June 08, 2013 by The Nation

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2 NEWS

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Leader of suspected killers of 11 policemen arrested in Bayelsa

HE suspected leader of the gang of gunmen who murdered 11 policemen at Lobia creeks, Azuzuama, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, has been arrested. The leader, identified as Jackson Fabouwei (25), was paraded in Yenagoa, the state capital, at the Sector 2 Headquarters of the Joint

Task Force, codenamed, Operation Pulo Shield. Fabouwei, known in the underworld as Jasper Boro Junior, was apprehended by operatives of the JTF and other security agencies around Ekebiri, close to Azuzuama. He was arrested on Thursday. Fabouwei, in his confessional statement, admitted

leading a group of seven gunmen that killed 11 policemen who were on an escort duty. The victims were drafted by the former Commissioner of Police, Mr,

Kingsley Omire, to provide security at the funeral of the late mother of an ex-militant leader, Mr. Kile Torughedi popularly known as The Young Shall Grow. Torughedi, who was the

commander of the South Wing of MEND from 2002 till 2009 when he embraced the amnesty programme for repentant militants, is currently serving as the Senior Special Adviser to Governor

Lamido keeps mum over presidential ambition

IGAWA State governor, Sule Lamido, has declined comment on his alleged Presidential ambition in 2015 on a joint ticket with embattled governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi. Posters of the two governors and campaign vehicles have been spotted in some state capitals in recent months, but Lamido is yet to make any comment on it, even though the Jigawa State House of Assembly has endorsed him for the contest. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is also believed to have endorsed the Jigawa State governor for the position at various fora. At an occassion to mark

Democracy Day in Dutse, the state capital, Obasanjo was quoted to have said that Governor Lamido has the quality to be Nigeria’s next President. Lamido, who attended the Northern States Governors Forum meeting in Kaduna on Thursday, wade off inqusitive reporters and refused to speak on his alleged presidential ambition. When accosted by reporters, a smiling Lamido, who waited until the question was asked, simply said: “If you want me to talk to you, come to my village and I will talk to you.” With that statement, Lamido entered his car and drove off, leaving reporters stranded.

NERC okays licences for seven NIPPs

HE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved the issuance of licenses to seven national integrated power projects (NIPP). Following the approval, the commission will on Monday present licenses to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in Abuja. The seven companies, according to a statement which the commission issued yesterday, are Calabar Generation Company Limited,

John OFIKHENUA, Abuja Benin Generation Company Limited, Egbema Generation Company Limited, Gbarain Generation Company Limited, Geregu Generation Company Limited, Omoku Generation Company Limited, and Omotosho Generation Company Limited. The statement reads: “The Commission has approved the issuance of licences to seven(7)NIPP. In light of this, you’re invited to the formal presentation of licences to TCN and NDPHC.”

FG sets up three committees for sale of 10 NDPHC plants

HE Federal Government through the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) yesterday set up three committees towards the joint sale transaction of 10 Niger Delta Holding Power Company (NDPHC) plants under the National Independent Power Plants (NIPP) project. The Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, disclosed this to journalists at the end of the meeting chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The three committees, he said, included Joint Evaluation, Joint Transaction and the Joint Technical Transaction, while a fourth committee will be set up to fine-tune the reports after the conclusion of the assignment of the three committees. He said: “At today’s joint meeting of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and National

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja Council on Privatisation (NCP), a joint memo was presented by the MD of the NDPHC and the DG BPE. The memo seeks approval for the formation of three committees that will be responsible for the joint sales transactions of the NDPHC plants. “Those committees are the joint evaluation committee of the NDPHC and BPE to evaluate the expression of interests and technical bids that will be submitted by the potential bidders. “We also have the joint transaction committee made up of the MD NDPHC as the Chairman and the DG BPE as the Co-Chairman and other members that will be selected.” “The third committee is the joint technical transaction committee which the Governor of Benue state was nominated to be the Chairman.”

Seriake Dickson on Marine Waterways Security. On their way, 15 of the policemen travelling on a wooden engine boat were allegedly ambushed by Fabouwei and his gang who killed 11 of them after a gun battle that lasted more than 40 minutes. While three of the policemen escaped the attack, one was kidnapped by the gunmen who were said to have later collected N1 million ransom to set him free. The Chief of Staff, JTF, Col. Farouk Yahaya, who paraded the suspect, said JTF and other security agencies had been working round the clock to bring the killers to justice. He said Fabouwei was arrested through sound intelligence gathering efforts by JTF and other security agencies. As part of efforts to round up the killers, he said JTF conducted series of operations in Lobia, Ukubie, Ezetu, Ekeni and Azuzuama. “This led to the arrest of some of the suspects, the destruction of their hideouts and recovery of some of their weapons. “These JTF operations destabilised the criminals and put them on the run while the deployment of troops in Azuzuama and Loboa made those areas untenable for them,” he said. He said JTF would hand over the suspect to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

•Fabouwei

Supreme Court affirms life jail for naval chief tion 105 of the Armed Forces HE Supreme Court killer of okada rider Act, (under which he was has upheld the sencharged) “the trial judge has

tences of life imprisonment and dismissal handed to a naval chief, Felix Olanrewaju Odunlami, who murdered a commercial motorcycle (okada) rider in Lagos. Justice Bode RhodesVivour, in a lead judgment yesterday upheld the decisions of the General Court Martial and the Court of Appeal, Lagos. Lt. Odunlami (with force number: NN2121) was travelling from the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja to Apapa on July 25, 2005 when, at the Allen Roundabout, Ikeja, a commercial motorcycle ridden by Peter Edeh hit the naval officer’s car from behind. On realising that the owner of the car was a military personnel, Edeh was said to have knelt down to beg Odunlami for forgiveness. Unable to overcome his anger, the naval chief ig-

contingent of 140 officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force will on Monday join the ECOWAS and the African Union-led peace initiative in Mali. The fully equipped contingent comprised of trained riot control and counter-terrorism units. Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, who performed the official flag presentation to the unit on Friday, enjoined the officers and men to be of good conduct. Urging them to be good

Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

nored Edeh’s plea, reached for his pistol holster, retrieved his pistol and shot Edeh in the mouth. He died instantly. Passers-by, who were attracted by the naval chief’s action, attacked him, burnt his car and almost lynched him, but for the timely intervention of policemen. Odunlami was on January 27, 2006 arraigned before a General Court Martial on a three-count charge. He was charged with manslaughter, loss of service item (for not being able to convincingly account for four rounds of 9mm live ammunition) and conduct to the prejudice of service discipline. His offences were said to be contrary and punishable under sections 68(1)(a), 103(i) AFA 105 and 106 of the Armed Forces Act Cap A 20

laws of Nigeria. At the conclusion of his trial in July of that year, the Court Martial convicted him on counts one and two. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment for manslaughter and dismissed him from service on count two. Dissatisfied, he appealed to the Court of Appeal, Lagos. In its judgment on January 31, 2011, the appellate court upheld the Court Martial’s decision and dismissed Odunlami’s appeal, a decision that informed his appeal to the apex court. In upholding the decisions of both lower courts, the apex court held that the appellant’s defence of provocation could not avail him because of the facts of the case. The court also held that the trial court could not exercise its discretion to give a lower sentence because under Sec-

140 policemen set to hit Mali Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja ambassadors of the country, Abubakar said the conduct of the officers and men would positively or negatively affect the image of their families, the police force and the nation in general. According to the IGP, the unit had been equipped with full complement of patrol vehicles, Amoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), medical team and arms and ammunition. Addressing the officers and

men of the contingent at the Force Headquarters, the IGP charged them to discharge their responsibilities with commitment and dedication. He urged them to conduct themselves with the highest degree of discipline and professionalism and shun all forms of vices, stressing that they must respect the laws and customs of their host country while on the mission. The current deployment brings to 10 the number of countries the Nigeria police are currently serving in in-

no discretion, but to sentence the appellant to life imprisonment. “The confirming authority confirmed the sentence of life imprisonment and dismissal from service of the Nigerian Navy. It further stripped the appellant of his rank and directed that he was not entitled to his financial entitlements. “Was this sentence excessive? Dismissal means rejection, discarding. Once an officer is sentenced to life imprisonment and dismissed from services of the Armed Forces, it would be naïve of him to expect to be entitled to his entitlements. Dismissal and forfeiture of entitlement go together. “The well laid down position of the law is that this court will not interfere with concurrent findings of the courts below, except where the findings are perverse or •Continued on Page 4

ternational peace keeping operations. The other nine countries in which the Nigeria Police are involved in similar operations are: Cote D’voire, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the African Union and Ambassador to Ethiopia, Amb. Bulus Lolo, and representative of the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Hussaini Salihu were present at the occasion.

NEWS 3

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Governor Adams Oshiomhole got a shocker from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) yesterday, as the regulatory agency grounded his helicopter. Minutes after the OAS-operated chopper took off from Government House, Benin with the governor and a few of his aides on board, authorities of NAMA radioed the pilot to return to the Benin Airport tarmac. Captain James Manahash, the Filipino pilot of the helicopter, complied . The aircraft was there and then grounded and the governor’s trip to Awka,Anambra State terminated. Oshiomhole stormed out of the airport, shocked and fuming with anger. He was scheduled to attend the burial of Mrs.Colette Obi,wife of Senator Ben Obi,Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters. He is the second governor in six weeks to be so treated by the regulatory agencies in the aviation sector. A Bombardier - BD 700-1A11 carrying Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was similarly grounded at the Akure Airport on April 26. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said at the time that the action was taken in accordance with safety procedures and the law governing Nigeria’s civil aviation regulations, including alleged forgery of the aircraft’s documents. The pilot of the OAS helicopter, Captain James Manahash, a Filipino, said yesterday that he was “surprised that I was recalled after taking off from Government House because I had communicated with the control tower on radio. “We were already airborne when we got the call to return to the airport and were even threatened that failure to do so would lead to complete grounding of the aircraft. The governor prevailed on me to return and listen to them. “When we got back to the airport, I was told to pay landing and aerodrome fees which

NAMA grounds Oshiomhole's helicopter •’We were already air-borne before we were recalled’ Osemwengie BEN •Regulatory agency blames pilot OGBEMUDIA, Benin and Kelvin OSA OKUNBOR

ordinarily we could pay later because we were already airborne. “Even after completing the process of payment within 10 minutes, we were still delayed for one hour fifteen minutes. The Governor left in anger after that. “I am surprised by this development because this is not the first time I would be coming to Benin to fly the governor. “I was even threatened, after payment, that the aircraft would be grounded completely if I argued with them. “I have flown for 35 years, seven of which I spent in Nigeria, and this is the first time I am encountering a situation like this. I do not know what problem they have with the governor.” With the pilot and NAMA officials locked in an argument on the issue, the governor stood in the scorching sun, expecting to resume his trip soonest. That never happened and he stormed off, declining to speak to reporters. It was gathered that he drove to his Iyamho hometown. Governor Oshiomhole’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Prince Kassim Afegbua, blamed the federal authorities for the development. “I think the government of the day is competing with too many crisis, and it is disturbing that governors are no longer respected or recognised even in their own domain when it is known that they were duly elected by the people. “How else do you explain the role of a NAMA clerk who grounded the governor’s aircraft and prevented him from keeping his appointment in Anambra State because he is

acting out a script that has become the rule of engagement by a dictatorial PDP regime. We remain unprovoked because we are civilised people.” Oshiomhole is a supporter of Governor Amaechi in the disputed election of the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). Contacted, the Managing Director of OAS Helicopters, Mr Everest Nnaji, expressed shock over the incident, saying: “I am still making calls to find out exactly why they did not allow the pilot to fly the helicopter conveying the governor to Anambra State. I am really angry. I don’t know why they did that, and that is why I am still trying to make contacts because we have no problems with NAMA.” However, NAMA said the pilot was to blame for the problem, saying Mahanash was reluctant to comply with the declaration of passenger manifest for the flight.

The general Manager, Public Affairs of NAMA, Supo Atobatele, said in a statement: “The pilot of an helicopter marked 5N-BPX AS335 operated by OAS, called from Government House, Edo State that he would be lifting from there to Awka, Anambra State. He was, however, informed of the need for official documentation. •That for the safety and security of people onboard there is the need to file a flight plan at the airport and submit passenger manifest. •That his initial response was that he was flying the Governor and they were going for an important meeting in Awka. •That the pilot was advised to lift from the airport direct and do the documentation since he had the Governor who is the chief security of the state on board. This would have taken only three minutes. •That the flight plan can be

a tool for search and rescue in case of any emergency. •That the pilot hesitated for a while and later consented to fly to the airport. •That at 10.18 am the helicopter landed at the airport and the pilot went straight to the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) without manifest as he claimed he didn’t know the names of those on board. He was however assisted to write the names of those on board for the sake of the governor. •That NAMA officials in line with requirements for safety and security moved quickly to ensure that the pilot complied with the flight procedure and this lasted for 30 minutes. •That the said helicopter needed to file in a flight plan because it is billed to operate in a controlled airspace where it would be expected for the pilot to yield to air traffic controllers’ instructions. •That the Benin Airport, Air

Force Commandant, Air Commodore U.J. Atiku told the pilot of the need to file in the necessary papers as a professional and should not give impression that the Governor was denied departure to Awka. •That amidst of all these, the governor sought to speak with the Airspace Manager on the cause of delay. The ASM was never given chance to explain the need to observe mandatory procedures for safety and security, rather was verbally assaulted severally while trying to explain the primary reason for the delay. •That the Pilot, believed to be a Korean, later apologised to NAMA officials for his refusal to document his flight and pay the necessary charges. He pleaded that the incident should not be filed against him. “There is no political issue in this case.NAMA is an air navigation service provider and we operate within globally acceptable standards. We are professionally guided by rules and procedures. The service we render borders on safety from the ground to the air and back to ground.”

•From right: Accountant General of the Federation, Jonas Otunla; Chairman Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator, Ahmed Lawan; his House of Reps counterpart, Solomon Adeola ; World Bank’s Jens Kromann Kriteensen and other members during the inauguration of Nigerian Association of Public Accounts Committees (NAPAC) in Abuja... yesterday. PHOTO : Abayomi FAYESE

National Arts Theatre: Anger over Minister's defiance of House directive

HE Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Mr. Edem Duke, has ordered the ejection of some agencies from the National Arts Theatre Complex in Lagos. This is in defiance of a directive of the House of Representatives which is currently probing plan by the ministry to concession the complex. The ejection of the agencies commenced on Wednesday following a letter from the Ministry. Ejected are the National Council for Arts and Culture, Nigeria Gallery of Arts and the National Troupe of Nigeria, among others. Members of the House Committee on Culture and Tourism, shocked by the development, are expected to visit the complex next week for first hand assessment of the situation. The House Committee had on April 8 directed the Minister to stay further action on the concession and halted the planned ejection of three agencies from the Theatre Complex. Investigation revealed that the minister has asked all agencies at the Theatre Complex to vacate the place because the Federal Government is going ahead with the

concession of the edifice. A member of the House Committee said: “We have just got report that an ejection letter was sent to all the agencies at the Theatre Complex. This is sub-judicial to the ongoing investigation of issues raised on the minister’s plans. “We have not lifted the order that the status quo should be maintained by the minister. We will not take kindly to the ejection of the agencies. “Some stakeholders have just raised a fresh alarm that building a hotel in the complex will cause serious sewage and environmental problems within the area in Lagos . “The site is also a swamp. So, some of the stakeholders are calling on the Federal Government and Lagos State not to allow what happened in Kenya five years ago, where an edifice erected on swampy area collapsed, to repeat itself in Nigeria. “Also, the stakeholders alleged that the relevant ministry has not conducted a couple of tests required for such expansion.” In its letter, signed by the Chairman of the House Committee on Culture and Tourism, Chief Ben Nwankwo, the House ordered the Minister to stay action on the ejection of the affected agencies.

•Agencies ejected from Theatre Complex at last The letter had said: “It will be only expedient you agree with me, to stay the quit notice already served on the tenant parastatals until the Committee is fully brought in the picture of the public interest inherent in the planned development, which has regretta-

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation bly generated confusions and controversies in certain quarters. “I crave your full cooperation and understanding of the

purpose of this communication and comply in the overall interest of the sector and our country at large. Please, kindly accept the assurances of my esteemed regards.” The theatre was inaugurated on September 30, 1976 by the then Military Head of

State, General Olusegun Obasanjo. It was opened five months before the hosting of the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) in January/February 1977.

2015 elections: No automatic ticket in Rivers PDP, says factional chairman

HE proposed automatic tickets for some PDP elected public officials in the 2015 elections appear doomed in Rivers State,according to indications yesterday. The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Antony Anenih, had last week advocated automatic tickets for President Goodluck Jonathan and those he called ‘performing’ first term governors and legislators with a view to averting rancour in the build up to the elections. But speaking yesterday, factional state chairman of the PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, said the fate of every aspirant would be determined by

Bisi OLANIYI, Port Harcourt delegates at the primaries. He declared that there would be neither imposition of candidates nor intimidation of aspirants. Obuah, who spoke on the phone from Abuja, also admonished members of the PDP and all lovers of democracy to always give peace a chance and avoid heating up the polity. He said the party’s door is wide open to every Nigerian wishing to come on board. He said the 2011 governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Rivers State, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, and his counterpart

of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sir Celestine Omehia, would be welcomed in the PDP. According to him, the party is ready to welcome them, having left some years back after feeling aggrieved. Sekibo, a former Transport Minister, who hails from Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, and Omehia, a cousin of the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who both hail from Ubima in Ikwerre LGA of the state, alleged massive rigging during the 2011 governorship election. Obuah said: “If Dr. Abiye Sekibo, Sir Celestine Omehia and others return to

the PDP, they will be allowed to vie. But there will be no automatic ticket for anybody. We will ensure a level playing field. No favouritism. Everybody will be given equal opportunity.” Sekibo, on Thursday, dumped the main opposition part, ACN, “for personal reasons.” Although Sekibo is yet to declare for the PDP, sources said he has been fraternising with Obuah since his emergence as factional chairman. On his political future, Sekibo said: “The speculations are too many. I have to step back to evaluate what my next political move will be.”

4 NEWS

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

•Pall bearers with the late Chief (Mrs) Collete Obi’s casket yesterday.

•Ben Obi and family members at the funeral.

•From left: Chief Tom Ikimi, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu and Chief Jim Nwobodo

•Gov. Obi and wife, Magret

My wife's wish was to be buried in Awka, says Ben Obi at burial

ributes flowed freely in Awka, Anambra State yesterday as Senator Ben Obi’s wife, Chief (Mrs) Collete Ojirhomu Obi, was laid to rest. The burial service, conducted by the Anglican Primate of Nigeria, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, was a gathering of who is who in the Nigerian political landscape. Rev. Okoh told the gathering at the service, which took place at the former Tracas Stadium in Awka from 10 am to 12 pm, that they should weep for Nigeria and not the deceased woman. Okoh, who based his sermon on Mathew 47: 45-46, urged Obi to draw inspiration from the Christian life his late wife cherished. He said: “We should live like people with faith; people who have inheritance behind time and space. We should not live like people who have lost hope in God. “Our values have been eroded because of our quest for material wealth. Weep not for Lady Collete. We should weep for ourselves. Let us weep for our country and seek complete reconciliation between us and God. Narrating his experience with his in-laws to the congregation, Obi said his wife’s wish was to be buried in Awka instead of Warri native home. He said: “My late mother came from that part of the country. When she passed on in those days, we said it shall be well. We grew up with the Olu of Warri, and we thought it would not be difficult to

•As Gov Obi, Oritsejafor, Rawlings pour encomiums on deceased woman Nwanosike ONU, Awka bring the corpse of my mother to Awka. But my mother was buried in her native place, Warri So, I thought my wife’s burial would be the same. But behold, my laws made things easy for me because they wanted to please their daughter and make her rest in peace. Moreover, it was a decision my late wife made to rest in her husband’s place” Others who spoke at the occasion included former president Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, who sent his tribute through a representative, Koffi Adams, andAnambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who poured encomiums on the departed woman and her husband, noting that the late high chief stood by his administration in both good and bad times. The coordinator of Transform Nigeria Movement (TNM), Obi Ochije, praised the qualities of the late Mrs. Ben Obi, describing her as a hardworker and a woman with listening ears. He prayed God to grant her soul eternal rest and to provide the Obi family the fortitude to bear the loss. For the president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, it is not how long people live on earth that matters, but how well they lived their lives. The CAN president cited the lives of Aaron and Jesus Christ who lived over 100 years and 33 years respectively, adding that Collete had gone but God

would continue to keep the family she left behind. Other guests at the burial ceremony included former Vice President Atiku Abubarka; Senator Jim Nwobodo; Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu; Chief Philip Asiodu; Chief Tom Ikimi; former Senate President, Ken

Nnamani; Alhaji Idi Farouk; Sen. Azu Agboti; Sen. Uche Chukwumerije and Mrs. Josephine Anenih Others include Chief Audu Ogbeh; Prince Arthur Ezeh; Gen. Obiakor; former Ebonyi State governor, Sam Egwu; Dr George Obiozor; Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN); former Sen-

ate president, Adolphus Wabara; Senator Hope Uzodinma; Prof. Chukwuma Soludo; Prof. Maurice Iwu; Chief Victor Umeh; Alhaji Isiaku Ibrahim; Eze Cletus Ilomuanya and Col Austine Akobundu. Also at the event were Prof Chinwe Obaje; Chief Clem

Nwankwu; Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (rtd); Chief Chidi Anyaegbu; Chief Tony Okam; Zik Obi; Igwe Chris Onyekwuluje; Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe; Most Rev Paul Udogu and Most Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma, among others.

Protest rocks Akwa Ibom over FG's allocation of oil wells

KWA Ibom indigenes yesterday took to the major streets in Uyo, the state capital, protesting alleged Federal Government’s inequitable allocation of oil blocs. The carnival-like protest was championed by a sociocultural organisation, Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio. The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, calling on the Federal Government to address the injustice in the allocation of oil blocs. The protesters marched from the secretariat of Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio along Udo Udoma to the Government House in Barracks, chanting solidarity songs. Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: North should stop using our oil money to sponsor Boko Haram or kill our people; Revoke oil blocs allocation and re-issue to accommodate Akwa Ibom people; Mboho demands equity and fair play; Oil exploration and exploitation in Nigeria since 1957-2013, Niger Delta has nothing to show; We own the land, we suffer the ef-

Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo fects and North owns the money; FG should stop marginalising Akwa Ibom people; Don’t use our resources to punish us; We deserve better treatment in Nigeria. Addressing newsmen, the International President of the group, Nse Ubeh, said the people of the Niger Delta region are the ones who have over the years borne the brunt of the national burden that have metamorphosed to the country’s wealth. Ubeh expressed sadness that Niger Delta people were suffering unimaginable degradation and deprivation occasioned by decades of oil exploration and exploitation. His words: “It is indeed ironic and a sad episode of the Nigerian political and economic scheme to note that a region that produces more than 90 per cent of our national wealth, and which has rightly been referred to as the layer of Nigeria’s golden egg, could be so marginalised and dehumanised.” Quoting Amnesty Interna-

tional report of 2009 and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ubeh said oil exploitation in the Niger Delta has brought impoverishment, conflicts, human rights abuses and despair to the majority of the people in the oil producing states. “Amnesty International went on to report that pollution and environmental damage caused by the oil industry have resulted in violation of the rights to health and a healthy environment, the

right to an adequate standard of living and the right to gain a living through work for hundreds of thousands of people. “Also, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on its part describes the region as suffering from administrative neglect, crumbling social infrastructures and services, high employment, social deprivation, abject poverty, filth and squalor, and endemic conflict,” Ubeh said.

Supreme Court affirms life jail for naval chief killer of okada rider •Continued from Page 2 not supported by credible evidence, or where miscarriage of justice has occurred. “The Court Martial did not believe the appellant’s narration of events, and I agree with both courts below that the appellant’s narration of events was wrong. “The mob that descended on the appellant was attracted to the scene when the appellant shot the deceased. The appeal has no merit. It is hereby dismissed,” Justice Rhodes-Vivour held. Four other members of the five-man panel that heard the case agreed with Justice Rhodes-Vivour on his findings. They include Justices Mahmud Mohammed, John Afolabi Fabiyi, Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili and Kumai Bayang Akaahs.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Northern governors’ panel tables 22-action plan to stop Boko Haram T HE Northern State Gov ernors’ Forum (NSGF) Committee on Reconciliation, Healing and Security has recommended that the Federal Government should mandate security agencies to unmask individuals and groups using Boko Haram as a franchise to settle political and economic scores. The panel, however, asked the Federal Government to end alleged impunity within security forces and review its counter-insurgency strategy to protect innocent citizens. It demanded the establishment of special border patrol units, consisting of a combined operation of military, immigration and customs, to check influx of aliens promoting insurgency. It also urged Northern governors to abolish all discriminatory state policies towards religious groups. These recommendations are the highlights of the report of the panel which was submitted to the Chairman of the NSGF, Governor Babangida Aliyu, in Kaduna on Thursday. The panel was headed by a former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim. In the report, exclusively obtained by our correspondent, the panel asked Northern governors to carry out a comprehensive assessment of losses and damages to insurgency between 2007 and 2012. It made a strong case for compensation to victims of violence in the North in the last five years. The report said: “Security agencies must work to unmask and bring to justice the individuals and groups using the Boko Haram insurgency as a franchise for political violence, economic rivalry and criminal activities in the states in the North. “The NSGF should liaise with the Federal Government of Nigeria to end impunity within the security forces by undertaking a review of its counter-insurgency strategy and conducting independent investigations and expediting the prosecution of cases of those against whom there is evidence in accordance with the tenets of the rule of law. “Restoration of confidence in government and the justice system as well as compliance with the rules of engagement “This is urgent and must be sustained. Accountability of officers or institutions must be demonstrated to the full extent of the law in line with natural justice, equity and good conscience. “The NSGF should demand for the immediate release of innocent persons (individuals and institution representatives) from detention centres across the country, as well as where appropriate, to expedite the completion of investigations for prosecutions. “There most be enforcement of the rule of law and accountability standards. This is a priority if the trust and confidence of any aggrieved party is to be gained for sustainable peace. “A letter may be written to Mr. President conveying the demand and relevant government and civil society entities copied in.” The panel asked Northern governors to prevail on the

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

Federal Government to ameliorate the conditions of victims of counter-insurgency against Boko Haram. The report added: “The NSGF should demand of the Federal Government to assume its responsibility to ameliorate the condition of victims of collateral damage arising from the counter -insurgency operations “To ensure accountability of the Central Government to the acts of commission and omission of security agents. This recommendation is in line with international best practice. It is also in cognizance of the constitutional responsibility where deployment and control of security apparatus is the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government.” The panel, however, urged Northern governors to raise an independent body to facilitate dialogue and reunite Northerners. It said: “To chart a common vision for the development and unity of the Northern Region, The NSGF should facilitate the emergence of an independent body to promptly facilitate dialogue/ mediation/ reconciliation among all aggrieved groups. “The body/membership of the NSGF Committee could (on voluntary terms) form the nucleus of this independent body. “The NSGF should, therefore, extend recognition and liberty to the committee to undertake the complementary interventions that support any other in initiative of the NSGF. Activities proposed here are for an inaugural meeting and one meeting by the end of 2013. “The NSGF should convene a high-powered dialogue of key stakeholders of the North. This dialogue could be facilitated by a post -implementation committee or coordinating group with a specific mandate from the NSGF. “Among those to be invited are key actors, past and present, in the judiciary, executive, legislature and organized private sector. “The NSGF should promote interstate visits, dialogue and co -operation among governors. The NSGF may consider hosting its earliest statutory meeting in Borno during which both Borno and Yobe states can be visited. Subsequently the meeting rotates to Bauchi or Plateau such that two states can be covered at any meeting. “The NSGF should promote the culture of exchange of visits among top-class traditional rulers; the students exchange programmes and other business and agricultural groupings. “The budgetary implication of this should be part sponsored by the NSGF and the structure of the hosting community/institutional/social platform. “State governments should also embark on symbolic reparation by extending psychological and social support to victims, including erecting headstones, building memorials, renaming public facilities

and establishing days of remembrance. “Initiate a comprehensive study on the damages and losses incurred as a result of violence throughout the region in the last five years (2007-2012) to document and guide the provision of token monetary and non -monetary relief. The panel came up with 22-point solutions to the crisis in the North. The report added: “The NSGF should implement this recommendation in phases as follows: •First, commission a desk review/audit of documentation of losses and recommendations for compensation from previous reports/white papers to generate data for concrete and symbolic actions. •Commission study into whole regime of violence to guide the establishment of long-term structures/interventions, including establishing a Rehabilitation Fund under the aegis of sons and daughters of the North and with contributions from all levels of government, the private sector, donor agencies and individuals. •Sponsor 10,000 youths from each of the 19 northern states within a year for leadership and development training. •Engender rehabilitation, de-radicalization, empowerment and inculcation of positive family values •Preparations and logistics for this can be done in 2013 with a strengthening of any

existing youth empowerment initiatives. In 2014, the budgetary provisions for this can be made and the first batch of trainees enroll and graduate in 2014. Batch will be admitted in the 1st quarter of 2016. •Put in place mechanisms for regulating registration of marriages and the reckless abuse of divorce to protect and preserve family values and the sanctity of marriage. •Each state government should secure existing grazing reserves, and where expedient, create new ones, thereby, defining their own cattle grazing routes which will then be harmonized with those of adjacent states. •To accommodate the livelihood of pastoral Fulani and reduce the frictions and recurring tensions between them and farmers. •Institute process for securing existing grazing reserves with active participation of both Fulani and farmers in affected areas. Determine the need for additional or new grazing reserves and create them in consultation with adjacent state(s) •Appoint a committee to work with the FGN to come up with a long-term research -driven framework of settling nomadic Fulani pastoralists and changing the methods of raising their livestock. •Support security agencies to commence communitybased intelligence systems. Promote the utilization of safe spaces like palaces, public schools, LG secretariats, zauren shawara to engender

dialogue between security forces and citizens. •To engender citizen participation in security management and peace building while using less costly mechanisms •Delegate partial responsibility to traditional rulers whose structure fits the intent and methodology for the attainment of the recommendations. Tangible motivation and empowerment of all the traditional rulers in the North to support them in the effective and efficient performance of their complementary roles in the maintenance of law and order, security management and, most especially, monitoring the influx of people within and across their domains. Existing community monitoring initiatives should be strengthened. •Liaise with the Federal Government to find practical and non -confrontational ways of addressing the indigene/settler divide nationwide. •Attainment of the constitutional freedoms for citizens. The ongoing constitutional review process presents an opportunity for addressing the underlying issues of this challenge. •The Northern governors should support religious organizations to develop a code of ethics to self-regulate their behaviour. Enhance accountability and curtail incidences of incitement of adherents/ followers of the different faiths. Self-imposed regulations will reduce apprehensions against government, es-

pecially oversight agencies. •Enforcement to be secured by the legal endorsement of the regulations as integral charter of incorporation. •Urgent expansion of the structure and scope of the NIREC and similar interfaith agencies within Nigeria to all levels of government in the Northern states. •Guarantee the rights of all citizens to the freedom of religion and ensure that the constitutional rights of those who convert to one religion or the other are protected. Northern governors must promote a sense of belonging for all and protect the rights equitable treatment of all citizens •Abolish all discriminatory state policies towards religious groups, particularly in the areas of access to lands for places of worship, or access to media spaces for religious broadcasts. The teaching of Islamic and Christian religious education must become an enforceable part of the curriculum of all schools, irrespective of how many children there are of each faith. •Discourage the use of derogatory and offensive language which has the effect of denigrating human dignity and freedoms of any person in all northern states. •Federal Government to urgently establish special border patrol units consisting of a combined operation of military, immigration and customs equipped with tracking and monitoring devices. Effectively respond to the challenges of human infiltration and movement of arms and ammunition into and across border states.

From left: Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, addressing people at Itoku Market, Ogun Central Senatorial District during a 3-day work in progress tour of projects. To his left are his wife, Olufunso, and Chairman, Abeokuta South Local Government, Hon. Lanre Edun …yesterday

140 Nigerian Police contingent for Mali

contingent of 140 of ficers and men of the Nigeria Police Force will on Monday join the ECOWAS and the African Union-led peace initiative in Mali. The fully equipped contingent comprises trained riot control and counter-terrorism unit. Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, who performed the official flag presentation to the unit yesterday, enjoined the officers and men to be of good conduct. Urging them to be good

Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja ambassadors of the country, Abubakar said the conduct of the officers and men would positively or negatively affect the image of their families, the police force and the nation in general. According to the IGP, the unit had been equipped with full complement of patrol vehicles, Amoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), medical team and arms and ammunitions. Addressing the officers and

ternational peace-keeping operations. The other nine countries in which the Nigerian Police are involved in similar operations are: Cote D’voire, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the African Union and Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, and representative of the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Hussaini Salihu, were present onthe occasion.

6 NEWS

HE alleged mastermind of the 2011 Christmas Day bombing at the St Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, Kabiru Umar, has faulted his trial and asked the court to set him free. In his no-case submission, Umar also known as Kabiru Sokoto, argued that the prosecution had failed to produce sufficient evidence to link him with the charges of terrorism levelled against him. He urged the court to discharge and acquit him.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Christmas Day bombing: Boko Haram suspected kingpin Sokoto faults trial

Eric IKHILAE, Abuja

He argued yesterday that the proof of evidence before the court did not link him to the crimes alleged against him. He contended that the evidence so far led by the prosecution failed to establish any offence against him

His position is contained in a written brief he filed in court, a copy of which The Nation sighted yesterday. He contended that while the state accused him of “facilitating the commission of a terrorist act by planting and encouraging some boys (now at large)

at Mabira Sokoto, in Sokoto State with the intention to bomb the police headquarters and some other government agencies in the state,” the government failed to bring any of the boys he allegely planted and encouraged to testify against him.

He said rather than bringing the boys whom the operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) claimed gave them information about how he encouraged them to bomb police headquarters and other government agencies in Sokoto, he said the Federal Government

Saudi prince sues Forbes for allegedly under-reporting his fortune

AUDI billionaire, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, has sued Forbes magazine for libel in a British court, alleging its valuation of his wealth at $20 billion was short of the mark by $9.6 billion, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported yesterday. The prince, a grandson of Saudi Arabia’s founder and nephew of King Abdullah, had attacked the U.S. magazine’s ranking of world billionaires as flawed and biased against Middle Eastern businesses after he was ranked number 26 in this year’s list. An official at the High Court in London confirmed that Prince Alwaleed had filed a defamation suit against Forbes, its editor, Randall Lane, and two

•Says I’m worth $29.6bn not $20bn

of its journalists on April 30. Details of the claim were not immediately available. Through his Kingdom Holding Company, Prince Alwaleed owns large stakes in Citigroup, News Corp and Apple Inc, among other companies. He is also the owner or part-owner of luxury hotels, including the Plaza in New York, the Savoy in London and the George V in Paris. This year’s Forbes world billionaires’ list was published on March 4, and the following day, Kingdom Holding said the valuation process used “incorrect data” and “seemed designed to disadvantage Middle Eastern investors and institu-

tions.” The public spat attracted a lot of comments, but Forbes stuck by its estimate of Prince Alwaleed’s wealth and published an in-depth article in its March 25 issue entitled “Prince Alwaleed and the curious case of Kingdom Holding stock.” The article gave details about how Forbes had arrived at the figure of $20 billion and criticized what it described as a lack of transparency by Kingdom Holding in detailing its assets. The article also described Prince Alwaleed’s marble-filled 420-room Riyadh palace, his private Boeing 747 equipped with a throne, and his 120-acre resort on the edge of the Saudi

capital with five homes, five artificial lakes and a mini-Grand Canyon. The High Court official in London said the two journalists named in the defamation claim were Kerry Dolan, the author of the article, and Francine McKenna, who was credited with additional reporting. No date has been set for a court hearing in the case which is in its very early stages, the official said. The law firm, Kobre & Kim, which the Guardian said was acting for Prince Alwaleed in the suit, declined to comment. New York-based Forbes could not immediately be reached for comment.

APC: Sheriff, Imam scramble to control party structure in Borno LGAs

S the All Progressive Congress (APC) moves towards the final stage of its merger process, ex-Governor Modu Ali Sheriff and his political associate, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, are scrambling to control the new party structure in the 27 local government areas in Borno State. The two leaders are said to be mounting pressure on Governor Ibrahim Shettima to appoint their loyalists as local government caretaker chairmen ahead of the 2015 polls. The power game is now said to be delaying the appointment of new caretaker chairmen for the 27 local government areas in the state. The tenure of the former caretaker chairmen ended about two weeks ago. The security challenge in Borno State had affected the conduct of elections into the 27 LGAs leading to a six-month tenure for caretaker administration in LGAs in the state. A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “As the APC takes root in Borno, two key leaders are jostling for the control of the party structure to seal the fate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “The two leaders are mounting serious pressure on Governor Shettima to appoint several of their loyalists as caretaker chairmen to be in control of the party structure. “When appointed, the new caretaker chairmen are likely to be in control when the APC will hold congresses to elect

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation ward, local government and state executives as well as delegates for the national congress to elect national executives of the party. “Former Governor Sheriff is the current chairman of the ANPP Board of Trustees and is said to be keenly interested in a key position in the APC, while Ibrahim-Imam, though still in the PDP, is emerging as the rallying point of the APC in Borno. “Leaders of the party are divided on whether to back Imam or Sheriff. “Ibrahim-Imam’s loyalists believe he would be an easier sell for the APC compared to Sheriff who has been "wrongly or rightly" associated with the cause of the Boko Haram insurgency that has left a toll of deaths and destruction of property. “The loyalists of Sheriff insisted that the ex-governor is not a political liability to the APC in any way. “The scrambling by the two leaders has delayed the appointment of chairmen for the 27 councils.” Asked of the position of the governor, the source added: “Shettima has maintained some caution in taking a final decision to avoid adding internal political crisis to the security challenges in the state.” Another source said the 2015 power game accounted for the scramble for the control

of the 27LGAs. The source said: “Sheriff is said to be eyeing the Senate in 2015 after he lost the election for the same seat in 2011. “Ibrahim-Imam was widely quoted in the media two months ago as saying that 50 per cent of PDP chieftains would defect to the APC soon after the registration of the new party. “The President subsequently dropped him as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Maiduguri after his name was announced, following a protest by PDP leaders in Borno State who accused him of being an ANPP man in the open, working for the APC formation. “Ibrahim-Imam is said to be eyeing 2015 governorship elections under a purported agreement reached with Sheriff in 2011 that Shettima would only serve a single term and work for Ibrahim-Imam to take over by 2015. “Party leaders, however, maintained that there was no such agreement. IbrahimImam was the PDP's governorship candidate in 2003 and 2007 elections, but lost both elections to Sheriff. “In 2011, PDP chieftains in Borno planned and brought in former Governor Mohammed Goni into the PDP and he defeated Ibrahim-Imam at the governorship primaries. Ibrahim-Imam then aligned with Sheriff in an open protest and Goni was defeated in the 2011. “Ibrahim-Imam drafted his

NDIC boss on banking reforms

HE Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Deposit Insur ance Corporation, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, has said the banking reforms have failed to address the needs of the poor in the country. Speaking during the Business Day Annual Banking Conference in Lagos yesterday, Ibrahim said most Nigerians were still living in poverty inspite of the reforms introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He said: “You will agree with me that reforms measures undertaken by the regulatory agen-

Akinola AJIBADE cies in the country such as the banking consolidation, establishment of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), risk-based supervision for banks, introduction of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), transformation of the payment system through cashless policy, adoption of a common year-end, introduction of codes of corporate governance and review of the universal banking model, among others, have brought

about remarkable transformation of the banking industry. “These modest achievements notwithstanding, it leaves much to be desired as the majority of Nigerians still live below the poverty line.” Represented by the Director, Banking Supervision Department, NDIC, Mr Adedapo Adeleke, Ibrahim said the corporation had made substantial payments to depositors of the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), Micro Finance Banks (MFBs) and Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMBs).

loyalist and running mate, Zanna Mustapha, when he was candidate in 2003 and 2007 to be Shettima's running mate in the deal. “The loyalist, currently, deputy governor to Shettima, is Ibrahim-Imam's eye in the government, but he is said to have shifted greater loyalty to Sheriff.”

The Guardian article quoted the magazine as saying: “We’re very surprised at claims that Prince Alwaleed has decided to sue Forbes, particularly if he has done so in the United Kingdom, a jurisdiction that has nothing whatsoever to do with our recent story which raised questions about his claims about his wealth.” Media lawyer, Jonathan Coad, of the London firm, Lewis Silkin, said London was seen as a more attractive place than New York to bring defamation suits because U.S. libel law made higher requirements of claimants. “In the U.S, a high-profile claimant has to prove firstly that the article was untrue and secondly that the publisher knew that the article was untrue which is what we call malice. Those are two hurdles that a UK libel action does not present,” said Coad who is not involved in the Prince Alwaleed case. Under British libel law, a claimant has only to prove that a publication was defamatory. Then the burden of proof passes to the defendant who has several possible defences, including that the publication was true.

brought operatives of the SSS who came to court to give hearsay evidence which has no probative value. Umar argued that the prosecution failed to lead evidence to establish how he facilitated the commission of a terrorist offence. Umar also argued that althouh he was accused of withholding information about the plan to bomb the church from law enforcement officer, the prosecution failed to establish at what point he got hold of such information and at what point it became an offence for him not to have disclosed it. Umar contended that all the witnesses that testified in the case wasted the time of the court as the evidence led were not credible to sustain the charges preferred against him. He prayed the court to dismiss the two-count charge preferred against him. Parties in the case are to adopt their written submissions next Friday, during which they would also dwell on their written arguments. The state called eight witnesses to support its case. At the close of the prosecution’s case, Umar, who was expected to open his defence, indicated his intention to make a no-case submission in respect of which he filed the written submission. A no-case submission is where an accused person argues that the prosecution has preferred no sufficient evidence linking him to the charge. Should the court upholds the submission, that ends the case in the defence’s favour.

NEWS 7

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Alaaﬁn, Ooni, others to honour Akanni Aluko at daughter's wedding Oseheye OKWUOFU, Ibadan HE Alaaﬁn of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, Oni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III and Deji of Akure , Oba Adebiyi Adesida will next Saturday converge on Ibadan in honour of business man and publisher of the defunct Third Eye newspaper, Chief Akani Aluko, who will give out his daughter, Agnes Adekemi, in marriage. Other prominent Yoruba monarchs expected to grace the occasion are the Elejigbo of Ejigbo, Oba Omowonuola Oyeyode Oyesosin and Owaobokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran. The Aare Musulumi of Ibadanland, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola Alao, Chief Ebenezer Babatope and Partner , Afe Babalola and Co , Mr Adebayo Adenipekun SAN will be fathers of the day. The ceremony, which will be preceded by a traditional wedding between the lovebirds on Thursday, 13 June at Emmanuel Villa, Akanni Aluko Street, Ireti Ayo, Ijebu-Ijesa Road, Ilesa, Osun State, will climax with a reception at Jogor Event Centre, Ibadan shortly after the exchange of rings at St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Oke-Padre, Ibadan.

Gani Adams slams Tsav over comments on OPC •L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin and his wife, Chioma, during a Thanksgiving Service for Fayemi's Supreme Court victory, held at the Government House Chapel... on Wednesday evening.

Infrastructure Bank coordinates funding for $2bn Lagos Red Line Rail project he Infrastructure Bank Plc is to provide funds for the proposed $2 billion dollars Lagos Red Line Rail Project. About two million passengers are expected to be transported daily from Alagbado to Marina on the completion of the project,Mr. Hakeem Olopade, the bank’s Executive Director (Projects), has announced.

The Infrastructure Bank Plc is the chief promoter and ﬁnancier of the rail project. Speaking at the 3rd Economic Commission of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Investment Forum in Lagos, Mr.Olopade said that the project, conceived ﬁve years ago, would be implemented by Marina Express Consortium to ease transportation in

Maternal and child death has reduced in Ogun –Commissioner HE number of live births recorded at Primary Healthcare Centres in Ogun State in the last two years has increased by over 500 percent. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, revealed this in Abeokuta during a media chat, and observed that 16,123 live births recorded at the centre as at May 29, 2011, had galloped to 81, 507 as at April this year. According to him, the total number of pregnant women accessing ante-natal clinics in the State had also increased from 60 percent in 2010 to 74.9 percent at the end of 2011, a development, which he said had helped to reduce the incidence of maternal and child death in the state. Soyinka afﬁrmed that these feats were resultant effects of measures put in place in the last two years by the state government to enhance maternal health and reduce infant mortality, revealing that the number of health facilities making use of Health Management Information System in the state had increased from 52 last year to 388 this year. The commissioner recalled that during the period, the government had embarked on “Roll out of Conditional Cash Transfer” in three local government areas, from which 562 poor pregnant women beneﬁted, adding that no fewer than 500 mama kits were distributed to pregnant women who registered in such health facilities last year.

He remarked that the state had in the last two years been certiﬁed to be polio-free, pointing out that it was part of measures to maintain this status that the state immunized more than two million children, aged 0-59 months with polio vaccines. Soyinka disclosed that the state had also given over 700,000 children aged 6-59 months Vitamin A supplement to boost their immune system against childhood illnesses.

populated areas of Lagos. The Red Line and the ongoing Blue Line Rail projects would converge on a “signature bridge” to link the mainland to the Marina. The bridge is estimated to cost 200 million dollars. Olopade said that the Red Line Rail project might be extended to Ogun State in the future and described the project as part of the World Bank’s sponsored study for transport infrastructure and solution for Lagos. ``The BRT, which is the Bus Rapid Transport, also came out of that study, he said, adding: “This railway project is part of the integrated mode of transportation from that study. ``There would be seven metro lines and the Red Line and Blue Line are the prototypes that Lagos State has agreed to commission as a starter. ``The Blue Line is already taken by the state. The Red Line is going to be a concession that would be run by the private sector.’’

He said that the Red Line Rail project would be a twotype infrastructure which would cost one billion dollars each. The executive director said that the bank, in implementing the project, would be responsible for the ﬁxed infrastructure as well as the operation and maintenance. Olopade said that one of the core objectives of the Red Line project was to provide a world class rail system. The funds, to be coordinated by the Infrastructure Bank, will be sourced from the local and international markets. The bank executive identiﬁed skill and training as paramount to the project and said that the bank was assembling a global team to implement the project. ``We also want to make sure that as we provide training and skill services, there is a clear system of transfer programme to ensure that within a short time, the rail would be run by Nigerians for Nigerians.

Aregbesola to send bill recognising June 12 as Democracy Day to Assembly S part of activities marking the 20th a n n i v e r s a r y celebration of the June 12, 1993 general election, Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, will soon send a bill recognising June 12 as Democracy Day to the state House of Assembly. The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Sunday Akere, made the disclosure on Friday at a press conference organised by the Civil Soceities Coalition in Osogbo, State capital ahead of this year’s celebration. He assured that the governor would live up to his pledge to send the bill to the state House of Assembly in order to ensure that June 12 becomes a constitutional matter that any future administration will recognise. Akere said the Aregbesola administration was not just a beneﬁciary of June 12

n Adesoji ADENIYI, Osogbo n struggle, but also active participants in the struggle that led to the institutionalising of democracy in Nigeria. He said: "I want to assure you that within the conﬁne of the law, we are still doing everything possible to institutionalise June 12 as a national holiday. "As you all know, many of us serving in the present administration stood shoulder to shoulder with some of you (human rights activists) ﬁghting for the enthronement of democracy and later the actualisation of June 12 mandate, which led to the open declaration of late Chief M.K.O. Abiola as the elected President. The commissioner noted that before the Aregbesola administration came on board, the governor and some of those in his cabinet

have been collaborating with the civil society groups to organise programmes in commemoration of June 12. "Our resolve to collaborate with the civil societies in the state is to ensure a beﬁtting June 12 celebration that would be symbolic and move away from the period when the day's celebration was in bits and pieces among different groups," Akere said. A leading human rights activist in the state, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, challenged every Nigerian and the media not to allow the spirit of June 12 to die. Also speaking, Comrade Waheed Lawal, coordinating the Civil Societies Coalition in the state, wondered why the Olusegun Obasanjo administration failed to recoginse June 12 as democracy day, being the day the process for democratic civilian rule commenced.

HE National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, has slammed former Lagos State police commissioner, Abubakar Tsav, for describing the OPC as a terrorist group. Adams, in a press statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, said the OPC was forced to speak on statements credited to ‘some prominent Northern leaders since the crackdown on the Boko Haram sect in order to set the records straight.” While describing the OPC as a peaceful organization, Adams said the group is a visible organization with known address all over the country. “We state here as a matter of fact that the OPC is a visible organization with known addresses all over the country. Its leaders are also known and accessible to all Nigerians, including security agencies. “At this juncture, let me list some of the prominent Yoruba festivals that our organization has put on the global cultural map with our involvement. They include the popular Osun Oshogbo festival in Osun State, Oke Ibadan festival in Oyo State, Okota festival in Ondo State, Olumo and Lisabi festivals in Ogun State, Oranmiyan festival in Oyo State and Oya festival in Kwara State, among several others.” Adams said the group has for a long time been in the forefront of promotion and maintenance of peace and security in the country, adding that the group also maintains peaceful relationship with other ethnic groups around the country. “It is also a known fact that the OPC has and continues to maintain a solid peaceful relationship with other ethnic groups spread all over the south west region of the country. For instance, the National Coordinator of the OPC, Otunba Gani

Ekiti gives cash relief to Hausa/Fulani communities KITI State government has given cash assistance to the Hausa/Fulani communities that were affected by the fracas between the two communities, leading to the destruction of properties, while some people suffered various degrees of injuries. The state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who handed out the cash through the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi, said it was in fulfillment of his promise to provide succour for the people affected by the dispute that broke out in Ipao- Ekiti, Ayede- Ekiti and Ilawe- Ekiti in Ikole, Oye and Ekiti South West local government areas of the state. The governor restated his commitment to the safety of lives and property of residents regardless of tribe, culture or party affiliation, and urged members of the Hausa and Fulani communities to live in harmony. He stated that the extension of the social security scheme to members of the Hausa/Fulani community is a testimony that the Dr. Fayemi-led administration is committed to the well-being of all and sundry. Speaking on behalf of the affected communities, the Chairman of the Hausa community, Alhaji Adamu Imam commended Governor Fayemi for fulfilling his promises to provide succour to the affected people, saying that this shows that he is indeed the governor of all the people.

Gen. Adebayo hails Ajimobi on good governance ORMER Governor of the defunct Western Region, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo (Rtd.) has commended Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State for the unprecedented transformation he has brought to the state in the last two years. He gave the commendation when he led members of the Governing Council of the University of Ibadan to the Governor’s Office on a courtesy call. The former governor, who is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, said that Governor Ajimobi had greatly improved on the socioeconomic and infrastructural development of the state. `Ì was once a governor of this state; you have changed the Governor‘s Office completely; you have changed the state, particularly Ibadan city. You have done a lot of work to improve on what we did when we were here; you have constructed many roads and bridges; you have done well and we are very proud of you,’’ the retired general remarked. While also lauding the achievements of the governor in the area of education, he particularly acknowledged the support which the nation’s premier university had received from the Ajimobi administration.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

8 NEWS Police detonate IED in Kaduna

Group urges Jonathan to lift emergency rule on Adamawa

Tony AKOWE, Kaduna HE Police in Kaduna yesterday detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) concealed in a computer bag and neatly placed on the busy Junction Road in Kaduna. News of the discovery sparked anxiety and panic among residents of the area with traders and businessmen/women hurriedly closing their shop. The police soon arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area,causing a massive traffic build up. Spokesman for the State Police Command, DSP Aminu Lawan confirmed the incident and said :“this afternoon, some vigilant passersby saw a suspicious carton placed at the Junction road and immediately called the police. Our anti-bomb squad were mobilised to the place and they confirmed that the computer carton was concealing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). “The roads linking the junctions were condoned off and people nearby were evacuated. The bomb was then safely detonated. There was no injury of any kind. “The bomb was not near any worship centre, as some people were insinuating. If anything, it was near the Unity Bank. “We want to thank these vigilante residents who called the police and we urge everyone to report any suspicious object, persons or movements. “We call on Kaduna residents to go about their business because there is nothing to worry about”.

Bukola AMUSAN, Abuja

•Displaced victims of the attack on Rukubi village in Narasawa State being addressed by a community leader

Gombe House endorses Dankwambo for 2nd term EMBERS of the Gombe State House of Assembly have unanimously endorsed Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo to run for a second term in 2015. The legislators also passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the state, stating that the Dankwamboled administration has brought development to all sectors of the state with his impressive governance style. According to the Speaker of the House, Hon. Inuwa Garba, who led a delegation of the lawmakers on a courtesy visit to the governor, both decisions were taken by the House after the submission of the reports by the 24 committees of the House that examined the governor’s performance in the last two years. He said: “The House is not only

n Vincent OHONBAMU, Gombe n convinced by the performance, but totally surprised by the quality of jobs undertaken by the administration in the last two years of its tenure.” Inuwa Garba, who is also the Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislators in Nigeria, stated that the decision was based on merits. While acknowledging that the nomination of candidates for elective offices is usually the responsibility of political parties, the Speaker said the Gombe House of Assembly was ready to defend its action anywhere and anytime. Receiving the team in audience, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo described the unscheduled visit by members of the

State House of Assembly as “exotic and worthy of praise” as well as an indication of cordiality. He insisted that the successes of the last two years belonged to both the executive and the legislature, irrespective of all that the law makers may have done or said about his administration. According to him, “the achievement could not have been recorded without the support and cooperation of the legislature,” and solicited for sustenance of such harmonious working relationship for the overall good of the state. The governor added that the state legislature was ahead of all other state legislature in the country in terms of the passage of laws and resolutions.

Security agencies arrest man with 56 bags of Indian hemp HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and men of the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crises, code named 'Operation safe haven', have arrested one suspect with 56 bags of substance suspected to be Indian hemp. Parading the suspect in Jos at the STF headquarters yesterday, spokesman of the STF, Captain Salisu Mustapha, said the suspect was arrested at one of the military check points in Jos.

HE Network of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately lift the state of emergency rule declared in Adamawa State. The President had last Month declared a state of emergency on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States following the high level of unrest witnessed in the states. The Network, led by its National Coordinator, Comrade Kalu Onyedikachi, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, said Adamawa State is not supposed to be included in the affected states, saying the state remains the most peaceful in the entire North East. "The security situation in Adamawa State has not reached the stage to warrant a state of emergency. The emergency rule on the state should be lifted immediately. "The President should not for any reason starve the affected states of fund or claim to be ﬁnancing the emergency rule in the affected states with the state resources and ﬁnances because such actions are unconstitutional and undemocratic.” The group said the pocket of violence witnessed in the state started after Alhaji Bamanga Tukur took over as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). "He initiated violence by engaging the governor in a political combat of who controls the party machinery in the state. This is in violation of the party's constitution and order from a court of competent jurisdiction" "The best and easiest way of restoring peace in Adamawa State is to remove Bamanga Tukur as the National Chairman of the PDP. The state has not enjoyed any peace since he took over as the chairman of the PDP.”

n Yusufu AMINU Idegu, Jos n According to Mustapha, "A good citizen alerted us that some vehicles were transporting suspected substance. Consequently, a snap check point was quickly positioned for that and the vehicles were eventually arrested with the substance." It was learnt that the drivers of the vehicles tried to escape when they noticed that they were being chased by the

security teams. However, one of the suspects was arrested, while others abandoned their vehicles and ﬂed into the bush. Mustapha said, "Preliminary investigation shows that the suspects were transporting the substance from Mr. Ali village to Rukuba village when they were discovered" He said the three vehicles conveying the substance were recovered as well as 56 bags of substance

suspected to be Indian Hemp, adding that the suspect, Godwin Ameah, will be handed over to the police for further investigation. Assistant Commandant Admin and Logistics of the Plateau State Command of the NDLEA, Anne Nwora, who commended the STF for coming to their aid in arresting the suspects, said Plateau has a high rate of consumption of narcotic substances, a development

which played central role in the violence perpetrated in the state in recent past by youths of the state. She said, the command has so far convicted over 100 suspects in recent times while it has over 30 inmates in its counseling and rehabilitation center in Jos.

Lagos to mark Maternal/ Newborn health week n Oyeyemi GBENGA-MUSTAPHA n AGOS State Government has announced the date for this year's Integrated Maternal Newborn and Child (IMNCH) Health week. It is to fast track the achievement of the Millenium Developmental Goals (MDGs). It starts next week Monday and ends on Friday, 14th. The full implementation of the IMNCH strategy nation wide could prevent up to 72 per cent of neonatal deaths; more than 70 per cent of under five deaths and two thirds, 62 per cent of maternal deaths by 2015. According to the Special Adviser on Public Health, Dr Yewande Adeshina, while addressing a news conference yesterday, the week is celebrated twice in a year, with next week's being the first round. "The week is significant as it helps all stakeholders to fast track the attainment of the MGGs 4 and 5 in Nigeria, that is, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. Though the current statistics that depicts the maternal and child healh status of our country have slightly improved over time, Lagos State specific Maternal Mortality rate is 555 per 100, 000 live births. However the major causes of maternal death in this environment are preventable with our collective efforts. No woman should die during the process of child birth", she said. She denounced the statistics on child health, describing it as unacceptably high.

COMMENTARY 9

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Taxing growth, democracy and sovereignty globally

HE in- thing in global politics nowadays is for governments to pride themselves on being democratic. The Chinese and Russsians, astute and unrepentant communists as they are, claim to be as democratic as the nations of Western Europe and the USA, the globally recognized champions of mass democracy. To press home democratic credentials either side point at economic success and growth earned in the process of consummating each side’s version of democracy. The Chinese and Russians practice a form of guided democracy while the West and US flaunt democratic success richly laced with respect for human rights and property laws. Both concepts have been exported round the world with local and national peculiarities. But prosperity and growth have always been used to justify the success of any political system . So for now , the fact that Russia is the largest exporter of oil in the world today and China the biggest consumer puts a shine on their type of democracy which tarnishes immensely the human and property rights version of the west which seem to have led its champions into Euro zone poverty, unstable governments and street demonstrations in the capitals of Europe. In addition, nations and their leaders guard their sovereignty jealously even though they rub shoulders democratically as equals in the comity of nations or the UN. That was why during the Cold War, the former Soviet Union and USA jostled for influence and power amongst the nations and territories of the world. This went on until economic realities crashed the Soviet Union and the weight of colonialism created independence prematurely for European colonies while unleashing dictators in democratic garbs on the unsuspecting citizens on the newly independent nations of Asia and Africa. The Soviet Union lost the Cold War when Gorbachev became its leader and introduced Glasnost (transparency) and Perestroika (openness) and when the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989. There after the US became the sole policeman of the world and the lone super power and it proceeded to make the market economy, privatisation and democracy the global standard of leadership and governance through the agency of the Bretton Wood institutions namely the World Bank and IMF. These institutions subsequently gave loans with conditionalities that crippled the economic and political stabilities of borrower nations leading to social political stability and anarchy. Events in different parts of the world this week however indicate a reversal of roles of sorts amongst the powerful nations of the world as well as their cronies and supporters in the comity of nations and as expected amongst their sworn enemies as well. That really is the sumptuous meal for analysis today and I wish you bon apetit. I introduce the menu with a quote from the new Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sworn in this week in Islamabad as PM of his nation for the third time around. Nawaz insisted that Pakistan is not a second rate democracy and that is real food for thought given the political scenario in that volatile nation. In Turkey the PM Tayyip Erdogan refused to cut short a foreign trip over demonstrations on an environmental matter

in an arrogant display of power that had his Deputy PM apologizing for police brutality against demonstrators in his absence and his being made to assure his hosts abroad that the spiraling demonstrations in his nation will not go the way of the Arab Spring of two years ago that led to the fall of dictators in Egypt , Tunisia and Libya. In Nigeria and Syria the developments and issues revolved around terrorism and its curtailment and the loss of sovereignty directly or indirectly in the process. The EU warned Syria on the use of Hizbollah a terrorist group based in Lebanon in fighting the anti government forces in Syria on the Lebanese border. In Nigeria the US government in Washington placed a bounty of over $7m on the head of the leader of Boko Haram, the terrorist Islamist group that has killed thousands of Nigerians and bombed Churches with impunity in Northern Nigeria as the government vacillated between amnesty and military force in quashing the insurgency which has castrated economic activities in the North Eastern part of the country. The American gesture which the Nigerian government admitted was a welcome development was predicated on the fact that Boko Haram has links with Al Qada in the Middle East as well as Al Qada in Islamic Maghreb spanning North Africa and the Sahel on the fringe of the Sahara Desert bordering the northern part of ECOWAS states. More ominously however Al Qada through its global leader this week called on Muslims to fight the Assad regime in Syria as well as the US and western nations trying to set up a crony state in Syria . Which makes you wonder on whose side Al Qada is, at least in Syria. Now let us digest these issues one by one. Let us go back to Pakistan and Turkey and the utterances of the two leaders this week. First the new Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif asked the US to stop the drone attacks being used to fight the Taliban in Pakistan even though he knows quite well that President Barak Obama recently just reiterated that the US will not stop the drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan because the attacks have been effective. Nawaz also knows that even though he is PM, Pakistan is under the gun and control of the military which has benefitted immensely from the security arrangement whereby the US funds the Pakistan nation and its military to snuff out those the US has classified as terrorists in the mountains of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. So who is Nawaz Sharif trying to bluff

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In Nigeria and Syria the developments and issues revolved around terrorism and its curtailment and the loss of sovereignty directly or indirectly in the process

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or fool with his rhetoric about second class democracies or the bit on stopping drone strikes? Obviously he was just barking at the moon and he certainly knows that. In Turkey, the PM‘s earlier disdain of the demonstrators was a lesson in arrogance. Yet, his attitude was understandable if very mistaken. He had led his party to three back to back elections in recent times and the Turkish economy is booming and growing, but he has forgotten that political goodwill is a highly perishable commodity. It needs to be nurtured and sustained on a daily basis. Like a delicate flower that needs daily watering to survive. Erdogan took his popularity for granted and he is having to pay a huge price to get the heart of his public and popularity back from his followers in Turkey. Really I do not think he deserves the fate of the tyrants who fell during the Arab Spring two years ago in N Africa. With regard to Syria and Nigeria , the issue of sovereignty, and a lost one at that for both nations, bestride their horizon like a colossus. For the super powers, for they are back, these nations present a convenient environment to put their foot in the door for a subsequent grand entrance. This is because as in every day struggle of life amongst individuals, there is no free lunch in global politics and diplomacy amongst nations. The reasons for this conclusions are obvious. If the US bounty brings in or rounds up the Al Qada leader for justice, the credit for preserving Nigeria’s security and ipso facto its sovereignty, goes to the US, and not the Nigerian government. That is pragmatic politics and diplomacy. Just as the French preserved Mali’s sovereignty by sending French troops to dislodge the Islamists marching on Bamako, while the AU and ECOWAS dithered and vacillated on when and what to do, to arrest a situation that would have consumed their collective sovereignty and security if the French had not intervened. In Mali’s case the government had literally collapsed and the military had been restrained from staging a coup. In Nigeria there is a virile military and a buoyant political class. Yet the US government placed a ransom on the head of the no1 enemy of the Nigerian nation and the government of the day called that a welcome development . Lastly, Al Qada leader’s call on Muslims to fight both sides of the Syrian conflict is indeed a recipe for global anarchy. Worse still it has created a battle ground from which Russia will certainly return from obscurity and isolation to its former position as a world power. This can internationalise the Syrian Crisis and threaten the Strait of Homuz in the Gulf which is the oil life line of Western Europe. The Strait is close to Iran which has of late threatened to close it - a threat the US has not taken lightly. But with Russia on the side of Syria’s Assad and Russia afloat with oil, the scenario will be different and the west may have to reappraise its strategic and military options in the Middle East as a whole. This is because the Syrian Crisis is redefining the concepts we have discussed today and one can only watch in amazement as the situation unfolds unpredictably as it has done these past few weeks.

10 COMMENTARY

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Obasanjo: A patriot or self-serving nationalist?

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vincentakanmode@yahoo.com

IS status as a statesman is not in doubt. He has led the country for twelve and a half years, first as military head of state and then as an elected president. He would probably still be ruling Nigeria if his third term agenda had not been frustrated by pro-democracy forces. The one that would constitute a subject for debate is Obasanjo’s profile as a genuine patriot or nationalist. For decades, he had enjoyed the reputation of being the only Nigerian military leader to willingly surrender power to an elected president. On the basis of that act, he was held in high regard by the governments of countries with advanced democratic culture. Leaders of such countries as the USA, UK, France, Germany and Canada were quick to hold him up as a shining example of a black leader who, unlike others like Kamuzu Banda of Malawi, Idi Amin of Uganda, Moamar Ghadaffi of Libya,Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, resisted the temptation to cling to power like the pincers of a lobster. For this, he enjoyed the confidence and patronage of the international community. No gathering of progressive minds at the international level was deemed complete without Obasanjo. This was in spite of the insistence of many that his decision to hand over to Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1979 was one he had to take willy-nilly, given the circumstances that prevailed at the time. His ascension as the nation’s head of state had been made possible by an aborted coup led by Lt. Col. Buka Dimka, during which Obasanjo’s predecessor, Gen. Murtala Mohammed, was gruesomely assassinated. Those in the know have since revealed that Obasanjo was more or less forced to step into Murtala’s shoes after the Dimka

coup was foiled. He hesitated to assume the seat because he feared that the fate that befell Murtala could also become his lot. And while he grudgingly did, he was very eager to relinquish the position and retire into the safety of his country home in Ota, Ogun State. This, as well as the allegation that the presidential election Obasanjo presided over in 1979 was designed to favour the northern candidate of the National Party of Nigeria just to appease the region for the death of Murtala Mohammed, remained a matter of conjecture until Obasanjo himself began to justify it in words and deeds, including the do-or-die political philosophy he espoused in the build-up to the 2007 presidential election, in his desperation to see that his favoured candidate, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, became his successor. There lies the crux of the argument of those who hold that Obasanjo’s blind endorsement of presidential candidates from Umaru Yar’Adua to Goodluck Jonathan and now Sule Lamido has been shaped by selfish interest. If his motives were genuinely patriotic, they argue, he would have settled for individuals with better clouts and pedigree than those he has been sticking out his neck for. At the time he rooted for the late Yar’Adua to become his successor in 2007, it was obvious that he was far from being the best candidate the PDP could produce to lead the country. As one of the journalists the media organisation I was serving posted to Katsina State to monitor the governorship election, I had met Yar’Adua for the first time and was alarmed at his physical condition. Even the blind would know that the man was not endowed with enough health to lead the largest black nation in the world. Upon enquiry, informed residents of Katsina had told me that as a governor, Yar’Adua was more like a visitor to the state, as he spent more time in foreign hospitals than he stayed in Nigeria. Nor were there landmark achievements that stood him out among the other governors at the time. Besides a few township roads that were rehabilitated in Katsina town, there were no other remarkable deeds his administration could be credited with. I was particularly shocked to find that

•Obasanjo

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Is the Jigawa State governor the best presidential material even in the PDP? Why does Obasanjo root for men with suspect clout or pedigree if his motives are truly patriotic?

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many Katsina residents were fetching water from the gutter because there were no boreholes to meet their water needs. That was at the twilight of Yar’Adua’s eight years in the saddle. Yet Obasanjo insisted that his successor would be Yar’Adua or no one else! In the heat of his campaign rallies,

Yar’Adua became so frail that he had to be rushed to Germany for medical attention. His condition deteriorated so much that the rumour started flying around that he was dead. Obasanjo himself had to make his famous telephone call across to Yar’Adua in Germany, asking sarcastically: “Umaru, they say you are dead. Are you dead?” Of course, he was not dead at the time. But as events later proved, the president to be was neither hale nor hearty. He died midway into his first term and his death threw the nation into a serious constitutional crisis. Obasanjo’s choice of Yar’Adua, many have said, was informed purely by an obligation he felt he had to the Yar’Adua family on whose political structure he had ridden to power in 1999. The late Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua was not just Obasanjo’s former number two man, he was also his friend and confidant. He had died in the gulag of the late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, after he was arrested alongside Obasanjo in 1995 for political reasons. Obasanjo’s choice of Jonathan as Yar’Adua’s running mate in 2007 and the subsequent support he gave the Ijaw man to transform from the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State to governor, acting president and president might not have been informed by the same sentiments. Yet many believe that Obasanjo’s choice of Jonathan was in furtherance of his selfish agenda to remain in power by proxy. He reasoned that Yar’Adua needed a very submissive deputy to avoid the kind of experience Obasanjo himself had with his own deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who at various times stood up to Obasanjo and challenged some of his deeds. Unfortunately, he had to fall out with Jonathan when it became obvious that the godson was no longer willing to be tied to the apron string of the godfather. Now that the former president is rooting for Governor Sule Lamido to become the president in 2015, the question on the lips of observers is why Lamido of all the presidential materials that abound in the country? Is the Jigawa State governor the best presidential material even in the PDP? Why does Obasanjo root for men with suspect clout or pedigree if his motives are truly patriotic?

NEWS

June 12: Rededicate yourselves to democratic values, Falae, others tell Nigerians

S Nigerians mark the 20th anniversary of June 12, 1993 presidential election, in which late Chief MKO Abiola was declared the winner, prominent Nigerians have continued to express mixed feelings about the historic election. Speaking with The Nation, the presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All Nigerian Peoples Party (APP) in the 1999 presidential election, Chief Olu Falae, described the June 12, 1993 election as one in which the winner bridged all the differences among Nigerians. “June 12, 1993 was the day Nigerians, irrespective of religion, ethnic and creed, spoke with one voice when they elected the late Chief MKO Abiola. It was the day the party, SDP, and the candidate, Chief Abiola, bridged all the divides among Nigerians.” While lamenting the sufferings inflicted on Nigerians who fought to defend the mandate, the former banker is, however, taking solace in the fact that those sufferings and detentions have not been in vain. “Most of us were clamped in detention. I was detained, while the likes of Bola Tinubu and General Alani Akinrinade and several others had to flee the country. But thank God that all those sufferings were not in vain.” He, however, called on Nigerians to pray to God to help the country to make better success of the current democratic dispensation. Also speaking, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, president, Campaign for Democracy, described the June 12 election as the fairest in the political history of the country. According to her, the election broke all the barriers that have played roles in destroying the unity of the country. “June 12 represents ballot integrity. It was an election that saw Nigerians speak with one

Segun AJIBOYE

voice, going beyond primordial interest. But as we continue, Campaign for Democracy will continue to talk to our leaders on the need to go back to June 12. “While we continue our fight for justice, fair play and equity, we call on Nigerians to rededicate themselves to genuine democracy and work for a better Nigeria.” In the same vein, Comrade Ayodele Akele, National Secretary, National Conscience Party, (NCP) urged leaders in the country to work to make the anniversary of the June 12 election as Democracy Day. The activist described the election as a watershed in the history of the country, and called for a better understanding of what the election represents. “June 12 election is a watershed in the history of the country. It was a day that Nigeri-

ans, irrespective religion o creed, came together to election their president in an election that has been described as the fairest in the history of Nigeria.” The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) is organizing a public lecture as part of other activities to mark the day. The lecture, tagged: ’20 years after June 12: Options for survival’, will be delivered by former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. Speaking on the lecture, the National Coordinator of OPC, Otunba Gani Adams, said his group was among other prominent civil society groups that fought for the realization of the June 12 election. While calling on Nigerians to work for the enthronement of genuine democracy in the country, Adams urged politicians to show more interest in the service of the people and the nation.

Fed Govt retires matured bonds to curb local debt

HE Federal Government has retired ma tured bonds and plans to cut domestic borrowing to 500 billion naira ($3.1 billion) next year as part of a move to reduce growing debt, Finance Minister Ngozi OkonjoIweala has said. This year’s domestic borrowing target of N577 billion is expected to decrease next year as the government retreats from the height reached in 2010, when it exceeded a target of N867.5 billion and sold N1.1 trillion of bonds. The Federal Government “for the first time” retired 75 billion naira of maturing bonds in February and will continue to do so to reduce debt, Okonjo-Iweala said in an e-mailed statement.

“No one in government is supportive of a Nigeria that returns to a high state of indebtedness,” she said. “Our current approach balances Nigeria’s needs for investment in physical and human infrastructure with a strong policy to limit overall indebtedness in relation to our ability to pay.” Nigeria depends on crude oil exports for about 80 per cent of government revenue and 90 per cent of foreign income, according to the Central Bank. The benchmark interest rate has remained at a record high of 12 per cent since October 2011, as the Central Bank tries to curb inflation and support the naira, helping spur bond demand. Local debt has grown since the government

liquidated a foreign debt of $30 billion in 2006 by paying $12 billion and getting forgiveness for $18 billion in a deal negotiated by OkonjoIweala. Domestic debt stood at 6.1 trillion naira at the end of March while foreign debt stood at $6.7 billion, according to the Debt Management Office. Under a strategy to run from this year, the Federal Government plans to increase foreign borrowing to about 40 percent of total debt from current 14 percent, Minister of State for Finance Yerima Ngama said on May 15. The government will opt for cheaper, longer-term foreign loans and reduce short-term domestic borrowing, he said.

COMMENTARY 11

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Dead beat dads

HE shared act of child conception bestows on both a mother and a father the responsibility of an offspring. How ever as a consequence of a very unfortunate tragedy prevalent in Nigeria , the natural obligation of fathers is being abandoned with no consequence. In western societies fathers who default on their obligation to provide financial support for their children are known as “dead beat dads”. It is very common in this country to find households in which fathers abandon their families, fathers who rarely see their children or fathers who are too busy and have very little or nothing to do with raising their issues. Child support delinquencies have reached an epidemic level plunging many parents, mostly mothers and children, into poverty. Mothers with malnourished children have often been found to lack the consistent support of a husband. The trend is especially widespread with divorced couples and in some polygamous homes. The increased number of broken homes coupled with the economic hardship felt all over the country has resulted in strife for a large number of children. In some severe instances, unskilled single mothers who have been abandoned by their spouse and have no means of earning a living have sent their children out onto the streets to beg and trade in order to bring money home. It is all too easy for us to see young children begging and hawking on the streets and blame their mothers for letting them do so, but if the mother’s financial position is not strong enough to support these children, they resort to any kind of labour. Because of the makeup of our, somewhat chauvinistic society in which some urban and numerous rural mothers are not encouraged to work, trade or save money for a rainy day, the effect of an absentee father is tremendously challenging for a mother left to look after her children. While there is a recent hue and cry for the parity of men and women in numerous areas, including familial life, there are certain sociological expectations on parents that are not likely to change anytime soon. One of those expectations is that the father will provide food, clothing, financial support in education and other compulsory requirements for his family; especially the children. In the traditional setting, men are deemed as the bread winners while women stay at home to bring up the kids. However whatever role the parents play, it is a proven fact that the combined effort of both parents (if living) is needed to ensure the proper upbringing of a child. Unless we confront the problem of absentee fathers and tackle it from a societal, legal and administrative position, it will continue to have a profound effect on the innocent children that are victims of this trend. Regardless of individual circumstances, fathers have a duty to support their children financially and emotionally. In a situation where the parents are divorced and are unable to communicate effectively, the child should never be a victim because they never asked to be in that situation. In no way am I saying mothers do not have their own shortcomings; because they do, but considering we live in a patriarchal society, I believe that there should be more focus on the problem of “dead beat dads” because that’s where there is a high percentage and an urgent crisis. In some foreign countries child welfare is so important the government usually forcibly takes out a set sum from the wages of a defaulting father and diverts it for the child’s upkeep every month. In very extreme cases, men have been sent to prison for failing to honour their financial obligation to their children. But in our society, not much criticism is meted out to a father that fails to support his children. It probably stems from the inferior status our African culture gives to women. The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, expressively summed up this position in a speech he gave in a seminar back in 1979 when he said; “The child born of a woman despite the nine months spent in her womb was never hers by customary right of ownership and remained her child

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

E need a father-figure to do what fa thers do: keep the family together. Without any consciousness of leadership, a father should lead naturally, managing talents, strengths and weaknesses for the stability and growth of the family. As a country, we sorely need such a father-figure, for it is lacking. We need him to harness the resources of the country and manage its strong points and challenges. The country echoes with diverse tribal tongues and interests, but that is why we need someone to turn the diversity into strengths from which everyone can gain practically, not just hear in radio jingles or prepared speeches. We need some melody out of our cacophony. Even when the kids move out of the home to foster new generations and break new grounds, they still need the occasional stabilising hand of the father. Without being an irritating intruder, off-putting visitor or overbearing figure, a father knows his stabilising role is for life. Nowhere do we need such a stabilising hand more than at the states of the federation. They are the constituent parts of the federation but now, they are no more than a dis-

only as long as the marriage between her and her husband was good”. This perception is further illustrated by the abundant customary laws operable in Nigeria . Under customary law, the woman possesses no rights in the custody of her children upon the dissolution of marriage. As an alternative she has custodial rights only whilst the marriage subsists. Even in instances where the immediate consideration of the child’s welfare is in favour of the mother’s physical custody of the child, upon dissolution of the marriage she has no more than a day to day care of the child. Although in a very few cases the right of a mother has been considered in regards to a very young child. As far as maintenance, customary law only offers women the right to be maintained by their husbands during the lifespan of the marriage but fails to stipulate the means of legally and judicially enforcing that duty. Under Islamic law, the divorced mother of a child has precedence over child custody as long as she doesn’t remarry. However, even if she does remarry the right to custody does not necessarily revert back to the father of the child but to a number of the female maternal relations in the order given by the Quran. Even in the situation where the mother has physical custody of the child, the financial requirements and upkeep of the child are the duty of the father under Islamic law, even though a number of men refuse to conform to this provision. Under statutory law, the provision is relatively more equal because under section 71 of the Matrimonial Causes Act, the paramount consideration in child custody cases is always “the best interest of the child”. By taking this position the law refrains from distinguishing between the rights of either parent to have custody of the children of a marriage upon its dissolution. This is one of those unfortunate topics that we shouldn’t have to really talk about because fathers are supposed to love their children and not want them to go without. And as the saying goes “Elephants are never tired of carrying their tusks”. But why do so many men refrain from supporting their children despite the fact that they willingly agreed to pursue the responsibility of parenthood merely by conceiving the child? The straight answer is that some fathers are irresponsible while others do it because they can! If in this country we had stringent laws that forced fathers to pay child support and sanctioned those who evade payment, then two thirds of the problem would probably be solved. Like anything in life, consequences tend to steer hu-

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Though this is not so uncommon considering the current state of the country, as long as a man has the will and stamina to continue marrying women again and again and having kids like there is no tomorrow, then he has to be responsible for catering for those children

man actions and if a situation fails to present penalties that people dread, then they will not conform to the rules of that situation. It’s like the rule of life and death where people adhere to the tenants of religion life as a deterrent to punishment of the hereafter and hell. What’s more, there are a large percentage of fathers who fail to pay child support because they are in such a dire situation financially. Though this is not so uncommon considering the current state of the country, as long as a man has the will and stamina to continue marrying women again and again and having kids like there is no tomorrow, then he has to be responsible for catering for those children. I sometimes see an old man begging near a suya joint not far from my home, one day I decided to ask him about himself and his family. Considering the fact the man looked so absolutely in need I was surprised to discover he was a breadwinner with four wives and twenty nine kids. A year had gone by before he next saw me and upon doing so, he approached to tell me of his divorce to one of his four wives, remarriage to a teenage bride and the birth of baby number 30 by one of his other wives. Now call me stupid but how on earth is a man who begs on the streets for a living supposed to feed thirty five mouths, plus the many more his young bride is able to pop out? The preponderance of dead beat dads are arguably the way they are because of pure male ego. By their very nature men like to assert control and authority. If a man wants to affect his spouse, the surest way to do so is by affecting her kids; if he makes them happy then their mother is happy and if he makes them sad she is sad. This is the reason why in some polygamous homes fathers are perhaps harder on the children of the wife they have issues with. This behaviour is magnified in a situation where the couple are divorced and the mother has custody of the children. By denying children support, men feel as though they are punishing the mother while providing the maintenance means that their authority has been undermined, slighted and it translates like they have lost a battle. Every situation must be judged upon its own merit, but the simple fact that a mother is the primary caretaker of a child right from its conception should entitle her to the primary right for the custody of her children; considering she is mentally fit, stable and willing. And in addition to this, the father should have the moral obligation, decency and will to provide for his child while in the mothers care regardless of how he feels for the mother. At some point in this country our lawmakers need to re-examine our laws on child support and take a more hard-line stance on those dead-beat dads who fail to honor thy children. Children are precious little lives that parents have a duty to nurture, groom and shape for tomorrow’s world. By providing support for the child, the father is providing a key factor to the fostering and culturing of their progeny. Children are innocent and we need to raise them properly if the next generation after them is to have any chance. It is commonly said “It takes the whole village to a raise a child”; absolutely this includes the fathers who produced them. Unless we reform our laws to protect unsupported children, unless society condemns the men who fail to take responsibility for their neglected offspring’s, then it is a crying shame and a disgrace for the fathers who are little more than dead-beat!

’ Word to the father

used vehicle left to run without tyres, fuel or driver. It is a fatal ride. The house of the governors have since cracked and has continued to crack. Its roof has blown open. Its foundation has failed. But the most troubling part is that no one is fixing it. As crucial as the governors are to the health of the nation, they have broken up or have been broken up and continue to break up even further. Now, there is no such thing as one forum or one voice. Even in the small bits into which they have been reduced, they are still cracking up into smaller units. What good can come out of such a fragmented house? What significant progress can a country with such divided governors make? Let’s face it: governance is about clearheaded vision and committed action, not contrived speeches of achievements. What vision or action can we reasonably expect from such balkanised and distracted governors. They have lost their soul. Love for one another is gone, as is respect for each other. What is left is mutual hatred and bad-mouthing. They will pretend that the machinery of transforming their states is still intact and that even more work is being done. They will say their states have never had it so good. We know better. On Thursday when the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) called a meeting in Kaduna, only five of the 19 governors attended. Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi stayed away. So did Governor Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) and Governor Ibrahim

Geidam (Yobe). None of the three sent a representative. In fact, of all the 19 governors, only five turned up for the Kaduna parley; most preferred to send their deputies or even secretaries. Yet, the NSGF chairman Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said everything was just fine, rationalising that representation was as good as attendance. Last month, the election of officers of the larger body was even more dodgy. Two factions claimed victory, one still holding as tightly to its claim as the other. The Chibuike Amaechi camp is resolute and as derisive of the Jonah Jang faction as the Jang party is dismissive of the Amaechi group. Under this sort of messy and disagreeable atmosphere, what can we genuinely expect from these

‘

But the most troubling part is that no one is fixing it. As crucial as the governors are to the health of the nation, they have broken up or have been broken up and continue to break up even further

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leaders we call ours? Can you imagine Jang and his faction attending a meeting called by Amaechi or the Amaechi group turning up for a parley initiated by the Jang camp? Does it matter? Yes. Not that Nigerians have benefitted so much from the governors’ forum. In fact, the NGF essentially and usually worked for the sole gain of its members. But the fragmentation and incoherence of the organisation bode ill not just for them but the entire country. It hurts our claim to democratic growth and further demeans us before the world. It casts us as a people quite unable to come to grips with even the rudiments of organised society. The strife among the governors does not inspire any confidence in the next general election. It outlines the shape of a bumpy, messy ride ahead. It is depressing that the governors’ ranks can be so easily breached. But is it a self-inflicted wound or an injury caused by an external hand? Whatever the case, it speaks so terribly ill of a country so large and so potentially blessed. For me, the biggest worry, though, is that no one is doing anything about it. The father of the nation, the President is too busy denying any complicity in the governors’ disunity to weld them together. Dr Goodluck Jonathan has nothing to gain from the governors’ fragmentation and resultant incoherence. In fact, he has everything to lose. His advisers should tell him that if he does nothing, his administration will go down in history as one under which the governors’ house crashed. And it could be worse for the country. The role of father falls to him automatically by virtue of his presidency. He must play it.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

ds r o l d n a L n o d n a b a houses d for ﬂoo

g n i o d n u s ’ n Jonatha s r e s i v d a d a b is his n e m s e b i r t d an shir Tofa ate Ba

andid –Ex-Presidential c

•Pages 20&21

•Pages 16&17

13 THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

NOT AGAIN! •For flood-prone states, it’s once bitten, twice shy

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

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•1-3: Some of the anti-flood projects by the Lagos State government

For flood-prone states, it’s Given the horrible experiences they had with floods last year, the rainy season has become a dreaded period for many Nigerians. This is particularly so with residents of flood-prone states like Cross River, Anambra, Bayelsa, Kogi, Imo, Borno, Benue, Lagos, Oyo and Rivers states, to mention a few. Consequent upon their ugly experiences, particularly the massive loss of lives and property, the governments of some of the affected states have been taking various measures to forestall a repeat of the tragic incidents. Lagos in massive construction of drain channels n Miriam EKENE-OKORO n N Lagos, the scars of the injury that floods inflicted on many of the residents on July 10, 2011 remain fresh. It was the day a torrential downpour lasted for about 16 hours and left the city devastated afterwards. While some of the victims were lucky to be alive to tell the story, others were not so lucky. Many lives were lost while scores of residents were rendered homeless as properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by the floods. In one of the gruesome incidents, a young couple was swept away by the flood and their bodies were found miles away the next day. Cars were swallowed up, the fences of many houses came down, while parts of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway collapsed. Much as it left residents devastated, it was a wake-up call for the government. The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, who had only assumed office for six days before the downpour, had the arduous task of calming the nerves of residents. An on-the-spot visit by the governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), and members of his cabinet to the areas worst hit by flood sparked the resolve of the state government to step up its anti-flood embarkations and commence a rigorous campaign to ensure that the state never witnessed such a devastating loss in the future. One major cause of the flooding identified by the government was poor maintenance of drainage channels and the need to construct new ones because of increased population and illegal construction of structures on major drainage channels. The government swung into action immediately, demolishing buildings and structures erected on drainage channels. Thereafter, contracts were awarded to construct new drainage channels and expand existing ones. The result was that last year, while states like Delta, Kogi, Bayelsa and Anambra were ravished by flood, Lagos State did not witness any major flood disaster, save the ocean surge that rocked the Kuramo Beach in August. Bello attributed the feat to the state government’s commitment to massive maintenance, dredging and drainage construction programmes introduced to increase the capacity of the existing drainage channels across the state. Weather predictions for the state

this year have, however, indicated that the state will witness heavy rainfall just like last year. The state is projected to experience rains for between 249 and 275 days between February and August. In the last one year, the state government, Bello said, has completed 10 drainage construction projects translating to a total length of 10.30km at Idimu, Agege, Alapere, Shomolu, Lagos Island and Lekki areas. There was also completion of nine drainage dredging projects translating to a total length of 25.13km across seven local government areas (LGAs) and local council development areas (LCDAs). The commissioner also listed the ongoing construction of 37 drainage channels with a construction strategy geared towards facilitating free flow of water during construction, which translates to a total length of 40.082km and cuts across 13 LGAs and LCDAs. Not done yet, Bello said 88 new drainage projects translating into 15km length of drainage channels and collection drains across 17 LGAs and LCDAs have been provided in the last one year. He also said the dredging of 99km of primary channels across the state was ongoing, adding that more than 7,800 people had been employed for the ongoing drainage works across the state. "In general, the state’s de-flooding programme has been acclaimed successful and it has improved the socio-economic well being of the citizenry with the creation of thousands of employment opportunities in the last three years. Over 10,800 million people have benefited from the de-flooding programmes in the state," he said. In the last one year, the ministry is believed to have de-silted 158 primary and secondary collector drains with a total length of 331km, and carted 539,203 tons of silt to approved dump sites around the state. Some of the areas he said the government had carried out major deflooding interventions include Adeniji Adele outfall, Lagos Island; Adeniji Adele Phase II to IV maintenance dredging, Lagos Island; the 41 Road collector drain, Shomolu; the Itire/Lawanson Road collector drain, Mushin; the Ajelogo collector drain, Kosofe; the Guiness/Mangoro collector drain, Agege; the Wilma/Alakoto collector drain, Ajeromi Ifelodun; the Nuru Oniwo collector drain, Surulere and others on Ajose Adeogun Road and the Ologun Agbeje-Oju Olobun-Akarigbere-NEPA-Ahmadu Bello Way-NTA on Victoria Island. But he said the efforts of the government would only be seen to be productive if residents are willing to play their own role in ensuring that

To our people, we sincerely appeal that they should desist from acts that can lead to flooding. They should desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised places. Illegal building of structures on drainage alignments, setbacks and verges must stop. The people must ensure that silted drains around homes and premises are evacuated

the state only witnesses flash floods during the rainy season and nothing more. He said the de-flooding efforts of the state government would achieve little results if residents do not cultivate the culture of ensuring proper disposal of waste. He said: "To our people, we sincerely appeal that they should desist from acts that can lead to flooding. They should desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised places. Illegal building of structures on drainage alignments, setbacks and verges must stop. The people must ensure that silted drains around homes and premises are evacuated. "Lagosians are advised to report cases of drainage blockage, dumping of waste into canals and other unauthorised places to our resident engineers."

Channel II drainage to the rescue in Cross River n Nicholas KALU, Calabar n N Cross River State where streams, rivers and dry land became one massive body of water with persistent rains and release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroun, and thousands of people were displaced were killed or injured and houses and farmlands were destroyed last year, the state government has moved to ensure that the menace in the capital city is checked with the construction of a N2 billion drainage called Channel Two. Besides, residents of flood-prone local government areas in the state have been advised to move to safer grounds. The existing drainage systems in Calabar before last year’s flooding were clearly not designed to cater for the kind of massive flooding experts said was impelled by climate change. The Channel Two underground drainage, which, according to Governor Liyel Imoke, would complement existing ones, is one of the measures taken by his administration to tackle the menace of flood in Calabar, the state capital. While sympathising with the victims of floods in his state last year, Imoke had assured them that the government would not relent in its effort to improve the drainage system within the metropolis, in order to forestall further damage to the environment and their property. The channel, which is still under construction, stretches from WAPI Junction through Essien Town/UNICEM into the Calabar River. Mr. Robert Etu, an engineer with the Cross River State Ministry of Works, said the 1.45km Channel Two drainage would drain water from residential areas, including Parliamentary Village, Ikot Ishie, State Housing and Old Odukpani Road, into the Calabar River. Etu said the design was being done in segments to allow for regular entry of engineers into the channels to clear debris and allow for flow of water all year round, particularly during the peak periods of rainfall. He said the depth of the channel was 3.6 metres and the width 3.6 metres, making it deep and wide enough to drain water for several decades.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

•Displaced children in a primary school, Wadata, Makurdi, Benue State, last year

once bitten, twice shy He said in the event of damage to any section of the channel, the area would be fixed without any obstruction to water flow. The Commissioner for Works, Mr Legor Idagbo, said that when completed, the Channel Two drain project the state had embarked on would end the problem of flooding in parts of Calabar. The Agwagune community in Biase was one of the worst hit by last year’s floods. Imoke had assured the people of proper resettlement to a new site following the devastation of the community by floods. Imoke promised to deliver the permanent site and construct a link road to the area before the expiration of his administration. He said the development of the new area would be done in accordance with the specifications of residents of the community as owners of the project.

Benue prepares refugee camps ahead of anticipated floods n Uja EMMANUEL, Makurdi n ENUE State particularly Makurdi and its environs were among the areas that witnessed heavy flooding last year. Many lives and property worth millions of naira were lost to the floods. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), led by the Executive Secretary, Adikpo Agbatse, put the number of displaced persons, including women and children, at 150. Agbatse told The Nation that the agency, in collaboration with stake holders in disaster management, had mapped out strategies to help cushion the effects of impending floods in the state. Part of the preparations, according to Agbatse, is the identification of flood-prone local government areas, which he said are 12 in number, namely Kwande, Buruku, Katsina Ala, Makurdi, Tarka, Logo, Gwer West, Agatu,

Gboko, Ushongu and Guma. In these local government areas, he said, 28 evacuation sites had been marked, including markets, schools and churches, to serve as temporary camps before victims are moved to permanent camps. He said SEMA had also had a meeting with such ministries as Health, Environment, Lands and Survey, Housing, Urban Development, Water Resources, Works and Transport to provide basic materials for victims of impending flood disaster. The agency has also held discussions with the Police, Navy, Army, Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Army School Engineering in Makurdi for security and other necessary assistance if the need arises. Already, he said, the Benue State Government has procured massive relief materials like mattress, foodstuff and household items in demand during emergency situations. Agbatse said SEMA was also collaborating with the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Ministry of Information to develop a strategy on how to create awareness. He recalled that last year, about 4,295 buildings were destroyed by flood. Also affected were 5,334 farms, 7,777 heavy duty machines like rice mills, vehicles, grinding and welding machines, besides other household items and personal effects. The Benue State SEMA boss said the state government needs about N2.8 billion to resettle the victims of last year’s flood disaster in Benue State, noting that the N500 million the Federal Government gave to Benue State was inadequate . "I discovered that if we were to share the money, some people would not get up to N10,000. So, we decided to build specific projects according to the needs of the affected local government areas, because some farms were valued for as much as N10 million," said Agbaste. He dismissed the rumour that the N500 million from the Federal Government had been misappropriated by the government, and appealed to people living in flood-

prone areas to relocate ahead of time. The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Yusuf Salisu, also told The Nation that the N500 million was intact and would not be disbursed until the exact number of the people affected had been clearly determined. There is disquiet in the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), following a suit filed by a pressure group called Lawyers Alert at the state High Court, demanding to know what the relief agency had done with the N500 million and other relief materials donated by non-governmental organisations and well-meaning citizens. But speaking on Radio Benue as part of the activities to mark 13 years of democratic rule, Governor Gabriel Suswam, said last week that his administration had launched a campaign to enlighten those that live near river banks and flood-prone areas to vacate ahead of pending floods. He advised residents who erect structures on water channels to stop doing so, saying his administration would not compensate any one for demolished structures found to have been built on water channels. On the N500 million donated by the Federal Government to cushion the effects of floods on the state’s residents, Suswam said he would use the money to build schools in the areas affected by flood. For places like Makurdi where the flood was devastating, Suswam said he had allocated the sum of N200 million and that the money would be used to construct drainage channels to control large volume of water during the rainy session. He said: “The Federal Government gave me N500 million, and the money is intact. But it is not enough to disburse (go round the victims). So, I have decided to build schools in the areas affected by the flood. The sharing formula is going to be by local government, and Makurdi is taking the chunk of the money." On the allegation that he misappropriated the funds, Governor Suswam stated: “I have spent more than N500 million on those who were affected by the floods and were in camps for more than four months. So, it is foolhardy for anyone to contemplate that I, Suswam, has embezzled N500 million meant for flood victims."

Delta recruits town criers for public enlightenment n Okungbowa AIWERIE, Asaba n he scars of the floods that devastated parts of Delta State last year remain visible as many of the victims are still rebuilding their lives. No fewer than 42,271 residents of the state were displaced by the floods, following which the state government had to build 18 relief camps to rehabilitate the victims. The most affected local government areas included Oshimili North and South, Aniocha, Ndokwa East and West, Ughelli North and South, Isoko North and South, Burutu, Patani and Bomadi. After a careful study of the 14 most affected communities, the state government announced that it would require about N10 billion for necessary rehabilitation. It set up a 12-member flood committee headed by Justice Francis Tabai to manage the N500 million grant provided by the Federal Government. Represented on the committee are the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). But succour may not come so soon as

•The Channel Two underground drainage under construction in Calabar

Continued on page 18

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Landlords abandon •Smart victims sell property to unsuspecting buyers

•The building where the owner died in flood

•Some of the embattled landlords

•The bad drainage path

•A view of another abandoned building

‘R

AIN, rain go away' is the title of a popular rhyme among nursery school children. But for residents of Modina Road in Egan, Igando and Irepodun and Alabede areas in Iyana Ipaja both in Alimosho local government area of Lagos State, it is not just a song for the kids; it is the song of both the young and the old. The rainy season, to the residents of these areas, is a nightmare that nature has forced them to live with over the years. Visits to these areas showed that weather conditions during rainy season determine their mood. When the weather looks cloudy as if it would rain, they wear gloomy looks and confine themselves to their rooms out of fear that such rainfall may come with heavy flood that might wreak gigantic havoc and immediately the weather brightens up, they put their fears behind them, wear cheerful looks and joyously go about their normal life. Checks revealed that the manipulation of their moods by weather conditions is not unconnected with their lingering ugly experiences in the hands of annual flood challenges that have continued to ravage the areas. The flood, it was gathered, has not only been destroying their valuables but has also been claiming the lives of some of the residents from time to time. Findings also revealed that some of landlords have been forced to abandon their houses to seek refuge elsewhere after they were dealt deadly blows by flood. Some smart landlords, it was learnt, succeeded in selling their houses to unsuspecting buyers during the dry season in order not to lose their investment should they abandon them like others. Alhaji Shehu Abdulwahab Akinbode, a leading member and landlord at Modina Road, told our reporter

n Innocent DURU n that the challenge of flooding has become a thorn in the flesh of the residents. He narrated that the residents have continued to lose their valuables to flood and regrettably recalled how one of the prominent landlords was recently killed by flood right in front of his house. He said: " I have been living in this area for over 20 years. The community was not used to experiencing this kind of flood challenges in the past. It was not that we never had flood but it has never been the way we have been experiencing it lately. ‘’We lost a fellow landlord recently to flood. He came to my house in the morning and after he left, rain fell heavily. After the rain subsided, his people came to check him in my place and I told them that he left much earlier. From that moment which was still morning time, we searched every where for him until around 10pm when we saw his lifeless body in the drainage right in front of his house. It was a terrible experience for the whole community. “Just last week Wednesday, another landlord lost all his property to flood. The flood pulled down the fence, entered the house and swept off all they had. What the flood could not sweep off, it destroyed. They could not pick a pin out of the house. In another house, the occupants climbed their fence to seek refuge after their apartments were taken over by flood. It was after the flood subsided that we went to rescue them. If the rain had fallen in the night, it probably would have claimed many lives because there would have been pandemonium everywhere. That same day, the flood carried a Honda car from where it was parked and

dumped it in a canal. It has not worked since it was pulled out of the canal." He added that "The problem has forced many landlords in the area to abandon their houses. With the economic situation of the country, you know what it takes to build a house, then imagine how it feels for flood to eject the person within a year or less. It is that bad because when it rains heavily, nobody can come in and nobody can go out. The flood is always torrential and it surges like the sea water. Some landlords were able to sell their houses instead of abandoning them. Some houses have been sold about six times because when somebody buys them and finds out that flood disturbs the area, he would wait till the dry season and resell it to another unsuspecting buyer." One of such unfortunate buyers who simply gave his name as Razaq lamented that he never suspected that flood could be a problem in the area. He said: “It never occurred to me that the community could ever experience flooding because it is not swampy. I bought it when my landlord was making life unbearable for me. After succeeding in buying it, flood started its problems. There is a woman in the neighbourhood who invested all her gratuity on one of the buildings in the area. She can't go anywhere because she has no money to get another accommodation. She is here licking her wounds now. FTER the rain of last Wednesday, a victim who lost all her property almost committed suicide. She wanted to jump into the flood out of frustration but her children and husband held her back. Was the loss not enough for one to attempt suicide? That shows you the gravity of the pain that we go through in the community

“A

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

houses for ﬂood

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When it rains heavily, nobody can come in and nobody can go out. The flood is always torrential and it surges like the sea water. Some landlords were able to sell their houses instead of abandoning them. Some houses have been sold about six times because when somebody buys them and finds out that flood disturbs the area, he would wait till the dry season and resell it to another unsuspecting buyer

when the flood almost swept the children in her care away. Apart from being forced to close down her business, she said flood also damaged every property in her room. She said amidst tears that she has lost everything she laboured for in life to flood. “I am a widow and mother of three. Flood has wrecked me and made life very difficult for me. I used to run a day care business but flood forced me to close the business down when it almost swept some children in my custody away. I thought it wise to call it quits with the business because it would not be easy for me to be struggling to rescue my children and the children in my care when the environment is flooded. ‘’It takes the grace of God and the help of neighbours for me carry the children to safe places, especially when it rains heavily in the night. I have been restricted to running the day care during dry season when the danger of losing the children to flood would not be there. It is a serious challenge because I don’t have any support from anywhere to take care of my children and meet other needs. “Apart from losing my means of livelihood to the flood, I have also lost all my property. Flood has destroyed all the property that my husband left behind. As I am talking to you now, we have not slept in our house for the past three days because the whole place is water-logged and our mattress seriously wet. “Many members of the community have at various times lost their beloved ones to flood. In fact, many landlords have been forced to abandon their houses by flood. Many of the landlords in Irepodun area have fled their houses because of flood. Most of them have gone to rent accommodation in other areas because flood put their lives in perpetual danger. None of them even bothers to come back during the dry season because the buildings are not habitable anymore. Snakes and other deadly reptiles have made the houses their places of abode.” A septuagenarian, who identified herself as Awawu Ahmed, was full of tears as she spoke to The Nation. She said she has been sleeping from one mosque to since flood sacked The flood that another her apartment. She said she lost her petty business to accompanied flood and has remained the last heavy jobless since then. “I am in total distress. rainfall swept Flood has turned me to a off tricycles, vagabond. My apartment is flooded leaving no motorcycles and totally space for me and my grandchildren to sleep. We so many have continued to sleep in valuables. If it mosques around the community pending when had fallen at the house would be dry. I night, the story am not only embittered by challenge of not would not have the sleeping outside my house, I am more disturbed by my been the same. business that flood We don't go out petty destroyed. Flood entered house and swept or come in when the everything in the house it rains because away. The few it could not sweep away, it destroyed. the flood often “Apart from losing our valuables, many residents piles up high have lost their beloved ones like wall and to flood over the years. Sometime ago, a woman on covers the this street lost her daughter drainage such to flood and narrowly being killed in it. It that one will not escaped was the efforts of people in the community that saved differentiate her life. A man and between ordimembers of his family were killed by flood last year. nary ground These are devastating and drainage stories for us in this community,” she pleaded.

when it rains heavily and flood takes over the area. ‘’I would not say that I regret buying the building because the problem is not caused by the house. If the area were swampy, I would have regretted buying the house. The problem is with the drainage system. I am not the only unfortunate buyer. My case is better because I didn't pump my life savings on the house. “ Another landlord, who gave his name as Elder Oyewole Benjamin, told our reporter that the pattern of flooding in the area in recent time, is beyond explanation. He said: “I have had bad and nasty experiences in the hands of flood since I came here. I have been living here for over 20 years although not without some normal flooding but the deluge of •One of the abandoned houses flooding we have been experiencing in recent time, is aid. We don’t want to lose our valuables and community unprecedented and strange. The problem that we have is members to flood anymore. Like I said earlier, the that we are in a valley. The entire flood coming from problem is about the drainage system. We would every part of Igando converges here and the flood begins appreciate if they can help us to channel the flood to the to invade houses when it does not have ways to flow out. canal. If they can create ways for flood to be flowing into "The flood that accompanied the last heavy rainfall the canal, we would never have this problem again. We swept off tricycles, motorcycles and so many valuables. If are not living along the river banks, neither did we build it had fallen at night, the story would not have been the our houses in places obstructing the flow of flood. The same. We don't go out or come in when it rains because problem, like I said, is just about easy movement of the the flood often piles up high like wall and covers the flood to the canal. drainage such that one will not differentiate between E humbly appeal to our listening and ordinary ground and drainage." responsive Governor Babatunde Asked what the community has been doing to salvage Fashola and President Goodluck the situation, he said: "We have not been resting on our Jonathan to come to our help now. We oars all along. The community development association would appreciate whatever they can do to assist us now,” and the landlords association have been working he stated. tirelessly to check the problem but it seems that it is The story is not different for landlords and tenants of beyond our powers. We have tried to construct drainage Irepodun and Alabede areas in Iyana Ipaja, a suburb of that would make flood to flow out easily but it has not Lagos State. Checks revealed that many landlords in the really helped matters as we thought." communities have fled their houses because of flood and Also speaking, Samuel Ojo, another landlord in the have never gone back to check the conditions of such neighbourhood, bemoaned the plight of the community. houses since they left. Most of the affected landlords were He said the community said to have gone elsewhere to rent accommodation and has spent over N800,000 started life afresh as tenants while those that have the in recent times in its bid resources have gone to build new houses in other areas. to tackle the problem. Some of the abandoned buildings are now gradually “The menace of flood dilapidating and overgrown with weeds. has been giving us Narrating her ordeal in the hands of flood, Oladele sleepless nights in this Olorunsoga, a daughter to one of the affected landlords, community. As you can said they quit their building because reptiles and other see, many landlords dangerous water-borne creatures invaded the house. She have been forced to recalled that they had severally killed all manners of abandon the buildings snake in the building aside from having to battle with the they built with their challenges of the flood. hard-earned money. The She said: “It is unsafe to continue to live in a place that real problem is the is always flooded. We quit our building because that was drainage system. There the best decision to take. Apart from the menace of flood, was a time one of the we also have the problem of combating all manners of past local government snakes and other reptiles that move about in the flood. chairmen tried to assist We have killed many snakes and other reptiles in this the community. He tried place.” his best but could not Apart from the landlords, tenants in the community complete it before the are also not left out of the havoc wreaked by flood. One of end of his tenure. them who gave her name as Bukky Oladun was caught ‘’The community has shedding tears as the rain was about to fall. She said she also been making frantic always weeps anytime there is sign that it would rain efforts to check the because it always spells doom for them. problem but our effort at “Flood has destroyed everything we have. We have tackling the problem has also not slept in our room for the past one week because not yielded the expected the whole place is flooded. I never knew that this result in spite of the environment is always over-flooded when it rains. If I huge sums of money had known, I would not have come here. I used to be that we have been calm whenever it rained in my former area but since I spending. Recently, we came here, rain has become a nightmare. I always cry as sank over N800,000 into soon as there are signs that rain would fall because I the drainage project but would have to carry my children by whatever means to it was as if we did where we can be safe from flood. At times, we would nothing,” he said. have to waddle through murky waters in the night to Together with other avoid being overrun by flood inside the house. residents and landlords, ‘’The children cannot play within the community he appealed to the anymore when rain is falling. Life has almost become government to come to meaningless for us in this community because of flood. I the aid of the would have loved to park out but where is the money to community to prevent get another accommodation?” she asked rhetorically. further loss of lives and Moji Elizabeth, a widow and mother of three, said she property. "We want to has lost her means of livelihood to flood. She explained appeal to government at that she was forced to close down her day care business all levels to come to our

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

•Left & right: A bridge and drainage being contructed at Apete, Ibadan, Oyo State

PHOTOS: FEMI ILESANMI

Endangered states move to avert flood disaster Continued from Page 17 the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has predicted that there would be more rains. The Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Tony Nwaka, has, however, assured of full preparedness for any eventualities. He said the immediate plan of the state government was to open up all the natural drains in major cities and demolish illegal structures built on natural waterways. He listed long-term plans to check future flood problems to include building of dams, dredging of the waterways, reclamation of flood plains and construction of embankments. His words: “The major thing government is doing is to open up the drains and demolish illegal structures. These measures aside, we have decided to clear all blocked drains. Aside these measures, we have taken enlightenment campaigns seriously, going from community to community to educate the rural populace on measures to take should they be confronted with flooding.” Nwaka said designs for permanent camp sites had reached advanced stage, adding that the sites, when completed, would have schools, hospitals and recreational facilities. He assured that the sites would be built at several upland locations across the state before the advent of the

rains. To further aid the work of the ministry, Nwaka said various seminars had been organised for the staff of the State Emergency Management Agency on disaster management. In addition, he said, town criers had been commissioned to take the message to rural communities to forestall any untoward effect of the floods.

Oyo dredges 15 rivers, rebuilds flood-prone bridges n Bisi OLADELE, Ibadan n HILE Oyo was one of the states that were most ravaged by flood last year, there is calm in the state, particularly Ibadan, the capital, in spite of predictions of heavy rainfall this year. Already, the Oyo State Government has dredged about 15 rivers across the state to prevent the floods that may attend the expected heavy rains. The city was badly hit two years ago when an unusually heavy rain pounded the state capital for six hours, resulting in floods that killed more than 100 residents. The August 26, 2011 incident also saw the destruction of farms, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure. While the rains are gradually returning,

•Ongoing construction of drains along Hospital Road, Yenagoa, Bayelsa

the government actually commenced the dredging of rivers in March. The state's Commissioner for the Environment and Habitat, Barrister Lowo Obisesan, told The Nation that the government had dredged nine rivers in Ibadan and six others in Saki, Oyo and Ibarapa areas of the state. Besides, Obisesan said the government had approved the rebuilding of some major bridges prone to flood in Ibadan. The project is in partnership with the World Bank. They include some bridges in Bodija, Odo-Ona Elewe and Idi-Ayunre where flood had wreaked havoc on infrastructure. "These bridges are situated on high flood planes," he commissioner said. Obisesan also hinted that the government would soon start demolishing houses built along flood planes in the city. He said notice of demolition had already been served on the owners of structures along water channels, stressing that the government would no longer watch people’s lives being endangered. Towards this end, he said, more than 40 structures had been marked for demolition in Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso and Iseyin. He said the occupants of many of the houses had evacuated their belongings, while some had even relocated since the government had taken time to educate them on the dangers surrounding their continued stay. He added that a few owners of the affected buildings who would

want to resist government’s move would not succeed as bulldozers would soon be rolled out for the demolition exercise. Obisesan said: "We are fully aware of the heavy rains predicted by experts this year. Even before the prediction, the Oyo State Government had fixed most of the bridges washed away by the August 26, 2011 flood. Many of the affected roads have been renovated while rivers are still being dredged. In addition to these, the state government introduced the weekly environmental sanitation exercise, which we are supervising very meticulously. That is why drainage channels are now free. And the drainage channels of the new roads we are constructing are pure concrete. "With our ongoing efforts, we believe that the state is most unlikely to witness flood this year or in subsequent years.

Anambra sensitises residents through meetings, leaflets n Nwanosike ONU, Awka n HE return of the rainy season has sent jitters down the spines of most Anambra residents, particularly those who live in flood-prone areas. The Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMET) had warned that there could be a repeat of the flooding that occurred last year in various parts of the country. Anambra State was one of the most affected states in the flooding that occurred in September last year, with eight local government areas out of 21 submerged. The affected local government areas were Ayamelum, Awka North, Ogbaru, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ekwusigo, Onitsha South and parts of Ihiala. But it has been predicted by weather experts that more local government areas are likely to fall victim unless measures are taken to prevent a re-occurrence of last year’s incident. Already, construction of channels and embankments has started in Onitsha. Some residents have also started building mobile houses with wheels in order not to be taken unawares again. The Anambra State Coordinator of State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Nwabufor Ijezie, told The Nation that arrangements were in top gear to prevent a re-occurrence of last year’s disaster. According to him, “We have started on early warnings to the communities in the state by way of calling town meetings. We have met with the traditional rulers, presidents-general, women leaders and the clergy, among others.” SEMA, according to Ijezie, visited Ogbaru Local Government Area on May 9

Continued on page 45

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Bed-ridden Kaosarat

Kunle AKINRINADE

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Continued on Page 22

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa is a businessman and politician. He was the National Republican Convention presidential candidate in the botched June 12, 1993 presidential election. Ahead of June 12 anniversary next Wednesday, Tofa spoke with Assistant Editor, LINUS OBOGO and reﬂected on the date, May 29 and October 1, and concluded that he would rather that Nigeria sticks with the Independence Day as Democracy Day. He also faulted President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, arguing that his decision was rather hasty, among other issues. Excerpts:

Jonathan’s undoing is his bad advisers and tribesmen

•Tofa

The North will never consider the option to dissolve this country. But if some irresponsible people steer the country in that direction, my only advice is that there must not be any war to keep the country as one. Another civil war will be futile and it will destroy everything. We will all be the losers, as no single viable country will arise from the ashes of the old one. So, it is better for us to manage what we have

–Ex-Presidential candidate Bashir Tofa UST last week, May 29, the government held the 14th anniversary of what has come to represent Nigeria's Democracy Day. What is your general assessment of Nigeria's 14 years of unbroken civil rule? First of all, let me say that the worse form a democracy is better than the best form of military dictatorship. Despite my disappointments over the last 14 years of this new democracy, the freedoms we enjoy, even though with some distortions, are preferable. We have benefited a great deal from the criticisms and ideas of Professor Wole Soyinka, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and Mr. Femi Falana. If only our leaders listen, we would have made better progress. My main complaint about President Goodluck Jonathan has always been the dearth of good and competent advisers around him. My friend, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, is a very experienced leader. Mrs. Okonjo Iweala, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman and the Minister of Agriculture are excellent in what they do. But only Pius is a true politician, and people like him are a minority in the government. Many of his other ministers are not an asset to the President, either in the efficient running of their ministries or politically. Many have not done him and will not do him any good politically. I strongly recommend that the President reshuffles his cabinet as soon as possible to mark two years of his presidency, and appoint a mixture of

very competent technocrats and able, experienced and popular politicians into ministries he is convinced they will make a mark. He must also come away from that myopic policy of placing appointed ministers as leaders of the PDP in states where there are elected governors. This exposes the President's deﬁcit politically. In all, we have not done as well as Nigeria should have done in the last 14 years. Reason: utter corruption, lack of competent advisers, political chauvinism and general impunity. We must all share in the blame. But the President must take the lion's share, as the leader. It is my candid advice that the President should summon a mixture of about ﬁve elders and others with unquestionable integrity, from each state to meet for a few days in Abuja and review the situation in the country, and also offer their advice as to the best ways to promote unity and sense of belonging and to repair the damages done in recent times. Opinions remain divided between those who still question the May 29 date, some who insist it should rather be October 1, and others who feel it should have been June 12. Where do you stand in all of this? Personally, I would prefer October 1, as everybody can identify with that date. We became independent as a country on that date, and we have to constantly remind ourselves that we are still on the road to becoming a nation.

June 12 is a controversial and a very divisive date. Beyond the tokenism of transiting from military to civil rule on May 29, is there anything tangibly worth celebrating in your view? People do celebrate dates and occasions for good reasons. Freedoms are vitally important, as without them, humanity is doomed. We can celebrate these freedoms as I said, but with reservation. That is, without the freedom to be secure, and without the joy we need to celebrate our unity, which is now in tatters, the celebration is meaningless. Most Nigerians have become poorer, but not just as a failure of democracy to produce its so-called dividends, but because the democracy we practise is riddled with corruption and nepotism. These are the ills we have to cure our society of. I advise that these dates, whether democracy or Independence, should also be days of prayers. But we rather budget billions of naira for bogus ceremonies which in reality which are undeserved. I cannot see what hungry and angry people can celebrate. I looked at the President's face during his broadcast, and he did not look at all happy. Something was clearly worrying him, and we all know what it was! Much as you have tried in some of your public comments to convince Nigerians not to go on crying over spilled milk and rather move on with regards to June 12, 1993 debacle, the issue has continued to stick out like a

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013 sore thumb. As a prime participant in the election process which was subsequently annulled, what collateral damage would you say it has had on our politics 20 years after? A sore thumb, indeed! And it stinks. Anyway, I had promised not to discuss June 12 again because it does not help anything. It is now a subject for those who lack the intellect to help this country with anything positive that will move us forward. If any lesson had been learnt from it, let those lessons guide us to plot a better political culture for this country. But those who have nothing better to say or do can continue talking about it. I suggest that the elections we rig at every level, in every election, allowing "unelected" people to represent or lead us, is an equally serious matter, if not worse. People should focus more on current issues that will make our electoral process and governance better. What matters to young people who were toddlers in 1993, is education and employment, not June 12. Those who have followed your evolution as a politician would attest to the fact that you are of a conservative stock. But today, you are counted among the liberal political elements in the country? am only conservative in keeping and nurturing our collective values. We are a very decent and traditional society, in both our individual make ups and histories. I think, our diversity should have been our greatest asset, if we had bothered to appreciate them and use them for our collective good. I am not a liberal in the sense of Western Liberalism, where every sin goes. I am a good Muslim and do relate very well with good Christians. My liberalism is only in the sense that I believe everyone should be free to pursue his or her innate desire to improve himself or herself and the community generally, so long as these are done in accordance with the laws of the land. That is one reason we named the political association I formed and led: The Liberal Convention, which joined the National Republican Convention NRC, of which I was the presidential candidate in 1993. You once spoke against those who called on President Goodluck Jonathan to resign over alleged leadership ineptitude as well as his handling of the security crises in the country. You even went ahead to praise him for not being a dictator. What are your thoughts on the imposition of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States? I personally believe that President Jonathan is not a bad person as an individual, and did not start out with evil intentions. His basic misfortune is that he lacks good advisers, and some of his tribesmen have almost reduced him to a tribal leader. Secondly, the unnecessary debate immediately before and after President Umar Yar'Adua's death as to whether he should be sworn in or not as a full President, plus the result of the 2011 elections, as well as the utterances of some people, somehow indicated to him that a section of our society loathes him. These negatives have stuck in his mind and have seriously confused him. The current debate about where the presidency must come from neither helps matters. My opinion is that such noises are unnecessary in a democracy. People will elect whoever they like, and whoever it is must be allowed to rule. Again, in a democracy, where someone is elected, you cannot call upon him to resign. Either organise his recall, or he loses an election that will return him to ofﬁce, if you have the wherewithal. He was not appointed, so why would you call upon a president of a country to resign? Don't elect him next time. That's democracy. With regards to the state of emergency imposed on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, I was not in total support of it,

•Tofa

I personally believe that President Jonathan is not a bad person as an individual, and did not start out with evil intentions. His basic misfortune is that he lacks good advisers and some of his tribesmen have almost reduced him to a tribal leader. Secondly, the unnecessary debate immediately before and after President Umar Yar'Adua's death as to whether he should be sworn in or not as a full President, plus the result of the 2011 elections, as well as the utterances of some people, somehow indicated to him that a section of our society loathes him. These negatives have stuck in his mind and have seriously confused him

because at the stage we were in before the declaration, when a Reconciliation Committee was inaugurated by the President, it should have been allowed to run its course. And if it fails, then the imposition of the state of emergency would be justiﬁed. Having said that, however, my opinion, which I expressed before, is that we should pray for our country and also for the success of the action taken in the interest of all concerned. You appear not to be favourably disposed to the zoning of the presidency as a political arrangement. What will be your position should the APC decide to zone its presidency? T will be a serious mistake for the APC to zone the presidency at this early stage of its development. If any section/zone of this country is axed from this aspiration, it will be fatal. A national convention must be held, and all aspiring members of the party must be allowed to present themselves for election. I have always advocated that what Nigeria needs is a Nigerian president, not a sectional or zonal or tribal leader as president. While rotation makes some

people comfortable, I am sure Nigerians will much prefer a president that cares for all the people, listens to them and acts on their needs with dispatch, equity and fairness; a president who will make Nigeria a country of "know how", instead of "know who"; a country where all Nigerians will feel equal sense of belonging and security wherever they choose to live in their country. What zoning has done most is to ingrain in our psyche the false notion that with our own at the helm, we will be better off. This has been shown not to be the case, except for the few thieves around the seat of power. If that has been the case, then the others will be worse off. This situation draws us further apart into our tribal and sectional cocoons. And, when you talk of a zone, you later ﬁnd that there is so much rivalry within the zone, as most would want the beneﬁts or appointments to go to their states. And, within the state, you degenerate into the local government, and then the clan. We are damaging our unity by refusing to learn to be one; by not doing much to appreciate who is just and honest, but who is our own. This is a

major problem in this country, and we have to make a serious u-turn to the direction of reality, if we want to survive as a united country. Now, with regards to the APC, this party to be has some other serious issues to be careful about. These are internal and external sabotage. Some bad people are up to something very sinister. If APC is sabotaged, we will have very serious problems managing this democracy. That may be the beginning of the end of it. Whether or not APC will win any election, the fact that the opposition may become stronger, is in itself good for our democracy. You were quoted in your response to Asari Dokubo's threat as saying that the North will be better off as an entity than the South South, should the latter break away from Nigeria. How exactly did you mean? The North truly cares for the unity and integrity of this country. There is no section of the country that truly cares for the unity and integrity of this country than the North. But this nationalistic stand is taken by some pools as a weakness, or as lack of an independent and prosperous future for the North. Far from it. I will be the last person to call for the dismemberment of our dear country. But, I will also be the last person to admit that the North cannot stand on its own, if necessary. I love this potentially great country, but I hate some of the rascals, from whatever section they are, that seek to promote disunity and the destruction of our country for clearly myopic and utterly selfish reasons. Many of these people are ignorant of history, or are just mischievous. I hope, Mr. Dokubo and others who made similar utterances will have the good sense to apologise. The North will never consider the option to dissolve this country. But if some irresponsible people steer the country in that direction, my only advice is that there must not be any war to keep the country as one. Another civil war will be futile and it will destroy everything. We will all be the losers, as no single viable country will arise from the ashes of the old one. So, it is better for us to manage what we have. President Nixon, when resigning from the US Presidency after the Watergate scandal said something like this: 'You will never appreciate how glorious it was when you were on top of the mountain, until you find yourself at abyss of a deep hole’. But if we cannot find a way to stay together, even after a national conference, then we must sit and negotiate separation as we have seen done successfully in some parts of Europe. But, we must pray to the Almighty not to bring that moment. May we be forgiven by Him in whose hand lie our destinies. May He cause us to come to our senses and resolve to revive our unity and live in justice and peace. Nobody wishes to see any war to force this country to be one. The next war will destroy everything everywhere. So, what's the point? We better negotiate and separate peacefully. That way, we can still have some dealings with one another. But, may the Almighty God forgive us and forbid this tragedy. What is your comment on the crisis rocking the Governors’ Forum? HE President is already the President. He should not have bothered with the governors electing whoever they so wish. If I were the President, I will never interfere with such elections, like those of the leaderships of the National Assembly, the NGF etc. If I were the President, I will let them elect whoever they wish, and I will get him/her by my side. If I were the President, I must know how to do that easily and without rancor. But when a President or a governor has some sinister agenda, he resorts to this types of interferences. The President should work for the country, and should get the support of everyone concerned.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

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Kaosarat’s residence

15-year-old TV commercial baby model down with strange illness Kaosarat at the early stage of her hillness

Augustine

Continued from Page 19

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ntertainment

Inside The

Glass House WITH AMINU MAIGARI

Harry Iwuala

SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Continued on Page 44

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Louis Odion

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Top and bottom: Anti-flood embarkations in Anambra

Continued from Page 18

Louis Odion

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Treat your woman well to get a joyful sound in the bedroom D

EAR Hearts, thanks for your inspiring writeups. I have a problem with the assumption that all the problem men have in the bedroom is from their wives. I read a book titled Marriage Takes More Than Love. Most couples are not enjoying their sexual relations because they have no other meaningful interaction. No communication, some of the women are overworked and never appreciated. Romance is signaled by a hand reaching out in the dark, this same hand did not reach out in friendship all through the day. Should someone moan by effort or as a reaction to pleasure? Do you know the percentage of women who do not know what sexual pleasure is? The issues are many. Keep up the good work, some will learn through this avenue. Please leave my phone number out. I am a writer too. Thanks, dear sister. You’re right. This calls for a big discourse and that is what we’re doing today. Nice knowing u. The articles below have been edited by Kedrian James, Ben Rubenstein, Flickety, Sondra C and 75 others, all on how to treat women well. I hope our men are reading. Treating a woman well requires a combination of common courtesy and uncommon acts of love and kindness. Follow the steps below, and soon you’ll woman will see you for what you are: one of the good guys. 1. Being a Good Communicator. Communicate your feelings. Some men underestimate the importance of telling a woman how they feel. In many cases, men prefer to use actions rather than words to communicate their feelings. If that sounds like you, you should know that women need to hear “I love you” from time to time, so make it a point to express that sentiment. If you have trouble saying the words, try writing a note or getting a card to let her know how you feel. The good news: turns out that men are more often the ones to declare feelings of love first in a relationship. Research has determined that men take only 88 days to tell their partner they love them (compared to a woman’s 134 days. Watch your timing. Women prefer to hear “I love you” after sex rather than before. It could be they distrust the words a bit if they’re uttered before sex as it makes them wonder if your saying “I love you” simply to get some action. 2. Be a good listener. Every-

one—not only women—wants to be heard. If you know how to listen, your woman will greatly appreciate it, and the bond between you two will grow. Try these tips to be a better listener. Get rid of distractions. That might mean turning off the ballgame or ignoring the text you just got. Try to keep from interrupting unless the question is crucial to your understanding of the situation. Putting your focus completely on your woman shows her that she’s important and that you value and are interested in what she has to say. Read non-verbal cues. Gestures, facial expressions and eyemovements can all be important.

Don’t just listen with your ears but also with your eyes so you can gain greater insight into what she’s feeling. See things from her point of view. Your girlfriend or wife may be upset about something that would never trouble you, or she might describe a scenario you

can’t imagine being a part of— but you have to try. Put yourself in her shoes to try to understand what she’s communicating more clearly. Even if you don’t agree with her reaction or her opinion, keep an open mind and let her know that in any dispute you’re always on her side.

Showing respect

Refrain from solving the problem. When a woman is talking through a problem she’s facing, a man’s first response is to jump in and try to solve it. That impulse comes from a good place, but it’s not what a woman wants. She simply wants to be heard, so refrain from coming to the rescue with a solution for the situation. If she does ask your opinion about what she should do, feel free to offer your suggestions, but don’t be offended if she chooses a different course of action. 3. Ask her how she’s feeling. In many cases, you’ll know exactly how the woman in your life is feeling, but sometimes, especially when a relationship is new, you’ll have to ask. Researchers

1. Behave like a gentleman. Kiss her at the door and hug if possible. Some of these behaviors might be labeled “old fashioned” or even be frowned on in the workplace, but if your woman feels comfortable with it, engage in some extra courtesies to make things a little easier and more comfortable for her. 2. Be polite. Women like to hear “please” and “thank you.” Even if you’ve been dating a while or married a long time, don’t throw manners out the window. Show her the same thoughtfulness you’d show anyone else. Avoid using profanity. Never use profanity or offensive slang to refer to your woman, even if you’re just kidding. If you hold her in high regard, be sure your language reflects that. 3. Don’t change or break plans. If it’s an emer-

gency or the change is completely unavoidable, of course you can break a date, but be sure to give as much advance notice as possible and offer a very good explanation and an apology. 4. Be on time. If you’re running late, call as soon as you can to let her know. Everyone’s time is valuable, and being somewhere when you say you will is just common courtesy. Resist the impulse to put off calling because you fear your woman will be angry. She might be, but chances are she’ll be even angrier if you’re not in touch. 5. Treat her family well. Even if she says that she’s not close with her family, always be respectful toward them and avoid criticizing them. Family bonds can be strong, and parents and siblings can influence a woman’s decision to date or dump a guy.

1. Acknowledge special occasions. Be sure you’re ready with a card and a gift when her birthday rolls around, or it’s time to celebrate Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Marking these and other occasions with tokens of love and appreciation are a great way to make a woman feel special. Remember, too, that right or wrong, her family and friends will likely ask her what you got her or how the two of you celebrated. Don’t put your woman on the spot by forcing her to lie or to admit that you let the occasion

pass without recognition. 2. Celebrate your anniversary. Anniversaries are like mini-time machines—they allow the two of you to relive an important event (your wedding day, your first date, etc.) They’re a chance to re-experience the special emotion created in and by that moment. Show the woman in your life that you value that event and all that’s happened since, by doing something special on your anniversary. If you can afford it and your wife or girlfriend would enjoy it, go ahead and do something extravagant. But what can be most mean-

in a study published in the journal PLOS showed men images of eyes belonging to men and women and discovered that it was twice as difficult for the men to accurately guess what women were feeling as it was for them to guess what the men were feeling. They also took longer attempting to interpret the women’s eyes. 4. Fight fair. Even the closest of couples will have arguments; what’s important is how you talk to your woman during those disagreements. Do not call names or make threats or use physical intimidation. When the fight is over, don’t hold on to hurt feelings; reach out and meet your woman halfway in making up.

If a woman has children, be friendly toward them and do your best to get to know them. Women are quick to say good-bye to men who do not treat their children with kindness. Don’t ever overstep your bounds and try to parent or discipline her kids; leave that to the woman in your life. 6. Avoid jealousy. Being jealous of male friends, co-workers and exes without good reason tells a woman that you consider her to be deceitful and of low moral character. Not a message you want to send to someone you care for. 7. Help around the house. If you two live together, pitch in on chores. Both of you are responsible for the housework. Don’t expect her to constantly pick up after you. One of the surest ways to a woman’s heart is with a vacuum cleaner in one hand and a box of laundry detergent in the other.

Making her feel specialingful is a card or a conversation in which you remi-

Bringing the romance 1. Understand that little things mean a lot. While big romantic gestures may have their place, it’s the little things that show a woman how much she means to you. Thoughtful acts like bringing her a cup of coffee in the morning or putting air in her car tires are very concrete ways of saying “I love you” without you having to utter a word. Be consistent. Show her in some way each day that you’re thinking of her and trying to make her life a bit easier and happier. 2. Send a message. Scratch out a quick note, send her a text or fire off an email to let her know you’re thinking of her. If she has a big day coming up—a job interview, a presentation at work— send her a message of encouragement and support. 3. Give compliments. You may never have to answer the question, “Do these pants make my butt look big?” if you’re quick to compliment your woman on her appearance. Dispel any insecurities by saying nice things about parts of her body she might feel less than great about, and don’t forget to compliment the things you find most attractive about her. Don’t underestimate the impact of a simple “You look beautiful”—that

pretty much says it all. If you do get the “Do these pants make my butt look big?” question, the correct answer is always “No.” We all like to be recognized for the things that make us special, so compliment your woman for being who she is. Is she creative, fascinating, funny? Do you admire her achievements and her outlook on life? Tell her! And be sure to look her straight in the eye when you do so. 4. Follow her lead. Initially, let the woman set the pace for your physical relationship. No woman wants to feel pressured to have sex before she’s ready, and everyone has a different timetable for being ready. Let her know how you feel, but back off (without pouting) if she wants to wait before getting intimate. 5. Embrace foreplay. Physiologically, experts agree that foreplay is an important part of sexual health. In fact, an Australian study found that the majority of women are more aroused by the idea of foreplay than sex itself. Hold, touch and caress your partner, play games or talk dirty. If you’re not sure what your woman likes, ask. Just do it outside the bedroom. It’s easier to have that conversation if you’re not just about to have sex.

•From right: Shalewa Idiat, Oluwakemi Beatrice and Miriam Maliki posing with cake at Restaurant Pekin ternopil in Ukrain during a birthday party

nisce about the good times and the growth of your relationship and your happiness. 3. Give thoughtful gifts. Gifts that come from the heart are among the most appreciated. Put some time and thought into choosing something your woman would love or make something for her yourself. When you invest that kind of time and thought into gift giving, she can’t help but be touched. 4. Give flowers. Not every woman is a sucker for flowers, but the majority really do appreciate a bouquet, especially if it’s being given for no particular reason. Bring flowers on your next date or have them delivered to her home or workplace if that’s appropriate. A card that says simply “Thinking of you” is enough to bring a smile to her face. 5. Mention her to your friends. If she’s important to you, your friends should know it. That doesn’t mean that you have to go on and on about her (and never discuss what happens in the bedroom with your friends), but making it clear that she’s an important part of your life will make her feel special versus make her feel like someone you want to hide or keep from your friends.

From you to me Re: My parents leave sex smell everywhere

Dear columnist, good day. I read your write up of last week .Yes, there is the “smell of sex” when sperm comes in contact with vaginal secretion. It lingers more in closed or poorly ventilated room or where tissues had been used for cleaning and dumped in waste bin. Ventilating the environment and flushing tissues will help. You should call the parents and advice as necessary. I am a medic of 45 years’ experience! – 08034031036.

•Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Pallinus Nwagwu (left), and Director-General, Police Assistance Committee (PAC), Dr. Martins Oni, at a one-day security workshop on Information and Intelligence jointly organized by the two committes in Abuja

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013 ‘A moment of patience in a moment of anger can help us avoid a thousand moments of sorrow.’ (Anonymous) I LOOKED up from the letter and stared at my boss, too shocked to speak. Finally I blurted out nervously: “Sir, is this a joke or what?” “Joke, ke! Do I look like Ali Baba?” he stated with a wry smile. But he became sober when he saw the serious, anxious look on my face. “Look, Ray. I know this must come to you as a surprise. But the management believes you are the best person for the job. It will be good for your career growth so I will advise you to see it as an opportunity and accept the offer,” he said. I was barely listening to him. I kept thinking of the implication of what was in the letter. It stated that I had been transferred out of the country, to oversee our branches in Ghana as well as Cote d’Ivoire as the Regional cum Sales Manager. More than anything, it was the suddenness of it all that so shocked me. There had been no hint whatsoever that this was coming, no sign at all. ‘How can I just be sent out of the country just like that on cross-border posting without warning’, I thought with some resentment. The first thought that came to me was to decline the offer. I had never been to those countries, didn’t know anyone there, so how was I going to cope? Besides, there was my wife, Grace and my son. And Jake too and my parents and siblings. How could I leave my family and friends behind and go to a strange place with strange people? “People are only strangers until you get to know them,” Grace said latter that evening. I had broken the news to her as soon as I got home. We had been discussing or rather arguing over the issue for the past hour or so. She was in favor of my accepting the posting. “It shows the company values your services. It’s a serious position and it’s not anyone they can give it to. They chose you. That means something,” she pointed out. I could see her point but I was not ready to give in yet. “But I don’t know anyone there. How will I cope with total strangers, in a strange land?” I stated grumpily. And the argument had gone on and on... “Truth is that I can’t bear the thought of being parted from you and Robert. I will miss you too much,”I finally said. We were in our bedroom then, preparing for bed. Grace had just taken a shower and was sitting at her dressing table, applying cream on her body. I laid back on the bed, a scowl on my face. “We will both miss you too, honey. But this is a golden chance for us. For our family. You shouldn’t miss it,” she said. She got up then, and slipped her nightie over her head. I felt a warm stirring in my body at the sight of her. Even after all these years of being together, I still found my wife irresistible. Slipping into bed with me, she said quietly: “So, you will take the offer, won’t you?” she asked. By then, I had other things on my mind that had nothing to do with my transfer. “Yes, darling. I will. If that’s what you want,” I stated quickly as I drew her to me and buried my face in her full bosom...

****** A few weeks later, all was set for my journey to my new base. It was agreed that Grace, who taught at a school in town would be visiting with our son during the holidays. “Call as soon as you arrive Accra,” Grace said as Jake prepared to take me to the airport. She had refused to accompany me with the excuse that, “I don’t want to create a scene at the airport by crying too much!” I arrived safely and immediately resumed work. Within a few

Crime of passion (3)

months, I had settled down in the city and was beginning to enjoy the place. It was well-organised and less stressful than where I was coming from. I missed home though especially Grace. Infact, the highlight of my day was when I spoke with her after closing from work. I called her so often the phone bill for the first few months of my arrival was quite high. “At this rate, we will go bankrupt because of the high phone bill,” she said teasingly one day. “I don’t care. Listening to your voice makes our separation more bearable,” I noted. “It’s only for a short while. We will be coming over in two weeks, remember,” she said. Her school was closing for the long vacation soon and she was coming with Robert to join me in Accra. I asked after some family members and later Jake. “Ah, Jake has been wonderful! He checks on us regularly and he even took Robert to the park last week. He’s such a caring person,” she enthused. I felt immense relief at her words. The thought that my best friend was keeping an eye on my family made me feel less anxious about leaving them all alone while I was in a foreign country, working. My work, which I enjoyed took most of my time. The company’s products were in high demand so I did not have too much trouble pushing them. With the approval of head office in Lagos, I made some changes in our operations. I rented a large warehouse near the popular Makola market in the Tudu area of the city. The reason being that a lot of our customers were based in the market and its environs so it was more convenient for them if the products were close by and

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readily available. With time, I opened a new branch in Takoradi with plans to expand to Kumasi and other places later in the year. Once a month, I would travel to Abidjan to check on our branch in the city. At first, the language barrier was a problem as I did not speak French or any of their local dialects. Later, I employed a man who spoke English and that took care of the problem. And with each visit, I began to pick up some French. The country was just then recovering from a civil war, with economic activities gradually picking up. Though sales were slow at first, I knew that with time, things would pick up. At the end of my first year abroad, I was enjoying myself so much in my new post, that I wondered why I had been so reluctant to take up the posting initially. “I’m not sure I want to return to Nigeria soon,” I said to Jake one day. He had called to tell me that he would be coming to spend his leave with me in Accra in a few weeks. “I can’t believe it! Were you not the same person who was so reluctant to go there in the first place! What happened?” he queried. “Nothing much,” I replied. “It’s just that I like the place and I’m enjoying my work here,” I added. “Is that all? Are you sure you’ve not fallen for another woman over there?” he stated. “Fall for who? You think I’m like you who falls in and out of love every two months. You know there’s only one woman for meGrace. Others don’t exist for me,”I said firmly. “Ah, come on Ray! You are my friend. I won’t tell a soul, least of all Grace. So, what’s her name and what does she look like? Is she

Fall for who? You think I’m like you who falls in and out of love every two months. You know there’s only one woman for me-Grace. Others don’t exist for me

pretty? What does she do...?” he asked persistently. “Are you deaf or what? It’s nothing like that. I just...” I started to say when he butted in. “You think you can fool me? I will find out soon enough when I come,” he promised. ‘Idiot,’ I thought as the call ended, smiling wryly at the thought of my friend with his one way mind... In the rebels enclave I had been in Accra for about two years when another war broke out in Cote d’Ivoire. Tension had been brewing in the country for some months after the elections but most people did not think it would lead to renewed hostilities between the warring forces in the past war. Unluckily for us, we had just sent a large consignment of our products to the country, awaiting distribution. I needed to be there to oversee things and also arrange for the remitting of money from sales of the past months that had accumulated in our bank accounts. I tried calling my supervisor, Francois to give instructions on how to secure the goods but I could not reach him on phone. The goods were worth millions and I could not allow them to be destroyed as well as our other investments in the country. Based on that, I decided to travel to the country. “But sir, it might be dangerous for you. We heard on the news that there’s fighting in Abidjan,” my secretary, Ama protested when I told her of my plans. I waved her fears aside. “It can’t be that bad. At least people are still living there,”I stated, trying to make a joke of the situation. All flights to Abidjan had been cancelled so I made arrangements to travel across the border by road. At the border town Elubo, few vehicles were willing to cross over to the other side. The crises in the neighboring country had deterred many of the drivers who usually plied the route from working. A Nigerian I met at the border, was able to link me with a driver he knew who still ferried passen-

gers across the border, though at more than thrice the normal fare. We had crossed the border safely and even passed Noe, the Ivorien border town when the driver turned off the main road. He explained that rebel soldiers had taken over some portions of the road and he was going to pass through side roads that were safer. We had been driving on the side road for nearly an hour without incident, when we suddenly heard gun shots. Then, a group of men in camouflage uniform dashed from the surrounding bushes some metres away from our bus. The driver, perhaps in panic applied the breaks, and turning round shouted at us, the passengers to run into the bush. We didn’t need a second warning. We all ran out and fled into the thick bush. Behind us, I could hear the soldiers shooting and shouting at us. They were obviously chasing after us and my heart pumped with fear as I ran wildly away. The thought of dying in this strange place propelled me forward. At a point, I turned round to glance behind me and it was then I ran into a tree head on... I must have blacked out for I woke up sometime later in strange surroundings. As it turned out, I was in a camp of the rebel soldiers. I had been caught with some of the passengers in the bus and taken to their camp. I was to remain in that place for the next eight months. Though, the soldiers treated us fairly well, we were made to do all kinds of jobs for them. We became their cooks, cleaners, washermen and did other odd jobs around the camp. Some of the women prisoners became their bedmates. All the time I was in the camp, my thoughts were full of Grace, wondering what she must be going through. Did she and the rest of my friends, family and colleagues think I was dead since I got missing? From the little news we got in the camp, we heard that a lot of people had died in the war. I was determined to stay alive and not become one of the statistics in the war. I prayed that one day, I would be reunited with my beloved wife. That thought and the instinct for survival inherent in every human kept me sane in the camp. Then, one morning, we woke up to find the camp deserted by the rebels. Later, we heard that they had got advance warning from another unit that government forces were about to raid the camp. We all danced with jubilation at our freedom. We were later transported to a refugee camp in Abidjan run by an international charity organization. I tried calling home to tell them about my whereabouts, that I was alive and well. But communication in the country was bad because of the war. With the help of the organization, I was able to get some money with which I travelled back to Nigeria. As the cab that drove me home drew nearer my street that night, my heart beat in anticipation at being reunited with my family. I could imagine the look of surprise and joy on my wife’s face when she saw me. I smiled at the thought, my heart brimming with happiness. The front door was open when I arrived with the lights on. Thinking she had gone to bed and forgot to lock up, I headed straight for the bedroom. As I quietly opened the door, it was the soft moans I first heard, then the sight of my wife in bed with a man... •To be continued •Who’s the mystery man Ray caught his wife in bed with? Details next Saturday! •Names have been changed to protect the narrator’s identity. •Send comments/suggestions to 08023201831(sms only) or psaduwa@yahoo.com.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

DVENTURE in Dubai comes in dif ferent forms and shapes. However, not many offer the opportunity for one to feel the essence of this gulf country like the dhow cruise. Wikipedia discribed dhow as the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Dhows are trading vessels primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, fresh water or merchandise, along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and East Africa. Larger dhows have crews of approximately thirty,while smaller ones typically

The dhow boats are common in the Gulf and eastern countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and East Africa. The boats have been in use in this area since 1785 for commercial activities like conveying of goods and passengers from one point to the other. But they are no longer as popular as they were for such purposes now. In Dubai, however, they have become key attractions in driving the tourist industry. Thousands of tourists troop to the quays of the Deira area of Dubai for a dinner cruise adventure. The dhow dinner cruise is a huge hit, and in this write-up, OKORIE UGURU recounts an experience on a dhow cruise. have twelve. Well, in Dubai, these traditional boats are used more for leisure cruises. It offers fun-seekers the opportunity to dine on middle eastern cuisines and also explore the creeks

of Dubai leisurely, taking the skyline and some of the more traditional Dubai settlements. This is done in style. Arriving for the traditional dhow dinner cruise, one is a little uneasy by the

Tourism News

rather austere nature of the boats. They are built with woods, a jutting front that ends with a sharp edge. From outside, the only thing that looks modern about the boats are the huge electric cable of tiny

Intercontinental Hotel set to operate

HE hospitality industry in Lagos re ceived a boost recently as all is set for one of the leading hospitality brands in the world, Intercontinental Hotel, to opens its door to guests. The coming into the market of Intercontinental brand would further add to the list of top

hospitality brands already within the Ikoyi-Victotia Island axis. Currently, top brands include the Radisson Blu, Four Point By Sheraton, Sofitel, Southern Sun, African Sun, Protea and some indigenous brands like the Eko Hotel and Suites, Oriental Hotel and many others. However, the market for the Intercontinental Hotel would be upscale and the hotel is priding itself on being the first truly five-state hotel in Lagos. The hotel has lavishly furnished 358 rooms, including a massive 250m2 Presidential Suite and dedicated clubs and dining rooms that could compete favourably with leading hotels in Dubai, US and Europe. According to the facility tour guide and Front Office Manager of the hotel, Mr. Mohammed Tanko, “with 23 floors, Intercontinental Lagos is the tallest hotel in West Africa, boasting 358 rooms, 37 suites and a Presiden-

tial Suite. All rooms boast of stunning views of either the Lagos Creek or the Atlantic Ocean.” While the traffic on Victoria Island due to ongoing road work might be an issue for now, any built-up tension is sure to disappear as soon as guests take a seat at the hotel’s Ekaabo Restaurant or the Milano and Soho dining and entertaining bars which are set in an elegant, contemporary and warm environment that offers guests the tastes of the traditional Italian, Nigerian, Chinese and continental cuisines with a wide array of exotic wines and spirits catering to the most sophisticated palettes. Intercontinental Hotel Lagos Resident Manager, Marc Lambert, said the hotel was a global brand that had come to raise the bar in hospitality industry in Nigeria by offering unequalled experience as well as class. He said the facilities at Intercontinental Lagos equal any global hotel brands.

lights that is woven round the the boats like a Christmas tree. At night while sailing, what one sees is a floating spectrum of colours rather than a boat. Most of the dhow boats on dinner cruse starts boarding

around 8pm after the Moslem prayers. There are normally stewards that welcome one onbard with a glass cup of fruit juice. The interior of the boat is tastefully decorated, sharply different from what one sees from outside. It is not the normal Arabian living room sitting arrangement that seats are much lower with throw-in pillows to recline on. This is more of a Western sitting arrangement. The most dhow dinner cruise boats are doubledecker. Guests have the

Bantaba speed dating The third edition of the Bantaba speed dating will hold in Abuja in July. The Bantaba is a dating event that connects sellers of travel products with buyers. In addition to the speed dating, Abuja Bantaba will showcase the seven natural wonders of Nigeria. According to the organizers, the seven wonders is derived from a three-year search by experts. In January 2010, ATQ Magazine set up a committee to choose the 7wonders of Nigeria. After an exhaustive search and public voting, the project team announced the 7 manmade wonders of Nigeria, the famous “naija7wonders” in 2012. According to the project di-

Mr. Uko rector, Mr. Ikechi Uko, “following the popularity and the acceptance of naija7wonders by Nigerians, we see the need to release other findings. It is only appropriate to release the results of the “7Natural Wonders of Nigeria”. Obudu Mountain Resort qualified as both manmade

hold

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

choice of settlement deep in the boat below or take a seat at the top. The top is obviously much better simply because it gives one better view of the Dubai in the night, a rather enchanting sight. Arabian music plays from the background as one sits. One may not understand the wordings of the music, but that does not stop one from enjoying the sonorous voice of the singers and the instrumentation which is eastern. Mu-

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Arriving for the traditional dhow dinner cruise, one is a little uneasy by the rather austere nature of the boats. They are built with woods, a jutting front that ends with a sharp edge. From outside, the only thing that looks modern about the boats are the huge electric cable of tiny lights that is woven round the the boats like a Christmas tree

sicians sing about different things based on their reality, but there is always one common topic that they sing about and this is love. Occasionally, habibi, the Arabian word for love, is not far away in the music. Gradually, the dhow set sail, the music continues to blare on the quiet Dubai creek and the silver water ripples as the dhow slices through. The light of the tall buildings reflects on the water. Guests are allowed to sail and enjoy the calmness of the water and senses suck in the exquisite feelings. With a glass of drink, one could simply recline by the boat, enjoy the solitude of the blend of na-

ture and man as seen in the water and the modern buildings all around. Then the entertainment starts, the Sufi dancer comes on board to entertain. He twists and turns with his tambourine altered with some other objects. The dance is very intricate and done with a certain grace and elegance in steps. It is difficult to imagine how one could dance for such a long time without falling. Sufi dance essentially rotates about its own axis, and through this movement, the dancers alternate states of consciousness and mystical ecstasy, while his soul emerges from earthly ties to

enter the kingdom of God. The dance is a universe of Sufi mystics to connect with God. It was dinner time and one after the other, the guests filed to the dinner table to serve themselves. There was no alcohol served. The cruise went on for about one hour and then it was time for the return journey. Along the way, more 20 dhow boats cruised by filled with people. Although some cruises offer performances by belle dancers, our was just the Sufi dancers. But most of the guests did not seem to mind as they enjoyed the performance. The guests can enjoy the exquisite oriental cuisine. Daily boarding starts at 8 pm and the dhow sets sail at 8:30 pm providing everyone aboard with a wonderful two-hour experience.

•Sufi dancer

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holds next month and natural wonder, but because of the Cable Car, it was listed as the premier manmade wonder of Nigeria. The 7 Natural Wonders of Nigeria are Ikogosi Warm and Cold Springs in Ekiti State, Ogbunike Cave in Anambra State, Mambilla Plateau (Gashaka Gumti Park) in Taraba State, Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Owu Falls in Kwara State, Confluence of River Niger and Benue at Lokoja, Kogi State and Farin Ruwa Falls in Nassarawa State. Abuja Bantaba is an annual event for workshop and exhibition. Aside the hosting the 7wonders party, the organizers say that they intend to show the key to owning the Nigerian Travel Market which is to know the answer to this Simple Question: “What does the Nigerian Traveller want”? Bantaba is bringing experts to speak on the Nigerian Traveller and his habits at this year’ edition holding on July 5. Some of the guest speakers at the workshop include Uloma Egbuna -CEO Tour Brokers International TBI, Partner Gulliver

Travels, South African Tourism Best African Tour Operator , Thobi Duma -Country Manager (Nigeria), South African Airways and Adefemi Adefope -Chairman HRG, former president NANTA,GSA,Delta Airlines, Chuka Agbu (SAN) - tourism lawyer (Lexavier Associates) and Eniofiok Ekong – President, Hotel Owners Forum Abuja (HOFA). Abuja Bantaba, 2013 organized by AKWAABA Travel Market & ATQNEWS.COM, is aimed at bringing travel business to Abuja as most companies concentrate on Lagos alone neglecting the travel potential in Abuja and the North which is huge. Abuja is the tranquil capital of Nigeria and an architectural master piece. The expo’s major function is one of a relationship broker that targets, attracts and matches the need of buyers and suppliers and will feature multimedia type exhibition, Travellers’ Award and workshop with certificates awarded to participants at the end of the event.

Continental Suites clocks 10

NE of the leading hospitality outfits in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Continental Suites, recently marked its tenth anniversary. To mark the anniversary, the management of the hotel lined a number of activities, including an in-house fashion parade. The celebration climaxed with a party on the hotel premises. The proprietor of the hotel, Otunba Wasiu Taiwo, said for a hospitality business to do business and make progress within the last 10 years was not a small achievement, and, as such, it was worth celebrating. He said the success story of Continental Suites, which many regard as the best hotel in the Ogun State capital, was predicated on hard work and the desire to offer guests quality services. He said: “Thank God, I think it means a lot to me because 10 is a landmark. When you start from one, two, three down to 10, I think it is worth celebrating. It means a lot to me. “Hotel business is not easy to run in this kind of business environment. We have to go extra miles to achieve what we want. I am talking in terms of delivering good services. And if you have somebody that is doing it and he is taking the lead in that environment, even a state capital, it is commendable.” Taking some selected travel journalists on facility tour of the hotel, he said part of the reason the hotel was still in good shape was the extra miles the management of the hotel went to maintain the facilities. Otunba Taiwo said: “It was really a big challenge. I have the grace of God to do what I am doing now because hospitality business was not really what I wanted to do. I just diversified when God said we should. I am an outfitter; I still do that in between the hotel and primary call which is tailoring. It has not been easy at all, but when you have the grace of God, there is nothing that you cannot do, and that is what is sustaining us today. “The way we are doing business is not favourable, and we have to go the extra miles to make sure we deliver services to our customers. You still have to teach somebody that called himself a graduate basic things. The worst part is that you have to teach him the same thing every day. “We started modestly with 19 rooms.We have now got 60.We have to grow the brand to become a public quoted company. I leave everything to God. If God wants us to go further, then why not? But at the end of the day, I don’t want to do a one-man business. I want the business to succeed me, even succeed my children. That is why we want to do it the right way. If I go tomorrow, I don’t want the business to die. Now we are laying the foundation. Very soon, we are going to the stock market and make it open so that the business will run itself at the end of the day.”

Sheraton Abuja Hotel adds variety nights

HERATON Abuja Hotel has begun her Special Variety Nights among which includes the Indian Night and the African Night. The Indian Night comes up every Friday with lots of exciting and memorable features which include tasty and affordable cuisines from different towns and cities in India. The menu comes at a great discount and is prepared by a world-class Indian chef, Arhtar Mashirwho. It also treats guests to live cooking, assorted Indian cocktails and beverages always available in great supply Plus Beautiful Indian Music and dances to wow you all through the night. Closely followed is the African Night which comes up every Wednesday night where guests are treated to delicious and tasty continental African cuisineswith assorted local drinks like zobo, kunu, furaetc, as well as regular drinks, fruits / desserts. The chef also treats guests to live making of pounded yam and isi-ewu (goat-head).

Next is the Tasty Cuisine ‘Prime Rib Dinner’ every Friday night at the Obudu Grill of Sheraton Abuja Hotel. The dinner consists of a whole roasted prime rib served with Merlot wine gravy, olive oil, rosemary and garlic, roasted potatoes and much more. There is also the Ostrich Meat from SouthAfrica which comes in two varieties the dubble marinated ostrich and the butter basted ostrich and is readily available from Thursday to Saturday. Then finally is the Special Swimmers Package where swimmers get to swim for free after which they are treated to a sumptuous meal at the boat-house a great discount with a complimentary soft drink.

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

I take time off twice a month to be with my daughter - Fashion

outfit boss Tolu Omoniyi EXECUTIVE LEISURE

f it were in the United States , Tolu Omoniyi, the CEO of Bobos Clothing, would probably have been hopping from one movie location to another, acting roles in different movies, and establishing himself as a movie star. But Omoniyi is not into acting. He is into another version of glamour- fashion- a business which does not only bring food to his table, but also satisfaction. Omoniyi is a graduate of Accountancy with an MBA to complement it. “I read accounting at Ilaro Polytechnic, Ogun

Tolu Omoniyi

Gbenga ADERANTI State . I worked briefly in three different banks before I resigned to start my own business. When I resigned from the bank, I was not into clothing business. I resigned and went into telecomsat, with the emergence of GSM network in Nigeria. I was a dealer with the major networks. I started with CardMaster Nigeria Limited as a dealer and later ventured into wholesale mobile phones importation and it was while doing that I started playing with fashion and later it became my major business,”

From vending newspapers to the palace Osun monarch tells his grass-to-grace story FORTUNE& I L

ong before he was crowned as a monarch, Oba Abeeb Adetoyese Agbaje, the Olu of Ile-Ogbo, knew he would one day rule over his people. He recalled that while growing up in his native community in Osun State, he was told by some unknown persons in his dreams that he would one day be crowned as a king in the town. He said: “Right from childhood, I always dreamt that I would one day become a king. I would see people showing me respect. At the beginning, I was usually scared because I never believed that I would become a king. I thought it was deceit because I didn't see how it would be possible.” Oba Agbaje knew that it would take more than his royal blood for his dreams to come true. According to him, the realities of life had shown him that a successful leader must have the wherewithal to lead his people. So, shortly after he graduated from the college of education and worked briefly as a teacher, he left his community and headed for Lagos with his brother to become a newspaper vendor. At the beginning, he recalled, his trips to Lagos were made on a weekly basis. He soon realised that he was better off selling newspapers on the streets of Lagos than teaching. He said: “While I was in secondary school, I

Segun AJIBOYE

would travel to Lagos with my brother to sell newspapers. It was something like a holiday job for me at the time. After I graduated from the College of Education, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, where I studied Guidance and Counselling, I took up a teaching appointment. But I later moved to Lagos to start newspaper business. “What really motivated me to head for Lagos was that I was sure that I would make more money selling newspapers than teaching in a classroom.” According to him, the newspaper business turned out to be more lucrative than life as a teacher. But he actually got his breakthrough when the now-rested National Concord newspaper appointed him a distributor for its newspapers in parts of Lagos, comprising the airport, Oshodi, Ikeja and other strategic areas. He said: “I sold newspapers on the streets at the time. But it got to a point when National Concord needed distributors. I put in an application, and I was lucky to be

appointed a distributor. “I became the first distributor for Ikeja and its environs. I was responsible for supplying the paper to Lagos Airport, Ikeja and Oshodi, among other lucrative areas in Lagos. I later got the distributorship of The Guardian newspaper as well” He later crowned his status as a newspaper agent with his emergence as the chairman of the National Association of Newspaper Distributors, Ikeja Branch. For a man who started as a vendor, this was no doubt a huge success. With both feet strongly rooted in newspaper business, the young Agbaje began to see more business opportunities in other ventures. He tried his hands on petroleum and

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cement businesses, and within a short period, he became successful in both. With this began a conglomerate that later put him in good stead to become the popular choice of his kinsmen when the time came to appoint a monarch for his town. His success in life, he says, has surpassed his expectations. “If I must confess, I would say I have been very lucky. God has really been kind to me in all my ways. I think my success has really gone beyond my imagination.” A little over one year after assuming the leadership of his community, Oba Adetoyese has learnt to balance his private life with his new status as a king. And like most monarchs, he is not in short supply of 'gifts' from his subjects who want their daughters to be the king's wives. But he

If I must confess, I would say I have been very lucky. God has really been kind to me in all my ways. I think my success has really gone beyond my imagination

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013 Omoniyi reminiscences At the time he started Bobos Clothing outfit in 2006, nobody would have imagined that it would grow to what it is today. Back then, the industry was thoroughly saturated and controlled by the big fashion houses located along the highbrow Allen/Opebi, Ikeja Lagos. But Omoniyi would not allow the big players to dwarf him, as he was determined to follow his mind. The result of Omoniyi's resilience is what Bobos Clothing has become today with two outlets in Lagos , and branches in Abuja and Port Harcourt . The outlets are stocked in men's clothes, accessories section, a perfumery, a barbing salon and a special section dedicated for women's dress shirt. Initially, Omoniyi didn't have the dream of setting up a multi-million naira fashion outfit, but it took a push from friends here and there before a decided to go all hog to turn his passion into business. “I was just playing with it because I brought some stuff on demand and sold them to friends. From selling to friends, I started selling to friends' friends, and I started getting more people that who wanted to buy. I was doing the selling from my house then until people started encouraging me to open a shop. Along the line, I did open a shop and I found out that there was more in that shop for me than in the telecom office that I was running. That was how I deviated and majored in clothing.” He derives pleasure in 'playing' with fashion business. But like every Nigerian graduate, he would have remained in paid employment, but for his entrepreneurial passion he went into business and later majored in clothing. Though friends encouraged him to take the clothing business more seriously than just doing it by the side. “Something I find out about the business is that you end up

getting more from a business that you derive pleasure in. Business sometimes goes beyond making immediate profit. That is one of the things that I have come to understand,” he said. Omoniyi has confidently competed in an otherwise hostile business environment. “I did not just sell things to people because I want to make profit out of them. I have had a situation whereby a customer on the big side walked into the shop to buy three suits and I would check what I had, and if they don't suit him, I would encourage him to buy one that has good fitting on him and come back in two or three weeks when I would have more suits that would fit him. “My belief is that someone referred him to us and I also want him to refer people to us, and customers easily refer people when they see something that suits them well. To me, my business idea is not about immediate profit; the profit will come if you are doing the right thing. You may have to lose out to some immediate profits initially. Clothing for me goes beyond profit, it's just something of passion.” Bobos Clothing is currently planning a movement to enter into another phase. ”We are looking at making out our own designs and specification. It is not easy to have an industry that makes its own label alone. Most designers that you see give their jobs to different industries around the world, and they just give specification of what they

has also learnt to politely reject such 'gifts', insisting that he would make the move to take a second wife when the time is ripe. “It is normal for royal fathers to have many wives. It is also normal for the people to present their daughters as ‘gifts’ to the king. Many fathers have approached me, asking me to take their daughters as wives. I told them that I would take a wife when I am ready. And that was exactly what I did. I took a wife when I was ready.” Aside from this, he has also learnt to balance the running of his businesses in Lagos with playing the role of a traditional ruler and father to his people. “You really need to exercise patience as a king. With your businesses, you can sack any erring staff and do away with his or her service. But as a king, you cannot say because a subject had done something, that such subject should leave town. So you must devise a way to deal with your people and make sure that they are all happy.” Though a Christian, Oba Adetoyese says his new role as the leader of his people has ensured that he attends to the needs of the religions in his kingdom without prejudice. “I am a Christian. But my role as the king has put on my shoulders another responsibility that I must attend to the needs of everybody. For me, it no longer matters whether you are a Christian, Muslim or a traditional religion believer. If there is need for me to attend a programme at the mosque, I would be there. The same for the traditional people. The palace is open for them to come and see me any time.” On his dream for his people, the monarch said he wishes to see his kingdom develop and assume the status of a city during his reign. Towards this end, he has taken the bull by the

horns by constructing a new ultra-modern palace, which he said will mark the beginning of new things in the town. The monarch also hailed the performance of the governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, in bringing development to the people in the grassroots. “The governor is doing a great job all over the state. He has really done well with all the projects he embarked on since he became the governor. Look at the number of roads he has constructed, look at the education sector. The truth is that the man has done very well.” Asked what his daily prayers are since becoming a traditional ruler, Oba Adetoyese smiled and said: “What better prayer would a king say to God if not long life and wisdom to lead his people? Sincerely, these are the things that I ask for every day.” The king is no doubt enjoying his new status as a traditional ruler. But he is also missing some aspects of his old life. “There were several things I could do those days without anybody raising an eyebrow. But my life is no longer the same. For instance, I can no longer wear non-native attires in the public. I can no longer drink or eat in public. In fact, there were many things I could those days, which have become taboos for me today.”

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I'm at work every day. On Sundays, I go to work sometimes after the service. I relax by spending time with my family. I stay with my baby daughter once or twice in a month, and that is when I stay away from work. I do my work on the system on such days

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want and they produce for them. We do not want to come out with just anything, but when we are coming out, we would not be coming out with the name Bobos Clothing because Bobos Clothing sells different labels. We would be coming out in a separate name that Bobos can also sell and others too can sell for us”. Omoniyi currently has more than 19 people, including graduates and professionals, working for him. The clientele base includes top government functionaries, professionals and celebrities. He is also a major player in the evergrowing Nigerian wedding industry, and has over nine awards to their credit in the last six years with the latest as the best groom outfit award given by the Wed Magazine, organisers of the wed expo early this year. He is a workaholic. To him, every passing day is an opportunity for business. “I'm at work every day. On Sundays, I go to work sometimes after the service. I relax by spending time with my family. I stay with my baby daughter once or twice in a month, and that is when I stay away from work. I do my work on the system on such days”. He also takes time off on Saturdays and Sundays after church to attend family, friends and customers functions. However, despite his busy schedule, Omoniyi still finds time to relax by going on vacation abroad with his family. “I go on vacation with my wife for two weeks or about 10 days. What I do when I travel was business and pleasure, more of business that was before I got married. But since I got married, I have a trip in a year for strictly vacation”. While some prefer going to gyms, Omoniyi preferred to jog in the morning four times a week, unfortunately, marriage has put a temporary end to that. He does not jog any more. “I don't go to the gym. I know that if I register for one, I may not have the time to attend. Going to work is not stress for me because sincerely, I enjoy what I do and I thank God for that”.

Adetoyese Agbaje

Tips on how to invest your money wisely Arejiogbe OLUGBENGA

or many people, investing their money is one huge challenge they have had to cope with. It is quite common these days to hear persons ask the ubiquitous questions: 'On what should I invest my money?', ‘what business can I do with my money?', 'How do I invest my seed?', 'Help, I need business ideas'. The following are essential tips that could assist you in your quest for business ideas or areas where you could focus for business investment: PASSION: Your passion is extremely important when it comes to business investment. What do you like or prefer doing best at all times? What is your unique area of interest? You need to identify this particular area of interest before venturing into any business. Your passion keeps you focused in your chosen investment area if things appear awry or unexciting, especially at the beginning of the business. Experienced business men and women know that all business investments have their gestation period. The first few months or years of business may not be that rosy. You need to persevere and keep working hard towards success. NEED IDENTIFICATION: Wisdom in business investment requires that you look for a compelling need in your area and fill this need. Find out the need of the people in your environment. What problems are people in your area facing? Can you provide effective solution to this problem? Sometimes, the demand and supply trends of goods and services in an area could speak volume about the business opportunities in such an area. Most items of daily use are in this category. It could be scarcity of the product, or many people are going very far to buy the item. Are people complaining bitterly about a product or service? Shine your eyes! Go ahead and invest. GET A BUSINESS COACH: Most times, getting a business coach or a mentor is crucial for business startup. If you are new or ignorant about any business area you are dabbling into, it is advisable you find someone who has taken that business route before and learn from him or her. If it requires paying the person for training, please do not hesitate because you will recoup the reward later in your business. It is better to take one step in the right direction than taking two wrong steps. This saves time, energy and money. START SMALL: There is wisdom in starting from a small scale. Don't forget that you are still going to move through the learning curve. This allows you ample time to easily correct any errors or re-organise all activities to meet customers' expectations and desires.

Olugbenga is a Lagos-based business consultant

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Family government (2)

ear Reader, Last week, I started a teaching on Family Government and we examined the responsibilities required of the man, as the head of the family. This week, we will be examining the responsibilities of the woman in the family. The role of the woman in family government is one of submission. “Submit” means to put oneself under the control of another. A wife is, therefore, scripturally expected to be under the control of her husband. So, women, if you are the type that your husband cannot control, then you are not submissive! God’s Word in Ephesians 5:22 says: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands… You have a primary responsibility of submitting to the leadership of the man as commanded by God. The creation story recounted in Genesis 2:22: And the rib, which the Lord had taken from man, made He a woman and brought her unto the man. God took a rib from the side of the man to form the woman. He did not take it from Adam’s head or feet, but from his side. In other words, this means that the role of the woman is beside the man in submission. My husband used to say that anything that has two heads is a monster and I believe it. In a family government, there is only one head recognized by God, and that head is the man. This is unquestionable and non-negotiable. However, submission should be from the heart and find expression on the outside, through your actions. It is hypocrisy, when submission is not genuinely from the heart. Genuine

Health Matters With DR MIKE OYAKHIRE 08170268670 email: drmikeoyakhire@yahoo.com

AST week I tried to put a definition on the phrase “street children’, tried’ because it has not been easy finding the most appropriate definition -in addition to what was provided last week it might be necessary to add, that street children are usually below the age of 18 years, and are those who for quite some time have made the streets, not only places where they live, eat and play ,but also areas, or structures where these children do some minor work related activities . It also important to stress that in all these, they (the children) are neither protected nor supervised by visible and well known adults. The issue is generating concern for experts and professionals in pediatrics, public and child health, because of the numerous problems associated with different categories of street children. Beyond that, recent events in the social and family history of this country have tended to make street life more attractive to even children who have been given the opportunity to go to school. It is easy to understand that as the pools of street children continue to enlarge, patterns of antisocial behavior previously unheard of will begin to declare themselves. Some of the children involved in heinous criminal activities these days are so young and fragile that you are forced to question their sanity. Juvenile delinquency in whatever shape or form indeed threatens National progress and so if we pretend that street children don’t amount to anything, we should expect additional variants of street children who will be specializing in different shades of crime and acting as bridges or social networks of infections across different populations,- urban, suburban and rural. On the other hand, criminals have gone from trafficking in hard drugs to selling female children as sex slaves, with consequences such as teenage pregnancy, criminal abortion, septic abortion, infanticide etc For the girl child, street life is particularly traumatic, and the jeopardy is multidimensional; ..The street girl child does not have the capacity (as a result of extreme poverty) to negotiate for safer sex (with use of condom) ..for reason of age, ( young vaginal epithelium not like the stratified squamous type found in the older woman), her external reproductive tract is easily damaged with consequent formation of entry portals for infectious agents such as, syphilis, hepatitis B, human papilloma virus(HPV) and the HIV/ AIDS …..Because of ignorance the girl child may not seek medical help on time; she becomes a reservoir as well as a persistent source of infection for very many people Street children as has been agreed can be placed in two broad categories; those who are more or less permanently away from homes (children of the street) and those who return to their homes to sleep.

Characteristics:

Children of the street Tend to have shifty restless eyes, with a tendency to rotate to opposite corners. They try to size you up, as if to look beyond you into your brain. Older ones are unusually secretive or unusually quiet, because they develop what is referred

submission to your husband should reflect in your speech and behaviour in public and private. Your words will reveal it and of course your actions will speak even louder than your words! Submission should cover every area. Even if your husband is an unbeliever, he is still the husband, so you the wife, should submit. However, it is also important to note that submission to the authority of your husband, does not mean doing it in foolishness. Any submission that will make you go into sin, disobey God’s Word and eventually miss heaven, is unscriptural. When whatever you do, does not fit into the Lord’s command as Ephesians 5:22 and Colossians 3:18 say: you are to decline. This, however, must be done in meekness. Submission should provoke you to contribute to the success of the family government, by giving reasonable suggestions, ideas, prayers and other forms of helps as the case may be. Allow no room for arguments, fighting and disagreement because they are easy access by which the enemy comes in. A knowledgeable understanding of your husband, will help you to know how to communicate effectively in wisdom. Four things that make submission easy are: prayer, obedience, love and humility. If you don’t love your husband, you will find it difficult to submit to him (Titus 2:4). I have been married for over some decades now. My husband and I have never had an occasion to look at each other in the face in a scuffle, argument or fight. Your submission speaks for you and wins your husband (I Peter 3:1). It is possible to live together without fighting and arguing. I am a living testimony to the fact that it is possible, and many couples are enjoying the same blessing. If it is working for others and me, it will also work for you, if you believe, in Jesus’ name. This testimony shared by a sister will build up your hope and determination, in fulfilling your responsibility in your government: “I lost my marriage in 1996, due to stupidity and ignorance.

I came to the Bible School in August, and during the course on Family Life, the Bishop’s wife said, ‘Divorce can be healed. Wounds can be healed, but the scars remain forever. As much as possible, fight them’. I made up my mind to fight it and take my home back. I discovered there were some things I needed to drop from my life. God worked on me through the messages I received on this altar, and I straightened my path. Right now, we are reconciled and there is peace in my home. My husband has more respect for me now, and I have also learnt to respect him better. I give God all the glory! – Adeniran, F. (Mrs.) God is still in the business of restoration. He will restore and help you to make things right again, when you accept Him through His Son Jesus Christ and become born again. If you will like to be born again and begin to enjoy God’s help and peace in your home, please say this prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your blood. Deliver me from sin and satan, to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into your kingdom”. Congratulations, you are now born again! I believe that you will begin to experience the reality of the price that Jesus paid for your sins at Calvary. All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name! Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through:

E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 07026385437; 07094254102 For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Making Marriage Work, Marriage Covenant, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored)

Pediatrics and child health; in focus:

Children of the street and children on the street (2) to as thought broadcast, in which they feel every one is aware of what they do in their hide outs They are unkempt, because lack of access to clean water is a major problem predisposing them to various skin diseases.— ring worm (Tinea capitis, corporis), boils, ulcers, lice , etc Children of the street have a very high tendency to become quickly aggressive and have the skill to weaponize any thing from spoons, teeth, bones and bottles. They will steal and sell any thing and often die from accidental poisoning Those who survive long enough into adult hood may develop kleptomania later with difficulty in rehabilitation even after conditions have improved.

Children on the street

These are mostly children who spend most of their day time periods on the street and retire to various homes during the nights, the homes could be where their parents, or parents of friends reside or where uncles, aunties or other relations reside, and where they are likely to have greater avenues to sneak out at will to the streets. At times the distinction between these two categories of street children is blurred, because a child of the street can find a roof over his or her head sometime either as a criminal apprentice, a house boy or a live- in lover, whereas some children on the street can equally decide for various reasons to run away from homes and to become children of the street In both categories there are usually more males than females because feGroup of roaming street kids males are in general less likely to demonstrate ambivalence when it comes to issues of personal danger. The consequences of street life are more dangerous for females, a factor which may have influenced the level of perception and the length of time spent as a street child. A girl child who sees unwanted pregnancy in an older sister may conclude that person got herself into the mess by going outside the supervision of their mother, she may then prepare herself to act or behave in ways that will not make her pass through that road.

Characteristics

Children on the streets, look or appear like normal home children, but will have some of the features of the children who are more or less permanently outside the House. They will have wounds , which may be concealed from parents, and cases have been seen of wounds badly infected with Tetanus; such children die not because parents couldn’t afford medi care but because the child lived on the street, away from the care and protection of parents and siblings .Sexual aggression will not be as evident as in the child on the street, the eyes will be shifty, and because the mind is heavy, will avoid meeting eyes of Mom .There will be heightened tendency to avoid Dad, because someone of father figure status has been discovered on the street. Antisocial attitude towards sisters and brothers will manifest as soon as the child on the street assumes he has secured a place of recognition on the

street, especially when as part of the need for physical build up and readiness to engage in physical combat at all times, the child on the street will after a short while have begun to display male dominance type aggression, and so will try get into physical combat with siblings. The child on the street, especially the older ones(12-18)years may engage in sexual advances directed against older females in the family , There is a tendency for a boy who spends reasonable periods of time on the street with little or no communication with parents to see his mother in sexual context as just another woman . Most importantly, households with bigger and older house keepers or house helps may be in trouble when such girls or women take advantage of this to sexually abuse children who spend much time on the streets .The child on the street will steal money, materials as well as vital information from home and be ready to sell them for money or position, in which case he or she puts the family in great danger. Parents discussing delicate business transactions stand the risk of dropping hints that can be passed on to criminals. Street children will come home when they expect no one or very few people at home. They could also be coming home only when they are things to remove. For older ones, coming home in agitated states could portend serious personal danger from the streets; perhaps he has been marked for a life threatening punishment.

Problem background

Many issues interact to generate street children. These are enumerated as here under; Sudden loss of one or both parents can be very traumatic indeed. Usually when this occurs, kids are shared out or forced to go and live with members of the family-no formula is needed, and background check on the social history of new parents are overshadowed by the urgent need to ensure that hungry mouths find food to eat; Such children then become the subject of abuse, when ever there is marital hiccups (transferred aggression) or when there is not enough to go around. With time, the kids become confident and begin to go to the streets(children on the street), and if conditions don’t improve, graduate to children of the street, with greater freedom, including freedom to drink alcohol, smoke Indian hemp, sniff cocaine and end up in Neuropsychiatric Hospitals Some parents bring up their kids only up to certain age and simply ask them to leave the and go fend for themselves because two many men and women can’t comfortably live in one house. The traditional preference for male sex favors male children who then get more of everything. A girl child could take this to the extreme and begin to take to the streets if mom is seen to demonstrate the same bias. The girl child seeks and finds love on the streets and jumps into the arms of someone who ends up being a street gangster and the result could be very sad, - the vicious cycle is completed when she ends up with an unwanted pregnancy, becomes a baby mother and yet has no idea whatsoever how to bring up a child in terms of good moral support and education.

To be continued

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Overcoming depression:

Benefits of cucumber

Self spychotherapy

EPRESSION is a lessening of one’s ego and capa bility to express oneself. In the extreme, it leads to unconscious hatred of self and self-destruction or suicide. Self-destruction may be abrupt or gradual, total or partial, wilful or inadvertent. The first, and possibly the best, and even for most people, the only treatment for depression is psychotherapy, especially at the verge or onset of common depression or for mild depression. For major depressive disorder (MDD), when depression seriously debilitates, a person may not be able to initiate or respond to psychotherapy. In the case of clinically diagnosed depression, drugs are prescribed to the patient. Electroconvulsive therapy (electric shock therapy) is a special treatment tried for extreme cases of debilitating depression. Psychotherapy is something everybody should learn the basics of. First we need to deal with causes. This may involve breaking a stressor (such as oppression, injustice, unfairness, violation, deprivation); disengaging a cause (such as religion, culture, ideology, politics, tradition); or counteracting a precipitating factor (such as envy, loss, rivalry, failure). Some of these factors may be good or indifferent but may be influencing a person badly. Recognizing the origin and causative factors involved in the depression is the first step to a correct treatment of the depression. Very often, failure to treat depression well comes from dealing with it from the outside (psychoanalysis) and not from the inside (empathy) of a person suffering depression. In such cases drugs can be given harmfully, causing more damage to the person. Within one’s family, empathy toward one another helps to ward of depression and depressive episodes in family life. Self-knowledge is a good habit to cultivate in life. There are problems in life that nobody can solve for oneself because nobody but oneself understands them. Usually other persons regard us from their own points of view, from their own interests, from their own will, from their own desire, emotions, passions, experiences, beliefs, goals, (all good or bad) etc. Paradoxically, one’s ego cannot be rectified without one’s ego. Health care givers, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, counsellors, and therapists often miss this and depression remains one of the most difficult ailments to treat. Authoritarian, totalitarian, dictatorial, and patriarchal societies always need to have checks and balances so that they “let people be”. The unfulfilled person adds to no society. Balancing is another major concept for psychotherapy. Nature is full of balancing. A body is healthy only because of involuntary homeostatic processes that go on within the body and maintain normal body parameters such as temperature, minerals, fluids, blood pressure, nutrients, oxygenation, immunity, etc. Thus a body stays

normal even with changes in the environment or continual challenges and assaults. In the case of depression, the effects of the world on one’s life need to be balanced. Negative experiences, events, encounters, relationships, conditions, and other realities need to be offset by positive ones or by opposing ones. It could be as simple as having your favourite ice cream after an awful traffic jam but usually it means a substantial and long-term effort to deal with the factors that cause depression. Coping mechanisms can be developed as we mature in life. There are many factors that tend to keep us down but there are also many factors that tend to raise us up and we should be familiar with them and know how to balance our lives. A difficult aspect of psychotherapy is recognizing the consequences of depression on oneself. Depression could make one to embark on self-destructive behaviour such as overeating, excessive sleeping or inactivity, excessive drinking (alcohol), drug abuse (of either prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, or social drugs), sexual abuse, pessimism, unproductive escapisms (into excessive television viewing, gossiping), etc. One could also engage in destructive attitudes towards other persons (a person who does not appreciate his or her true self may not appreciate other persons). A person who is routinely mean, hateful, or antisocial may be under the influence of chronic depression. Another major factor in psychotherapy of depression is promoting or supporting the ego. When a child is in pain, is frightened, threatened, or in need, it runs into its father’s arms and, there, the child feels secured. The child feels bigger than its bully when it is in its father’s arm and can even pull faces at the bully. Prayer is a sure way to keep in one’s top form no matter what happens in life and no matter how we perceive the world. It is where we are biggest and best. Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please Email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

HIV/ AIDS

Coping with diseases

HE term AIDS is an acronym that stands for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome". It is acquired because the victims do not inherit the condition, but contract it. Immune deficiency means that the victim's natural bodily defense mechanisms are unable to function properly, and "syndrome" refers to the combination of different abnormalities or diseases making up this condition. AIDS is a complex of diseases and symptoms resulting from unexplained immune deficiency; caused by a retrovirus, culminating in a "mixed-bag" of lifethreatening opportunistic infections, which invariably results in death. The retrovirus that causes AIDS is known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with types I, II, and III already isolated. Although there have been wide speculations and insinuations as to the origin of the virus (HIV), the fact still remains that the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed in North America, Europe and Central Africa about the same time in 1981. Since then, cases are being reported all over the world and most countries now have people with "fullblown" AIDS as well as carriers infected with the virus. It occurs in about 1 to 10% of the population and the incubation period is 4 to 10 years. The virus has been isolated mostly from semen, vaginal secretion and blood. It is generally believed to be contracted through sexual intercourse, transfusion of contaminated blood, use of un-sterile instruments such as needles, blades and catheters, trans-placental infection, organ transplant, tattooing and circumcision as well as breast-feeding. The major characteristic feature of AIDS is weight loss

of about 10kg within 1 month without a known cause. Other symptoms include chronic diarrhoea, persistent cough, skin infections, oro-pharyngeal candidiasis, swollen lymph glands and night sweating.

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

With Prof. Dayo Oyekole

Prevention Prevention of AIDS is achieved through avoidance of casual sex, and other factors that may predispose to HIV infection; as well as sterile procedures in clinico-surgical practices. Treatment and Control Before recommending our treatment and control packages for HIV/ AIDS, it is pertinent to ask the following questions: 1. Why do outbreaks of serious infectious diseases leave some people devastated and others free? 2. If some people are known to be carriers and could go around with the virus for up to 15 years before they physically breakdown, couldn't there be ways of helping to cleanse the virus from the system before it manifests? 3. Are the sufferer's thoughts, aspirations and living habits not affecting the disease cycle as well as response to treatment? If yes, then in Holistic Lifecare, we are committed to total cure of HIV/AIDS sufferers when they have just been tested and diagnosed positive, when they are still able to eat, drink and move around on their own, but not when they are expecting their funeral the next day! The Holistic Natural Remedy being suggested for restoring good health, vitality, and total cure in HIV/ AIDS sufferers; is a combination of herbal, nutritional and psycho-social therapies at the appropriate time and in the right proportion. Notable among the useful herbs for

UCUMBERS are the fourth most cultivated vegetable in the world and known to be one of the best foods for your body’s overall health, often referred to as a superfood. Cucumbers are often sprayed with pesticides so it is important to buy organic or even better, grow them yourself. Here are some benefits of cucumbers: •Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins. •Rehydrates body and replenishes daily vitamins - Cucumbers are 95 percent water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body eliminate toxins. Cucumbers have most of the vitamins the body needs in a single day. •Fight cancers - Cucumber are known to contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol. These three lignans have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and prostate cancer. •Relieves bad breath - Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath. •To avoid a morning hangover or headache; eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish many essential nutrients, reducing the intensity of both hangover and headache. •Aids in weight loss and digestion - Due to its low calorie and high water content, cucumber is an ideal diet for people who are looking for weight loss. The high water content and dietary fiber in cucumbers are very effective in ridding the body of toxins from the digestive system, aiding digestion. •Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as a remedy for chronic constipation. •Cures diabetes, reduces cholesterol and controls blood pressure - Cucumber juice contains a hormone which is needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin which has been found to be beneficial to diabetic patients. Cucumbers contain a lot of potassium, magnesium and fiber. These work effectively for regulating blood pressure. Cucumber is good for treating both low blood pressure and high blood pressure. •Promotes joint health, relieves gout and arthritis pain -Cucumber is an excellent source of silica, which is known to help promotes joint health by strengthening the connective tissues. They are also rich in vitamin A, B1, B6, C & D, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium. When mixed with carrot juice, they can relieve gout and arthritis pain by lowering the uric acid levels. • Slices of cucumber placed on the closed eyes reduce swelling and soothe the eyes. Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as a remedy for chronic constipation. Sources: www.healthonlinezine.info

HIV/AIDS are Aloe vera, Allium sativum, Harpagophytum zeyheri, Echinacea augustifolia and Zingiber officinale. For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Nigeria's army gunning for Boko Haram

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The next stage is to consolidate and ensure miscreants and troublemakers in the form of terrorists don't have access to civilian areas where they can cause problems

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The Nigerian army tried to crush the Islamist militants in 2009 but the group came back stronger with more deadly attacks. So do people think Boko Haram can return to the area?

Source: BBC

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

•Nwike’s widow and her daughter during burial mass

•Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife (Middle), his brother and a mourner

Police warn MASSOB as fear grips S’East residents over sit-at-home order •We are not involved, says Ohanaeze •Abia to citizens: Ignore order

HE Enugu State Police command has alerted the people of Enugu state of a plan to disturb the peace of the state. Apparently referring to the planned sit-at-home order by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign state of Biafra (MASSOB) the police, in statement signed by Command’s spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, said they were ready to contain such people. While advising residents to go about their normal businesses today, the statement warned culprits of bitter response from the police. The statement said inter alia: “We wish to inform members of the public, particularly the good citizens of the state that the attention of the command has been drawn to a proposed plan by some section of the people in the state to disturb the peace being enjoyed by the law abiding and Good citizens of the state. The state command, in view of this, wishes to make it categorically clear that no body or group of persons under any guise will be allowed to disturb the peace of the law abiding citizens of the state either at home, offices or business places. The commissioner of Police Enugu state command Abubakar Adamu Mohammed enjoins all the citizen of the state to be law abiding and also to go about their normal lawful businesses.” There is, however, apprehension in Anambra State over the expected sit-athome order declared by MASSOB today. Traders were unsure whether the assurances by the Nigeria Police and other security agencies that there was no cause for alarm will hold any water as the MASSOB members were as at yesterday evening, threatening thunder and brimstone. There was a brisk rush for shopping and purchase by traders from Onitsha market and environs even as those holding functions today have made more elaborate security arrangements both conventional and unconventional to ward off intruders in the likes of MASSOB. The Police had assured the public that it would protect them and their property

Chris OJI, Enugu, Ugochukwu UGOJI-EKE, Umuahia and Odogwu Emeka ODOGWU, Nnewi while urging them to go about their normal business, but the people have, however, remained apprehensive. State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka had reassured the public that MASSOB and other militant groups remained banned in the state and urged them to go about their normal business and forget about the ranting of MASSOB members. Reacting to the development, purported spiritual leader of Igbo Kingdom and Ogirishi Igbo, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, yesterday cautioned both MASSOB, and their opposition, Association of Igbo Youths, AIYO, to stop forthwith what he considered as in-fighting among themselves. Ezeonwuka told newsmen at Onitsha that since both parties were sons and daughters of Ndigbo, their in-fighting could scare Igbo elite from coming back home to invest which in turn could create employment problems for the youths. According to the Igbo leader, “I advise both MASSOB and Igbo youths to make Igbo land crime-free so that our deserted brothers and rich men can have a sense of security in returning home”. He noted that the vigorous campaign currently being mounted by AIYO to counter the MASSOB sit-at-home order is justifiable because if Ndigbo were allowed to obey the sit-at-home order, they would lose more than N1 billion for sitting at home on a whole day, since they are predominantly buyers and sellers of goods. He also urged the Federal Government to extend amnesty programme to MASSOB members who are currently languishing in various prison custodies in the country. Apex Igbo socio cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday washed its hands off today’s sit-athome order given to Ndigbo by MASSOB. The leadership of Ohanaeze said it was not

of the country and the Apo 6 to stay away from Abia State aware of the sit-at-home orwards against being used by killed in Abuja some years to avoid bloodshed as secuder and where it was comany group to cause trouble, ago. rity agencies have been ing from. as the law will take its course In a statement by the Chief placed on red alert to foreThe Secretary-General of against any offender, stressPress Secretary to Governor stall any breakdown of law Ohanaeze, Dr. Joe Nworgu ing that the law is no reTheodore Orji, Ugochukwu and order. and the Deputy Presidentspecter of anybody, espeEmezue, government The statement also warned General, Chief O. A. U. cially when you run foul of warned MASSOB members parents to caution their Onyema told The Nation the law. that as far as the Ohanaeze was concerned, the source of that order was ill designed in Igboland. Stating that the Ohanaeze was not against the existence of the MASSOB, Nworgu wondered who gave MASSOB the authority to order all Igbo to stay at home on Saturday (today). According to the SecretaryGeneral, “although our people are free to do what they want, that is not to say they should always live in ignorance. Definitely, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is not the source of that instruction and cannot issue such unpatriotic and detrimental order.” The Deputy President-General, Onyema, added that Ohanaeze Ndigbo was not •Senator Ngige and Anambra deputy governor, Emeka Sibeudu part of such order, adding: “Sincerely, MASSOB never discussed such with us. They neither tabled it before the leadership nor ever sought our approval on such conduct.” •Cleric to killers: Come and confess your sins Similarly, leader of the pan- •Ngige, Ezeife, others pay last respect Igbo organised, Igbo SecuEARS flowed freely For Mr. Ezeemo who led Odogwu Emeka rity Organization (ISO), amidst encomiums uniformed ACN members in ODOGWU, Nnewi Ndubuisi Igwekani has beyesterday at Amawa their thousands in a condorated the MASSOB leader, Village, Ogbunike, Oyi Local lence message enjoined the The man of God who sudRalph Uwazuruike over the Government Area, Anambra family to take solace in God denly went philosophical sit-at-home order to Ndigbo. State when the remains of as death was inevitable and and spiritual said: “The kidThe MASSOB leader, he late Action Congress of Niprayed the Almighty to give nappers are four in number said, was on a genocide misgeria (ACN) Deputy Chairthem the fortitude to bear the and are right here in this sion with the sit-at-home orman, South East, Dr. Chudi loss. He stressed the need for church. Though a lot of der. Nwike was laid to rest. the government to tackle sepeople have gathered to celHis remains were interred Igwekani fondly called curity challenges in the state ebrate Nwike, but for the exactly at 1:30 Pm in his comAgu Biafra, who spoke in by providing jobs for the unkidnappers it is not so, the pound with his immediate Enugu insisted that employed youths to enable faster they confess their sins, family members wailing unMASSOB has no cogent reainsecurity reduce to the barthey better for them. The livcontrollably. son or right to ask Igbo est minimum. ing must remember that one Nwike died at the age of 60 people to sit at home. He described late Nwike as day they must go and meet years. He asserted that a good man who contributed the creator and so should In his sermon, Reverend Fr. Uwazuruike has been using his best to the development amend their ways. Vincent Ejembi from Pilthe method to waste the lives of his party and his state. Former governor of grimage Center Aokpe, of innocent Igbo youths by It would be recalled that the Anmabra State, Dr. Benue State, urged the famengaging them in confrontalate Nwike was kidnapped Chukwuemeka Ezeife whom ily to take solace in God, estion with constituted auby yet to be identified gunlate Nwike served was pecially when their spouse thorities and in turn enrich men in his home in March speechless and traumatised. was killed struggling to bethimself. this year and was later found The same goes for the Nater humanity in his field of Meanwhile, Abia State govdead in Asaba, Delta State on tional Chairman of UPP and politics. April 8th, 2013. ernment has advised its citiADC, Chiefs Chekwas He noted that the caliber of Late Nwike was born on zens to disregard today’s sit Okorie and Okey Nwosu, repeople in the church showed July 31, 1952. He was first in at home order in the South spectively as well as the Acthat Nwike was loved by his the family of 10 children, five East ordered by MASSOB. tion Congress of Nigeria people and many more. boys and five girls. Until his This directive is coming on governorship Aspirant, Mr Father Ejembi mandated death, he was the Vice-Chairthe heels of an order given by Godwin Ezeemo. the killers of Nwike to come man South East of the Action the Director of information, Senator Chris Ngige out and confess their sins so Congress of Nigeria. MASSOB, Uchenna Madu, blamed Nwike’s death on that God Almighty would be He is survived by three urging Ndigbo in the South porous security and apable to forgive them. He inchildren Chudi Nwike Jnr; East to sit at home on June 8, pealed on the state governsisted that without confesChito Nwike and Ifeatu in protest against the killings ment to step up security in sion, there would be no Nwike of Igbo in the northern part the state. atonement for their sins.

Tears flow freely as slain ACN S’East Deputy National Chair, Nwike is laid to rest

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson (left), assisted by the NBA National President, Okey Wali (SAN) (2ndleft), presenting a draft for the sum of N1.7b to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Col. Bernard Kenebai (rtd), (2ndright) and the State Solicitor-General / Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Preye Agedah (right), for the State Safe City Project, during the monthly transparency initiative press briefing for the months of April and May 2013 in Yenagoa. Photo by Lucky Francis

Killing of UNIBEN student: Police sing discordant tunes

HERE appeared to be no end to the confusion trailing the killing of a final year student of the University of Benin, Ibrahim Momodu by a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Carol Afegbai following several versions given by the police. Afegbai and her team on patrol on the night that they accosted Ibrahim are presently the only witnesses to what actually transpired before the killing. The alleged accomplice of Ibrahim who was carrying Ibrahim on a motorcycle is yet to be seen. What sparked off the confusion was the initial report by the police to a local television station that Ibrahim was a commercial bus driver terrorising residents in Textile Mill Road and its environs. Mother of Ibrahim, Osas Momodu said police gave her two different versions of the incident. She said the police had told her that her son was caught in a robbery scene and was killed in a shootout while another version had it that the son snatched a bag and ran into a team of policemen on patrol that shot him. She said: “The police referred to my son as a commercial bus driver while my

Osagie OTABOR, Benin son cannot even drive a car. The motorcycle which my son boarded was impounded while the whereabouts of the motorcyclist remain unknown.” “I met a policeman when they said the PRO was not around. He called my son a thief. He said my son was killed at a robbery scene. He said my son snatched a bag while on a motorcycle and they ran into a team of policemen and they opened fire. He said the okada rider

escaped with bullet wounds while my son was killed. I said okay, that vengeance was God’s. I demanded for the corpse, but they said he has been buried.” The police, in its first official statement, said Ibrahim was killed in self-defence. According to the statement, “Operatives at Ogida Division, led by the DPO, while on a routine patrol within the area intercepted a cyclist and another with an unregistered motorcycle at Obayuwana junction in Siluko Road.” “The suspect immediately brought out a Russian made

cut-to-size double barrel gun but policemen, noticing his action, responded swiftly and shot at the suspect later known to be Ibrahim Momodu who died on his way to the hospital.” Police spokesman, DSP Moses Eguavoen, in a statement listed items found in the bag of the suspect to include eight live catridges, two handsets and one unregistered red Qlink motor cycle. The killer DPO, in an interaction with protesters said she shot Ibrahim in the leg and that he died on the way

to hospital. She displayed items recovered from Ibrahim on her facebook page and posted the following comments: “Does these portray the image of a student? Are guns and riding of unregistered motor cycles at 22:30HRS, attempting to shot a policeman a new syllabus for university students? Let’s face reality and tell our self the truth, no sane human being takes pleasure in taking the life of an innocent citizen thanks”. State Police Commissioner, Adebanjo Folusho, at a press

AYELSA State Government has declared a total sum of N29.5bn as balance in its coffers after statutory deductions and capital payments as at the end of May. Addressing the media on the income and expenditure profile of the state for the months of April and May 2013, at its monthly Transparency Briefing in Yenagoa, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Duate Iyabi announced N24.6bn as total inflow from the Federation Account for May.

•Declares N29.5bn balance for May, 2013 Giving a breakdown of the figure, he explained that, the amount was made up of Statutory Allocation of N2.7bn, Derivation fund was N12.4bn, SURE-P came to N1bn, Excess Crude N4.6bn, Augumentation of N2.9bn and NNPC Refund of N233m. On deductions, Mr. Iyabi explained that, the sum of N1.2bn was deducted for bond repayment, N11.1m for the servicing of foreign loans, refund on Derivation Indices for 2010 gulped N392m, while N41m went for commercial

agricultural credit scheme refund. The commissioner who announced an all time high IGR of N1.3bn, noted that total inflow after FAAC Deductions amounted to N22.3bn. Commenting on the outflows, Mr. Iyabi said N3.9bn was spent on the payment of civil servants’ salaries while that of political appointees stood at N503.7m. He also gave N3bn as bank loan repayments, with overheads accounting for N1bn, monthly standing ap-

Polycarp OROSEVWOTU, Warri

adding that; “our Queen was pushed into the waiting Sienna car and whisked away. The driver and the other occupant were spared.” Continuing, the source, who pleaded anonymity said the suspected kidnappers were yet to establish contact with the palace, adding that; “the entire kingdom is worried about her whereabout. We pray God to touch the heart of those behind the kidnap to release her unhurt.”

Effort made to the police authority in the area for comment on the matter proved abortive as at press time. However, a senior police officer attached to the Ughelli ‘B’ division confirmed the incident and said the police was on top the issue. The police officer who does not want his name in print said; “our resolve to check criminal activities in the area and bring them to book is unshaken. I can assure you, we will fish them out.”

The hoodlums, according to a family source, trailed the unsuspecting Queen to somewhere around Orogun on the Abraka road before intercepting her with their Toyota Sienna car. According to a source, three occupants of a Sienna car came from the car living the driver on the steering, pointing guns at her and two others in her company,

provals gulped N298m, as well as Capital Payments of N3.9bn. For the month of April, the Commissioner stated that N19.5bn was received as gross inflow comprising statutory allocation of N2.1bn, Derivation N11bn, VAT N599m, SURE-P N1.7bn, Augmentation took N3bn and N233m went for NNPC refunds. Total deductions for the month, according to Mr. Iyabi, amounted to N2.4bn, which included refund of Domestic Excess crude savings of N709m, Refund of overpayment of revised 13% derivation indices accounted for

dously. Imoke explained that the decision to undertake the programme was borne out of passion for his vision to take sports to its rightful position, adding that those in public service should see it as their duty and responsibility by giving children the opportunity to succeed. He remarked that one of the greatest things about the programmes is that the children representing the state have shown exceptional skills and progress in the past three years, adding that “stakeholder’s must not relent

in their efforts to take sports in the country to its pride of place as well as get Nigerians to understand the need to invest in the youth for the country to be great in future”. Imoke expressed that despite some challenges, the programme is a success story because it has developed the minds of the children and hoped it will be sustained and grow from strength to strength to create a better Nigeria. According to the governor, the programme is envisaged to reignite the era of the Mary Onyalis since the country has

not featured well in continental and international competitions. He noted that facilities in the country are either deplorable or sub standard while Nigerian athletes in foreign land now prefer to compete for those countries and win laurels than compete for Nigeria because such countries hold sports and sportsmen in high esteem. The governor observed that while those who hosted the London 2012 Olympic Games celebrated their victory, Nigeria did not care much about the initiative, explaining that it

N187m leaving a Net FAAC Inflow of N17.7bn. Governor Seriake Dickson also presented a draft of N1.7bn to representatives of the Huawei Technologies Ltd for the Bayelsa State Safe City and Safe State security surveillance Project, which is aimed at boosting security in the state. The Governor, who re-assured investors of their safety, explained that with the contract awarded to one of the world’s leading ICT and security firms, state-of the-art security infrastructure would be deployed in all the nooks and crannies of the state.

Anenih’s automatic tickets satanic –Ihonvbere

HE Secretary to the Edo State Government, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, yesterday described the call for automatic tickets for PDP governors and President Goodluck Jonathan, by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih as satanic and undemocratic. Ihonvbere who was former

Gov Imoke lauds sports programme as vehicle for growth

OVERNOR Liyel Imoke of Cross River State says the state’s Primaryand Secondary School Athletics and Swimming Championship initiated four years ago has started yielding satisfactory results. Speaking while declaring open the fourth edition of the four day championship at U.J Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Imoke disclosed that since the state’s aggressive and comprehensive sports development programme was introduced at the youth level, the state’s record at national competitions has improved tremen-

briefing yesterday, said the police would not accept any killing, except through judicial pronouncement and circumstances contained in the Force-order 237. Adebanjo said the responsibility of the police at the moment was to establish fact with an objective mind as contained it its rules of engagement. He added that it was too early to dismiss claims of either the police or the bereaved family. The police boss said the file has been sent to the DPP for legal advice.

Gov Dickson holds monthly transparency briefing

Monarch’s wife kidnapped in Delta

HE Ughelli kingdom, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State was yesterday thrown into a state of confusion following the kidnap of Queen Gladys Oharisi, one of the wives of the king of the kingdom, HRM Oharisi III by yet unknown gunmen. The Queen, it was gathered was intercepted on her way from school, where she went to register her courses at the Delta State University, Abraka.

Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke (M) flanked by his Deputy, Mr. Efiok Cobham, Chairman Obubra LGA, Mr. Chris Obase (R) Commissioner for Youths, and Sports Development, Mr. Patrick Ugbe, and Chairman State House of Assembly Committee on Sports, Hon. Okpo Ngim, with one of the participating LGAs at the opening ceremony of the 4th state’s school sports championship in Calabar.

takes doggedness to create the difference. Imoke therefore averred that the children have performed exceptionally well in the national competitions and commended the organizers for showing passion and doggedness to make it happen in difficult times. The chairman of Obubra Local Government Area, Rev. Chris Obase, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, pledged their support and cooperation for the success of the championship because it remains a legacy the present administration will leave behind.

Semwengie Ben OGBEMUDIA, Benin

Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, asserted that “the credibility I have, with which I make my comment, is that I was in the frontline of those who fought for this democracy. Whether at the level of the UDFF or the level of JACON, with people like Enahoro, Akinrinade, Bolaji Akinyemi, Governo Kayode Fayemi, Senator Bola Tinubu, late Chief Bola Igie and others, this is not the democracy we all fought for. “That is his (Anenih) style as usual, corruption and contaminating the political process. When they are afraid of competition, they look for shortcut. It is one way of telling people don’t even bother. But that is not in the PDP constitution or in the constitution of Nigeria. And it does not help democratic development, it does not help democratic contestation, it does not help the strengthening of political institutions. If they have performed, their records will stand for them and they will

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

How to make amnesty for Boko Haram work — Ijaw leader Izoukumor Ijaw traditional titleholder, Fiyowei of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Traditional Council and former President of the Ijaw Oil-Producing Communities Forum (IOPCF), Chief Favour Izoukumor, was a key player in the Warri Crisis and Niger Delta agitation. In this interview with SHOLA O'NEIL, he highlights similarities and parallels between the Boko Haram violence and the Niger Delta militancy, concluding that President Goodluck Jonathan is right to offer amnesty to members of the deadly Islamic sect.

Izoukumor

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

SPORT EXTRA

Keshi unveils Confederations Cup squad

IGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has picked eight players from the domestic league for the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. The players from the local league include five who made the final squad to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, where Nigeria won a third continental trophy. Enugu Rangers supply three of these players, Sunday Mba, Chigozie Agbim and Emeka Eze, while Sunshine Stars have two players – Godfrey Oboabona and Solomon Kwambe. The other players are Gambo Mohammed (Kano Pillars), Benjamin Francis (Heartland) and Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves). Heartland left winger Obinna Nwachukwu and Sunshine defender Odunlami Kunle were dropped. Fourteen of the players for the Confederations Cup led by Chelsea midfielder MIkel Obi were also on the final squad to the 2013 AFCON. Nigeria will open their Confederations Cup campaign on June 17 against Tahiti. The other teams in their group are Spain and Uruguay. Eagles 23-man squad: Goalkeeper: Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Vincent Enyeama

• Picks eight local players (Maccabi Tel Aviv) Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves),Efe Ambrose (Celtic Glasgow), Elderson Uwa Echiéjilé (Sporting de Braga), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den

Haag), Godfrey Oboabona, Solomon Kwambe, Francis Benjamin (Heartland FC) Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio), John Ogu (Academica de Coimbra), Sunday Mba, Emeka Eze (Enugu Rangers),

Babatunde Michael (Kryvbas), Fegor Ogude (Valerenga) Forwards: Joseph Akpala (SV Werder Bremen), Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev), Anthony Ujah (FC Cologne), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Gambo Mohammed (Kano Pillars), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow)

•Keshi

Super Eagles reject N.8m Kenya bonus HE Super Eagles of Nigeria have rejected the $5,000 (N800,000)

bonus offered to them by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for defeating the

Harambee Stars of Kenya in their World Cup qualifying game played in Nairobi.

Galatasaray open talks with Chelsea for Mikel

URKISH champions Galatasaray have opened talks with Chelsea for Nigeria midfielder Mikel Obi, MTNFootball.com can exclusively reveal. Galatasaray sporting director Bulent Tulun is currently in London talking with the top hierarchy of the London club on the acquisition of Mikel. The deal is being brokered by Nigeria FIFA agent Babawo Mohammed and Hasan Egilmez and if it goes through, Mikel Obi will join up with his former Chelsea team mate and friend Didier Drogba.

A source in Turkey told MTNFootball.com that Galatasaray are keen on adding the Nigerian to their squad. “As I speak to you, Galatasaray sporting director Tulun is in London to discuss on signing Mikel Obi from Chelsea this summer, we want to sort out with his club first before we will open discussions with the player,” the source told MTNFootball.com One of the agents facilitating the transfer Babawo Mohammed further confirmed Galatasaray’s interest in the

Chelsea star to MTNFootball.com “Galatasaray have shown interest to sign Mikel and I have been informed that they are in London talking with Chelsea about the deal,” Babawo Mohammed told MTNFootball.com Galatasaray will have to splash a fortune on Mikel because he has a contract with Chelsea till June 2017. ‘Gala’ will play in UEFA Champions League next season after they retained the Turkey league ahead of city rivals Fenerbache. This past season they reached the knockout stage of the competition.

The NFF, have been complaining about lack of funds, and are trying to implement a policy the board have been mulling for a year. Inside sources in the NFF told futaa.com that the idea of reducing the bonus paid to the Eagles from $10,000 (N1.6m) for a win was first mooted after the Eagles failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup that was played in Angola, however, the policy was not implemented. Observers have noted it will be tough to reduce the bonus now that the Eagles are African Champions since it was not done when they are yet to achieve the feat. Meanwhile, the whole Kenya squad were promised an equivalent of about $47,000 (about N7.5m) to beat Nigeria in the same game .

Namibia will surrender •Continued from back

RADUALLY, the Eagles’ defence is growing in confidence, with their seamless transition from defensive play to attacking without conceding cheap goals. No one is surprised because Keshi was a dependable defender in his playing days in the Eagles. Goalkeepers Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide are the regulars. They now understand their defence line. We hope that Keshi has dependable players in these key positions. The midfield quartet of John Mikel Obi, Onazi, Sunday Mba and Oduamadi looks formidable. It is instructive to note that Eagles played without injured Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike. My worry though is that the Eagles’ attackers have been very wasteful with the goal-scoring chances that they create. Goals win matches, not ball possession or dribbling skills. There is no second chance to convert a missed goal opportunity. Most times, such misses are costly at the end of the game. Indeed, June 12 is a watershed in Nigeria’s political history. It was on that day in 1993 that Nigeria had its freest and fairest election ever, won by frontline businessman and Pillar of Sports in Africa Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola. The election was annulled by the military for no just cause. Pardon my digression. On June 12, Eagles have a date with destiny against the Namibians in Windhoek. Victory for the Eagles would earn the team a berth at the last round where the 10 winners will fight for the five available slots allocated to Africa. Namibia should be a piece of cake for the Eagles. They are not a reputable soccer nation. But that is where the Eagles’ problems begin. The Eagles are unable to string together two back-to-back games. Simply put, they are not consistent. When you think that the Eagles will demolish a weak opponent, they totter. Having drawn their last game against Namibia at home, the Malawians will do everything under the sun next Wednesday to earn the three points. If that happens, the Malawians will have nine points, depending on the outcome of the Eagles’ cracker in Windhoek against Namibia. What this setting portends is that the Eagles must beat Naimbia to move to 11 points. If we beat Namibia, the August 15 last game against second-placed Malawi will offer us two options- a draw, we qualify for the next round of matches; a win also does. History has an uncanny way of repeating itself. I must warn the Eagles that they are very poor in fulfilling football permutations, especially for the World Cup, when it comes to the last game of the group. Need I remind Nigerians of the Eagles’ inability to beat Angola when the game was taken to Kano? Opinions were divided over where the game should be played. It was eventually played in Kano and the Eagles faltered and Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. Nigerians watched in awe as the Guineans celebrated inside the Abuja National Stadium. The Guineans secured the ticket to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with the 2-2 draw against the Eagles. All manner of excuses were traded between the coaching crew and the NFF. I ask: do the coaches know what it entails to qualify for the next round of matches? Any need for such a question? Ask Samson Siasia why he lost the Super Eagles job? The rules of the competition are sacrosanct to all the parties- players, coaches and NFF. The coaches must instruct the players to win both matches, leaving the permutations for those who want to indulge in such an exercise. Good luck Super Eagles; well done Keshi.

FRENCH OPEN...FRENCH OPEN...FRENCH OPEN...FRENCH OPEN...FRENCH OPEN...FRENCH OPEN...FRENCH OPEN...FRENCH OPEN...

Nadal, Ferrer set up Spanish final Sharapova out to end Serena jinx in Paris

EFENDING champion Rafael Nadal moved closer to an historic eighth French Open title Friday when he defeated world No 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 9-7 in a titanic semifinal. In Sunday's title match, the third seed will face fourthseeded compatriot David

•Nadal

Ferrer who ended French hopes of a first champion in 30 years by sweeping past JoWilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2. Nadal will be aiming to be the first man to win the same major eight times while 31-year-old Ferrer will be appearing in his first Grand Slam final. He has reached the championship match at the 42nd time of asking but now faces overturning a 19-4 career deficit against his compatriot. Nadal, the third seed, took his Paris record to a staggering 58 wins from 59 matches after recovering from 4-2 down in the deciding set to clinch victory after 4 hours and 37 minutes. Friday's win was Nadal's 20th in 35 career clashes – and 13th

•Ferrer

from 16 on clay – against Djokovic. In a dramatic and controversial final set, Djokovic broke for 10 before Nadal levelled in the eighth game after the Serb had been handed a time violation and then lost a point when he collided with the net as he put away a smash.

E F E N D I N G champion Maria Sharapova will have to halt a 12-match losing streak against Serena Williams if she is to retain her French Open crown on Saturday. The Russian faces a daunting task against her US opponent, who is world number one and enters the showpiece on the

•Sharapova

back of a semi-final victory in which she conceded just one game to Sara Errani. Perhaps unsurprisingly both players were keen to play down the significance of Williams’s dominance over her younger rival which stretches back nine years. “Her success has been incredible,” Sharapova said of Williams, who has 15 grand slams to her name. “But going into a French Open final, that doesn’t matter. It all starts from zero. You’ve got to play until the last point and believe in yourself.” Williams’s biggest enemy could be complacency. She has conceded just three sets to Sharapova in the best part of a decade. Nonetheless, she insists she is taking nothing

for granted. Asked whether history was on her side, she answered: “Not really, because it’s a different time, a different era, a different match.” Williams’s reluctance to talk up her chances perhaps comes from her troubled past at the French Open — a competition she has won just once, in 2002.

•Serena

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

SPORT EXTRA

Flying Eagles name World Cup squad

•Onazi celebrates his goal against Inter Milan

Onazi strike named in Goal of the Season

N Italian football website has named Ogenyi Onazi’s goal against Inter Milan as one of the best scored by a Lazio player in the just concluded Serie A season. The goals assessment, which was done by forzaitalianfootball.com, picked the goals it considered

the best, but then went on to mention Onazi’s strike, calling it ‘unforgettable’ “As mentioned above, there have been a number of classy goals from a number of players this term,” the report said. “Hernanes’ goal against Bologna stands out as the most recent one, or Candreva’s brilliant strike against

Maigari assures on Eagles FIFA ranking

FF president Aminu Maigari has expressed confidence the Super Eagles will improve on the FIFA rankings. The Super Eagles dropped three places to 31st in the world and fourth in Africa in the latest FIFA rankings for the month of May. However, NFF president Aminu Maigari has stated that in inactivity of the Eagles in the month of April and the better part of this month may have contributed to the Eagles slide. “You know there were no

games for about six weeks or so. So, I think this may have affected the Eagles rating. We just played two games in the space of a week. I think it would reflect on our next ranking” he noted. Cote d’Ivoire still leads the pack in the Africa rankings, while Ghana are second, Mali third and Algeria complete the top five. Spain remain number one in the world, while Brazil suffered their worst-ever drop on the ranking to No 22 in the world.

Oyo govt donates trophy to YSFON for ALGON Cup

YO STATE chapter of Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) and Local Government Council in Oyo State have collaborated and concluded plans to rebrand Association of Local Government of Nigeria Soccer Competition tagged ‘Oyo 2013 ALGON Cup’. The Chairman of Oyo State ALGON, Yekeen Popoola while presenting a giant trophy to the Chairman of Oyo State YSFON Alabi Rafiu Oluaye at ALGON office in Ibadan yesterday said people should lookout for an excellent soccer tournament that the present administrations in the state is noted for which explain why they are collaborating with a credible body like YSFON in staging the tourney. “Through football, the world’s most popular sport, we identified a need to connect with

the youths aspiring to be professional soccer players. Thus, we brought about this new grassroots initiative to our teeming youths that reiterates the pillars that the Ajimobi led government believes in. “Our other aims are to help promote healthy living among our youths, orientate youths, redirect their goals and visions for sustainable self development, and to contribute to the pool of qualitative & professional football players in the country”, Oyo ALGON boss noted. The tourney however, has been scheduled to commence on 17th June while screening of participants which is going to be done in conformity with the world best practices according to the technical director of the tourney, Sikiru Ayobami Ewenla will start 13th.

Palermo early on in the campaign. “But my personal favourite is Eddy Onazi’s wonder-strike against Inter in May where Lazio ran out 3-1 winners at the San Siro.”

Onazi also scored another wonder goal in the second round of the Europa League, when he rounded half the defense of German side, Stuttgart, before putting the ball in the net.

Nigeria battle fatigue before Confeds Cup

IGERIA, already hampered by injuries, will arrive in Brazil for the Confederations Cup feeling travel weary after a punishing schedule as they prepare to fly the flag for African football. The rigours of having to play two World Cup qualifiers away from home over a seven-day period before the tournament have been compounded by an agreement to play a friendly with Mexico in Houston, necessitating exhaustive transatlantic travel. They have also been weakened by the absence of first-choice players Victor Moses, taking time off to rest niggling injuries after his first season at Chelsea, and strikers Emmanuel Emenike and Ike Uche, out with knee complaints. Nigeria set off from a training camp in Germany for Texas where they drew 2-2 with Mexico at the end of last month before flying to Kenya for a morale-boosting 1-0 win over their hosts in Nairobi on Wednesday. That Group F qualifier is followed this Wednesday by another in Namibia after which the Nigerians will leave for Brazil, where they open their Confederations Cup campaign in Belo Horizonte on June 17. That they play tiny Tahiti in their group opener offers Nigeria some breathing room but preparations for subsequent games against Uruguay and Spain are on hold as World Cup qualification takes priority. “Our focus is now on the match against Namibia in Windhoek next Wednesday,”

coach Stephen Keshi said. “We have to pick maximum points from that match as well, to make sure of our progress in the race, even ahead of the last matches in the group.” Nigeria have a slender twopoint lead over Malawi with two rounds to play. A late goal from Ahmed Musa in Kenya provided a first positive for the Super Eagles since their unexpected success at the African Nations Cup in South Africa in February. Instead of stepping up after winning the continental title, Nigeria were lucky to draw at home with Kenya in March and coach Keshi has been embroiled in spats with officialdom. It followed a strange resignation by Keshi, just hours after winning the Nations Cup, that was quickly withdrawn but has led to strained relations with his employers. Keshi said in recent interviews that his refusal to accept interference in his job means he is constantly being undermined. Nigeria are making their second appearance at the Confederations Cup, following a fourth-place finish in Saudi Arabia in 1995.

IGERIA have named a final 21-man squad for the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey, which kicks off on June 20. Nigeria U17 international Wilfred Ndidi, a highly promising central defender, is one of the several additions to the squad. The squad is drawn mostly from the Nigeria league, which provides 18 players, with three foreign-based professionals. The pros are Belgium-based goalkeeper John Felegha, Michael Olaitan from Greek champions Olympiacos and Edafe Egbedi of Danish club AGF Aarhus. Sixteen of these players featured at the 2013 African Youth Championship in Algeria, where Nigeria placed third to qualify for the World Cup. The Flying Eagles were knocked out by France in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup in Colombia. They are drawn in the first round against Portugal, debutants Cuba and South

Inyama celebrates Eagles win with baby boy

T has been celebration galore for Media Committee Chairman, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Chief Emeka Inyama, as his wife last week put to bed a bouncing baby boy, whom he said brought a lot of luck to the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifier defeat of boastful Harambee Stars of Kenya last Wednesday in Nairobi. Inyama who was the leader of delegation of the Super Eagles to the international friendly against Mexico, penultimate week which ended 2-2, announced with glee that his wife put to bed a baby boy a day before the Super Eagles defeated Harambee Stars.

“For me it’s double delight, because while Nigerians were getting ready for the Kenya game, my wife came up with a Super Eagle in the United States and I am happy to say mother and child are in good condition. The Super Eagles capped it up by winning against Kenya, it’s one of my best weeks in life”, he said. Inyama declared his absolute believe in the abilities of the Nigerian side to not only qualify for the Brazil 2014 World Cup but do very well at the championship. “On the part of the NFF, I have the words of Alhaji Aminu Maigari that we will put all logistics in place to ensure qualifications for the World Cup”, he declared.

Kanu becomes Fifth Chukker’s Ambassador

WANKWO KANU, erstwhile Super Eagles’ captain, added another cap to his growing profile when he was named as a Charity Ambassador by foremost private polo club, the Kaduna-based Fifth Chukker. Kanu’s choice it was learnt was strategic and instructive having established the wavemaking Heart Foundation that has catered for hundreds of kids with heart-related diseases. As the Fifth Chukker’s Charity Ambassador, the former Nigerian international is expected to visit schools to give life-changing lectures amongst other things.

Calabar to stage World Cup qualifiers

HE Super Eagles will most likely complete their World Cup qualifying series at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar. It was widely expected that the Eagles would relocate to Abuja for the final Group F qualifier against Malawi in September as well as the knockout final round thereafter. However, officials have now disclosed that a major work on

Korea. Their opening game is on June 21 against Portugal. The U20 World Cup final squad squad: Goalkeepers: Samuel Okani (Enyimba), Jonah Usman (ABS FC), John Felegha (Eupen, Belgium) Defenders: Shehu Abdullahi (Kano Pillars), Moses Orkuma (Lobi Stars), Ikechukwu Okorie (Enyimba), Kingsley Madu (El Kanemi), Chizoba Amaefule (Dolphins), Wilfred Ndidi (Nath Boys) Midfielders: Agboyi Ovbokha (Bayelsa United), Abduljaleel Ajagun (Dolphins), Christian Pyagbara (unattached), Uche Agbo (Enyimba), Michael Olaitan (Olympiacos, Greece) Forwards: Edafe Egbedi (AGF Aarhus, Denmark), Daddy Moses Simon (Unattached), Chidi Osuchukwu (Dolphins), Umar Aminu (Wikki Tourists), Olanrewaju Kayode (unattached), Alhaji Gero (Enugu Rangers), Samuel Eduok (Dolphins)

the pitch if the Abuja National Stadium is still ongoing. The director general of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye, stated: “Work is still on the pitch of the stadium. So for now the Eagles will continue to play in Calabar.” The Super Eagles since relocating from Abuja to the southern coastal town of Calabar have not lost any game there.

“I thank God for this recognition by the Fifth Chukker and it shows that it is not only football people that notice what I’m doing outside football,” Kanu said. “I actually started work as the Charity Ambassador when I visited a school yesterday and I spoke with the kids about peaceful co existence as Nigerians as well as giving them some life tips.” On the Kanu’s entourage at the event were top officials from Access Bank as well as UNICEF where incidentally, he’s also an Ambassador for goodwill. “The kids were very excited and I was equally thrilled to be in their midst,” noted Kanu who captained Nigeria to win Africa’s first soccer Gold medal at the Atlanta’96 Olympics. “Of course, it is always a delight for me working with the kids and I’m ready to serve kids in any capacity.” Kanu said he was impressed with the idyllic setting of the Fifth Chukker Polo Ground which has fuelled his love for the game usually reserved for the rich and famous.

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

Izoukumor

PHOTO NEWS

JOINT EMERGENCY MEETING : L-R: Minister of State for Power, Mrs. Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi; Minister of Works Arc. Mike Onolemenmen; and Minister of Power, L-R: Delta State Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; Minister of Petroleum Prof. Chinedu Nebo at the Emergency Joint Meeting of the Niger Delta Power Mrs. Deziani Alison Madueke;Minister of State for Finance Dr. Yerima Holding Company Ltd. And National Council of Privatisation (NCP) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Resources Lawan Ngama; Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswan and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President, Alhaji Mohammed Kachalla, at the meeting.PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN

Gov. Obi (left), with wife, Margaret(middle) and daughter, Amaka, flagging off immunization programme at Ichida on â&#x20AC;Ś Thursday

Pupils of ARWA Basic Schools, Abuja at the presentation of Drama on Youths as agents in the fight against corruption organized by Code of Conduct Bureau Photo: ABAYOMI FAYOSE

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 7-06-13

NSE accommodate FCMB's 761.6m shares

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) through a supplementary listing added a total of 761,642,721 ordinary shares outstanding in the shares of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc. The share addition was necessitated by bonus issue of 1 for 25 approved by FCMB shareholders in their last annual general meeting (AGM). These shares pushed the key indicators well above the usual daily average appreciation previously recorded. NSE also delisted the West African Aluminium Plc (WAAP) and Nigerian Wire Industries Plc from the daily official list because of their failure to regularise their listing status with the Exchange. The shares of International Energy Insurance Plc (IEI) was also placed on full suspension following the approvals to consolidate its outstanding shares from 6, 420,427,449 shares to 1,284,085,489 shares. The shares reconstruction and consolidation imply that for every five shares held from

â&#x20AC;˘ Delists WAAP, suspends IEI Tonia Osundolire

Thursday 6th to Thursday 20th June, 2013 would be exchanged for one newly reconstructed share. The proposed newly reconstructed shares, NSE said, will be listed on the Exchange at N2.50 per share. Meanwhile, the market recorded a turnover of 1.917 billion shares worth of N25.133 billion in 32,368 deals as against a total of 1.503 billion shares valued at N14.109 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 24,007 deals. The Financial Services led the activity chart with a turnover of 1.302 billion shares valued at N13.510 billion traded in 17,126 deals. The Financial Services sector represented 67.93 per cent and 53.76 per cent of the total traded volume and value respectively. The Banking subsector of the Financial Services sector was boosted by activities in the shares of Zenith Bank Plc, Unity Bank Plc and Skye Bank Plc. The banking

subsector was the most active subsector on the week's activity chart with a subsector turnover of 1.013 billion shares valued at N11.376 billion exchanged in 11,873 deals. The Banking subsector accounted for 52.87 per cent and 45.27 per cent of the total subsector traded volume and value respectively. However, 1,100 units of FGN bonds valued at N123, 765 were traded during the week in 7 deals in contrast to 300 units valued at N33, 242 transacted last week in 3 deals. The NSE All-Share Index rose by 4.68 per cent to close on Friday at 39,564.79 while the market capitalisation of the listed equities on the main board advanced by 4.68 per cent to close at N12.641 trillion. Also, the NSE 30 Index appreciated by 4.46 per cent to close at 1,890.55. All except two of the NSE indices appreciated during the week: NSE Consumer Goods, NSE Banking, NSE Insurance, NSE-Lotus II and NSE Industrial Goods advanced by 2.90 per cent, 2.54 per cent, 2.04 per cent, 6.17 per cent, and 6.59 per cent respectively. However, NSE Oil/Gas and NSE-ASeM depreciated by 0.09 per cent and 0.12 per cent respectively.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 17-05-13

TOMORROWPUNCHLINE IN THE NATION

I have always said that the Yoruba know their leaders and are appreciative when, like immortal Awo, a government's concern is the happiness of the greater majority of the citizenry

SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.7, NO. 2510

—Femi Orebe

HEN the history of this political dis pensation comes to be written, the name of the late President UmaruYar’Adua will most certainly be emblazoned in gold. Despite his severe ill health and his attendant short tenure in office, the humble, unassuming but highly intelligent man from Katsina State contributed more to the deepening of our democratic advancement than has been appreciated. Yar’Adua succeeded General Obasanjo, who ran what I have often referred to in this column as an imperial presidency. More accurately, the Ota farmer presided over a primitive presidency. It was a presidency that had scant regard for the rule of law or due process. A presidency that paid lip and hypocritical service to the anti-corruption war; one that removed governors with a minority of legislators and in 2003 and 2007 conducted elections that were difficult to distinguish from armed banditry. It was a presidency that routinely disobeyed court orders, the most notorious being the seizure of Lagos State local government funds for over three years despite the express ruling of the Supreme Court that it had no such powers. President UmaruYar’Adua could easily have chosen to follow such a precedent by toeing the path of lawlessness, impunity and power drunkenness. But the man simply had too much decency, integrity, honour, dignity and nobility to descend, literally, into the gutter. For one, Yar’Adua admitted that the elections which brought him to power were flawed and promised far reaching electoral reforms. This was at a time that OBJ and the comical Professor Maurice Iwu were proclaiming the freeness and fairness of the election from the roof tops. Even if the cabal around him exploited his fragile health to prevent the full implementation of the recommendations of the justice Mohammed Uwais panel on electoral reforms which he set up, Yar’Adua put the issue of electoral reforms firmly at the forefront of national discourse. Again, he promised at his inauguration to be a servant leader and to abide by the rule of law. He demonstrated his sincerity in this regard by immediately releasing the illegally seized Lagos State government funds. Furthermore, just as he did as Governor of Katsina State, he publicly declared his assets signalling a commitment to transparency and accountability. Had he been of sound health and lived long, Yar’Adua would have been a great and outstanding president since morning is often an indication of what the day will look like. When he assumed office on the demise of Yar’Adua, many Nigerians invested so much hope in President Goodluck Jonathan. They confirmed their confidence in him when he emphatically won the 2011 election to commence his own substantive tenure as president. Many voters claimed that they voted for Jonathan and not necessarily for his party. Of course, there were good reasons for the great faith reposed in Jonathan. In the first place was

A divisive president

‘

•President Jonathan his high scholastic attainment as the first doctorate degree holder to be at the apex of Nigeria’s political leadership. Second, was his infectious simplicity and humility best exemplified by his famous reference to his shoeless childhood. Thirdly, was his frequent affectation of deep religious faith exhibited by a fascinating willingness to kneel down publicly in humility before revered men of God for prayers. Fourthly, was his manner of accession to office during Yar’Adua’s protracted incapacitation. It took vehement demonstrations and protests by civil society organizations led by the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) for the National Assembly to facilitate his assumption of office through what it described as the ‘doctrine of necessity’. It was rightly assumed that such a beneficiary of democratic social action would be most appreciative and protective of democratic values. Alas, Nigerians have been proved sorely wrong. The Jonathan presidency has descended to abysmal depths of arbitrariness, impunity and lawlessness reminiscent of the Obasanjo years. President Jonathan has completely deviated from the path of rectitude and cultured restraint trod by Yar’Adua. The first indication of this negative transformation of the Jonathan presidency was his refusal to reinstate

Alas, Nigerians have been proved sorely wrong. The Jonathan presidency has descended to abysmal depths of arbitrariness, impunity and lawlessness reminiscent of the Obasanjo years. President Jonathan has completely deviated from the path of rectitude and cultured restraint trod by Yar’Adua

’

the illegally and immorally suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, despite the decision of the National Judicial Council that the jurist is blameless of any wrong doing. The moral degeneration of the Jonathan presidency was again exhibited when Jonathan ordered out troops to stop peaceful demonstrations in Lagos against the insensitive removal of a phantom oil subsidy and an almost 100% hike in the pump price of fuel. But undoubtedly the greatest manifestation so far of the transformation of Jonathan into a Nebuchadnezzar, Goliath and Pharaoh all rolled into one is the sordid and utterly dishonourable role of the presidency in the current crisis engulfing the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF). Of course, no one believes the hog wash of the President’s minders that he has no interest in the leadership of the NGF. That blatant lie itself reveals the grave moral crisis in which the Jonathan presidency is mired. It is no secret that Jonathan is obsessed with discrediting, humiliating and hounding the Chairman of the forum, RotimiAmaechi, Governor of Rivers state out of office. The PDP in Rivers state has been destabilized at the behest of the presidency. The House of Assembly has been practically immo-

bilized with members reportedly being induced to impeach the Governor. Amaechi was under severe pressure not to run for re-election as Chairman of the NGF. Governors were coerced and threatened not to return him as their Chairman. The Presidency blatantly told governors that Jonathan could not work with Amaechi as Chairman of the NGF. But the more Amaechi was victimised, the more sympathy he enjoyed both from the general public and the majority of Governors. Thus, despite all odds, Amaechi won re-election as the NGF Chairman by 19 votes to 16. Rather than take the outcome of the election with grace and good faith, President Jonathan has publicly cast his lot with the minority faction of the NGF, declaring Jonah Jang as Chairman of the NGF against all common sense, reason, logic and visual evidence. Jonathan has thus dragged the presidency to the lowest depths of moral depravity yet since 1999. I remember that when formerNassarawa state Governor, AbdullahiAdamu, was removed as Chairman of the NGF and replaced with Obong Victor Attah of AkwaIbom, during the Obasanjo regime, the presidency did not interfere to split the NGF. This was despite the fact that Adamu was Obasanjo’s close confidante and favourite. It is most unfortunate that Jonathan, who was given a pan-Nigerian mandate in the 2011 election, is turning out to be the most divisive leader in the country’s political history. At the rate at which he is going, it will be a miracle if he does not become Nigeria’s Mikael Gorbachev. Here is a President who has not uttered a word to caution his irresponsible and lawless kinsmen who have publicly declared that the country will disintegrate if he is not given a second term in 2015. Why hold any elections if the outcome can be determined before the votes are cast? In 2011, Jonathan opportunisticallydefied the zoning policy of his party to run for election. He rightly claimed that he had the constitutional right to run. He failed to realize that he had a greater moral obligation to respect a gentleman’s agreement and intra-party convention. The outcome was a badly divided country and the descent to violence in the North – a challenge we are still trying to cope with. During the campaign for the 2011 election, Jonathan visited Lagos at least four times. On all occasions, he tried to incite the non-indigenes in the state against the Yoruba. It did not matter to him if he set the cosmopolitan Megacity on fire. All that mattered was winning at all cost. This is surely the President as Machiavellian. Now so obsessed and distracted is Jonathan with his 2015 ambition that he is prepared to victimise anyone on his path as well as divide his party and even the country. As Jonathan mutates into a full- fledged dictator, I urge him to reflect soberly on Nigerian history. If the people triumphed over Babangida, Abacha and Obasanjo, they will surely triumph again. The outcome of the NGF election is a pointer to this truism.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com 08111813079 - sms only

Namibia will surrender

TORIES from Nairobi didn’t come as a sur prise because leopards don’t change their spots. It won’t be fair to tag Kenyans as hooligans. But their soccer chiefs and fans are incorrigible. They tarnish the country’s image with their poor conduct. Otherwise, Nairobi is a serene town that holiday makers would cherish. The Kenyan government needs to ensure that honourable men are picked to run their football. Soccer is just a game. It is also a platform for friendship. Football, like other sports, serves as the rallying point for countries to change the perception of the world about their citizenry. Soccer entertains the audience. It is not a theatre of violence. I’m sure that the Kenyan government didn’t ask the FA chairman to direct security operatives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to barricade the gate, in a bid to stop the Nigerian delegation from leaving the place. Knowing that no East African country has ever made it to the World Cup, the Kenyans must have been in a dreamland to think that their resort to brigandage would secure them victory.

It is scandalous that in an era of civility, the Kenyans could descend to barbarism and thuggery for losing to Nigeria. The spectacle in Kenya, if anything, only offered a peep into the level of football development and administration in Africa. One wonders if the ugly trend would ever play itself out in Europe. This calls to question the role of the CAF leadership. This is not the first time this has happened to Nigeria, yet there has never been any reprimand from CAF against those who bring the beautiful game to disrepute. Maybe, a change in the leadership would breathe a new lease of life into the federation. In Africa, we do untoward things to win matches, including tampering with the visitors’ food, water and, of course, looting of their teams’ locker rooms in the stadium. We harass visitors to secure victory. For Nigeria, we have been through this path to Nairobi before. The lesson learnt from previous visits informed the way in which we stormed the Kenyan capital in the wee hours of Tuesday. We arrived when the country was asleep. It was deliberate - to ensure our safety. So, for the FA chairman, who statutorily should know

when we arrive to have masterminded the assault on the Nigerian delegation is not only appalling, but one incident that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should report to the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) in Zurich. We could have avoided informing the Kenya FA chairman of our arrival. We didn’t disregard him because it would have been anti-FIFA rule. He was told of our arrival schedules. With a Nigerian High Commissioner in Kenya, our arrival had to be handled by the officials in Nairobi, irrespective of what FIFA’s rule states on the matter. What the embassy officials did by providing better accommodation for the Nigerian delegation was in sync with our culture. After all we are not called giants of Africa for nothing. The other lesson learnt from the unscrupulous manner in which the FA chairman handled our passage through Immigration is that our embassy staff will seek for independent security arrangement for our sports ambassadors. I hope it does not get to that extent. Not much can be said of the Super Eagles’s victory over Kenya on Wednesday in Nairobi, since it wasn’t shown live. It wasn’t going to be an easy game. Our victory underlines the vin-

tage Nigerian spirit. I hope that our players can imbibe the culture of ensuring that Nigeria’s participation in top class football competition is topmost on their minds. It is important to remind the players that they could in the future be playing Stephen Keshi’s role as coaches, managers or even football federation bosses. They can only do so on the big stage, if they play their hearts out for us during matches. The winning mentality in the Eagles is back, courtesy of Keshi’s renowned courage. He has instilled the can-do spirit in the players. They trust him and he believes in them. That is what we need to change the face of the game here. However, Keshi should learn to be a team player. He must not play to the gallery. He must reflect before opening his mouth to speak at any public forum. He didn’t need to voice his unhappiness with the team’s travelling plans to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Didn’t he shun his employers when such details were being discussed last in December? Glad to know that NFF chieftain Chris Green treated the Keshi backlash with maturity. Green categorised what Keshi said to mind games meant to deceive our opponents. Well said Green. This country belongs to us. We owe it to the future generation to make our sporting industry a viable one like we have in other climes. •Continued on Page 60

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