked the beginning of the brazen quest for cash before playing for Nigeria. Let us not forget how Nigeria lost the chance of a World Cup appearance at the Italia’90 World Cup, when the Eagles refused to fly out to Yaoundé until their allowances were paid. That was Westerhof’s first game and we lost to Cameroon.

The Atlanta’96 team was untouchable. They wanted to play together despite their players’ form. Bonfrere dumped the squad in the US and headed home over rifts with the then sports minister, who called his bluff when the Dutch misbehaved with a US cop. Bonfrere would have been deported but for the minister’s political intervention.

The NFA men got Phillipe Troussier courtesy of Arsenal FC of England’s manager Arsene Wenger’s recommendation. Troussier, introduced the more dynamic 3-5-2 formation which broke the Atlanta’96 squad members.

The Eagles won matches without some of these Olympic medalists. Nigeria qualified for the France’98 World Cup with a game to spare in the qualifiers. Instead of keeping Troussier, we sent him away because the players exploited their closeness to those in government.

Enter journeyman Bora Milutinovic. Bora had rich World Cup pedigree but he couldn’t control the boys. It showed when Eagles’ players spent hours in the morning of match day against Demark insisting to be paid $15,000 each before the game. They reasoned that the beating the Danes was a stroll in the park, more so, when Nigeria’s next game would have been against Brazil.

The world was waiting for that rematch since Nigeria edged out Brazil in the semi-finals of the Atlanta Olympic Games. The players recognised this fact and latched on to it to cause a major embarrassment to Nigerians.

The Danes beat us 4-1. Many business-minded Nigerians have not recovered from the financial losses they recorded, especially the proactive ones, who were ready to reap from the match that never held- the rematch between Nigeria and Brazil in France.

This players’ power trend in the Super Eagles continued until 2002, culminating in the team’s disbandment after the Africa Cup of Nations flop in Mali. Rock in your casket, late Isyaha Mark Aku. Aku disbanded the mafia-ridden Eagles squad. He made sure that those culpable didn’t make the squad to the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup. Besides, the late Aku (rest in the bossom of the Lord) recruited the disciplinarian, Adegboye Onigbinde to guide the Eagles in Japan.

Onigbinde, ensured that the 2002 Japan/Korea World Cup was devoid of players’ power or intrigues. We got one point but we left Japan/Korea with integrity and our national pride intact.

Our players have succeeded in holding us hostage because we haven’t had a minister with the late Aku’s firmness to whip them into line. The late Aku was in Mali and didn’t flinch in taking a drastic action against the culprits. Aku wasn’t drawn into the usual NSC versus NFF supremacy tussle. He knew he was the boss and acted swiftly. That is the kind of reaction that this writer expects from the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration on this group of Eagles.

Happily, Senate President David Mark was in Brazil. He witnessed firsthand the players’ conduct during his peace session with them. We were told that at one point during the discussion, Mark, asked the players to hold him hostage, if that would convince them that he could guarantee the payment of their appearance fees.

Mark resorted to this position when one of the players insisted that the $2 million be paid into their accounts before Nigeria’s opening game against Iran. The government shouldn’t tolerate a team whose players refused to train before the game against France in Brasilia, despite assurances from the government delegation that had the Senate President, three governors, several ministers and a representative of the Inspector General of Police.

President Jonathan did the proper thing by releasing $3.85 million to save Nigeria’s blushes in the hand of an irritant group. Let us not forget how this group poured odium on us by refusing to board the aircraft that FIFA provided to take them to Brazil last year for the 2013 Confederations Cup. They stayed in Namibia until the President assured them that they would be paid.

This Eagles in Brazil must go. Football in other countries is supervised by their soccer federations, not their Presidents. We must stop this unfettered access to our President for fickle things. Playing for Nigeria isn’t a debt.

Nigeria won’t cease to be a sovereign nation, if we don’t qualify for the World Cup in the next 20 years.

Sports, especially football, unite us as a nation. It is only during matches that we embrace ourselves, irrespective of our religion and/or state of origin. Nowhere in the world does an employee dictate to his/her employee. Nowhere in the world does anyone get rewarded for services yet to be rendered. A word is enough for the wise, as the adage goes.

THE NATION SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014

63

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-06-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-06-14

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Equities’ index rallies to 43,000 points

IGERIAN equities consolidated their positive start to the second half with a weekend bullish rally that pushed the benchmark index beyond the 43,000 points.

The composite index at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the All Share Index (ASI), which tracks prices of all quoted companies, rose by 0.81 per cent to close at a high of 43,031.81 points as against its opening index of 42,686.86 points.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted equities rallied additional gains of N114 billion to close at N14.209 trillion as against its opening value of N14.095 trillion. The last-day bullish rally nudged the weekly average gain to 2.0 per cent.

With 33 gainers to 21 losers, the bullish rally was driven by widespread gains and substantial rally within

Taofik SALAKO Capital Market Editor

the highly capitalised stocks.

Dangote Cement, the most capitalised stock, led the rally with a gain of N5.50 to close at N250. Nigerian Breweries rose by N1.50 to close at N173.50. Oando chalked up N1.02 to close at N28.50.

Ashaka Cement gathered 85 kobo to close at N29.

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated gained 82 kobo to close at N17.32. Caverton added 60 kobo to close at N6.80. International Breweries rose by 45 kobo to close at N29.40 while Guaranty Trust Bank added 39 kobo to close at N29.60.

On the downside, Forte Oil, which has led the rally at the NSE since 2013, topped the losers’ list with a drop of N6.92 to close at N200.08.

Cadbury Nigeria followed with a drop of N3.50 to close at N74.50. Lafarge Cement

Wapco Nigeria dropped by N1.98 to close at N111. Total Nigeria lost N1.89 to close at N171.11. Seplat Petroleum Development Company declined by 50 kobo to close at N720 while Union Bank of Nigeria lost 40 kobo to close at N9.60 per share.

Total turnover stood at 282.46 million shares valued at N3.24 billion in 4,684 deals. Financial services sector accounted for 198.20 million shares valued at N1.43 billion in 2004 deals. Fidelity Bank was the most active stock with a turnover of 57.36 million shares worth N114.8 million in 84 deals.

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria was the second most active stock with 37.13 million shares worth N192.52 million in 350 deals.

Guaranty Trust Bank placed third with a turnover of 25.90 million shares worth N758.49 million in 246 deals.

TOMORROWPUNCHLINE IN THE NATION

In your line of work, you travel a lot. Also, do admit it: from childhood, you’ve been bitten by the travel bug and you do have a love affair with travelling

SATURDAY, JULU 5, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.9, NO. 2893

—Biodun Jeyifo

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HE primary vocation of the intellectual is the pursuit and advocacy of truth no matter how distasteful or bitter. Paul Baran, the late American political economist, insisted that the intellectual must ruthlessly criticise everything under the sun with the determination and courage to pursue rational inquiry to wherever it may lead irrespective of the consequences. In a famous lecture at the University of Jos, the late Professor Aaron Gana, the eminent political scientist, linked this to the famous admonition by Jesus Christ that “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”. The journalist is no intellectual. The nature of the profession gives little time for the kind of detailed and rigorous research undertaken by the intellectual.

Journalists are said to write history in a hurry.

Yet, we are no less bound by a commitment to truth as the intellectual. That is why it is said in the profession that while comments are free, facts are sacred.

Last week, I joined in the effort to make sense out of the June 21 governorship elections in Ekiti State, which saw an incumbent, Dr Kayode Fayemi, perceived to be highperforming losing comprehensively to a populist, theatrical and controversial Ayodele Fayose with a tainted record as an impeached former governor of the state. Like most other commentators, including the famous Professor Niyi Osundare, whose satirical poem, ‘A rice O compatriots, thy stomach’s call obey’ has gone viral on-line, I interpreted the outcome of the election as a vote by the Ekiti electorate for instant and transient material gratification rather than enduring development; an endorsement of crude distribution of food and cash to the people rather than initiating and pursuing projects and programmes to uplift them out of poverty.

In his thoughtful public ruminations on the Ekiti polls, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has raised pertinent questions, which have been misinterpreted as insulting the Ekiti people. Like the Governor, I also wondered if governance should be about distributing money to the poor or empowering them to be self-reliant through development projects. I wondered how an incumbent governor could have lost in his own home town and ward in a credible election. Well, given the overwhelming responses to my column – phone calls, text messages, and emails – mostly from Ekiti indigenes, I am afraid I was dreadfully wrong. I reacted cognitively and logically to the Ekiti polls without a proper appraisal of the empirical realities.

Yes, the excessive and intimidating militarisation of Ekiti before and during the election was unwarranted. The partisan use of security agents by the Minister of Defence, Musliu Obanikoro and Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan is contemptible and condemnable. The intimidation of APC political leaders, abridgement of the freedom of movement of APC governors and teargasing by mobile police of the Governor Fayemi’s convoy negated the creation of a level paying ground necessary for free and fair elections. Yet, from the feedback I have received, the truth is that Mr Ayodele Fayose would still have won without all of these abuses. Indeed, it appears to me that violence

Further thoughts on Ekiti polls

‘ •Fayemi would have broken out if, for any reason, Fayemi had been declared winner. It was that bad.

Is it possible that Dr Fayemi could credibly have lost in his own home town, Isan-Ekiti? A reader from the town sent me a text message that he voted against the governor because he always insisted he was the governor of the whole of Ekiti State and not of Isan. Thus, they did not enjoy any special privilege from the fact of their son being governor. This may have been ethically right on the part of Fayemi but it was politically suicidal for him at home.

Another response to my article was that Fayemi had built an imposing country home in Isan within his first year in office while most of the people remained immersed in poverty.

The Fayemi government never successfully refuted the widespread rumour that the First Lady, Bisi Fayemi, allegedly built a higher institution in Ghana during his tenure. Thus, it is not that the people did not see and appreciate the massive infrastructure projects of the Fayemi administration. However, the construction of these projects were perceived as financially empowering a few in Fayemi’s inner circle many of whom were of no significant economic status before his emergence as governor. Thus, the quite natural and understandable insistence of the people that what is now popularly called ‘stomach infrastructure’ must be democratised and not

If Fayemi had got his politics right, a million bags of rice or a battalion of soldiers could not have delivered Ekiti tothe PDP

’

restricted to the governor and his friends.

A lecturer at the Ado-Ekiti University told me that most of the staff and students of the institution voted against Fayemi. If a Phd holder could not connect with his own academic colleagues, what are we talking about? And at the same time Fayemi was completely disconnected from the grassroots lumpen elements that were swept off their feet

by Fayose’s populist antics despite the latter’s well- known flaws. Similarly, a national legislator of the APC from Ekiti State told me of how Fayemi had become inaccessible and alienated from the legislators at both the state and national levels and even many members of his cabinet. I am told that while many of Fayemi’s commissioners and special advisers could hardly boast of one million naira in their bank accounts, those in his inner circle had reportedly become stupendously wealthy. The Chief of Staff, Yemi Adaramodu, reportedly rude, arrogant and snobbish was a key factor in Fayemi’s loss. An APC chieftain in AdoEkiti recalled how Fayose and Opeyemi Bamidele reached out to him morally and financially when he lost his mother while his own governor did not even give him a phone call. This illustrates how alienated the Fayemi government was even from his own party that was consequently demotivated from working for his re-election with passion and commitment.

Otunba Niyi Adebayo reportedly had two commissioners in Fayemi’s government including the commissioner for works; his 22 year old son was Special Adviser on Diaspora Matters (whatever that means) to the governor and Adebayo had five cousins appointed at various levels of the administration. This was in addition to unrefuted reports of the former governor handling several contracts. Yet, many of those who fervently supported Fayemi intellectually, morally, financially and logistically during his three and a half year struggle to reclaim his mandate, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were kept at arms –length by Fayemi. The same Tinubu has stood valiantly by him following his June 21 defeat. Otunba Adebayo who could not even deliver his polling unit to Fayemi has remained thunderously silent while another of Fayemi’s cherished ‘godfathers’, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), who publicly supported Fayemi before the election has come out after the polls to say that Ekiti cannot afford to be in opposition! It is stunning that a highly respected SAN cannot appreciate the critical, indispensable necessity of opposition for healthy democracy and good governance.

That, however, is a matter for another day.

I hate to write these bitter truths but have no choice but to honestly put out the feed- back generated by last week’s column. Dr. Fayemi is my friend but I deliberately refused to visit Ekiti throughout his tenure. I never requested for, nor was ever offered even a bottle of coke by his government. All I have written in support of his government and re-election have thus been based on principle and the facts as I saw it. But what I can now surmise is that an ordinarily brilliant, humble and unassuming Kayode Fayemi became transformed by power into a haughty, hubristic governor almost contemptuous of his party and people. It is ironical that a student of power like Fayemi turned out to be so inept in its usage and management. There is no way, for instance, that an astute politician would have allowed Opeyemi Bamidele, who played such a key role in his emergence as governor, to become such a bitter opponent.

The outcome of the June 21 election in Ekiti was a massive rejection of Fayemi’s style of governance and not necessarily of the APC. But the APC is suffering the consequences of condoning and ignoring the excesses of the governor. If Fayemi had got his politics right, a million bags of rice or a battalion of soldiers could not have delivered Ekiti to the PDP. Luckily for the APC, in Osun, Ogbeni Aregbesola is a solid grassroots politician; his lifestyle and attitude have not been perverted by power; he is a fervent and passionate party man; his massive development projects are integrated into the local economy and where he has inevitably had conflicts with interest groups, he has bent over backwards to explain his motives and resolve the issues. The loopholes that facilitated PDP’s victory in Ekiti do not exist in Osun. If the Ekiti elections reflected the will of the people, then it is very good for Nigeria’s democracy. This means that given his appalling non-performance, President Goodluck Jonathan is a very vulnerable incumbent in a credible 2015 election.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

Deaf, dumb... not blind

W

E are back in the trenches. This is the time for buck-passing. Sentimen tal decisions would soon be made.

Super Eagles can do no wrong. Their coaches are infallible. Hard luck, poor officiating and injuries would soon be ascribed as some of the reasons why Nigeria didn’t go beyond the second round. Yet, before these matches, we were tasked to pray for the Eagles. Some pastors and Imams and prophets joined in the task, predicting Eagles’ games, such that the morale in the team’s camp rose, once these predictions were announced. Such was our lot at the World Cup in Brazil. Indeed, Nigeria’s quest for the World Cup was an accident waiting to happen.

With four points from possible 12, you

(My World Cup diary, 12) don’t need rocket science brain to know that such a performance was awful. No parent will spare the rod on any kid who scored 33.3 per cent in his/her examinations. The Eagles’ outing at the Mundial translates to one-third, amounting to 33.3 per cent. Elsewhere, the coaches would honourably resign and apologise to the nation. If they don’t, those in charge of the game will ask the coaches to go.

No so for Nigeria, even when we know that the coaches picked the 23-man squad that did great disservice to the game in this polity. It is true that coaches in other climes get the freehand to pick their players. But, these

coaches aren’t scared to face the media to explain why they picked those listed and why others were dropped. It is also true that most of the 32 countries at the Brazil 2014 World Cup had issues with players’ selection. But those countries’ coaches still picked their best players around the world for the Mundial.

The Super Eagles’ squad at the World Cup lacked depth. The coaches disagreed and we turned deaf ears to the outcry for the inclusion of Nigerian players who had distinguished themselves playing for top European clubs. Cynics, like some of us were called, queried the inclusion of certain players. We were told to mind our business. We were

asked to allow the coaches do their jobs. Now that their job is shoddy, those who chastised us are dumb, unable to raise their voices to tell the truth and be damned.

Apostles of the coaches’ freehand toga have turned blind eyes to the Eagles’ shambolic outing in Brazil. They are not talking, pretending to be deaf. They have lost their voices, as if they are dumb. What a deaf, dumb but not blind football clan we have in this country.

We have overpampered the Eagles. They hold us hostage. We pander to their demands without asking how it is done elsewhere. The Eagles have failed anytime we succumb to their demands.

Many have described the Clemens Westerhof era as our best. It didn’t happen without the intrigues of match bonuses, code Continued from Page 62

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