June 20, 2015 by The Nation

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

THE NATION

NEWS 3

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

Atiku, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal and Ekweremadu

T is worrisome what dire portents the controversial National Assembly (NASS) leadership elections of June 9 have let loose. The elections were supposed to be a routine, if slightly competitive, exercise to choose those who would preside over the affairs of the 8th Senate and 8th House of Representatives. But it turned out to be a harbinger of unsettling and inextricable complications for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Given what the disputed elections signposted, the APC must ready itself for more intrigues and fierce competition for dominance by party leaders. In defiance of his party, APC’s Bukola Saraki had struck an alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to emerge as Senate President, with PDP’s Ike Ekweremadu as his deputy. In the lower chamber, Yakubu Dogara, also defying his party, had emerged as Speaker, with Lasun Suleiman of the APC as deputy. While the APC was still fuming over the developments in the National Assembly, some of the party’s key leaders offered their views on the election and managed in the same breath to show where they were headed politically. The viewpoints of three APC leaders — former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso — indicate just how poignantly the NASS election transcended merely producing the leaders of the 8th NASS. Senator Saraki, Alhaji Atiku, Governor Tambuwal and Senator Kwankwaso are thought to eye the 2019 presidential race. Their actions and opinions on the June 9 NASS leadership elections were believed to have been influenced by their ambitions. But whether each has pursued that ambition ethically and healthily, and with the insuperable circumspection of a future presidential aspirant, will be clear in the coming months. The election, or more accurately, the affirmation, of Senator Ekweremadu appears to be the leitmotif of the forthcoming presidential struggle. The reaction of the four APC leaders to the presence on the APC ticket of PDP’s Senator Ekweremadu is serving as the litmus test to gauge their loyalty to the party, their character as individuals and politicians, and their understanding of the dynamics of Nigerian politics. Senator Saraki’s ambition is hardly disguised. While he is entitled to nurse any ambition, many party leaders and followers are uneasy over the guileful but facile manner he ceded the important and valuable position of Deputy Senate Presidency to the PDP, and act attributed wholly to his machinations. Even after the brouhaha over the political heresy is quietened, it is doubtful whether Senator Saraki can be trusted again. Party leaders, members and the populace will wonder whether there is a limit to what and who Senator Saraki can trade for his ambition. He will be judged blameless for resisting his party and pursuing his ambition to lead the senate; but he will not be exculpated for undermining his party in such a

grand, reckless and offensive manner. He is unlikely to live down that betrayal, or celebrate for long what is evidently a pyrrhic victory. Alhaji Atiku denies that his celebration of the outcome of the NASS elections has anything to do with the 2019 presidential race, but he has offered no forceful or convincing justification for turning a blind eye to Senator Saraki’s subversion of party discipline. Indeed, Alhaji Atiku was enthusiastic in welcoming the new NASS leadership. “The Nigerian people are looking up to the new National Assembly to work with the executive arm to find solutions to the problems of insecurity, poverty, illiteracy and joblessness in the country,” gushed the former vice president. “Their election is indeed a call to duty, and it is a call for which they cannot afford to fail

the nation.” He goes on to suggest that the new NASS leaders should not be discomfited by the circumstances of their emergence, but should swing to work immediately and not let personal political interest supersede national interest. He offered no direct or indirect opinion on the subversion of party discipline plotted by Senator Saraki, nor of the embarrassment and dire implication to the APC which the affirmation of Senator Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President disgracefully connoted. While Alhaji Atiku has achieved some renown in crisscrossing political parties, Governor Tambuwal, another party leader who might be interested in the 2019 presidential race, had a reputation for general stoicism and ideological politics. During his tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives, he came across to many as a dependable politician and leader, one who mixed well, and was sagacious, intelligent and courageous. Why he seemed blithely unaware of the damage to his reputation which his inappropriate reaction to the NASS leadership election implied is hard to understand. He was an ardent defender

of the independence of the legislature, and he stood ramrod against the political and executive malfeasances of the Goodluck Jonathan administration. But surely, given his perspicacity, he should be capable of drawing a line between legislative independence and legislative ethicalness, and between p a r t y discipline and executive interference. Yet, he was not too incommoded by the desire to defy his party when he felt it was justified. Whether that justification had anything to do with principles or personal interest cannot now be easily established. But in embracing the June 9 NASS elections, which he claimed exampled the maturation of Nigerian democracy, he showed none of the gifts, accomplishments and oratorical endearments for which he had been celebrated as a hero of the 7th Senate. Senator Kwankwaso has never hidden his interest in running for president. In fact, he is unabashed in showing his interest. He has a solid political pedigree, and his time as governor of Kano State, not to talk of his Kwankwasiya ideology, continues to resonate quite well with many Nigerians. In the last APC presidential primary, he surprised many by coming a famous and inspiring second to the winner, Muhammadu Buhari. Since then he has talked sensibly, fearlessly, independently and clairvoyantly. What is more, he seems somewhat uncannily prescient in judging political matters. Weeks before the June 9 NASS elections, he had warned of an impending catastrophe if APC leaders failed to handle the NASS leadership elections well. After the elections, when some party leaders waffled, he forthrightly lambasted Senator Saraki for rank indiscipline, and described other beneficiaries of the aberrant elections, such as Senator Ekweremadu, as undeserving. He also counseled the party to establish its authority over its members if the Buhari presidency was not to be threatened by the new and unholy alliance between Senator Saraki and his new PDP affiliates. It may be too early to project into the 2019 presidential race, for four years is a very long time in politics. But so far, Senator Kwankwaso has talked the talk most engagingly. His sound bites are clear and crisp, and his stand quite geomorphologically close to the Rock of Gibralta. It however remains to be seen how well he can stay faithful to, and be focused on, doing and saying the right things effortlessly. At the bottom of the posturing by these ambitious APC leaders is the expectation that President Buhari could choose not to run in 2019. If he does however run, the hopes and plans of these early aspirants will be summarily dashed. If he does not run, the field will be crowded by many presidential wannabes, some of them accomplished flip-floppers, and others too short-termist to endure a long race. Among them, if he can stay the course, and nurse his principles, will be Senator Kwankwaso, ebullient, iconoclastic and pragmatic as ever.

Having lost their loved ones, homes and means of livelihood, they say they are no longer living but merely existing. For no fault of theirs, thousands of Nigerians have become refugees in their own country as a result of brutal attacks by Boko Haram insurgents. While thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have taken up abode in camps, countless others reside with friends, relations and other good Samaritans in Yola, Adamawa State. Their tales drip with sorrow, tears and despair, reports ADEKUNLE YUSUF

LTHOUGH it is early morning in the isolated camp, the roasting Yola sun is already baring its fangs. But that seems to mean nothing to Fatimah, 37, who sits on bare floor outside the classrooms that have been converted to bedrooms at Malkohi camp in Yola, Adamawa State. As one of more than 200 women and children that were brought to the camp early last month by Nigerian troops after being rescued from the claws of Sambisa forest, she is still weighed down by the gravity of her horrifying ordeal in the hideout of deadly Boko Haram sect perhaps thinking that she is just daydreaming. She feels that all that has happened is too gruesome to be true, admitting that she is still haunted by the memory of how others helped her alight from one of the trucks that conveyed them from the notorious forest on Saturday, May 2. After agreeing to narrate her nine-month nightmare in the evil forest, she covers her face with her left hand, remaining silent as words fail her, sobbing as her colleagues come to her rescue to share their sob story. “Ten people were killed in my neighborhood before I managed to flee for safety, yet I found myself in Boko Haram net,” another woman says, as she also bursts into tears. While Fatimah and dozens of other women have shed their gaunt look, their children appear visibly struggling. Three children sleeping on the mat look thin, a sign of severe malnutrition.

Nestling in the middle of the moor, the lonely facility that now houses hundreds of displaced persons is originally meant to serve as a vocational center. Apart from cows and other prized animals munchi n g their r a tions b y t h e roadside, human or vehicular activity is a huge luxury on the long, dirt road that leads from Gibson Jalo Military Cantonment to the camp. But the dustiness and isolation apart, Malkohi camp that currently serves as home for hundreds of victims of Boko Haram war is incomparable to the dungeon of terrorists, at least in terms of comfort and safety. Some camp officials, who were present on the day these victims of Boko Haram were brought to the camp, said most of the IDPs looked extremely malnourished and were even too weak to disembark from the trucks that conveyed them. In most cases, the new arrivals had to be helped by NEMA officials and other people at the camp, including other IDPs who had been there before the new returnees. Mallam Saad Bello, Adamawa State coordinator of NEMA, said that many of the Boko Haram captives had lost their lives because they had no food, while some of the luckier ones were too feeble to withstand the rigour of registration immediately they arrived at the camp. •CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

On Saraki-PDP alliance As far as we are concerned, PDP was dead until recently when this ambition brought certain people to do what they should not do in democracy and party politics and how they are ? just about to create unnecessary life for them to the extent that some of them are servicing again and making all sorts of statements... I think it is because of the mistakes of our members. I believe that at the end of the day, the party and members must get a way of coming together and behave well, I think that is the only way we can make progress.

Where was Senator Kwankwaso when a party he claimed was dead defeated his choice candidate in the Senate? Was it a dead party that was able to do what according to Kwankwaso, no other party could do in the 16 years of PDP control of the National Assembly? Indeed, we found it very baffling that such unguarded statement came from a person who contested for the high office of the president of Nigeria. Statements from such personalities should be decorous, statesmanly and focused on the national interest instead of promoting acrimony and division in the polity

—Ex-Kano Governor Kwankwaso

—PDP spokesman Olisa Metuh

THE NATION

NEWS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

Fallout of N’Assembly polls: Saraki takes case to Obasanjo

HE search for peace in the camp of APC senators continued yesterday after the crisis provoked by the election of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President in controversial circumstances penultimate Tuesday. While Saraki visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Presidential Hilltop Estate residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State to seek his elderly advice on the possible way forward, members of the Unity Forum, led by Sen. Ahmed Lawan, tabled a six-point demand before party leaders, upon which the group premised a possible end to the crisis. A statement issued by the media officer to the Senate President, Bamikole Omishore, said the visit to Obasanjo was in continuation of Saraki’s tour to draw from the wealth of experience and knowledge of elder statesmen across the country on ways to move the country forward. Saraki arrived Obasanjo’s home by 9:11 am and proceeded quickly to the ex - President’s inner chamber for private discussions. He emerged from the meeting about two hours, seven minutes after. On his entourage were Kawu Baraje; Senator Andy Uba; former Governor Zamfara State governor, Senator Sanni Yerima; former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola;

•Lawan group gives six conditions for peace Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation; Ernest NWOKOLO, Abeokuta; Onyedi OJIABOR and Sanni ONOGU, Abuja Senator Danjuma Goje and Senator Tayo Alasoadura A source close to Obasanjo’s home said the discussion revolved around how Saraki could foster unity in the 8th Senate, make peace with APC leaders who were not happy with his manner of emergence as Senate President, among others. Another source privy to the visit told The Nation that Saraki used the visit to seek Obasanjo’s support, following the acrimony that has trailed his emergence as Senate President. The source, a senator, said that Saraki wanted to rally round influential personalities in and outside the country to ensure a successful outing as President of the Eighth Senate. He said that the visit to some personalities in the country would not be limited to Obasanjo as Saraki was determined to “explain his emergence as Senate President to as many influential personalities as possible.” He added that “the increasing number of very important personalities visiting the Senate President

is a pointer to the fact that he wants to reach out and consolidate his Senate Presidency. “It is normal, considering especially the bickering trailing his emergence as the Senate President,” he said. Saraki had told reporters in Abeokuta after a twohour closed door meeting with Obasanjo that the crisis engendered by his emergence as Senate President would soon be resolved, Sàraki said: “We are here with colleagues to see the former President, as one of our fathers and former President, to pay our homage and visit to him, get his advice, get his blessing and also to consult. “We all know President Obasanjo’s value to this country and we are here to tap from that wisdom and that knowledge and experience. “I think as you can see, things are moving smoothly definitely. You should rest assured that all

that would be put behind us shortly; we are very confident about that.” But aggrieved members of the Unity Forum, led by Senator Ahmed Lawan, have tabled six demands before the leadership of the APC for peace to reign in the upper chamber. They asked Saraki and his Like Minds group to concede key principal posts to them and rejected any fresh move to assign any principal office to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But the President of the Senate had a meeting with a key member of the Unity Forum, ex-Governor Abdullahi Adamu, rejecting the proposal that the post of Majority Leader be conceded to Senator Ahmed Lawan. It was also learnt at press time that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu did not send any letter to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John OdigieOyegun, on the sharing of principal offices in either the Senate or the House of

Representatives. Investigation by our correspondent revealed that as part of steps to reunite Saraki and Lawan groups, Oyegun met with members of the Unity Forum. It was learnt that at the session, the Lawan group opened up in a rare manner on the way forward. It was gathered that the team had the frank session with Oyegun alongside the Deputy National Chairman (North), Sen. Lawal Shuaib; the Deputy National Chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni; and the National Secretary of APC, Mallam Mai Mala Buni. According to findings, the meeting was able to chart a “way forward” on how to reunite all APC Senators in the 8th Senate. At the end of the meeting, the Lawan group made the following demands: • APC leadership should instill discipline and intervene in the choice of some principal officers in the Senate. • It is better to leave the

choice of some principal officers to APC than zonal caucuses in order not to further divide the governing party • Ranking must be considered in the selection of principal officers. • Concession of some principal offices to the Unity Forum including Ahmed Lawan (Majority Leader); George Akume (Deputy Majority Leader); Prof. Sola Adeyeye (Senate Whip); and Abu Ibrahim (Deputy Whip). • Reconciliation is possible if Saraki group does not play the politics of winner- takes- all • PDP should not be allowed to produce any principal officer except those due to it as the minority party in the Senate A highly placed source said: “The Lawan group warned against a repeat of what happened on the floor of the Senate which made the PDP to secure the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate.

•Continued on Page 66

APC working hard to end crisis, says party chair Oyegun •Defends Lai Mohammed

HE National Chairman of the All Progressives Con-

gress (APC), Chief John Oyegun, has assured that the party is working around the clock to resolve the crisis that has rocked it in recent times, to pave the way for the party to fulfill its campaign promises to Nigerians. ‘’The party has reached out to all interested parties, and when the National Assembly resumes next week, Nigerians will see one harmonious, happy APC family,’’ Chief Oyegun said in a statement he issued in Abuja on Friday. ‘’We owe it to our party, our teeming members and supporters and indeed all Nigerians who reposed so much confidence in us by voting us into office to quickly put the unfortunate incidents of the recent past behind us and forge ahead,’’ he said. In the meantime, the APC Chairman has risen in defence of the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is being vilified in his home state of Kwara for signing the statement conveying the party’s reaction to the election of the National Assembly leadership on June 9. Oyegun said Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s statement was issued with the knowledge and consent of the party, hence it would be wrong for anyone to make him a sacrificial lamb for carrying out his party responsibilities. He said: ‘’The party is aware that its National Pub-

licity Secretary has been grossly misunderstood by virtually everyone, especially in his state, just because he carried out his duty by signing the said statement by the party. ‘’At a personal risk and putting the party’s interest above his own, he issued that statement which reflected the position of the party at that particular time. “The party is solidly behind him, and it will be wrong for anyone to interpret the statement as representing his personal opinion.’’

•Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle); his deputy, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule (2nd left); Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello (left); the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu II (right) and the Chief Imam of Lagos, Alhaji Akinola Garuba during a special thanksgiving Jumat at the Lagos Central Mosque, Alausa, Ikeja... yesterday

How Wike's agents invaded my home, damaged my husband's car –Ex-Rivers commissioner

HE immediate past Commissioner of Information and Communications in Rivers State, Nrs. Ibim Semenitari, has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of sending more than 10 policemen armed with machine guns to invade her home and damage a vehicle belonging to her husband. In a statement she issued yesterday, Semenitari said the policemen came in two trucks to her No 12A, Ernest Ikoli Street, Oki, Old GRA, Port Harcourt in two vehicles and without a search warrant, letter or previous information, invaded her home on Thursday under the pretext of recovering government properties. Accusing Governor Wike of employing “brigandage, thuggery and underhand tactics”, Semenitari said the in-

vaders also threatened to take away a Lexus jeep duly allocated to her as Commissioner of Information and which by law she was entitled to leave office with. The statement, which gave details of the alleged invasion of her house by Wike’s agents, reads: “On Thursday June 18, 2015, over 10 policemen armed with machine guns and in two trucks—One Ford Transit and One Hilux—arrived my residence, No 12 A Ernest Ikoli Street, Old G.R.A Port Harcourt. Without either a search warrant, letter or precious information, they forced their way into my premises. “My security guard on duty requested to know their mission and who sent them. They refused to disclose either but went round

taking photographs and videoing my premises. “The security guard got in touch with my assistant who spoke with the men, explaining to them that I was out of town and again requested to know their mission and purpose. Again, they declined, insisting on seeing me first. “She then got in touch with me by phone as we were uncertain as to the identity of the policemen in question. “Upon further investigation and after about three hours of them laying siege to my premises, I was told that they were from Rivers State Government House and had been sent to recover vehicles in my possession. “They attempted to break into a Range Rover Jeep belonging to my husband and bought long before I was

made a commissioner in Rivers State Government, damaging the front door.” Semenitari said the vehicle in question belonged to her husband, adding that “contrary to the lies being peddled, it is not an armoured vehicle and has never at any point belonged to the Rivers State Government nor its agents, including myself as Commissioner of Information. “By the time I finally made contact with them and expressed my displeasure, they insisted that they would take away a Lexus jeep duly allocated to me as Commissioner of Information and which by law I am entitled to leave with upon leaving office. “The monetization policy of the government allows public officers to leave gov-

ernment with their official vehicles, as this is in lieu of vehicle, allowance, transport and other allowances, which they cannot draw because of the monetization policy of 2002. “Mr. Nyesom Wike served as Chief of Staff, and upon departure left with all the vehicles he used as Chief of Staff. This has been the practice since this democratic dispensation when President Olusegun Obassanjo instituted the monetisation policy. “Having served as Commissioner for two tenures, I am entitled to my status cars and have proof of allocation.” She accused Governor Wike of a deliberate ploy to destroy the reputation of his

•Continued on Page 66

NEWS 5

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

FG appeals orders on Kashamu's arrest, extradition

HE Federal Government has appealed against the court orders made by Justice Ibrahim Buba and Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos, barring security agencies from arresting or extraditing Senator Buruji Kashamu over drug charges in the United States. Justice Buba on June 8 barred the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) from extraditing Kashamu. The judge had ordered that the respondents shall not in the face of the court’s subsisting judgments/orders and pending suit enforce the May 25 warrant of arrest or arraign Kashamu based on the extradition process filed on May 28. He said it was “so as not to get conflicting orders whilst cases are pending and judgments/orders subsisting, including committal proceedings.” But in the appeal filed on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation by Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), the appellant said Justice Buba ought to have dismissed Kashamu’s suit as an abuse of court process. It said the court has no supervisory jurisdiction over another Federal High Court of coordinate jurisdiction hearing extradition proceedings duly commenced before it. Besides, it said the court cannot fetter the hands of security or prosecuting agencies in the lawful discharge

Joseph JIBUEZE of their functions. According to the AGF, Justice Buba’s order was made without jurisdiction and seeks to shield a fugitive from facing a duly initiated extradition. The appellant added that the trial judge erred in law in making the order without hearing from the AGF, thereby breaching his right to fair hearing. “The trial court is under obligation to hear all the parties before making the order that seeks to prevent the 1st Respondent from performing his statutory duties under the Extradition Act Cap E25 LFN 2004. “Failure to hear the first respondent (AGF) before making the order is fatal to the proceedings. The first respondent was not afforded fair hearing in the proceedings,” the appellant said. It, therefore, sought orders allowing the appeal; setting aside the decision of the lower court contained in the June 8 ruling and an order dismissing Kashamu’s suit. Ngige yesterday told Justice Buba that he also filed a stay of execution of the order at the Court of Appeal pending the hearing and determination of the appeal. He also sought an order staying further proceedings in the suit before Justice Buba pending the hearing and determination of the appeal. Ngige said Kashamu was seeking to prevent federal agencies from performing

their statutory duties under the Extradition Act. Justice Abang, on May 27, held that Kashamu should not be abducted, kidnapped or unlawfully arrested and taken to America by force to face criminal charges without the respondents following the provisions of Extradition Act 2004. He said taking Kashamu out of the country by force or without his consent would constitute a breach of his fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement as enshrined in

sections 35(I) and 40 of 1999 Constitution as amended. But the AGF, in the appeal, said Justice Abang based his judgment on assumptions and speculations which are not permitted in judicial proceedings. Besides, the appellant said Kashamu’s claims as formulated in his originating processes do not fall within the ambit of the provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution. “There is a presumption that the State as represented by 1st -12th Respondents

cannot engage in criminal activities such as ‘abduction’ or ‘kidnapping’ of her citizens which formed the kernel of the applicant’s case,” the appellant said. Speaking to newsmen after yesterday proceedings before Justice Buba, Ngige faulted the claim that two United Kingdom Courts exonerated the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District of drug crime, insisting that the claim was not only untrue, but misleading. Accordinf to the Senior Advocate, the claim was

aimed at achieving sinister motive. His words: “That is the misleading aspect of the whole thing. Kashamu was not tried before the British Courts. He only went through extradition proceeding and the extradition application failed based on the fact before the court. “Now, that does not and cannot constitute a bar on further extradition proceeding or trial for drug crime in any other country or other court,” Ngige said.

French agency to boost Nigeria’s power transmission with •170m

HE Federal Government is on the lookout for a •170m facility from the Agence Francaise Development (AFD) for the development of electricity transmission around the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during the inauguration of the steering committee on the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN)/AFD for the feasibility study on enhancing vocational training delivery for the power sector in Nigeria. He said: “In terms of transmission, we are working with AFD, which is

•JICA to provide $200m for transmission in Lagos

John OFIKHENUA, Abuja partnering with us. We are expecting •170m for transmission. It is a very long term facility window to build up our transmission network.” He expressed gratitude to AFD for the facility and training for NAPTIN . The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), according to him, is providing $200 million to boost transmission capacity around Lagos. The Permanent Secretary noted that following the rising interest of investors in the power sector, especially solar, after privatization, there is urgent need to boost the transmission network.

According to him, in its attempt to consolidate on the achievements of NAPTIN, the Federal Government is now partnering with the AFD and the Canadian CPCs to train manpower on the specific needs of the power sector. He revealed that AFD is releasing •260,000 to the CPCs to develop manpower in NAPTIN between this year and 2019. The responsibility of the steering committee, said the AFD Project Manager, Education and Vocational Training Sector Human Development Department, Celine Gratadour, is to support NAPTIN and the consultant (CPCs) in collecting any nec-

essary data, information, or in organising stakeholder meetings. It is also expected to validate the reports submitted by the consultant after being approved by NAPTIN and AFD. Membership of the committee are drawn from the Federal Ministry of Power, Federal Ministry of Finance, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Electricity Distribution Companies, Electricity Generation Companies and the Transmission Company of Nigeria. Igali is to chair the committee, which he inaugurated yesterday.

Suspect charged with murder in killings at black U.S. church

WENTY-one year old Dylann Roof was yesterday charged with nine counts of murder in connection with the Thursday attack on a historic black South Carolina church, police said and media reports said he had hoped to incite a race war in the United States. Residents of Charleston flocked to the nearly-200year-old Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church as they struggled to comprehend how the suspect could sit with worshippers for an hour of Bible study before allegedly opening fire , killing nine black people and fleeing into the night, triggering a 14-hour manhunt. “This was not merely a mass shooting, not merely a matter of gun violence, this was a racial hate crime and must be confronted as such,” said Cornell William Brooks, president of the NAACP. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909 to confront lynchings in the United States. The attack came in a year that has seen waves of protest across the United States over police killings of unarmed black men in cities including New York, Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, sparking some of the largest race riots the nation has seen since the civil rights movement of the 1960s. From U.S. President Barack

Obama, who said the attack stirred memories of “a dark past,” to residents on the streets of Charleston, Americans expressed outrage at an act intended to provoke a “race war” in the United States. “I grew up when racism was just a way of life,” said Mary Meynardie, 90, who is white, as she stopped by the police tape that still surrounded the church known as “Mother Emanuel.” “I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was somebody 60, 70 years old who had that much hate, but where does this hate come from?” The latest in a series of mass shootings that have rocked the United States also illustrated some of the risks posed by the nation’s liberal gun laws, which gun-rights supporters say are protected by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Roof confessed to the attack and said he intended to set off new racial confrontations, CNN reported, citing a law enforcement source. He sat with parishioners for an hour before opening fire and almost did not go through with the attack because he had been welcomed, NBC News reported, citing a law enforcement source. Charleston Police spokesman Charles Francis declined to comment on the reports of a confession.

•Chief of Defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (middle) cutting a tape to inaugurate the permanent site of the Joint Task Force’s (JTF) Operation Pulo Shield in the Niger Delta on Friday. With him are JTF Commander, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe (left) and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd).

Ahmed, party chair, supporters receive Saraki in Kwara

WARA State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, yesterday received the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, at the Ilorin International Airport. Also on hand to welcome him was a crowd of APC supporters, loyalists, stalwarts and well wishers. The mammoth crowd had waited patiently from 8 am

Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin till 1.35 pm when the presidential jet that conveyed Saraki and his entourage touched down at the airport. Yesterday’s visit was Saraki’s first to Ilorin since his election as Senate President on June 9, 2015. Saraki arrived in Ilorin in company with Senators Ahmed Sanni Yerima, Andy Uba, Danjuma Goje; former Osun State Governor,

Olagunsoye Oyinlola; and former Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje. It was a thug of war before the Senate President could move from the tarmac to the arrival hall as everyone struggled to catch a glimpse of him. In a brief chat with newsmen, Saraki, beaming with smiles all the way, thanked Kwarans for their support

and prayer towards his emergence as the Senate President. “It is a great reception. I will have time later to thank the people of Kwara State. It is a great opportunity for the people of Kwara State to have one of them to serve at this level. “I pray and thank all the people for their support and prayers and everything, and I assure them that I will not disappoint them,” Saraki said.

Chad to round up beggars, foreigners after Boko Haram attack

HAD plans to round up beggars and some foreigners as part of a security clamp-down, days after two suicide attacks on its capital blamed on Boko Haram . The apparently coordinated blasts at two police stations on Monday killed 34 people and injured dozens in the largest attack of its kind in the coun-

try. Chad's Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet said yesterday that the detained beggars and foreigners would be held in a centre in Baga Sola, a town near Lake Chad, close to the Nigerian border. He gave no details on how the round-up would improve security or the nationality of the foreigners.

Deubet also said that boating and fishing would be banned on parts of the River Chari that flows into the Lake Chad. Boko Haram militants have launched several deadly attacks around the lake, often arriving in motorised canoes from Nigeria. Chad is a member of the multi- national forces battling Boko Haram.

Its capital,N’Djamena is a command centre for the regional anti-Boko Haram task force. It banned religious head-totoe burqas earlier this week on the grounds that they might be used as camouflage by militants, though residents say people on the streets of N'Djamena have continued wearing them.

THE NATION, SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2015

News

HE Nigerian military has pleaded for time to enable it study the report, containing allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses levelled against officers and men by the Amnesty International (AI) The AI has, on June 3, released a report, indicting some past and serving military officers of war crimes in the course of the counter-insurgency campaign in Northeastern Nigeria. But a statement yesterday by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, accused the AI of rehashing the same report since 2011 and presenting it to the public. "Amnesty International report was released on 3 June

War crimes: Military pleads for time to reply Amnesty International Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja 2015. Therefore, the Nigerian military as a responsible corporate organisation is bound to respond to these allegations in order to put the records in proper perspective. "For the avoidance of doubts, the Amnesty International's allegations of human rights abuse and extra judicial killing of civilians are a rehash of the

same allegations made against the military since 2011. "No new facts have been unearthed by the Amnesty International to warrant their repeated allegations. "However, the figures adduced by the Amnesty International as victims of extra judicial killing by the military have kept on increasing from 4,600 to 8,000 and even as high as 13,000 civilians.

"The military has the constitutional and moral responsibility to protect Nigerian citizens and cannot suddenly engage in mass murder as portrayed by the Amnesty International's allegations", the statement said. According to the Army Chief, the military had already begun investigation into the report and that it would require some time to address the issues raised therein.

•From left: Director General/CEO, Mr Victor Banjo; President/Chairman of Council, Chief (Mrs) Eniola Fadayomi and 1st Vice-President, Mr Yemi Akeju, at the 31st Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Directors Nigeria, held at the institute’s secretariat, Ikoyi, Lagos...yesterday. PHOTO: BIODUN ADEYEWA

Over 150, 000 children born with sickle cell disease annually—FG

VER 150,000 Nigerian children are born with sickle cell disease annually, it was learnt yesterday. Majority of these children die before the age of five. It is also estimated that over 40million Nigerians have the sickle cell traits, just as about 100 million people are said to be affected globally. The disease, according to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, is responsible for over 50% deaths in the most severe form of the disease. The Permanent Secretary, who spoke on the occasion marking the World Sickle Cell Day with the theme: "Control of Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria at Primary Health Care Level" with sub-theme "Collaboration for the Control of Sickle Cell Disease in West Africa," said the country had empowered six federal medical centres in all the six geopolitical zones in the country to run dedicated clinics and programmes for the management and control of sickle cell. The centres are located in Abakaliki, (South-East); BirniKebbi (North-West); Ebute Meta (South-West); Gombe (North-East); Keffi (North Central); and Yenagua (SouthSouth). Besides, Awute said the country had also made a major breakthrough in the treatment of the disease. According to him, "It may interest you to know that the stem cell transplant which is currently the only definitive cure for sickle cell disease is done in Nigeria." Though he listed the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) as the only centre in the country where the transplant had been carried out, Awute disclosed that UBTH

Vincent IKUOMOLA had successfully carried out two transplants between September 2011 and 2013, while in 2014, the hospital successfully carried out a total red cell exchange. He explained that the low number of transplant in the country was as a result of the high cost involved, as accord-

ing to him, it cost N5million to carry out transplant. He blamed the lack of awareness to the rampant incident of sickle cell in Nigeria, stressing that with adequate awareness, a lot of people would become conscious of the consequence of the disease and thereby avoiding issues that could lead to it. He also advocated for universal screening of all newborn

babies and genetic counselling for the general public. Beside creating awareness, Awute said it was necessary to ensure comprehensive care for all sickle cell disease patients in Nigeria. He further explained that "currently, efforts are made to integrate the management of sickle cell disease and other communicable diseases into primary health care services."

Court jails undergraduate for duping job seekers, artisan for dealing in cocaine

Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday jailed two men, Alex Oki (an undergraduate) and Ndukaku Azuka (motor mechanic), for duping job seekers and dealing in cocaine. Oki, 27, who was described as a 400-level student of the University of Abuja was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, while Azuka, 32, was sentenced to 24 months by Justice Gabriel Kolawole who had earlier convicted them. Oki was arraigned October 28, 2014 along with two others on a 5-count charge by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for posing as an official of the FIRS and duping job seekers with the promise to help them secure employment with the FIRS. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. On June 15, this year, he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the charge, following which Justice Kolawole convicted him and adjourned his sentencing to a later date. While sentencing him yesterday, the judge wondered why a university student with hope of a better tomorrow would choose to engage himself in

Eric IKHILAE, Abuja swindling fellow young Nigerians who are seeking to be employed. Justice Kolawole, who regretted the prevailing moral decadence in the society, wondered why Oki’s parents never showed interest in his trial. The judge chose to be lenient with the convict by sentencing him to the minimum prescribed prison term under the law on which he was charge by jailing him two years on each count which are to serve concurrently. “Imposing fine is not going to serve the interest of justice and serve as deterrent to others. It is hoped that the convict will take advantage of the light sentence by the court and turn a new leaf. He is to serve two years in prison, from October 28 when he was arraigned and remanded in custody,” the judge said. Azuka was charged with dealing in cocaine by the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). He was arraigned on April 9, 2014 on a charge to which he pleaded not

guilty. On June 17, this year, he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to a one-count charge. He admitted sniffing cocaine and trading in it. He pleaded with the court to be lenient with him. In sentencing him yesterday, Justice Kolawole said that Azuka had been remorseful and exhibited the will to abstain from criminal conduct. He also noted that the convict had been in custody since he was first arraigned. The judge sentenced him to 28 months imprisonment (beginning from April 9, 2014), out of which he is to spend the last three months out of custody and under the counselling of officials of the NDLEA, which he must attend once every week. The judge, who directed the NDLEA to submit the report of the convict’s successful completion of the three-month counselling session, warned that he would order that he be returned to prison to serve the three-month should he default in attending the counselling session without evidence of his being ill.

The statement said: "Consequently, several investigations on these allegations are ongoing. Some investigations have turned in their preliminary reports which have been acted upon. Some of the investigations could not be concluded due to the inaccessibility of the terrain due to the activities of Boko Haram terrorists. "Similarly,the Defence Headquarters set up two Joint Investigation Teams (JIT) to investigate, screen and categorise suspected insurgents in detention. Out of the 504 suspects screened, prima facie cases were established against 350 suspects and were recommended for trial at the Federal High Court. Their case files were forwarded to the office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice. "The preliminary investigation reports submitted have resulted in the release of some detainees who are under age, women and children from some military holding facilities. Sequel to the report of the investigation panel, 42 detainees were handed over to the Borno State Government on Thursday,November 6, 2014 and another set of 124 persons were also handed over to the state government on November 8, 2014 respectively. "You may recall that the released persons were assisted with a token financial assistance of N100,000 each by the military. The living condition of the detainees was improved upon with the decongestion of holding facilities. "Additionally, the Code of Conduct for troops in the North East and other Internal Operations and Rules of Engagement clearly spelt out guidelines for troops. Therefore, the Nigerian military does not in any way condone indiscipline or breach of such regulations, let alone wanton killing or destruction. The Nigerian military collaborates with the International Committee of the Red Cross on training of personnel on laws of armed conflict and humanitarian law regularly". The statement added that the Nigerian Senate and the National Human Rights Commission had also conducted inde-

pendent investigations into the allegations. It continued: "It is worthy to note that the Human Rights Watch on some occasions had to recant its allegations of human rights abuses by the Nigerian military after thorough investigation. "The military requested the Amnesty International to provide a member for the investigation panel to look into the allegations, but the invitation was not honoured by the Amnesty International. "The essence of offering the Amnesty International the membership of the investigation panel was to guarantee fairness and justice, while proving to the world that the military has nothing to hide or cover up. The office of the Attorney General of the Federation was also carried along in all the investigations. "The military is still conducting investigations on the Amnesty International's allegations. In the course of forensic investigations, the withdrawal of troops from the frontline for investigation tends to dampen the morale of soldiers and distract ongoing operations against insurgents. This is one reason why the understanding of the Amnesty International would be worth the while. " The Amnesty International wrote a five-point questionnaire to the Nigerian military in November 2014, alleging extra judicial killing of some groups of people by the military. "The military responded to the five-point questionnaire immediately and in December, precisely 23 December, 2014, the Amnesty International sent another 37-point questionnaire to the Nigerian military which was answered. "The e-mail and hard copy were delivered to the Amnesty International Headquarters in London on 23, December 2014. If the military had anything to hide, it would not have responded to the 37 questions and others, especially in the light of the constraints of timing". The Army Chief stated further that the military authorities had facilitated a visit to the detainees by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the various detention facilities at the shortest notice. The military, he said, would not have allowed access to the facilities and other operational areas if there was anything to hide.

N’ Assembly told to cooperate with Buhari’s govt

coalition of Christian NGOs in collaboration with Christian Welfare Initiative (CWI) has cautioned the newly constituted National Assembly against serving as stumbling block to the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians. The group, giving the warning in Lagos at the weekend, also advised the APC to keep its house in order because the party would be held accountable for any lapses in governace of the country. Addressing a press conference on the state of the nation, the group’s spokesman, Professor Magnus Adeyemi Atilade, supported by over 20 leaders of the NGOs, said that Nigerians unanimously gave the APC the mandate at the last general elections to tackle the problems of insecurity, corruption, power, unemployment, people’s welfare, health, education and many others, militat-

ing against the nation. The group said anything short of these would not be acceptable to the entire Nigerians and any other arm of the government that obstructs the new government to perform and deliver its electioneering promises would be courting the wrath of the people. Atilade pointed out that what happened at the National Assembly during the election of its new officers was a show of shame in the eyes of the entire world. The Christian NGOs advised that the situation of the National Assembly needs to be carefully and prayerfully managed to prevent further deterioration into disunity, chaos, confusion and anarchy. The group advised Nigerians to bring God into governance by embarking on 100 days of special prayers for the nation by both the Christians and Muslims, commencing from July 1, 2015.

THE NATION, SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2015

News 7

Relocation of Akwa Ibom election tribunals to Abuja prompted by security threats—Leaders

OME Akwa Ibom elders/ leaders have hailed the re location of the state’s election petition tribunals to Abuja as a welcome development in view of “genuine and continuing security threats” in the state. The Real Elders/Leaders group said the behaviour and utterances of certain leaders and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the early sittings of the tribunals in the state made it inevitable for the national judicial authorities to move the tribunals to Abuja. “The PDP began with the lawless attitude of bringing supporters and thugs in not less than 20 buses to the tribunal premises at every adjournment of the case. These supporters and thugs were known to be disrupting court proceedings and jeering at counsel for the opponents of the PDP,” the leaders led by Atuekong Don Etiebet said in a statement in Uyo. Also in the group are Otuekong Sunny Jackson Udoh, Dr Maurice Ebong,HE Nsima Ekere,Obong Rita

•Say ‘concerned elders’ are chasing shadows Akpan, Dr Ime Okopido and Chief Edet Nkpubre. Responding to the objection raised to the relocation of the tribunals by the Concerned Akwa Ibom Elders led by Senator Anietie Okon, the Etiebet group dismissed the suggestion that the relocation was a plot to subvert the will of Akwa Ibom people in the governorship election. The group insisted that contrary to “the baseless speculation by PDP members that the tribunals were moved to Abuja for political reasons, it is on record that their relocation was ordered by the President of the Court of Appeal in exercise of her power to do so once she made the determination that it was not safe for the tribunals to continue to sit in Uyo. The argument that the tribunals could not be moved to safer grounds in the face of persistent security threats to both the tribunal members and witnesses for pe-

titioners before the tribunals reflects gross ignorance of the law. “The President of the Court of Appeal has the power to extend the jurisdiction of the tribunals so that they can sit and dispense justice in a neutral and safe location, which is precisely what she has done with regard to the Akwa Ibom State Election Petition Tribunals as well as the tribunals for Rivers, Taraba, etc, all of which faced direct security threats before the relocation.” It alleged that PDP supporters were “known to be disrupting court proceedings and jeering at counsel for the opponents of the PDP” Continuing, the Etiebet group said: “Most certainly, the President of the Court of Appeal must have acted on good intelligence in reaching the decision to relocate the tribunals. The strenuous effort by these elements to impugn the integrity of the President of the Court of Ap-

peal is unfortunate and ought to be condemned by all rightthinking and responsible members of society. “The allegation by Senator Okon on behalf of the so-called concerned Akwa Ibom elders that the APC is seeking to influence the outcome of the election petitions is the latest outburst in a series of baseless insinuations by PDP members against the APC and even the President and Commander-inChief. “Recently, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, and the Akwa Ibom State chairman of the PDP, Mr. Paul Ekpo, alleged without a shred of evidence that President Muhammadu Buhari is part of a plot to influence the election petition tribunals in Akwa Ibom State and other states to reach a verdict in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC). “We believe it is cheap black-

mail for the PDP to peddle false alarm of political interference by the President and the APC in purely judicial matters. Their baseless allegation is an affront to the independence of the judiciary and the principle of separation of power. “The PDP position on the issue of where the tribunals sit seems to suggest unfortunately that Presidents can and should interfere with the work of election tribunals.” They asked the police and the State Security Service to take note of alleged threats by the Concerned Akwa Ibom Elders to “instigate the breakdown of law and order in the state, if the tribunals are not relocated to Uyo and if the verdicts of the tribunals on the election petitions do not go their way.” They faulted Okon’s position that “the jubilation that greeted news of the relocation of the tribunals in some quarters in Akwa Ibom State was evidence that the relocation was meant to achieve a sinister purpose.” Their words: “We believe Senator Okon and his group missed the true meaning of the joy of Akwa Ibom people about where the tribunals are sitting now. The people rejoiced because they know that another excuse for more bloodshed has been removed; the people rejoiced because they know that witnesses can testify and the tribunal members can hear them in an atmosphere that is

free of threats, intimidation and fear. “While the tribunals sat in Uyo, prospective witnesses for APC candidates received daily death threats. PDP thugs and supporters inundated the tribunal venue to intimidate members and witnesses whom the thugs feared would help the petitioners to get justice. “If the PDP in Akwa Ibom State did not hope to gain undue advantage from the sitting of the tribunals in Uyo, they should not expect to be disadvantaged merely because the tribunals have relocated to Abuja. “It is a shame that the socalled concerned elders under the leadership of Senator Anietie Okon are crying wolf about non-existing political interference in the work of the tribunals, rather than addressing themselves to the critical issue of the card reader fraud that is hanging around the neck of PDP candidates in the elections like the Sword of Damocles. “The question Nigerians expect Akwa Ibom PDP to provide an answer to is how they got the figure of 1,122,836 as total votes cast in the governorship election, more than 997,000 of which were declared for their candidate, Mr Udom Emmanuel, whereas the INEC card reader statistic showed that only 437,128 voters were accredited for the election, which the electoral unmpire had directed to be conducted exclusively through accreditation with the card readers.”

Currency scam: Court grants bail to five accused persons

•From left: The Managing Director of BHS International Limited, Lagos, Otunba Olu Adenodi; Dame (Barrister) Priscilla Kuye, former National President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Chairman of Council, Institute for Government Research Leadership Technology; and Professor Adesegun Olayiwola Fatusi at the 2015 edition of the Induction of Patriotic Citizens in Abuja, where Otunba Adenodi was inducted as a fellow of the institute.

Boko Haram: ‘Cameroon detains 84 kids after raid on Quranic schools’

AMEROONIAN au thorities have been hold ing 84 children - some as young as five years old - for months without charge after officials accused their teachers at Quranic schools of running terrorist training camps, Amnesty International said yesterday. The international human rights organization asked Cameroon to release the children to their parents immediately, saying nearly all of them are too young to face criminal charges. The raids in the country's far north are part of the fight against Nigeria's Boko Haram. "Detaining young children will do nothing to protect Cameroonians living under the threat of Boko Haram," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International deputy regional director for West and Central Africa. A government spokesman did not immediately respond to the report and said a news conference would be held on Monday. Cameroonian forces arrested the 84 children in December along with 43 men in the northern town of Guirvidig, accusing the teachers of using the schools "as fronts for Boko Haram train-

ing camps," Amnesty said. "They said they would dig our grave and throw us into it. We were scared," one child told Amnesty. "Then, they roughed up our teachers. Some among them had blood all over their

faces." Food is now running low at the centre where the children have been detained in the northern town of Maroua, Amnesty said. Cameroon is struggling to

keep people in the far north from joining Boko Haram. Earlier this week, Cameroon assembled all its Muslim leaders in the capital, Yaounde, to teach them how to identify and denounce promoters of the Islamic State ideology.

Military to prosecute 350 Boko Haram suspects Three hundred and fifty suspected members of Boko Haram are to go on trial for alleged terrorism,the Nigerian Army announced yesterday. The suspects are among the 504 Boko Haram members currently in detention,according to the Army Chief of Administration,Major General Adamu Abubakar. Gen.Abubakar said in Abuja that two Joint Investigation Teams, set up by the defence headquarters to investigate, screen and categorize suspected insurgents in detention established prima facie cases against the 350. Their file cases have already been forwarded to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation/Justice Minister. Speaking on the recent allegations against the military in a report by human rights organisation, Amnesty Interna-

tional, Abubakar said the report was unnecessary as no new facts have been unearthed by the group to warrant a repeat of its allegations. He said: "For the avoidance of

doubts, the Amnesty International allegations of human rights abuse and extra judicial killing of civilians are a rehash of the same allegations made in 2011".

10m children out of school in Nigeria, says group

VER 10.5 million children are currently out of school in Nigeria, and 60 per cent of them are girls, says a Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS). The survey also indicated that the number of girls who marry before the age of 15 in the country has risen to 25 per cent from the previous 13 per cent in 2007. This disclosure was made at an event to mark this year's "Day of the African Child", an annual event organized by the United

Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to draw attention to the plight of African children. Speaking on the theme: "25 Years After the Adoption of the African Children's Charter: Accelerating Our Collective Efforts to End Child Marriage" at Abonnema, Akuku- Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, the General Manager of Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation, Medline Tador, urged parents to wake up to their responsibilities by providing the basic needs of the girl child.

USTICE Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, yesterday, granted bail to five employees of three commercial banks involved in the N8 billion mutilated currency scam. However, the court denied bail to 10 others, including three employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The five officials are Ademola Adewale of Wema Bank; Kehinde Fatokun, Olukunle Sijuade of First City Monument Bank and Ajuwon Bolade and Samuel Ogbeide of Zenith Bank. The accused were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges bordering on fraud, forgery and violation of the bank employees code of conduct. The three CBN staff are Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Adeola and Togun Philip. Others include Isaq Akano, Ayodele Adeyemi, Oyebamiji Akeem, Ayodeji Aleshe and Ajiwe Adegoke, all of First Bank Plc, and Oni Dolapo and Afolabi Olunike of Wema Bank. Delivering his ruling on the bail applications made by the accused persons, Faji said that the prosecution failed to establish a strong case against the five for which they should be denied bail. He said that while the court could grant or deny bail based on its discretion, bail applications could be denied, if prosecution could prove that trial could be hampered if bail was granted. “The prosecution had not proven well enough that these five accused could attempt to jeopardise the case by concealing evidence or influencing witnesses. “Although the offences,

herein, in my view are grave as it affects the economy, yet considering the proof of evidence before me, the prosecution has no strong case against the five,” he said. Faji, thereafter, granted each of the five accused bail in the sum of N20 million with two sureties in like sum. The judge said that the sureties must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction and have landed property in Oyo State, in addition to possessing evidence of payment of three years tax. On the other accused persons, Faji held that their statements to the police upon their arrest suggested some level of involvement in the offences against them. “The amount of money found in their different bank accounts and the worth of property disclosed by them, which is above their proven income, suggest that there is a strong case against them. “Although they complied with the EFCC when they were granted administrative bail, the same may not be said of them now that they know the gravity of what lies ahead,” he said. He, therefore, denied them bail and ordered for accelerated trial. 22 bank officials are being prosecuted by the EFCC in seven different suits. Three of the cases are before Justice Nathaniel AyoEmmanuel, while Faji is hearing four cases. Faji adjourned hearing in the four suits to June 26, July 1 and July 10 while the one involving the CBN trio and the three Wema Bank employees is Sept. 24 and September 25.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

Names, legacies and politicians FTER the way and manner the legislative elections have gone for the APC , analysts have written the party off in terms of party discipline and some have even concluded that the only good thing going for the new ruling party in Nigeria is the good name and anti corruption reputation of its victorious presidential candidate President Muhammadu Buhari. Others especially the PDP which can very rightly be accused of sour grapes in losing the incumbency and power so massively, have gone on to attempt an obituary on the loss of control by the man everyone knew was the architect of the APC’s glorious victory in the 2015 elections Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I disagree on both scores but I nevertheless want to take a good look at the worth and value of names and legacies in politics globally and in Nigeria in particular. Let me state that this topic came about from the news on the internet that both Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush who are presidential aspirants in the US in the 2016 elections for the Democratic Party and the Republican Party respectively, did not use their surnames on the logos they launched for their presidential campaigns. They used just their first names Jeb and Hillary. So in politics, or at least in the US this time around it is not just a matter of what is in a name. As Shakespeare once said in one of his plays – a rose called by any other name smells just as sweet. But that is not so in politics and that is the nitty gritty of our discussion today. This is because Names carry political weight and luggages especially at election times and in times of crisis and anxiety such as the rumpus our legislative elections brought to the doorsteps of the APC on June 9 2015. Definitely the Buhari name and its legacy of discipline and anti corruption legacy was a key selling point for the APC in its quest for power. Indeed that reputation jelled in an environment pervaded by corruption , confusion and poor security and the electorate embraced it out of total boredom and disenchantment with the person and policies of his opponent, the defeated incumbent president then. But it is no secret that somebody did the research and came out with the Buhari brand as the joker to win the 2015 elections hands down for the APC and I think that person is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The fact that the PDP is making itself merry with his embarrassment over the legislative elections is a measure of the havoc that strategy wrought on that great party which was greatly humiliated by the choice of the Buhari name and candidacy by the APC to contest and win the 2015 presidential elections. The foresight of that choice was even attested in a round about way by the PDP boss in Lagos state Chief Bode George who literally pronounced Asiwaju dead politically on the strength of the results of the legislative elections alone. Which to me is sheer wishful thinking as great strategists don’t just vanish into thin air just like that but are like the proverbial cats with nine lives who

live and resurrect to fight another day. So really it is the PDP which has profited and reaped a rich but dubious profit where it did not sow or invest that should watch its back on the slippery path it has taken to steal legislative leadership from the APC. Again on the US is not difficult to see why Hillary Clinton and George Bush did not use their surnames on their presidential logo. This is because a logo is supposed to sell a name or brand and must be seen in terms of positive virtues that can achieve the objective for which it was created which in this case is to win the US presidency. Time will tell if the decision not to use their surname is a wise or regrettable step. This is because both names, Clinton and Bush, are still household names in world and US politics and they still bring nostalgia of good memories on the presidencies in which they were involved. In Clinton’s case his Vice President Al Gore, who contested against the 43rd president George Bush lost because he kept the Clinton name at bay in his election bid because of the Mona Lewinsky scandal. I hope Hillary is not making the same mistake. With regard to Jeb Bush it is obvious that the invasion of Iraq on the false excuse of the existence of

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The father was a bridge builder between the north and south in his time. His politics was also pro-North in his time. But when after June 12 was aborted and the presidency was zoned to the South west the good doctor who had all along claimed he was a Fulani then claimed eligibility to contest as a South Westerner from somewhere in the Yoruba heartland. Of course no one took him seriously then

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weapons of mass destruction is making him to hide his surname. He should however be reminded that his name Jeb is mostly associated with or remembered for the Florida recount that clinched the election for his brother against Al Gore. That to me is a more weighty load to carry than the Bush name which in today’s context of global insecurity blamed on the Obama presidency’s dithering on air strikes and crossed red lines has a good selling point on global security which is a major issue in the 2016 presidential elections in the US.Really I think it is up to Jeb Bush know the opportunity cost of his surname before it is too late for his presidential bid in the US. Of course there is no way one can discuss a topic like this and not remember the Saraki name which is the political brand that runs the politics of Kwara state and now is in charge of Nigeria’s senate as Senator Bukola Saraki is the new Senate President from the June 9 legislative elections. His father Dr Abubakar Sola Saraki too was a President of the Senate in his era. The father was a bridge builder between the north and south in his time. His politics was also pro-North in his time. But when after June 12 was aborted and the presidency was zoned to the South west the good doctor who had all along claimed he was a Fulani then claimed eligibility to contest as a South Westerner from somewhere in the Yoruba heartland. Of course no one took him seriously then. But he had a first hand taste of the political dexterity of his son the new Senate President whose candidate defeated his father’s choice for the governorship of Kwara state, a major political tsunami in Kwara state in those days. Very similar in magnitude and poignancy to the legislative coup that had APC leadership and senators stranded at a meeting with the president while the kingpin of Kwara politics, and very much a member of the party was being elected Senate President by the opposition PDP. Which is a classical case of the end justifying the means but is being regarded most delicately and realistically as a fait accompli by the APC for its own sanity, stability and well being. In the midst of all these political razzmatazz however one can still recall the timeless and golden observation of Shakespeare again in one of his plays that ‘ ambition should be made of sterner stuff. ‘Again, long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Sexual Offences Bill and the online mob N the past one week, I have been inundated with calls, emails and text messages from all over the world over some mystical issue called “age of consent” supposedly pegged at 11 years in a bill passed by the Nigerian National Assembly. What is amazing to me is that some of the people who have been furiously peddling this story are supposedly learned people. But for some reasons best known to them, they have failed to apply the usual rigor to check out their facts before broadcasting. I am not just amazed, I would say I am even amused that the furor is about a bill that I presented, something that has been in the works since the Sixth senate; has gone through the scrutiny of legal drafters; has passed through an intense public hearing with many judges, state attorneys general and law reform people participating. What is most intriguing is that with the exception of a few persons, others simply joined the wave, ranting and cursing on the web over something that they have no clarity on. And when I read a former Minister join up with utter banalities like: “the Senate has passed a law which makes it legal to have sex with an 11 year old child”, I was ashamed for the hecklers, worried for the young men and women out there who may be looking to such persons for example. Now what exactly did Senate do? It passed a bill to protect Nigerians big or small, male or female and especially the young and vulnerable persons—children, persons with mental disabilities, elderly persons-- from all forms of Sexual offences. It is called “THE SEXUAL OFFENCES BILL 2015” and I am proud to have proposed it. Just recently, I read a story in one of the national dailies about a six year old girl who was first raped to death and then set ablaze. In the past, such stories would have been aberrations that would dominate news for weeks. But now, people hardly notice because they are common occurences. Nigerians have been numbed by horror. Many don’t feel anything anymore. The crimes that happen here are so horrendous they cry out to heavens. But no one listens. However, the Senate decided it is time to not just listen but act. It passed the 47 page landmark bill. On the two occasions that I have presented the bill, not one Senator opposed its spirit and intent. Infact, the Senate was so concerned this time around that it toughened some of the provisions and prescribed stiffer penal-

Chris ANYANWU

ties while minimizing the gaps in our legal system which created room for dangerous offenders to get away with a slap in the wrist almost all the time. From clause 1 to 46, the bill comprehensively covers offences ranging from the common to the unknown: from rape, sexual assault, defilement, gang rape, child sex tourism, child prostitution and child pornography; incest by male and incest by female persons; to indecent exposure, sexual harassment, sexual offences related to positions of Authority, administering substance with intent to stupefy and overwhelm, deliberate transmission of HIV and any other life threatening sexually transmitted diseases. The bill updates laws passed as far back as 1945 and handed over to Nigeria by the Colonial Administration and brings them up to scratch with contemporary practice. It also includes some crimes that have not yet manifested in Nigeria but which we know will soon arrive because Nigeria is well hooked into the global village.

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Given the foregoing facts, all the fire and brimstone rained by the online mob was about nothing and came to nothing. People were merely making vacuous noises without attempting to get the true facts. Had some reporters who were quoting the social media taken the trouble to get and read through the Votes and Proceedings of Senate for that day, they would have been able to educate the public on what actually transpired

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The bill also introduces innovations to strengthen the practice and further protect the vulnerable such as supervision for dangerous offenders, disclosure of conviction of sexual offences, vulnerable witnesses protection, punishment for false allegation, admission of forensic evidence, and medical treatment orders for offenders etc. For the avoidance of any doubt, in the 47 page document, there is no where it states that 11 years is “the age of consent”. Infact, the bill passed by Senate makes no mention of 11 years. The whole noise and fury is a clear case of someone reading a legal document up-side down; choosing to retain a phrase in the draft which had been rejected and cancelled out during the final reading and then reading it totally out of context. It was a classical case of mischief or ignorance but here’s what Senate passed in reference to the Defilement of Children in clause 6 (2): “A PERSON WHO COMMITS AN OFFENCE OF DEFILEMENT SHALL UPON CONVICTION BE SENTENSED TO IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE”. Nowhere did the issue of age come up. If that had happened, many of us would not have been party to that kind of law. Mercifully, The Sexual Offences Bill, as passed, does not deal with the definition of who is a child. That has already been done by established laws . However, in clause 6(3) it makes allusion to the age of 18 years as the terminal point of childhood when it talks of deception as defense. This conforms with section 29 of the constitution and the Child Rights Act. Given the foregoing facts, all the fire and brimstone rained by the online mob was about nothing and came to nothing. People were merely making vacuous noises without attempting to get the true facts. Had some reporters who were quoting the social media taken the trouble to get and read through the Votes and Proceedings of Senate for that day, they would have been able to educate the public on what actually transpired. No one who has gone through this revolutionary bill passed by Senate and concurred by the House would have nothing but gratitude and respect for the 7th Senate. It is now clear that mischief and ignorance fired this undeserved insult. In these “change” times, it will help if we all learn new ways. We must refrain from being too quick to judge and condemn. • Senator Anyanwu wrote in from Abuja

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

COMMENTARY

My annual Ramadan journey T’S that time of year again that I find to have so much meaning and beauty. To me Ramadan is so much more than fasting from dusk till dawn or feasting during Iftar. Not only is it a time when I endeavor to increase my Taqwa/Iman, become more charitable and strengthen my knowledge of the Holy Qur’an, it is also a time that I become closer to Allah and have a closer relationship with the Qur’an. Many of us who celebrate Ramadan take journeys at this time of the year and this Ramadan I want to take a journey on how I can get the most benefit from the opportunity Ramadan affords me and I want to encourage anyone who wishes to come along on this journey in making this Ramadan one of great triumph and blessings. I took this same journey a couple of Ramadans ago, and hope to do the same on this Ramadan. In my Ramadan journey this year as always, I wish to, first and foremost, give top priority to knowing and understanding the true contents and message of the Qur’an. The reward for reciting and completing the Qur’an is abundantly rewarding.forgiveness form Allah. Ibn 'Abbas narrates, saying, “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) was the most generous person, and He would be at his most generous in Ramadan because Jibril would come to him every night and he would study the Qur'an with him. Additionally, Bukhari reports from Fatima that the Prophet (SAW) told her in the last year of his life, “Jibril used to revise the Qur'an with me once every year…” As part of my journey this Ramadan, I intend to complete reciting the Holy Quran. TWO POSSIBLE WAYS OF COMPLETING THE QU’RAN DURING RAMADAN ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1) READ 4 PAGE AFTER EACH SALAT. 5 TIMES SALAT X 4 PAGE = 20 PAGE EACH DAY 20 PAGES = 1 PARA 1 PARA X 30 DAYS = 30 PARA 2) THE QURAN HAS 600 PAGES APPROXIMATELY. IF YOU DIVIDE IT INTO 30 DAYS, THAT'S 20 PAGES A DAY. THAT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE FOR SOME. BUT IF ONE DIVIDES IT ON THE 5 DAILY PRAYERS, RECITING IT GETS EASIER. Furthermore, I wish to take a moment to reflect on which aspects of my life; my routine, attitude, personality or behavior I need to improve on and what my plans are for changing for the better and bringing myself closer to the Islamic standard. An important part of this journey for me is to be as charitable as I can possibly be. When possible, every time I see people in anguish and poverty, every time my eyes fill with tears at the sight of senseless killings, blown up bodies, devastation and displacement of innocent people, I will open my purse and give charity. I will remember to forego some of my necessities in order to provide for those who are in more need than me. I will also opt not to spend money on frivolous things and luxuries so that those who are in more need than my family and I can be helped through my charity. In sha Allah, in my journey, I will sleep early after praying Ishaa and Taraweeh and go to bed with a clear and conscious intention of fasting the next day. Then, I will get up well before Suhur time thanking Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala for giving me life and then I hope to make special Du’aa for the mercy of Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala on our Ummah. From the start and right to the end of Ramadan, I will try not to sleep after Fajr, but instead study the Qur’an. In the last ten days of the Ramadan, I will go to bed with the intention of getting

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Insha Allah, I will be extra kind, understanding, accepting, considerate and supportive to my non-Muslims friends and neighbours. I will listen to them, carry them along and find ways to have them participate in the blessings of Ramadan by sharing my food and gifts with them. I will counsel myself on my temperamental nature and strive to become calmer. I will try very hard to be forgiving to all those who have offended my family, my community and I. I will clear my heart from anger, suspicion and grudges. And I will do a lot of prayer on cooling down my hot, fiery temper

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Buhari: Understanding the new 'babaism'

ERHAPS some of us were too dazed by the frenetic pace with which President Muhammadu Buhari roared into our consciousness as the likely successor to former President Goodluck Jonathan that it has become difficult to come to grips with his irritatingly slow approach to a much-vaunted philosophy of change. Buhari would even add a bit of pepper to that dizzying melee when he told a gathering of Nigerians living in South Africa that he would have appreciated if this presidential offer had come in his younger days and not at the twilight of his life. But then, wishes are not horses that fools would willfully ride. At this level of Nigeria's wobbly trek to nationhood, it can least afford such excuse from a man many had expected to hit the ground running. After all, they had a choice to pick a younger Jonathan with abysmally low record of performance in his first five years on the throne when they opted for an old man with proven record in his younger days both as military Head of State and as Chair of the Petroleum Trust Fund. And so, crawling through policy issues is not an acceptable option! In case Mr. Buhari did not know, some persons, especially vociferous members of the clique that was booted out in the March 28 elections, are already gloating over his initial presidential howlers in office. By errors of commission or omission, Buhari and his All Progressives Congress have jointly provided a veritable template for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to latch on. And I must confess that Olisa Metuh and others are gradually settling down to assume a role of putting the Buhari government on its toes just the same way the PDP was harangued in its 16 years of rudderless leadership. Sometimes, you wonder if the PDP is not taking itself too seriously by propping up itself as the spokesperson for the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Unless we are to believe the rumour that Saraki has 'ported' to the PDP, one is truly confounded at the rate Metuh's office issues statements to "warn" Buhari or the APC against sanctioning its own members for the treachery that resulted in the emergence of the leaders in both chambers of the National Assembly. But then, who do you blame if not the leadership of a party that woefully failed to manage its success at the poll to the consternation of its millions of supporters and well-wishers? Back to Buhari, one is truly saddened not only by a benumbing comedy of errors that has played out in the last few weeks of his Presidency but also by the troubling harvest of missteps by the President himself. Let's face it, it beggars belief that this President still keeps everyone in the lurch on what should be a simple task of appointing his kitchen cabinet. Three weeks into his historic inauguration as President “for everybody and nobody”, Mr. Buhari has only made three appointments---two spokespersons and a chief protocol officer. For a man who acknowledges his inability to run the change tracks alone, it runs against commonsense that he has yet to name a substantive Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation nor has he picked a Chief of Staff. Even when the 7th National Assembly gave expeditious approval to his request for the appointment of 15 Special Advisers, mum has been the word from Mr. Slow and notso-Steady. Well, Buhari misses the point if this dangerous delay and the tendentious excuse he offered in South Africa are his way of craving our understanding for his meticulous sifting of the chaff from the wheat. Personally, I had thought he would have come into government with the list of his trusted aides and those with shared dreams tucked under his Babariga. Apparently, he is still hunting for the "right" personnel! Question is: would this kind of approach ignite the fire of change that Nigerians long for? The answer is an emphatic no. The fillip that would

up early for Tahajjud prayers. Throughout the day, for the duration of the Ramadan, I will find time to revise and re-learn the Surahs and Aayaat I already know. Once that is completed, I will learn at least one Aayah a day from a Surah that I do not already know. Insha Allah, I will be extra kind, understanding, accepting, considerate and supportive to my non-Muslims friends and neighbours. I will listen to them, carry them along and find ways to have them participate in the blessings of Ramadan by sharing my food and gifts with them. I will counsel myself on my temperamental nature and strive to become calmer. I will try very hard to be forgiving to all those who have offended my family, my community and I. I will clear my heart from anger, suspicion and grudges. And I will do a lot of prayer on cooling down my hot, fiery temper. For the full duration of the Ramadan, I will kick at least one of my bad habits and make a special effort to speak only to add value and to say only what is meaningful and useful. When I do not have anything useful to talk about, I will remember Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala through the beautiful and peaceful words taught by the Rasul (SAW), while paying attention to their meanings and feeling the impact of the words in my heart, my mind, my thoughts and my attitude. Ramadan is a spiritual cleansing month not only for the soul but also for the body. It is said in a Hadith that the Prophet (SAW) said we should leave 1/3 of our stomach for water, 1/3 for air, and 1/3 for food.

Therefore, this Ramadan, in addition to my spiritual journey, I will be going on a health and weight loss one as well. While I embrace Ramadan for its spiritual benefits and all the positives that it represents, it really is an excellent opportunity to shed some extra weight. It can be very tempting to devour anything and everything edible during Iftar, but the tendency of this is putting on more weight than one had to begin with and becoming unhealthier. When we fast, we are already resetting our metabolism by the protracted, long overnight fast, as well as the daily fasting. Our metabolism resets and our body begins to change the way it operates. There is no need to consume excess food at Iftar, dinner or Suhoor, but we usually do. And when we do that, our body thinks it is in a state of famine and will store everything we eat as fat, because it is worried about food supply. Furthermore, eating once a day scares our body and our body starts to shut down and slow down our metabolism. A diet that is less than a normal amount of food intake but balanced is sufficient enough to keep us healthy and active during the month of Ramadan. I know for me personally, each Ramadan in the past, I have always had a tendency to over eat during Iftar. But this year, I want to be disciplined, eat healthy, eat slowly, and practice constraint by ensuring my diet consists of ‘solely’ of green vegetables, green fruit and green juice. The diet will almost all be ‘Green Juice’ made from nutritious fruit and vegetables. Without a doubt restricting meals to green liquid for thirty days will make anyone loose weight, no matter how slow their metabolism is. I know Ramadan is not about losing weight, but I would like to use this opportunity, to address my issue of gluttony and use control and constraint on what I eat. If anybody wishes to follow my green food and juice diet plan and come on this health and weight loss journey with me, you are welcome to do so. I will, hopefully, post pictures of my meals and several recipes for making green juice on my Twitter Page at @hanneymusawa, my FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/hannatu.musawa and on my website on www.hanneymusawa.com. However, while Ramadan is an excellent opportunity for overweight people to lose weight, please note that underweight or marginally normal weight people are discouraged from losing weight during Ramadan. I also, Insha Allah, intend to dedicate my writing, articles and opeds in the next four weeks of Ramadan fully to one subject, addressing an area that I wish to concentrate my prayer on. The 4-week series will be titled, ‘YA ALLAH, MY DU’A IS FOR…(FOLLOWED BY THE PARTICULAR SUBJECT TO BE COVERED IN THAT WEEK).” I am hoping that others will join me in my prayer and Du’a on this subject. If, like me, you have decided to make this a meaningful and triumphant Ramadan by moving closer to Allah and identifying areas requiring improvement in your life, may Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala assist you and bless you for taking this step in your life. If one can succeed this Ramadan in living as planned by the true tenants of the Quran, one will be able to look back and rejoice and feel inner joy and true happiness knowing that their Eid day will be the day of celebrating rewards from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala. As we begin this journey for Ramadan, I wish each and every person welcoming this Ramadan a blessed, fruitful, safe and peaceful month. Ramadan Kareem and Ramadan Mubarak!

Knucklehead With

Yomi Odunuga E-mail:yomi.odunuga @thenationonlineng.net SMS only: 07028006913 propel change requires something more robust than a President's plea to age. In fact, in Buhari's case, age is presumed to be an added advantage. When his supporters nationwide flourished with wild jubilations shouting 'Sai Baba, Sai Buhari' on his declaration as President- elect, they knew it was the beginning of a new dawn. Having been ambushed by the sheer cold-blooded lunacy by the Boko Haram, a battered economy and total collapse of infrastructure, they were more than happy that a tested and trusted hand would soon be mounting the saddle to direct the affairs of the nation. They just had to cling to hope no matter how fragile. They knew the battle was half won with Buhari's proclamation. Three months later, that hope is dwindling because that practice of political chicanery called 'babaism', and which was infamously regaled with a robe of wisdom under the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is gradually creeping in. In those days in Aso Rock, anything Baba, as Obasanjo was fondly called, was taken as divine wisdom. No one dared question his senility or the workability of his prognosis. When Baba says it, then it is taken as unimpeachable truth. In fact, Babaism is defined as the government of Baba, by Baba and for Baba. Call him an all-knowing President and you would not be far from a perfect moniker. But for the ceaseless efforts and critical antagonism by the opposition, Obasanjo would have walked off with just anything , including the much-talked about third term agenda. Everything, well, nearly everything, came to live under his whim. He became some sort of demi god. He practically rode

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At 72, he should have matured with and age and we expect him to take the positives out of that and apply it to governance. Sadly, the new 'babaism' appears to be foggy, slow, unsteady and weird. What message was the President trying to pass across when he said there was a limit to what he can do at his age?

roughshod not just over his party but also the nation. The collateral damage inflicted on the psyche of the nation by this warped principle is still being felt today, some clear eight years after Obasanjo retired to his multibillion Naira hilltop mansion in Abeokuta. Some would say it is too early in the day to make a comparison between the two administrations. I beg to disagree. Nigerians, we must remember, did not waste time in labeling the late President Umaru Yar'Adua as Baba Go Slow when it became apparent that his seeming lackadaisical attitude to governance was grinding the nation to a halt. By the way, how long did it take us to label Jonathan the clueless one? We should be worried that, by and large, Buhari has started with the pace of a marathoner instead of that of a man contesting a 100 metres dash. At 72, he should have matured with and age and we expect him to take the positives out of that and apply it to governance. Sadly, the new 'babaism' appears to be foggy, slow, unsteady and weird. What message was the President trying to pass across when he said there was a limit to what he can do at his age? Where exactly was he standing when a few of his party men connived with PDP lawmakers to crown Saraki as an unopposed Senate President? If he truly belongs to nobody, why the doublefaced statement in which he said he would have loved that his party's candidates had emerge victorious while at the same time approving the sort of "constitutional process" that's heralded the emergence of the Saraki/Dogara leadership? How long would it take him to come out with a workable list of the men and women that would begin the process of actualising the change mantra as espoused by the APC? When would Buhari roll up his sleeves and enter the ring to square up with corruption, which he has equally vowed to 'kill' before it kills the nation? Good enough, Mr. Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, has smartly given an encouraging spin to his boss' faux pas on the age issue. He said, like an old wine, the man millions of Nigerians voted for had come on board with "quantum of wisdom, patience, temperance and forbearance his age brings to make a difference in Nigeria." Adesina also assured that, under the life of this administration, we shall witness the end of insecurity as symbolised by the Boko Haram insurgency; corruption would be fought to a standstill; the teeming army of the unemployed would have cause to smile; the economy would be revived and this will reflect in all sectors. Soon, Adesina projected, Nigerians would witness the positive vibes of the Buhari persona at play. Let's give it to Adesina. That was a soothing intervention. But, there is a problem. We have never had shortage of crafters of inspiring words. What we have in short supply are those with the capacity of bringing those flowery words into fruition. For now, nothing on ground suggests an early change in the ways things were done in the past. If, indeed, old wines are tasty, then this old man has to do something about our taste buds. We long to taste the freshness of that tasty wine and not this whingeing about how age has soured the flavour. Nigerians would really like a psychoanalysis of this new 'babaism' and be sure it's not a continuation of the crudity of a past that still haunts us today. If good wines get better with age as Adesina pointed out, the onus of proof lies on Sai Buhari to shake off that ageinflicted lethargy of the last three weeks and kick-start the ignition of change. With the sacrifices Nigerians made to get him in that seat, it can't be too much for them to ask him what he would do with power now that he has it under his firm grip. Or can it?

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

COMMENTARY

Trying too hard to be Goebbels N Friday 12, 2015 there was a twopage diatribe published on pages 62 and 63 of The Nation newspaper by a faceless group under the canopy of Akwa Ibom Rescue Forum. This advertorial bore no name of the writer(s), no signature, no address and no telephone number. It simply had by way of an address “Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, FCT.” The vitriolic and defamatory advertorial was titled: “The Akpabio Govt: A Legacy of Terror and Evil.” The entire advertorial is a product of a blood-thirsty contortionist, a twisted mind that probably suffers from multiple phobias. Two of the phobias are easily identifiable, namely, Akpabiophobia and mythophobia. These two phobias brewed from hell’s factory constitute a cocktail of hate, venom, falsehood and arrant nonsense. Throughout the two-page display of irreverent verbiage there is not one kind word about Chief Godswill Akpabio, the subject of their poisoned memo, a man who ruled Akwa Ibom State for eight years to the admiration of majority of its citizens as well as visitors from far and near. That is the extreme extent of their jaundiced vituperation, their lack of a sense of fairness and a sense of proportion. Most people who have visited Akwa Ibom State during the period of Chief Akpabio’s administration have expressed fulsome praise for his infrastructural achievements and his liberation doctrine as exemplified in his free and compulsory education policy. It is clear that this faceless group never • Sen. Akpabio sought to be fair and never even tried. It simply set out to become the counterfeit version of Paul Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels was the Anietie UKPE Nazi propaganda minister (1933 – 45) who invented the big lie a serious transformation and merits being dubbed a municipaltheory. His big lie never saved his boss Adolph Hitler and ity. Many of the roads allegedly paved before 2007 were never saved him either because when Berlin fell, he felt he had impassable and had to be reworked on. The airport project was failed. He committed suicide. basically at site-clearing stage in 2007. The contract was awardThe unvarnished truth is that Chief Akpabio was, and is, ed to a company which had never done an airport before and loved and adored by majority of Akwa Ibomites. On May 29, 2015 he was cheered lustily by the tumultuous crowd that gath- which did not do anything that could have met the approval of the National Aviation Authority. ered at the Akwa Ibom Stadium to watch the change of baton The case of nepotism against Chief Akpabio is ridiculous. ceremony as he drove in an open van into the stadium. After This was the first elected governor of the State to choose his the ceremony, hundreds of cars, three-wheelers and motorcySecretary to the State government from another ethnic group cles followed him in a long convoy to his home town where he and from another senatorial district. He was also the first to was received by his people, watched by his past commissionchoose his Commissioner for Finance from another ethnic ers, permanent secretaries, friends from various parts of the group and another senatorial district. His personal physician is state and country as well as four past governors of the state. from another ethnic group and senatorial district while permaAnd yet the mischievous writer(s) of the advertorial described nent secretaries are appointed from all the local government his exit as “humiliating.” areas to satisfy the requirements of the state character and to The reference to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala by these cowardly give all communities a sense of belonging. writers as saying that the uncommon transformation of Akwa In their desperation to give a good man a bad name, the Ibom State did not add up to even 10% of the revenue that authors of the evil advertorial gave a list of persons who were accrued to the state is bunkum. The truth is that Dr Okonjomurdered in the state and sought vainly to pin the crime on Iweala has categorically denied making any such statement Chief Akpabio whereas nearly all the persons mentioned were either by denotation or connotation, directly or indirectly, openAkpabio’s friends who were probably murdered by opposition ly or privately. The statement is therefore a figment of their politicians. In the case of Engineer Ini Udonwa who was in the demented imagination. 2011 governorship race, he comes from an area that had many The writer(s) of the advertorial have a right to let their imagistrong candidates and his presence would obviously have nations run wild. That is their choice but the truth is that Akwa divided the votes. It was actually in Chief Akpabio’s interest to Ibom State never earned up to three trillion naira in eight years encourage a man like that to run so as to split the votes, not to as mischievously alleged by them. It is also a lie to state that discourage or stop him from running. The same thing applies Akwa Ibom State was the highest income earner among the to Mr Sam Ewang. states of Nigeria for eight years. When the price of crude oil It should also be noted that the killers of Udonwa’s mother was high, Akwa Ibom was earning about N18 billion and N1 and the kidnappers of Ewang’s wife were all arrested and they billion from internally generated revenue. There are some states, at least two of them, that currently earn not less than N18 confessed to the crime. The late Chief Albert Ukpanah was a strong supporter of Chief Akpabio and visited him a day before billion from internally generated revenue in addition to what his unfortunate assassination. Chief Efiong Ononokpono had a they get from the federation account. But these fiction writers case with the Commissioner of Police and was arraigned in have no interest in correct facts and figures because such will court. It was unfortunate that he died before the determination not serve their evil purpose. of the case. Contrary to the statement by the truthbenders on the issue of Zoning the governorship position to Eket senatorial district budgets, the Akwa Ibom State budgets under Governor was a product of town hall meetings held in all the ten, federal Akpabio were often severely scrutinised by the State House of constituencies. In all the places visited the bulk of the people Assembly. After the presentation of the budget, the Finance overwhelmingly approved the idea of picking a governor from Commissioner would always disclose the implementation the only remaining senatorial district after the other two, Uyo strategies and the budget breakdown. In addition to this, the and Ikot Ekpene had produced Governor Victor Attah (1999commissioner would address the public on the performance of 2007) and Godswill Akpabio (2007-2015). To any reasonable the budget from time to time. Without such a close monitoring, and fair-minded person, the decision to go Eketwards was the it would have been difficult to achieve the giant transformation fairest decision any one could have taken. of the state that was recorded in the last eight years. The contortionists have viciously claimed that Governor Concerning personal properties, it is pertinent to remark that Chief Godswill Akpabio does not own the properties mentioned in the sickening hate-filled treatise. Neither did he sponsor the impeachment or the attempted impeachment of anyone as alleged. How would any governor go to another state to In their desperation to give a good sponsor the citizens of that state to rise against their own governor? What would it profit him if a governor in another state is man a bad name, the authors of the removed? In any case, the members of the State House of evil advertorial gave a list of perAssembly and indeed the indigenes of that state would be outraged while the citizens of the busy-body governor’s state sons who were murdered in the would obviously frown at any attempt to waste their own state and sought vainly to pin the resources on such a fruitless venture. The claim that Governor Akpabio commissioned some “ten” crime on Chief Akpabio whereas projects which were miniature projects is clearly disingenuous. Chief Akpabio only commissioned the mega projects such as nearly all the persons mentioned The Tropicana, The Ibom Specialist Hospital while the commiswere Akpabio’s friends who were sioners commissioned the rest of the projects. The authors of the advertorial tried to make a fuss about the probably murdered by opposition status of Uyo and what its status was in 2007. Uyo was known politicians then as Uyo Local Government Council because that was its status. However, under Governor Akpabio, Uyo has undergone

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Akpabio starved the local governments of funds. Isn’t it a piece of Freudian slip that they also said that some members of the Akpabio family were collecting patronage from the local governments, the same local governments they claim were starved of funds? It is preposterous to think that any one who was not working for a local government would be getting paid by the local government. As governor, Chief Akpabio was on the horns of a dilemma. He had these senior citizens of the state who had a bloated sense of entitlement, who had a sharpened sense of greed and were ready to tear everything down if Akpabio did not let them grab and grab and grab. They wanted to reap where they didn’t sow. They didn’t want to plant; they merely wanted to plunder. For them every day was party time and who was to pay for the party? Governor Akpabio. If he refused to pay then he must be fought to a standstill. Of course, if he yielded to their blackmail the development of the state would have suffered. It is puerile for the advertisers to claim that Chief Akpabio showed disrespect to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He never did. In fact, Akpabio often describes Obasanjo as his political father. Also, he never showed any disrespect to Muhammadu Buhari even though they were on opposite sides of the political divide. Political differences are never permanent. The attempt by these scavengers to paint a picture of ill-feeling towards Buhari is absolute mischief. There is no such thing. Governor Akpabio’s loyalty to former President Goodluck Jonathan was normal and shows the former governor as a steadfast and dependable ally and a man of unimpeachable character who could be trusted. The claim that Senator Ita Enang persuaded the Federal Government to grant a polytechnic to his community and Chief Akpabio took it to his village is ludicrous. If Senator Enang got it how did he lose it? Chief Akpabio is not aware of any attempt by Senator Ita Enang to take any polytechnic to his people and he never discussed any such attempt with him. Chief Akpabio sought the establishment of a federal institution in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district to balance the presence of federal institutions in the three senatorial districts. Uyo senatorial district has the University of Uyo while Eket senatorial district has Maritime Academy now University of Maritime Studies. On the issue of Chief Akpabio visiting St. Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of Ghana, he was duly invited by the governments of those countries and he obtained the permission of the Federal Government before visiting those countries. Those countries were fully aware of his official status and did not treat him like a visiting Head of State. The mischief makers compiled a negative list for which in their twisted imagination they think Chief Akpabio will be remembered. However, the beneficiaries of the multiple projects and services that Chief Akpabio provided in the last eight years know better and no attempt to tear down his laudable legacy can succeed. Some of the projects are: Free and compulsory education. Free healthcare for babies, pregnant women and the aged. Ibom International Airport. IbomPower Plant. Ibom E-Library. Construction of thousands of kilometres of roads. Ibom Specialist Hospital. Construction of over 4,500 inter-ministerial direct labour projects. Construction of Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre with a 250-room 15-storey hotel complex. Construction of the 14-storey Sheraton Hotel. Construction of thousands of other projects too numerous to be mentioned. A few years ago, Professor Ayandele who was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, had described the former Cross River State (which included present day Akwa Ibom State) derisively as “an atomistic society perpetually at war with itself.” Many Cross Riverians thought that Professor Ayandele’s statement was an exercise in exaggeration. By the gift of hindsight it is apparent that the History Professor had hit the bull’s eye. Partisan politics seems to have brought out the worst in some of our people. For example, some people in Akwa Ibom State, such as the cranks who wrote the advertorial, have turned frivolous petition writing into a fine art. They have written baseless petitions to all the major police formations in the world about Chief Akpabio. These organisations have investigated him over and over again and found him to be a man without blemish. To these fellows, petition writing is an addiction that is fuelled by hatred, fuelled by the phobias earlier mentioned, and fuelled by the desire to worship at the feet of the god of nihilism. To them facts are not sacred. They are items to be slaughtered. To them scandal is the name of the game, and no substantiation is necessary. They just pile accusations against people without any shred of evidence relying apparently on the fact that many readers are gullible and may not have the means of verifying what they read. But if our society must receive a just dose of sanity, these warped ways must be reversed. These miscreants need narcotherapic attention. They need to be rescued from the multiple phobias that torment their wayward souls. •Anietie is Senior Special Adviser on Media to Chief Godswill Akpabio

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

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The trash merchants. This is a breed of social entrepreneurs who are not just consumed by the motive to make profit but the passion to provide innovative solutions to waste management in Lagos, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commercial nerve centre where 11, 000 metric tons of wastes are generated on a daily basis. It is a story of a trade with human face with potentials of profits, empowerments and a cleaner environment for all. HANNAH OJO writes.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

•Anichie Phil-Ebosie

•Chioma (left) and Mazi Ukonu

•Mr Adewole Taiwo

‘Neighbours are often at the way we treasure

ment. With no fumes and less noise, the biogas plant has continued to awe many locals in the market, including Sunday Alimi, a youth who sells water melon in the market. Alimi, who helped the reporter to locate the plant in the market, expressed his awe of the wonder of the plant and the benefit to the market. “It has brought great benefits to us by lighting up our market. Fruits transported from other parts of the country usually arrive the market at night. Now we can offload our fruits from the trucks while the bulbs are lit. Not many people knew that the pineapples we throw away can give us light, it is happening in our market today”. As the United Nations has projected a sustainable development goal to ensure access to affordable, reliable sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030, there is no gainsaying the fact that renewal energy generated from green fuel could make the goal realisable in Nigeria where 170 million people share 4,000 megawatts. The energy shortage has led to a situation where 10 percent of rural dwellers and about 40 percent of urban

YES that take no sneer at mire. Feet that can stride through dirty waters. That is the resolve that anybody visiting Ketu-Ikosi fruits market, a densely populated area in Lagos, needs to muddle through the rough terrains of muds when it rains. For a curious mind who takes the pain to walk farther, there lies a treasure in mire. Standing as a valid example of a waste to wattage novelty is a 26,000 liters anaerobic digester tank which produces biogas to power the market with electricity. The initiative, which aims at generating value from waste is the brainchild of two Nigerian social entrepreneurs, Anichie Phil-Ebosie and Olumide Thompson. The duo, who left plum jobs in the corporate world to pursue their interest in renewal energy, established the Midori Environmental Solutions in 2012 to promote sustainability by turning waste to value. Built as a pilot project in partnership with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in a predominantly fruits market which generates tons of wastes daily, Phil-Ebosie told The Nation that the project is meant to show the enormous potential of converting organic waste to biogas and then electricity onsite. “250 kg of fruit waste is processed and put in the anaerobic digester daily. This waste generates between 15 - 20 cubic meters of biogas and is used to power an 8.5 KVA gas generator. The whole process is renewable as more fruit waste is produced, electricity is generated. It has reduced the issue of nasty odours and rodents living off discarded fruit waste in the market”, Aniche PhilEbosie, told The Nation. In a country where people suffer health hazards as a result of pollutants generated from fumes of generating sets fuelled by gasoline, an alternative arrangement where light bulbs in communities can be sustained without releasing polluted carbon substance into the air is no doubt a welcome develop-

families have access to electricity, a situation that has fuelled poverty since domestic and industrial activities requiring electricity have been crippled. “Irrespective of Nigeria's dependence on oil, I believe there are still enormous resources to tap from to provide some solution to the prevailing social and economic challenges. The most obvious being power generation for electricity. Providing the alternative of renewable energy proffers a solution that is able to deal with an environmental menace waste disposal while channelling it to provide something useful and sustainable for homes and businesses to thrive”, Phil-Ebosie, who acts as the project developer of the firm, further explained. Although renewable energy in the form of solar, wind, hydro and biomass has been around in Nigeria for a while, findings revealed that it accounts for less than five percent of the renewal energy market. For young entrepreneurs coming into the industry, Phil-Ebosie believes the best time to strike is now as pragmatists, conservatives and sceptics are catching up by starting to adopt

250 kg of fruit waste is processed and put in the anaerobic digester daily. This waste generates between 15 - 20 cubic meters of biogas and is used to power an 8.5 KVA gas generator. The whole process is renewable as more fruit waste is produced, electricity is generated. It has reduced the issue of nasty odours and rodents living off discarded fruit waste in the market

these technologies for clean energy. With more projects of this nature springing up, Lagos is to cut down on environmental degradation and health risks to its various communities. Before you throw away that bottle… If Lagosians knew that the pure water nylons, newspapers and pet bottles they throw away could fetch them cash and household electronic items such as washing machines and refrigerators, won’t they treat their waste differently? The orientation to rethink wastes as recyclable asset that can be redeemed with valuable items to the bargain was the spur for a couple in their mid 30s, Mazi and Chioma Ukonu, to set up Recycle Points, a social enterprise waste management company in 2012. Chioma, the Chief Operating Officer of Recycle Point, had worked in the telecommunications and the banking sector before quitting to face the ‘trash business’ on a full scale operation. She told The Nation that the idea to start the waste recycling business was the initiative of her husband during vacations abroad. “I saw that in the houses we stayed when we travel, there are usually separate colour coded bins for separate waste items. When you look at the environment in Lagos, gutters are always clogged with water sachets and pet bottles. We saw this and we thought we can actually do it here in Nigeria where orientation about managing wastes is still very low”, she stated. With full scale operation starting in 2013, the business now boosts of 22 staff and over 3,000 individuals known as IRecycles representing households supplying wastes registered with the company. It is a tale of humble beginning sustained on the mantra of charity beginning at home, that is the impression one gets on listening to Chioma narrate how the venture pushed her out of the banking sector. “It started like a hobby in our house, to the streets and then our neighbour-

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

amazed waste’ hood. If we go for events, we would be like ‘No, don’t throw those pet bottles away. Give them to us’. Our neighbours were surprised wondering ‘what are these people doing with dirt?’ Because they knew my husband works in the oil and gas sector and I was in banking. People would empty those things at their house and drop them for our gateman. At some point, we knew we had to expand because we couldn’t contain them anymore in our compound. It grew so fast that something had to give way and that was how I bade banking goodbye to concentrate on recycling waste”. Speaking on the human face of the business, Chioma emphasizes that recycling is a social benefit venture that should be pursued by people who are not motivated solely by money but public interest. “You don’t go into this type of business at first because of the money, otherwise you will jump out. It is the impact that you are having on people’s lives that should be the basic motivation and satisfaction. The millions and billions are not rolling in yet but the motivation so far has been the social and environmental impact”, said Mrs. Ukonu. Chioma and her husband, both of whom began their love affair as undergraduates at the Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri, Imo State,

described their experience as recyclers as an amazing journey owing to the enormous support they have received from agencies and NGOs. She disclosed that last year, with volunteers numbering over 500 people, RecyclePoint worked with Passion House, an NGO to clean up the Makoko slum where new recycling agents from the slum were also enlisted. The need to imbibe the waste management culture into young people also took them to the University of Lagos with a campaign tagged “Wipe Out Waste”. Through the initiative, students are encouraged to recycle their wastes and get gifts in return. With the success story of RecyclePoints, the couple are demonstrating the validity of the statement that cash lies in trash. Children and adults can also make something of arranging their wastes and handling them over to those who can manufacture items for them. “A kid all through the holiday was recycling because he wanted to buy a particular phone and when I gave him the phone, the reaction on his face was priceless. I have recyclers from the range of upper primary, to retirees, pensioners to a 9 year-old-boy and 75-old-woman in Makoko”, an elated Chioma said to buttress her point. According to her, recycling is not just gaining momentum among low income

•Bilikiss at work with children

It started like a hobby in our house, to the streets and then our neighbourhood. If we go for events, we would be like ‘No, don’t throw those pet bottles away. Give them to us’. Our neighbours were surprised saying ‘what are these people doing with dirt?’ Because they knew my husband works in the oil and gas sector and I was in banking. People would empty those things at their house and drop them for our gateman... It grew so fast that something had to give way and that was how I bade banking goodbye to concentrate on recycling waste

earners; it is also serving as a form of empowerment for them. Also, women tend to be more favoured as they are preferred in sorting the waste because of the patience the process requires. “At RecyclePoint, we are an equal gender project so we empower women. Some places don’t take a woman without a baby. I don’t turn them down, I encourage them to come. The sorting process is a patient one and that is why women are the more patient type that can handle that aspect. We have between five and eight of them who are steady. Some of them hawk; when they finish hawking, they come to our hub to make extra cash”. Talking of projections into the feature, the couple said they intend to reduce their carbon footprints by acquiring cargo bicycles to source the wastes from different households. “We are currently running on trucks and vans so we want to equally reduce our carbon footprint. We equally thought we should have more of the cargo tricycles that are powered without giving out any fumes that will contribute to heating up the environment”, Chioma stated. Reducing carbon emissions through cargo bicycles As the world continues to warm due to changes in the global weather patterns owing to greenhouse emissions, environmentalists are clamouring for industries to work with innovations that could help reduce their carbon footprint. One Lagos trash merchant who started the recycling business with an understanding of this awareness is Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, the CEO of Wecyclers, a pioneer in the innovation of using cargo bicycles to collect waste from households. Mrs Adebiyi-Abiola spoke on the initial challenge posed by the concept, saying she had to work with experts from the MIT’s bicycles department in the US who helped build the first set of bicycles according to world standards. “If you go to India, you will see these bicycles there. The reason why we chose this was because the neigbourhoods we are working with are densely populated and the roads are tight so we want a rugged bicycle that can work there. It is also good for the environment because people will not have to inhale fumes”. Since inception in August 2012, Wecyclers has collected over 800 tons of plastic and aluminium from over 7,000 households and created close to 80 jobs. The founder also disclosed that this has helped reduce cases of flooding in low income neighborhoods with clogged drainage channels. Bilikiss who has been a recipient of various international awards for her innovation is not just an entrepreneur seeking to make money from trash but one who is passionate about educating people on the benefit of proper waste management. Recently, she led members of her team to Oyo State for an educational programme in the state in partnership with RCC Construction

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

How I narrowly escaped being killed by assailants who gunned down my driver —Ex-Acting Comptroller General of Customs Ogungbemile OULD you tell us about your beginning? I was born on 17th July, 1945 in Ijesa-Isu into the Ogungbemile family of Ileje Street , in Ekiti State. My father, Jeremiah Akande Ogungbemile, like his forefathers, was a peasant farmer. My mother whom I fondly called Eye mi, was Abigail Ariyewun Ogungbemile. I grew up in a polygamous household. I was enrolled at Hosanna African Church Primary School, Ijesa-Isu, at the age of five. My father was very keen for all his children to receive formal education. For me, school presented a viable and pleasurable alternative to accompanying my father to the farm. Hence, as soon as I was old enough, I didn’t need anyone to persuade me to go to school. Instead, for me, it served as better option to working on the farm.A School bag and sandals were not part of my early schooling life. My father could not afford such luxuries. I walked bare-footed to school, carrying my books in my hands. For several years, I attended primary school without shoes and had quite gotten used to it to the extent that when in later years, I got my first pair of shoes, I wore them to the ‘bush latrine’ and forgot them there. From primary school, I went to modern school which I didn’t like because some of my classmates went straight from primary school to secondary school. That brought out rebellious attitude in me but I was very careful with my

• Ogungbemile

Barrister David Akintayo Ogungbemile was an Acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service before his retirement in 2004 by the President Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration. In this interview with INNOCENT DURU, he spoke about how his driver was gruesomely murdered by gunmen and how he narrowly escaped their plot to kill him. Excerpts: father. While he insisted that after secondary modern school, I should proceed to teacher training college, I was wise enough to dodge him, pretending that I had done the teachers’ training exam, whereas, I didn’t go anywhere. Anyway I found myself in secondary school. Did you play any pranks as a child? As a child, I possessed a stubborn streak. I had an inner voice that pushed me to be audacious and embarking on escapades for a thrill. One of such opportunities to engage in a prank was the annual Ogun Festival in my village. On the day of the Idagba Festival, it was the norm for the monarch to beat the town’s Ogun traditional agba drum. I found a willing accomplice in a friend and along the line, we observed that on the day of Idagba usually at about noon, the people in the town, including those in the market, left whatever they were doing to assemble at the palace to witness the traditional drum being beaten by the king. We then decided to beat the school drum under the pretext that it was the town’s traditional drum being sounded and watch people’s reaction. We were members of the school band and I being one of the school’s drummers had access to the school’s drums. As the mother drum sounded loudly few minutes before noon on the festival day, the people trooped out from the market towards where the town’s traditional drum was normally mounted only to discover that the preliminary rites had not started. Meanwhile, myself and my friend watched their reactions from our hiding place reeling with laughter. After a few minutes, we went to the market, mingled with the people and listened to their comments. Some actually rained abuses in annoyance. The people were confused as if they had experienced an auditory hallucination and after some minutes,

went back to their homes and market stalls mystified. The actual festival was a special event. We cooked and ate special foods, including rice, a rarity in those days. There were also masquerades on acrobatic display to entertain children in particular. I was curious about what it would be like to dress up as a masquerade and typically, my curiousity led me to daringly go and participate in the masquerade displays. Boldly, I went to my father to request for an agbada (flowing gown), giving the impression that it was for someone else to wear as a masquerade. Though, he didn’t know that I wanted to wear it as a costume for the masquerade parade, he still refused, saying that it was against his Christian beliefs. Finally, he relented and gave his consent to borrow his agbada. During the festival, he recognised his apparel and realised that I was the masquerade passing by his house, the son of a well known lay reader\preacher and Sunday school teacher. It was too late for him to apprehend me or retrieve it and would not dare touch ara orun (citizens of heaven) as masquerades were known. It is taboo to scold ara orun, incarnated spirits! Tell us about your days as a student at the University of Ibadan? I started undergraduate studies at the University of Ibadan in September 1969 to study Sociology. The year was a significant one in the life of the university as it was its 21st anniversary. And I had plenty to show for it. Sociology taught me how to be smart and purpose filled. Everything fell into place for me. Indeed, in a sense, the university’s motto of ‘knowledge and sound judgment, ‘ came into play. With the knowledge I gained from my Sociology courses, I learnt to be less judgmental of people but to be more perspective. You were part of the Students Union Government executives, was there any striking achievement you recorded during your days? One memorable occasion for me was when students of tertiary institutions were threatened by university authorities that if tuition fees were not paid, they would not be allowed to take sessional examinations. The student government met in 1971 and took a decision to visit the Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice –Chairman of the Federal Executive Council, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Lagos. We set out for his office without booking an appointment ‘fully armed’ with the exuberance of students’ activism. On arrival, we expectedly met with some resistance and a scuffle broke out with the security officials on the ground floor. We, however, remained steadfast in our position and insisted on having a meeting with the Commissioner who in our view was a public servant and must be ready to to receive us in an emergency. We were eventually permitted to go to his office. As soon as we were ushered into his office, he picked up the telephone, called the then Commissioner for Education, Chief Wenike Briggs and said: ‘I have some students from the University of Ibadan here with me’. After listing our names, he said: ‘They have lodged a complaint with me that indigent university students all over the country will not be permitted to write sessional examinations because of non-payment of tuition fees. Please let them take their exams.’ After he put down the phone, he informed us that he had just taken steps to ensure that such a policy would not be implemented but we insisted on taking a written note back to the university as proof. He, however, reassured us that his word was his bond and asked us to return to campus. At 4pm later the same day, the news bulletin over the radio

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

announced that students in all Nigerian universities body wanted to hit me. The feeling didn’t allow me to church. But I became born again after I married my would not be prevented from taking examinations rest. When the fear persisted, I then shifted to the left wife. One day, she insisted that I should follow them to over non-payment of fees. It was a victory for side of the vehicle and started searching the vehicle to Pastor Chris Okotie’s church. When I got there, I was resilience and quick thinking. know if somebody had planted something in it. But I swept off by his language. I left Pentecostal church There was no particular push or pull factor that took didn’t see anything. when the same Okotie said if you don’t know how to me into the thick of student activism. My nature as an The following day, I asked my driver to go and meet speak in tougues, line up this way. The activism extrovert implied that I was never keen to be in the the other driver and make sure that both of them came in me kicked against it because I feel that speakbackground. I always preferred the limelight where I here to pick me. By providence, the driver, the night ing in tongues should come naturally. I don’t would be in the forefront of those directing students’ before, rather than taking the car to the usual place have to be schooled before I speak in tongues. activities in positive direction. When the tenure of the where he was supposed to park, because it When you talk about one on one SUG executives ended in July 1970, I decided to try my was raining and too late, he parked at a relationship with God, I got luck and vied for the post of the vice president. Some police station. The following day, he that from my father and A day before my drivof my friends wanted us to be part of the team that went to take the car to go and pick when you talk about being would direct the activities on campus. The only way to the other driver. The assailants, er was killed, I was going born again, it came from do this was to be a member of the student executive who were probably trailing me, my wife. Ironically, I didin my official vehicle to council, then my friends and I worked out a strategy. thought that, that was the time I go to church even for a We recognised that our finances were lean; we could Agege, Lagos. Along the way, I n’t used to resume duty, opened fire day, all through my uninot even afford to buy a ream of paper for manifesto or on the vehicle and killed the drivhad a foreboding that some- versity days. I left campaigns purposes. We then came up with an idea. er. When they now discovered of God and body wanted to hit me. The feel- Household There was a man –Solomon Agunbiade, in our hall of that I wasn’t there, they started went back to orthodox residence who was much older and a lot more threatening that the battle had just ing didn’t allow me to rest... The church. I attend African informed than us. He was aspiring to be the president begun. following day, he went to take Church. and because we liked him, we gave him our full supAfter that, I was posted to As an activist in the port. We decided that our strategy would be to get two Maiduguri to have some breather. the car to go and pick the other higher institution of of my friends to also contest for the same position with At the time, if customs officers learning, why did you me. Our assumption was that, if others saw that at seized ordinary jerry can of petrol, driver. The assailants, who were take a Federal least three students were vying for the same post, they they would bomb our office. probably trailing me, thought Government job that would be discouraged and would not bother to conSubsequently, I called one of the tame you? that, that was the time I used to would test. The plan was that the two friends would withofficers that were very loyal to me I wanted to be a jourdraw at the last minute and I would step into the post resume duty, opened fire on the nalist but God didn’t and told him that I had a dream unopposed. The strategy worked and there was no where I was bathing with petrol vehicle and killed the driver. approve of it even though need for us to raise funds. With that, there was no and that it was as if they wanted I prayed and fasted about need for posters or manifestoes again. to smuggle petrol along that road. When they now discovered that it. My brother and menYou will be 70 years old in a couple of weeks, how I resolved that such would not tor, who was very influI wasn’t there, they started do you feel about it? happen. We eventually caught ential, took me to the threatening that the battle I give God the glory that I am where I am now. I three tankers of petrol. Our chalmanpower controller of am just a month to my 70th birthday in a lenge was how to take three tankers Daily Times that was his had just begun country where the average life span is less of petrol to our office in an envivery good friend. The man than 50 years. If I say that I am excited, it ronment that people attacked us told my brother that the advert will not be totally off the mark. When I when we seized a jerry can of petrol. in the newspaper was not meant for was younger, I promised my God when I With prayer and fasting, we took it to the station fresh graduates. That response put me off. attain the age of 70, I will give glory unto and nothing happened. After that time, I was now ready for any job. As His name. I also made a covenant that I After that, I was posted God would have it, our set was the first in the would write a book when I get to this age back to Lagos. country that government would be looking for and I am fulfilled that I have done just You appear to have a graduates to recruit. I did not present myself for the that. The book is titled ‘Abundant Grace’ strong faith in God. interview. The guy who led the interview is still alive. Why did you go ahead to study Law later How did you come When he didn’t see me, he was agitated that this bad in life? about this? boy had disappeared and would not attend the interMy fascination for the legal profession I have always been view. He sent people to look for me to make sure that started when I was a child and in tune with God I attended the interview. While they were looking for increased as I grew up. I was also right from the me, I was already in the town and before I left, I wrote in my adult life, a keen follower beginning following a note with the inscription, ‘I had gone to town on of the late sage, Chief Obafemi my machine,’ on our door to agitate the mind of my room Awolowo. I admired his brildad mate who was older than I was then. I didn’t do the liance which I put down to to interview. the fact that he was a lawyer. About four months after, my brother was going to As a fan of Fela, I followed work one morning and I, without any prior discussion, many of his cases and anywent to him and said: ‘We are going to the Federal time I had the opportunity, I Civil Service Commission this morning to see that attended the court sessions. your friend that led the interview. Fortunately, when After I graduated with B.Sc. we got to the secretariat, somebody just saw my brothin Sociology, I nursed the er and shouted ‘Supreme Superior’. That did not ambition of having a degree mean anything to me. After the pleasantry, my brothin Law. This was boosted by er said, I want to go and see XYZ to get a job for my a few friends who made jest brother. Then the man said, the person you are going of me by saying that I was to see is on leave and in any case, he is not in charge not a degree holder until I of recruitment , let me take you to the person in studied Law. Indeed, one charge of recruitment. When we got there, the perday, in his bid to get me son then said that they had been instructed to invite actualise this fascination, one 48 applicants for interview into the customs departof them Olu, fetched his ment because it was a department at that time. dust-covered Law books and My brother then went on to say,’ why 48 and not dumped them on my lap, 50? All I want is for my brother to attend this intersaying, ‘go back to school.’ view’. I was asked to fill a form. As I was trying to Being a lawyer helped me a do that, somebody just shouted ‘Number Two,’ what great deal in my job. It helped are you doing here’? ‘Number Two’ was the nickme to navigate some technical name given to me by the president of the students’ hurdles thrown my way in the union. I filled the form and it occurred to me that course of doing my job. there was no way I could have survived that kind of Your job which involves tackactivism that I had in mind. But I was an activist in ling smugglers is quite risky. Did my place of work. you have any close shave with Where exactly were you when your mates were death in the course of doing your being interviewed for jobs? job? (Laughs) I won’t tell you exactly where I was but I Three times, I escaped from death for know where I was. (General laughter). I know what doing my job well. I would have been you are driving at and I won’t tell you. The person I killed just like that. I was lucky but my was in her place will deliver her inaugural lecture as a driver was not so lucky on one of the professor soon. occasions. He was shot because we Okay! The person is ‘her’? adopted what we call participant observaYes her! But I won’t mention her name (another tion in sociology. I was in charge of investiround of general laughter). gation back then. I had serious push at the You were obviously looking forward to being conhome front and the press about some develfirmed Comptroller General of Customs when you opments. To address the problem, I invited received the news of your retirement. How did you four officers that I trusted and asked them to feel when you received the news? go to the people involved in the issue as cusFor me, it was time to think back and give glory to tomers. I told them to go and be working God for my life throughout my professional career. with those people so that we could nab them. This is because I have been a beneficiary of God’s At first, we wanted to invite the police but exceedingly abundant grace in my life. Immediately I they dodged. With prayer and fasting, we sucreceived the message, I walked towards our prayer ceeded in nibbing the problem in the bud. That room and began to thank and praise God for everywas why they wanted to kill me. thing. I rolled on the floor of the prayer room from one A day before my driver was killed, I was end to the other, heartily thanking God for His mercy, going in my official vehicle to Agege, Lagos. • Ogungbemile and wife divine grace, favour and direction. We humbled ourAlong the way, I had a foreboding that someselves in prayer of praise.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

•Waste littering a street in Ajegunle, Lagos

‘The waste business started as a hobby’

and DHL where 150 subscribers and employers of the waste companies were provided with free eye tests treatment and glasses. Mrs. Bilikiss, who is keen on the belief that an advanced society can only be achieved once everybody takes responsibility for the environment, explains how her collaboration with other organisations drives the message of empowerment through wastes. “We collaborate with the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) which provides us with space, technical support and mentorship. We also partner with DHL for logistics support, Nigerian Bottling Company for capacity building for recycling plastic bottles and Oracle for support as we scale up and expand. These organisations all have a very futuristic mind set and are providing leadership and a very good example for other organisations to emulate. Once everyone takes responsibility for the environment, then we can truly have an advanced society”, she said. For close observers, there is no gainsaying the fact that proper management of wastes would not only lead to the reduction of environmental hazards but also a business venture that social entrepreneurs with the mind set of providing innovative solution to society’s most pressing needs can look into. Commenting on the future of waste management as a viable business venture in Nigeria, an environmental consultant, Mr Adewole Taiwo , the Executive Director of WasteAid International, said waste management is not just a means of sustaining the envi-

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It has brought great benefits to us by lighting up our market. Fruits transported from other parts of the country usually arrive the market at night. Now we can offload our fruits from the trucks while the bulbs are lit. Not many people knew that the pineapples we throw away can give us light, it is happening in our market today

ronment but a thriving business that entrepreneurs with social interest at heart can tap into. “While the non-organic wastes such as PET bottles, cans, newspapers, bottles among others, are hot cake presently in Lagos State, the foreign companies such as those owned by Indians and the Chinese are the one taking the advantage of the market in Nigeria today”, he lamented. He added that organic wastes are also converted to compost which people refers to as fertilizer and cited the example of Lagos State through LAWMA and Earthcare in Ikorodu which produces about 300 bags daily which farmers buy and also sell outside the state. Mr Taiwo who has consulted for international environmental bodies was also quick to add that the activities of recyclers are helping in keeping the environment clean. “For instance, PET bottles and scrap metals are the highest paying in Nigeria today, the PET bottles and pure water sachets do not degrade easily, they can be on the ground for many years without degrading and this could be harmful to the environment, but with the activities of the recyclers, they are able to collect them and convert them to useful materials”. With a booming population that is predicated to beat that of the US by 2050, according to a recent report released by the United Nations; there is no doubting the fact that the recycling industries in Nigeria which experts have pegged as a multi-billion dollar business will continue to thrive and enhance the lives of daring individuals who would not mind digging their hands in trash to reach out for the cash.

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Mrs Uba, 79, with her 88-yr-old husband

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Mrs Uba, 79, with her 88-yr-old husband

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

n Biodun ADEYEWA n He said this can only happen when there is job opportunity for every graduate of every cadre of the Nigerian educational system. He said necessary appropriation should be made towards increas•From left: Vice Chancellor, UNILAG, Prof. Rahamon Bello; wife of the guest speaker, Mrs. Olukemi Oyewo; guest speaker, ing the skills, self-confiProf Edward Oyewo; chairman of the occasion, Prof. Jerry Gana; wife of the celebrant, Rev (Mrs.) Yinka Wilson and the celdence and ebrant, Rev. Wilson Badejo, during the 68th birthday Rev Badejo and 8th Annual Wilson Badejo Foundation Lecture series self-sufficiency of the held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, (NIIA) Victoria Island, Lagos...recently Nigerian youths, adding that a way to folami; Princess Oluyemisi Eludoyin; make the youth self-reliant is to formuRev Tony Akinyemi. late policies, especially in the educaOthers were Director, Keystone Bank tional sector to promote Ltd, Segun Olusanya; Rev Ben Taiwo; entrepreneurship through appropriate Bayo Adesuyi; Rev Gbenga Oshokoya; curricular innovative programmes. Rev Tony Akinyemi; Managing DirecThe highlight of the event was the tor/CEO Dangote Foundation, Mrs presentation of awards to the guest Zovera Youssofou; Bishop Dr Faith Ayo speaker, Prof Edward Oyewo; the Sonibare; Bishop Dr Yemi Fatade; chairman of the occasion, Prof Jerry Bishop Solomon Kumolu; Rev Amos A. Gana and the Vice Chancellor of the Kunat; Representative of Ooni of Ife, Univarsity of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Olu of Famia; HRM Oba K. Abimbola Rahman Bello for gracing the occasion. Among the dignitaries that made the Akinyele; Dr Isuwa B. Dogo; Bishop Dr Joseph Olarewaju Obembe; Kola-Balorole call were: Vice Chancellor UNIgun; Olubamule Adeyemi of the Bells LAG, Prof. Rahamon Bello; wife of the University of Technology, Otta; Alara of guest speaker, Mrs. Olukemi Oyewo; Araromi Oke Odo Ife, HRM Oba Koguest speaker, Prof Edward Oyewo; lapo Ibiyemi; Rev Deji Bashorun; Deachairman of the occasion, Prof. Jerry con Patrick Iniovosa; Pastor Tunde Gana; Rev Anthony Chukwudi Adebayo; J. A. Adegoke, among many Nwanma; and his wife, Beatrice; Mrs others. Janet F. Okunfolami; Mr Martin Okun•Rev Anthony Chukwudi Nwanma and wife, Beatrice

birthday in style n Paul UKPABIO and Biodun ADEYEWA n ETERAN real estate merchant and Lagos socialite, Bashorun Lamina Ojugbele, was at his best Tuesday morning when he assembled a cream of young, middle-aged and elderly top businessmen to celebrate with pomp his 80th birthday. The Ota prince, whose late mother was the first Iyalode of Ota land, was simply clad in a white T-shirt and dark coloured trouser, with a Kangol styled cap which indeed made him look boyish and sprite. Perhaps, the outfit was to re-call for him, his youthful days, ‘when men were boys!’ The classy event took place at the Eko Club House at Bode Thomas, Surulere, Lagos, a place that Bashorun’s name is held in high esteem. Most of the top social clubs in Lagos, were well represented with big names among whom were; Engr Chief Joseph Okjide Bankole; Asiwaju Rabiu Adio

•From left: Immediate past chairman, Island Club, Prince Ademola Dada; the celebrant, Bashorun Lamina Ayinla Ojugbele; Asiwaju Taofik Adelegan; past Social Secretary Island Club, Prince Lana Adesida and Platinum Social Secretary Island Club, Aare Kamorudeen Ajao Danjuman at the 80th birthday anniversary of Bashorun Lamina Ayinla Ojugbele at Eko Club, Surulere, Lagos...Tuesday Oluw; Prince Lana Adesida; Chief Buari Oloto; Prince Ademola Dada; Chief Tunde Pharm; APC Woman Leader Ojokoro, Chief Mrs Bashirat Ojugbele (celebrant’s wife); Princess Roseline Omolara Osipitan, MD First Royal Oil & Gas; Chief Mrs Alake Osun, MD Joshland Hotel; Chief Alani Opaleye; Chief Gbolahan Alebiosu; Chief Tajudeen Okoya and Chief Kayode Tinubu. The party atmosphere took a big leap when at noon, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey took the band stand, dishing out the old flavours and Bashorun danced in joy with his wives, family and guests. The best of food from five different top catering firms in Lagos were served at the party.

PHOTOS: Biodun ADEYEWA

Socialite Ojugbele marks

At 68th birthday of ex-Foursquare Gospel Church GO Badejo EV Wilson Adebogun Badejo, former General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria and the Founder/Chairman, Wilson Badejo Foundation, recently marked his 68th birthday in grandstyle, an occasion that benefited some indigent students from higher institutions. The event that brought together dignitaries from across the country took place at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, (NIIA), Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. One of the highpoints of the birthday was a lecture series, which Rev Badejo, the celebrant; said centred on his birthday anniversary annually which he has also chosen to celebrate by identifying with the downtrodden masses of the society, who by reasons other than their faults have been schemed out of the mainstream of the economic system. “Though I have friends among the high and mighty in our society whom I can invite to celebrate with me in a grandiose fashion, but I have chosen the path of my mentor Jesus Christ, who during His earthly ministry, was always in the company of the society’s lowly men and women”, he said. Badejo said the belief of the foundation is that the purpose of governance in any country is to create a clime that will have zero tolerance for criminality and brigandage because peace is required to bring about progress.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

•From left: Alhaja Silifat Olasunkanmi; Alhaja Olabisi Alaba; APC Woman Leader, Ojokoro LCDA, Alhaja Basirat Olayinka Ojugbele and Alhaja Nuratu Galga

I abandoned my wife mid-way into our wedding to attend to disaster victims –LASEMA MD

Tell us a briefly about your background and growing up. Y father was late Chief Oke-Osanyintolu, he was a former principal and former secretary General of NUT and my mother used to be a teacher and commissioner, late Chief Mrs Yomi Oke Osanyintolu. I'm the 4th of the five children.I was born in Agege, Lagos. I started my primary in a local school at Agege and I finished my university at University of Ilorin. As a medical doctor, I attended various courses on Accident ,Emergency and Disaster Management locally and internationally. Why did you choose to study medicine? I wanted to study Law but it all changed because when I was growing up, I lost my elder brother to a fatal accident. Words cannot explain the degree of pains that our family passed through as a result of that loss. This informed my choice of studying medicine. I wanted to save lives. In studying medicine, I chose Accident and Emergency just to be in a position to help people when they are in need. I further read Disaster Management to complement my skills

in helping people that are in need. All my life, I have in 1998. You must realise that managing emergency been involved in making sure that I put smiles on the is a process, and it has to be systematic, so that you, faces of people to the best of my ability. your family, and team do not get burnt. I have been Have you ever practised as a medical doctor? having a good relationship with my team. I have been practising. Right now, I am still practisWere there any time you were at an important ing. There have been times that I had to rescue peosocial function and there was need for you to atple from the debris. I would have to cut through iron tend to emergency situation? rods and heavy blocks to rescue people. Look at There is a lot of that. One of them was during my what happened at the Synagogue Church of All Nawedding. I had to attend to emergency in the course tions, at Ikotun, we cut through the whole thing and of the wedding. When my wife was being delivered saved many lives. of our son, I was attending to emergency situation. In How did you meet your wife and why a medical fact, I was on call when my wife gave birth to our doctor like you? first child at Gbagada General Hospital. There My wife is my friend and we both lived was a time that a fire disaster occurred and in the same neighbourhood. around that time, my mother was critiWhat motivates you in attending cally ill and admitted at St Nicholas to emergencies and the victims? Hospital. I had to shuttle between We are passionate about our the hospital and the scene of the job. The government has given disaster. While I was having The wedding was us the enabling environment pain about my mother’s going on and I was to work. We have equipment predicament, I was ready to and people to work with. save people’s lives at the called there was a terrible Above all, we are passionscene of that disaster that ocroad accident along Ibeju ate to give succour to the curred at Odogiwa area of victims of disasters. In the state. You have to try as Lekki area of the state. All I did Lagos State, we are meant much as possible to balwas to whisper to my wife that I for excellence and nothance the whole thing. You had to go and rescue lives and I ing less. have to remove your perAs an emergency sonal feeling from your did. I rescued no fewer than 30 manager, do you go to official responsibility. lives on that fateful day. I was bed with your two eyes Could you expatiate closed or attend social on that of your marriage? happy that I put my personal enfunctions letting off How did it really hapjoyment behind me to save your guards? pen? As an emergency manThe wedding was going those lives. I felt highly fulfilled ager, you must be preon and I was called there doing that because if I had not pared and you must was a terrible road accident realise that you work with along Ibeju Lekki area of the left my wedding ceremony a team. When you are tired, state. All I did was to whisto attend to the situation, you must learn how to leave per to my wife that I had to the people might not the stage and allow another go and rescue lives and I did. I person to fit in and go back the rescued no fewer than 30 lives have survived moment you are okay. It is a on that fateful day. I was happy phenomenon and a process. I that I put my personal enjoyment have been managing emergency in behind me to save those lives. I felt Lagos State for over 10 years. I started highly fulfilled doing that because if I

Dr. Femi Oke Osanyintolu is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA). In this interview with INNOCENT DURU, he spoke about how the loss of his elder brother in a motor accident prompted him to study medicine and the reaction of his wife when his passion for saving lives made him to leave her mid-way into their wedding ceremony, to attend to victims of road accident. Excerpts:

had not left my wedding ceremony to attend to the situation, the people might not have survived. What was the reaction of your wife when you said that to her? My wife is a medical doctor and we know how to manage the whole thing. She knows that I am highly passionate about my job. I returned to continue the ceremony after saving those lives. Sometimes, I would be sick and still be coordinating emergency situation using my phone. I have a team arrangement that works. When I am doing this, you will not even know that I am not at the scene of the incident. I have put a system that makes it possible for us to work morning, afternoon and night. Which of the emergency situations that you have attended has ever made you shed tears? So many. It is not always easy for me when emergencies occur. In fact, I always have what they call gastro iliac effect. Any doctor that reads it will know what this means. I am a doctor by training. When you get to the scene of disasters, you will see people that are well dressed and who few minutes before the incident were bubbling with life. You will see some that are in the jaws of death and if the golden hour is not well managed, they will pass away. You have to put your best into it. How would you describe the tanker explosions that took place in the state in the last one week? I will look at it holistically. I sympathise with the victims of all these disasters that have happened in the state. However I need to put that challenge to the drivers of the articulated vehicles. Have they put safety in place in what they are doing? Are they safety conscious? These are two things that are very germane when you are looking at these emergencies holistically. That notwithstanding, one thing is that the administration of his Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has put a lot of machinery in place and is ready to give succor to victims of disasters. Apart from that, we have improved on our response time. Take for example, there was an accident involving a trailer loaded with 40,000 PMS. We averted fire disaster that could have happened as a result of that incident by our prompt response. You could see the synergy that is involved in managing emergency in the state. All

help them psychologically, socially, physiologically and anatomically that the state is on top of the situation. Secondly, His Excellency assured them that he would give them assistance. Right now, we are carrying out the enumeration of the victims. After doing this, we would start giving them assistance according to the degree of losses they suffered. The quick succession that these calamities occurred must have taken its tolls on your team. How did you cope with the situation? We are Boys’ Scouts. We are always prepared and that is why in Lagos State, we have the capacity to manage multiple emergencies at a time. We are very effective and efficient in managing our emergencies. The key thing there is the watchword ‘be prepared’. We have a local emergency management committee in place. We have trained 10 people in each local government and have a structure in place. We have a protocol and a response plan in place. We have a team that is well trained to manage emergencies in the state. Are there plans to open the relief camp anytime soon? Any time. It depends on the number of the people that are willing to go to the camp. It is at the instance of His Excellency before we can open the camp but there is that probability •Osanyintolu that we may open the camp. By and large, we always open relief camps hands are really on deck. when directed by the executive governor of the state. Could you provide details of the succour the We are always making sure that our people, that is, state government is giving to the victims? victims of disasters, are well taken care of and given First of all, we responded promptly and effecthe assurance that they are not alone. tively when incidents occur and curtail the effect of Apart from tackling emergencies, are their laid the fire. We allay the fears of victims giving them down programmes to sensitise people on how to hope that they are not alone in their condition. These avert disasters?

We have commenced that. In fact, we will activate and fine tune our local emergency management committee that is in place because we have realised that they are very important. If not for their roles, we could have been experiencing a lot of mortality associated with the disasters. Despite the magnitude of these disasters, you will discover there was no single death recorded. Can you imagine that? This means that our response is very effective and efficient. The communication among the stakeholders involved in managing emergencies is prompt and efficient. The communication between us and His Excellency is very effective, the communication between His Excellency, the stakeholders and the communities in place is also very effective. You can see the chain of command well maintained. Your job definitely involves a lot of risks. Could you share some of these challenges? There are so many challenges but we always put our best into the work of saving lives and property. During one of the disasters that happened recently, we were trans-loading 40,000 PPMS from a fallen tanker to another one. In the course of doing that, our bodies were soaked with petrol. If there was a small spark from anywhere at that moment, we would not be here today. We always put a lot of safety precautions in place and that is why we are always on top of our job. Our job is sensitive, it is critical but in all we do, our professionalism speaks. This is why we have not been experiencing any form of mortality among the first respondents. Besides, our equipment too, though highly sophisticated, are very delicate to handle. They could be very dangerous if they are not properly handled. There are so many disasters that have happened in the state in the last five years. Do you have the statistics of these? We have the statistics of all of them. We have them in our data base. Here in Lagos State, we manage emergency in a cyber form. By this, I mean that it is highly computerised. We have a standard and modernised control centres in Lagos State. What has life as disaster manager taught you? It has made me very humble, close to my Creator and also to develop a deep sense of respect for people.

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

CARTOON D

EAR Harriet, I am a teenager. My initial adventure of stealing a bottle of beer is gradually becoming a habit which I don't like. Please, explain my situation to me better. May be, it will aid me to put an end to it. Name withheld, Port Harcourt. It starts, of course, with experimentation. Some young ones try things like alcohol, cigarettes or, even drugs, for several reasons. Many teenagers, after such experimentation, find their curiosity satisfied and thereafter abstain from alcohol. Others, however, continue to drink, sharing a few bottles when they are out on events or sneaking a few swigs from the bottle of wine in the refrigerator. Some of them become problem drinkers, occasionally drinking to get drunk, perhaps even driving while intoxicated. Still, others succumb to alcoholism. It is very important to know the causes of alcohol use and abuse. Complex problems rarely have simple causes and alcoholism is a complex problem. Mental health and health care professionals differ as to the primary causes of alcoholism, but the following are generally acknowledged as factors; Physiology: Many studies support the view that alcoholism springs from a physiological source. That is, some people possess an inborn predisposition towards alcoholism. This predisposition may never be discovered in people who never experiment with alcohol, but for physiological reasons, those who do will experience a different reaction to alcohol than many of their friends. Background: Teens with family members who have problems with alcohol or other drugs are more likely to have serious substance abuse problems. Also, teens who feel that they are not connected to or valued by their parents are at greater risk. Teens with poor selfesteem or emotional or mental health problems, such as

with Email: bineharriet@gmail.com

Harmful effects of alcohol on teenagers depression, also are at increased risk. In addition, three factors that can affect the likelihood of alcoholism are as follows: Parental models, parental attitude and cultural expectations. Parent models: Children look up to their parents, so how parents behave often influences the subsequent attitude of children. When parents drink excessively or abuse drugs, children sometimes vow to completely abstain. More often, however, they follow the parental example. It has been estimated that “without intervention, 40 to 60 per cent of children of alcoholic parents become alcoholic themselves.” Parental attitude: Parental permissiveness and parental rejection can both stimulate chemical use and abuse. When parents don't care whether or not the children drink, there is no concern about the dangers of drugs or alcohol and misuse often follows. Culture expectations: If a culture or subcultural group

has clear guidelines about the use of alcohol or drugs, abuse is less likely. In some cultures, young people are allowed to drink not to get drunk, while to some, getting ”high” is the in thing to do. Conditions set up which lead many to alcohol abuse. Among other factors are outside forces, such as a dysfunctional family environment, peer pressure and stress without becoming alcoholics. Furthermore, the effects of alcohol use and abuse are also very vital. They should not be overlooked. Many people assume they know the effects of alcoholism, so they really don't need somebody telling them. Such an assumption, however, is not only incomplete, it is incorrect. A drunken person is not always an alcoholic and some alcoholics are seldom visibly drunk. There are, however, some effects of alcoholism that can generally apply. Anguish: Alcoholics frequently experience a combination of physical and

Victims find it very hard to control their emotions as well. The alcoholic may find himself or herself breaking into tears or uproarious laughter at inappropriate times

mental pain that can only be characterized as anguish. The alcoholic wonders if he or she is going crazy, fearing that he or she has lost control or will soon. The alcoholic becomes intensely frustrated about his life. Some have all sort of stuff going through their minds and they say different things as well. Some hate life as if they are being punished by God. It is a whole lot. Steve Arterburn, the author of “Growing up Addicted”, says: “It is as if a big black cloud of everything negative and unpleasant about life is hovering over the alcoholic” Another effect is confusion and disorientation. The alcoholic will experience a variety of mental effects. An intelligent student, for example, may find it difficult or impossible to focus his or her mind. They may routinely forget names, dates, details and appointments. He or she may even experience occasional blackouts. A blackout is not to be confused with passing out. It is a state in which a person who appears to be functioning consciously and normally cannot later recall anything that happened during the blackout period. The blackout is considered by many experts to be a primary indicator of alcoholism. More so is the issue of losing control. This aspect can be characterised as the ability to predict the drinking behaviour once drinking has begun. It doesn't mean that a person can't stop drinking for two or three weeks. When the drinking does begin, the desired two drinks become the uncontrollable five. Victims find it very hard to control their emotions as well. The alcoholic may find himself or herself breaking into tears or uproarious laughter at inappropriate times, for example. Some can find themselves getting involved in some acts that under normal circumstances will not participate. To be continued. Harriet ogbobine is a counselor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only 08023058805. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS...PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS...PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS...PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS...PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS...

ENGLISH BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team Chelsea Man City Arsenal Man Utd Tottenham Liverpool S’ampton Swansea Stoke City C.Palace Everton West Ham West Brom Leicester Newcastle Sunderland Aston Villa Hull City Burnley QPR

P 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38

W 26 24 22 20 19 18 18 16 15 13 12 12 11 11 10 7 10 8 7 8

D 9 7 9 10 7 8 6 8 9 9 11 11 11 8 9 17 8 11 12 6

L 3 7 7 8 12 12 14 14 14 16 15 15 16 19 19 14 20 19 19 24

GF 73 83 71 62 58 52 54 46 48 47 48 44 38 46 40 31 31 33 28 42

GA 32 38 36 37 53 48 33 49 45 51 50 47 51 55 63 53 57 51 53 73

GD 41 45 35 25 5 4 21 -3 3 -4 -2 -3 -13 -9 -23 -22 -26 -18 -25 -31

Pts 87 79 75 70 64 62 60 56 54 48 47 47 44 41 39 38 38 35 33 30

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

NATION S P O RT

Texting people out of poverty A bank account is one step on the road to financial stability. A program called Juntos “talks” to its users to ensure that the newly banked actually put their money aside, writes Laura Shin

armen Hernandez, 34, lives in Dallas with her husband and five children. Her husband works in construction, earning about $50,000 a year. Hernandez makes party decorations and tailors clothing, making $800 to $1,000 a month. In February 2014, the family only had $300 in savings. That month, Hernandez began using a program called Juntos that sends text messages to her mobile, a basic cell phone. The texts would ask her things like, "Do you want to save more?" If the answer was yes, she would respond with an amount, which would be deposited into her savings account. Or, they might ask if she had an emergency and remind her that she could use her savings. Or, they might just encourage her to continue saving. A year later, the family savings was closing in on $5,000. "All the messages they send really help me," said Hernandez, with her 14-year-old son acting as translator. "If I didn't use it, I

Impact Journalism Day: 45 newspapers unite to bring readers uplifting, solutions-based news

eading the news on a daily basis can be a depressing affair. Worldwide, readers and audiences repeatedly report that they are put off by how negative the news seems to be. Yet the media’s role is to bring major issues and problems to the foreground and to keep us alert. Must the headlines conform to the age old adage that “when it bleeds, it leads”? The idea behind Impact Journalism Day is to show that the media also fulfill their role by reporting on inspiring solutions to the world’s problems. The alliance of 45 newspapers, united by Sparknews, presents a different vision of journalism: problems AND solutions can make the news together. This view, along with the conviction that quality, solutions based news is something readers aspire to have more of, is part of a growing movement in the press to feature stories of hope and change. Impact Journalism Day is just the beginning. Each edition has seen a steady increase in the number of newspapers and newsrooms onboard, excited to show their commitment to solutions based reporting. Some journalists were initially concerned this content might be naïve or simplistic, but are now eager to participate and

uphold this philosophy in their day to day activities. They are fueled by conviction and also by seeing firsthand that this type of reporting has a measurable impact on the ground. When the public learns of real solutions, the results can be tremendous. Readers gain greater understanding of the problems and are given the means to engage and the hope to believe that they can become changemakers. Every reader can and does make a difference. Last year’s articles helped contribute to the growth of the projects featured, via an increase in awareness, volunteering, orders, investments, donations or even via replication in new countries.

Now it’s your turn to be part of the movement! Show the media that this kind of news matters. Tell your friends and family about Impact Journalism Day, buy an extra copy for your children or your colleagues, share the articles you like on the web and be part of the conversation on Twitter and Facebook. You can take part in our selfie contest by posting a photo of yourself and this newspaper via Twitter (#ImpactJournalism and add the @thenationnews or the Facebook page of our founding partner, AXA (facebook.com/AXAPeopleProtectors). Help the innovators and entrepreneurs featured in these stories to overcome the challenges they face by joining a brainstorming session (beta.makesense.org/ijd). And suggest projects we might consider for next year’s Impact Journalism Day (www.sparknews.com/ijd). Enjoy your read! Christian de Boisredon and the Sparknews Team. Christian is the founder of Sparknews and an Ashoka Fellow. For more information: impact@sparknews.com

would save less." The San Carlos, California-based company behind the program, Juntos Finanzas (which goes by Juntos), promotes financial inclusion and helps first-time bank account holders, or the "newly banked," to manage their money. "Our hope is to increase active client rates and active balances in accounts," said Katie Nienow, cofounder and vice-president of business development. The company got its start in 2009 at the Institute of Design at Stanford, when a student named Ben Knelman (now CEO) created a simple app to help the school janitors. Initially, a janitor named Karina laughed at the idea that she could save on her $21,000 salary. But a year later, she had saved $2,000 by using the app. Juntos went on to win the innovation award for financial inclusion at the 2012 G20 summit in Mexico City. In a pilot study in Colombia, participants working with Juntos ended up with 50 percent higher balances than the control group. Many users, who already feel connected to their phones-one referred to hers as her baby-end up feeling such a personal connection to the app that they respond with messages like, "I just want to thank you for your help. Your motivation has been very useful." The company now has 200,000 users, obtained through partner financial institutions, in Colombia, Mexico and Tanzania. A team of writers with backgrounds from psychology to design use behavioral economics and on-the-ground research to customize each version to the dialect and culture of that country. Juntos also has a version for users in the United States, which is targeted at recent immigrants who are new to the banking system. "In recent years, innovations like branchless banking, mobile banking and mobile money have meant that banking services could be provided to the poor at cheaper cost, so access to financial services was becoming a reality for the poor," said Nienow. But while banks have an easy time getting people to open accounts, customers often immediately let their accounts fall dormant, or unused. Dormancy rates for the newly banked range from 40 to 90 percent around the world. People who don't have active accounts may engage in behaviors that put their money at risk. They may keep cash at home, where it might get stolen.

For more information Website: http://juntosglobal.com/ Video: http://www.sparknews.com/fr/ video/ juntos-finanzas-positive-financial-impactsms

THE NATION, SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2015

Powering villages, empowering lives

n unpaved, dusty road lined with bushes and shrubs leads to a sprawling campus and a large classroom filled with solar panels and equipment. Here, Geeta Devi, a 45-year-old woman in a red sequined sari and a silver nose ring, was recently explaining a complicated-looking circuit to a group of awestruck women standing around a worktable piled high with circuits and lanterns. Devi is a solar engineer. Or, to be precise, a "barefoot" solar engineer, one of hundreds of women in their late thirties and forties (most of them grandmothers) from some of the most remote corners of India, trained by the Barefoot College to build solar panels and provide their off-grid villages with power. Apart from lighting up villages, the program has also become an important tool for empowering rural women, many of whom are illiterate. Devi's life has undergone a sea change. From her formerly unremarkable existence, tending the fields, livestock and her family, she is now financially independent thanks to her role teaching at the college, where she earns a small monthly salary. She is respected in her community, a person whose opinions are sought after. "Today, I matter," she said. Barefoot College was founded in the early 1970s by social activist Sanjit "Bunker" Roy, and it has been teaching solar electrification since 1989. It works out of Tilonia, a small, somnolent village of faded green fields and chocolate-box hillocks, in the desert state of Rajasthan, around 100 kilometers from the state capital, Jaipur. Starting with local women and panning out to the rest of India, today the Barefoot imprint reaches 64 other countries as well. It has an off-site campus in Sierra Leone, a brand new one in Zanzibar, and more planned in South Sudan, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Liberia and Guatemala. "The policy of the Barefoot College, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, is to reach every last man or woman," Roy said.

In India’s Barefoot College, rural women learn to make and maintain solar panels, bringing clean power to their villages and creating employment for the previously unskilled, writes Nilanjana Bhowmick.

* At Barefoot College in Tilonia, India, rural women learn to make and maintain solar panels. Photo Credits: Lars Boland/Varial Most of the teaching still happens in and candles. Some of the domestic Tilonia. Every year, the college trains 100 students stay longer and learn to build women from India and 80 from Asia, items such as solar cookers and water Africa and Latin America, in two batches heaters. for six months each. The Indian Spread over two sprawling campusesgovernment recognized the course in 2008 the newer one fully solar-powered-the and covers the students' training and Barefoot College started by teaching both travel costs. The Ministry of External men and women. But by 2005, Roy Affairs pays around 150,000 rupees realized the model would work best if (US$2,500) plus travel costs for each they trained women alone. "For a international grandmother, while the long-term, sustainable solution, training Ministry of New and Renewable Energy older women is a wise investment in pays roughly 70,000 rupees for each human resources. They will stay in the domestic trainee. Funding from private individuals and foundations helps to pay for solar equipment and other costs. Each grandmother learns how to make, assemble, maintain and repair solar panels. When time allows, they also learn to make sanitary napkins, mosquito nets

village and are not interested in looking for jobs in the city," he pointed out. "They just want to live closer to the land, their children and animals, and pass on their skills to the younger generation." The international students study in the old campus, about a kilometer from the new one. Joselyn Mateo Diaz, a 41-year-old grandmother from the Dominican Republic, traveled all the way to India this spring to learn how to solar power her village. Her neighboring village was recently electrified. "The government forgot about us," said the ever-smiling Diaz. "My only wish is to study with my grandchild at night." And soon she will. Diaz, who taught herself to read, has no problem following the lessons as they are carried out in basic English and through color-coded circuits and sign language. Back home, the villagers will pay a nominal monthly stipend to cover her services as well as components and spare parts for the panels. "We kept the Barefoot model simple so it could be managed, controlled and owned by the community themselves," Roy said. Globally, 1.3 billion people are off-grid. Of these, more than 300 million live in India, where the national electrification rate is 75 percent and rural electrification lags behind at 67 percent. More worryingly, around 800 million Indians are still dependent on carbonemitting and polluting fuels. For more information Website: http://www.barefootcollege.org/ Video: http://www.sparknews.com/en/ video/ barefoot-college-helps-women-become-solarengineers.

Read more on www.thenationonlineng.net

Incredible edible

A handful of volunteers in an English town planted rhubarb and broccoli on public land, along with the seeds for a worldwide movement, writes Anna Polonyi

Electricity from your garden Solar panels on our roofs will soon be a thing of the past, says Markus Weingartner. That’s why the part-time Swiss inventor builds solar furniture. Writes Christian Zürcher, Tages-Anzeiger, Niederglatt (Switzerland) he table in a garden not far from Zurich looks like many a garden table: chromium steel, simple design. But there’s a difference: one leg houses a cable that plugs into a power point. The table leaf is black and turns out to be of glass, covering a set of solar panels. “My solar table – an energy-producing piece of furniture,” says Markus Weingartner, an engineer and creator of solar furniture. The table generates 280 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to cover 30 per cent of a person’s energy consumption or to power an e-bike for 70 kilometres every day. An electrical engineer by profession, Weingartner changed track 10 years ago and founded a business for solar installations. In 2013, he designed his solar table. Unlike rooftop panels, the electricity generated is fed directly into the private grid via a power point. “Ten years from now we won’t be seeing a lot of solar panels on small roofs anymore,” he says, because for an individual, installing

rooftop panels will become less and less viable. Weingartner, who also builds solar panels for flower pots and side tables, sees a niche market for his solar furniture: “Ecology-minded people can do something for the environment without needing to obtain a building permit and having to spend 30,000 francs on a solar installation.” That’s his vision, anyway. The reality is different: He has sold some 30 solar tables so far but he needs to sell at least 300 to cover his expenses. His experiences are not encouraging: “People stop, have a look, say ‘Wow, what a super idea’ and amble off.” So, is the willingness to invest in renewable energy overestimated or eroded by double standards? Weingartner wouldn’t put it that harshly, but says: “It’s what people do that counts, not what they say.” For more information Website: http://energiemoebel.ch/

Chives growing in front of the community college, one of the city’s dozen or so public growing spots. Photo Credits: Anna Polonyi

lant first, ask later. This is what a handful of volunteers in an ordinary town in northern England did, and from it sprang a worldwide grow-it-yourself revolution. “We don’t like to call it guerrilla gardening, because that reminds us of macho warfare. We’d rather call it naughty but nice” said the chair, Mary Clear.

PREVENT LAND CONFLICT WITH VILLAGE MAP Geared with a GPS (Global Positioning System), three village communities in the Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan created their village maps. By creating maps, they wanted to prevent land conflicts and avoid the threat of land claiming. Three villages are; Lela, Tri Mandayan, and Sebagu in Teluk Keramat Sub-District, Sambas. BLOOD DONORS A web- and mobile-based application in the Philippines seeks to bring together blood donors and patients to finally address the problem of the lack of blood donors and incompatibility for some desperate patients.

RIDERS FOR HEALTH There is no denial that the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations (UN) and many other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as various parastatals have engaged in endless struggles to provide health care for mothers and children across less privileged communities in Africa. THE DOG THAT CAN SMELL DIABETICS 'Izzy' is a German shepherd, a very special one: he has been trained to smell, 20 minutes in advance, when his master is about to have a hypo-glycaemic crisis, lose consciousness and slip into a coma. He can smell a particular odour, undetectable by humans, which signals a change in blood sugar levels.

THE NATION, SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2015

A smarter smartphone A young Dutch designer reinvents the mobile phone (and experiments with everything else), Writes Nina Siegal hen Dave Hakkens’ camera broke during a vacation in 2012, the Dutch design student took it apart to see what had gone wrong. The lens motor had died. Contacting the manufacturer, he learned that he couldn’t replace that single element. “I realized that that’s how it always goes with electronics,” he said. “When something is broken you can’t fix it anymore; you just have to buy a new one. I felt like I’d like to find something to change that.” For his graduation project he decided to upgrade another ubiquitous piece of electronics, the smartphone. His concept was a modular telephone that would allow people to replace individual components separately. He called the idea “Phonebloks” and posted a video explaining the idea in 2013. Within 24 hours, the video had gone viral. In less than two months, Hakkens engaged 800,000 people in a Thunderclap campaign to promote the idea to millions more. His phone and email were buzzing with offers. Then Google called; its developers had been secretly working on a similar modular smartphone. Google offered him a job, he said. But he turned it down, and instead made a deal that Google would open up their product development to the public and allow him and his community of modular phone backers to become part of the process. “I guess my mind works more from what’s the best for the world, and not what makes you the most profit,” he said. “The idea right now is to keep things open and free, because that way everybody gets smarter and everybody wins.” For more information Website: https://phonebloks.com/en Video: http://www.sparknews.com/fr/ video/phonebloks-one-year-already

Safermom team at work.

Photo Credit: SaferMom

Safermom: Using technology to reduce maternal and infant mortality Justice Ilevbare writes on a technology based initiative tagged; Safermom put in place to addresses the issues relating to maternal healthcare care crisis in Nigeria by using interactive and low cost personalized text/voice messages.

he joy of Mrs. Ariyo, knew no bound when she delivered her baby few years ago. Before her new bundle of

joy, she had suffered repeated loss during childbirth -a situation which earned her several name tags from her in-laws. Today, the story is different. Mrs. Ariyo, an Ekiti-based mother and several others are beneficiaries of SaferMom initiative – a platform that addresses the issues relating to maternal healthcare care crisis in Nigeria by using interactive and low cost personalized text/voice messages. With just about two years of its establishment, SaferMom already have not less than 2,500 subscribers on the platform, “we have registered 2,500 subscribers to our platform, some which are fathers or relatives in case the mother has no access to a mobile phone,” Lanre Adeloye, CEO of SaferMom said. SaferMom basically engages mothers with vital health information in form of SMS and personalized voice call to improve maternal and child health. Apart from pregnancy follow ups, tracking of immunization, nutrition guides, child

healthcare is a luxury. Many new and expectant mothers travel for several hours away to access healthcare thereby reducing antenatal care by 40% in the developing world. “Many new mothers fail to present their babies for immunization routine for several reasons ranging from distance barrier, contrary religious believes, high transportation cost, negligence and illiteracy. In slum areas where health facilities are present, wards are densely populated due to poor schedules, disease burdens on health workers mainly due to communicable diseases such as TB, Malaria and HIV/AIDS. “A skilled medical attendant has to deal with about 20,000 patients with varying degrees of ailment in very harsh conditions. In some communities, modern medical healthcare is seen as abomination. Women are barred from receiving modern health care thereby seeking native approaches which may be unsafe and hazardous to health. “Our focus basically is to help as many mothers by providing key health care information through their pregnancy phases to child developmental stages which is key to their survival.” Eventhough it has recorded some successes, Adeloye outlined a number of challenges to include: * Messages fail due to network subscriptions used by mothers * Not all mothers still has access to a Mobile phones * Since mothers receive our contents via their phones, their phone is not always charged (might take 2 or more days before gets charged again) * Registering more mothers to ensure national scale is still a huge task * Raising funds, getting professional translators of our contents to local languages, getting more volunteers to register more mothers among others. Amongst others, the SaferMom allows pregnant mothers to constantly listen to targeted NGOs, corporate firms working towards MDGs. Other programs of the team include; tracking of vaccination, education on breastfeeding, safe health/family campaigns and follow up of pregnant or nursing mothers. SaferMom also allows health workers to track/follow up health behaviours of pre and post-natal activities of mothers and receive feedbacks immediately. Additionally, SaferMom helps to provide information and reminders to mothers and entire family on hygiene, family health and preventive health tips and with just a click, rural dwellers/mother’s health can be reached and accessed. In an emergency situation, SaferMom is used to reach rural communities in just a fracture of minute.

“Our research shows that most solutions available aren’t targeted at mothers below the poverty line but rather with mothers with smart phones or internet enabled phones. Our innovative and unique solution allows mothers to access our platform irrespective of the kind of phone they use or their location,”

health and safety tips, SaferMom also send messages that help disprove superstitious believes to women. Adeloye and his team are poised to eradicate the cases of maternal, neonatal and child mortality using mobile health technology in underserved communities in Nigeria, expressed satisfaction of the success recorded so far since the introduction of the SaferMom initiative, “the testimonies we receive have been one of the best thing that happened to us and also our driving force. Maternal and child health illiteracy is considerably high in Nigeria,” he added. The team which comprise of experts of Physiologists, public Health practitioners, Physicians, Designers, programmers came together to reduce this phenomenon, presently works in South West Nigeria with hope to make it a pan Nigeria project with time. For Adeloye and his team, the idea to introduce the SaferMom initiative is more than just hype but the passion to provide a solution to the scourge ravaging poor women in the society. A passion driven by the result of a research, “Our research shows that most solutions available aren’t targeted at mothers below the poverty line but rather with mothers with smart phones or internet enabled phones. Our innovative and unique solution allows mothers to access our platform irrespective of the kind of phone they use or their location,” Adeloye said. He added, “As we speak, a mother had just lost her life due to complication related to pregnancy and child birth according to reports by World Health Organization. In a core village in Northern Nigeria, an unskilled health practitioner is probably battling with a life of a child which has little or hope of surviving. “These are few realities of a country that loses about 40,000 mothers and 260,000 new born babies yearly due to preventable health challenges. With about 50% of total population of Nigeria living in low income communities, access to comprehensive

For more information www.safermoon.org

Seeing for two The app “Be My Eyes” allows sighted volunteers to help blind people all over the world, just by using their smartphones, Writes Justin Cremer

he free iPhone app Be My Eyes connects blind users with sighted volunteers. When a blind user needs help, he accesses the app and Be My Eyes rings up the first available volunteer. The two are connected over the blind user’s video camera and the sighted user lends her eyes for a task that usually takes just a minute or two, such as checking the expiry date on food. It’s a process that app cofounder Hans Jørgen Wiberg refers to as micro-volunteering. “A lot of people want to do something good but they are busy,” he said. “With this app, they have an opportunity to help out if they have time.” Nearly 200,000 sighted users have signed up, with connections in 80 different languages. Be My Eyes also has 18,000 registered blind users. One of them is Copenhagen native Kamila Ryding, who said that she typically uses the app once or twice a week, primarily for help in identifying household goods. She said that Be My Eyes keeps her from feeling like a burden to her family and friends. “I like to have a friend be a friend and not a helper.” But blind people aren’t the only beneficiaries; volunteers also have much to gain. One sighted user posted on Facebook, “This is the first app that has ever affected me on such an emotional level... I feel like I’m getting more out of this app than the person who called me.” For more information Website: http://www.bemyeyes.org/ Video: http://www.sparknews.com/fr/ video/ be-my-eyes-smartphone-app-help-blind-people For more stories check, www.thenationonlineng.net

THE NATION, SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2015

“

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

With OZOLUA UHAKHEME

Obafemi

Email: ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com 08023058761

H EALTH MATTERS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

When lumps app -Experts give tips on

â&#x20AC;˘Black women are more likely to have fibroid than other races

IBROID is a swelling in a woman's womb. It is like when there is a ball in the womb. It is risky; yes it could be a danger to the woman's life and at the same time, the woman may not be able to give birth to a child," so stated Dr Olu Adeoye while speaking on the medical condition called fibroids. In the past decade or so, this ailment has been on the increase in the country, according to medical experts and available statistics. For instance, prevalence rate figures show that over 50 percent of women in the country above 30 years have uterine fibroids. Worse still, the condition is more common among black women than Caucasians. So, what could be responsible for this serious medical condition that is affecting so many women? Dr Babajide Saheed, of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, (LASUTH), proffered some answers. "Ordinarily, an aspect of a person's lifestyle that can lead to fibroid is the one that concerns contraceptive. When prevention of pregnancy has taken place for a long time, there becomes a vacuum in the space that is supposed to take care of pregnancy, that is the womb. That then becomes the beginning of the fibroid," he noted. When asked at what age a woman can have fibroid, he had this to say: "There is no specific age. It is from thirty if the person has never been pregnant before. But these days, it appears that the age is coming down. Again, it is not all women that have fibroid. Just like not all men have prostate enlargement. It is not compulsory. It depends on the God of the individual. The percentage of those that have it, is not unusual. And there is awareness of it now." On the prevalence of fibroids among black women than whites, Dr Orji Kenechukwu of the Garki Hospital, Abuja, had this to say: "Fibroid is very common among black women now. It is one of the commonest gynaecological problem that is seen in the gyne-

n Patience SADUWA and Paul UKPABIO n cology clinic. It is also common among women of reproductive ages that is between 20 and 40 years. There is this saying that a womb that is not carrying a baby is likely to be carrying fibroids. It is quite a common thing. It is not a very dangerous disease. It may be difficult to deal with if a woman leaves it to a very large size. Adequate management is important. Having said that, it is noteworthy to say that in rare cases, the fibroid may turn malignant. But it is extremely rare. If it causes other complications like grows and start obstructing where urine is coming from, it may lead to death." A sufferer's tale "Fibroid is one thing that never crossed my mind or something I would ever have," declared a Lagos based business woman who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Four years ago, I noticed my stomach was getting bigger. At first, I thought I was eating too much. I thought of exercising. No difference; it was getting bigger and bigger! I even thought I was pregnant and sometimes I would be asked if I was pregnant. I then decided to go to the hospital to find out what was wrong with my stomach. "In May 2012, I was at the hospital; the doctor examined me, feeling moderate and large uterine fibroids during a routine pelvic exam and then asked me to go for an ultra scan. My doctor told me it was fibroids. Fibroids can range in number and size from a single growth to multiple growths, and from very small to large. Fibroids may cause symptoms which may include heavy periods, cramping and lower back pain, sometimes very severe. I did take a lot of pain killers. If fibroids become very large, they can distend the stomach, making a woman look pregnant. I did look pregnant, about 7 months pregnant; that is what my

doctor told me. I wanted to remove it, but I was scared. Very scared! I have seen colleagues die from fibroid surgeries. So, I was frightened! Who wants to die? However, in December 2014, after my trip to Israel on pilgrimage, I prayed and went to the hospital for a myomectomy which typically removes the largest fibroid. "I went to a Specialist Hospital in Abuja and I told the doctor that a colleague was in this same hospital and she died after surgery, will that not happen to me? He looked at me and asked me what my name was and what is her own name? I told him. Then he said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;just as you do not have the same names, your destinies are different. Trust in God and you will be alright.' I did trust in God On Tuesday, 16th of December 2014, I went in for the surgery. I had told the doctor that I do not want a general anaesthesia, so a spinal anaesthesia was done for me. This is a shot of anaesthetic near the spinal cord and the nerves that connect to it. It blocks pain from an entire region of the body, such as the belly, hips, or legs. By 1230 pm, it was completed and I was wheeled back to the ward. I stayed in the hospital for 7 days. I went home on Tuesday 23rd December 2014 on my way to recovery! It costs about N450, 000 for the surgery." The fear factor Findings indicate that for many women with fibroids, the fear of operation is a major deterrent to seeking treatment for the ailment. The most feared being the total removal of the womb or hysterectomy, a procedure that is often carried out on some women with fibroids who no longer desire more children. An-

H EALTH MATTERS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

ear in the womb treatment for fibroid

There is no specific age. It is from 30 if the person has never been pregnant before. But these days, it appears that the age is coming down. Again, it is not all women that have fibroid. Just like not all men have prostate enlargement. It is not compulsory. It depends on the God of the individual. The percentage of those that have it, is not unusual. And there is awareness of it now

other lady who spoke anonymously confirmed this when she stated: "My dear, I won't lie! I'm scared of operation. I have had this fibroids for over five years now. You can see that my tummy is so big like a pregnant woman. Sometimes, people ask me how old is the 'pregnancy' and I tell them it's not a baby in my womb but fibroids. I have the money to do the operation anywhere in the world but I'm afraid. I have heard so many terrible stories of women who die on the operating table to remove their fibroids. I don't want to be one of those o! So, I will keep carrying this 'pregnancy' until maybe I will have the courage to do the operation. It causes a lot of discomfort, pain and excessive bleeding." On treatment and cost, Adeoye stated: "Some people have fibroids and are not bothered about it. That is because, a woman may have fibroid for a long time and may not know that she has it until it starts affecting her movement, menstrual circle or ability to get pregnant. It is actually the last one that most often lead women to knowing about the fibroids in their body. Yes, treatment is expensive. If it is treated medically that is by use of drugs which can be taken for like a period of nine months, it is costly and even the fibroid may return afterwards. So the best method to treat fibroid is to remove it totally at once. Fibroid is a like a ball in the stomach so during operation, it is removed. If the fibroid is there in the womb, it keeps growing and growing. After a while, it starts affecting the breathing and other functions of the body because of the continuous enlargement. It will even affect the blood flow and will then lead to anaemia." To Saheed, treatment depends on the type of fibroid. As he noted: "If it is fibroid that has no symptom of stress in any way, it can be there. Some fibroids can be very small, bleeds, makes a woman look weak and pale and even have abdominal pain; it is better to oper-

â&#x20AC;˘Dr Mohammed

ate the person in order that it does not take the life of the person. Also, if the fibroid is too big in the womb and competing with the foetus, the person cannot have

or keep pregnancy as it will be a case of abortion too many. At that point, the woman has to remove it due to its complications or disruption of the figure of the woman. So it really depends on the type of fibroids." "The operation can take ten minutes or two hours; it depends on how big the fibroid is," stated Kenechukwu, who advised women to visit the hospital for proper treatment: "It is important that women should appear to a gynaecologist once in a while so that it could be picked on time. Women should not go to where miracles are sought in curing fibroid. They should instead go to proper hospitals," he advised. To Dr Riliwan Mohammed, Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Management Board, Abuja, the effects of fibroids goes beyond the physical. As he explained: "When fibroid is in the body, the woman is referred to as "the pregnant woman that never delivers!" It could be there for between two to five years or more. It affects the psyche of the woman who has it, in her womb, the stomach, her fertility. However, women that are sexually active may somehow not be affected by fibroid, though no scientist has been able to say that it is a particular thing that causes fibroid. It could affect this woman and not affect the other. And there are three types of fibroid, intramural, mural and extramural fibroid." Some of the symptoms of fibroids according to experts include bleeding or spotting between menstrual periods, pelvic pain or pressure, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal swelling and unusually frequent urination. Others are low back pain during intercourse or during menstrual periods, repeated miscarriages, tiredness or low energy from heavy periods and excessive bleeding (anaemia), infertility (if the fibroids are blocking the fallopian tubes)and constipation.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

THE NATION,

News

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

ARELY 48 hours after security operatives secured the released of the Regent of Akungba-Akoko in Akoko South West Local Government of Ondo State, Princess Oluwatoyin Omosowon from her abductors, the Executive Secretary of the Cocoa Association of

Cocoa association chieftain abducted in Ondo Leke AKEREDOLU, Akure Nigeria (CAN), Mr Michael Segun Adewunmi, was on Thursday night kidnapped in

Akure, the state capital. Family sources said that he was abducted when he was on his way from office for an official engagement. The victim was said to have informed his secretary to

wait for him until he returns from the official assignment. It was gathered that family members became suspicious when he did not answer calls put to his mobile phones. Worried by the unanswered

calls, Adewunmi’s wife contacted his secretary who told her to wait for him in the office. A search team was organised for the victim leading to the recovery of his black Toyota Lexus Jeep along Akinjo Junction Oshokoti, Akure. The car with number plate ANG 149 AA has since been taken to Ijapo Police Station. The unidentified kidnappers were said to have gone away with some items of their victim including mo-

bile phones. One of his phones was however found on the ground by a man who was on his way to a vigil organised by a white garment chuirch at Olu Foam area, Akure . The phone was later handed over to the family members. A family source said the suspected kidnappers have contacted the family but have not demanded any ransom. A police source at the Ijapo Police Division who confirmed the story said that investigation was ongoing.

Ortom condemns attack on community

•A Nigerian evacuated from Yemen by NEMA, Mr Nurudeen Suleiman and family, on their return at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja... yesterday Photo: NAN

Osun Security Council reads riot act against lawlessness in state

SUN State Security Council yesterday warned that it will bring all means at its disposal to deter criminals and outlaws who may want to threaten the peace of the state. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Jesubiyi Taiwo, who stood in for Osun state Police Commissioner, Abubakar Marafa, while addressing journalists after the state’s security council meeting said security agencies in Osun are alive to their responsibilities. The security council of the state comprised of representatives of The Nigeria Police, Nigeria Army, Department of State Services and the Civil Defence. Others are the Nigeria Airforce, Customs, Prisons Services, Immigration and the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency. The Police boss stressed that it has uncovered plots by some people and groups in the state to disrupt the relative peace that the state has been enjoying. Osun security council held that as the agencies of government constitutionally saddled with security, it will not fold its arms while some

Adesoji ADENIYI, Osogbo criminals continue to plan on how to constitute nuisance and breakdown law and order in the state. According to the Police Commissioner, “it has come to the notice of the State of Osun Security Council that some persons have been threatening to make the state ungovernable. This is a clear declaration of intent to perpetrate mayhem and breakdown of law and order. “As the agencies of government constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives, property and liberty of theý citizens, we view this with every seriousness it deserves and will not fold our arms and allow the state to slide into chaos. “We are unwavering in our resolve to perform our constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property and maintaining law and order. “We will bring all means within our disposal to deter criminals and outlaws who may want to threaten the peace”. The council reiterated that it is illegal to use sirens and

the flouting of traffic rules, saying relevant security agents will deal with erring members of the society. The service chiefs called on residents to go about their lawful duties without fear, adding that they are capable and resolute in the discharge of their duties. Meanwhile, an Osun APC chieftain and founder of Eniaponle Foundation, Ashaolu Michael Adeboye, has called on workers in the state to thread the path of peace and be patient with the governor as he makes arrangements to settle the matter. Adeboye blamed the inability of most state governments in the country to meet their financial obligations on the shortfall from the federal allocations to states, pleaded that a better understanding of the matter by the workers would ensure that the matter is resolved amicably. “I wish to plead with the workers to understand the plight of the government. This is a responsible government that understands the importance of the welfare of its workforce. “The current problem of

Baptist Church celebrates Father’s Day

ZION Baptist Church, Magbo, Ogijo, Ogun State, will join the Nigerian Baptist Convention to celebrate this year’s father’s day tomorrow. The theme of the event is, “Excellence in the Market Place.” The pastor of the church, Rev. Sunday

Babatunde, urged all fathers to be tolerant and take good care of their wives and children. The event will be rounded off with a threeday power packed revival starting from June 28-30, with the theme, “Give your totality to Jesus Christ.”

Former LG boss for burial

HE remains of a former chairperson of Ila Local Government Area of Osun State, Mrs Grace Fadesere (JP), will be buried on July 10, 2015. She was aged 79. She was a devoted Catholic, a papal

medalist and Iya-Ijo of St. Benedict Catholic Cathedral, Osogbo. The late Fadasere was a school teacher, an administrator and a public commentator. She is survived by children, grandchildren and a brother.

non-payment of salaries is not peculiar to Osun. It is a national problem, and I would plead with the workers not to allow mischief-makers from within and outside the state to cause unnecessary confusion.” Adeboye said with the sterling records of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, which he said are all over the state for the people to see, the governor could not have deliberately withheld the salaries of the workers. “I want the people of Osun, labour leaders and religious bodies to understand that Governor Aregbosola, with his record of performance in the state, is not a man that would love to see his people suffer. Therefore, I call on all stakeholders in the state to join hands and move the state forward.”

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has condemned yesterday’s attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Tse-Ikpur community in Logo Local Government Area of the state. Many lives and property worth millions of naira were destroyed during the attack. He described the attack as savage and unacceptable. The governor has consequently directed security agencies to take urgent steps to stop further attacks on all the communities in the state warning that his administration would not tolerate acts of violence against the people. He requested the police to

fish out those responsible for the attack for immediate prosecution. “The security of lives and property in the state, particularly the resolution of the incessant herdsmen and farmers’ conflict, formed a major part of my discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari when we travelled to South Africa last weekend and that it remained a priority of my administration. “While ranches remained a permanent solution to the conflict, dialogue between the two concerned parties and legal means of addressing grievances must be encouraged rather than the current resort to self help.”

Muslims donate blood to public hospitals

MEMBERS of the Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness (MICA), has donated blood to public hospitals in Lagos State. The event was held at Crescent Nursery and Primary School, Victoria Island, Lagos, in conjunction with the Haematology and Blood Transfusion Department of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). A chieftain of the group, Abdulhamid Ademola explained that the organization embarked on the exercise in order to help in saving lives especially those who are in need of blood in public hospitals. He said: "We have a team

called life savers group and we have decided that we should donate blood regularly to save the lives of people and mankind. While I was donating, I was informed that there is shortage of rhesus negative donors and we have some of them as member so we will be glad to donate. Therefore, we will mobilize our members to donate in order to save the lives of people in need of blood." The Amirah of the group, Ganiya Sulaiman-Olokodana said: "It is the duty of every Muslims to care about the condition of others and also do everything possible to save life. I belong to rhesus negative group and I know we are in short supply, so it gladdens me to be part of the exercise."

NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

Gunmen kidnap Rivers varsity VC UNMEN on Thursday evening kidnapped the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State-owned Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Prof. Rosemund Green-Osahogulu. Green-Osahogulu was on her way home from work when the hoodlums, who had apparently been trailing her, overtook her car on Okocha Street area of Rumuolumeni, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, overpowered her security men, and dragged her from her car into their own getaway vehicle. The gunmen were said to have

•Peterside condemns abduction, says it’s an ill-wind n Clarice AZUATALAM and Precious DIKEWOHA, Port Harcourt n shot sporadically into the air to scare away people while the operation lasted. Time was about 6.45 pm. The abductors had not made contact with the school authorities or her family members at press time. The registrar of the institution, Mr. Ikem Adiele and the police confirmed the development. The Police pledged to secure her release.

Police spokesman, DSP Ahmad Mohammad, said that the command was yet to make any arrest in connection with the abduction. Earlier on Thursday, Governor Nyesom Wike had dissolved all the boards of state-owned tertiary institutions, including the education varsity. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the April election in the State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside,

yesterday condemned Prof. GreenOsahagolu’s abduction. He also deplored the increasing rate of abduction and violent crime in the state and warned that the state and its people would be the ultimate losers if the issue was not addressed immediately. He said: “security is critical to development and the wellbeing of citizens. No society can achieve any meaningful progress in an atmosphere of continuous fear and intimidation. “Unfortunately, our people have

lived for an unusually long period under this incessant attack and intimidation from hoodlums and thugs. But we cannot continue to live in perpetual fear. Rivers people have a right to dividends of democracy, and the provision of security should be the starting point. “I think it is also important at this juncture to warn sponsors of terror that violent crimes, particularly kidnapping, is an ill-wind that blows no good. There is no way we can be a happy people if every news item emanating from our state centres on violence, impunity, harassment and intimidation.”

Police arrest robbers who raided Bayelsa chief’s home •Recover stolen vehicles, arms n Mike ODIEGWU, Yenagoa n HE police in Bayelsa State have arrested a gang of gunmen who invaded the residence of one Chief Allison Rollins and robbed him of his valuables. Rollins was robbed in his home at Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state at about 1am yesterday. The hoodlums were said to have stolen three vehicles parked in his compound and other valuables. The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the arrest, said the police also recovered firearms from the suspects. He said they were apprehended at Choba, Rivers State. Other items recovered from the suspects, according to Butswat, are four handsets, one laptop, two boxes of jewelry, all belonging to the victim. The police spokesperson identified the suspects as Nelson Isaac, 23, and Tony Alaboh, 24. The PPRO said: "On June 18, 2015, at about 0100hrs, the Anti kidnapping/Anti-Vice unit of the police responded to a distress call, that some unknown gunmen had invaded the compound of one Allison Amachree Rollins, at Elebele Community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. "The suspects robbed him of some valuables, collected his vehicles' keys and drove away with one RAV 4 Jeep, with Reg No. SPR 416 AA, two Toyota Hilux, with Reg Nos. SAG 48 AT and SPR 257 CE. "The Anti Kidnapping/Anti Vice unit swung into action and alerted the neighbouring states.Consequently, about 3:30pm, two of the suspects, one Nelson Isaac, 23, from Bomadi Ekpetiama, in Yenagoa Local Government Area and Tony Alaboh, 24, from Agberi community in Sagbama LGA, were arrested at Choba, Rivers State. "During their arrest, they were in possession of a locally-made pistol loaded with one live cartridge. The police also recovered from them the three vehicles mentioned above, four handsets, one laptop, two boxes of jewelry, all belonging to the victim." Butswat said the suspects had made useful statements, adding that the command had intensified efforts to arrest their cohorts.

•From left: Chairman, Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Mr Ishaya Akau; DirectorDeneral, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Mike Omeri and SURE-P Convener on Culture and Tourism, Mr Photo: NAN Chike Okogwu, during the NOA DG's visit to SURE-P chairman in Abuja...yesterday

Wike inaugurates panel to probe Amaechi IVERS State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has charged the seven-man judicial commission he set up to probe his predecessor in office, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, to find out how the four gas turbines belonging to the state were sold. The four gas turbines are: Omoku 150 MW Gas Turbine; Afam 360 MW Gas Turbine; Trans Amadi 136 MW Gas Turbine and Eleme 75 MW Gas Turbine. The commission was also charged to find out how Olympia Hotel was sold; the cost and feasibility of the completion of the Mono-Rail project. Constituting the panel, titled, “A Judicial Commission of Inquiry for the Investigation of the Administration of Governor Chibuike Amaechi with Respect to the Sale of Valued Assets of Rivers State and other Related Matters” yesterday in Port Harcourt, Wike gave the commission 23 terms of reference and asked it to ascertain why the proposed Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte

•We’ll respond at the appropriate time –Ex-Rivers gov’s camp n Clarice AZUATALAM, Port Harcourt n Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, was not executed after the payment of the sum of $39.2 Million(dollars) to the supposed contractor. The governor also told the seven – man panel, to be chaired by Justice George Omereji, to find out if the sum of two billion naira under the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme was disbursed by the state Ministry of Agriculture in accordance with the terms of the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Loan Scheme. Another major area the commission is to look in is the withdrawal and expenditure of the accrued N96 Billion from the state’s Reserve Fund without compliance with the Reserve Fund Law No 2, 2008 of the state. Apart from Omereji, other members of the commission are Dr Edith Chukwu; Chief Monday Ekekenta;

Rev. Canon Alex Usifo and Elder Ignatius Piegbara. Other members of the commission are Mrs Florence Fiberesima, who is to be the Secretary, while Dr. Zaccheaus Adango will be the Counsel to the commission. The governor, who further charged the commission to carry out other findings and recommendations as it might deem appropriate from its investigation, also gave the panel one month from the date of its first sitting to submit its report to him. Meanwhile, reacting to the development, former Commissioner for Information and Communications in Rivers State, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said the former governor’s camp would wait for the commission to start work before reacting. She said: “Like everyone else, we will await the commission’s commencement.”

Enugu gov promises prompt payment of salaries OVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has given the assurance that his administration will continue to pay workers’ salaries as at when due in spite of the economic challenges in the country. The governor made this known while receiving members of the Governing Council and Management of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), led by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Vincent

n Chris OJI, Enugu n Ado Tenebe, who were at the Government House to pay him a courtesy call. Ugwuanyi noted that government is a continuum, and his administration was poised to fulfill all promises made by the past administration, as soon as it was able to pass through to economic crunch in the country.� He demanded for more study centres for Enugu State

from the University in order to boost education in the state, adding that his administration places high premium on education. Governor Ugwuanyi thanked NOUN for its support to the state government, and expressed delight over the honour bestowed on the illustrious son of the state, His Royal Highness, Amb. Lawrence Akubuzor by the institution as its first Chancellor, describing it as

an honour not only for him, but for Enugu State in general. The Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Vincent Ado Tenebe, stated that the team was at the Government House to congratulate the governor for his “well-deserved victory” at the poll and to formally present a letter of appointment to the first Chancellor of the University, His Royal Highness, Amb. Lawrence Akubuzor.

Rights commission seeks probe of 51 strange corpses in Enugu morgue HE National Human Right Commission (NHRC) has requested the Enugu State government to convene coroner’s inquest into the cause of death of 51 strange corpses it discovered at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), including one allegedly killed by men of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS), Enugu. The NHRC made the request after a preliminary investigation of a petition from the Enugu office of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) last year, accusing officials of SARS, Enugu, of engaging in the extra-judicial killing of Chukuma Iheizie, a 30-yearold male allegedly killed by one Bolu of SARS. NHRC’s Chief Press Secretary, Fatima Agwai Mohammed, said in a statement yesterday, that, in line with the commission’s Standing Order and Rules of Procedure, NHRC, in the course of preliminary investigation into the complaint by CLO, “discovered additional human remains of about fifty young men (with red marker

n Eric IKHILAE, Abuja n on them) at the same mortuary where Chukwuma Ihezie’s body was deposited”. The commission particularly asked the state’s Chief Judge to ensure the conduct of the coroner’s inquest with a view to unraveling the cause of the death of the 51 corpses. “In the exercise of its statutory mandate, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe has requested for the coroner’s inquest into the alleged killings to enable the Commission determine whether or not a systemic case of extra-judicial execution has occurred in the circumstance. “Prof Bem Angwe stated that extra-judicial execution is a violation of right to life, contrary to S. 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended); Article 4, of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

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News

Continued from Page 4 “The group asked the party to assert its authority, uphold discipline and put in place a win-win situation in order to move forward. It cautioned against recourse to geopolitical caucuses to select principal officers because it might deepen the crisis of confidence among the APC Senators. “The National Chairman of APC and his team were receptive to the suggestions of the Unity Forum. They were also optimistic that the APC in the Senate may reunite as one family. “At the end of the day, Oyegun asked Lawan group to submit its recommendations

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

Saraki takes case to Obasanjo for some principal offices to the party in writing for consideration by the National Working Committee.” Another source said: “The Lawan group agreed to write this letter to Oyegun. And it was Senator Barnabas Gemade who was mandated to write the letter and not Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as being insinuated. “In fact, Tinubu had nothing to do with the talks between Lawan group and the APC leadership. It is sad to associate the APC National Leader

How Wike’s agents invaded my home, damaged my husband’s car Continued from Page 4 predecessor, Chibuike Amaechi, but she would not understand why the new governor would employ “underhand tactics” to achieve this. She said: “While I understand that Mr. Wike feels a dire need to destroy the reputation of Governor Amaechi and all those worked with him, it is unacceptable that he will engage in brigandage, thuggery and underhand tactics to do so. “A simple letter from any government official requesting me to make a submission or tender documentation would have been the appropriate way to go and I would have willingly tendered all the relevant documents to them. “Breaking into my home, invading my privacy, damaging my property and removing property from my premises is inappropriate and illegal. I have chosen however to put out these details in the

public space as it is apparent that for some persons, only a destruction of my hard earned reputation would do, and this I would not accept. “My records in the Ministry of Information are crystal clear. I hope that Mr. Nyesom Wike is able to say same about his tenure in every office he has held.”

with this development. “In the letter, the Unity Forum recommended the following Senators for principal offices as follows: Ahmed Lawan (Majority Leader); George Akume (Deputy Majority Leader); Prof. Sola Adeyeye (Senate Whip); and Abu Ibrahim (Deputy Whip). “The Unity Forum felt its members have respected the party and abided by its rules. Now that a reconciliation process is in place, the Forum be-

lieves that loyalty and discipline must be rewarded. “The letter of the Unity Forum was then discussed at the meetings of the National Working Committee of APC in the last few days.” Investigation revealed that when the Like Minds got wind of the conditions of the Unity Forum, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, sought for an audience with exGovernor Abdullahi Adamu, who is a respected member of the Lawan group.

“At the meeting with Adamu, Saraki rejected the proposal to make his arch-rival, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, the Senate Leader. He said it is dangerous to give his co-contestant a sensitive position like that and that he would not accept it. “This has been the scenario playing out and the two groups have been weighing options. Those in the Like Minds want a winner-takes-all politics whereas the Unity Forum is obediently playing

Oyo Speaker urges Muslims to pray for Chibok girls THE Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo, has urged Muslims in Nigeria to use the occasion of this year Ramadan to offer special prayers for the over 200 school girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at Chibok, Borno State last year. He said this in his Ramadan message to the nation. While pointing out that

Bisi Oladele, Ibadan the fasting period is a time of deep reflection and sacrifice which calls for intense prayers for the people and nations, urged Muslim faithful to offer special prayers for the girls and their mothers who are still agonizing over their abduction. He also called for prayers for all those who are believed by the reason of at-

tacks by the insurgents in North Eastern part of the country, stressing that the country needs prayers to overcome myriads of security, social and economic challenges confronting it. The statement read in part: “Ramadan is a time of deep reflection and sacrifice calling for intense prayers especially now that the country is facing serious economic and security challenges. I urge

My gov’t ‘ll only pay salaries if we share state resources like PDP -El-Rufai government is broke.So, we

KADUNA State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmed ElRufai, has said his government would not continue with the structure of sharing the state’s resources as it was the hallmark of the previous PDP led government in the state. ýHe said, if his government should continue in such direction, the administration would only exist to pay salaries and allowances. Governor El-Rufai stated this at the government

along with APC leadership in its reconciliation process.” As at press time, it was gathered that some members of the Unity Forum have insisted that the group should pursue its case in court against Saraki’s election to its logical conclusion. “Some members of the Unity Forum are of the opinion that any power sharing formula arrived at with Saraki and the Like Minds should be temporary and without prejudice to the court case. “I think we have some Senators who are not ready to give up on the matter in court,” a third source added.

Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Kaduna

chamber in Kaduna, yesterday, when he received the leaderships of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in the state. He said that he has not forgotten his promises to the people of the state, noting that his administration has inherited a structure that it is striving to change. “This beautiful office complex we are, cost the

government about N10billion. Our administration would not have built this, when there are many masses oriented projects yet to be executed. But it has been built, we have to use. “I have also been made to understand that, this Ramadan period, we are supposed to have started sharing rice, milk and sugar, but we will not do that.ý One, the government is not supposed to be involved in religious activities. Two, the

solicit your prayers to be able to stabilise the situation and we hope that things will improve,” he said. Responding to calls for the return of missionary schools to the churches, El-Rufai said: “The government cannot return the schools and still continue funding them. We would set up a committee ýto look into the matter, though ownership is not what matters most. What actually matters is quality education and equal opportunity to every child.”

our Muslim brothers and sisters to pray for the Chibok girls and their parents as well as those that have suffered great loss from the various attacks of Boko Haram.” Adeyemo also advised Muslims to show more love, care and imbibe good virtues during and after the Ramadan. The speaker prayed that the month brings sparkles of contentment, blessing, happiness and joy

NEWS 67

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

RAMADAN KAREEM

Ramadan 3, 1436AH

Aisha Buhari felicitates with Muslims

HE wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari, yesterday felictated with the Muslim Ummah on the commencement of Ramadan. In a statement by Dr Hajo Sani, the Co-ordinator, Office of the Wife of the President in Abuja, Hajia Buhari urged Muslims, as well as other Nigerians to use the opportunity of the fasting period to pray to Allah for peace and progress of the nation. She also enjoined women especially, to make the necessary sacrifices to enable their families to participate actively and gain the rewards of Allah during the Ramadan period.

Imbibe spirit of Ramadan, says Soun OUN of Ogbomosol

and Oba Oladunni Oyewumi has called on Muslims to imbibe the teachings of the holy Quran in their daily lives. The monarch noted that it is only through peaceful co existence among all regardless of political, tribal and religious differences Nigeria can be great. “Having witnessed a successful change in government, let us use this opportunity to offer prayers for our leaders at all levels to-

wards building a prosperous nation. It is my prayer that Allah will see us through the holy month and grant us the blessings of Ramadan”, he said. The paramount ruler admonished government at all levels to make the welfare of the masses a priority in their decisions. The monarch urged Muslims to embrace their Christian brethren in their daily lives during and after Ramadan.

Permitted to you, on the night of the fast, is the approach to your, wives, they are your garments. And ye are their garments. ALLAH knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves. Qu’ran 2 vs 187 Sponsored by ALHAJI KHAMIS TUNDE BADMUS Asiwaju, Musulumi Adinni of Yorubaland

RAMADAN GUIDE WITH FEMI ABBAS e-mail: femabbas@yahoo.com Tel: 08122697498

•SPIRIT OF RAMADAN: From left: Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) Chairman Prince Sulayman Olagunju; Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO) Mufti Sheikh Dhikrullahi Shafi’i; ZSF Executive Director Abdullahi Shuaib; Operations Manager Ahmed Ma’aruf; Primary Education Scholarship Award Committee Chairman Sulayman Ogunmuyiwa and Mission Board member Ustadh Muhammad Jamiu Trimidhi with some of the beneficiaries of the ZSF scholarships to 62 pupils in Lagos

Russian Muslims to fast 22hrs daily

USLIMS in northern Russia are facing extra challenge to their faith as they will fast for 22 hours daily. The Muslims in St Petersburg and elsewhere in northern Russia will eat for only two hours and fast for the rest 22 hours daily. According to some St Petersburg Muslim authorities, it is due to the long-lasting daylight in the city. “Muslims see this as a test. They will wait 21-22 hours to break our fast. They will eat for only two to three hours,” said an employee of the St Petersburg and Northwest Regional Muslim Spiritual Centre, who declined to give his name. When asked about the difficulty of keeping to this strict schedule, he said it was no burden for the faithful. “Islam is a way of life,” he said. “For us, fasting is the same as getting up in the morning and brush-

Breaking in error

OR the first few days at the beginning of Ramadan, every year, there is tendency for some fasting Muslims to forget that they are fasting. Thus, naturally, it is possible to accidentally eat or drink out of forgetfulness. This often occurs to Muslims who hardly fast outside the month of Ramadan. If it happens to you, there should be nothing to worry about. As soon as you remember, just recondition yourself to the regulations of Ramadan and continue your fast. Do not tell anybody. Let it remain a secret between you and your Lord. It does not matter whether you finished eating or drinking before you remember or you were reminded of fast by someone. In Islam, actions are judged according to intentions. And who else judges both actions and intentions other than Allah, the All-seeing, the All- knowing. Even in the daily Salats, provisions are made for rectification of forgetfulness in terms of Sujudus-Sahwi. But the forgetfulness in Ramadan accommodates neither drunkenness nor sexual intercourse nor cheating of any kind. As a Muslim, you are not supposed to drink any intoxicant in the first place, Ramadan or no Ramadan. To be drunk, therefore, in Ramadan, under the pretext of forgetfulness is a confirmation of hypocrisy or infidelity. As for sexual intercourse which can only occur legitimately between a husband and his wife, it is unlikely to be done out of forgetfulness. At least if the husband cannot remember Ramadan, the wife should. Sexual intercourse cannot be done unconsciously. But if intercourse occurs in your dream and you suddenly wake up to discover that you are already wet, all you need to do is to clean up with Janabah (purification) bath. And, then, you continue your fast. However, to bail yourself out of any doubt or ambiguity, you may fast for one day after Ramadan as atonement for the doubtful act.

ing your teeth.” Yelizaveta Izmailova, an administrator at a local school, said her parents, brother, sister and husband all observed the Ramadan fast with her, following a schedule handed out each week at the central mosque. “This month, the time for breaking the fast is really late. We don’t eat or drink from the morning prayer, at about two in the morning, until the sun goes down at around 10pm,” Izmailova said, explaining that twilight typically arrived as late as 10.30pm in June. “Of course, this is a heavy burden for the human body, but every Muslim makes this choice consciously.” Although there are no exact figures on how many Muslims live in St Petersburg, last year’s Eid al-Fitr festivities, which mark the end of Ramadan fasting, drew 42,000 worshippers to the city’s two main mosques, according to the interior minis-

Oyo Speaker canvasses prayer for Chibok girls

HE Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon Michael Adeyemo, has urged Muslims to use the Ramadan period to offer special prayers for the more than 200 school girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from Chibok, Borno State last year. Adeyemo, in his Ramadan message, said the fasting period is a time of deep reflection and sacrifice. He urged the Muslim faithful to offer special prayers for the girls and their mothers who are still agonising over their abduction. He called for prayers for all those who are bereaved on account of attacks by the insurgents in the North East, stressing that the country needs prayers to overcome the myriad of security, social and economic challenges confronting it. “Ramadan is a time of deep reflection and sacrifice, especially now that the country is facing serious economic

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

and security challenges. “I urge our Muslim brothers and sisters to show more love, care and imbibe good virtues during and after the Ramadan,” he said. The speaker prayed that the month brings sparkles of contentment, blessing, happiness and joy.

try. As often happens on major holidays, most could not fit inside and had to take part from the street. Some Muslim scholars have written that residents of northern regions can forgo the fasting ritual, which is meant as a way to strengthen the will and rule over desires. Other religious literature suggests that Muslims living in the far north can observe the Ramadan fast according to the time of sunrise and sunset in Mecca or the nearest Muslim city. In many cases, those performing hard manual labour don’t fast for safety reasons. Many of the Muslims in St Petersburg are migrants from former Soviet

republics in central Asia and the Caucasus working in construction and other low-wage industries. The labour ministry approved a quota of 164,000 migrant workers in St Petersburg in 2014, but the actual number is likely to be much higher. Shakir, a metal-worker originally from Tajikistan, said generally only the elderly and those without work followed the fast in St Petersburg. “I have a hard job, I can’t observe it,” he said. “The day is long, and you can’t drink water or eat before the sunset. For that reason not everyone observes it … There aren’t any white nights where most Muslims live,” he said.

‘Time for charity’

HE Senator representing Edo North senatorial district, Francis Alimekhena, has urged Muslims in the country to use the Ramadan period to engage in more charity work. Senator Alimekhena urged Muslims to use the period to seek the face of Allah concerning challenges facing the nation. He assured Muslims faithful in Edo North that he would join them in prayers and render necessary support during the fasting period. He urged Muslims to rededicate themselves to the virtues of Allah which he noted included fairness, tolerance,

and sympathy for the less privilege. The Edo North Senator described Ramadan as a very significant period for Muslims as it is one of the five pillars of Islam. “It is a time to fast, pray, read, and engage in charity so as to receive rich reward from Allah. I urge my Muslim brothers to pray for the development of Edo North and we will ensure our unity of purpose bring development that will keep the Edo North people as one big family irrespective of religion, tribe and social status,” he said.

Pray for Buhari, Muslims told

USLIMS have been urged to pray to Allah to endow President Muhammadu Buhari wisdom to steer the ship of the country to the shore of success. The Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Khamis Badmus said this in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Alhaji Dawood Ajetunmobi. Badmus described Ramadan as a month of forgiveness, redemption and mercy to the mankind. He added that Ramadan is a time for charity, reflection, con-

templation, spiritual renewal, compassion, and service to the less fortunate. He called on Muslims to show the true spirit of Islam during the holy month by remembering Nigerians in the North east who are facing immense difficulties and hardship in the hands of Boko Haram sect. “We need to offer special prayers to Allah Almighty to alleviate the suffering of our brethren and grant them relief,” he said. While acknowledging the fact that this year Rammadan

•Alhaji Badmus

falls at the time there is economic challenge in the country, he advised Muslims not lose sight of the need to show extraordinary dignity in worshipping Allah and be generous to those in need.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

NEWS

CRIME & OTHER STORIES

Why we who fail to

18-yr-old boy blinds married woman for refusing him sex

USPECTED leader of a seven-man robbery gang arrested by the police for leading a house-to-house raid during a robbery operation in Lagos has admitted that the gang was in the habit of torturing victims who had no money to give. Nineteen-year-old Taiwo Amosun said they tortured their victims to send warning signals to would be victims that the gang knew their victims’ financial status. He said it was important to let their victims know that armed robbery is serious business and that his gang would not condone lies. Other members of the gang, according to Amosun, include those he identified simply as Owolabi, Akeem, Yaro,

n Kunle AKINRINADE n N 18-year-old boy, Aliu Baba, is now telling a Magistrates’ Court , Oshodi, Lagos, why he allegedly partially blinded a married woman, Rasheedat Toriola, in one eye. The Police are prosecuting Baba for assaulting Toriola after she allegedly refused him sex. Toriola had gone to No 3 Olajire Street, Ilupeju Bye -pass, Mushin, Lagos State to sell soft drinks to one of her customers who happened to be Baba’s brother but did not meet him at home. Toriola said that she was on her way out of the building when Baba blocked her way and assaulted her for refusing to sleep with him. The 28-year-old victim reported the incident at the Ilupeju Police Division, while the suspect was arrested and subsequently charged to court. Baba pleaded not guilty. The presiding magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola, granted him bail in the sum of N30, 000 and one surety in the like sum. Magistrate Fashola also said that the surety must have a record of three years’ tax payment. A drama however occurred shortly after Baba was granted bail as he attempted to bolt away without perfecting his bail conditions. It took the combined effort of a policeman attached to the court and some men before the suspect was arrested on one of the streets in the neighbourhood. The development angered the magistrate who ordered that the suspect be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison until the next adjournment date.

•From left: Taiwo, Amzat and Aremu

n Ebele BONIFACE n

Damilola, Sanjo and Sunday as he does not know their complete names. The gang was said to have insider members in most of the places they mapped out to attack and usually kept their weapons in the house of the said insider preparatory to the operation they would carry out on that particular day. Luck had run out on the gang on April 4, 2015 when the gang, during an operation in Lagos tortured their victims and locked up security men in a room after tying their legs and hands. They were also said to have collected the pump action guns used by the security men as well as their machetes. Their activities,

48-yr-old drowns in hotel pool routine weekend social outing by a 48-yearold man to unwind has claimed his life.

Babatunde Ajishafe drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel at Alagbado area of Lagos on Saturday, May 31, 2015. His corpse was found face down at the bottom of the pool. Ajishafe, who until his death lived at Oke- Ira, Ogba, a suburb of Lagos, was said to have visited the hotel located on Old Ota Road, Alagbado, accompanied by one of his friends called ‘Aboki’ and a lady. It was gathered that the deceased plunged into the swimming pool and did not surface until the alarm was raised by those close by. He was rescued and allegedly rushed to a hospital at Ota, Ogun State, where he was confirmed dead by doctors. A source at the hotel who craved anonymity said the deceased was a regular caller there. “He was not new to this hotel. He was here to

n Kunle AKINRINADE n unwind with two of his friends and he had not even taken any drink before he took to swimming in the pool and unfortunately drowned in it.” “His friends thought that he was still swimming not knowing that he had drowned. It was when he did not come out of the pool after a few hours that they raised the alarm.He was not responding by the time he was brought out of the pool.” It was gathered that a few weeks before his death, the deceased had been warned by one of his pastors to slow down on his social life. He was laid to rest on June 3, 2015, after a wake keep at his church in Agege, Lagos. Ajishafe, who is survived by two wives and six children, was described by his church members, friends and associates as a kind hearted and jolly good fellow. One of them said: “there was never a dull moment with him. He would make sure he made widows in the church happy with his generosity.”

•Ajishafe

Customs nab smuggler, destroys N4m seized poultry products T

•Some of the seized products being prepared for destruction

HE Seme Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service, has arrested a suspected member of a syndicate said to specialize in smuggling poultry products across the border. Also seized by the Command were poultry products mainly frozen turkey and chicken worth N4million and a vehicle allegedly used in smuggling the items. Other members of the group allegedly escaped arrest as a Customs patrol team coordinated by the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Enforcement Section, Abdullahi Mohammed, closed in on them. The confiscated items were subsequently destroyed. The operation followed a recent directive by the Customs Area Controller (CAC),Comptroller Ndalati Garba Mohammed, on enforcement the border including footpaths to curb evasion of duty and smuggling . Speaking at the destruction of the seized items,Ndalati Mohammed said the command “has commenced investigations to arrest those behind this smug-

n Innocent DURU n

gling act and get them to face the full wrath of the law.” He vowed that the organization will not relent in arresting and prosecuting smugglers. “The command is still deploying persuasion and enforcement side by side as we have kept the tempo of Customs community relations high in our attempt to dissuade members of the host and border business communities from smuggling while encouraging importers of dutiable goods to always pay duty,” he said. “This persuasion strategy is paying off as our duty collection is appreciating because more people are complying and we have often assisted agents and importers through proper enlightenment. Our enforcement is round the clock and we shall continue to improve on our no compromise position while ensuring that compliant traders and importers or agents will enjoy the best of customs trade facilitation roles by our well-trained personnel.”

NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

olukunle87@yahoo.com

torture tenants give us money –Robbery suspect

however, attracted the attencollected a pump action tion of operatives of the Special machine gun from the seNow that we have been Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), curity man, marched him arrested, nobody wants to Lagos State Police Command, inside the house and be addressed as the gang who swung into action, tracked locked him up. down Amosun and arrested “We collected two lapleader. Why do they say I him. tops, about five phones am the leader? Well, if His arrest also led to the arand N100,000 cash from they call me the leader, I rest of Jamic Amsat (28) and the owner of the house. We Owolabi Aremu (22). locked the members of the accept that I am the Speaking with our reporter, family in one room. leader. We are all armed Amosun said: “Now that we “We did not even cover robbers and have been ar- our faces because we have been arrested, nobody wants to be addressed as the warned our victims not to rested, so let us be wiser gang leader. Why do they say I look at us in the face or we by speaking the truth am the leader? Well, if they call would shoot them. But we me the leader, I accept that I am did not shoot anybody. the leader. We are all armed “We returned to Agege robbers and have been arrested, so let us be wiser Garage after the operation where we shared the by speaking the truth.” loot. I was given N10,000.” Describing himself as an indigene of Abeokuta, He recalled that he had been in SARS’ net before Ogun State, he said: “I have no father or mother. I for cultism. learnt aluminum work to help myself. We are two The second suspect, Jamie Amsat (18) said: “I am brothers born of the same mother. My workshop is the gang’s armourer. We collected two locally made situated in Sango-Ota, Ogun State. pistols and one pump action, and they were given “We don’t operate where we work, sleep or live. to me for safe keeping. They usually gave me beWe operate far away from our base to avoid being tween N15,000 and N20,000 for keeping guns for seen as armed robbers. them. “I was made the leader when our leader left our “I do not go to operations with them because I gang, but he was still controlling the gang from out- don’t have the lever to do it. I don’t want to kill any side. We made returns to him, so the best thing to human being till I die.” call me is the second in command. Our leader is The third suspect, Owolabi Aremu (22) said: “I supposed to be Damilola, but he is still at large.” am from Abeokuta, Ogun State. My father is late Amosun said his first participation in a robbery while my mother is old. I live at No. 7 Atubaje operation started on a day he went to Agege to play Street, Agege. with his friends. “I did not know that they were “I was the one who intimidated our victims with planning a robbery operation at the place until I fol- guns and demanded for money. lowed them back to Sango-Ota for a house-to-house “When we see a victim, we know how much to robbery. expect from him. We collect money from victims, “The house we robbed at Sango was a flat. We according to their financial status.”

( 08167164657 or 08023910970 )

Islamic cleric, two suspected kidnappers held for allegedly killing 11-yr-old girl HREE men including an Islamic cleric who allegedly kidnapped and killed a girl, Aminat Ishola, 11, have been arrested by men of the State Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of Ogun State Police Command. The 50-year-old Islamic cleric, Taofeek Kola Ajisomo and two other suspects, Babatunde Akinrounmu,21, and Damilare Shina,40, allegedly kidnapped Aminat around 7.30 pm at Arugudu near Ijoko in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area. Aminat was allegedly taken to Osun-Jegede in Ibadan, Oyo State, where she was kept in the house of Ajisomo. It was learnt that Aminat died eight days after Ajisomo administered a substance suspected to be poison on her. To cover their tracks, the suspects allegedly enclosed Aminat’s lifeless body in a sack and dumped it in front of Ogbere Police Division in Ibadan. The suspects later made calls to the relations of the late girl asking for a N2 million ransom for her release. In a statement, the spokesman of Ogun Police Command, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, explained that,”police operatives in Agbado Division of Ogun Command had earlier arrested the mastermind of the crime, one Babatunde Aderonmu, 21, after he was suspected and reported to the police by the guardian and relations of the victim .The suspect was subsequently transferred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad(SARS),Abeokuta, for further investigation. Aderonmu, who

n Kunle AKINRINADE n linked up with the third suspect, Damilare,40, and the cleric, Ajisomo asked a prophetess in Osun-Jegede in Ibadan to send her account details with a promise that certain amount of money would be dropped in the account to show their appreciation for her prayers over the years. The prophetess did not know that the suspects were only playing on her intelligence. The suspects eventually sent the account details to the family of their victim to drop the ransom of N300, 000, contrary to their earlier demand of two million naira only.” He added: “The SARS operatives led by the officer in charge, Mohammed Tijani, a Superintendent of Police (SP) swung into action by adopting all available and legitimate strategies to arrest the remaining two suspects, Damilare and Ajisomo shortly after the arrest of Aderonmu, who is a former worker in a bakery belonging to the victim's guardian in Ijoko , in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area. Aderounmu was allegedly sacked for engaging in dubious acts. The suspects have confessed to the crime and are presently assisting the police in its investigation. The corpse of the deceased has been kept in a morgue and autopsy had been carried out on it. The Commissioner of Police Ogun State, Mr Valentine Ntomchukwu, has therefore directed that the suspects be made to face the full wrath of the law.”

Police warn owners of abandoned vehicles HE Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of abandoned vehicles at Area ‘M’ Command, Idimu, to remove them within 14 days or forfeit their vehicles. The vehicles are: Mercedes Benz (NE 552 AAA); Toyota Camry (DE 621 SMK); Mercedes Benz (OGUN AARE1 A); Mitsubishi car (AGL 182 AP); Honda Accord (SMK 196 BU); Nissan Primera (BR 614 AKD).

Three kids escape death as truck rams into building, damages car n Kunle AKINRINADE n ROVIDENCE saved three kids from death when a truck belonging to a waste disposal company rammed into a building at 35, Moshood Bello Street, Meiran, a suburb of Lagos,last Saturday. The kids were washing clothes in the compound when the incident happened at about 12 noon. The truck driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle shortly after collecting refuse from a nearby house. As the vehicle veered off the road,it smashed a Honda car parked inside the compound against a perimeter fence. An eyewitness who chose to be unnamed blamed the truck driver for the accident,saying:“he was so much in a hurry to make a U-turn while at the same time accelerating on this narrow street. The children were just lucky to escape death.” The owner of the car who asked not to be named said: “I just thank God that the truck did not kill the children who were washing clothes near my car. I had just finished washing the car when the incident happened. I had hardly left the car to pick some items in my apartment when I heard a bang only to discover that the truck had veered into the compound and damaged my car.” Policemen from the Meiran Police Division were later invited to the scene while the truck was impounded. Another truck was deployed by the company to evacuate the refuse from the impounded truck. Workers of the waste disposal company however declined to speak with our correspondent on the incident because they did not have the permission to do so.

•Scene of the accident

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

SPORT EXTRA Salami close to joining Zamalek

UPER Eagles forward Gbolahan Salami is reportedly close to joining Egypt football powerhouse Zamalek. Salami who is currently on the books of local team Warri Wolves, scored Nigeria’s first goal in last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Chad in the 2017 Africa cup of Nations qualifiers. Nicknamed "Nigeria Balotelli" for his fearsome nature is fighting for his wages with Nigeria teams, notorious for owing players. He is rated as one of the best in the

league. In the past he has failed in his bid to move away from the Nigeria league, the last of which was a failed move to Partizan Belgrade in March. The 23 year old representatives are already in Egypt trying to thrash out terms on what is reported to be a three year deal. In 2009 Zamalek failed to sign Salami with a bid but, this time around reports indicates they are close to a transfer for the Ex Shooting Stars, Sunshine Stars, and Enyimba forward.

Eagles eye 12-game unbeaten run

USPENDED Super Eagles ’ midfielder Eddy Ogenyi Onazi has revealed he and his teammates have vowed to go on a 12-game winning

streak between now and when the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations will come to an end. The SS Lazio of Italy midfielder, who was

shown a red card in Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Chad in their opening 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last weekend says they want to win all the

Nwosu, Amachree, others light up FIBA zone three tour

ORMER Nigerian basketball stars Julius Nwosu, Mactabene Amachree, Mfon Udoka have arrived Nigeria to support the FIBA Africa Zone Three 3x3 tour, which began yesterday with a clinic and training programme. The three players, who played Nigeria at different international competitions, were spotted at the National Stadium yesterday and they are part of the technical support team for the tournament. Also in town is D’Tigers player Ejike Ugboja and Sarah Ogoke who played for the D’Tigress at the Afrobasket/All Africa Games qualifiers in Cote D’Ivoire. The clinic is meant to properly introduce the 3x3 competition to the participants including the players and officials. They were taken through the rules and regulation governing the competition, in expectation that all they have learned would be put into practice when the competition begins today. Meanwhile, 36 teams from

seven countries are expected to take part in the first edition of the FIBA Africa Zone three 3x3 tour. Apart from the international event, teams in the country will also play a national competition were the winners will also smile home with cash prizes. Administrative secretary of FIBA Zone three, Joe Apu, logistics have been put in a place to ensure a hitch-free event. He also stated that the Teslim Balogun Stadium and the National Stadium, Lagos, venue of the competition, have been set up for the competition. “We are ready for the 36 teams that will arrive in Nigeria for the competition and everything have been put in place to ensure they have a good stay in the country,” Apu added. At the venue yesterday, the courts were being laid while the players were putting finishing touches to their registration. Also, President of FIBA Africa, Hamane Niang with other officials arrived Nigeria yesterday to grace the event.

• Dolphins Basketball players celebrate

GLOBAL LEADERS

Get more girls in the game

ODAY, against the backdrop of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, a coalition of leading athletes and advocates called on policymakers and sporting organizations worldwide to increase investments in girls’ sport programs as a path to improve gender and health equality globally. The Call to Action was launched at the Girl Power in Play Symposium, hosted by global advocacy organizations Women Deliver, UNICEF, Right to Play, One Goal and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). “Too often, girls in poor and marginalized communities around the world face futures of limited opportunity, not to mention hardships like genderbased violence and early marriage,” said Susan Ngongi, UNICEF Country Representative to Ghana, who spoke at the Symposium. “Playing sport

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha opens girls’ eyes –- first to their own potential, and then to all of the barriers they are ready to break down.” The Symposium convened approximately 150 high-level policymakers, advocates, athletes and researchers to showcase the positive effects that girls’ participation in sport has on international development. Symposium plenaries and discussions reflected a growing consensus that, beyond the health benefits, sport programs provide girls with a supportive network of role models and peers, and can foster better health, education, nutrition, as well as chance to gain critical life-skills. “It’s inspiring—the increase in confidence that girls experience after participating in sport and play activities” says Elyse RuestArchambault, of Right to Play.

• Super Eagles players celebrate after beating Chad 2-0 at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna last weekend

Why Falcons, Flying Eagles crashed - Expert

IGERIA-BORN USAbased football agent K i n g s l e y Chukwuemeka has told AfricanFootball.com Nigeria women’s team and the Flying Eagles failed to excel at their respective World Cups because both teams have quality players but lacked quality coaching. "It is a pity that both teams, Falcons and Flying Eagles, have to lose the way they did at the World Cup,” began Chukwuemeka. "The problem with both teams is the same - coaching. Both teams have talented players in their fold who could have gone far in both competitions, but the coaches on the benches lack what it takes. “This issue is not peculiar to these two teams only, but a general problem with Nigerian coaches and Africans at large. Nigeria coaches don't have the coaching technique to handle teams at the world stage. “Manu has something as a coach, he has eyes for identifying talent, but he needs to go on coaching courses and conferences outside Nigeria to equip himself. Not only Manu, but the other coaches too so that they will know how football is in the world now. “I am sad not because Nigeria crashed out, but the way they lost to Germany was too woe-

ful, Flying Eagles who play possession football but had only 35 per cent possession against Germany. That is bad." He further told AfricanFootball.com: "I think the Flying Eagles failed because they got carried away because they won at U17 and won the African U20 Championship. The world stage is different and when they went to Germany, instead for them to play strong teams to prepare themselves, they were playing U20, and U23 of clubsides, players in such teams don't get a chance in any of the national teams in Germany.” Further commenting on Falcons coach, Edwin Okon,

• Dejected Flying Eagles players after loosing the Germany at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand recently

Manu not afraid of sack

EAD coach of the Nigeria Under-20 team Manu Garba says he is not afraid of being axed from his role by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), following Nigeria's poor performance at the World Youth Championship in New Zealand. Manu Garba's team went to the tournament with high hopes of being the first team from Nigeria to win the Under-20 world cup after

Chukwuemeka said: "The talent of those girls is enough to get to the final of the World Cup with a sound coach. “Imagine when they asked the coach what he knows about his opponents, he said he knows nothing about them and doesn't need to know his opponents that he will get to know them after 10,15 minutes on the pitch, that is a ridiculous statement for a coach to make. You need to know your opponents to fashion out ways to counter their style and how to beat them. "Nigerian coaches need to empower themselves for the challenges of their job, even if NFF didn't do it, it is their profession so they need to help their career to the next level."

clinching the Africa version but, got knocked out in the round of 16 by Germany by a lone goal. The disappointment has led to allegations of bribes for spot in the team, which the coach has vehemently denied, but recent reports indicates the NFF are shopping for a foreign technical adviser to take over the Under-20 and Manu Garba feels he is not afraid of being sacked. "I am not afraid about my

job, in coaching it's either you are employed or getting sacked but I sincerely believe I still have a lot to give to my nation but, if those at the top think otherwise then I am proud of what I have achieved for my country and career," he told News24. The Gombe born tactician has handled the Nigeria Under-17 and 20 teams for the last four years leading the Under-17 to the World Youth Championship trophy in 2013 and lifting the Under-20 Africa Youth Championship two months ago in Senegal.

qualifying matches and also win all their games at the tournament proper in Gabon. “We want to win all our qualifying matches home and away, that six games and then go to the tournament and win all our matches which is another six games and that means we want to win the next Africa Cup of Nations,” he said in a radio interview. “I believe we can do that by the grace of God because we have a very young team and we’re just coming up and we’re working to get to know each other very well and that is what we are doing. “We want to make sure we win the next game and do better than what we have done,” he added. The 22-year old will however miss Nigeria’s next two qualifiers against Tanzania and Egypt after he was banned by CAF following his red card against Chad.

‘I’ll miss Onazi’

UPER Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has come to the defense of midfielder Eddy Ogenyi Onazi after the 22-year old was suspended for Nigeria’s next two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Tanzania and Egypt. The SS Lazio of Italy midfielder was shown a straight red card for retaliation when he hit a Chadian player last weekend in Nigeria’s 2-0 win in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. And Keshi has admitted he will miss the midfielder’s services in those two games, but defends the player’s action, saying he also could have acted the same way Onazi did. “We’re going to miss him for those two games,” Keshi told News24. “The Chadian player elbowed him in the face and he retaliated and it was in the heat of the moment and I probably would have done the same. “He (Onazi) knew he would be sent off for retaliating and that is where he has a fault, but it was a rush of blood to the head. “He got the red card and I don’t blame him but we’re going to miss him for those two games and that is the only problem,” Keshi said. The Super Eagles play Tanzania in Dar es Salaam in September, then host Egypt in March 2016.

• Onazi

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

SPORT EXTRA

NFF: Keshi 'll no longer select players for Eagles N

• Keshi

IGERIA coach Stephen Keshi will no longer be solely responsible for selecting players for the country’s senior men’s national team, the Super Eagles, president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick has announced. The 44-year old NFF president says invitation of players to the Super Eagles will now be done by Keshi, in consultation with the technical study group led by former captain, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and also the technical department led by former Super Eagles

coach, Shuaibu Amodu. "The coach doesn’t have that liberty anymore to say he wants to bring a particular player in," Pinnick said. "The only people that are not really working well now is the technical study group. "It’s a process and he (the coach) doesn’t have that liberty anymore to bring a player in, we must look at all the players and be referred to the technical department and they must be good enough," Pinnick added. As bizarre as Pinnick’s statement may sound, the NFF are within its powers to make such

It is not easy playing as Eagles striker —Ighalo

ESPITE opening his goals account with the Super Eagles with a goal in last weekend’s 2-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win against Chad, Nigeria striker Jude Odion Ighalo has admitted he doesn’t find it easy playing for the team. The Watford of England striker, who netted his first international in three appearances, adds that he needs to keep proving himself so as to remain relevant in the team. “Playing for the Super Eagles is not easy as a striker because you just have to keep on scoring and doing well so that you will get more opportunities and re-

main relevant in the team,” he told News24. “I have played three games for Nigeria even though the other two were friendly games but I have scored one goal and made one assist.” The 25-year old however posited that the team’s interest will always come first, and says the most important thing will always be for the team to win. “I always want to score when I play for my country but the most important thing is the team. If the team wins and I don’t score, I will be okay and if I score, to God be the glory.” Ighalo helped his English club secure promotion to the English

Premier League from the championship by scoring 20 goals.

• Ighalo

Blackpool starlet chooses Nigeria over England

LTHOUGH he is eligible to represent England, Blackpool starlet

• Osayi-Samuel

Bright Osayi-Samuel has pledged his international future to the Super Eagles. The teenager was born in Nigeria to Nigerian parents before he immigrated to the United Kingdom at the age of 10 after spending some time in Spain, where his dad resides till date. ''I'll be honored to play for any nation possible but I'd rather play for Nigeria because it's where my mum and dad are from and I don't want to forget my roots,'' Bright OsayiSamuel said to news24. ''I have always enjoyed the Africa Cup of Nations and it's something I'd love to play in hopefully. ''And the Nigerian team al-

Leon Balogun joins Mainz

IGERIA international Leon Balogun has joined Bundesliga side Mainz in a three-year deal after a successful spell with Darmstadt where he starred in a fairytale run that culminated in promotion to the Bundesliga. Leon told supersport.com that he was very happyy and grateful for this opportunity. "I think it’s a good move to a team that has established itself over the last few years in the Bundesliga. “I’m very excited to reach my goals with the new club and I am looking forward to a new start.” The 26-year-old moves to Mainz as a free-agent after ending his contract with Darmstadt 98 but he remains grateful for the opportunity they gave him to pick up his career after injuring his leg while making his international debut for Nigeria against Mexico in Atlanta in March 2014 and not having his contract renewed

by Fortuna Dusseldorf as a result. I'm very grateful for everything SV Darmstadt 98 has done for me. It was them who gave me the opportunity to step on the stage again after my injury." "What we made out of it was sensational...almost a miracle. Without them, none of this would have happened. So I give thanks to everybody at the club, because it was them who believed in me and my abilities." Mainz’s sporting Director said they were made aware of Balogun during his time at Fortuna Düsseldorf, but then he suffered an injury which threw him off course. "A strong season with Darmstadt 98 put him back on our radar. He is a physically strong, dynamic right back who can also play in the centre of defence. We are looking forward to having such a highly motivated and ambitious player, who is really passionate about playing in the Bundesliga.”

ways gives young players chances so that's significant for me.'' A winger by trade, OsayiSamuel has picked Chelsea's Nigeria international Victor Moses and Barcelona's Neymar as his role models. ''I love watching Victor Moses, I'm known to be very skillful and quick. ''I also love watching Neymar a lot. I learn all my skills from him. Watching him on TV and just trying to copy it on the field. ''As a winger I would say I am skillful, quick and have an eye for goal,'' the Blackpool number 43 added. Bright Osayi-Samuel debuted for Blackpool in their 1- 0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday on March 7.

declarations as clause 5.4 of Stephen Keshi’s two-year contract reads: "The Head Coach shall select the best crop of players of the Super Eagles who are in his opinion ready to excel in friendly and competitive games in consultation with the Technical Committee and the Technical Study Group of the NFF". Meanwhile, the 53-year old Keshi is expected to accept the decision as he stated during the signing ceremony of the contract in April that he was ‘satisfied with the contents’ of the contract.

Onazi accepts CAF’S two-match ban

S Lazio and Super Eagles midfielder Eddy Ogenyi Onazi has accepted his two-match suspension by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) the red card he received in an 2017 AFCONQ against Chad at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium last weekend. “In the next game we hope to do more what we have already done so that we just don’t qualify for the next AFCON but to also to start building towards having a formidable team that will win Gabon 2017.” Nigeria started her qualifying series with a deserved 2-0 victory over the Les Sao of Chad at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna last Saturday. Warri Wolves striker Gbolahan Salami and Watford FC striker Odion Jude Ighalo secured Nigeria’s victory in front of a capacity filled crowd. Nigeria’s next game against Tanzania is on the 5th of September and Onazi believes the tie is a very crucial game in the quest for Gabon 2017 despite his absence.

Ike Uche happy with Mexico move

IGERIA striker Ikechukwu Uche has expressed his delight on his deal with Mexican club Tigres UANL. The former Recreativo De Huelva striker promised to do his best to justify the move. "I'm very happy to announce an agreement with @TigresOficial I will do my best for the team #SomosTigres," Uche tweeted. Ike Uche has sealed a threeyear deal with the Mexican team from La Liga side Villarreal, where he scored 36 goals in 98 games. Uche, who stil had two more years to run on his Villarreal contract, appeared to be surplus to requirement at the La Liga side so much so that he was not listed by the club for pre-season train-

ing. Uche has played all his professional football career outside Nigeria in Spain, for Racing Ferrol, Recreativo De Huelva, Getafe, Real Zaragoza, Granada and Villarreal until now.

• Ike Uche

Burning out before Olympics <<<<<<Continued from back page Siasia dropped him from on having the “impossible” the game. Enyeama was just to buttress their fears dropped from subsequent about Kaduna - no thanks Eagles matches. He reto Enyeama’s uncouth utturned after Siasia lost the terances. Eagles job. For Siasia, I won’t join the legion of Enyeama was a bad influpeople calling for ence in the camp. He had to Enyeama’s head. I would be dropped for discipline to rather urge the NFF to use reign in the camp. Siasia is this opportunity to get all looking like the wise one the players, coaches and now, given Enyeama’s tanbackroom staff to sign the trums since he returned. Code of Conduct which As the Eagles captain should spell out the dos and Enyeama interfaces with the don’ts while in the camp. NFF and NSC. He tells them I don’t think Enyeama the players’ demands. But can talk to the press about his uncompromising stance Lille the way he does about in matters even after the the Eagles. Enyeama should players have agreed to shift know that as Nigeria’s capgrounds on national issues, tain, his utterances are have left much to desire. weighty. He is at liberty to Enyeama’s role in the two talk about his family and protests prior to the 2013 career. But he must consult Confederations Cup compewith the NFF before talking tition in Brazil and the unabout sensitive issues in the fortunate incident before the Eagles. game against France in the Flying Eagles and second round of the 2014 World Cup are not pleasing. Falcons But in these two instances, I Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have asked about the role of and Super Falcons players the coaches. are some of the best, in the Enyeama couldn’t have game in their categories. been acting alone. What did Otherwise, they wouldn’t the coaches do to stop him? have been Africa’s best goDid they put their feet down ing to the two World Cup like Siasia? Indeed, tournaments for male and Enyeama could have exfemale. ploited the prevalent indisIf both teams had better cipline in the Eagles’ camp coaches, Nigeria would to become the tough guy have at the least reached that he is. the finals of both competiInterestingly, Enyeama tions. It is instructive to doesn’t behave this way in note that the Flying Eagles his French side. At home, he beat Mali and Senegal at the led the campaign to postcontinental stage. Both pone the hosting of the 2015 countries didn’t change Africa Cup of Nations in their squads that much. Morocco due to the outThey retained the bulk of break of Ebola, even when the players that Flying Nigeria had not qualified Eagles beat and strengthfor the competition. ened their weak areas. But Enyeama wasn’t the only in our case, our coaches big player expected at the were busy massaging their Africa Cup of Nations. It egos, forgetting that withwas good that he had resout the players, there won’t ervations. But such decibe the coaches. sions are not meant for playNFF must as a matter of ers. The government should urgency reinvigorate the know what is good for her school football competitions sports ambassadors. – Principals Cup; GoverSadly, no one called nors Cup and all interEnyeama to order. He may zonal soccer fiesta to throw have thought he was speakup new talents. They must ing for everyone. Little improve on the body’s wonder he saw nothing scouting system for players wrong in declaring Kaduna to be invited to the camp. a security risk, less than 48 They must train the hours to the game against grassroots coaches to teach Chad, which Nigeria won the kids the basics of the 2-0. game. Enyeama should have NFF should insist on havknown that nothing unites ing only trained coaches to sit Nigerians better than socon the bench during football cer, especially when the games. This idea of any exSuper Eagles are involved. footballer becoming a coach The biggest brand in Nigewithout requisite training ria is the Super Eagles. isn’t acceptable. The NFF As a renowned internamust know that these tional footballer, Enyeama coaches cannot give what ought to know that security they don’t have. And nois of utmost importance body is waiting for the Nigethan the game itself. Govrian coach to update his ernment must give the visiknowledge of the game. tors a guarantee that they In the interim, I support will be safe in Kaduna bethe move to get foreign fore, during and after the coaches for short term to regame. engineer our teams but such What Enyeama literarily managers must have the culdid with that pronounceture of developing soccer ment that Kaduna wasn’t academies to discover new safe was to give the players and train our Chadians the biggest coaches. If we must compete weapon not to play the with the best, we must do game. Other troublesome what they have perfected. African countries would Otherwise, we would rehave bought the newspaturn empty-handed like we pers and presented them at have done in New Zealand the pre-match meeting last and Canada. week Friday. Is anybody listening? They would have insisted

TOMORROW IN THE NATION PUNCHLINE

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.10, NO. 3251

All the ideas emanating from the National Assembly regarding remuneration of lawmakers are far from the ethic of social responsibility, which requires people in leadership positions to accept an obligation to act for the benefit of society

—Ropo Sekoni

am increasingly finding him to be one of the outstandingly perceptive, strategic and bold players on Nigeria’s contemporary political scene. It is not just the unique red cap of his teeming ‘Kwakinsaya’ fans in Kano that is unique; he can often offer fresh and brutally frank perspectives on political developments. I refer, of course, to former governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State who is now a Senator of the Federal Republic. Yes, Kwankwaso’s dexterity in political manoeuvring should not be surprising. The trained water engineer is no novice in the game. He was elected as the member representing Madobi Federal Constituency of Kano State in 1992 and later emerged Deputy Speaker of the House on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party in the lower legislative chamber. Kwankwaso was elected Governor of Kano State in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost his bid for reelection in 2003. Between then and his successful return to office as Kano State governor in 2011, Kwankwaso had served as Defence Minister in the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo as well as peace envoy to the Sudan. Kwankwaso played a major role in thwarting former President Goodluck Jonathan’s attempt to intimidate and hijack the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) as well as the ruinous rebellion against the attempt to undemocratically impose Jonathan as presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2015 election. It is thus unsurprising that in a characteristically brutally frank interview, one of the most analytical I have read so far on the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate through an alliance with the opposition against his own party, Kwankwaso came out literally spitting fire. As far as Kwankwaso, one of the G-5 governors that defected along with Senator Bukola Saraki from the PDP to the then fledgling All Progressives Congress (APC) is concerned, the latter’s alliance with the PDP to control the leadership of the Senate is a serious threat to the effectiveness and efficacy of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. In his words “You see, first of all, the President will face a lot of irritations in the sense that these people must be very angry with themselves, they must be very angry with Nigerians and, therefore, will do everything possible to put all kinds of hurdles on his way. I can always read their mind. I was one of them. I was part of them. I was part of the party but we had to leave the party because of this attitude”. Even after his emergence as Senate President in a deal with the PDP that saw the election of the latter’s Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President, Bukola Saraki claimed cynically that he can never go back to the PDP. From his words and stance, it seems that Kwankwaso is a man of firmer principle and less likely to go back on his words. Of course, I cannot claim the ability to read the minds of both men and

Buhari, policy and politics

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But in the President’s preoccupation with policy, he cannot afford the kind of apathy to politics that characterised his attitude to the National Assembly elections. Brilliant policies must be complemented by luminous politics or the result could be abysmal failure

•President Buhari so cannot swear that they are not already playing out even in the infancy of the Buhari presidency the politics of 2019 succession. But the reality is that, to all intents and purposes, Saraki is back in the PDP while Kwankwaso remains firmly in the APC. The ruthlessness with which Saraki pursued his Senate presidential ambition at the expense of his party shows an alarming gargantuan political appetite. Yes, this is no crime. But if a man can pursue his personal interest with such ferocity even at the expense of the cohesion of a platform he helped to build, is it illogical to assume that he will most likely harbour an even greater hunger for higher political office? If utilising the immense influence and resources of his powerful office as number three citizen to slow down the Buhari administration, weaken the APC and thus strengthen his own chances for election in 2019 on the platform of a rejuvenated PDP, will he resist the temptation? Can he not utilise the power of his office to mobilise the opposition PDP and other opportunistic APC members to achieve this purpose? Perhaps this is the danger Kwankwaso is referring to when he talks about the emer-

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gent ‘Tambulawisation’, of the National Assembly, which itself remains a moral burden for the former opposition party? Yet, I am not convinced by Kwankwaso’s lame defence of President Buhari’s role, even if inadvertent, in the setback suffered by the APC in the National Assembly leadership elections. According to Kwankwaso “I think that the position of Buhari was that the party should handle it. I don’t think that he wants to put his fingers there. I am not sure that his fingers are in it but what I know is that I am not sure if he is happy that members of our party could not be loyal to it…I am not sure if Buhari is a happy man even though he did not put his fingers but he was expecting that members of the party would be loyal to the party”. President Buhari has contested for the country’s apex position three previous times before his current triumph. He ought to be too experienced in politics and the intrigues of power by now to have taken such a disinterested stance on such a critical issue as his majority party’s control of the National Assembly leadership. Yes, he was absolutely right in declaring from the outset that he would be the president of everybody but nobody. That was

rightly meant to send a clear message that he would not be beholden to special interests to the detriment of the common good. Yet, there is also a limit to which this admirable rhetoric can be pushed. President Buhari did not emerge in his present prestigious position from the moon. He contested on the platform of a party that campaigned and laboured for his victory. He promised to implement the manifesto of the party and is, first and foremost, beholden to his party. To do so effectively, he ought not to have washed his hands off the fidelity, commitment and loyalty of the party’s choice of key leaders of the National Assembly. Kwankwaso gave some cogent reasons why the APC failed so abysmally in its first test of producing the leaders of the National Assembly as the majority party in the legislature. This included the desire of the G-5/G-7 group to see one of them occupy any of the strategic positions, the perceived marginalisation of the nPDP within the party and the ‘conspiracy’ against the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by those who resented the perceived dominance of his tendency within the party. This contention of interests is not necessarily a negative development or situation. The President should simply have utilised the moral authority and unsurpassed influence of his office to ensure the emergence of an APC National Assembly leadership team that would be a ‘team of rivals’ and act as effective checks and balances among contending forces. In a way, it seems that President Muhammadu Buhari has not overcome his diffidence or seeming indifference to politics that characterized his first coming as military Head of State in 1983. At that time Buhari and his deputy, Brigadier General Tunde Idiagbon simply concentrated on the war against corrupt politicians, the War Against Indiscipline campaign and the attempt to address the economic crisis. They were completely indifferent to the political implications of their decisions. Their more politicised junior colleagues capitalised on the resultant disconnect with society to remove the regime from power and usher in an unprecedented era of corruption from which the country is yet to emerge. From all indications, President Buhari and his Vice – President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, are methodically and systematically working with competent experts towards finding solutions to the country’s protracted problems. We should soon begin to see admirable results in terms of brilliant policy teams as well as effective policy implementation. But in the President’s preoccupation with policy, he cannot afford the kind of apathy to politics that characterised his attitude to the National Assembly elections. Brilliant policies must be complemented by luminous politics or the result could be abysmal failure.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

Burning out before Olympics

LESSING Okagbare brings joy to sportsloving Nigerians whenever she hits the tape in astonishing fashion. As she strides off the starter’s bloc, many a Nigerian literarily run the race with her in their homes and at the stands. I really don’t care where she places after every race these days, having beaten the big-stage winners from the United States and Jamaica. What excites this writer is that the Nigerian keeps telling the world that we are world beaters and should be taken seriously. But with about a year to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janerio, it has become expedient that officials of the National Sports Commission (NSC) visit Okagbare to congratulate her but most importantly plead with her to cut down the number of events, if she doesn’t want to burn out before the biggest multi-sports event in the world. Okagbare is comfortable. It would therefore be wrong to say that she participates in those

events because of the cash. I feel strongly that she enjoys running against the others to measure her progress in the event. However, it is important to remind Okagbare that it would be an irony if she stops racing in the future without the tag of being an Olympic Games gold medalist in the women 100 metres. Being the best woman sprinter in the world is one title she must earn. Okagbare has beaten virtually all those who have won it before. This explains why she should cut down her races subsequently and participate in races meant to serve as build-ups to the Olympics. She could use some of the races to correct some of her flaws, such as how fast she gets off the starter’s bloc, what she does if she is left on the bloc and perhaps how to stride past her rivals towards the tape. I’m not a coach and I reckon that Okagbare is guided by her manager’s plans. But, I feel she is running too many races. If Okagbare must exit from this stage, it has to be as an Olympic gold medalist. And it would be awesome seeing her cut the tape in Nigerian colours. It will open a

new vista for athletics, given the huge endorsements that Okagbare would attract as the world’s fastest woman. As an Olympic gold medalist, Okagbare will pick the races she would love to run. Things will be done at her behest. Race organisers will listen to her. Her wish will be their command. And it will be the most appropriate way to bow out of the tracks. Okagbare is Nigeria’s Olympic Games medalist. Not just any medal for that matter- gold. NSC men must sit down with Okagbare to plot the strategies that will ensure she becomes the gold medalist next year in Rio. Most countries that have Olympic gold medalists plan over four years. Happily, Okagbare has been around. She only needs to correct her mistakes, which I dare say includes participating in too many events leading to big competitions, like the Olymipics.

Enyeama’s yellow card

Vincent Enyeama has been exemplary for the Super Eagles since his meteoric outing against

England at the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup. The game ended on a barren note. But many people still talk of how Enyeama saved David Beckham’s free-kick from being a goal. Fantastic. He hasn’t looked back since that debut, acquiring 101 caps with the senior national team. Enyeama’s mien doesn’t suggest he could be troublesome. He is seen clutching the Holy Bible or reading books during the free periods in the camp. So, when the story broke that Enyeama led four players to protest against the small aircraft the Eagles were to fly by to Europe, many thought that it was another attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Coach Samson Siasia dared Enyeama and his cohorts to sustain their threat by instructing those prepared for the trip in the small aircraft to head for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Sensing that his protest had failed, Enyeama and his gang hurriedly left for the airport in a taxi cab. Enyeama travelled with the aircraft but •Continued on Page 71

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