June 22, 2013

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Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL.07 N0. 2524

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

N150.00

PAGE S 5&6

PAGE 57

2 News

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THE NATION, SATURDAY JUNE 22, 2013

Jonathan bars ministers, others from partying abroad

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is not yet done with heavy spending socialites in his cabinet or the public service.

As a follow up to his recent removal of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr.AbdulAzeez Musa, for allegedly throwing a lavish wedding party for his daughter in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, President Jonathan has threatened to sack any minister or government official who holds an expensive or lavish party at home or abroad.

He said such ostentatious ministers must abide by the Code of Conduct for public officers or quit immediately.

He directed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Bukar Goni Aji, to write to all permanent secretaries, directors and civil servants to stop such habit while security agencies, especially anti-graft commissions, were asked to keep a watch on ministers and public officers.

It was gathered that the President read the Riot Act to the Ministers at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday following security reports on the extravagant lifestyles of some ministers and public servants.

The security reports exposed how some ministers and officers had been ferrying guests abroad for birthday, marriage, chieftaincy, house warming and funeral parties.

Choice countries for such expensive parties are Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, South Africa, Ghana, The Gambia and Ireland.

Some cabinet members were also alleged to have sprayed dollars at such parties.

A Presidency source familiar with the issue said: “The Ministers got more than they bar-

“Nigeria is among •Mandates Head of Service to write all permanent secretaries, directors, civil servants ternational, the fastest-growing countries in

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation gained for at the FEC meeting when the President spent some time to condemn ostentatious lifestyles of public officers.

“He said he could not understand why ministers and public officers would be throwing lavish parties at home and abroad in a country where people cannot afford three square meals.”

The source quoted the President as saying: “I will sack whoever is found to be indulging in this unnecessary and expensive partying at home or abroad from this cabinet. Enough is enough.

“Why will a public officer on salary be organising parties

abroad with many guests flying there on his ticket? All public officers engaging in this habit will henceforth be shown the way out. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation should write a directive to all permanent secretaries, directors and civil servants to abide by their Code of Conduct and Civil Service Rules and Regulations.”

Asked how the ministers reacted when the President read the riot act, the source added: “There was pin-drop silence at the Executive Chambers of the Presidential Villa. They all got the message.”

It was however baffling, even to the President and some ministers, that those who briefed the press after the weekly FEC meet-

ing “shielded the ban on partying away from the issues treated.

“None of the Ministers at the post-FEC briefing mentioned this important directive of the President,” the source noted.

It was learnt that the presidency has placed security agencies, especially anti-graft commissions, on the alert to watch out for such extravagant public officers.

Another presidency source added: “Henceforth, all ministers and public officers will be under watch by anti-graft agencies in order to fish out the bad ones.

“Certainly, there is no more hiding place for cabinet members.”

This is the second time FEC members would be warned

against reckless spending.

The late President Umaru Yar’Adua had, at a FEC meeting in 2009, taken exception to how a minister allegedly spent about N125 million on his 25th wedding anniversary.

Recently, Euromonitor International revealed that Nigerians spent $59 million on champagne alone in 2012.

According to Euromonitor In-

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Ndigbo ready to dump PDP for APC, says Okorocha

MO State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, disclosed yesterday that the Ndigbo had concluded plans to dump the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the newly formed All

•From right: Former Head of State, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd); President Alumni Assocation of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Engr. Jani Ibrahim; Hajia Bilikisu Raji and President Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Prof Ayodele Ogunye during the 2013 Annual Lecture, Life Achievement Awards/induction of new fellows of Nigerian Academy of Engineering at the Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos... yesterday.

Christmas Day bombing: Kabiru Sokoto has case to answer –Supreme Court

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HE Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday dismissed the no-case submission made by the alleged mastermind of the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, Kabiru Umar a.k.a.

Kabiru Sokoto.

Umar had at the completion of the prosecution’s case on May 16 argued that no prima facie case was made against him and asked the court to quash the charges against him and set him free.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the prosecution, via the evidence led, sufficiently made a prima facie case against the accused.

“The court having held that a prima facie case has been made against the accused person, his no-case submission fails.

“In the circumstance, the accused person has a case to answer. He is hereby called upon to open his defence,” the judge declared.

The defence plans to call seven witnesses while the court adjourned to July 5 for Umar to commence his defence.

Defence lawyer, Mr.Ibrahim Umar, in his submission on June 14, argued that the prosecution had failed to produce sufficient evidence to link him with the charges of terrorism levelled against him. He urged the court to discharge and acquit him.

•Dismisses his no-case submission

He further argued that the proof of evidence before the court did not link Umar to the crimes alleged against him.

The defence lawyer contended that the evidence so far led by the prosecution failed to establish any offence against him.

Counsel argued that the evidence by all the six prosecution witnesses amounted to hearsay and urged the court to disregard them.

He contended that while the state accused Umar of “facilitating the commission of terrorist act by planting and en-

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

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

operatives of the SSS to give hear-say evidence which has no probative value Counsel argued that the prosecution failed to lead evidence to establish how he facilitated the commission of terrorist offence.

He also argued that although he was accused of withholding information about the plan to bomb the church from law enforcement officers, the prosecution failed to establish at what point he got hold of such information and at what point it became an offence for him not to have disclosed it.

He contended that all the witnesses that testified in the

the world for champagne consumption, spending an estimated $59 million in 2012 on bubbly.

“That number is up from $49 million in 2011, and the firm forecasts that the country will spend some $105 million on fizz in 2017.

“Analysts say oil wealth, hiphop, movie stars and an elite obsessed with status symbols have driven demand.”

case wasted the time of the court as the evidence led were not credible to sustain the charge preferred against him.

He prayed the court to dismiss the two count charge preferred against Umar.

Prosecution lawyer, Mrs Chioma Onuegbu, in her counter submission, argued that the state had sufficiently established a prima facie against Umar.

Onuegbu asked the court to discountenance the defence counsel’s submissions.

“At this stage, the credibility of the witnesses does not arise, the weight to be attached to the witnesses does not arise also,” Mrs Onuegbu argued.

Okodili NDIDI, Owerri Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The Governor said the decision became imperative due to the gross neglect and marginalization suffered by the South East geo-political zone under the PDP leadership.

Okorocha made the disclosure when he played host to the Abia State chapter of Igbo Rescue Mission, a political pressure group in the Government House, Owerri.

He described the APC as a child of circumstance which arose from the failure of the PDP to deliver quality and good governance to Nigerians, adding that the new party, which he said represents a coalition of major opposition parties in Nigeria, was being positioned to provide the credible and acceptable platform that will enthrone the leadership Nigerians desire in the 2015 general elections.

Okorocha, who decried the marginalization suffered by the Ndigbo under the ruling PDP, pointed out that the party (PDP) had continuously denied the Ndigbo the five principal positions he listed as the office of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker House of Representative and the Chairman of the ruling party.

He further enjoined the Igbo to play politics that can guarantee them national relevance as APC now remains the only party that has a future for the zone and entire Nigerians, going by its ideology.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the group, Chief Ben Udensi said they were in the Government House to demonstrate support and solidarity to the Governor for his vision and leadership qualities, which he noted have guaranteed the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

Tribunal orders Mobil to pay N13.09bn to FIRS

IL giant, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited was on Friday ordered by The Tax Appeal Tribunal, Lagos Zone, to pay 83.4 million dollars (about N13 .09 billion) to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as education tax liability for the year 2008.

A five-man tribunal presided over by Mr Kayode Sofola (SAN) unanimously gave the order while delivering judgment on an appeal filed by the oil exploration company against the FIRS. Mobil had on May 5,2011 filed the appeal after the FIRS issued it an education tax assessment of 83.4 million dollars for the year 2008.

Adebisi ONANUGA Counsel to Mobil, Mr T. Emuwa, had claimed in their appeal that the assessment breached the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the company with the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2000.

Emuwa had argued that the 2000 MoU allowed the company, in computing its education tax liability, to deduct all amounts it incurred in paying taxes and levies to the federal and state governments and other

agencies.

The FIRS, through its counsel, Mrs B.H. Oniyangi, however claimed that the 2000 MoU was signed for a threeyear term.

FIRS said that the validity of the MoU had lapsed since January 1, 2003.

Oniyangi had submitted to the court that the Federal Government of Nigeria confirmed the expiration of the MoU it had with Mobil on the matter.

Government, according to her, through a letter issued by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on January 17,2008, confirmed the expiration of the MoU. She said the 2000 MoU has

since been replaced by the Petroleum Profits Tax Act (PPTA) which was used to issue the disputed assessment.

Delivering the judgment, Sofola agreed that the said MoU was only for a threeyear term.

The lead judge noted that there was no evidence before the panel that the MoU was ever renewed.

“The 2000 MoU thus expired at the end of 2002. The parties never did anything to keep it alive any longer, as stated in clause 7.1.

“In effect, clause 7.1 contains an ‘option to renew’, exercisable at the joint instance of all the parties. This

option was never exercised, an thus no renewal or extension was triggered,”she said.

In view of this, Sofola said the appellant was no longer entitled to make the deductions allowed under the 2000 MoU, in calculating their education tax.

“The PPTA is the legislation in force and cannot be subordinated to the mere contemplations of the MoU. “We uphold the respondent’s (FIRS) assessment of the appellant to education tax of 83,414,793 US dollars. “ We order the appellant to pay accordingly,” the tribunal chairman added.

News 3

THE NATION, SATURDAY JUNE 22, 2013

4,000 delegates to vote at PDP’s mini convention

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•Scene of an accident involving a train and a trailer in Ikeja, Lagos... yesterday (see story on Page 57).

Photo: Isaac AYODELE

Insecurity: Detained Lebanese belong to Hezbollah’s military wing, says FG

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HE Federal Government has filed a formal charge of six counts against the three Lebanese being held over alleged terrorism activities.

The government also said yesterday that the three– Abdullahi Thaini, Mustapha Fawaz and Tahal Roda–belong to the military wing of Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah has a military wing. In the next few days, Nigerians will know more about this,” State Attorney, Clifford Osagie told a Federal High Court yesterday in Abuja.

The three are being held for their alleged unlawful importation and stockpiling of cache of firearms and ammunition.

Osagie said the charge filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) charges the suspects with offences bordering on terrorism.

It was learnt that the charge filed on Thursday was yet to be assigned to any judge for hearing.

Osagie spoke while arguing a counter affidavit the state filed against a fundamental rights enforcement application filed by the three.

He said men of the State Security Service (SSS) found in the homes of the suspects prohibited firearms and ammuni-

Eric IKHILAE, Abuja tion as against their claim that what was found in their homes were “mere rifles and hunting guns.”

Osagie argued that under the Firearms Act, the weapons found in the homes of the suspects “can not be issued without licence. The applicants should have exhibited receipts of purchase of the weapons and the licence enabling them to carry such deadly weapons.”

He urged the court not to serve as refuge for people whose activities allegedly threaten and undermine the nation’s security.

“This is a case where the security of the country has been brought to question by individuals who have benefited and made immense wealth from the liberality of this country.

“The activities of the applicants threaten the national and corporate existence of the country. They cannot lift up their fundamental human right as a basis to breach national security.

They cannot use this court, through any form of application, to achieve any aim that is contrary to the national security of the country,” Osagie said.

He denied the applicants’

claim that their arrest and detention by the state violated their fundamental rights to liberty.

Osagie said the SSS observed due process and procured the necessary warrants from the court, both in Kano and Abuja, before detaining them.

He noted that although the detention warrant issued by a Magistrate’s Court in Karu, Abuja lapsed on June 19, the suspects were still being held on the order of remand earlier made by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The Magistrate’s Court had on June 19 discharged them, having struck out the First Information Report filed against the suspects upon an application by the state to withdraw it to allow the filing of a formal charge before the court with competent jurisdiction.

Osagie urged the court to dismiss the suspects’ application for being frivolous, intended to perverse the course of justice, and for “not being in the interest of Nigeria and its national security.”

The applicants’ lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN) had while arguing his clients’ application, faulted their continued detention.

He faulted the remand warrants obtained by the SSS and on which basis the suspects were detained.

He argued that the warrants, having been issued by Magistrate’s Courts, were not competent.

Raji contended that since Magistrate’s Courts lack the jurisdictional competence to hear terrorism-related cases, they could also not order the remand of people held for such offence.

He denied that his clients owned the house in which deadly arms and ammunition were found in a bunker in Kano. He said what were found with his clients were “mere rifles and hunting guns.”

He urged the court to grant his clients’ application and set them free.

Presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, adjourned to June 24 for Raji to reply on point of law to Osagie’s argument.

The judge ordered that the suspects be returned to SSS’ custody and to be reproduced in court on the next date The suspects had sued the SSS, Inspector General of Police and AGF, challenging their arrest and continued detention.

They also faulted the closure of the business premises by security agents; demanded for a public apology from the defendants, to be published in three national dailies, and N50 billion compensation.

Jonathan: Why Boko Haram could not establish root in Kano

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday attributed the inability of extremists, terrorists and insurgents to establish firm roots in Kano to the wise, competent and diligent leadership of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

He spoke while receiving a delegation from Alhaji Ado Bayero led by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Dan Majen Kano, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, at the Presidential Villa.

According to him, Nigeria owes the Emir a huge debt of gratitude for his efforts, which have greatly

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja helped to prevent Kano’s large population of youth from falling under the influence of extremists.

The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, restated his condemnation of the recent terrorist attack on Alhaji Ado Bayero, which he said was most reprehensible.

He said: “We thank God Almighty for sparing his life. We will continue to pray that God should grant him many more

years of fruitful service to the people of Kano and Nigeria,” Jonathan also told members of the delegation, who were at the Presidential Villa to convey the Emir’s appreciation for the President’s support and representation at recent celebrations to mark the Emir’s 50th year on the throne, that Alhaji Bayero’s successful rulership of Kano for over 50 years was quite significant and worthy of celebration.

He declared that the Emir was one of the most decent and respectable Nigerians he has had the privilege of interacting with.

The Governor of the Central Bank, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, which also included Prince Ahmed Ado Bayero, Mallam Abdulqadir Mustafa and Mallam Munir Sanusi, said that Alhaji Ado Bayero greatly appreciated President Jonathan’s interest, support, goodwill and representation at all the major events organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ascension to the throne of the Emirate of Kano.

He delivered a personal letter of appreciation from Alhaji Ado Bayero to the President.

•Party writes INEC

O fewer than 4000 delegates are expected to vote at the mini convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) coming up on July 20, chairman of the convention planning committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, has said.

Briefing reporters at the PDP national campaign office (Legacy House) on Friday, Gana said all the vacant positions would be thrown open to interested members of the party.

He, however, added that the same list of delegates approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2012 convention would be used for the July 20 exercise.

To this effect, Prof. Gana said the party had forwarded to INEC its letter informing the electoral body of the date and modalities for the convention as prescribed by the relevant laws.

He said: “The NEC of the PDP in its wisdom essentially adopted the list of delegates from the 2012 convention because we are actually reconvening to do the business we should have done properly.

“Where there are variations, we are referring this list of delegates to the states for ratification. They will bring it (list) back as quickly as possible.

“If there are situations where people have left the party or some people have died, or where there are other vacancies, we will make the necessary adjustment.

“But I want to assure you that NEC has essentially adopted the list of delegates for the 2012 convention for this other

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Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja convention for the 20th of July.

So, there is not going to be election of any more delegates.

The committee chair said his team would ensure a well organised convention through adequate publicity of the guidelines and ensuring well thought out preparations for the welfare of the delegates.

“We also want to make sure that there is a credible system of election, so that when we conduct the elections, the elections are so excellently conducted to ensure a free, fair and credible choices by the delegates.”

Also speaking on the matter, secretary to the committee and Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, said the party would retain the existing zoning arrangements for all the positions to be contested for.

Ekweremadu, however, added that candidates for the various positions would have to pay for fresh nominations, regardless of whatever they might have paid for nominations in the previous exercise.

“But if there is any strong reason for us to change a particular candidate, that will happen. But for now, we are going to keep all the positions in the zones that are keeping them presently.

“We are not changing the zoning formula of the NWC members. We are reopening nominations. This is a new convention. They will pay because it is not the old convention,” Ekweremadu stated.

Fed Govt, stakeholders move to check oil theft

HE Federal Government has launched a fresh initiative to stop crude oil theft in the country, Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke has announced.

President Goodluck Jonathan met with stakeholders in the oil sector in Abuja on Thursday night to set out the framework for the initiative.

Over the next 10 days the stakeholders will brainstorm to work out details of the agenda.

Governmet has identified oil theft as one of the biggest monsters threatening the nation’s economy.

Mrs.Alison-Madueke told State House correspondents at the end of the Thursday’s meeting that the country has had enough of the adverse effects of oil theft on the economy, particularly revenue generation from the oil sector.

“We are continuing with what has been done, but we are becoming much more aggressive. We met with a number of the multinationals. We have come up with various pointers which must be addressed in an in-depth manner over the next ten days,” she said.

“A technical team is going to meet across all the stakeholders. They will break into various committees.As I said, it is a many-pronged issue and must be addressed by a multi-prong pushback.

“So, over the next 10 days, we will form the relative committees. They will meet and then we will move to implement very aggres-

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja sively.

“Our intent is that we focus even more robustly in many different ways in trying to come to terms and to beat this issue which is a manypronged issue. It is a very complex issue at many levels and we are going to come up with solutions which will address the issue at the various levels both at the short and medium term at this time,” she stated Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, who was also at the meeting, was optimistic that the initiative would help in checking the oil theft problem.

He said: “After this meeting, we should look forward to reduction in the quantity of oil that is being stolen from Nigeria. The challenge we have now is that a lot more oil is being stolen than we used to have and that is affecting the economy of the country; less fund coming in as revenue.

“You know our economy is still dependent on oil. Until we move it away from oil... that is why some of us are emphasizing creating an economy beyond oil.”

He cited the “Delta beyond oil” programme introduced by his administration aimed at generating money from sources other than oil.

“It is a problem that involves the local community to the international community and from that local community to international community, we have a lot of stakeholders and everybody has to be involved,” he said.

4 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

ALHAJA ABIBATU MOGAJI (1917-2013)

•USA Consular General in Lagos , Mr Joffrey Hawkins and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during the condolence visit on the death of his mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji...yesterday

•From left: Asiwaju Tinubu; Gov. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande... yesterday

•Representative of Emir of Kano , Alhaji Tijjani Abubakar, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu , during the condolence visit yesterday PHOTOS: Muyiwa HASSAN and Adejo DAVID

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•Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu; wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; the representative of Olubadan, Chief Omowale Kuye (The Otun Olubadan) and wife, Priscilla... yesterday

•From left: Woman Leader, All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP), Hajia Ramat Tijani; Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim; Senator Sanni Ahmed; Asiwaju Tinubu, and ANPP Chairman, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu... yesterday

•From left: Ahmed Dangiwa; Alhaji Mukhtar Abdulkadri; former Speaker House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Ahmed El-marzuq and Hon. Dikko Radda... yesterday

US,ANPP,Olu of Warri commiserate with Tinubu

HE United States of America (USA) yesterday commiserated with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on the death of his mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji .

Alhaja Mogaji died last Saturday aged 96.

The US Consul-General, Mr. Jeffery Hawkins,on a condolence visit to the Ikoyi residence of Asiwaju Tinubu described Alhaja Mogaji’s demise as a great loss to Nigeria.

"The message that I brought on behalf of the ambassador: The United States people condole with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu over the death of his mother. She was wonderful.

I have just discussed with Tinubu and he told me how painful the death of the mother has been,” he told

Musa ODOSHIMOKHE and Innocent DURU reporters at the end of the visit.

The National Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) , Chief Ogbonnaya Onu ,also led a delegation of the party to Asiwaju Tinubu.

He acknowleged Alhaja Mogaji’s rich contribution to the nation’s socio-economic development and said: "She was helpful to her fellow human beings. Even though she was very old, the nation has lost an important personality whose impact on Lagos politics has been very tremendous.

"The son, Governor Bola Tinubu, told us about the important suggestions she made while he was the governor of the state. We will miss her, God will give us the strength

to handle this situation."

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, in a message he sent to the ACN leader, described the death of Alhaja Mogaji as a loss to the entire country. He was represented by the Tafidan of Kano, Alhaji Tijani Abubakar.

He said: "Her death at this time is, no doubt, a painful loss, not only to you and your family but also to Nigeria as a whole. We shall always remember to continue praying for the peace and development of our nation."

The Olu of Warri, HRM Ogiame Atuwatse 11, who sent a delegation of chiefs, led

by Chief Ritalori Ogbebor, said the passage of the women rights activist has robbed his kingdom of a great mother inlaw, whose existence was a

bond of unity between his people and the Tinubu family.

He said now that that the Iyaloja-General is gone, their daughter, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, would have much on her shoulder, by playing the dual role of mother and wife to the ACN leader.

The Olu said:"I know that you have been a pillar behind our in-law, Asiwaju, but now that the mother has joined the ancestors, your role will now double by ensuring that Asiwaju lacks nothing and I must commend you for this exemplary role, which you have played in the past to this very moment, we are proud of you, our beloved daughter because you have made us proud."

Ghana’s Consul-General , Alhaji Abubakar Abdulkadir,

in his remarks, said though he never had personal contact with the late Iyaloja,all who did, spoke well of her and expressed the condolence of the government and people of Ghana to Asiwaju Tinubu.

The Muslim community of Senegal sent a letter of condolence signed by Cheik Ahmed Tijani Ibrahim, the Khalif General De Chiek Al Islam.

He stated that the death of the mother the leader of ACN though could not be prevented, the grief it has created in the heart of Tinubu shows that the mother meant so much to him.

"We pray that Allah grant her peace and should give Tinubu the fortitude to withstand the pain her departure has created."

A delegation of the Bethesda

Home for the Blind said they would miss the deceased as she was always helping them with their needs.

They pleaded with Asiwaju Tinubu not “ to abandon us “ now that his mother is gone.

Asiwaju Tinubu thanked all the sympathisers and promised to continue to play his part as expected.

"The best honour you can give to my mother is to ensure that we emulate her good life. She never condoned injustice and for you who are in government, we must ensure that we continue to provide for the people," Tinubu told the Association of Vice-Chairmen of Lagos State Local Government Areas of Lagos State who came to console him.

COMMENTARY 5

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Dear Michael

“DEAR MICHAEL,” “HERE I AM” at the fourth anniversary of your death. It is hard to believe that June 25th will mark four years since you left us. Whenever I “REMEMBER THE TIME” I heard the “NEWSFLASH” on the “NITE-LINE” that your life was “ON THE LINE,” I prayed for your soul not to “FLY AWAY.” It was a “HEARTBREAKER” because by the “BREAK OF DAWN” when I learnt that you weren’t “GOING BACK TO INDIANA” but that you were no more with us “IN THE FLESH,” I felt as if I was “EATEN ALIVE.” I felt that “THERE MUST BE MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS” pain of losing you. Your death made me “SPEECHLESS” and made me “CRY;” I had to “STOP” and ask friends to “TELL ME I’M NOT DREAMING;” for Michael at the prime age of 50, you had “GONE TOO SOON.” There just “AIN’T NO SUNSHINE” without you, there’s just no one else that could “BOOGIE ON DOWN” and gives us “BUTTERFLIES” the way you do. As sure as “ABC,” for any Tom, Dick, Harry, “BEN” or “JOHNNY RAVEN” who grew up anytime between 1970 and 2000, you were part of our “CHILDHOOD,” even if it was just for “ONE DAY IN YOUR LIFE.” Whether we liked you or not, whether we saw the man “BEHIND THE MASK,” in life as in death, you remain an object of fascination, you remain “INVINCIBLE” not only for the “SUPERFLY SISTER,” “CIRCUS GIRL,” “ROCKING ROBIN,” “TABLOID JUNKIE” or even the “STREET WALKER.” From your “HAPPY” contributions to the “HOT STREET” of entertainment, to your “UNCONVENTIONAL” private life, most of us have our memory of you made palpable every time one becomes a “DANCING MACHINE” to “GET ON THE FLOOR” to “JAM” to your music till the “BREAK OF DAWN.” “WHATEVER HAPPENS,” the world of entertainment will never “COME TOGETHER” and “SHOO-BE-DOO-BE-DOODA-DAY” the way you made it. Never “AGAIN” will we have the kind of “SPEED DEMON” that could “BURN THE DISCO OUT” on the dance floor like you did; never again will there “BE A LION” of the ineradicable and “MORPHINE” talent that you were. They say some “PEOPLE MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND;” you certainly did Michael because yours was the “GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH.” When we hear your beat, we don’t need to ask “WHO IS IT?” When you sing, it’s as if “WE’VE GOT FOREVER.” Your “HISTORY” began when your “MOTHER” gave birth to nine children in a family of talented and creative artists. From the very beginning there was “SOMETHING ABOUT YOU ‘BABY” Michael’ and your star shone brightly with “MONEY” and fame beckoning. You undoubtedly took all “THE LOVE YOU SAVE” because by the age of five, you were belting out a string of No.1 hits and everybody was wanting to “ROCK WITH YOU.” As you “EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD” to stardom you proceeded to “ROCK MY WORLD.” Your voice was the “MORNING GLOW;” your lyrics made us believe in “A BRAND NEW DAY,” your “MELODIE” gave us “THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES” and your dance moves were just literally “OFF THE WALL.” You were phenomenal, electrifying and marvellous. The talent you exhibited was so epic that it was only “HUMAN NATURE” for you to be “COMFORTABLY NUMB” and unable to thrive as normal men do. Your controversies were a far “CRY” from the days when you were a “P.Y.T (PRETTY YOUNG THING),” who made millions “SHOUT,” “SCREAM” and jump “UP AGAIN” with joy. You gave us hits that could have easily been regarded as the ultimate “EARTH SONG.” “2 BAD” you lost your “PRIVACY” to “THE THIN ICE” of the media but your personal life also took a strange turn. Never mind the fact that you jilted “BILLIE JEAN,” your face and your lifestyle spelt “TROUBLE” and “THREATENED” your popularity. You ap-

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OVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have launched a peace initiative to reconcile Governor Rotimi Amaechi with President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the ruling party.

Governor Amaechi is currently on suspension for allegedly suspending the chairman and councillors of Obio/Akpor Local Council.

The national leadership of the PDP wants the suspension of the council reversed.

The governor declined, saying the suspension was imposed by the state House of Assembly to enable it investigate the alleged corruption in the council.

The PDP Governors’ Forum is led by Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State who was drafted by the party leadership to chair the newly created forum apparently to diminish the influence of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and its chairman, Amaechi, who was bent on running for a second term.

Amaechi went on to win the NGF election by 19 votes to the 16 for Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau who was highly favoured by the Presidency and the PDP.

peared to be “STRANGER IN MOSCOW” than a conventional pop star when you traveled there to have a few face lifts.

At that point I didn’t “GET IT” Michael, I thought “WHATZUPWITU” man? I no longer knew if you were “BLACK OR WHITE” when you transformed yourself from big Mike to “LITTLE SUZIE”. You looked like you “WERE ALMOST THERE”, but not quite; because you resembled “SOMEONE IN THE DARK”; like “ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL” of weirdness. To honestly “SAY, SAY, SAY” that before your death you looked like a voodoo-death-god “WAITING FOR THE WORMS” on the “CAROUSEL” is implying the subtlest of innuendos to someone rather thick; somewhat like saying Charles Taylor fought his war like a “LIBERIAN GIRL.” Before your “FAREWELL, MY SUMMER LOVE,” you didn’t look like the man who urged us to “HEAL THE WORLD,” you looked gaunt and ashen, much like the “GHOSTS” in the thriller video. You looked like a man that was “SCARED OF THE MOON” or one who had been electrocuted by “2000 WATTS.” Your eccentric conduct made me confused; and yet despite this, my admiration for you was “UNBREAKABLE.” Even now that you are gone, even now that “YOU ARE THERE” and not here, “I CAN’T HELP IT,” every time I hear you sing, you “TAKE ME BACK” to “THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL” when I first heard the Jackson 5 album.

No longer looking like a “MAN IN THE MIRROR,” you hoped to “KEEP THE FAITH” in your Never-land Ranch because it kept you in touch with the child within. After you said “SHE’S OUT OF MY LIFE” to your first wife Lisa Marie and said “THE GIRL IS MINE” to your nurse Debbie Rowe, you went on to say “BABY BE MINE” when you had three beautiful babies. If I thought that the saga in your life was “OUTSIDE THE WALL” of normality or that your problem was that you were still “IN THE CLOSET,” I hadn’t seen anything till the 2003 documentary that featured you as “THE WIZARD” who did “MONKEY BUSINESS” with young boys like they were your “GIRLFRIEND.” Like a perverted “SUNSET DRIVER” or your proverbial “DIRTY DIANA,” you saw nothing wrong with sleeping in the same bed with underage boys. Unfortunately for you, many thought this incongruity was “LOVE GONE BAD” for the poor “LOST CHILDREN.” You were prosecuted for preying on vulnerable young boys, “TOO YOUNG” for you to urge them to “GIVE INTO ME”. You demanded for your adversaries to tell you, “WHY YOU WANNA TRIP ON ME?” You asked all your fans; “WILL YOU BE THERE” for me?” I know that you wondered, “IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE;” please “DON’T LEAVE ME NOW,” “DON’T WALK AWAY” and abandon me”. However, just when I thought “YOU CAN’T WIN” Michael, at “THE TRIAL,” your exceptional defence team insisted that all the people that “WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING” by accusing you of being a “DANGEROUS,” child-raping “SMOOTH CRIMINAL” should “BEAT IT” and be ready to “RUN LIKE HELL.” After you saw the child molestation cases “FLY AWAY” when the judge ruled the boys were “JUST GOOD FRIENDS” to you, you pleaded with the public to “LEAVE ME ALONE” since your kindness was treated like “BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR.” Was it scary then, “IS IT SCARY” now?

The one thing I knew about the people who wrongly accused you was that “THEY DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT US” fans the world over. They said you were a “CHEATER” and you were “BAD,” they wanted you to “FALL AGAIN” but in “OUR SMALL WAY” and “IN THE BACK” of our minds, we knew you struggled to make the world a better place by reaching one person at a time with your music. We knew you were kind, gracious, generous, compassionate and burdened. We knew you felt like you had “GOT TO BE THERE” for those who were downtrodden and “YOU WERE THERE” for them. You must have had “LONELY

TEARDROPS” at their false accusations and lies before you said “GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD.” But “HEY YOU;” don’t worry because “WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.” There is a saying that “EVERYBODY’S SOMEBODY’S FOOL;” you certainly were nobody’s fool Michael.

“THIS TIME AROUND” everyone will agree that despite your battered reputation, amidst all the things you were and “ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE,” your gift was unparalleled. “THE FEELING THAT WE HAVE” when we hear you sing is rich enough to “TOUCH THE ONE YOU LOVE,” which was almost everyone. Your “MIND IS THE MAGIC,” you were a genius; “THE MAN” with the Midas touch. No scandal can torpedo your legacy now; “THE SHOW MUST GO ON” for the King of Pop. The “THRILLER” may be gone, but the thrill will always remain…”CAN YOU FEEL IT?” Michael you make me “SMILE” when I see your videos, when I hear your voice, your lyrics make me see “ANOTHER PART OF ME” and you make me believe that, as people, “WE ARE THE WORLD” and that “WE ARE HERE TO CHANGE THE WORLD.” You said that “PEOPLE MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND” if only they could “COME TOGETHER.” You were “WORKING DAY AND NIGHT” to represent all this and I believe “THAT’S WHAT LOVE IS MADE OF.” I sing your songs to tell my “BEAUTIFUL GIRL,” my daughter, “YOU ARE MY LIFE”, I mimic your words “TO MAKE MY FATHER PROUD,” I belt out your melody to let my mother know that “YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND, MY LOVE,” I repeat your songs to tell my friends that “YOU CAN CRY ON MY SHOULDER”, I chant your lyrics so my sisters can know that “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” and they can “CALL ON ME” whenever and I use your vision to write to my fellow countrymen weekly that “WE’VE GOT A GOOD THING GOING” if we “DON’T WALK AWAY” from Nigeria.

“I CAN’T HELP IT” Michael but your “MUSIC AND ME” are a match made in heaven. Through your music your “LOVE IS HERE AND YOU ARE GONE.” Whenever I hear your songs “I HEAR A SYMPHONY,” then “IT’S THE FALLING IN LOVE” and ‘whoosh,’ “I’M IN LOVE AGAIN.” “I JUST CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU” on my CD player. Your songs “ROCK MY WORLD,” have a “SERIOUS EFFECT” on me, “GIVE ME HALF A CHANCE” to “XSCAPE” and “SAVE ME” from boredom especially when there’s “NOBODY HOME.” “I WANT YOU BACK” for “ONE MORE CHANCE” to sing again and despite your troubled life, “I LIKE THE WAY YOU ARE” and “I’LL BE THERE” to listen to your music for as long as I live…I only wish “HEAVEN CAN WAIT!” “THIS IS IT,” I loved your music Michael, I remain your number one fan and I still believe in your ability to bring together people, cultures and kinds through it. I could walk more than “25 MILES” to celebrate your life and all your accomplishments and I know “I’LL COME HOME TO YOU” on my record player. You brought joy and entertainment to my life. Although I don’t “WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE,” I still miss you. “MAYBE TOMORROW” or as “SOON AS I GET HOME,” I’ll put on your music and dance and when I “DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH,” I won’t blame it on you Michael; I’ll “BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE.” …And “THE BEAT GOES ON;” Thank you. Peace to you brother…”FOR ALL TIME!”

NEWS

NGF crisis: PDP governors set to reconcile Jonathan, Amaechi — Akpabio Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State who was also suspended for insubordination to the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was recalled last week.

It was gathered yesterday that the PDP governors are desperate to end the feud between Amaechi and the party with a view to healing the wounds inflicted on the PDP by the face-off.

The reconciliation is said to have been categorised as priority by the peace initiators.

However ,the planned talks may come with some strings attached.

Akpabio, speaking to reporters in Abuja yesterday, said: "The forum is working round the clock to ensure all outstanding issues are resolved and all its members brought back to the forum to enable them participate fully in all activities of the party.

"The reconciliation among the governors is already ongoing. If you noticed yesterday (Thursday’s NEC meeting), we

had almost all the governors of the PDP there. You saw almost every governor was there; even the recently recalled governor of Sokoto State attended the meeting.

"So, almost all the PDP governors were there. If there was any PDP governor that wasn't there yesterday, he was probably on official duty for the Federal Government and for the nation.

"I know that the governor of Benue State, Governor Suswam, is a member of the NIPP Committee, running around, looking for investors in the power sector and I think they travelled to Hong Kong.

"So, he wasn't there and I think his deputy was there too.

So, you can see that peace is gradually returning to the fold of the entire PDP and I assure you that all issues will be resolved.

"A pressman asked me the other day that, yes, you have recalled the governor of Sokoto State through the National Working Committee; what

about the governor of Rivers State.

"And I pointed out that the governor of Sokoto State didn't go to court and that the other matter, regarding my brother, the governor of Rivers State, is in court and was, therefore, subjudice.

"But we are exploring all means to ensure out of court settlement and to bring back everybody to the fold. It is important to note that we are very determined in the PDP Governors' Forum to bring our brothers back together.”

He said the PDP is determined to increase the number of its governors and not to deplete it.

His words: "The intention of our forum isn't to lose a single governor; instead, we want to increase in the number. Because when I came in as a governor in 2007, we had almost 29 governors in the PDP. "But through various court judgments and internal wrangling, the number depleted until we are now about 23."

He stressed the need for the party to put its act together before the November governorship election in Anambra and the 2014 elections in Osun and Ekiti states. The three states are being controlled by the opposition.

"I can tell you we are lucky that we have elections coming up in November in Anambra State. We have two elections coming up in Osun and Ekiti states next year (2014) and the PDP is ready to work together, put its house in order and go out there and face the elector-

ate.

"And you know very well that outside internal wrangling, Nigerians believe in the PDP." Akpabio said the last meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) signified the progress in the party's reconciliatory efforts.

The camp of Gov. Amaechi declined to speak on the peace proposal last night.

The governor’s chief press secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, said he had no comment to make on the matter when contacted.

CBN on religious bodies’ accounts

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HE Central Bank of Nige ria (CBN) has refuted re ports that it had ordered the freezing of the accounts of some religious organisations, citing alleged suspicion of links with terrorist groups.

In a statement posted on its website, the banking watchdog said it had not ordered the closure or freezing of the bank account of any religious body or any institution.

Collins NWEZE It explained that prior to 2006, Nigeria was on the list of the Non-Cooperating Countries and Territories (NCCTs) of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global watchdog on financial crimes.

The country was removed from the list on account of stringent actions taken by the Federal Government.

6 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

PDP mini-convention: Jonathan moves to hijack NWC from governors T HE battle for the PDP presidential ticket for the 2015 election is gathering pace with President Goodluck Jonathan and his strategists perfecting a plan to stuff the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) with his loyalists ahead of the July 20 mini-national convention of the party.

The aim is to hijack the NWC from the PDP highly influential governors, ex-governors and stakeholders like ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo with a view to limiting the chances of aspirants that may be sponsored by them against the President in the PDP presidential primaries.

The main targets of the planned reorganisation of the NWC members are loyalists of Chief Obasanjo, Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers State), Aliyu Babangida (Niger) and other “rebel” governors.

Some of the affected candidates are among the eight members of the NWC and eight deputy national officers who resigned on Thursday.

A chieftain of the PDP and member of the Adamawa

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

State PDP stakeholders, Dr. Umar Ardo, said the resignation of NWC members was suspicious and the excuse of the INEC report might be a smokescreen.

Party sources said the President’s camp strongly believes that the control of the NWC is key to winning the presidential primaries.

The President’s men attributed the cracks in the NWC earlier in the year to members loyal to the anti-Jonathan camp.

It was gathered that at a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, loyalists of the President agreed that the mini-national convention and the INEC report of April 8,2013 which nullified the election of some NWC members provide an opportunity to get rid of the anti-Jonathan elements.

Consequently, Jonathan’s strategists decided to hijack the interim NWC members and the National Convention Committee constituted at the National Executive Committee

(NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

The composition of the interim NWC left out the candidates of key party leaders that are either opposed to or not keen on Jonathan’s second term.

Those in control of the interim NWC are Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; ex-Governor Peter Odili; Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike; Chief Bode George; Senator Andy Uba and others.

The interim NWC members are Bamanga Tukur(National Chairman) from the Jonathan camp; acting Deputy National Chairman, Chibudom Nwuche (Jonathan/Peter Odili/ Wike); acting National Secretary, Dr. Remi Akintoye (Chief Olabode George/ South-West PDP leaders); Deputy National Secretary, Senator Emman Agboti (Senator Anyim Pius Anyim); acting National Publicity Secretary, Tony

Okeke(Olisah Metuh/Andy Uba connection); acting National Legal Adviser, Simon Jok(Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State); acting Woman Leader (Anyim/PDP stakeholders in Imo) and acting National Youth Leader, Tanko Beji(Governor Babangida Aliyu).

Findings also revealed that the composition of the Special Convention Planning Committee, headed by ex-Minister Jerry Gana, was skewed in favour of Jonathan’s loyalists in the G-16 Forum being coordinated by Governor Jonah Jang.

The convention committee comprises Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (Secretary); Governor Godswill Akpabio (Deputy Chairman); Governors Theodore Orji (Abia); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Gabriel Suswam ( Benue); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); SGF Anyim Pius Anyim; Special Adviser (Political) to the President, Ahmed Gulak and 27 others.

A top source said that the

From left: Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji; former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, PHOTO: NAN and Gov. Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State, at the 2013 Nigerian Public Service Day lecture in Abuja...yesterday.

10 Nigerians die, 20 missing as boat carrying illegal EN people drowned and immigrants sink in Gabon tral African nation a popular another 20 remain unac

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counted for after a boat from Nigeria sank off the coast of Gabon, a police official said yesterday.

The boat had left Nigeria carrying West African clandestine migrants and was within 15 minutes of arriving in Gabon’s capital Libreville when it went down late on Tuesday night. Gabonese authorities rescued 23 people and the search continued into yesterday.

“Last night, we had six bodies and since this morning we have found four more, which makes a total of 10 recovered bodies,” said a member of the Nautical Brigade of Gabon’s national police who asked not to be named.

Police said the survivors from Benin, Nigeria and Burkina Faso-claimed to have each paid the boat’s crew up to 500,000 CFA to take them

to Gabon where they hoped to find work.

Local newspapers reported that the human traffickers attempted to extort more money from the immigrants and had begun throwing those who could not pay overboard.

Gabonese authorities said they were investigating the cause of the sinking.

Oil-rich Gabon’s relatively high wages for manual labourers have made the cen-

destination for regional migrants.

But entrance requirements are strict, pushing many to enter the country illegally, often using the dangerous sea route from Nigeria.

At least 45 people died when a wooden boat carrying 166 migrants bound for Gabon capsized off Nigeria in March.

Some 35 people taking the same route died after their boat sank off Cameroon in 2008.

Shell JV to spend $3.9b on Gbaran-Ubie, TNP projects

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HE Shell Petroleum De velopment Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC/SPDC joint venture (SPDC JV), said the joint venture has taken final investment decisions (FID) for the Trans Niger Pipeline loop-line (TNPL) and the Gbaran-Ubie Phase Two projects. The total capital investment for the two projects is about $3.9 billion.

SPDC’s Corporate Media Relations Manager, Tony

Emeka Ugwuanyi Okonedo disclosed this in a statement adding that the company also announced a strategic review of the interests that it holds in selected onshore leases in the SPDC JV. Commenting on the development, SPDC Managing Director, Mutiu Sunmonu said: “Today’s announcements demonstrate our long term commitment to Nigeria by clearly signalling our intent for the strategic direction of Shell

in Nigeria.”

On this new investment in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, Shell said the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) is important for Nigeria, pumping some 180,000 barrels per day of crude oil to the Bonny Export Terminal and is part of the gas liquids evacuation infrastructure, critical for continued domestic power generation (Afam VI power plant) and liquefied gas exports.

Sections of the TNP have been heavily impacted by

sabotage and crude oil theft.

The design of the TNPL includes improvements which make the pipeline better protected against crude oil theft and sabotage, which should help to reduce pollution related to criminal activity which was a key aspect of a 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland. The total capital investment for the TNPL project bundle is expected to be $1.5 billion.

plot by the Jonathan camp is an indication that all the NWC members and deputy national officers from opposing stakeholders in the PDP might not be re-elected at the mini-national convention.

The source said candidates with links to ex-President Obasanjo, Governors Amaechi, Babangida Aliyu, Aliyu Wammako, Sule Lamido and Rabiu Kwankwaso might not make it back to the NWC at the convention.

These are: Sam Sam Jaja (ex-Deputy National Chairman); sacked National Secretary of the party, ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola; sacked National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha; former Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Kema Chikwe (ex-National Woman Leader); ex- National Youth Leader, Garba Chizea; ex-National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon; Abubakar Mustapha (ex-National Organizing Secretary); and ex-Deputy Binta Goje.

A top party source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The decision of the PDP to defer to the INEC to organize a mininational convention has given Jonathan and his loyalists a leverage to weed out alleged disloyal members of the NWC. “In 2012 when Bamanga Tukur’s NWC came on board, the governors held Jonathan to ransom and virtually imposed these former NWC members on the President. This is why Jonathan is not taking things for granted this time around; he wants to put his loyalists in charge.

“The ultimate target of having his men in the NWC is to make the 2015 presidential primaries of the PDP a fait accompli. Not only that, the new NWC will determine party structure in each of the 36 states and the FCT. More importantly, Jonathan will be able to assert his influence and ensure who gets what in 2015 through his anointed NWC. “The picture of the mini-national convention is bigger than the euphoria with which party members were seeking the removal of Tukur and the NWC members.

“So, as far as the mini-convention is concerned, all candidates linked to Obasanjo and rebellious PDP governors and ex-governors are not likely to make it.

“Already, the NWC members, who resigned on Thursday, have been moving round the presidency to pledge their loyalty to Jonathan, Tukur, BoT chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, zonal leaders and other PDP stalwarts.”

On his part, Dr. Ardo said the resignation of NWC members was suspicious and the excuse of the INEC report might be a smokescreen.

Ardo, who was a gubernatorial aspirant of the PDP in Adamawa State , said he does not “believe that the current so-called resignation of PDP members of the NWC is because of the INEC's report on their mode of elections.”

He added:“ When did INEC reports ever become a matter of serious concern to both the PDP and INEC itself?

“If it is really because of the INEC report, then what about the PDP ward, LGAs and state chapters in nine states of the federation which the INEC report declared as unconstitutional?

“In three separate letters dated March 5, 14 and April

2, 2012 signed by the commission's Secretary and addressed to the PDP National Chairman, the INEC rejected the mode of election of the party's wards and LGA organs as unconstitutional and advised the party's national secretariat not to proceed with its staged-congresses until it reconducted the wards and LGA congresses in the states affected.

“However, the party flagrantly disobeyed this directive and continued its congresses at the states, zonal and even national convention with delegates composed by these ward and LGA chapters.

“These states, included Adamawa, Taraba, Jigawa, Anambra, Nasarawa, Plateau, Lagos, Kogi and Sokoto. Dissatisfied with the non-compliance of the party with the directives of the INEC, particularly as regards to my state of Adamawa, I petitioned the NWC on the matter.

“When my petition was scornfully ignored by the party leadership, I filed in a law suit against the party at the FCT High Court, asking the court to determine whether the INEC had the powers to write those letters, whether the letters had force of authority on the PDP and if so whether, PDP was bound to comply. And if the court answered my questions affirmatively, then I prayed the court to declare the excos in all the wards, LGAs and the state in Adamawa as null and void; and to order the NWC of the PDP to go back and re-conduct congresses in all the organs of the party in the state.

“Unfortunately, the matter is still lying dormant and undecided before the court more than a year now since I instituted it. I even applied that the case be reassigned to another judge, but my application was equally ignored.

“Thus, to the best of my knowledge, with the exception of Adamawa State, because of my tenacity and to get me withdraw my court case, none of these nine states re-conducted congresses as directed by the INEC to legitimize the excos of their organs to date.

“It is also of note that this was exactly what happened between 2008 and 2011, during which the INEC wrote four letters to the PDP stating that excos of the party organs in eight states of the federation were illegally composed and advised that they be re-conducted in line with the party's constitution and guidelines.

“The PDP did not comply.

Yet the INEC accepted and filled in all the nominees submitted to it by those illegitimate excos in the 2011 general elections. Many of these nominees are now in public offices as socalled legitimately elected officials.

“Now that the INEC report has suddenly acquired some importance and authority to make members of the NWC resign, it is imperative that the commission insists, and the party complies, that its directives as contained in those letters be carried out in the remaining eight states of the federation with Adamawa having being so far the sole compliant.

“This is what will convince me and Nigerians that the current wave of resignations in the membership of the PDP NWC is because of the INEC report, and that the rule of law as regards the INEC authority on political parties has returned to the affairs of our party.”

COMMENTARY 7

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Commerce, wealth and global power

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T the just concluded G8 summit of the world’s wealthiest nations, in Lough Erne N Ireland, talks are to begin on a deal said to be worth 100 bn pounds which is expected to be the biggest trade deal the world has seen so far. The deal which is expected to take off in two years time is expected to create 2m jobs. This again has buttressed the well known fact of history, economic growth and development, that trade and commerce are the engine of wealth and prosperity amongst both individuals and nations. Adam Smith’s seminal book Wealth of Nations come to mind in this regard although in a different perspective. Today I look at wealth creation amongst individuals and nations and its relationship with the acquisition of power and influence, as well as the use of such wealth for the development of society and the world at large.

Let me first of all assert that I see the mega US – EU deal famously called - 100bn economic bonanza as a game of economic survival in which the western world is trying its best not to play second fiddle globally in commerce to the robust Chinese economy. This is a global trade dragon which is striking deals all over the world looking for oil, minerals and products and building airports, highways and seaports it needs to access and open up the world economy and get the resources to satisfy the mammoth consumption demands of its over one billion people, making China, the world’s largest economy in terms of population.

In addition the South East Asian nations especially the Asian tigers namely S Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand - seem to have evolved an economic strategy that made them immune to the ravages of the 2008 global melt down - a situation western nations have found embarrassing and unacceptable as they felt that they taught SE Asians the market economics that Asian global companies have mastered so well and have used so profitably. Similarly, the Latin American nations of S America seem to have weathered the global melt down of 2008 admirably to the chagrin of the west. Brazil bagged the hosting of two lucrative sporting events based on its performing economy and national wealth in a world filled with struggling economies which dared not bid for such hosting. But now that seem to have attracted the ire of its people who were demonstrating this week at the FIFA Confederation Cup soccer venues in Brazil and protesting that the wealth of Brazil has not trickled down to the masses and is located amongst the rich or the soccer barons in Brazil . Which really is tragic, given Brazillians well known love for soccer and the trouble former President Lula Da Silva went through in getting both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics Hosting Rights for Brazil.

Compare this with the news from neighboring Cameroon where the Chairman of the national football association got elected in an election he was not present at because he was in police custody on corruption charges based on his actions as the boss of the football body. It was alleged that FIFA told the Cameroon government that he must be allowed to contest and the government played ball because soccer is popular in Cameroon and of course Issa Hayatou, the long serving FIFA Vice Chairman is in support and is calling the shots in muzzling his own government in the fight against corruption in Cameroon. Which really shows the other side of the coin in the misuse of power by the powerful and wealthy against the larger public good of society and in the pursuit of selfish interests.

Let me also state here that wealthy individuals have a head start in getting power and influence in any society that is

highly materialistic. Nigeria is of course is such a society in which successful business men in politics have superior advantage over less endowed political competitors in getting elective offices through the use of their wealth. In the past this was not so as most Nigerians refused to take money to vote for the highest bidder. But that has since changed as politicians have asked their supporters to take money if offered by their opponents since it is stolen money but to still vote for the man of their choice. Which really is a sort of moral quandary.

Wealthy individuals can also be target of some governments in distress or dire economic straits. A good example is that of the tax fraud case involving Lionel Messi in Spain.

The Argentine soccer star and his dad have been arraigned this week for tax evasion to the tune of 4m euros . This comes at a time when Spain is in financial crisis and the rate of unemployment amongst youths is at its highest. It also comes at a time when the Argentine government has nationalized Spain’s interest in the largest oil company in Argentina. Argentina also has struck oil and is facing a better future now than Spain which during Argentina’s debt default crisis of 2001 bought Argentine prized assets for pittance. Spain of course was the colonial master of Argentina and indeed the whole of Latin America except Brazil. During the colonial era Spain used the plantation system and pigmentisation to exploit and repress the local communities which have now become wealthy nations unwilling to help Spain out of its present economic distress after wasting over the years, the huge wealth it acquired under colonialism. Today Spain is one of the debtor nations of the EU called PIGS namely Portugal, Ireland. Greece and Spain Similarly in the comity of nations the vocal nations are the commercially successful ones. Never mind that when the tall leaders of the G8 stepped out for a walk this week on CNN they easily outpaced German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the only woman in their midst as she disappeared into the background. Germany indeed is a ringing voice of wealth and commerce in the global comity of trade and commerce, very

‘

During the colonial era Spain used the plantation system and pigmentisation to exploit and repress the local communities which have now become wealthy nations unwilling to help Spain out of its present economic distress after wasting over the years, the huge wealth it acquired under colonialism. Today Spain is one of the debtor nations of the EU called PIGS

’

well respected for its export of quality engines and the tested skills of its companies and their personnel. Also aside from David Cameron, the President of Russia Vladmir Putin glowed with pride at the G8 talks for obvious reasons .

Russia is awash with oil money as the largest producer of oil in the world and together with China, the largest consumer, it is building the longest pipeline in the world between their two nations. Similarly China’s new leader and his beautiful wife were given the red carpet treatment in the White House and the Kremlin recently because China has become the sweet bride of global business, commerce and politics. Undoubtedly Russia’s new found wealth has been translated into diplomatic mettle and is being used to counter US policy in Syria successfully to keep Syria’s President Bashar Assad in power against all odds.

I look at the new US –EU deal as an economic innovation in the very best tradition of Schumpeter’s theory that for companies to survive they must continually improve and look for new ways of doing things. The same applies to nations and this is what this deal has revealed. The western world has woken up from its arrogant slumber atop world trade and commerce and the WTO wrangling and distraction and is now ready to compete in a global market whose structure and substance have rendered its present trade and economic strategies obsolete and redundant. By opening up borders and removing trade barriers, the US and EU nations are opening up new frontiers just as the US opened up its wild, wild west in days of yore. The arrogance of limiting wealth and commerce through extravagant control of competition should give way to vibrant and support for innovation and innovative deals that enrich the quality of life in the environment and provide jobs and security for all hard working people in as many companies and institutions as possible. This is what ECOWAS should emulate in West Africa. Especially now that Ghana our neighbor has struck oil.

Politically Ghana seem to be ahead of Nigeria in terms of respect for democratic values and a ruling party has lost power in an election there and there was no post election violence.

But Ghana should not copy the way Nigeria has mismanaged its oil wealth whose distribution of oil wells have created individuals wealthier than some states. It should not allow a situation whereby oil theft is tackled by giving security contracts to former oil thieves and justifying that by insisting that oil revenues have increased as a result of such dubious policy.

Ghana must not use the oil money to develop non oil producing areas while ignoring the oil producing areas which really are the goose that lays the golden egg. Also Ghana must from the onset use oil revenues to build schools, factories, create jobs and bridge social and economic iniquities that have created the likes of Boko Haram in Nigeria’s north.

Lastly Ghana must police and secure its borders with the Sahel for religious extremism which grows while those expected to contain it look the other way to justify increased security expenditure. That way Ghana will earn the respect of the international community from its oil wealth , and not its scorn, as we have done so effortlessly with our oil wealth.

8 COMMENTARY

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Of lies cloaked with grand deceit Knucklehead With N Yomi

O doubt, the crisis rocking the once-powerful Nigeria Gov ernors’ Forum has not only exposed the abysmal pettiness in Nigeria’s high places, it has also brought to the fore, the hidden truth about how dirty our politics has become. It is bad enough that an election involving presumably thirty-five wise men from different parts of the country has torn the NGF into shreds.

Aside the cheap lies and bare-faced deceptions at play, the low in all this is that some characters simply don’t know when to bury their heads in shame and concede defeat. Okay, maybe the NGF, an association of first citizens of the nation’s 36 states, is not particularly popular among Nigerians who, rightly so, see it as vainly political and a distraction to grassroots governance as these state chief executives always troop to Abuja for one meeting or the other. But no one can deny the fact that it has also played crucial role in instilling sanity into a system that gives the Presidency the power to hire and fire, sustain life or choke it to death. But then, that is a topic for another day.

Back to the subject of discourse. AlhajiBamangaTukur and his co-travellers in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party may find it convenient to live in self-denial, regaling in the throes of “not only being in office but also being in power.” With his age and experience, I would have thought Tukur should have been cautious in declaring that “in the PDP, there is no vacancy in the national chairmanship.” That, to my mind, gives the impression that he does not appreciate the enormous challenges before him. Holding down the position of national chairman of a behemoth called the PDP is not the same thing as barking orders as the Chairman of a Business Roundtable. It does not matter if you are privileged to have a vote of confidence certificate, duly signed by the President, in your flowing babanriga. Countless others have relied on that piece of paper only to bite the dust days shortly thereafter, with the President being the chief executor of their ouster. In the PDP, more than any other political party in Nigeria, that is the norm!

The discomfiting truth is that our politics is deceptively slimy (apologies to ChinamandaAdichie) and riddled with lies. Even the so-called manifesto of our ruling party sits on a farcical pedestal, remaining largely inoperable and mostly irrelevant to the need and expectations of the silent majority of citizens. Now, people have asked: why is it difficult for 36 First Citizens to conduct a free, fair and credible election that would see to the emergence of one of them as Chairman? The answer is not that simple. First, it is clear that these strange bedfellows are not sold to the time-tested democratic credo of one man, one vote. Second, only a handful is prepared to live by the truth and shame a lying devil. Third, many are subservient to the directives of forces outside that gathering.

And that, I hasten to point out, must include President GoodluckEbele Jonathan’s frenetic interest in the outcome of the election, despite the denial of his involvement by his band of spokesmen. If anything, we must admit that the NGF is crippled today because of the groundswell of deceit that it has been buffeted with. Intrigues, political manipulations and unabashed lying have combined to deepen the confusion in the land.

Today, hardly can one get a straight-forward, simple as ABC answer regarding what actually transpired when the governors converged on Rivers State Government Lodge in Abuja on May 25. And it should bother us that sifting the truth from this harvest of lies is not an enviable task. Just the other day, Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, a man who grabbed victory from the jaws of a harrowing defeat after a fierce battle at the court and in a ballot, dared anyone to produce a video showing him voting. He spoke about a paper endorsing Governor Jonah Jang as the ‘authentic’ Chairman of the NGF through ‘consensus’. Yet he never denied voting. Bauchi State’s Isa Yuguda and Benue’s Gabriel Suswam have been whining about how their colleagues from the North betrayed them and have actually carried out their threat to pull out of the region’s governors’ forum. In all the posturing, they never denied voting neither did they deny witnessing the counting of votes and the declaration of Rivers’ RotimiAmaechi as winner by 19 votes to Jang’s 16. It is really curious that the loser in this game of numbers has quickly rushed to establish a factional office of a forum involving governors from different political parties. He danced naked to the altar of deception, thanking his god for a victory that was never his. Pity.

Besides, it’s dumb logic for anyone to assume that an endorsement of a candidate translates into electoral victory. They ignored the fact that anything is possible in a secret ballot. Nothing stops those forced to endorse a particular candidate from changing their mind at the last minute, when there are no prying eyes to report to the Oga at the top. That, I guess, could only be the logical explanation for the shortfall in the anticipated 19 ‘sure’ ballots for Jang which catastrophically fell short of three. Besides, why should anyone be compelled or blackmailed into signing an endorsement paper if we are to believe the fable that Jonathan is disinterested in whoever emerges as chair of the NGF? And if Jang claims that he has the backing of majority of the governors, why has he not surpassed the 16 representations that have been attending his factional meetings in Abuja?

Seriously, I am beginning to believe RabiuKwankwaso’s testimony that the Jang camp lost because it is made up of neophytes in Nigeria’s political terrain. There is no point crying wolf when they ‘reluctantly’ agreed to participate in the election. Reluctance is one thing, dissension is another. By participating in the election, members of the Jang gang ought to know that they had subsumed whatever power was contained in the piece of paper they now bandy as ‘evidence’ of Jang’s leadership. That is cheap and unsustainable, especially as some of the governors they thought were on their side had come out to fault that assumption. In the past week, SuleLamido of Jigawa, AliyuWamakko of Sokoto, AliyuBabangida of Niger and Kwankwasohavemade spirited efforts to put the records straight. At least, common sense dictates that the sour losers in the President’s camp should believe the accounts rendered by their own party men if they do not see any sense in the election video released by OgbeniRauf Aregebesola of Osun, the revelations made by KayodeFayemi of Ekiti and RajiFashola of Lagos

Odunuga

E-mail:yomi.odunuga @thenationonlineng.net SMS only: 07028006913 who has equally filed a case against the Jang faction at the an Abuja court.

Now, what these persons say may not be palatable news for those who are quick in labelling the governance style of the opposition as tyrannical, but it will sure save the ruling party from the looming free fall if its leaders take the time to listen to their anguished cry. First, they must accept the fact that Amaechi won because the PDP, as a house divided against itself with an incompetent leadership that chokes dissenting voices, couldn’t have approached the NGF election with block votes. Of course, the opposition simply took advantage of that lapse. Second, the party leadership needs to shed its excesses. And that is possible if a boastful Bamanga can be told, in clear terms, that it could be true that he is “running” affairs at Wadata House but he is running it into ruination with his village headmaster approach to party management. Third, the blind pursuit of the downfall of Amaechi to massage the ego of some persons will end up plunging the party into deeper mess. No doubt, the effect of this is deleterious to the already unstable health of the ruling party.

In the past, I have repeatedly cautioned the party against toeing the self-destruct lane. But it appears it is perennially sold to the lie that, as Africa’s largest political party, it is immune to defeat. If the results of the 2011 election were anything to go by, then the PDP had better prepare for a rout in 2015. Of course, they can ignore the warning signs by relying on Jonathan’s words that the party knows how to come together and consolidate before any general election. That may be true. It is just that the party has never witnessed this kind of internal crisis in its chequered history. The last minute abracadabra seems set to fail this time.

And instead of sitting down to address grievances, some persons are boasting about being in office and in power while everything around them is crumbling like a pack of cards. No deceit could be grander than this. Or are we to believe that these persons are merely preparing the ground for the fertilisation of Kwankwaso’s statement that “some people must make mistakes; big, big mistakes” before they are silenced by the emergence of an alternative to the ruining team? If that is the case, then let the lie and deceptions continue. Let them continue building their castles in the air, with lies and deceit as foundation. For how long will they keep on patching a gaping crack that needs a permanent fix? Why is the PDP always running from its shadow?

Re: Obasanjo: A patriot or self-serving nationalist?

SMS 07043485109 vincentakanmode@yahoo.com

•I was one among many Nigerians who were so bitter about the arbitrary leadership of Obasanjo when he was in power. Nigeria really needs a strong leader to put things right here, but not in the manner he went about it in his years.

The pedigree of the person he chooses as his anointed godson for whatever political position in the country does not seem to matter to him, provided that such choice has the potential for putting him in the news always, which he loves so much. Of course, his place in the nation’s history is secured. But with his present contradictory socio-political roles, one can only pray that the great man does not end up a bore.

That, however, should not distract from the fact that he is truly a patriotic Nigerian leader, all things considered. The problem with Obasanjo is that he is so controversy-driven and tends to derive pleasure in conducts, whatsoever, that make him to appear all-time relevant, however inadequate the conduct is.

Emmanuel Egwu.

•You have said it as it is. Obasanjo’s opposition should serve as the nudge to return Jonathan in 2015. There is no greater factor in the capitulation of the PDP in the South West than the OBJ persona. And it is all too visible that the region is all the better for it. Other regions would do better by following the example of the South West in putting OBJ in his place.

Kuteyi R.R., Ondo •Once in a while, we do have such people as OBJ in this world. What we fail to understand about OBJ is that he believes mostly in himself because he loves the entity called Nigeria. He believes less in other people and suspects others.

He defended the choice of the late Umaru Yar’Adua and the ascension of President

Jonathan has so far stabilised the oneness and polity of Nigeria.

I admire his boldness where others who are expected to talk tough pretend and dilly-dally.

His routing for Sule Lamido for 2015 could not have come from the blue.

Lanre Oseni •Obasanjo is not a patriot. He used his eightyear rule to erase the memory of Awo from our hearts without success. He refused to recognise June 12 and could not point to a single achievement throughout his eight years in office. He is a self-serving nationalist.

Alhaji Adeboye Lawal •I hate it when you people always unnecessarily hit or talk against this great African leader.

It is unfair and that is lack of respect for our elders. Stop twisting his words.

080299911..

•Vincent, Obasanjo is a selfish and ruthless man. He is very crafty too. He is the type that asks you to eat well but put your hands in chains.

Yar’Adua became an easy prey to his ploy on account of his simplicity. But Jonathan was smarter than Obasanjo, who took the former’s clueless outlook for granted. He is serving OBJ right. But both of them are playing with fire.

When it sparks, it will consume them and their co-travellers.

Please correct my earlier impression of Kenneth Kaunda, the former president of Zambia, who I had thought was decent man on account of his book, Zambia Shall Be Free, but was shocked to see you grouping him with Idi Amin and others.

Wole Adediran, Ode Omu, Osun State.

•Let us hope that Obasanjo calling on Sule Lamido as best candidate for president in 2015 is not a hidden agenda to cover up his looting when he was poresident.

Gordon Chika Nnorom •Ex-President Obasanjo is not a nationalist but a self serving Nigerian. The only African nationalist is Mandela of South Africa. Obasanjo is egoistic, materialistic and selfish. Politically, he is not a democrat but a dictator. He and his successors don’t believe in the rule of law but in the ruse of law.

During his administration, the South-West lacked any meaningful development. Instead, he was busy building an empire for himself. He is

still part of the malady befalling the nation. The National Council of State comprising past heads of state should be cancelled because their decisions are not beneficial to the country.

Pastor Odunmbaku.

•Obasanjo has been ruling and not leading the country all this while. He has always kept us in suspense. It is left for us to free ourselves from his bondage by voting out his chosen political son come 2015.

MAO Adigun, Ibadan •Vincent, I don’t know how old you are. But those of us on the side of the truth will always tell it that OBJ only failed to make Awolowo president after him in 1979 partly because of Awo’s decisions then. Again, with Zik’s entry into the

race, there was no way Awo could have won the election. But the Yoruba elite continue to crucify OBJ for Awo’s failure.

080931374..

•For Obasanjo to have sworn that a doctor had told him that Yar’Adua had been cured of his illness shows that he is not a sincere person.

And then to foist a man who is incompetence personified on the nation weakened by a combination of religious and ethnic animosity and corruption, for whatever reason, is the highest level of treason. He is a man blinded by a vindictive quest to do the nation in simply because the nation rejected his third term bid!

Manjadda, Sokoto

Re: Again, the Akpabio jinx manifests Thanks for telling the truth. Now that Akpabio has shown his rump as undemocratic by telling the whole world that the man who lost an election was the winner, what will happen to his truckload of awards as a performer? I was in a friend’s house when Channels Television showed clips of what happened at the NGF election. While we were watching, my friend’s wife barged into the sitting room and angrily took her three kids away. I asked why she did so, and she said she would not want them to copy the ways of touts who parade themselves as His Excellencies.

Ifeanyi O. Ifeanyi.

Your piece on Governor Akpabio made my day. All you have said about him is true. The bible says by their fruit you shall know them. He is an apostle of do-or-die politics. God bless you.

Chief Isaac, Aba, Abia State.

How did Amaechi manipulate the Governors’ Forum’s election result? Does that mean he turned himself into the returning officer to announce the result of the election? In the interest of Nigeria, all the aggrieved governors should support Amaechi as their chairman rather than creating factions.

Ijeoma Nnorom, Lagos.

•You are funny. Are you talking about somebody that keeps winning his own elections with relative ease? Let Amaechi call a meeting of his own Governors’ Forum and let us see the true winner. You mentioned Samuel Peter and Super Eagles’ loss as if it was Akpabio’s. Was it not Ni-

geria that lost? If I may ask, who did you support between Samuel Peter and Klitchsko and between Nigeria nad Argentina? You write like a comedian. Then, again, are you a Nigerian?

Goddy Ekanem Vincent, my brother, the governor is on a fight for survival, trying to use Jonathan as a soft-landing pad after office. Embezzlement in Akwa Ibom is monumental and Akpabio needs Jonathan’s protection. So, it is not about Jonathan but Akpabio. - 07032260...

Akpabio betrayed the man that installed him.

Now his is busy preparing the ground for a life after his tenure in 2015. It is not that he loves Jonathan but he has his own agenda. If Jonathan does not distance himself from him, he will infest him with ill-luck. - Seye, Akure.

God will never abandon the righteous and will never support the wicked. Akpabio is a leaf chased by the wind. He is a bread and butter politician.

He would do anything to retain his position. Such a man can never be on the side of the truth. Unfortunately, the President shares the same mentality. Hence, they will always flock together in defeat. It is shameful for the president to have fuelled the NGF crisis. He wants to rule at all cost.

This is the beginning of his imminent fall come 2015. The APC must be vigilant on subsequent state/national elections. The power drunk party can never win any good election except through rigging. We are yet to embrace true democracy.

Pastor Odunmbaku

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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now ‘Let’s rise upng and save aili o civil war her ekunle’ Benjamin Ad

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ent Amin d si re P N A M P w e N –

•Pages 39, 44&45

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13 THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

•Esther Shadrack... on her sick bed

T h e p a i n f u l wo r ld o f

kids living with cancer

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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The painful world of They are the unknown few, eaten up by a cancerous cell.

These children live in agonising pains, reports SEUN AKIOYE, who spent time with many of them.

C •Chioma...sudden death so painful and shocking

,

The afternoon Chioma died was one of the most shocking in the Pediatric Oncology ward at LUTH. A day before then, she had received the life-saving platlet and had been on the road to yet another recovery.

Hours after that treatment, however, her condition deteriorated and in the early afternoon, she died. Her death was sudden and shocking...

,

HIOMA Ukanwa. She was light in complexion with big, prominent facial features, black silky hair which some people say was unnatural for a nine-year-old girl.

Her eyelashes were big and black, adding a touch of beauty to her full face. She had large, clear eyes and when she focused them on an object for a long time, they got moisture.

When she smiled, and not too often in the last one year, she revealed a set of strong white teeth. It was not unusual to remark that she was a beauty queen in the making.

On the evening of Friday June 14, Chioma’s remains were released from the morgue at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Mushin, Lagos Mainland, to her parents, Charles and Kate Ukanwa, for burial. The short ceremony was conducted under an ambience of extreme grief. Exactly a week earlier, she had lost the battle she had bravely fought for five years against childhood cancer.

The afternoon Chioma died was one of the most shocking in the Pediatric Oncology ward at LUTH. A day before then, she had received the life-saving platlet and had been on the road to yet another recovery. Hours after that treatment, however, her condition deteriorated and in the early afternoon, she died. Her death was sudden and shocking.

“I still can’t wrap my hands around this. I am still in shock. I cannot just believe this had happened,” says Dr. Nneka Nwobi, the founder of Children Living with Cancer Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation that caters for children with cancer.

For some years, Nwobi had been involved in Chioma’s case, providing counselling to her parents and supporting them to offset her often heavy medical bills.

Two weeks before her death, Nwobi had been involved in different activities designed to raise money for another round of chemotherapy for her. She had planned to go round schools to raise the much needed funds to save her life. On May 30, The Nation met Chioma and her parents at the children’s ward.

They stood dutifully by her bed at the pediatric ward at LUTH. Chioma had exhibited no trait of someone about to die; she had responded to questions and expressed optimism to live.

Her father told her story. It started in 2008. She had developed feverish conditions; there were rashes all over her body. Then, her body began to swell; every external organ that could accommodate more fluid did. She was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) after she was referred to LUTH. She spent three weeks undergoing diagnosis, the result was crushing: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or cancer of the blood. Her treatment began in earnest and after five months, she was discharged with a warning to continue to come back for treatment.

“Between 2009 and 2011, she was okay; she looked fine and

Why we lose many children ow frequently do we have the cases of childhood cancer and what are the various forms it takes?

Cancer is just about one percent in children’s health problems. But there has been a slight increase in some of them like cancer of the blood, called leukemia; we have so many cases here because we have referrers from all over South West. For the family that has one case of cancer, it’s total. But when we consider it among other diseases, it’s still low. For those who have, it can be devastating for the family.

Cancer in children if presented early is curable, but we need to educate the parents on some of the forms cancer takes in children. When flashes are coming in the eye of the child, it could be Retino Plastoma, when the tummy is growing more than normal especially when you can feel something hard , it could be a cancer of the kidney, likewise if any other part of the body is hard. It is only the cancer of the blood that does not give us a lot of signs, but you will still notice the child feeling tired, unfortunately a lot of doctors will be treating malaria instead of looking at the blood.

When the cancer is in the blood, it is already all over the body because blood goes

H

•Adebola Akinsulie

all over the body and the more they delay the more damage it does to the body organs, but cancer of the blood can also be diagnosed early.

Fortunately, many of our doctors in private hospitals also know enough to check the blood for signs of cancer. Most of these things are diagnosed early in advance countries but are picked quite late here, but there are some cancers that are quite merciful so to say like cancer of the kidney called nefroblastoma. It must take a careless person to have this cancer going to many places in the body before they come for treatment.

Some cancers start as a solid tumor, but our people will apply Robb and pray, instead of coming straight to the hospital.

You need to see some of our children, one has the cancer of the jaw, it was huge as a football but now she is looking almost normal because some organizations were able to donate for her. She had almost five operations.

What is the most common type of cancer that you have noticed in Nigeria?

We usually like to separate the one that affects the blood and the solid one. In the blood category, the most common is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The com-

monest solid one is Wilems Tumor. There are others too that are common, retino plastoma.

What are the causes of childhood cancer?

In most cases we don’t know but from research, we know some viral infection and malaria are associated with cancer of the jaw, if you are exposed to heavy radiation, they can develop cancer, even the radiotherapy that we use in curing cancer, if you are exposed to it for long, you might develop a secondary cancer. Some drugs taken by mother can affect the baby, but this is less than five percent of the causes. But to be honest, 90 to 95 percent of the time , we don’t know the causes, it occurred spontaneously.

Occasionally we know some abnormalities in parent; genetic abnormalities too can lead to some cancer. The good thing is that the signs are there, if you are the type that would approach a doctor early enough you stand a chance to cure it. For the cancer of the blood, the child can be bleeding and weak. It also affect their ability to fight infection so they can have fever, these are the signs of the other normal ailments so if your child have this sign and its not responding

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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kids living with cancer

•Ann Shedrack

•Timothy Olaonipekun

we thought the worst was over, so we stopped coming for the treatment. Also, our family had incurred a huge financial burden that we could not handle, so we defaulted,” Charles said.

But in January 2012, whatever hopes the family had evaporated. The rashes returned and the swelling began in earnest.

She returned to her bed at LUTH and doctors say her condition had worsened due to her default. Chioma had maintained a permanent bed at the Ward D since July 2012 until her death.

Inside the cancer ward Nineteen-month-old Esther Shedrack laid in her cot at the paedratic cancer ward at LUTH. She had just finished a session of biopsies and had reacted violently to it. An oxygen mask was fixed to her head and there was a drip fixed on her hand. For several hours, she stayed still without giving any indication that life was inside her. Her head was devoid of hair and she wore no ornament to distinguish her sex. Beside her, another baby slept peacefully in her cot. Her mother also slept on a chair beside her. Esther remained motionless and her distraught mother, Ann Shedrack sat beside her cot, it was evident she had been crying.

“The cancer is eating her up,” she said painfully,” then raising her voice, she added: “My baby’s condition is making me agitated, the chemotherapy is eating her up gradually. You go for a test; they need platelet. The next day, it is plasma and red blood cells. Even as big as LUTH is, there is no facility for platlet, we go all the way to Island Maternity to get it and it’s not easy, that is where the whole of Lagos go to. Look at her, she needs platlets, she needs blood. Since morning, I cannot even get blood in LUTH here. I have been going to blood bank, like

somebody going to the bathroom.”

Esther’s troubles began in January 2013. Her mother discovered that a side of her abdomen was hard and swollen, when touched the baby cried out in pain. She acted fast and took her to a private paedriatic clinic in Ikeja. A scan was done and the result brought life to a halt for her parents. She had cancer of the ovary. Subsequently, the family was referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and finally to LUTH in March, but her problems were far from over.

In March, Esther was operated upon to remove the tumour in her abdomen but the doctors “found out that the mass is large and is lying over critical organs in her body”. The operation failed and the patient had to be covered up.

Part of the mass was taken for biopsies and she resumed her chemotherapy which caused a violent reaction. Then she stopped eating and had experienced various degrees of dehydration. Currently, she is being fed through a tube passed over her mouth.

The nurses in the ward work round the clock seeing to the well-being of the children. For some of them, who had been there long enough, they had seen, many of the children succumb to the cold hands of death. “ Our children are doing fine, we do lose some of them but as you can see we are doing our best to keep them happy while they are here,” a nurse who pleaded anonymity said.

Timothy Olaonipekun was a known face to all the wards in the pediatric centre. Most of his time was spent cheering up other children too weak to play and who are restricted to their beds. His journey to LUTH began in July 2012. He was struck with fever and taken to Sacred Heart Hospital, Abeokuta,

Ogun State, where he was treated for fever and tuberculosis.

When he showed no improvement, a cocktail of tests followed. Eventually on November 2nd 2012, a test result said: Axillary Lymph node-High grade non-Hodgin lymphoma diffuse large cells or Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Two days later, he was rushed to LUTH where he underwent three agonising but successful chemotherapy sessions.

Timothy is on course for his fourth therapy but has been hampered by lack of funds. While waiting for a miracle that would enable him complete his treatment and return to his friends at the Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, where he was a senior student, he spent his time spreading joy and happiness among the children who happened to be in the same boat as himself.

The children’s ward at LUTH has been designed to give comfort to the children. According to Adebola Akinsulie, a professor of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, who is also the Head of Paediatrics at LUTH, the ward can accommodate about 20 children, a far cry from the demand as the hospital admits between five and six children every week.

The rooms have between three and four beds and they are kept clean. There is a reception area with a television and a playing section equipped with toys. All over the wall, there are paintings of animated creatures which lightened up the ward and brought some sunshine into the otherwise grim circumstances of the children who stay there. The paintings, The Nation learnt, were done by children of the American International School Lagos, while the ward was furnished and equipped by Children Living with Cancer Foundation. Out of the children admitted for cancer in the blood, only 20 percent will survive the two-year treatment period.

An underreported malady Chioma was one of the hundreds of Nigerian children who die each year as a result of childhood cancer. Although, childhood cancer accounts for less than 10 percent of children’s illnesses, but for the children who have been afflicted and their families, the consequences are dire. Unlike adult cancer which has received worldwide awareness and funding, childhood cancer cases are largely unnoticed, statistics scarce, treatment expensive and equipment rare.

In Nigeria, over 95 percent cancer actions were focused on adult cancer. In August 2011, the Federal Ministry of Health inaugurated a technical committee that would draft Nigeria’s position on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) for the United Nations High- Level Meeting on NCD which held in September 2011. While cancer was a recurrent feature in the technical committee action plan of reducing NCDs, childhood cancer was ignored.

A Consultant Paediatric at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Ogun State, Dr. Folasade Adekanmbi, said the neglect of childhood cancer transcends government’s apathy.

“The general attitude towards dependants is awful in Nigeria; many parents are not totally committed to the treatment of their children with cancer. Some of them will say if this child dies, God will bring another one. But if it is an adult everybody will be running around.”

But it is not just the parents who generally disregard treatment for cancer, very few government hospitals are adequately equipped to deal with childhood oncology. For

Continued on page 18

to cancer –Head Paediatrics LUTH Prof. Akinsulie

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to the usual drugs you must come in to the hospital.

How much does it cost to treat these cancer and for how long?

On the average we can treat them for upwards of two years especially cancer of the blood. Those with cancer of the kidney can be treated in six months. But you discover you are spending N2million-N3million and how many families can afford that? A family that cannot make N100,000 a month will need to cough out N300,000, a month for treatment, they sell the properties and in six months they are poor. The thing spreads because the other children cannot feed well, sicknesses set in, unfortunately, there is no guarantee the child would survive, and it can be very devastating.

We also do radiotherapy for leukemia for as long as two to three years, if you stop the cancer comes back, for the first 3 months they must be in the hospital but after that they need to come to the hospital at intervals and we give treatments for the next three years, the cost of it may be up to N5 million.

How is the hospital helping regarding funding this treatment?

What we need is education. Another thing we need is to treat it free; it is possible. If every Nigerian is contributing N100 naira per

month, we will have almost a Those with can- early?

If you say I want to be donatbillion naira to use for treatment ing N200 a month for the chilin a month. It is awareness, peo- cer of the kidney ple need to start donating freely, can be treated in six dren living with cancer, this project will move ahead, the these children will come and months. But you group in America, wants us to we will treat them free, we can discover you are start running the free donation give them the best of treatment. spending N2milproject for at least two years so But if people can donate just lion–N3million and they see that we have capacity a tiny fraction of their income, something they will not notice, how many families to manage big funds. But also we will appeal to the governwe can call it friends of can afford that? A ment to make the treatment free leukemia or friends of children family that cannot or subsidize it heavily. It will be living with nefroblastoma etc, make N100,000 a wonderful if it is on the Nathe money can be managed by an NGO. month will need to tional Health Insurance Scheme, We have been going to comcough out N300,000, (NHIS).

How many children do you panies, which can donate like a month for treatadmit here weekly?

N10,000 a month and the more ment, they sell the Here we see between five to people buy into the idea the ten children every week but our bigger the fund, we can buy properties and in ward is still small for them, our more equipment. St Jude’s hossix months ward is for 20 patients and its alpital in the United States is they are poor ways filled up, so most of them promising us that if we can start are out-patient. and run it well, we can become There is so much noise about platlets, how an affiliate and more funds will come in. In important is it and why is it scarce? that hospital, they admit hundreds of children Now platlet is what prevents us from bleedwith cancer every day, they come all over the ing. If the child bleeds in the brain it is instant world and they are treated free. With a facility death so they need the platlet. In a bag of like that why won’t the children come in

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blood there are different components and platlet is one of them. A patient that needs blood may not need platlet or some other components and we would need to separate what he needs from what he does not. The machine we use for that separation is called cold centrifuge for blood bag separation. We have just one machine at LUTH and I think there is another one in UCH. That is all for the whole South West. Our own here is overused because we are not the only one using it, it is not available all the time.

The children need platlets during Chemotherapy because they can lose a lot of blood and if it gets to the brain the child dies.

We lose a lot ofchildren just because we don’t have the platlets. That is one big appeal I am making to the people to please help us with the machine that can help us separate the platlet. A moderate one is 6 million, if we can get two or three machines in this hospital it will save lives.

What are the chances of survival for cancer patients?

The prognosis for Leukemia is not encouraging. It is just about 20-30 percent that can survive two year. But for cancer of kidney, it could be as high as 80 percent, if they come early.

16

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Let’s rise up now and save Benjamin Adekunle –Black What my father needs ON of the civil war hero, Abiodun Adekunle, has revealed that his father needs urgent medical attention before his condition degenerates.

In an interview with The Nation, Abiodun, who disclosed that General Benjamin Adekunle is presently receiving medical attention at home, said the former commander of the Third Marine Commando of the Nigerian Army during the civil war, is weak and suffering from memory lapses.

According to him, “He is very weak and not in control of his memory. It is more of memory problem. He is not able to recognise people around him or anything. But some other times, he recognises people. So, it is an on and off thing.”

While disclosing that the family is doing its best to cater for the medical needs of his father, Abiodun Adekunle alleged that the Nigerian Army is yet to respond to several appeals made by him to help the ailing war hero.

“I have tried very hard to get the Nigerian Army to come to his aid without luck. Here is a man who spent his youth fighting a war to keep the country one. In other organised societies, he would be treated as a hero. But unfortunately, here in Nigeria, he has been forgotten by all.”

The younger Adekunle is also concerned about the impact which the alleged neglect of his father would have on the younger generation of Nigerians.

He said: “This says a lot about our nation and who we are. How can you inspire the younger generation to make sacrifices for their country? If a man of my father’s calibre, who made contributions to Nigeria can be this unfairly treated, what are we telling Nigerian youths and future generations about sacrifices and patriotic service to their country? How do we think to achieve this laudable aspiration of evolving into a greater Nigeria?

“What is of utmost concern to me is the successive Nigerian governments’ reluctance to either demonstrate true concern for an illustrious citizen's welfare, or

S

•Gen. Isama

ENERAL Benjamin Adekunle, the former Commander of the Third Marine Commando of the Nigerian Army is down with illness.

Why is this happening to the General?

Everybody is aware that he is battling to stay alive.

But should we wait until he dies and then roll out the drums, shouting that he was a hero, and start marching round the town? Every January 15, the whole country gathers to remember our fallen heroes. What about our living heroes? Some of the soldiers that I have seen in the course of writing of my book, ‘Tragedy of Victory’, I met them in villages, you know, some of the areas where we fought the war. Some of the soldiers recognised me. Many were sick, but there are no hospitals, no clinics in these villages.

Now, the soldier that is old now and sick, which hospital would he go? They are everywhere. I just mentioned villages because that is where I met so many of them that were sick. There is no job, there is no work, they cannot farm, they are too old to farm, too old to

G

,

Brigadier-General Alabi Isama was the Chief of Staff to General Benjamin Adekunle, the Commander of the Third Marine Commando of the Nigerian Army during the Nigerian civil war. In this encounter with OSEHEYE OKWUOFU, Isama, who is writing a book, entitled ‘Tragedy of Victory’, his memoir on the Nigerian civil war, called on Nigerians and the Federal Government to honour the civil war hero and others who fought the war to keep Nigeria one.

Excerpts:

May be if he had stolen public funds, his condition would not be like this today. Let this country rise and help this man to live a little longer in comfort because he has denied himself such comfort while fighting in the war. There was no commander of Nigerian Army that is better than Adekunle. Why should he be the worse off today?

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fish, and they are not getting their pension. And when they went to collect their pension, there is no money to come back home, they become beggars in these villages and towns. And if those documents are not ready, they will tell them to go and bring the document with which they were recruited. Where will they find such document? They have pictures of their classmates and people where they fought. They have bullet wounds from the war, what else do they need? No clinics, no hospitals.

Those that are sick like in Ibadan or Lagos are a bit okay because they just walk across to a military hospital where they will probably get treatment. Do I retire and you want me to go and live in the cities? Many of us will have to retire to villages. In those villages, there are no hospitals. Even those in the cities have no jobs. So which job are we expecting him to do there? They will

run some poultry, the feed is somewhere miles away.

They will run a fish pond, the feed is some miles away, and they cannot afford to run them. The children are growing, but they cannot go to schools because they cannot afford them. So, they are now the cooks and stewards of their officers. Officers build houses here and there. Now, let’s come back to General Benjamin Adekunle. Is this how we will remember our heroes?

Must we wait until he dies and become part of January 15?

As the Chief of Staff to General Benjamin Adekunle during the civil war, what can you say about him, I mean is he the way some people paint him?

As the Commander of the Third Marine Commando, he captured Bonny, he captured Calabar. Today’s Cross River State, he sent me to capture the whole place, from Calabar town to Dukwani, and to Akunana, Bethem, Ukep, Ikot, igbigidi, Ediba, Ekan and many other places. We captured the whole of what is today known as Cross River State. He sent me there as the commander of the troop, but he was our overall commander. In what is known as Akwa-Ibom today, we fought and captured places like Uyo, Ikotepene, Oron, Abak and Opobo. He was my commander. The entire Rivers State, from Bori Ogoni, to Alitu-Eleme, Philima , Boguma, up to Bayelsa of today. All these were the places we went and captured under Adekunle.

I might have been sent as the overall commander of the troop, but I had other junior commanders. We have people like Ochuk, Yemi Alabi, who is blind today; Adenuga who is also blind; Major Salawu, an Ibadan indigene. As a matter of fact, I was speaking on a radio programme one day, and I said Major Salawu was earning N5000 as his pension. A little later, he called me to say ‘Oga mi, my pension is only N2600 o, not N5000 o’. What would he do with N5000? What school fees would that pay?

If you look at those who fought the world war on the British side, they had their salaries paid to their families during the war. And when they came back after the war, those who survived were able to buy food, they were able to live well. They also had social security through which they were collecting money to feed themselves. But we don’t have those things here. And to make matters worse, Obasanjo was paying salaries in the war front. He messed up the whole thing. How do you pay salaries to troops in the war front? What

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

17

ailing civil war hero Scorpion’s war-time Chief of Staff Isama urgently is logistic support not money –Adekunle’s son Abiodun respond in any way to logistics assistance such as medical helicopter. We are not asking for him to be given monuments or lionised. My father is a very humble man who was never interested in self-aggrandisement.”

He said contrary to claims that the family can no longer pay the hospital bills of the General, the family has ‘within its means’ taken care of the medical bills of his father. He, however, confessed that the family still needs the assistance of the Nigerian Army, his father’s former employer, to help facilitate his movement to a hospital in Ghana, and wondered why Nigeria has consistently refused to honour its heroes.

“We are not asking for handouts in order to take care of my father’s medical bills. We, the family, have been doing that within our capacity; I am only entreating the Nigerian Army and the government for logistics support. We need a medical ambulance to carry him to Ghana where he is billed to receive medical attention. This is necessary because we cannot take him in a vehicle. So, we need something like a military chopper to carry him.

I volunteer to fuel the chopper if it is made available to us. ‘’But as I speak with you, I have not received any positive result from the army. My father has always been a straight-forward soldier's soldier and business has never been his forte.

However, he still has his army pension and several size-able assets which have survived

mis-management and fraud of some of his caregivers.

“Furthermore, any letter purported to have been signed by him, pleading for assistance for his medical bills, are farthest from the truth and should not be responded to by any notable officials or government personalities.

Old age has taken its toll on his sight and mind; and to our great pain, some care-givers have put all manner of documents to him for signature, knowing full well that he is unable to appropriately scrutinise letters and documents. He has been this way for many years. ‘’However, there are some of my father’s former colleagues and friends of the family who have been incredibly supportive and always showing concern for his condition. In fact, some of them have been so eager to assist that they have fallen prey to some nscrupulous scams for money in his name. I have met with many of them and tried to clear the air. It is because of them that my faith in Nigerians remains intact. They have been loyal to the core, and I believe they will remain so till the end of time. I will not mention their names so that they will not face any backlash for their loyalty. They have my greatest respect and admiration.’’

However, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, said he did not want to be drawn into the controversy.

When our correspondent called his mobile line on Friday, he said he was not in a position to comment on the matter.

happens if he dies in the war front while his six months’ salary is in his pocket? Who pays the school fees of his children? Who pays the rent of his family, and his aged parents? Who looks after them? Was it wrong for me to have joined the army to fight for the unity of the country?

So, Adekunle was our leader. But unfortunately for him, he was not a thief like many of them. If he were a thief like many, his condition would not have been like this today. Can’t you see the others? Don’t you see where they live? Adekunle's house was renovated by Ogbomoso people. A lot of our officers are around, even in Ibadan. Sanmi Toyo, who fought in the marine Commando, General Ola Oni who lives in Ibadan. But my brother, in the scheme of things, where are they today? Will you meet them on the street and recognise them? But you will recognise the thieves and vagabonds on the street, because they are the super stars. They are the baba o. They are the ones that will ride the best cars and live in the best houses. What were their contributions? This is what we call extractive government. The money is shared by the elite.

What did these people do wrong to the society? They went to the war and came back from the war alive. But what did they get out of it? Nothing! Today, Adekunle is forgotten by the country. That is the hero of the civil war. He won all the battles, but not the war. He was like the Moses of the Bible, Moses fought Pharaoh, fought everybody, but he didn’t see the promised land. It is the same with Pa Akinwumi. He barely could feed himself now. Is there anybody to pay him? He is 77 years old, which farm is he expected to go? What business can he do now? He has children that want to go to school.

And so, the children of these people are now looking for jobs everywhere. They are now the cooks and stewards everywhere. Like I said, may be if he had stolen public funds, his condition would not be like this today. Let this country rise and help this man to live a little longer in comfort because he has denied himself such comfort while fighting in the war. There was no commander of Nigerian army that is better than Adekunle. Why should he be the worse off today?

Why is this man hated by the Igbo…?

The Igbo are jealous of him because they believe he killed their children. As a matter of fact, Adekunle did not operate in Igbo area. Calabar, Uyo ,Ikotopene, PortHarcourt, these are the places he operated. Towards the

•Gen. Adekunle

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n Segun AJIBOYE n

What did these people do wrong to the society?

They went to the war and came back from the war alive. But what did they get out of it? Nothing! Today, Adekunle is forgotten by the country. That is the hero of the civil war. He won all the battles, but not the war. He was like the Moses of the Bible; Moses fought Pharaoh, fought everybody, but he didn’t see the promised land

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end of the war, he went to Aba, Owerri, and then ended the war. He wasn’t there when the war ended. So, which Igbo children are we talking about? He gave me authority to feed the population in our area of operation.

I have pictures here showing how we fed the natives.

As a matter of fact, you better believe it, the children with kwashiorkor and people you have seen in the pictures are not Igbo people. The Igbo did not leave their homes. These are people of Anang, Efik, Ibibio, Ekwere. Because of the propaganda that they would be killed and that their children and wives would be raped, and all that. They were the refugees that went to refugee camps. When the majority of them came back to Ekwere Marine Commando area, there are pictures

showing how they looked like. They were the ones in refugee camps. The Igbo in Orlu, Nnewi and all the Igbo areas did not have Kwashiorkor, and people failed to see that. I was in the war front to see for myself, and I am saying it as a matter of fact. My brother, this is my submission, let the country rise up and give him (General Adekunle) a few more days to live.

You said you visited him at the hospital, what is the nature of his sickness?

Well I do not know. But when I went to see him, we had a code during the war, that when you are in trouble, you will say ‘I am open’. When you are not in trouble and everything is going fine, ‘Sir I am close, no problem’. All he was able to say, he couldn’t even talk, he was held by the hand to come and see me. And he said ‘I am open. Alabi I am open’. He couldn’t say more. And to me, he is saying ‘I am in trouble’. I am calling on Nigerians to help save this man. He is over 75 years old now, going 76. He can still live one more day if we all care. He was my boss, we quarrelled, we scattered, but he is still human. We quarrelled about the job. It wasn’t a personal quarrel.

Today, we now know the facts, but that is not important. The important thing is that the war ended in that Marine Commando because he didn’t listen to the advice we gave him. He lost out, yet he was still our commander. He was still the war hero, not Obasanjo that went and claimed that he got the surrender. He wasn’t even there to get the surrender. He even got lost on his way when General Akinrinade called to say the war had ended and people had surrendered. He came from Port-Harcourt to go to Ameache, he didn’t know his way. He even wrote it in his book, ‘My Command’.

He finally got there after four or five hours, the people had dispersed. When he saw Akinrinade, he asked ‘Where are the people?’ He was told ‘They have dispersed, they will see you tomorrow’. So, he wasn’t there. But by destiny, he got the glory. And people liked that. But instead of advising and helping Adekunle, they continued to chastise him, they wanted him to die.

Are you saying people like Obasanjo, who was one of the benefactors of the works of the man, could not pay his hospital bill? He became the Head of State because people were made to believe he won the war. He could as well look after them, but he didn’t, he looked after himself. And people like Adekunle are languishing right there.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

18 Continued from page 15 instance, in the entire South West region of Nigeria, only the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the University College Hospital (UCH) have dedicated wards to paediatric oncology in Nigeria. The two hospitals also get patients from outside the South West. Consequently, resources and equipment are put under tremendous strain at the two hospitals thereby making them unable to meet up with the demands for drugs and other treatments.

This situation has forced many parents into seeking alternative means of cure-often from traditional healers- with often devastating and fatal results for the children involved. In 2010, Chioma was reportedly taken to the village to consult herbal healers and was only returned to LUTH when her condition showed no improvement.

Treating cancer No one could pretend that treating cancer is fun or cheap in Nigeria and Dr. Akinsulie was not about to start. According to him, cancer can affect any part of the body but the most common are cancer of the blood and the kidney.

The treatment for the two differs in time and cost; while kidney cancer can be treated in six months and has a survival rate of about 80 percent, treatment of leukemia could prolong for two years with the survival rate hovering between 20 and 30 percent.

Treating cancer is both emotionally draining and expensive. For Muyiwa Olaonipekun, father of Timothy, a cancer patient, the one-year experience has left him drained both financially and emotionally.

“My wife died in April last year just after that this sickness began; the money left by my wife has been expanded on treating my son. I have had to go seek help from my old school association. Till date, we have spent up to N2million and we are on the 4th course of the chemotherapy. We still need N2.5milllion and we have less than N50,000 in the kitty,” Olaonipekun said.

His work has suffered too. Since the sickness began, he has abandoned his business to stay by the side of his son. He slept each night on the floor by his son. This is no mean task, for the floor is bare and hard. “ It is the Lord that is keeping me strong,” he said with a smile, clutching a tiny bible to illustrate his belief in the supernatural.

Esther Shedrack, though has spent just a few months in the hospital, already raked up about half a million naira in hospital bills and the treatment has just commenced. Her mother, a caterer, has given up her job and has exchanged her bed for the cold floor of the hospital ward. She has also added another profile to her new occupation: endless tears.

“I feel agitated all the time when I look at my child. There is no assurance for kids, how much more adults and we call ourselves freeborn. We are all strangers in our fatherland.

That is why I don’t blame those who leave this country for places like Ghana,” she lamented.

Charles Ukanwa said he had spent more than N5million treating his daughter before she finally gave up the ghost. The transport driver said he had tried his best to raise funds for the treatment of his child. But according to some hospital sources, the hospital staff were responsible for the upkeep and treatment of Chioma for a long time after the father could not come up with any more fund.

He was still looking for about N20million to fund her treatment in India when she died.

The mother, who was a full-time housewife, had become a full-time nurse always by the side of the child until the bitter end.

Prof Akinsulie said: “For the family that has one case of cancer, it’s total. You discover you are spending N2million-N3million and how many families can afford that? A family that cannot make N100, 000 a month will need to cough out N300, 000 a month for treatment. They resort to selling their properties and in six months, they are poor. The thing spreads because the other children cannot feed well. Sicknesses set in. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the child would survive, and it can be very devastating. Sometimes, treatment can be up to three

•Children's ward

human kindness to help us purchase these machines which are so vital to the treatment of these children,” Nwobi said.

“These children do not have to die needless deaths all the time; the government can fund the purchase of these machines and highly subsidise the treatment of paediatric cancer. If corruption is eliminated in governance, that money can be channelled into treating those with cancer.

Even Somalia has made tremendous progress.

Why can’t we curb corruption and save the children?” a hospital management staff said.

“I once spoke to a state government and I was shocked when they said the money they will use to treat one cancer patient would be used to treat 5,000 diarrhoea or malaria. That is the way our government thinks,” Nwobbi recounted to The Nation.

Creating Awareness By 2002, Nneka Nwobbi has seen enough inside the horrid walls of cancer wards at the LUTH; she had seen many children die from childhood cancer due to lack of financial resources to treat the disease or from sheer apathy from the parents. She, therefore, decided to embark on an adventure such that would attempt to save the lives of some of the children. She founded the Children Living With Cancer Foundation (CLWCF).

The organisation she founded has gone ahead to provide services to these children some of which include: Total or partial coverage of expenses related to chemotherapy; support with medications; overseas travels when needed; counselling for families and patients; creating awareness about childhood cancer.

Nwobbi has worked with many of the patients at LUTH. A week before Chioma died, she has been involved in the campaign to raise funds for her. Her past chemotherapy has been partially funded by her organisation. The paediatric oncology ward had been furnished and equipped by her organisation.

Most of the parents come to her for chemotherapy medications which she gave free of charge. Her success stories have been more of kidney cancer than leukemia. “We have had success stories mainly with kidney cancer. We have what we call save 10 projects, looking for sponsors at least to treat 10 children with the disease. Not as costly as leukemia, roughly about N2 million for treatment,” she told The Nation in her Anthony Village, Lagos office.

Nwobbi believes that childhood cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. “The cancer is curable if the children are brought in early enough to start treatment and that is why awareness is involved. Parents need to know the signs to look for in their children.”

She has, therefore, devised the SILUAN method. This method involves seeking medical help for persistent symptoms, check for white sports, squinting in the eye, looking for lump in the abdomen and pelvis and other parts of the body, reporting unexplained fever, weight loss and appetite, Aching bones and joints, neurological changes in behaviour, balance and gaits in children should be reported in time.

But one of the factors inhibiting the work against childhood cancer surprisingly is the attitude of the parents. Many parents simply refused to believe their wards may have cancer. “There are several cases where the parents have simply refused to believe in the doctor’s diagnosis,” she said.

It’s another week at LUTH and five more patients will join the ones who are lucky enough to be alive. None of the doctors could guarantee which of them would survive, but what they can assure is that they will be needing finances in the millions. Maybe a few can afford, it many can’t, except kindhearted Nigerians come to their rescue. Ann Shedrack and Muyiwa Olaonipekun are appealing to such Nigerians to save their children.

Donations are solicited through the following accounts: Muyiwa Olaonipekun, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Account N0: 0005233079.

‘I feel agitated every time I look at my child’ years and it may cost about N5million,” he said.

To survive the crippling costs of treatment, parents have devised several means of raising funds which include going cap-in-hand to corporate organisations, the media and others; they just hit the streets, going to the motor parks and churches.

One of such parents, whose child is now late, told The Nation after an agreement to protect his identity: “ I was desperate. I sold my car and all my properties. If someone was willing to buy my clothes, I could have sold them. I had to go to the streets. It was painful and shameful but I had no choice. To make it worse, I did not raise up to N50,000 before my son died.”

But if the scheme currently being worked upon by LUTH comes to fruition, this agonising search for funds may come to an end. According to Akinsulie, the hospital management is currently trying a new campaign to involve millions of Nigerians donating a fraction of their income monthly towards the Save the Cancer Children Fund.

A paediatric hospital called St, Judes in the USA, it was learnt, is ready to partner with LUTH to raise more funds if the Nigerian partners can kick-start it.

“The aim is to get small money in large numbers; so if we have one million Nigerians donating N100 per month, we would have about N1billion to play with and we can give quality treatment for the children for free.

Our partners in the USA are ready. They just want us to run this thing for like two years.

We are appealing to Nigerians to help, it doesn’t have to be your child,” Akinsulie said.

there is shortage of platlets in the hospital; neither do they deny that many children have been lost due to that shortage. So what could have caused this scarcity?

In a bag of blood, there are many components like the red blood cell and platlets.

Those needing blood transfusion do not need all of these components. So there is a separating method using a machine called Cold Centrifuge for blood bag separation. This is how it works: a blood bag is placed inside and the machine separates the different blood components. So a patient does not need to get a full bag of blood if he doesn’t need it.

But it is this machine that would separate the platlets for use by the children that is scarce. Without the platlets, children undergoing chemotherapy will die, it is certain and many have died.

Only LUTH and UCH have a cold centrifuge machine and all the cases in the South West are directed to these two institutions, which puts a lot of pressure on the equipment. As a result, the machine is overused and it malfunctions, this is the exact case with LUTH. Frustrated and upset parents then begin to patronise the ‘black market’. But that also has its dangers as many unscrupulous sellers wanting to make maximum gain mix serum with the platlets. The results could be devastating as seen in the case of Chioma.

“They got the platlets outside LUTH and there should be a toxicology test carried out on it, the thing is that one bag of platlets in LUTH is better than six bags outside. I do not know if the girl reacted to the platlets. I am also not sure of the source either,” Nwobi said.

The problem is replicated at all the teaching hospitals. At the OOUTH Sagamu, sources said even though it does not have a dedicated paeditric oncology ward, it nonetheless has the capacity to get platlets anytime it is needed. “We have a professor here that has connections at LUTH. So we always get it when we need it. We are also in the process of establishing our cancer ward and in two years time, we should be able to do that so that we can fully treat our patients.”

According to Akinsulie, the problem of scarcity of platlets could be solved if the hospital can get the machine. A single machine that is capable of separating four bags of blood costs only N6million, while one that can separate between 10 and 12 bags of blood costs N10million.

“We are appealing to those with the milk of

,

I feel agitated all the time when I look at my child.

There is no assurance for kids, how much more adults and we call ourselves freeborn.

We are all strangers in our fatherland.

That is why I don’t blame those who leave this country for places like Ghana

Life saving platlets The cause of about 90 percent of the deaths from childhood cancer cases is attributed solely to the scarcity of platlets. According to one of the nurses at the children’s ward, what many children are waiting for are platlets but while waiting, many succumb to death.

“There is this crisis of platlets here; it has been hell getting it. So we start to look for it all over the place. Here in LUTH, it costs N5,000 but outside in the private laboratories, it is N17,000,” Olaonipekun said.

Ann Shedrack said she has been able to secure some platlets at the Island Maternity on Lagos Island, which is where most of the people needing the life-saving blood get it from.

The LUTH management did not deny that

,

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Contrary to the widely held impression, Pa Benneth Odiase, who died on June 12, 2013, was only the composer of the music and not the wordings of the national anthem. Dr Sota Omoigui, a Nigerian consultant anesthesiologist and pain specialist based in the United States, who was one of the five composers of the wordings of the anthem, in this interview with LEKAN OTUFODUNRIN, speaks on the history of the anthem and other related issues.

Pa Benneth Odiase who composed the music of the national anthem died during the week; what kind of tribute do you want to pay in his memory? am saddened by the passing away of Pa Benedict Odiase who composed the music of our national anthem. As one of the five co-authors of the wordings of the anthem, I had looked forward to the day when the country would bring us all together - composers of both the words and music - to celebrate what we created in 1978 - 35 years ago.

The words and music replaced the old colonial anthem of "Nigeria, we hail thee" and were composed to inspire all of us -citizens and leaders - to build a great nation. Alas, death gave our leaders a long time to get this done, but death can only wait so long.

I wish Pa Odiase God speed and journey mercies as he unshackles the bonds of this earthly world. May the good Lord console his family and give them the strength to bear his loss. They should take solace that where the Lord abides, death will have no sting and grave no victory.

The nation can be comforted that whenever the drum roll of our national anthem is played, Pa Odiase would be smiling from heaven.

May we continue to be one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.

As one of the composers of the words of the Nigerian national anthem, it must mean much to you than all of us who recite it. What kind of feelings do you get when you hear the anthem?

I have mixed feelings when I hear our anthem. I have pride in our country and its potential to take its place as a great nation.

Nigerians are achievers who thrive anywhere in the world they go. But I feel sadness that we as a country have lost our way.

We are a giant shackled to the underclass of nations, and kept in bondage by our leaders whose corruption and avarice demonstrate a lack of love for their own people. Love is mentioned in each verse of the anthem. But our political leaders show only love for themselves and their immediate family. Our hospitals can remain mere consulting clinics with few drugs and outdated equipment as long as they can travel abroad for medical treatment and earn foreign exchange for themselves and their family while receiving the best medical care.

This is the opposite of all the virtues we called for in the anthem. Our leaders are living in a bubble and fail to see a train crash waiting to happen.

Can you recall your involvement in composing the anthem?

Very much so. I was in Kings College, Lagos at the time, and there was a national competition for the anthem organized by the National Publicity Committee on the Draft Constitution/Return to Civilian Rule in Nigeria. I sent in my entry, and, to my great surprise, I saw my name in the Daily Times newspaper as one of the top five selected out of a total of 1,499 entries submitted. The final words of the national anthem were formed from these five entries.

What particular words are yours in the anthem?

The last lines of each verse.

What informed your words in the anthem?

It was my desire for a great nation bound in love, social justice, peace, freedom and unity. Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. As the late great Fela Anikulapo-Kuti would say: No justice, no peace. And that is the story of Nigeria to date. When the undertrodden have no justice, the ruling class will find no peace.

I

•Omoigui

You said in your press release that the anthem was composed to inspire all of us -citizens and leaders - to build a great nation; has this been achieved?

Unfortunately, we as a nation have failed to achieve our potential. In fact we have lost our way. I will give you two examples.

First,when I drive on the 405 freeway which passes next to Los Angeles International Airport, I can see planes coming in to land. The national insignia on the aircraft is very visible. I see national airlines from many developing countries, such as Ethiopian Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Malaysian Airlines and even from small pacific islands, such as Air Tahiti Nui. But I feel a pain in my heart that I do not see the Nigeria Airways insignia on any aircraft. We cannot even run our own national airline. And that is a nation that has lost its way.

Second, the Channels TV video that showed the rot at the Police College, Lagos - This is a glaring example of leaders who do not care for their people.

How do you go to work in the foremost police college of the country with any conscience and supervise the training of future police officers in such dilapidated and appalling conditions ? How do you sleep at night knowing that your trainee officers are living in such squalid conditions?

How did we as a country deteriorate to such an extent, where no one is held accountable? I will take the liberty to quote my sister-in-law, Mrs Moira Omoigui, whose response to the video was a prayer that "May you and your loved ones never meet the products of such an institution at a checkpoint" That prayer sums it all.

These and the underdevelopment of our nation bring up the salient question whether we were ready for independence and if we can rule ourselves.

Who are the other co-composers?

These records are available online. The other co-authors of the anthem lyrics are John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B. A. Ogunnaike and P. O. Aderibigbe. The music was composed by the Police Band under the directorship of Benedict Elide Odiase You said you had looked forward to the day when the country would bring together - composers of both the words and music - to celebrate what you all created in 1978 - 35 years ago; why do you think this didn’t happen?

The origin and history of the anthem had been forgotten by those in government. Pa Odiase was awarded the MON in December 2001 for the anthem.

‘The true history of the national anthem’

However, the composition of the anthem comprised both music and lyrics. This was a lost opportunity to bring together all those who created the anthem.

Do you feel cheated that you and your co-composers have not been acknowledged and rewarded like Pa Odiase?

Not at all. The origin and history of the anthem have been forgotten and that explains why none of the other composers has been acknowledged. This is a reflection of our government as well as the state of our media when our journalists go to press without doing the minimum research or fact finding.

ALL the newspaper reports since the transition of Pa Odiase have described him incorrectly as the composer of the national anthem. This is not to take anything from the greatness of Pa Odiase and the indelible musical legacy of the anthem he has left behind for our country. I am very pleased that he was acknowledged in his lifetime.

But history is history. It cannot be altered and we must document it as it is. With a few keystrokes search on the Internet, any reporter or government official can obtain the proper history of our national anthem, including the names of the composers of the lyrics as well as the music.

This is just recent history dating back to 1978, and we cannot get it right. Compare that to the UK where they acknowledge their history dating back a thousand years such as the conquest of King Harold by William the conqueror on October 13th, 1066. This should be a wake-up call for all of us.

A nation that forgets its history has no guide to its future.

Now irrespective of our failure to remember our history, I cannot feel cheated when the average Nigerian is cheated of constant power supply, cheated of potable water, cheated of good roads, cheated of basic health care, cheated of good education, cheated of security for life and limb and cheated of good governance.

Will you still be willing to participate in a get- together of the composers?

Yes I will.

Do you think Nigerians have imbibed the message of the anthem?

If not, what should be done to ensure that it is not just a song, but a call to action?

The message of the anthem can only resonate when we have moral leadership, starting from President Goodluck Jonathan and permeating all branches of the government from top to bottom. Corruption is not a problem in Nigeria. It is an institution and a way of life.

We are too greedy and selfish to realize the old saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. 300 years ago, our ancestors sold their brothers and sisters into physical slavery. Today the majority of Nigerians are in economic servitude. More than 100 million Nigerians, about 61 per cent of the population, were living on less than $1 a day at the end of 2010. That's up from 51 per cent in 2004, as reported by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. Despite the fact that the Nigerian economy is growing, the proportion of Nigerians living in poverty is increasing every year, as reported by the statistician general.

We cannot solve the problems of Boko Haram with an iron fist. Neither can we solve the environmental and economic devastation in the Niger Delta by paying off the militants.

Our people need a coherent economic plan and a leadership that work for them. Our constitution with its party system that prevents honest men and women from rising to leadership positions, its failure to provide for independent candidates, lack of checks and balances of an all powerful executive branch and numerous other failings has set us up for failure.

We need an independent Office of the Inspector General at all levels of Federal, State and Local Government to audit and prevent crime and an independent transparent EFCC to prosecute the crime. All past and present office holders must match their assets with their income. But alas, until we adhere to the words of our anthem, Nigeria can never take its place of leadership in the community of nations.

Tell me more about your background, relocation abroad and your present work? left Nigeria to the United States in 1986, after finishing medical school at the University of Ibadan, College of Medicine and serving my internship and national youth corps service.

This is my bio below : Sota Omoigui M.D. is a consultant anesthesiologist and pain specialist. He is an expert in all types of acute and chronic pain syndromes and treats patients in the USA, Nigeria as well as around the world. He is Medical Director of the L.A. Pain Clinic in Hawthorne, California and former member of the FDA Advisory Committee on Anesthetics and Life Support Devices (2008 – 2011).

Dr. Sota Omoigui is author of The Biochemical Origin of Pain (State-of-the-Art Technologies, 2002), Sota Omoigui’s Pain Drugs Handbook (Blackwell Scientific Publishers, 1999), The Anesthesia Drugs Handbook (Mosby Yearbook Publishers, 1995), The Pain Drugs Handbook (Mosby Yearbook Publishers, 1996), Pain Relief—The L.A. Pain Clinic Guide (State-of-the-Art Technologies, 1998), The Universal Drug Infusion Ruler (State-of-the-Art Technologies, 1995) and co-author of The Nigerian National Anthem (198). Dr. Sota Omoigui’s drug handbooks are used worldwide and have been published in five other languages (Italian, Japanese, Malaysian, Polish and Portuguese).

Dr. Sota Omoigui’s research focus is on inflammation and pain, anesthetic and pain pharmacology. Dr. Sota Omoigui pioneered the technique of audio-capnometry and holds a United States patent for the audio-capnometer monitor and a patent for the process of continuous non-invasive hemometry (measurement of hemoglobin).

I

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Otunba Taiwo

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Continued on Page 52

22 Last Saturday, Adekemi, daughter of business mogul and publisher of the defunct Third Eye newspaper, Chief Akanni Aluko, exchanged marital vows with her heartthrob, Christopher Tolaore, son of the late Colonel (Dr) Atalabi. OSEHEYE OKWUOFU, who witnessed the event, reports.

H

UNDREDS of eminent personalities within and outside the country thronged the home of famous publisher and businessman, Chief Akanni Aluko, last weekend in honour of newly married couple, Agnes Adekemi and Christopher Tolaore. The wedding programme, which commenced penultimate Thursday at the Ilesa, Osun State home of the bride’s father, Chief Akanni Aluko, saw hundreds of invited guests from Oyo, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Edo, Kwara, Kogi, Plateau and Kano states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory in attendance.

The Thursday programme, christened the traditional engagement of the couple, included the acceptance of bride price and the consent of the bride’s parents to giving their daughter’s hand out in marriage. The scores of dignitaries who attended the event included the juju maestro, King Sunny Ade and members of his musical band, who entertained the guests. Others in attendance were the wife of former Oyo State Governor, Rashidi Ladoja, Alhaja Mutiat; wife of the late Ibadan politician, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, Alhaja Bose; Prof. Solomon Kadiri; Prof. Salako; Prof. and Mrs. Ogunbiyi; Chief Olusola Gilbert and wife; Chief Olu Abiola; Chief Martins Sesan; former Registrar, University of Ibadan, Chief Mrs. Moji Ladipo and the Ogiyan of Ejigboland, Oba Omowonuola Oyesosin and some of his chiefs.

All the large canopies erected were filled to the tilt by guests. The bride’s parents, Chief Aluko and wife, Kofoworola, were in joyous mood as they obviously enjoyed every minute of the event. They sat in the front row opposite the groom’s family members. The bride price, which included a copy of the Holy Bible, was accepted before the audience with applause as they pronounced the relationship valid. There were traditional songs, accompanied with performance by dancers from Emure Ekiti, Ekiti State, the home of the groom’s parents, which ushered the groom and his friends to the stage.

There was plenty of food and assorted drinks for guests.

At the St. Mary’s Catholic Cathederal, Oke-

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Alaafin, Owa Obokun, others honour Third Eye publisher Akanni-Aluko at daugher’s wedding Padre, Ibadan, where the marriage was solemnised last Saturday, the church building was filled to capacity. Among the dignitaries at the church were the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III; the Ogiyan of Ejigboland, Oba Omowonuola Oyesosin; the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana represented

by High Chief Eddy Oyewole; the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran; wife of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja, Alhaja Mutiat; wife of the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, Alhaja Bose; the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola Alao; the Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida; Chief Pery Aluko; members of the University of Ibadan community; the business community and politicians.

The church service, presided over by the chief host, the Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Diocese, Arcbishop Alaba Job, was full of counsel and admonition for the new couple. The premises of the church were filled with assorted cars. The couple was ushered in with praise songs provided by the choir. All eyes were on the couple who thrilled the congregation with their dance steps.

In his sermon, Bishop Emmaneul Badejo of Oyo Catholic Diocese enjoined the bride and the groom to be faithful to each other in fulfillment of their marital vows. He reminded the husband to honour his wife, while the wife should also have deep respect for her husband.

Speaking on same sex marriage, Bishop Badejo said: “Catholics all over the world should rise up to fight against same sex marriage. It is a fight that must be won because the act is a gross sin against God, and we should not allow it in the sanctuary of the living God”.

At the venue of the reception, Jogor Event Centre, Ring Road, Ibadan, the musical band of Wale Zion entertained the guests. It was full of fun. Everyone ate and drank their choice food and wine. The bride’s father, while thanking God for His mercies upon him, said: “I feel very high and my spirit is once again alive. I feel I am waking up from slumber. God has touched my life positively and He has given me all these great things you are seeing.

“I thank God for His mercies, His blessings and provisions for me. I also thank all those who gave me massive support both here in Ilesa and in Ibadan. May the Almighty God continue to replenish them.”

The Owa Obokun of Ijesaland took the audience by surprise when he led his chiefs to the floor to dance. The entire hall exploded with applause as they watched the monarch doing it the royal way.

•The newly-wedded couple dancing during their marriage held at St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral Church Oke-Padre, Ibadan, Oyo State.

•Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III and Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola Alao.

•From left: Chief Akanni Aluko, his wife, Mrs. Kofoworola and the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Omowonuola Oyeyode Oyesosin during the engagement at Ilesa, Osun State, penultmate Thursday.

•From right: Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, his Olori and Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adegboye Adesida.

•Former Registrar of University of Ibadan, Chief Mrs. Moji Ladipo and Chief (Mrs.) Mutiat Ladoja, at the wedding

•Chief Akanni-Aluko and Juju music maestro, Sunday Adegeye aka King Sunny Ade, during the engagement.

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•Rory McIlroy

Harrington gets moving with 66 at Travelers

•Tiger Woods

SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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With KAYODE ALFRED

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

E-mail:kayflex2@yahoo.com

TEL:08035733605

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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TEL:08035733605

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Men’s wardrobe

essentials

Bow ties

Blazers revolution

White shirt

Alexx Ekubo

Polo shirt Armani suit

Black shoes and belts

oes ers sh Sneaksual wears a for c

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Tips on how to rock it

The limited Peter Pan collar shirt pair with a peach bum shorts

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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FORTUNE& I Segun AJIBOYE

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Alabede

Gbenga ADERANTI, Production Editor, Saturday

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Odeneye

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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Special Impact Journalism Edition is made possible by The Nation and Sparknews with the support of media partners

Why Impact Journalism Day? R

EADERS all over the world today are hungry for stories with a difference. Stories that bring hope and concrete solutions, at both a local and global level. They are looking for signs of change they can identify with. Change that will make them think… and act.

The media has a key role to play in this – to alert us about problems AND share solutions. This is called Impact Journalism.

Stories like these are often hard to find. As the proverb says, “a falling tree makes more noise than a growing forest”. That is why Sparknews is working with the media to track down stories that are changing our world.

We invited editors of major newspapers to give more space to these inspiring initiatives. Twenty-two papers said yes, and today, the special pages they are dedicating to solutions will reach up to 50 million readers in 20 countries. Others are keen to join us and we hope 100 newspapers, TV and radio stations will participate in the next edition.

This has been a collaborative effort. The Sparknews team prepared a package of original articles, and the newspapers in turn reported on innovative projects in their own countries. The editors then made a selection for their own readers.

We at Sparknews hope the pages you are about to

Christian de Boisredon discover will be the start of a long adventure. Once this campaign is over, we will bring together our partner editors to share best practices and develop future collaborations.

The media are on board. Now what about us? Are we, ordinary readers, doing our bit to share solutions? A father complains his son is falling behind at school and losing confidence in the future but then he realizes he’s the one who comes home at night moaning about problems at work, the financial crisis and political scandals.

In other words, it’s up to each one of us to pass on news that could inspire others and give them hope.

So once you have read these pages, why not show them to your children, friends or colleagues? Why not use the social networks to share a video or an inspiring project you discovered on the Sparknews website?

Why not become a force for change yourself, by talking about solutions?

Join us on www.sparknews.com or, if you would like to contribute: impact@sparknews.com Thank you and welcome aboard!

•Christian de Boisredon is founder of Sparknews

Media Partners: Le Monde (France), “Mon Quotidien” - “L’Actu” for kids (France), The Times of India (India), La Stampa (Italy), La Presse ( Canada), Le Soir (Belgium), Folah de S.Paulo (Brazil) - June 22nd Excelsior (Mexico) , L’Orient-Le Jour (Lebanon), El Watan (Algeria), The Straits Times (Singapore), Cai Xin (China), Die Tageszeitung (Germany), The News International - Jang Group (Pakistan), Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland), City Press (South Africa, The Nation (Nigeria), Le Soleil (Senegal), The Daily Nation (Kenya), Politiken (Denmark) and Texas Tribune (USA)

•Christian de Boisredon

IMPACT: How a single article sparks big change Behind ‘impact journalism’ are the people who I write it, and what the readers do next T’S happened to nearly all of us at some point.

Whether leafing through our daily newspaper, or reading it online, one story just sort of ‘jumps out’. We might even cut it out, or share the link with a friend. But some ‘ordinary’ readers go further than that, and end up starting something much, much bigger.

What does a fair trade store in France, a charity ball in New York and a bank in Chile all have in common? A well-told, well-timed story. This is what happened when a businessman, a campaigning mom and a disenchanted banker all chanced across news articles that sparked something unexpected.

Coffee Tristan Lecomte was getting bored at his desk-job at French multinational L’Oréal when his sister tore out a two-page spread for him from one of the newspapers sold by the homeless, Le Réverbère. It was about coffee, and something called fair trade, which Lecomte had never heard of. “At the time, I remember thinking it was kind of odd to mix ethics with business, and I buried the article in the bottom of a drawer,” he says.

That was back in 1998.

Some months later, he quit his job to start his own business

Anna POLONYI, Sparknews with his university mates: they tossed around the idea of fair trade, brainstormed how to apply it, and finally ended up founding the first fair trade store in France, Alter Eco. After a rocky start, the company now distributes products to major retail stores around the world, including the United States, Australia and Brazil, certifying respectable wages and working conditions for the producers of the goods.

Congo A very different story is that of Jennifer Williams, from an affluent suburb in Westchester County, New York. A former banker turned mom, Williams sat down to catch up on the news one Sunday not long after she had had her second son. Opening the front page of the New York Times to a story about rape in the Congo, Williams was shocked: “Why had I never heard about women and children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo whose lives were being ripped apart by unimaginable violence?” she says.

She sent the article out to her group of power-mom friends, and shot off an email to the author, Africa correspondent Jeffrey Gettleman, for advice on what she could do to help. He got back to her and put her in touch with some key figures—such as playwright Eve Ensler and her foundation, V-Day, which was planning the construction of a special retreat center for rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, called the City of Joy. Williams and her friends began to hatch plans for an upscale benefit called Women of the Congo, inviting speakers like Gettleman and Ensler, but also actresses Whoopi Goldberg and Glenn Close.

That first gala in 2008 became an annual event, and Williams and her friends have now managed to raise $250,000, or about one-third of the total funds needed for the construc-

tion and operation of the City of Joy hospital wing in Bukavu, which opened its doors in July 2012.

“It’s a massive undertaking, but I liked the challenge,” Williams says. Before getting involved with V-Day, she had never done anything like this before. “There are a million causes, but it feels great to know that I’ve made a difference in one,” she adds. “We read about an issue, we were touched by it, we wanted to do something. And we did.

There’s no better feeling than that.”

Some journalists strive to have exactly this effect: one of them is Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times columnist Nick Kristof. “We’re in the lighting business,” he says of journalists. “And by and large our power comes from shining a spotlight on something that would otherwise be ne-

What is now known as ‘impact journalism’ is therefore about bringing practical possibilities for change to wider attention. But it should obviously remain as free and rigorous as regular news reporting

glected.”

Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn set off on a global trip to report on the subject that they saw as being paramount to 21st century development: women. Their book, Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, met with critical acclaim, was turned into a 3-hour documentary and also spawned a Facebook game which has raised $321,400 in charitable donations since its launch this March.

Ranging from maternal mortality to sexual abuse to education, Half the Sky paints a rather dismal picture of the challenges still facing women today. But Kristof and WuDunn spare their readers from despair by also introducing them to individual women who are working towards a better life however they can.

The book raises, and also genuinely tries to answer, the urgent question: what means do you have?

But doesn’t this mean that the roles of the humanitarian activist and the journalist get blurred? “There’s a very fine line that journalists have to walk here,” Kristof warns. “It’s great to aspire to change the world with your reporting, but you can’t cover every city council meeting as if it’s the moral equivalent of geno-

cide.”

Magazine-journalistturned-documentary-maker Claire Ward was inspired, as a student, by the New York Times’ “Fixes” column to take a closer look at how the nonprofit sector works. But after putting together The Cola Road, her film about ColaLife, a project that is bringing basic medicines to rural populations in Zambia by piggy-backing on the vast Coca-Cola distribution network, she agrees with Kristof. “’Feel-good’ land is murky territory in the world of the supposedly objective,” says Ward. Nonetheless, she is convinced the film “could teach the general public a lot about what development and social entrepreneurship look like on the ground.”

What is now known as ‘impact journalism’ is therefore about bringing practical possibilities for change to wider attention. But it should obviously remain as free and rigorous as regular news reporting. “Part of journalism is outlining not just problems but also potential solutions. But we shouldn’t be partisans, and I’m wary of becoming too closely identified with any one approach or group,” Kristof says.

•Anna Polonyi: apolonyi@sparknews.com

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

•Community health worker in Mali reports on a child’s health status Photo: Medic Mobile

•mPedigree: rooting out bogus medicine

MHEALTH: A doctor in your pocket Where’s the nearest health clinic? Are these medicines genuine, or cheap time-expired rip-offs? What should I be thinking about at this stage of pregnancy? All these questions, and more, can now be answered by text message. Basic mobile phones are at the frontline of delivering better healthcare to the world’s poorest – an unexpected bonus to the telecoms explosion and a brilliant way for healthcare professionals to expand their ‘waiting rooms’ over hundreds of kilometers.

W

HEN Josh Nesbit went to Malawi in the summer of 2007, he was a 20 year old undergraduate at Stanford, planning a career as a doctor. Except that first summer in Africa he noticed two things. First, that in his host village of Namitete, 60 kilometres outside the capital Lilongwe, his cellphone got better reception than back home in California. And second, that at the district St Gabriel’s hospital where he was studying infant HIV, staff were spending vast amounts of time and motorbike fuel manually delivering test results, symptom charts and patient records, or following up on missed appointments.

The following summer Nesbit returned with 100 donated cell phones and a battered laptop. Could ‘mhealth’, or “using mobile technology to improve health,” as he puts it, work at St Gabriel’s?

Today Medic Mobile, the company Nesbit subsequently founded, operates active mhealth programmes in 19 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America as well as in the United States. He still hasn’t had time to go to medical school, but has enabled thousands of other doctors, nurses and midwives to operate virtual waiting rooms, reaching patients across vast distances for whom regular, reliable access to healthcare was previously impossible.

After a decade of lightning development in telecoms technology and cellphone coverage, Nesbit says “mhealth is taken seriously by the major decision-makers in global health. The common message from community health workers and patients is, ‘We’re ready to try it’.”

But it turns out that the ‘smarter’ the phone doesn’t necessarily mean the better the medicine. As Bill Gates warned in early 2013 “the mere existence of cellular technology does not immediately change how poor people meet their basic needs.” (http://www.projectsyndicate.org/commentary/the-dawn-of-developingcountries—digital-empowerment-by-billgates#dssZOLa4ojLdY8YQ.99) Mhealth is still most effective using the ordinary phones that most people have in their pockets, and everyday applications such as text messaging. Despite excited talk of pocket-sized pathology labs and other incredible innovations mhealth is growing by supporting, not replacing, a real live doctor.

Dr Sikander Noor Mahomed of the Cape-Town based

Harry DUGMORE, Sparknews mhealth group Cell-Life says “cell phones can enhance the health worker/patient relationship. One doctor, for example, can link remotely to hundreds of patients, monitor their vital signs, check on treatment compliance and so on, even speak with them directly if needed, even though the patient is thousands of kilometers away.”

But how does it all work in practice? Here’s a closer look at four tried and tested mhealth initiatives which are making things better right now. mPedigree — rooting out bogus medicine Counterfeit drugs are big business. According to the World Health Organisation, up to a quarter of all prescription drugs sold in Africa are fakes. With mPedigree, users scratch off a special pre-attached label on their medicine which reveals a unique code. Then, using their mobile phone, they text that code to a designated number. A secure system then instantly tells the consumer if the drug is genuine.

Developed and launched in Ghana in 2007, and rolled out in partnership with technology giant Hewlett Packard, mPedigree is currently also operational in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and has recently been launched in India.

MOTECH — mobile news you can use all through your pregnancy MOTECH, or Mobile Technology for Community Health, can be used for a variety of applications. For example, in Ghana, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant was used to create a MOTECH ‘mobile midwife’ service. This allows pregnant women to get SMS or voice messages in a language of their choice with time-specific information about their pregnancy.

Examples might include a message to come in for scan or a check-up, or postnatal reminders about vaccinations due for their baby. Used in a different form, MOTECH also allows nurses to keep track of the women under their care.

Project Mwana — speeding up HIV results for the youngest patients How do you quickly, safely and privately check if babies are HIV positive? Project Mwana allows Zambians and Malawians in poor or rural areas to take advantage of highly specialized tests that can pick up HIV status early and which texts results back quickly to waiting mothers and caregivers.

According to UNICEF, survival rates for HIV positive newborns are up to 75 percent higher if they are diagnosed and begin treatment within the first 12 weeks of life. And iDART – the right drugs at the right time (to the right early diagnosis also helps keep affected patients in the people) system in terms of postnatal follow-ups. iDART stands for Intelligent Dispensing for AntiProject Mwana also allows for text message reminders to Retroviral Treatment. It uses ‘old-school’ technology — be sent when it is time for new medication or check-ups. bar coded labels – together with mobile phones and big This mhealth service uses the RapidSMS platform first databases, to speed up the supply of ARVs to HIV positive developed by the UNICEF Innovation Team in 2007. patients in South Africa.

But what is the next step for mhealth? Even the most Multi-lingual bar-coded labels are created for each basic phones are getting cheaper and more powerful, and patient’s drug packages, allowing shorter pharmacy network coverage is expanding ever deeper into rural queues and greater certainty that the right patient gets areas. the right drugs at the right time.

For Josh Nesbit it’s time to think beyond the SMS message Community pharmacists are thrilled. ”Dispensing and start talking SIMs. ”We are very excited about SIM [using] iDART takes about 15 seconds and generating a apps which let us deploy menu-driven applications on monthly usage report is roughly 5 minutes which is a any phone” he says. He forsees a time when the world’s huge convenience as this takes a day when done eight million community health workers will be scrolling manually,” says Ntombiyoxolo Mchunu, a specialist through their phone screens to support their work, and pharmacist at the Africa Centre for Health and Population their patients will be able to manage some of their own Studies in KwaZulu-Natal. health needs by scheduling appointments or accessing remote consultations directly.

With this increased complexity of material readily available on the very simplest handset it seems that the Jacob Sorgenfri Kjaer, Staff Reporter, idea of a mobile phone as ‘a doctor in your pocket’ is “My old job was absolutely idiotic” becoming more tangible.

Politiken (Denmark)

IJD reports Online: www.thenationonlineng.net Give them bread: Feeding the hungry no longer a science Janet OTIENO, (The Daily Nation, Kenya) SUCCOUR FOR RAPE VICTIMS Justice Ilevbare (The Nation, Nigeria) NAGA MOTHERS ASSOCIATION Rukmini Shrinivasan | TNN, India In the Belly of Montreal Karim BENESSAIEH, (La Presse, Canada)

Annette Jensen (die Tageszeitung, Germany)

BICYCLES: Two guys, two wheels, Add-on hardware and software extensions already two years, 500 photos, 6,000kms – the transform smart phones into a stethoscope or a microscope, for example, as well as other kinds of Spoon Half Full: story of ‘Bicycle Portraits’ diagnostic tools.

Lan Fang and Wang Heyan (Caixin, China) Marcelle Balt , Sparknews Taking this a big leap further, 2013 has also seen the launch of the first dedicated mobile ‘health phone’, the LifeWatch V. This phone is equipped with sensors that can measure glucose levels in the blood and give accurate body temperatures and blood pressure readings. It can How To Change Traffic Into Energy even generate electrocardiograms!

Elisa Barberis (for La Stampa), Verona, Italy Thanks to this, and other innovations, this may be the Making the most sustainable year that universal mhealth just bleeped a little bit closer People with autism – a benefit for school to its full potential.

Houses out of hazards Xolani Mbanjwa, South Africa

Lend me your skills!

Benjamin Leclercq – Monde Académie, Paris businesses

COLALIFE: Good things come in small packages: the ColaLife solution Catherine Galloway. Sparknews

Lilian Hernández, Mexico

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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I

T sounds like the start of a well-known joke. But, no. A Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, an aetheist and an agnostic really did walk into a bar … and really are setting off round the world together in a few days’ time.

They know they will return, a year from now, as changed people. But will they succeed in making a meaningful difference in their host countries too along the way ?

As they prepare for lift off on July 1st, heading straight to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Samuel Grzybowski, Soufiane Torkmani, Rafaella Scheer, Victor Grezes and Josselin Rieth are united on one key point. « It’s not about agreeing on what to believe, » says Samuel, « it’s much more to do with believing the same things about peace. » All five belong to the French organisation « Coexister » (Living Together), founded by Samuel in January 2009 when he was just 16 years old. Numbering some 300 young members across France the Coexister motto is « Diversity in faith, unity in action», and its first such action was mobilizing 150 people of all religions, and none, to give blood together (an event they called ‘Ensemble à Sang%’).

Since then the group has gone into dozens of schools and colleges to talk about the benefits of a multicultural society ; and offered training on how to manage interfaith initiatives. Members have also broadened their own horizons through international travel to cross-cultural hotspots.

The interfaith world tour is the most ambitious undertaking yet. Visiting 48 countries overall, these five young people will be making month-long, intensive stops in five symbolic locations.

First Jerusalem, where Christians, Jews and Muslims all share a spiritual home. Then Turkey as the geographical meeting point for several cultures ; India as the vast, historical centre for Hindu and Muslim cohabitation ; Singapore and Malaysia for coexistence in a rapidly modernising setting ; and finally the United States, a pioneer in inter-religious dialogue.

Then it’s back home, where, without skipping a beat, these globe-trotting pilgrims then immediately undertake the interfaith ‘Tour de France’ in May and June 2014. They plan to put together a travelling exhibition aboard the ‘Interfaith bus’, and use it to spark discussion of all they have seen and learned in schools and community centres.

So much for the itinerary, but the group itself is admirable in its « diversity ». One girl, four boys, three religions, and five very different personalities. It could add up to ‘mission impossible’, but 19 year old Rafaella predicts they will be « as close as siblings » by their return in June 2014.

And Rafaella, the baby of this ‘family’, knows what she’s talking about. The four boys have already turned up together to help persuade her skeptical parents to let her join the trip. For her, a practising Jew, « a world tour was a childhood dream, to which we have added this unique interfaith dimension. » At 27 Soufiane is the ‘big brother’. Quiet

•Tour participants

Photo: Corinne Simon/Ciric

A leap of faith : the world tour with a difference Claire de ROUX, Sparknews and understated, he’s very involved in the Organisation of Muslims in France but also admits that when he’s stuck in traffic he likes tuning in to the Catholic station ‘Radio Notre Dame’. An experienced inter-faith activist he currently works for Coexister full time as the group’s secretary general – the only one who has not had to interrupt university studies to go on the tour.

Asked what he’s most looking forward to in the coming year Soufiane replies that it will be seeing how, in different countries along the way, each member of the group « will find themselves in the minority » in terms of their beliefs and how this will subsequently change their « world view ».

Determined to do just that is fresh-faced Samuel, a committed Christian but even more commited to the idea that « the only way to learn to live together is by respecting our differences. » Still only 21 years old, he

brought all the others on board for this unique adventure and has guided the planning since September 2012.

Victor, also 21, talks a mile a minute and shares Samuel’s core belief that interfaith dialogue is essential to making the world go round a little bit better. But, to Samuel’s continuing surprise, after months of discussing religion Victor is, if anything, more convinced than ever that he’s an aetheist.

Understanding faith, for him, is a way to understand (and solve) conflict.

And then there’s Josselin, a self-proclaimed agnostic who thinks that Voltaire had it about right. That if there is a God, it’s a God of reason, not necessarily a God of faith. He’s the diplomat of the bunch, the 21 year old consensus builder, who also, handily, practises karate.

The tour, with an estimated budget of 100,000 euros got going with an initial grant from Sparknews (also behind the Impact Journalism Day initiative), and has since been

Salman Kahn, Founder of Khan Academy “A friend suggested that I put my mathematics lessons on YouTube and I thought ‘YouTube—that’s for cats playing pianos, not for serious mathematics’. But once I got over the idea that it wasn’t my idea, I gave it a try. I started getting comments like, ‘First time I smiled doing a derivative.’ One year and a thousand instructional videos later, I found a new passion dominating my free time. I realized that this was an opportunity to offer a free world-class education to anyone anywhere. Today we reach over 6 million unique users a month by offering a free personalized education experience in topics from mathematics to art history.” www.khanacademy.org/

SakenaYacoobi, Founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning: “When I first visited the Afghan refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan, what I saw were women and children with nothing to do and looking hopeless, and I wondered what I could do to help them change their life. I asked myself, ‘What changed my life: what can I do for them?’ and I answered, ‘Education changed my life.’ That is when I decided that my life work would be to bring quality education to women and children: education that would change their minds and help them

10 light bulbs to transform their lives.”http:// www.afghaninstituteoflearning.org/

Rebecca Rothney, Founder of Pack for a Purpose: “After our first trip to Africa, my husband Scott and I realized the amountof luggage we were allowed to bring on our safari was a small amountcompared to our airline luggage allowance. We started regularly bringing suppliesfor community schools and orphanages during our visits to Africa and askedour travel agent why more people weren’t doing the same. The agent answered,”Because people don’t think about it.” I decided I would give people a wayto think about it, and three and a half years later, Pack for a Purpose hashelped travelers deliver over 9,400 kilos of requested and needed suppliesto communities in more than 45 countries.”www.packforapurpose.org/

Mel Young, Founder of

Homeless World Cup “I was in a bar in Cape Town in 2001 with my friend and colleague HaraldSchmeid.

We had been attending a very good international conference on homelessness which had been inspiring. But there were no homeless people attending, so we were talking about how they could get involved but there were many barriers including language. Then, “Aha!” we said, “there is an international language called football.”

From that moment we created the Homeless World Cup where homeless people could represent their country in an international tournament and change their lives accordingly. And it works. We have an annual tournament, hundreds of thousands are involved through the year, over 70 countries participate and a huge percentage move away from homelessness altogether.”www.homelessworldcup.org/

Dame Claire Bertschinger, director for the Diploma in

supported by the French Scouts and Guides Association, the Rotary Club, and the French magazine ‘Le Nouvel Observateur’ among other sponsors, with Europ Assistance covering the group’s travel insurance.

These five adventurers are well aware they are setting off into the unknown. But although being first is good, not being the last is even better, and they are eager to see who will take up the challenge next year, and where it will take them.

After all, in the words of Martin Luther King, « We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. » •Among the countries the Interfaith Tour will visit in the next 12 months: Algeria, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, India, USA, Canada, Brazil, China and Singapore.

•To follow the route of the Interfaith Tour, to meet the team on the road, or to contribute as a sponsor, go to www.interfaithtour.com

Tropical Nursing at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

She was the inspiration for Bob Geldof to organize the Band Aid charity and Live Aid. “Doctors are rare in Africa and Asia, the nurse is the key to improving health care in resource poor situations, by targeting disease such as diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria (Millennium Development Goal 4) thousands of lives can be saved at minimum cost. I train nurses to go out into the field to help people to help themselves and for each nurse I train at the school I know that thousands of lives can be improved and saved. As a global citizen, I am inspired to use my life experience to create value on this planet and improve the health of as many people as possible worldwide.”

JJ Keki, Founder and Director of the Ugandan Interfaith Coffee Cooperative, Peace Kawomera “I was in Manhattan five blocks from the towers on my way to the top observation floor when the first plane hit. My “Aha” moment is when I witnessed the disappearance of the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001. I discovered it was religious motivated violence.When I came back to Uganda from that trip, I •Continued on Page 51

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013 EW YORK - As they walked through the World Science Festival Street Fair near Washington Square in early June, passers-by stopped and looked, intrigued. Between a basketball space and an innovation stage, one little booth was presenting a soccer ball called SOCCKET. Children and parents got closer.

Some asked questions while others chose to play.

After a few football passes, kids brought the ball back to the booth. The presenters of the SOCCKET held it and connected it to a flexible lamp attachment. In a matter of seconds, the lamp lit up.

SOCCKET could be a perfectly regular soccer ball. It looks exactly the same and weighs barely more. Yet there is a simple mechanism hidden inside that makes this one different. When you play with it, a pendulum inside it stores energy resulting from the motion, and converts it into electricity. A 30-minute-long match with the SOCCKET might feel like soccer. But that ball will give you three hours of light at the end of the game.

In five years, the SOCCKET went from being a student project at Harvard College to catching the attention of Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. Described as “the kind of thing I would like to see done” by the former U.S. President at the Clinton Global Initiative in March 2012, the development of this energy-harnessing ball is now being taken to a new level. Uncharted Play, a New York-based start-up whose founders created the SOCCKET, is looking to increase the ball’s distribution, hoping to bring light to communities without electricity around the world.

“It is something simple that resonates in people’s lives,” said Jessica Matthews, co-founder and CEO of Uncharted Play. “You’re making a difference.”

Matthews and her classmate Julia Silverman developed the SOCCKET during their junior year at Harvard when they both enrolled in an engineering class for non-engineers. In May 2011 the pair founded Uncharted Play. They have spent the last two years introducing the project in the U.S. and abroad, from the South Bronx to South Africa.

Melissa Seligmann, vice-president of business development at Uncharted Play, remembers children’s reactions when playing with the SOCCKET in Soweto, a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. “There was a true excitement among them when they saw the product,’’ she said. ``They started telling us it could help their parents with the energy bill.”

In the different places Uncharted Play presented the project, children often shared ideas on how SOCCKET could benefit their families and communities. “You see kids playing with the ball, and then their mothers use the lamp,” said Victor Angel, vice-president of product development at Uncharted Play. “It’s very powerful.”

In Mexico, the company distributed several hundred SOCCKET balls in Puebla, the country’s fourth-largest city, and in the neighboring state Oaxaca.

“I’m from Mexico, I can relate to these children,” Angel said. “It’s an incredible feeling to see them using the lamp for the first time.”

The Uncharted Play team launched more pilot programs abroad —in El Salvador and Brazil for instance—and learned from these countries’ users that they needed to make a better product. The ball, which weighed about 800 grams and was difficult to play with at first, went through four major redesigns. It now weighs between 480 and 500 grams —only 50 grams heavier than a typical soccer ball.

The ball finally became ready for wider distribution this year. Uncharted Play launched a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter at the end of February, hoping to raise $75,000. Instead the SOCCKET raised $10,000 on the campaign’s first day, and in just one month had pulled in $92,300, with more than 1,000 people supporting the project.

“The campaign let us know that there was a market for that, that people were interested in getting involved,” Matthews said.

The start-up sold 750 SOCCKET balls and obtained between 700 and 800 pre-orders. The price of the ball is expected to be roughly $90, and above, depending on the location. Clients are conscious consumers, people interested in innovation and design, but also parents and teachers eager to show their students the theory behind the ball.

“A lot of educators think of the SOCCKET as a way to engage kids who wouldn’t think of themselves as science experts,” said Seligmann.

The pre-ordered balls now need to be ready by August.

And the production phase is often a testing moment for a bright young start-up. “Meeting your delivery schedule is the most challenging part of any Kickstarter campaign,” Seligmann said. “But we are currently ahead of schedule to deliver in August.”

Initially, the SOCCKET will be produced locally, on Long Island, but depending on how the project grows, Uncharted Play hopes part of the manufacturing can eventually be done abroad, in the communities which need the ball, and the jobs, the most. The company has built a partnership with the Department of Energy in Mexico and has had preliminary talks with the Nigerian and Bolivian governments.

A social media associate at Uncharted Play, Jaime Saltos, 31, is trying to get in contact with government agencies in Ecuador, where he is from. He hopes to bring SOCCKET to public schools there, as 8 percent of Ecuadorians still don’t have access to electricity,

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SOCCKET: How football turns kids into bright young things It looks like a football. It plays like a football. But once you have kicked it around, plug in the lamp attachment and you’ve got yourself 3 hours of light to see by. The SOCCKET is the brainchild of two female Harvard graduates who believe great design is fun and tackles fundamental problems at the same time. So now kids off the grid can play right past sundown and still have light to study. A soccer ball with real power to bring change

•Victor Angel and Halley O’ Connor from Uncharted Play explain the SOCCKET to children at the World Science Festival Street Fair in New York recently.

PHOTO: Valentine Pasquesoone

By Valentine Pasquesoone Sparknews according to World Bank figures.

At the World Science Festival, Uncharted Play presented two new prototypes along with the SOCCKET —a jump rope cord and an American football. “We’re moving to different forms,” said Hailey O’Connor, a lead designer at Uncharted Play.

“Globally, football is very popular but not so much in •Continued from Page 50 decided to form an Interfaith Co-op.” www.mirembekawomera.com/

Hugh Evans, Cofounder of Global Poverty Project “When I was 15 living in India and saw how there were 700 million people who were homeless or slum-dwellers, which was 35 times the population of Australia, I thought that if we were going to end extreme poverty a charitable solution was not sufficient. We need to change the systems that keep the poor poor.” www.globalpovertyproject.com/

RekaPolonyi, Founder of Frontierra, a community theatre for immigration rights “The most important objective for community development is to reach a point when your facilitation is no longer needed, and a community sustains its own movement. Working with a small group of youth on

the U.S.” In expanding SOCCKET’s energy mechanism to other sports like these, the start-up is now trying to reach the American market —and populations who have less access to soccer, such as young girls.

“Each one of us is very ambitious,” said O’Connor. “ Jessica (Matthews) has been very good at pushing us until we fail. And there were failures! But you’re not learning until you’re failing.”

•Video : http://www.sparknews.com/en/video/ soccket-kick-starting-innovative-social-development#

10 light bulbs c o n f l i c t - r i d d e n Ecuadorian-Colombian border, I never would have imagined that two years later, they were going to be their own award-winning collective, touring and advocating for refugees a c r o s s Ecuador.”www.frontierra.org/

John Wood, Founder of Room to Read “I took a trek to Nepal in 1998 as a break from my hectic life as a Microsoft marketing executive. On day two, I met a headmaster who gave me a tour of his school. They had 450 students, but a completely empty library.

H a v i n g always been a lover of books, I asked, “How can you have so many eager y o u n g students, but

no books?” The headmaster explained, “In Nepal, we are too poor to afford education. But until we have education, we will always remain poor.” It was on that day I vowed to help. I thought we’d establish a great library. 15 years later, we’ve now established over 15,000, and this has become my l i f e ’ s work.”www.roomtoread.org/

Leila Janah, Founder of Samasource and Samahope “While I was in high school, I traveled to Ghana as a volunteer, and came face to face with many talented students and adults who lacked the resources that could allow their abilities to flourish.

Years later, while talking to a call center worker in an Indian slum, I was reminded of the brainpower I’d seen in Ghana, and had a thought: Why can’t out-sourcing be used to help people pull themselves out of poverty and gain useful work experience?Samasource’s s i s t e r organization,SamaHope, is a crowd-funding for people in need. Because there is so little funding to provide treatment, the bottom 1/3 of humanity receives only 3% of all surgeries performed.

With an all-volunteer team, SamaHope has now crowd-funded over 100 treatments in three countries, including cleft palate repair, burn repair, fistula surgeries, and safe birth procedures.” http:// samasource.org/ and www.samahope.org/

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Northern group makes case for Aregbesola’s re-election n John OFIKHENUA, Abuja n

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group, under the auspices of Aregbesola Support Group Northern States, yesterday drummed up support for the reelection of Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola.

The group also disclosed that Governor Aregbesola met it through an online television programme from his office in Oshogbo.

Speaking with The Nation, the group's Public Relations Officer, Abdulrasak Usman Sanusi, noted that the programme availed the citizens of the state the opportunity of questioning the governor on governance and other issues.

He said: "The programme, 'Meet Ogbeni till day break' is an avenue for all Osun State's indigenes and Nigerians in general to know how far, how well and how good the government is doing in Osun State, especially with the development of the state.

On why the governor deserves a second term in office, Sanusi said Aregbesola has, among other things, launched a solution to rescue parents from the challenges of providing books for their wards with a programme, tagged Opon Imo’ (tablet of knowledge).

He said the project has made the process of conveying books by computerizing 75 books for the students in software.

"Ogbeni Aregbesola has been able to prove to the indigenes of Osun State that he is not only a progressive governor, but also a man of his words in terms of roads, infrastructure, education, transport and everything."

He also noted that the governor has created a lot of jobs, which have been keeping the youths busy.

•From left: President Goodluck Jonathan welcoming the leader of delegation from the Emir of Kano, Danmajen Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (CBN Governor) during their thank you visit to the president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday. With them are: the Danburan of Kano, Alhaji Ahmed Ado-Bayero (2nd right) and Alhaji Munir Sanusi.

Photo: NAN

Funsho Williams: Witness says there was scuffle before he was killed

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retired deputy Inspector General of Police, Adebayo Adeoye, yesterday told a Lagos High Court, Igbosere, that the killers of a Lagos governorship aspirant, Funsho Williams, had a scuffle with him before his eventual death.

Adeoye, a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of six suspected killers of Williams before Justice Adeniyi Adebajo, said that the scattered room of the deceased indicated scuffle before he was assassinated.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Mrs. O. A. Akin-Adesomojo, Adeoye said that he visited the scene of the crime on July 27, at Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi at 12:30 pm with four other policemen, following a call from the then Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero.

He told the court that they met a large crowd outside before a policeman on duty led his team to the room of the deceased where they found his corpse lying face down, hands tied and blindfolded with blood on the floor.

"We did not touch anything because we were expecting the forensics, but we kept

Group commiserates with Tinubu

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group, under the aegis of Asiwaju Tinubu Sports Club of Africa, has commiserated with former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Tinubu and Mogaji families over the death of their matriarch, Alhaja Abibat Mogaji.

A statement by the group, signed by its Chairman/ Coordinator, Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin, described the late Mogaji as highly industrious and a hero of peace, adding “Africa has lost a great advocate of peace.”

While describing her death as painful, Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin urged her family to take solace in the fact that “Mama spent a life worthy of emulation. We are sure that she is now resting in the bosom of Almighty God.” The group therefore called on Nigerians to learn from the works of the late IyalojaGeneral to ensure that the country attains the dreams of its founding fathers.

n Precious IGBONWELUNDU n looking for the point of entry and moved to the adjacent flat which was empty.

"While searching the flat, all of a sudden, we saw footprints on the wall and a green rope. But we didn't conclude that it was the point of entry because we were not sure yet.

"I ordered that the building be sealed so that no one would gain entry. Then, Mr. Ovie Oyokomino, head of forensics met us there. We handed over to him and left the scene," he said.

The witness said that he wrote his report on the incidence and the four policemen on duty that night were arrested before the case was taken over by the force headquarters, Abuja.

Defense counsel, Agbara Okezie, while cross-examing the witness, asked if any of the four arrested policemen was among the six defendants in court, Adeoye said he cannot remember their faces because they only spent two days in his custody.

Okezie asked Adeoye if he saw any mattress with footprints at the scene of the crime and whether he was aware of the

arrest of two civilian guards on duty at Williams' house. But the witness said he was not aware of the arrests, and did not see any mattress with footprints.

At the instance of the prosecution, Adebajo adjourned the matter to September 26, disallowing the defense counsel's objection to an adjournment.

Although the next prosecution witness was not in court as observed by the defense, Adebajo said "the court has to be flexible because of the nature of the charge.

I will not rush them beyond their pace."

"The further trial of this charge is adjourned to September 26," said Justice Adebajo.

The defendants, Bulama Kolo, Musa Maina, David Cassidy, Tunanin Sonani, Mustapha Kayode and Okponwasa Imariabe, were first arraigned on March 1 before Justice Adebajo on a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder.

They were alleged to have on or about July 27, 2006, at 34A, Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, conspired to murder one Engr. Funso Williams.

The offence contravened sections 316 and 324 of the Criminal Code, Laws of

Five critically injured as train, truck IVE people narrowly collide in Lagos escaped death last night Fafter a train ran into a

truck laden with laterite at the PWD railway crossing, opposite the Nigerian Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the truck, with registration number LAGOS XY 288 JJJ, attempted to play smart by crossing the railway line, but failed to make it before the speeding train rammed into it.

Eyewitnesses disclosed to The Nation that the accident

n Issac AYODELE n

caused serious commotion as thousands of passengers, some of who were sitting on the roof of the train scrambled for safety.

Though no life was lost in the accident, but five unlucky passengers, who were left critically injured, were rushed to nearby hospital where doctors are presently battling to save

their lives.

The accident, which happened at about 7:30pm last night, led to serious traffic gridlock along the Agege Motor road, as the train, said to be coming from Ebutte-Metta and heading for Agbado, had to terminate its journey, leaving of its passengers stranded.

The fate of the injured passengers was uncertain as at press time last night.

UNILAG alumni empowers graduating students

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HREE proficient resource persons have been lined up to speak to graduating students by the UNILAG Muslim Alumni (UMA) on Saturday 22 June 2013.

The capacity building workshop, titled, Unleashing your Potential for Excellence is designed to promote entrepreneurship, job creation and professionalism among the youth. The programme is also designed

to prepare participants for the life after the classrooms.

In a release signed by UMA Public Relations Officer, Razaq K. Asaju, he stated that UNILAG graduating students as well as other interested youth will benefit from the experience and entrepreneural skills of the renowned resource persons.

According to him, the resource persons include Mr. Faisal Zuglool, Proprietor

Penckers British School, Isolo, Mr. Ololade Raji of Accenture Nigeria, Mr. Goke Adeyemi, Managing Director, Heritech Networks and Prof. (Mrs.) F.B. AbdulKareem of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos.

The event, which holds at the Main Auditorium, UNILAG at 10am is to be hosted by the ViceChancellor, UNILAG, Prof.

Rahaman Bello.

Ekiti acquires intensive care ambulances, fire-fighting trucks

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N pursuance of the commitment of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration to providing quality healthcare and emergency services to the people of Ekiti State, the state government has taken delivery of no fewer than six customised intensive care ambulances and eight fire-fighting vehicles.

Governor Fayemi. who made this known in Ado Ekiti while receiving the management team of the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC) Ido- Ekiti, led by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr Majekodunmi Ayodele, stated that the vehicles were procured to provide stand-by emergency services in different parts of the state.

The governor, whose administration’s free health programme has benefitted no fewer than 720,000 citizens, said the six newlypurchased ambulances, which will complement the ones earlier purchased, are different from the typical ambulances, as they are basically intensive care unit vehicles where minor surgeries can be carried out before a patient is transported to the nearest health facility.

It will be recalled that the state government, last year recruited 153 fire fighters and paramedics in order to bring emergency services closer to the people, with an assurance to establish a functional fire service station, as well as an ambulance bay in each of the 16 local government areas of the state by 2014.

Dr. Fayemi, while addressing the CMD’s request for an ambulance, stated that two of the state-of-the-art ambulances would be stationed in Ado-Ifaki axis and Ipoti-Ayetoro axis in order to serve the area, as well as meet the request of the FMC.

Kano residents to carry identity cards n Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano n

K

ANO State government has said it is determined to have a data base of residents of the state by issuing them with identity cards.

The state Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Maliki Kubiya Umar, who made the disclosure to newsmen at the end of the State Executive Council meeting, held at Government House, disclosed that a total of N50 million has been approved for the maintenance of road network projects across the state.

He also disclosed that the council approved over N75 million for the construction of two-bedroom prototype houses for the settlement of flood victims at total village in Warawa Local Government Area of the State.

Apart from that, over N15 million have been approved for the procurement of three model ambulances to State owned hospitals.

In another development, Warawa Local Government Area of Kano State confirmed that it has so far immunized 155, 000 children against polio during the just-concluded polio immunization exercise this month.

According to the Director of Primary Healthcare, Warawa Local Government Area, Alhaji Umar Rano, while addressing newsmen commended the efforts of traditional rulers, as well as the Local Government Health officials for supporting the immunization exercise.

Ogun teachers suspend strike

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HE Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has suspended the three-week strike embarked upon to demand for the 27.5 percent teacher’s peculiar allowance.

The union called off the strike after reaching an agreement to accept 15 percent of the allowance, putting into consideration the various laudable programmes of the state government.

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade Ambali Akeem said that the strike followed a directive from the union’s national headquarters which must be obeyed, but noted that “we have enjoyed a good working relationship with the present administration since it came on board.”

Ambali said that NLC had to prevail on the NUT to suspend the strike because of its implication on the school system.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Dare Ilekoye, who tendered an unreserved apology to the state government on behalf of the teachers, said that, “this strike was prolonged till now because there was communication gap between the government and the NUT. “We later learnt that the Governor has long approved 15 per cent peculiar allowance through the Joint Negotiating Committee”, Ilekoya stated.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun in his response apologised to the entire state on behalf of the union and the government, assuring that the 15 percent agreed upon was subject to an upward review as the state's Internally Generated Revenue increases.

58 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Robbers blow up bank in Delta, gun down five customers

Why we adopted consensus option in picking candidates – Cross River PDP

n Nicholas KALU, Calabar n HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State said it employed the option of consensus candidates for the September 21 council polls to check rancour and acrimony within the party.

State publicity secretary of the party, Mr Obi Bissong, told The Nation in Calabar yesterday this was the reason they had no problems in the 196 wards in the state during the primaries for councillorship candidates held Tuesday this week.

This, he said they achieved by presenting just one candidate from each ward for the elections.

He explained: “The only way we could do that was to subject the aspirants to an option of interfacing with their caucuses and elders forum at their various ward levels and with that, we were able to pick from the majority, the best person that would be able to stand an election.

“So that was the process which the party introduced and that, in itself, was confirmed last Tuesday, June 18, where of the 196 wards in the state, we didn’t have crisis in any. There was no acrimony anywhere. That is the confirmation that the wards accepted the consensus building process.”

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Anglican Church raises N1b for varsity •Floats TV/radio n Odogwu Emeka n ODOGWU, Nnewi ISHOP of the Anglican Diocese on the Niger, Right Reverend Owen Nwokolo has disclosed that an individual has donated N50 million to the diocese to secure the license for a radio and television station for the diocese.

He said the individual is ready to give more money for the project as his support to the diocese to provide employment opportunities for youths.

Bishop Nwokolo also said the diocese was developing an international vocational institute at Nnobi to take the youths off the street. The project, he said is a tripartite arrangement between the government of Anambra State, the diocese and an agency from the United Kingdom.

He added that N1billion has been earmarked for the Light of the Camp University project to be located at Umunya, adding that there will be a University, secondary schools, hospitals, banks and conference centers as well as a befitting place of worship.

He said the church’s microfinance bank is up and running now.

This was contained in the Bishop’s charge during the first session of the 29th Synod of the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion holding at St Thomas’ Church Oraukwu, Idemmili South Local Government Area.

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n Okungbowa AIWERIE, n Asaba IVE persons were feared dead yesterday after an 11-man robbery gang stormed a first generation bank in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area, carting away millions of naira.

The Nation gathered that the gang, armed with sophisticated weapons blew-up the bank vault.

An eye witness account said the bank robbers shot sporadically into the air to scare bystanders.

Customers who had besieged the banking hall particularly to make withdrawal for the weekend scampered for safety, it was learnt.

The incident which occurred in the morning lasted several minutes without any challenge from the security agents located a few meters from the Divisional Police Headquarters Agbor.

Several people were reportedly rushed to General Hospital, Agbor for medical attention.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Lucky Uyabeme, who confirmed the incident, said: “We have intensified a full-scale man-hunt for the fleeing robbers

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•Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke (2nd left), assisted by Director General ag PENCOM, Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, (L); Hon. Garbar Goma and Chairman Senate Committee on Pension, Senator Aloysious Etuk, cutting tape to inaugurate the South-South Zonal office of PENCOM in Calabar.

Supreme Court upholds Uduaghan’s election •Verdict vindicates my mandate, says Uduaghan

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HE Democratic Peoples Party's governorship candidate in Delta State in the 2011 election, Chief Great Ogboru ,yesterday finally lost the battle to unseat Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

The Supreme Court dismissed his application seeking to compel the court to set aside its earlier judgment with which it upheld Uduaghan’s election of the PDP. The governor hailed the verdict as a vindication of the supreme mandate given him by the people of the state.

Justice Suleiman Galadima,in yesterday’s ruling, held that the application was an abuse of court process. The judgment was prepared by Justice Clara Bata-Ogunbiyi.

The court ordered Ogboru to pay Uduaghan N50,000 as cost for filing the application which the court described as frivolous.

The apex court observed that a similar application was filed and withdrawn by Ogboru's first lawyer, Sebastine Hon (SAN).

It held that Ogboru's claim that Hon withdrew the application without his authority was not substantiated.

The court upheld the argument by Uduaghan's lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) that a lawyer has unfettered

n Eric IKHILAE, Abuja n authority to conduct his client's case.

Olanipekun had argued that when briefed, a lawyer has full control of his client's case and that such a lawyer could compromise the case or could agree to a judgment, and that the only choice the client has was to withdraw the instruction given to the lawyer.

The apex court also held that there must be an end to litigation.

The court held that Ogboru did not prove that Hon acted without authority when he withdrew the initial application to set aside the judgment.

It held that since Hon had withdrawn the application, Ogboru was bound by the action of his lawyer ,pointing out that Ogboru's decision to file a similar application was an abuse of the process of court.

It did not go into the merit of the application.

The court frowned at the allegation by Ogboru's new lawyer, Dickson Osuala that Hon compromised in the manner he withdrew the application.

The court held that it was unfair to allege that Hon compromised himself and warned lawyers not to allow their clients to use them to disparage the legal profession and legal practitioners.

Ogboru had returned to the apex court

with a fresh application asking that the judgment (with which it upheld Uduaghan's election) be set aside and a new panel be constituted to hear his appeal.

The application was initially filed for him by Hon, who later withdrew it and the court had it struck out.

Dissatisfied with Hon's decision, Ogboru hired Osuala, who a similar application and alleged that Hon was not authorised to withdraw the earlier application.

Reacting to the court ruling,Governor Uduaghan said it is a vindication of the supreme mandate given him by the people of the state.

"I owe this victory to God and Deltans.

I only pray that our opponents would by now have realised that we enjoy a supreme mandate as expressed in the will of the people. One with God has the Majority", he said.

"There is time for politics and there is time for election petitions, but it seems there are those determined to use court cases no matter how frivilous to distract and divide Deltans, but God has been with us because he ordained this government.

"Delta belongs to all of us. The time to fight is over. Now is the time for Chief Ogboru and his followers to join hands with my administration to develop the state."

Banning okada most painful decision, says Edo deputy Gov

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EPUTY Governor f Edo state, Dr Pius Odubu, yesterday disclosed that banning commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada was the most painful decision of Governor Adams Oshiomhole so far.

According to him, “It was a very painful decision for Mr. Governor. The clamour has been on for quite some time now, but with recent

n

OSemwengie Ben n OGBEMUDIA, Benin happenings in some other states of the federation, where okadas were banned, the effect of those happenings was now beginning to be felt here in Edo State. The influx of those persons now into Edo state increased crime and criminality.”

Odubu who explained that the governor had to take the decision in order to safeguard

the lives and property of the citizens, however, assured that the palliatives being proffered by government in collaboration with the leadership of the okada union, would ameliorate the pains of the genuine okada operators.

His words: “Security reports every day indicate that people use okada to perpetrate crime every day.

A decision now has to be

made. The governor has since met with the leadership of okada riders and I am aware that palliatives will be delivered in the shortest possible time. It was a painful decision to be taken but part of the responsibility of leadership is to take, sometimes, very difficult decision, provided that decision is in the interest of the vast majority of the people.”

143 prosecuted for illegal bunkering in Cross River

1

43 suspects are being prosecuted by the National Security and Civil Defence Corp for illegal bunkering activities in Cross River State.

Commandant, Dr Benito Eze told reporters in Calabar yesterday.

Eze said the cases were at various stages of prosecution, even as he

n Nicholas KALU, Calabar n promised to make sure they are pursued to a logical conclusion He said it was their statutory duty to go about the prosecution of such criminals and make sure they are punished if found wanting.

Eze said in the past six

months he took over as commandant of the corps, over 150 arrests have been made by his men.

He said: “Over the last six months, we have made Cross River State a no go area for criminals and those involved in illegal bunkering of petroleum products.”

The commandant said he

would work with other security agencies in the state to foster an inter-agency partnership that would enhance their fight against crime.

“With a strong synergy among security operatives in the state, we would make Cross River State uncomfortable for criminals and bunkerers,” Eze said.

NAFDAC arrests 14 over fake custard product in Abia n Wale ADEPOJU n HE National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), yesterday arrested 14 workers of a counterfeiting company for faking Gold Custard, manufactured by Lisabi Mills Nigeria Limited.

According to the agency's Director-General, Dr Paul Orhii, the faker is at large but those arrested would help NAFDAC to apprehend the erring manufacturer.

He said the agency was collaborating with stakeholders in the fight against rd/ spurious/falsified/falsely labeled/counterfeit (SSFFC) regulated product.

Orhi said NAFDAC received a complaint on the faked product on April 2 this year and directed the Federal Task force to investigate it to being the culprit to book. "The result of the investigation showed that different brands of food products were being counterfeited and sold in the market.

"Further investigation took the taskforce to Cemetery or Eziukwu Market in Aba, Abia State, where an organised illegal food production facility was located. Truck loads of the faked product were seen being dispatched."

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THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

59

SPORT EXTRA FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP

Oduamadi out of Spain tie S

UPER Eagles top scorer, Nnamdi Oduamadi will not play any part in the team's Sunday's cracker against Spain in Salvador in the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup in Fortaleza no thanks to the ankle injury he picked up during the defeat to Uruguay on Wednesday night.

NationSport scooped from the team's officials that the player will also be further assessed to know the degree of the injury he sustained.

“Oduamadi from what we

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UPER Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi believes Nigeria can still hold their own against Spain in Sunday’s cracker in the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Speaking during the post match press conference at the Arena Fotre Nova Salvador moments after Nigeria’s 2-1 loss to Uruguay on Wednesday, Keshi insisted that his side can still make it to the semis even as he was quick to add that he was not taken off guard with the game plan of the south Americans.

'Anything can happen against

Eagles, Spain clash hold 8.00pm Nigerian time

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can see now will likely not be ready to play against Spain on Sunday. However, he is expected to undergo more test to truly ascertain the duration he will likely be on the sideline,” the official added.

Oduamadi, it will be recalled scored a hat-trick in Nigeria’s 6-1 bashing of Tahiti in Belo Horizonte last week in the Eagles opening match of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

•Nigeria's Abdul Ajagun scores a goal during a group stage football match between Nigeria and Portugal at the FIFA Under 20 World Cup at Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri on Friday

FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP

Nigeria lose to Portugal Keshi: Eagles can beat Spain in five goal thriller

•Oduamadi

IGERIA'S Super Eagles will clash with Spain's La Roja in the final game in group B of the ongoing FIFA Confederation Cup at the Estadio Castillo in Fortaleza, Brazil by 4.00pm local time (8.00pm) Nigerian time.

The encounter in theory still have everything to play for as both sides could still qualify for the semis and both could still make an early exit.

However, in reality, it is going to be an herculean task for the Stephen Keshi tutored side to qualify despite occupying second spot in the group log.

La Roja on the other hand need a point while the Eagles need to win and pray that South American champions, Uruguay don't beat Tahiti by a significant margin.

Interestingly, the last meeting between of both sides in the France 1998 World Cup, Fernando Heirro and Raul had twice given Spain the lead, but goals from Mutiu Adepoju, Garuba Lawal and Sunday Oliseh helped Nigeria to a 3-2

From Uchenna Ajah, in Salvador, Brazil

•African champs train today From Uchenna Ajah, in Fortaleza, Brazil win over the current world and European champions.

Meanwhile, the Eagles who arrived Fortaleza yesterday are expected to have a feel of the Estadio Castelao, venue of the all important Sunday

cracker later today.

A top official of the Nigeria Football Federation told NationSport that despite the loss to Uruguay the boys are rearing to go.

Nigerians should not lose faith with the boys as they have promised to give Spain a good match on Sunday' he assured.

From Uchenna Ajah, in Salvador, Brazil Spain on Sunday as we can't wait to play them and that's what makes this such a great game.

'I wouldn't say Uruguay surprised me. We watched their last two games and they played just the way we expected. What you have to remember though is that they have spent six years together, whereas we have only been.working for a year and I'm proud of what my boys did, considering the difference in experience between the two sides. I hope we can maintain the standard and just up the concentration levels a bit and be a little more professional,' Keshi added.

Interestingly, the match saw the Big Boss 18 games unbeaten run came to an end since replacing Samson Siasia as Eagles coach broken.

'Well I don't even keep records of how many games I have handled in charge here.

However, I look forward to giving more opportunity to youngsters to play for this team and of course players from the domestic clubs too.'

NFF: No policy on $10,000 bonus for Eagles

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HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has stated categorically that there was never any policy on the payment of the sum of $10,000 as win-bonus for players of the Senior National Team, Super Eagles.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday, NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu debunked a statement by the Chairman of Kano Pillars Football Club and a former special assistant to the Director General of National Sports Commission, Alhaji Abba Yola, to the effect that there was a policy on the payment of $10,000 bonus for the players.

“We are surprised to read the statement by Alhaji Abba Yola.

He was involved enough to know exactly what went on in the days of the Presidential Task Force. The task force had a meeting with the NFF and said they had agreed to increase the team’s win-bonus to $10,000, but that the NFF would only need to pay the normal $5,000 while the task force paid the balance of $5,000.

“I have not seen it anywhere that it is written or captured as policy of the Nigeria Football Federation. The present NFF administration came into office to meet the situation of $10,000

Letter to Jonathan •Continued from back page Don’t try to paint the picture of how the leader of the delegation to Namibia, himself a senator, called the Senate President or the picture of the Senate President trying to convince the President to release more cash to avert a national shame? Don’t bother to figure out the expression on the Minister’s face when Keshi told him that he couldn’t convince the players to stop their shameful act. Don’t also try to figure out what you will do if you were the Minister being asked to send a text message of committal to pay cash by players and coaches?

Such scenarios happen here because we sweep everything under the carpet, when the issue is the Super Eagles. But should we fold our arms? No way. This international disgrace must stop.

The Minister must stand up to this challenge. The Minister must direct the NFF to fix the premium to be paid to our players. This decision should have the players’ and coaches’ inputs.

A quick way towards solving this problem is to aggregate what other countries spend on such issues and find the middle position. The problem with us is that governance isn’t a continuum here. The minister may fix a figure that his successor, in an attempt to play to the gallery will reverse.

This fresh brouhaha is one of the vestiges of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) hitherto meant to motivate the then “Super Chicken” at the 2010 World Cup, after a nerve-wrenching 2010 Africa Cup of Nations performance, but which has returned to haunt us, no thanks to the callous acts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hierarchy on the PTF chairman, Rotimi Chubuike Amaechi. No one knows if the PTF has been disbanded. No counter-instruction has come from the government on the bonus issue.

I recall that the former NFF President, Sani Lulu, had issues with the PTF on this subject, when he

and with good intention, decided to continue paying the players that sum in order to motivate them.

“Now that we are challenged and we need to cut our coat according to our cloth, I don’t see why all the hoopla about the slash. When the NFF President and a couple of Members of Executive Committee met with the Management of Super Eagles over the matter, and craved their support over the constraints that we have at the moment, they expressed their understanding and that was why the NFF went ahead to implement.”

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LYING Eagles surrender to the fire power of Portugal losing 3-2 in their opening game of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013.

Both teams gave a good account of themselves in the first half but Portugal utilized their chances getting two goals under five minutes with Bruma open the scoring in 30th minute after he was set on goal by captain Jaoa Mario.

Aladje doubled the lead in the 34th minute when he tapped in from close range after Okani in goal for Nigeria spilled a cross.

Olanrewaju Kayode failed to connect a chip from

Michael Olaitan in the 40th minute, he was the culprit again when he fired wide four minutes later.

Nigeria Captain Abdul Jeleel Ajagun scored Nigeria’s first goal in the 57th minute after receiving a through pass from Olanrewju Kayode, he made it 2-2 with another goal in the 67th minute.

Two minutes later Bruma completed his brace to earn Portugal the three points at stake.

Jose Sa in goal for Portugal was his country's hero as he made no less than six saves to make sure his team won the game.

Prime Atlantic Closed Squash Tourney ends

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HE week-long Prime Atlantic Closed Squash tournament which was held at the squash section of the Ikoyi Club 1938 came to a close at the weekend with Sope Roberts winning the group A cadre by defeating the captain of the squash section Soddie Pepple.

Sope Roberts, who is the son of the former chairman of the Squash Federation of Nigeria (SFN), Kayode Roberts defeated Sodie Pepple 3-0 of 11/ 6, 11/4 and 11/5 to emerge winner.

An excited Sope said thereafter that he had to quickly wrap up the match. ”It wasn’t easy at all, I figured that if I didn’t wrap up the game it would have been a battle, I remember the last time we played a five setter so I didn’t want to go through that this time that’s why I finished the

game quickly”.

On the likelihood of going professional in the future, he said: “Well, I am going to participate in the Governor’s Cup Squash tournament this year, whether I lose in the first round or not I will ensure I participate. I started playing in the juniors, but for school work. Now I realise I have a lot to live up to stepping into my father’s shoes. I will definitely try my luck.

He continued: “It is a bit tougher now than then. My father mixed work with the sport, he was a civil servant and closed at 4pm to face squash but now I have my work cut out.”

In the other groups, Olumide Odutayo defeated Rasheed Jaiyeola 11/9, 11/7 and 11/8 in the Group C men’s final. In the men’s veteran Sam Etomi walked over Darlington Mgbojikwe.

insisted that the federation wouldn’t be able to sustain the payment of $10,000 as winning bonuses to the players and the double figure for the coaches.

Lulu’s insistence on paying what the NFF could sustain accounted for one of the reasons why he was perceived as stubborn. Lulu was hounded out of the NFF, yet his fears stare us on the face like a sore thumb.

The fight over bonuses got to a head, culminating in the decision where NFF brought US$5000 and the PTF provided the balance of US$5000. Even at that, Lulu still says it till date that the PTF never fulfilled their side of the agreement.

Maybe the Mr. President can re-inaugurate another PTF and fund it like the late President Umaru Yar’Adua did with the Amaechi-led body.

Like Drogba, like Mikel John Mikel Obi has a big cross to carry. He must decide his future now. He needs to look at the long term in his career. In doing so, he must understand that the life span of an athlete is short – on the pitch, that is.

I really don’t envy Mikel. With returnee coach Jose Mourinho, I would rather Mikel takes the plunge and grab the Galatasaray FC of Turkey deal. He could bench Mikel for long periods which would inevitably affect his market value, if he wants to move.

Like Dider Drogba, Mikel has won the UEFA Champions League, the Europa Cup, the Barclays English League diadem, Carling Cup and the English FA Cup. There isn’t any trophy in England and Europe that he doesn’t have the medal at home.

Now is the time to plan for his retirement benefit, which many may argue is too early. It is better now than later.

Come on Mikel, follow Drogba’s path. Leave Chelsea now that your market value is high. The Ivoiren is in Turkey, smiling to the bank with his mega bucks. Mikel could return to England late to end his career with smaller clubs. Who knows?

60

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

INTERVIEW 61

The nation is gradually coming to terms with the health insurance scheme. In this interview with some newsmen in Abuja , the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Abdulrahman Sambo opened up on the achievements and the challenges of universal health coverage. Our Managing Editor, Northern Operation, YUSUF ALLI, was there. Excerpts: The National Health Insurance Scheme formally took off in 2005. How has it been so far?

T has been very challenging but promising. It has been challenging in the sense that the scheme was given a tough mandate to ensure universal health coverage by 2015 without being given the necessary resources to make this possible. But it has been promising because we have made tremendous progress and we have the prospects of doing even better. The formal sector programme at the federal level has run fairly well, even though there were initial challenges in form of scepticism. At a point, the then Head of Service insurance. He said that it’s not that you believed that if you didn’t do that, you would get had to issue an ultimatum to civil knocked down by a vehicle but you wanted to be sure, that was why you looked left and right servants to register with NHIS or before crossing. Now that is insurance in a way. Since then we never had any challenge in the forfeit their salaries. state.

Now, almost everyone at the In Kano State, we got in touch with the Sharia Committee and we discussed with them federal level has registered with extensively and they summoned some Ulamas and did research and came up with a verdict that NHIS, except two groups of health insurance is not un-Islamic and the state government readily accepted that. We also did people: those who are newly same in Sokoto that is considered the most traditional emirate in the northern part of the employed and those who wouldn’t country. The Community Based Health Insurance Programme and the MDG project seemed to want to join for one reason or the be accepted in Sokoto State more than any other state. other. But otherwise, the NHIS has So we have been able to break down prejudices and we have been able to reach out to people covered all employees of the to get them to understand the concept and value of health insurance. The challenge has always Federal Government. Some been getting people to pay. For instance, an individual will tell you that he understands agencies that were not initially and agrees but he doesn’t have the money. It’s still a challenge and that is why the covered by the scheme have also scheme is finding it exceedingly difficult to penetrate the informal sector. independently approached the The Nigerian Medical Association recently said not more than NHIS and registered their 3% of Nigerians are covered by NHIS. Recently also, a polling respective employees. agency said 79% of Nigerians do not have any form of health Another indicator of insurance. Is coverage for all still achievable by 2015? acceptability is the number of It is achievable but difficult. Achieving universal health extra-dependants that we see on a coverage is extremely simple and easy. You need to identify daily basis, as more enrolees are those who should contribute and compel them to now requesting for the inclusion of contribute; and you need to identify those who will extra- dependants. And if an contribute on behalf of those who can’t contribute. individual is not satisfied with the That’s all it takes to attain universal health coverage. services he or she is getting, he or Compulsion and subsidy are two key things to she wouldn’t pay extra money to attaining universal health coverage. Now who cover extra relatives. So really, we would you compel? Employers of labour. Who say so far so good; and even should do that compulsion? Is it the Federal though there have been challenges, Government? To some extent, yes, because the we are overcoming them.

•Sambo Federal Government can compel the private What can you say are some of sector. But state governments are also the achievements of the agency employers of labour. Can the Federal under your watch?

Government compel state governments to We have attained some modest pay health insurance in a federal system? It is achievements. I will mention a few difficult if not impossible. not in any particular order. We have tried as much as possible to identify and address the What we have been doing is to go round and sensitise the various state governments, and we challenges and difficulties in implementing the formal sector programme. These include have achieved an appreciable level of success. We have also been promoting the establishment of enrolees wanting to add their dependants or to change providers. So we have simplified all that a subsidy fund, and again we have achieved an appreciable level of success on this too. We will and individuals can go online to change their providers or add dependants. We have also cut be able to achieve significant level of coverage if all the state governments will today commit wastages by removing from the register those who shouldn’t be there either on account of themselves to universal health coverage, if those who can’t afford to pay will have somebody retirement or age. Also, we have finally commenced the collaboration with the International pay for them, and if the three tiers of government come together to establish a vulnerable group Finance Corporation on the E-NHIS, which has been on the drawing board since 2005. The fund. project was earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2006 but some issues came up For you to achieve universal coverage, you need to go beyond the formal sector. How are and the approval was withdrawn in 2007. We then had to start afresh. The NHIS was to initially you engaging the informal sector? pay for 100% for the implementation of the project but IFC will now pay 60% of the cost as an We introduced two schemes to address those who work in the informal sector of the economy. unconditional grant to NHIS. The programme has started and Accenture is implementing it.

One is the Community Based Social Health Insurance Scheme which is owned by the We have also seen the review of the operational guidelines and we have reviewed the various community. The other one is the Voluntary Contributors’ Social Health Insurance Scheme for benefits package and again it’s now been implemented. We have reviewed the tariffs which is individuals who have the financial ability to pay N15, 000 per annum. We are promoting these another area of concern to healthcare providers for the cost of services for secondary and tertiary programmes though the uptake has been rather disappointing. We are also reviewing and care. It was first introduced in 2005 and we have reviewed it and it is currently before the looking into our strategy.

Ministry of Health for consideration and approval. We have started the process of consolidating For the Community Based Health Insurance Scheme, we will say we are quite impressed with the industry through the strengthening of Health Maintenance Organisations. We have reviewed the uptake by various communities across the country. We have flagged off in six communities. and got approval for the new requirement for accrediting HMOs and we are collaborating with Also, there are many other communities that have commenced but haven’t been flagged off.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers to assist the scheme in strengthening our accreditation systems for the Quite a large number of communities are signifying interest on a daily basis and we hope that by HMOs. 2015 we will be operational in most communities that have organised themselves for this We have modified the implementation of Community Based Social Health Insurance programme. We have seen states coming up with proposals to cover the entire state. Like Kwara, Programme and seen to its implementation in many states of the federation. We have been able Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Niger, Ebony and many others that are looking at the state-based to restart the MDG/NHIS project within the past one year. It’s a project that actually won an communities. award in the International Social Security Association as one of the pro-poor, cost-effective and We also have one very interesting scheme in Katsina State . A particular local government area efficient interventions. It works in this way. Government pays health called Dusaman Local Government is subsidising contribution for the poor. insurance cover of children under the ages of five years and pregnant women.

What they did is to identify the various district heads and say District A will Under that programme, close to two million women and children were given get a subsidy of this amount, identify X number of people that can afford to cover. Now we have modified it by requiring states to pay counterpart One of the pay their own contributions. So you have a number of people that the state is funding, and many states are embracing it. challenges is that paying for and another number that is paying for themselves with the We have also recruited a fairly large number of staff within the past one support of the local government. That is coming up very well and some year to ensure the smooth implementation of our programmes. We have most people are not politicians in that local government, especially members of the National increased our collaboration with the various stakeholders. We have reached used to the concept Assembly and State Assembly, are also supporting or sponsoring some out to states, local governments and non-governmental organisations. people from that particular local government. So this is a concept that we are The concept of health insurance is still strange to many Nigerians and that once you have selling to other local governments so that the community and the local people are distrustful of insurance in general. How are you dealing with government and those in positions of authority in the local government can these issues? paid for health come together to finance community-based health insurance in their local One of the challenges is that most people are not used to the concept that insurance, you government. once you have paid for health insurance, you cannot get a refund if you don’t The Voluntary Contributors Social Health Insurance Scheme is for use it. Also, the traditional concept of illness and health in the Nigerian cannot get a refund individuals who can afford the premium of N15, 000 per annum. He or she society is that if you prepare for ill-health, it’s like you are wishing for it. So it if you don’t use it. identifies a Health Maintenance Organisation of his or her choice or took a little time to overcome that, but we are still having some little issues approaches the National Health Insurance Scheme. We use scratch cards so here and there.

Also, the traditional that one does not need to go to the office of the NHIS or any HMO to register.

Some people also believe that health insurance is not religiously concept of illness The scratch cards are supposed to be readily available as GSM recharge cards permissible. We have also significantly overcome that and we have consulted are. So you purchase a card for N15, 000 and log unto the NHIS website and quite a number of religious leaders. For example, when we started the formal and health in the navigate to the VCSHIP page and follow the instructions. That is it. There is a sector programme in Bauchi State, there was this initial resistance by some Nigerian society is two-month waiting period in order to create a pool. people in the state that health insurance was against the provisions of a For those who are not computer literate, the HMOs are out there to assist particular religion. So we went out to identify the various religious leaders in that if you prepare them in the registration. The NHIS is also decentralising. We have offices in the state and we got in touch with one who gave us a way to go about it. six states presently and before the end of this quarter we will have offices in I recall that after explaining the whole concept to him, he called one of his for ill-health, it’s almost 25 states of the federation and before the end of the year we will have followers and asked him to cross the road and summon someone for him. like you are offices in all states of the federation. The idea of those offices again is to assist The follower looked left and right before crossing the road. When he came those individuals in being able to register for the voluntary contributors’ back, the leader then said to his follower that he saw him looking left and wishing for it programme and to also promote it at states and local government levels. right before crossing the road and he said yes. The religious leader said that is

‘We’re breaking down health insurance prejudices’

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

THE NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 21-06-13

UPDC assures improved returns to shareholders

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ACN Property Development Company (UPDC) Plc has been positioned to take advantage of the huge opportunities in the real estate sector with a view to enhancing returns to shareholders.

Chairman, UACN Property Development Company (UPDC), Mr Larry Ettah disclosed this at the annual general meeting of the company in Lagos.

He said the company has taken strategic initiatives to grow its business and ensure the benefits gets to the shareholders.

He noted that the company would continue to seek means of deleveraging its balance sheet with a view to securing improved returns for shareholders in the future.

According to him, the recent Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) sponsored by the company, which was aimed at reducing the debt burden, would be concluded within this month.

"The real estate sector continues to be attractive with the huge housing deficit of about 17 million units, the growing population and the emerging middle class. Partnership opportunities are also emerging across different segments of the market and your company is poised to take advantage of them,'' Ettah said.

He noted that in spite of the seeming glut in the luxury

•Equities close with N160b loss

Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

market, rents and sale prices for high-end apartments remained quite high while in the commercial segment, headline rents in Lagos ranked among the highest in the world.

According to him, international operators have continued to express strong desires to expand their footprints in the Nigerian market as significant demand-supply imbalance exists for quality hotel accommodation while the retail segment is primed for a major revolution with several mall developments under way in key metropolitan cities of Nigeria.

He highlighted significant projects that the company had made in the immediate past including the completion of the 55-unit Metro Gardens in Lekki; the 18-unit Grandville in GRA, Ikeja; the commencement of development of 90-unit Vintage Gardens, Port Harcourt and the remarkable progress recorded in the construction of the 32-unit Cameron Green luxury development in Ikoyi and Phase 1 of UPDC Metro City Dutse, Abuja.

Audited report and accounts of UPDC for the year ended December 31, 2012 showed turnover rose by 78 per cent to N12.04 billion as against N6.78 billion in 2011. Profit before tax

stood at N2.45 billion as against N2.40 billion in previous year.

Profit after tax rose by 30.5 per cent from N1.67 billion to N2.18 billion. Shareholders of the company approved distribution of dividend of N962.5 million, representing a dividend per share of 70 kobo.

Meanwhile, UPDC traded against the downtrend at the stock market yesterday as it recorded the second highest gain of 14 kobo to close at N15.14 per share. The market remained bearish with more than two losers for every gainer.

Aggregate market value of all equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) dwindled by N160 billion from N11.875 trillion to N11.715 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI), the common value-based index that tracks all equities on the NSE, slipped from 36,963.77 points to 36,464.39 points.

Unilever Nigeria led 31-stock losers' list with a drop of N4.88 to close at N56.12. Total Nigeria trailed with a loss of N4.83 to close at N165.07. Dangote Cement followed with a loss of N3 to close at N192. Ashaka Cement dropped by N2.65 to close at N23.85. Nigerian Breweries lost N1.45 to close at N155. FBN Holdings declined by N1.05 to N17.30 while International Breweries dropped by N1 to close at N26 per share.

Total turnover was on the average with exchange of 440.7 million shares valued at N5.21 billion in 5,595 deals. Banking stocks accounted for 251.97 million shares valued at N2.51 billion in 2,057 deals.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 21-06-13

TOMORROWPUNCHLINE IN THE NATION

SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.7, NO. 2524

“Look at the books which I have written, the lectures which I have given, and the many speeches and statements which I have made.

You will find that there is no problem confronting or about to confront Nigeria to which I have not given thought and for which I have not proffered intelligent and reasoned solutions” - Chief Obafemi Awolowo, 3rd of July, 1979

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HE above assertion was certainly no empty boast by the great sage, Awo, as he assiduously sought the country’s presidency in 1979. Reading his vast collections of writings today, one is still amazed at the extent of his industry, the depth of his research, and the enduring relevance of his proposed remedies for the protracted maladies that have laid Nigeria prostrate for over five decades. That was a statesman, politician and leader avidly committed to transformational change and who made every possible sacrifice, even if ultimately futile, to help actualize his dreams for a country he loved passionately. I want to believe that the leaders and moving spirits behind the emergent new political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) have also given serious reflection to their decision to choose ‘change’ as the party’s slogan.

This question is pertinent because the President Goodluck Jonathan presidency along with his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) apparently flippantly flung the phrase ‘transformation agenda’ before our too easily seduced eyes in the run up to the 2011 election.

Having won a pan-Nigerian mandate, neither president nor party appears, two years after, to have any inkling what transformation is about. Thus, our existential realities only steadily worsen even as they trumpet their purported accomplishments from the roof tops. Things have clearly sunk to their lowest ebb in contemporary Nigeria. Despite the undeniable progress made in many states in the present dispensation, the centre that controls the bulk of the country’s resources remains largely rudderless and clueless. And even as poverty worsens, insecurity reigns and corruption struts our highways in majestic omnipotence, we have a presidency that is completely preoccupied with 2015 to the exclusion of almost all else. Yet, the darkest period of the night also marks the gradual transition to dawn. This may thus also be the beginning, fortuitously, of Nigeria’s march towards hermanifest destiny of greatness in spite, perhaps because of, the inexcusable ineptitude of the Jonathan presidency.

There are great expectations and immense anticipation in the air. This is perhaps the most significant moment of political alignments and realignments in Nigeria’s post-colonial history.

In sharp contrast to the perfunctory and half-

Anyway, as Nigerian authorities warm up for Mr Cameron's proposed 'consultations', they should be ready to let the British PM know that his country is the one that needs deliverance, not Nigeria, at least as far as same-sex marriage is concerned —Tunji Adegboyega

APC and the courage for change

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For we all know the catchphrase of the ‘largest party in Africa’: PDP! POWER! It has monopolised power in the country since 1999 while increasing the powerlessness of Nigerians in the face of hunger, disease, ignorance, darkness and joblessness

•Buhari •Tinubu hearted political alliances that failed woefully in the first and second republics, the opposition seems determined this time to forge a solid full scale merger to wrest power from the behemoth at the centre. Against all odds, the merging parties have come up with a common name, common logo, common slogan, agreeable constitution and are pacing premium on coming up with a national redemption programme rather than pursuing personal political ambitions. And the obsessive ambition of President Jonathan is turning out to be a blessing in disguise for the opposition.

It has split the PDP down the middle bringing it to the point of implosion. It has ruptured the National Governors Forum and, very happily for the opposition, alienated many PDP governors who may work against their party in 2015 just as they bloodied a hubristic presidency’s nose in the May 24th, NGF election clearly won by the irrepressible Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State.

But then, these are still early days yet. After all, 24 hours is a long period in politics. This is why the opposition leaders involved in the merger moves must be constantly challenged to reflect on their motives and incessantly

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interrogate their assumptions. This is exactly what my colleague, Mr.Olakunle Abimbola, did in his column of last Tuesday. He wanted the APC leadership to have a crystal clear idea in their minds on why exactly they want to ease the PDP out of power at the centre come 2015. If it is power for its own sake, he reasoned with characteristic incisiveness, the new party would not be much differentfrom the PDP it seeks to displace. For we all know the catchphrase of the ‘largest party in Africa’: PDP! POWER! It has monopolised power in the country since 1999 while increasing the powerlessness of Nigerians in the face of hunger, disease, ignorance, darkness and joblessness. I approach Abimbola’s concerns from a slightly different angle.

What kind of change do the APC leaders have in mind when they advocate the need to lead the country in a different direction from the retrogressive one taken over the last 14 years? The ironic truth is that to bring about the kind of change that will fundamentally and qualitatively transform the country the way the PDP has completely failed to do, the new party at the centre must also place premium on ‘power’ a s a value. But then, I refer not to the arrogant, purposeless power associated

with the PDP. No, I mean the power of selfdiscipline, the power of self-denial, the power of sacrifice and the power of selflessness. Let me explain.

It will be all too tempting for a new party at the centre to want to maintain the current unhealthy asymmetrical relations between the federal and state governments. The government will be likely under the illusion that it will wield the immense powers at the centre more responsibly than the PDP has done. Nothing would be more false. Absolute power will always corrupt absolutely maybe it is the PDP in power or not. Fundamental decentralization of powers, resources and responsibilities from the centre to the states and regions is thus a necessary change that a post – PDP government must consider nonnegotiable. Of course, such a federal government will take the lead in upholding the rule of law, transparency and judicial integrity to tame corruption and promote good governance.

Again, if a post-PDP President emerges in 2015, he may be inclined to retain the dysfunctional, excessively expansive powers of the Nigerian presidency that has become a veritable albatross on the entire political system. Again, the outcome will be as disastrous as it has been under the PDP and positive change will remain pure fiction. All the nonsense of the President being the leader of a political party must go with the PDP. Critical national institutions must be relatively autonomous of the presidency. Party supremacy must hold everybody, no matter how highly placed in check while internal democracy must be the norm. To be fair to two prime movers of the APC, General Muhammed Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they have demonstrated a remarkable willingness to forfeit selfish, personal ambition for the collective party and national interest.

That is a commendable example of the power of sacrifice and self-denial.

Furthermore, what will the APC do about the outrageous allowances, perks and salaries particularly of our law makers? That is one area where there must certainly be drastic change in the direction of greater probity and frugality. Let us heed the following words of Awo in this regard in the second republic.

According to the sage on 27th January, 1980, “When the National Assembly expends so much time and energy in discussing the salaries of its members, while it does little about a reasonable minimum living wage or income for the working classes and peasants; when our parliamentarians conceive of something in the neighbourhood of N2,000.00 per month by way of salary and allowances each for themselves where the low-income group including policemen earn as low as N70.00 per month ( I don’t know how much the rank and file of the armed forces earn)…we can be sure that the end of democracy is in sight, even though, in our blinding self-seeking, we may not perceive it”. Surely, it is no easy task for the APC but the party can ill afford to dash the high hopes of Nigerians.

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

S

UPER Eagles players are big clowns. Their coaches, I dare say, are jokers. With such a comity, it didn’t come as a surprise that they couldn’t ponder over the smear that they brought on Nigerians with their mercantile acts in Namibia.

Having scraped through a nail-biting 1-1 draw against Namibia, our boys thought that such petty blackmailing of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was the best way to cover up their folly against the Namibians. Nigerians are wiser now.

Nigerians are used to such indecent acts from the Eagles when they are doing well. It is not the first time. What these self-serving players and coaches didn’t reckon with is the fact that NFF chiefs have learnt how to dine with the devil with the proverbial long spoon.

I’m convinced that this despicable action was concocted by them to explain away their anticipatory bad performance at the Confederations

Letter to Jonathan

Cup. Given the pedigree of our players, especially with the home-grown rookies in the squad, Nigerians looked forward to the Eagles beating Tahiti resoundingly. Nigerians left the two games against Uruguay and Spain open, with many banking on the unpredictable nature of football for any upset.

Many soccer fans braced themselves to accept any result against Uruguay and Spain. We also hinged our qualification for the semi-finals on luck. Why luck, you may want to ask? We are used to permutations when it comes to the Eagles. We reckon that Spain will beat Uruguay, Tahiti and Nigeria. We always pray for us to qualify. In this case, many prayed that Uruguay should not beat Tahiti. We want Tahiti to win.

They reckon that with a last game against Spain, the world champions will parade a second-string side that we can handle. The purists, among us feel that Spain would want to sacrifice Uruguay by losing to Nigeria, knowing that on a good day, the Eagles are a softer meat to chew than the Uruguayans. Please, don’t laugh. This has

been the Eagles’ lot when it comes to matches of this nature.

The Eagles should have left the window of excuse in the event that they don’t do well at the Confederations Cup on the altar of fatigue, arising from a crowded fixture. Nigerians would have appreciated that excuse, not the disgraceful act in Namibia.

Over time, our players and coaches have sustained this campaign of calumny against the NFF because their spurious claim of being shortchanged by the Football Federation has never been investigated. I will be surprised if things change with this incident.

It has been the easiest lie against the NFF and it is time this trend is stopped. Indeed, President Goodluck Jonathan, in the euphoria of the Eagles lifting the Africa Cup of Nations’ diadem, after a 19-year break, graciously gave Stephen Keshi the leeway to see him if he had problems. I won’t blame Jonathan, given the setting. But most Nigerians abuse such privileges. What the President didn’t know is that Keshi likes power and knows how to use it forcefully; little wonder his

alias Big Boss.

The President needs to order a probe into this incident. Those found culpable should be punished.

Let us look at the situation dispassionately. It could be that the players and coaches felt that the NFF was given money by the government and wanted to shortchange them, hence the outcry. But, the intervention by the Honourable Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi should have offered them the plank for a rethink. It was an act of insubordination by Keshi not to have been able to convince his wards to proceed to Brazil, on the strength of the minister’s promise to bring the cash to them there. It is simply preposterous for the players and the coaches to have directed that the minister should text an undertaking to one of their telephones as a commitment.

The quick questions are: has the Minister reneged on any promise to the Eagles? Okay, if the players and coaches didn’t trust NFF, how about the Minister? Why must we drag the President into such despicable act? Why did the Senate President call up the President for a matter that the Minister could handle?

•Continued on Page 59

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