THE NATION SATURDAY 18, 2013

How I handle advances from men who go crazy about my upper part

E PAG 58

E PAG 23

ss —Nollywood actre

Justice Bode Rhodes-Vigours and his abducted wife Adedoyin

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL.08 N0. 2489

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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Gunmen attack Buhari’s town PAGE 2

Borno State Governor Shettima

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The ‘miracle twins’ allegedly sold to an unsuspecting mother

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The suspect, Oby George, paraded by the police... yesterday

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Emergency rule: Troops kill 21 Boko Haram members •Anti-aircraft guns, 10 camps recovered •Terrorists’ bid to shoot down military jets failed, says DHQ

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O fewer than 21 members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect were killed yesterday by troops the Federal Government deployed in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Ten of the training camps of the sects were also seized in the third day of military operation in the state.

‘Briton killed in Nigeria by kidnappers minutes after rescue mission began’

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation More significantly, the troops recovered anti-aircraft guns from some camps of the sect in northern and central districts of the state.

The sect’s fighters had fired at one of the military jets involved in the operations in northern Borno, but the aircraft was not damaged as the pilot managed to steer it to safety.

The fighter jet was one of the many deployed in northern Borno where troops have

overrun many of the sect’s camps.

Spokesman of the Defence Headquarters, Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, confirmed the sect’s attack on the troops yesterday.

He said: “Indeed, they made attempts to bring down military aircraft in the northern part, but they did not succeed.

“They fired at one of our aircraft involved in the operation in Northern Borno, but they failed. The aircraft was not damaged in any way.”

Another source added: “Already reconnaissance was on-

going at the troubled spot where the aircraft was fired at. Our troops are on top of the situation. They (Boko Haram) are feeling the heat.

Military sources in Abuja hinted of a failed bid by the fundamentalists to shoot down military jets in Borno.

A military official, according to the BBC, said a plane had been hit by anti-aircraft fire but had managed to retur to base.

Some members of the sect were also beating a retreat into the desert parts of Niger, Chad and Northern Mali with a view to linking up with Al-

Qaeda in the Maghreb, sources said.

One source said: “The troops deployed in Borno have so far recorded some mileage by regaining some parts of northern and central parts of the state.

“But the focus is on the need to protect the entire state from the aggression of the insurgents. We are not taking things for granted at all.

“So far, the deployment of troops has been smooth with some Boko Haram camps already taken over. Many deadly weapons were also impounded during the raid

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NQUEST hears that British construction worker died from a single gunshot wound to the head on 8 March 2012, months after being kidnapped in Nigeria.

A British construction worker was murdered by his kidnappers just minutes after a joint UK and Nigerian rescue operation stormed into the compound where he was held, an inquest has heard.

Chris McManus, a quantity surveyor from Oldham, was shot six times in a toilet – both through the door and then from just outside it – as special forces tried to save his life, but they were under AK47 fire from the kidnappers at the compound in the northwest Nigerian city of Sokoto.

The hearing in Salisbury heard the soldiers stormed the building on 8 March last year after intelligence in previous days told them that McManus, 28, was there with fellow captive Franco Lamolinara from Italy, who also died during the rescue.

The go-ahead for the operation had been given by Cobra, the government’s crisis committee, at 11.15am, just 45 minutes before it started, after a senior officer had reviewed the evidence amid fears for the men’s safety.

The team, which included British special forces, had •Continued on Page 6

•McManus

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HE Federal Government, for the first time since the declaration of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, explained the inclusion of Adamawa State yesterday.

The government gave the state’s proximity to Cameroun and the need for the military to have a wide area of coverage as reasons for the inclusion.

The Federal Government also said it did not want to give the insurgents any hiding place The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, disclosed these in Abuja during a meeting with foreign

•A vandalised police station in Daura after attack by insurgents yesterday. Inset: a vandalised car.

Gunmen attack Buhari’s town

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XPLOSIONS and gunfire rocked Daura, Katsina State hometown of former military ruler, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday night.

The mode of attack bore the signature tune of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, which has recorded huge losses in the 96- hour-old military operation to flush it out of the Northeast.

Three soldiers were confirmed dead in the attack.

The sect is currently facing a massive setback in its bases in Borno,Yobe and Adamawa states where the army, navy and air force are on a mission to flush it out.

Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Nigerian Army, said several of the invading gunmen were also killed.

The gunmen attacked four

on these camps. More than 10 of such camps have been recovered by the troops.”

Olukolade confirmed that the troops had overrun some Boko Haram camps. But he did not disclose the locations of the camps “for ‘security reasons”.

His words: “Within a few hours of operation, our troops have overrun terrorist camps in northern and central Borno . “We have also discovered dangerous weapons in possession of Boko Haram in these camps or terrorist bases. Some of the weapons recovered are antiaircraft guns and anti-tank guns. What this recovery means is that they could have brought down any military aircraft.

“Indeed, they made attempts to bring down military aircraft in the northern part but they did not succeed.

“I deliberately did not mention the Boko Haram camps we have captured so that the sect will not go and mop up their armoury in other bases or cells which we are yet to take over.

“All I can tell you is that we have intelligence report on their camps and the operation to rout the insurgents.”

Some other sources said Boko Haram members were retreating to the desert parts of Niger, Chad and northern Mali to link up with AlQaeda in the Maghreb.

One of the sources said: “Intelligence reports have shown that Boko Haram members are retreating from their camps/cells into border parts of Niger, Chad and northern Mali .

“The African-led International Support Mission to •Continued on Page 6

•3 soldiers, 2 policemen, 6 others killed

Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja; Tony AKOWE,Kaduna; Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano with agency reports banks in the border town, stealing a yet to be determined amount of money.

They also set some police stations and prison ablaze.

Gen. Wahab said a vehicle loaded with the stolen cash was recovered, in addition to four AK-47 rifles.

He said the army and other security personnel cordoned off three areas in the city soon after the attack and began a house-to-house search “to fish out some of

the wounded gunmen who forced their way into peoples’ homes’’.

He also said the army was liaising with security agencies in Niger Republic as “80 to 90 per cent of these gunmen are not Nigerians.’’

He said the operation to fish out the culprits was ongoing, and advised residents of Daura and the neighbouring local government areas of Baure, Sandamu, Mashi, and Dutsi to cooperate with security agents by reporting suspicious movements around them.

“What happened this morning (yesterday) is similar to what happened in Bama

where the gunmen burnt prison and police stations to divert attention,” he said.

At a separate press briefing in Abuja on the Daura attack, Director of Civil Military Affairs, Maj-Gen. Mobolaji Koleoso, said the gunmen wore fake army uniform.

Five members of the gang, according to him, died in the exchange of gunfire with soldiers from the 35 Battalion, Katsina.

Gen. Koleoso said the soldiers responded swiftly to a distress call at 10 pm on Thursday after the insurgents stormed the town.

He said two of the insurgents were gunned down by soldiers while three of them

who were fleeing in a Volkswagen Gulf car were killed when the car crashed.

Some of the gang members were also said to escape with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.

The Army appealed to hospitals and health facilities nationwide to seek clearance from security agencies before treating patients with gunshot wounds.

This, the Army maintained, would prevent fleeing insurgents with gunshot wounds from being treated and getting away to cause more havoc to members of the public.

Two soldiers were killed in the operation while another officer sustained gunshot wounds, the general added.

Why Adamawa is under emergency rule, by FG •Says measure was based on proximity to Cameroun Vincent IKUOMOLA, Abuja diplomats in the country yesterday.

He, however, assured that the state of emergency would be lifted immediately normalcy returns in the affected states.

He also allayed the fears of the diplomats on possible human rights abuse, assuring them that the military would abide by their rules of engagement.

He called on the diplomats to report accurately to their governments back home, stressing

that terrorism has no boundaries.

He assured them that the military action is a limited operation that would only last for a short period.

He also said the military authorities would make public their rules of engagement in the troubled states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

He further stressed that the state of emergency was meant to protect lives and property and flush out the insurgents.

He, however, said as part of the rule of engagement, the military would first give the

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insurgents the oportunit to surrender. Where that failed, he said, they would employ allmilitary action.

He assured the diplomats that the military would be as open as possible.

The minister also denied any form of extra-judicial killings in the country, adding that the operations “are put in place to protect the civilian populace”.

He further assured the diplomats who would want to visit the affected states of their safety, saying, however, that it would have to be a protected visit.

He advised diplomats who would want to visit the areas to get clearance from the ministry and that of defence.

He expressed optimism that the National Assembly would ratify President Goodluck Jonathan’s state of emergency proclamation. He also noted that the proclamation was simply a military operation as the political actors in the states would still be going about their constitutional responsibilities.

The minister denied the allegations of extra-judicial killing levelled against the military.

He however said the government has set up a committee

to look into the allegations.

The minister noted that the country had recorded $9 billion inflow in foreign direct investment in spite of the security challenge. This, he said, was as a result of the investors’ faith in the government.

“They know that we have the capacity to curtail the security challenge,” he said.

Ashiru added: “The ongoing security challenge facing our country has imposed on us a responsibility to respond in a robust manner, anchored on a multiple-track strategy of negotiation, empowerment, engagement, re-orientation, and military containment.”

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

My Pikin: Court jails producers of killer syrup for seven years

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USTICE Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday jailed the manufacturers of infant syrup, My Pikin Baby Teething Mixture, for seven years.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said the contaminated medication killed tens of infants in Nigeria.

The judge ordered the company to be compulsorily wound up and its assets forfeited to the Federal Government.

NAFDAC charged the firm, Barewa Pharmaceutical Company, its Production Manager, Mr. Adeyemo Abiodun and the Quality Assurance Manager, Egbele Eromosele, with production of the dangerous medicine which was said to have killed about 80 babies in 2008.

The judge sentenced the convicts to seven years each for conspiracy to sell dangerous drug.

He handed them another seven years for selling dangerous drugs, but ordered that the sentences should run concurrently (as opposed to consecutively, meaning they will spend about seven years in jail).

The judge discharged and acquitted the convicts, including the company, of the rest of the four counts relating to adulteration, manufacturing and distribution.

The judgment was interrupted when Abiodun started falling in the dock and gasping for breath shortly after allocutus (plea for mercy).

The judge then summoned the medical doctor in charge of the Federal High Court, who after examining the accused, confirmed he was hypertensive. He said his blood pressure was also very high.

Justice Okeke then ordered that the convict be offered a seat, and went on reading the judgment.

The judge held that NAFDAC failed to prove the allegation of drug adulteration.

“My understanding of the word ‘adulterated’ is that somebody has tampered with the original product and changed

Joseph JIBUEZE the quality and efficacy of the drug.

“There must be evidence that the manufacturer of the adulterated drug changed or tampered with the ingredient reducing the standard of the original drug. The prosecution failed to prove its case,” Okeke said.

He found them guilty on two counts, in which NAFDAC said they sold a dangerous drug to Roca Pharmacy of 34 Balogun Road, Agege, Lagos around October 2008.

The offence is contrary to Section 1(18)(a)(ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Sections 1(8)(a)(ii); 1(18)(b)(ii) and 3 of the same Act. The prosecution had on January 6, 2013 re-arraigned the three on an amended charge of six counts following the death of the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Kola Okunola, on October 27 last year.

According to the judge, although the prosecution failed to prove the allegations relating to adulteration, there was sufficient evidence that My Pikin contained “dangerous chemical” which the convicts allegedly sold to a pharmacy.

NAFDAC said the medication contained a harmful chemical called diethylene glycol and that the firm’s laboratory lacked the equipment to detect the contamination.

Justice Okeke said: “Inasmuch as I appreciate the passionate plea of learned silk (defence counsel Mr Osaro Eghobamien, SAN), especially considering the state of the first accused, I am, however, bound by the provisions of the law.

“Having found the accused guilty on two counts, the convicts are hereby sentenced to seven years imprisonment each on the charge.

“The company is also ordered to be wound up compulsorily, in line with the provisions of the law, and its assets forfeited to the Federal Government.”

During trial, a prosecution witness, Aminu Alilu, told the court that in January 2009 at NAFDAC’s Yaba office, he received a sealed package containing samples of My Pikin with batch number 02008.

The witness stated that he took the samples for laboratory analysis, which was done in line with normal scientific testing procedure.

He said the analysis showed the product contained contaminants called diaethylene glycol.

The witness said samples were again taken to the NAFDAC central laboratory at Oshodi for confirmation by a qualitative and quantitative estimation of the products.

At Oshodi, an advanced analytical technique was employed using an instrument called gas liquid chromatograph.

“The result of the analysis at the Oshodi central laboratory proved to be the same with that conducted in the sister laboratory at Yaba. As a result, we came to the conclusion that My Pikin baby teething mixture was

contaminated with diaethylene glycol.”

The witness told the court that diaethylene glycol is a toxic substance which is unacceptable in food or drug preparation.

“Diaethylene glycol belongs to a group of substance called glycol and there are four closely related glycol with common characteristics. They include diaethylene glycol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and glycerol.

“The first two are sweet and deadly while the last two are sweet and harmless. Some dubious elements engaged in drug counterfeiting now sell the harmful substance, diaethylene glycol, as glycerol and propylene glycol,” he said.

A pharmacist also testified that it ended ties with the company when he learnt of the mishap allegedly caused by My Pikin.

But Eromosele had denied that Barewa produced the contaminated syrup. He said: “The raw materials are brought to

Troops recover anti-aircraft guns from Boko Haram

•Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, flanked by the state’s Attorney-General, Barrister Soronnadi Njoku, and Hon Justice P.O. Nnadi at a public function recently.

‘Briton killed in Nigeria by kidnappers minutes after rescue mission began’ •Continued from Page 2 been sent to the area the previous day and burst through the compound’s front gates at midday local time on 8 March last year, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Grant Mallon said.

The soldiers were soon under small arms fire; Mallon said the weapon was an AK47 with its distinctive “crack” sound. The men killed at least one militant and then Mallon said they heard further shots with the same distinctive crack in the north-west area of the compound.

“Muffled gunshots were heard by the team in sector one in the north-west corner of the compound. They were from a high calibre weapon.

It seemed to them they were in a room and it was rapid shots.

“Two insurgents were then seen leaving the compound from the north on a ladder at 12.04,” the policeman said.

The soldiers then systematically went through the compound until they came to the north-west end of the compound and found some tarpaulin obscuring a building.

The men saw single beds and a room with a barred window. They then went into

me before production of the mixture. I performed analysis of the raw materials and there was no contamination. I conduct the tests for all the raw materials.

“The test complied with specification – meaning there was no contamination there. I followed the procedure in the purchase of raw materials, sampling and testing.

“I was guided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Committee on Verification of Pharmaceutical Preparations. We don’t produce anything known as My Pikin Paracetamol Syrup,” But the prosecutor, during cross examination, said: “I put it to you that you could not detect the contamination of the raw materials because your laboratory was not adequately equipped for such tests.”

Eromosele responded: “It is not correct,” adding that he only advised his company to withdraw the product when there were complaints of side effects.

“I advised my firm to write to their customers to stop the sale of My Pikin Baby Teething Syrup already with the marketers because I heard rumours there were adverse reactions.”

Eromosele said NFDAC conducted a pre-registration inspection of Barewa’s factory in 2005/2006, and certified it to operate for two years, after which there would be another certification.

another room with a single and double bed and saw a Manchester United football shirt similar to one McManus had been wearing in videos released by his captors in the months before his death.

“They called out for Franco and Chris but received no reply,” Mallon said.

“To the right there was a metal door to a toilet and they noticed there were bullet holes to it and the team noticed there were 7.62mm munitions and cases on the floor.

“The door was partially open and when the soldiers looked inside they could see two white males on the floor and they immediately recognised them as Chris and

Franco. Chris was lying to the left of the toilet. Both men had visible gunshot wounds. It appears they were killed fairly quickly into the engagement.”

McManus was pronounced dead at 1.38pm local time by a doctor.

A postmortem examination found that he died from a single gunshot wound to the head from a 7.62mm round that killed him almost instantly, the hearing was told.

“Friendly fire” was ruled out because the rescue forces were using 5.56mm munitions.

The men had been kidnapped in May 2011 and held for months before their killing, with three videos re-

leased showing they were alive – the last on 23 February 2012.

The failed operation caused a diplomatic row between Britain and Italy after the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, said it was “inexplicable” that Downing Street had not alerted Rome to the plan to rescue the men in advance. The foreign secretary, William Hague, insisted that that had been impossible.

British officials at the time blamed a splinter wing of the Boko Haram sect for the abductions, but a sect spokesman denied the group’s involvement.

McManus was working for the construction company B

Stabilini, which builds shopping centres and stadiums in Nigeria, when he was kidnapped on 12 May by gunmen who stormed his apartment in the city of Birnin Kebbi, about 110 miles from Sokoto. The gunmen stormed into the heavily guarded compound 500 metres from the construction site where the men were working and tied up the guards.

Lamolinara was also abducted. A German colleague managed to escape by scaling a wall, but a Nigerian engineer was shot and wounded. Another Italian, Eduardo Cavallieri, avoided capture and raised the alarm, the inquest was told.

Source:The Guardian of London

Deployment of troops, a big plus, says Yobe CP OBE State was calm yesterday, 72 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan imposed emergency rule on the state and neighbouring Borno and Adamawa.

Residents said there was little or no difference between the security situation that had existed in the state for more than one year

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Joel DUKU, Damaturu and what obtains under the emergency rule.

People were seen moving about their normal business yesterday. The Jumat was also observed peacefully in the metropolis and different parts of the state.

The Yobe State Commis-

sioner of Police, Sanusi Rufai, told our correspondent on the phone that “the deployment of more troops in the state is a double plus to what the security forces in the state have been doing.

“As you know, our area is calm. Yobe State, especially Damaturu, is very calm at the moment. But I must add

that the deployement has added a tremendous boost to what we have been doing.

“The JTF, SSS, Police and everybody, including the general public, are doing their work very well,” Rufai said.

Restriction of movement in the state runs from 7 pm to 6 am

•Continued from Page 2 Mali (AFISMA) has however been placed on the alert to ward off the retreating Boko Haram members.

“There will also be collaboration between Nigeria and its neighbours on how to check the insurgents.”

The soldiers yesterday continued their shelling of suspected camps of the sect, killing at least 21 people, a security official told AP. The fighting was in the Sambisa Forest Reserve, south of Maiduguri which soldiers previously raided in the hunt for terrorists.

Soldiers started the attack on Sambisa Forest Reserve on Thursday, having previously converged in the area ahead of Tuesday’s declaration of state of emergency in Borno,Yobe and Adamawa

by President Goodluck Jonathan.

There was no independent confirmation of the assault or casualties.

“We are not going to leave the forest until it’s over,” the official said, referring to the emergency rule.

Reuters, in a separate report, quoted Brig-Gen. Olukolade as saying: “A number of insurgents have been killed. It is not just Sambisa; every camp is under attack. But we have not done the mopping up operations on the ground to determine the number killed.”

Mobile phone service returned yesterday morning to parts of the three states after being cut on Thursday. The security official told the AP that the service cut came on the orders of the Federal Government and security forces as soldiers moved into the northeast to begin operations. The official said service would likely be shut off again.

COMMENTARY 7

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

The price and psychology of terrorism and survival T HE man on record as saying - give me a place to stand and I will shake the world – is probably making a plea which may be mistaken for a bit of hysteria, but is still at best , a mere request. However the man interested in overturning the status quo by all means in other to press home his point is a different kettle of fish. This is the insurgent or terrorist who is a man of violence and force, who regards death and mayhem as the hall mark of his world view and is not making a plea by any stretch of the imagination to anybody, except to force his view point down the throat of all stakeholders in his environment. In sharp contrast however, the man fighting for survival values life and prays or dialogues with a view of a better tomorrow. Such a man is different again from the suicide bomber who is ready to die now for what he believes he or she has been denied prior to his killing himself, and taking all in the vicinity to his perceived world beyond, or his mortal destination. Indeed, the man fighting for survival and even the rabidly violent insurgent must keep away and keep doing so from the vicinity of the suicide bomber who does not believe in any tomorrow, finally and anymore.

Such is the scenario I am creating today in view of the latest news this week in Nigeria on which I admit to a touch of ambivalence, and on the global scene at large this week. The first is the Boko Haram video on global news showing that the terrorist organization has kidnapped children and women and is ready to get ransom on them or use them as bargaining chips for the release of its members in government custody. The second is the presidential declaration of state of emergency in three states namely Borno, Adamawa and Yobe which have been scenes and states in which the Boko Haram have had a field day in laying siege most violently and with impunity, on the territorial integrity of the Nigerian state in recent times.

In the world at large, from Liberia where the head of the presidential body guard threatened to come with guns after journalists critical of government, to Turkey’s Prime Minister’s frantic visit to the US on the Syrian crisis, to the election of Nawaz Sharif as the new Prime Minister in a volatile Islamic democracy like Pakistan; the issues involved revolve around survival, insurgency, terrorism and the grim but dangerous battle to keep the ship of state on course by all means, as is now the main preoccupation of the embattled Nigerian government and president.

Let me go back to the earlier categorizations I made and stress that the ‘man’ inherent in my assertions and definitions of the characters so identified namely terrorist, insurgent, survivalists and suicide bombers can refer to the opposite sex, institutions , states and governments. Starting with Liberia therefore it would appear that the presidential body guard boss spoke the mind of his boss, the president of Liberia because for days there was no recant or repudiation of his assertion from the presidency. He was reported to have told journalists that they are terrorists and that though they have their pens the security people have their guns and that they would come after journalists if they write anything that threatens the territorial integrity of Liberia. In protest, the Liberian media published blank front pages and sought audience with the Liberian president to no avail. Eventually the security boss issued a recant and said the media and security forces are indeed partners in progress in protecting the territorial integrity of Liberia but the damage had been done and this is clear to deduce. This is because in keeping silent, the Liberian president unwittingly endorsed his aide’s undisguised and hostile warning to the press.

That studied silence in a reverse situation between the state or presidency and the press can be sufficient for a security coup on which there could be a black out from the press. In tacitly approving an undemocratic gesture by the security chief Presi-

dent Sirleaf exposed herself to a future or imminent security risk on which she may cry wolf later to survive, without being taken seriously by the press she has treated with contempt and disdain through her trigger happy, gun totting security chief this last week. In threatening the press to survive albeit through her security chief, therefore, the Liberian president has unwittingly shot herself in the leg in terms of her future security and survival in the performance of her duty as president of Liberia.

The Turkish PM Erdogan’s visit to President Barak Obama in the US was indeed a journey for help to survive in dangerous waters that relations between Turkey and Syria, Turkey’s northern neighbor have become in recent times. On a personal level, the relations between the two leaders can be likened to that between a suicide bomber and a survivalist. Really, Syria’s leader, Bashar Assad knows he is sinking in terms of rejection by his people and he is ready to bring down the house , this time the entire region in which Turkey is the real leader, down with him. Latest reports indicate that Assad’s forces are using chemical weapons and are bombing targets inside Turkey thus drawing Turkey into a war with Syria. But the Turkish PM has done so well for his nation economically and has won back to back three terms in elections and knows that war with Syria is unpopular with his countrymen. Also, in getting popular and getting more powerful Erdogan has been able to cage the army in Turkey and historically the army is the guardian of Turkey’s secular democracy which has taken a hiding from Erdogan’s electoral successes . Erdogan’s problem is that his party is Islamist and Turks are wary that he is violating the nation’s founder’s laid down principle that the army , which Erdogan has boxed into a corner by trying its leaders for previous military coups, is the official guardian of Turkey’s secular democracy. That was what Kemal Ataturk the founder of modern Turkey handed down as the governing principle in Turkey. In effect then, the army is watching Erdogan in his cat and mouse survival game with the suicidal Assad of Syria and waiting to cash in, once there is any insurgency against the Turkish PM for his foray into Syria to support the Syrian rebels and for which he has gone to Washington to seek protection as a dutiful and committed democratic and still secular leader of Turkey.

The story of the re-election of former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif is a story of political survival in a difficult environment

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Really, Syria’s leader, Bashar Assad knows he is sinking in terms of rejection by his people and he is ready to bring down the house , this time the entire region in which Turkey is the real leader, down with him. Latest reports indicate that Assad’s forces are using chemical weapons and are bombing targets inside Turkey thus drawing Turkey into a war with Syria

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where religion and politics are the key catalysts for political power, control and participation. Pakistan must be the only nation in the world where religious insurgents threaten democracy but are still not able to succeed in deterring Pakistanis from performing their civic duties of voting for their leaders of choice.

Nawaz Sharif had alternated power as it were, as PM with the late Benazir Bhutto, in between coups that had sent either packing one time or the other. The present scenario was even more interesting and symbolic in that former military ruler Parvez Musharaff who sent Sharif packing in a coup before, was around to contest the election but was denied participation in the electoral process by the judiciary . Interestingly during Musharaff’s military rule he invited the late Benazir Bhutto from exile to contest elections but did not invite Sharif who nevertheless came in a much publicized flight from Britain, only for his flight to be diverted to Medina in Saudi Arabia after Sharif had risked his life for the journey. Ironically, Nawaz has survived the exile to be PM of Pakistan today, while the man who denied him entry into Pakistan then, former General Parvez Musharaff is facing charges for not providing sufficient security for Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated while campaigning in the election for which Nawaz was then denied entry into Pakistan. Also, most intriguing in Pakistan is that the present president, the late Benazir Bhutto’s husband knows that under Nawaz Sharif, whose party has sufficient majority to rule alone, his time in office is up or at best in great jeopardy, as president of Pakistan. This is because it was under the previous premier ship of the new PM that the president was jailed for money laundering; a charge that the highest court in Pakistan has ordered should be executed by successive PMs of Pakistan who were members of his party, which has now lost power to Nawaz Sharif’s party, which is a very volatile development indeed.

On Nigeria, let me round up by commending the Nigerian president and government on the state of emergency declared in three states in the North East namely Adamawa , Borno and Yobe . For three reasons I say the commendation is well deserved. The first is that the president no matter how belated has shown that he is now in charge, as nature abhors a vacuum in fighting anything, including insurgency and terrorism. The second is that that the wolves in sheep clothing, which he admitted are around him, now know that the battle line is drawn and that they either play ball and support him or leave office before it is too late. The third is that by involving the army the president has given the institution a great opportunity to prove its mettle as well as assert and display its loyalty and commitment to the Nigerian state and its fledgling democracy. Given the dire circumstances we have found ourselves through earlier vacillations and dithering in dealing with terrorists, insurgents and now police- killing cultists, the state of emergency is like a breath of fresh air and vibrant leadership, unlike the earlier putrid verbiage and vocabulary of negotiations with, and amnesty for merciless insurgents and unrepentant terrorists. Taking the bull by the horn always seemed a strange strategy for this presidency in confronting those who threaten our nation’s territorial integrity and security with impunity till now One therefore hopes and prays that now that the cat is at home mice and terrorists would flee in whatever direction they wished, and allow peace to reign in our fatherland henceforth - with our president fully and firmly in the saddle in pursuing their imminent rout and defeat. Amen

8 COMMENTARY

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Needless debate on President’s tenure

SMS 07043485109 vincentakanmode@yahoo.com

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INCE the news filtered out a few days ago that the Senate is angling for a six-year single term tenure for the nation’s President in the new constitution expected to emerge later in the year, the nation has been polarised into two camps of those who cherish the idea and those who oppose it. Actually, the idea is not one for which the upper legislative chamber deserves credit. It is a mere modification of the sevenyear single term tenure President Goodluck Jonathan proposed to the National Assembly a few months after he assumed office in 2011.

In justifying the proposal, the President had argued that it was impelled by the need for an incumbent President to focus maximum attention on the execution of his developmental programmes rather than exert vital energy on re-election issues. “President Jonathan is concerned about the acrimony which the issue of re-election, every four years, generates both at the federal and state levels,” presidential spokesman, Dr, Reuben Abayi, said in a statement.

“The nation is still smarting from the unrest, the desperation for power and the overheating of the polity that has attended each general election. The fallout of all this is the unending inter and intra-party squabbles which have affected the growth of party democracy in the country and have further undermined the country’s developmental aspirations. In addition, the costs of conducting party primaries and the general elections have become too high for the economy to accommodate every four years. The proposed amendment Bill is necessary to consolidate our democracy and allow elected executives to concentrate on governance and service delivery for

their full term, instead of running governments with re-election as their primary focus.”

Other proponents of the idea believe that it will reduce acrimony in politics and create a level play field for all candidates during elections. But as would be expected in a country where the people are perpetually at war with their leaders’ desperation to cling to power, the President’s proposal was discounted as a subtle move to perpetuate himself in office. The opposition parties, the Transition Monitoring Group, civil society groups, socio-political organisations like the Afenifere and Arewa Consultative Forum, and even the House of Representatives all believe that the proposal is nothing but a ploy by the President and sitting governors to add more years to their tenures through a back-door arrangement.

The idea of breaking the President’s tenure into two terms of four years each emanated from the need to give the electorate an opportunity to assess the President’s performance in the first four years and use that as a yardstick to determine his continued suitability or otherwise. He would be voted out, if he is deemed not to have lived up to expectation or voted in to continue his good works, if he is deemed fit and able. The arrangement imposes on an elected President the responsibility to hit the ground running in order to merit a second term. On the other hand, the President elected for a single term of six years is a fait accompli. The people have no choice, but to endure him for the period, no matter how patently incapable.

However, both arrangements are premised on the presumption that the votes count and the power to elect resides with the people. Unfortunately, that is hardly the case with us. Hence I have a feeling that the debate on the President’s tenure amounts to putting the cart before the horse. Our most pressing political need at the moment is not how long the president stays in office, but the ability of the people to get the kind of leaders they desire. Of course, it is obvious that the nation has not profited from the present arrangement. But there is also no guarantee that shortening the maximum tenure of the President from two four-year terms to a single

Given the disappointments they have suffered from successive governments since the nation returned to democracy in 1999, Nigerians would tolerate a President that guarantees adequate security, good roads, regular electricity and potable water longer than Libyans tolerated Ghadaffi

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term of six years would guarantee the dividends of democracy the people have so wistfully longed for. The constitutional innovation that would help the nation at the moment is one that guarantees that every vote counts so that the electorate can choose trusted individuals to lead

If not Jonathan, then who?

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OME have labelled him a bread-and-butter rebel with a cause.

Some say he is just a smart man who knows how best to feather his nest. Others call him an ethnic irredentist who has perfected the art of empty blabbering. But I believe Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo is too big to be crated into someone’s warped descriptive nuances. In our quick rush to hang him in the sun to dry for daring to insist that President Goodluck Jonathan must remain Nigeria’s leader post 2015, we tend to forget that this true son of Niger Delta was speaking under the influence of a spirited dose of presidential amnesty. And instead of showing him some respect for accepting the Federal Government’s plea to distance his crew from violence and oil bunkering by voluntarily abdicating his kingdom in the creeks, we are busy nudging the police to arrest him for threatening a spiral of violence should Jonathan be eased off a seat which should be his for eight years! Why should we?

And, in its usual atavistic way of looking at issues of national importance, the House of Representatives has compounded the problem by erroneously concluding that Asari-Dokubo’s patriotic rant of ‘it’s either Jonathan or no one else’ is “capable of creating disunity and disaffection among the good people of Nigeria.” As for the lawmaker who raised the issue on the floor of the House as a matter of urgent national discourse, Ali Sani Madaki (Kano), I doubt if he read through the reasons adduced for a continuation of the Jonathan presidency before crying blue murder. If he had taken out time to dissect Asari-Dokubo’s unimpeachable logic, he would by now be pushing for the conferment of the highest honours in the land not only on the former ex-militant but also on other well-meaning Nigerians who daily canvas for the extension of the fresh breath of air we currently enjoy.

Like they say in my profession, facts are sacred and comments are free. Luckily for us, neither Asari-Dokubo nor the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Committee, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, can be accused of not dwelling on the facts on the table before declaring a no vacancy in Aso Rock until 2019. So, what are these facts?

I’ll simplify them. First, that Jonathan is constitutionally guaranteed two terms of four-year tenure. Second, that he is from the Niger Delta, which produces Nigeria’s main revenue—oil. Third, that, with amnesty, the restiveness in the Niger Delta has abated with huge impact on crude exploration. And, most importantly, there is a sense in the insistence by the ex-warlord that “monkey no fine, but him mama like am”. Call it an apt description of the basest form of political skulduggery, it really doesn’t matter for as long this kinsman to many ‘generals’ is on the throne. He is simply the best!

Besides, these guys are not asking for too much. They are, in my humble opinion, appealing to our sense of equity, justice and fairness. They say since we have voted massively for Jonathan to be in government, we should have the presence of mind to allow him to be in power for just another four years. After all , didn’t we allow Obasanjo his eight years of deferred dreams? Would we not have tolerated an Umaru Musa Yar’Adua for eight years if he had not died in office? Would it have mattered if the country had been divided down the middle? So, why should anyone deny Jonathan the right to live in Aso Rock just because some debased minds are killing and maiming in some parts of the country? Would it not be better to live with

the activities of these insurgents than allow the kind of ‘war’ being threatened by Asari-Dokubo and the likes?

In any case, it is not as if those cavorting for a Jonathan presidency beyond 2015 are solely doing so on the basis of where he comes from. No. They are equally posturing with his unprecedented achievements in the last two years. They said he has been working silently to transform all sectors of the economy even if majority of us have opted to close our eyes to those things. Well, as they say, that one ‘na your toro!’ As far as Asari-Dokubo is concerned, that can only be the jabbering of “greedy politicians.” The common Nigerian from Otuoke in Bayelsa to Baga in Borno knows that a working machine has taken over Aso Rock and he is breaking new horizons in classical over-achievement.

Listen to Asari-Dokubo: “The (Nigerian) story has changed. I made five hours from Benin to Lagos by road (by the way, it used to be three hours when I did my youth service corps in that ancient town in 1990). Electricity supply is relatively constant now than what it was before Jonathan came in as President. The AbujaLokoja Road that was neglected is almost completed and several other roads across the country. People have started using the rail system again. This shows that Jonathan is silently moving the country at the direction to satisfy these people, while we from the Niger Delta are not being satisfied. Before now, we have had university lecturers going on strike for over six months, people go to universities to study courses of four or five years, but end up staying five and six years because the lecturers were always going on strike, but that is not the case as at today because the government is handling the issue. Even at that, this is the most maligned government because some people think, and they have been made to believe that they are born to rule, and so many people who are very timid to challenge them have accepted it.”

And did he have to say about the call for his arrest? He fired: “I am saying it bold and clear without mincing words, that the consequences of my arrest, Nigeria will be history.

The last time Obasanjo arrested me, my arrest reduced Nigeria

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Besides, these guys are not asking for too much. They are, in my humble opinion, appealing to our sense of equity, justice and fairness. They say since we have voted massively for Jonathan to be in government, we should have the presence of mind to allow him to be in power for just another four years

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them.

This is important because the success of any administration is a function of how much trust the people repose in it. Once the people believe that they are being led by individuals in whom they repose a lot of confidence, their trust in the administration is boosted and this results in maximum cooperation between the leader and the led. In June 1993, for instance, prices of food items in Lagos markets and elsewhere began to crumble as soon as the news filtered out that the late Bashorun MKO Abiola had won the presidential election. This was without any prompting from any official quarters. It was believed that many traders started bringing out the food items they had hoarded because they believed that an Abiola presidency would flood the economy with them.

Two years ago, traders in Sango-Ota who had narrowed the streets and obstructed traffic with their makeshift shops began to demolish them on their own as soon as they learnt that Ibikunle Amosun of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had won the governorship of Ogun State.

Conversely, not a few people believe that the Boko Haram and other forms of crises the Jonathan administration is witnessing are direct consequences of diminishing trust in the government.

There is no doubt that what is uppermost in the mind of the average Nigerian now is the chance to elect a President that would run a responsible and responsive government. Given the disappointments they have suffered from successive governments since the nation returned to democracy in 1999, Nigerians would tolerate a President that guarantees adequate security, good roads, regular electricity and potable water longer than Libyans tolerated Ghadaffi.

Rather than waste time and energy persuading Nigerians to accept a single six or seven-year tenure, President Jonathan should revisit the recommendations of Justice Mohammed Uwais Committee on Electoral Reforms and adopt them without any exception. That, to me, is the most auspicious way to begin our search for a fruitful democratic system.

Knucklehead With

Yomi Odunuga E-mail:yomi.odunuga @thenationonlineng.net SMS only: 07028006913 oil production to 700,000 barrels per day. This time, it will reduce it to zero barrel and we will match violence by violence, intrigues by intrigues. We are ready for them.

Goodluck Jonathan will complete his tenure of two terms whether they like it or not; for us, they don’t even exist because we pay them; he who pays the piper decides the tune.

And then…Kingsley Kuku: “People have created negative tendencies just to create the belief that President Jonathan cannot govern Nigeria. I did not say that Jonathan should be elected, by hook or crook, as President in 2015 otherwise there will be violence in the Niger Delta. I said for the peace process not to degenerate and collapse, President Jonathan should be allowed to implement the amnesty package. Nigeria will never be ungovernable.

Nigeria will be governable under President Jonathan and he is already stemming the tide of restiveness.” Awww!

How more logical can anyone be on this matter? Those who say the Jonathan train should be stopped because Nigeria is tottering on the brink of anarchy miss the point. It is not really important whether he has the capacity to rein in the terror that has assailed the nation. It matters not whether he is slow and sadly effete at tackling the ills that continue to plague the society. This debate is not about how guns echo sorrowful lullabies and ignite teardrops in our homes. It is about the politics of leadership in a nation that is forever perched on a plateau of non-populist leaders’ delusion of grandeur. It is not even about war and peace.

Instead, it is about something more pedestrian than the lure of the stomach which has propelled many to think through their buttocks—what the National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Adewole Adeyanju, tagged “turn by turn Nigeria Limited.”

Being a man of figures, Adeyanju simplified all the fiery ranting of Asari-Dokubo thus: “PDP has leaders and we know them.

Today, our leader is the President and Commander of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonatha n. This man is from the SouthSouth. The best thing to do for Nigeria to sustain peace is to make Nigeria turn by turn Nigeria Limited. That’s why we can talk two terms. South-South is there now and we should just allow them to do two terms and that is how Nigeria can survive.”

And so, neither cluelessness nor outright incompetence can stop the moving train in this asphyxiating environment of government by the whim! If not Jonathan, who else can help sustain this uncommon transformation – the motions without movement in our land and the unequalled peace of the graveyard that now pervade the land? Who else but Jonathan?

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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

T

HERE are reasons why emergency rule declared in three Northern states is not a bad thing. On Tuesday, an unusually tough-talking President Goodluck Jonathan provided the grounds for troops to move into Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and do everything within the law to rescue them from the grip of Boko Haram.

It is easy to understand why. For every single strategy adopted to stop the killings and keep the peace in the North has failed to produce result. Initial closing of the eyes and wishing the violence would not continue did not help. The President’s appeals that enough was enough, was not enough to impress the insurgents. Nor did the region-wide rounds made by National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Occasional military clashes with members of the sect did not yield much fruit either. Even the arrest of several alleged members of the sect has not stemmed the blood flow in the land.

A peace offer named amnesty just about blew up in the President’s face as soon as he announced it, with the sect appearing to seize the initiative and declaring that it needed no forgiveness. Jonathan has gone on to constitute the amnesty committee anyway, but there is no evidence that dialogue is taking place or that members of Boko Haram are laying down their arms. They have increased in stature, in reach, in tactics and in courage. They have gone on from shooting or bombing street crowds to targeting public institutions and international organisations, even kidnapping. They also seem to be inspiring some local cult groups, a recent example being the killing of scores of policemen in Nasarawa State.

When the sect threatened back in 2011 that

COMMENTARY

Make emergency rule count its fighters would “hunt down” Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda and his former counterpart in Gombe, Senator Danjuma Goje, the two gentlemen promptly begged. Yuguda apologised “for perceived injustices caused” the group. Goje “hereby tender my public apology to the organisation for any wrong done to it in the course of performing my duty as the then governor of Gombe Sate.”

You cannot blame the pair. It was wise considering the might of Boko Haram.

The Jonathan administration, having also appealed for peace, amnesty-wise, and was yet to get any promising response, seems to have resorted to emergency rule almost as a last-ditch effort but also because of the continuing killings and unending public criticism.

Emergency rule may do the trick but only if it is made to count. Already, the decision not to tamper with the democratic structures on the ground in the three states is a splendid idea.

But the operation must be comprehensive, the methods and strategies clearly thought-out.

The emergency rule must be comprehensive enough to achieve its aim, which is stopping the violence and restoring peace. Its methods and strategies must conform to accepted standards. The troops must be professional on duty, never losing sight of the conventions guiding their activities.

It is pertinent to recall the Baga massacre of last month. The killings and other atrocities in the community have left questions hanging over the military, with the international community keeping a keen eye on developments. Professionals deployed to keep the peace must not be accused or found guilty of criminal behaviour.

The entire military and law enforcement com-

munity must also ensure that while the emergency rule subsists, the violence they are trying to halt does not spread to other parts of the country.

Borno, Yobe and Adamawa are clearly not the only stomping grounds of Boko Haram. They are also quite active in Kano and have caused no small havoc in Bauchi, Plateau and several other places. While the emergency beam focuses on the three focal states, will there also be enough attention on other areas presumed to be Boko Haram-free?

While the emergency rule lasts, will the Jonathan administration come to grips with the root causes of the insurgency and begin to fix them? It will be naive to simply say the enemies of the President are at work. Not everyone will like a president, any president, but when war is levied against a nation by some of its citizens, as the President himself conceded in his Tuesday broadcast, the finger of accusation should not merely point to political enemies. There are clear societal dislocations and inequities that should be addressed. There are terrorist vibrations in the South from where the President hails.

Hear the President: “It has become necessary for me to address you on the recent spate of terrorist activities and protracted security challenges in some parts of the country, particularly in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Plateau and, most recently, Bayelsa, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states.”

The emergency rule should offer him the opportunity to reflect on the spread of violence in the country and stamp it out for good. Jonathan should make the military option in the three Northern states count for the whole country.

It may sound like a tall order but is that not why he is in government and in power?

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The emergency rule must be comprehensive enough to achieve its aim, which is stopping the violence and restoring peace. Its methods and strategies must conform to accepted standards. The troops must be professional on duty, never losing sight of the conventions guiding their activities

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AUCHI YOUTHS PREGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION. ATTEMPTS BY SOME MISGUIDED YOUTHS TO DRAG THE NAME OF OUR COMMUNITY IN THE MUD We have watched with utmost surprise and disappointment, the attempt by some disgruntled elements hiding under the auspices of Auchi aggrieved Youths, to foment trouble with the aim of dragging the name of our beloved town in the mud.

Auchi as a community has right from time been known as a community of great and illustrious people, who are hard working and have contributed in no small measure to the development of the country. This has stood them out even within the little microcosm of the Etsako clan where they belong, hence it’s mentioned as the abode of the Afemai man especially when they are in other places.

This God given blessing is what is been gradually dented by some misguided Youths who are being used as pawns by their paymaster to cause chaos and create the impression of anarchy in our peaceful community.

The supposed bone of contention is that: 1.

The Rector Dr. Mrs. Philipa Idogho does not consider indigenes in the school’s employment.

2.

She did not make Auchi indigenes principal officers in the school.

These allegations are quite spurious and unsubstantiated as the institution is a federal one, and appointments into principal offices are procedural. Strict procedures has been followed so far in this regards as it has to do with this sensitive appointments. Besides the number of sensitive positions held by Auchi indigenes has astronomically increased during her administration and this feat should be widely applauded rather than discouraged. It is quite laughable that the so called unemployed graduates should be agitating for principal officers that are not given when they have not even started work.

This goes clearly to show that they are just been misguided by their pay master who had totally lost out in his bid to get position through the back door.

As regards the employments, a computer based test was set and successful applicants were invited for interview. It is very surprising that some of us who didn’t even write the test are now being seen on the streets protesting and crying wolf when there is none.

This goes to show that these youths are misguided hence this publication.

We use this medium to appreciate the Rector Dr. Mrs. Philipa Idogho for her developmental strides. During this her tenure Auchi Polytechnic has witnessed unprecedented developments. Looking at the school of Part time studies and other infrastructural developmental feats She has achieved as the first female Rector of the Polytechnic, we can’t but appreciate you deeply as all this developments cannot be taken to her native community but will still remain with us even after her tenure has expired.

These developments have been commended by both the minister of information and works respectively on their unscheduled visits to the Polytechnic.

The Senate committee on Education headed by Senator Uche Chukwumerigie also did when they visited.

So instead of fighting a woman who is developing the federal Polytechnic in our domain, let us appreciate and encourage this rare enigma and Amazon.

Abass Usman Umoru Ahmed Alasa Rasak

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President Publicity Secretary Public Relations Officer

FG, World Bank to spend $659m on erosion Nicholas KALU, Calabar

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HE Federal Government and World Bank are to spend $659 million in tackling erosion in 11 states, including Cross River State, the leader of the Task Team of the World Bank for New Map Project handling the Nigeria Erosion and Water Shed Management Project, Mr. Steve Danyo, has said.

Speaking during a courtesy call on Governor Liyel Imoke, Danyo said the initial amount of the project was $509 million, but the Federal Government increased its counterpart funding because of the enormity of the project and its impact on the citizenry.

Danyo disclosed that the engineering designs for the identified project sites in the state have been approved by the World Bank to enable it tackle the menace.

Governor Liyel Imoke said the state government was keen on the execution of the project as it would create relief for its people.

He thanked the World Bank for helping the state to fight erosion after four sites have been identified and approved by it.

The governor said the state would ensure the execution of the project.

He tasked the Ministry of Environment to under one month to complete all documentation about the project.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

k n i h t e l p Peo t n a y o b m a I’m fl but...

a d e y e b o e Sh d e l l i k d n a voice ! r e h t o r b r he

du

–Dele Momo

•Pages 39,44&45

•Pages 16&17

13 THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Exotic world of wealthy Nigerians •Expensive ‘toys’ as new status symbols

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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•Bash Oloye with one of his choice cars

•Dangote

•Otedola

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For super-rich Nigerians, the days are gone when affluence was defined by the sophistication of individuals’ private cars or the beauty of their houses.

Attendance of night clubs and ability to lodge in expensive hotels are becoming more and more irrelevant in the yardsticks for measuring affluence. And if you must be numbered among the rich on the basis of your car, the brand must fall in the ranks of expensive ones like Rolls Royce and Limousine

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•Oba Akinruntan

•Subomi Balogun

Expensive ‘toys’ of the super-rich T

HEY are a privileged class of business tycoons, politicians, oil magnates and preachers. From phones, cars and castles, they have stepped up the symbols of wealth to yachts and private jets. With their latest exotic acquisitions, they facilitate their trips to exclusive destinations around the world. It is the paradox of a country where poverty has become endemic and aviation disasters are more frequent than anywhere else in the world.

Nigeria boasts the highest number of expensive cars and privately-owned aeroplanes on the African continent. From a paltry 50 in 2008, ownership of state-of-the art private jets in the country was reckoned to have grown to more than 200 in 2012.

Indeed, the nation is believed to rank behind only the United States of America (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and China in terms of demand for aeroplanes. In the last seven years, wealthy Nigerians are

n Kayode ALFRED n believed to have spent more than N1.3 trillion on acquisition of private jets.

The fortune it costs to own a private jet is better appreciated with reports that the price ranges from about $31 million for a Bombardier Global 5000 to $65 million for the Gulfstream G650. The smallest singleaisle of Airbus (Aisle A318) costs about $68 million while the Twin-Aisle A350 costs about $245 million. The Airbus company also labels its new A380 double-decker with a price list of $389.9 million before any upgrades.

Private jets do not only cost a lot of money, they are also very expensive to maintain. For instance, the Gulfstream G550, according to the aviation research firm, Conklin & de Decker, consumes an average of about $1 million worth of fuel in a year. Crew, maintenance, insurance and hanger would cost another $1 million or

more, bringing the estimated annual operating and maintenance cost to about $2.5 million.

For super-rich Nigerians, the days are gone when affluence was defined by the sophistication of individuals’ private cars or the beauty of their houses. Attendance of night clubs and ability to lodge in expensive hotels are becoming more and more irrelevant in the yardsticks for measuring affluence. And if you must be numbered among the rich on the basis of your car, the brand must fall in the ranks of expensive ones like Rolls Royce and Limousine.

In fact, many who cannot afford private jets are resorting to private helicopters in order to fly in the air and avoid the potholes that have become death traps on Nigerian roads. The average price of a helicopter is put at $6.5 million while annual operating cost is estimated at $1 million.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

•Elumelu

•Jim Ovia

•Okoloko

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•Alakija

•Adelakun According to Conklin & de Decker, the Bell 430, a top-of-the-line executive model of helicopter, consumes approximately $200,000 worth of fuel a year, $338,000 in maintenance costs, $216,000 in crew salaries and $150,000 in hanger and insurance costs.

Time pieces Wealthy Nigerians have not shot Nigeria’s name to a prominent position on the world map only on the basis of private jets and helicopters, they have also done so with their passion for exotic wristwatches.

The averagely rich man in Nigeria seems to place a literal premium on the saying that time is money. While the average man considers the wristwatch as nothing more than an item for checking the time, the wealthy see it as a bodily accessory deserving millions of naira or dollars.

Often crafted like a piece of art, with utmost meticulousness, high precision and expertise, the finished product is believed to worth every cent that is spent to acquire it.

Such time pieces include the Quadruple Tourbillion; the Quantieme, which is reputed for its unique designs and exceptionally technical precision; the Constantine, which is personalised as requested by the client and the Hublot with its latest watch called Big Bang, designed and developed in alliance with the diamond setting workshop, Bunter SA. Tunde Folawiyo, Gbolade Osibodu, Scott Tommey, pop star Olu Maintain, Ayiri Emami, Chief Bode Akindele and

Alhaji Rasak Akanni Okoya and Madam Folorunsho Alakija, are some Nigerians who have one or more of these in their collections.

Automobiles The increasing taste of the wealthy for private jets does not mean that exotic cars have been eliminated from their lists of toys. Indeed, few acquisitions ignite more passion from the rich than automobiles do.

Hence, wealthy Nigerians invest a lot of money in the latest editions of cars from the world’s most renowned auto makers.

They drive some of the fastest and most exotic cars on the roads.

From the Ghost to Phantom models, the Rolls Royce abounds in the garages of the rich across the land. For instance, one of such can be found in the garage of Nigerian business mogul, Otunba Michael Subomi Balogun, the epitome of style whose lifestyle is the dream of many up and coming Nigerians. There are others like Hajia Bola Shagaya, Femi Otedola, Leo Stan Ekeh, Tony Ezenna and Bash Ayiri Emami.

Oba Abiodun Oniru owns a $350,000 worth of Phantom. Prince Bolu-Akingbade owns two of the expensive brands of car while Chief Gabriel Igbinedion also acquired an N83 million worth of Phantom last year.

The Bentley is another expensive brand of car you would find in the garages of the super-rich in Nigeria. They range from the Continental, GT and Coupe to Flying Spur, Porche and Mulsanne. Auto dealer, Victor Adegbenro Adelakun is one of the privileged Nigerians who own a N30 million worth of Bentley Flying Spur.

There are others like former Nigerian

•Shagaya

ambassador to Ghana, Musiliu Obanikoro; Super Eagles star, John Mikel Obi and and Lagos-based socialite, Charles Ahize; not forgetting Oba Fredrick Akinruntan, the Olugbo of Ugbo's custom-built 2014 Bentley.

Another expensive brand of car owned by the rich is the Aston Martin. It has certain features that are not found in other kinds of cars, as every part of it is designed for optimal performance.

Nigerian pop star, Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D'banj, drives the Vintage model of it.

Ferraris, Bugatti, Porsche, Maybachs, Lamborghini, Maserati are some of the other expensive brands of car you will find in the garages of some rich Nigerians.

Yacht Super-rich people are known to make different turfs the playground for their fancy ‘toys’. The ocean is not an exception as the yacht, an extraordinary item owned only by billionaires, is used here. It provides a different dimension to their extraordinary lifestyles. Those who own the luxury sea vessel are at the uppermost rung the wealth ladder. It is a symbol of opulence and glamour.

The yacht is an item designed with no expenses spared. Billionaire oil magnate, Femi Otedola’s yacht named Nana, is an example. It was said to have cost more than $28 million. And he is not the only Nigerian shelling out the millions for this.

Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa

by Forbes’ reckoning, also recently spent about $23 million to acquire a yacht named Mariya. Reputable banker and businessman, Jim Ovia, is another wealthy Nigerian yacht owner.

Super-rich people are known to make different turfs the playground for their fancy ‘toys’. The ocean is not an exception. The yacht is an extraordinary item owned only by billionaires. It provides a different dimension to their extraordinary lifestyles.

Those who own the luxury sea vessel are a unique class of the wealthy. It is a symbol of opulence and glamour

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013 would not easily forget, arrested her along with her husband, Bassey, and dumped them in Magodo Police Station. Bassey, who worked in a guest house on Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, as a caterer, admitted that his wife stole the jewelries but could not fathom what pushed her to commit the act.

Comfort swore that she returned all the gold but that she was surprised that her madam insisted on their arrest.

“To God who made me, I returned all the gold to madam, but she still went to the police to report the matter; so my husband and I were arrested and punished”, she said. However, when their trial began at the magistrate’s court, her boss, who was to appear as prosecution witness, having recovered her stolen jewelries, failed to appear in court, thus began series of long adjournments.

As at the time of their arrest, Comfort was already pregnant and so gave birth to a boy while in prison custody. Her husband was only able to play with their bundle of joy whenever their matter was to be heard in court.

Now that they are free, Comfort, who said devil pushed her to steal, said she had learnt enough in prison to realise that she should not engage in such act again. She said she would look for something to do to earn a living legitimately.

But her husband, Bassey, who claimed to be a good cook, said he would go back to his former employer to seek to be reabsorbed and also collect his outstanding salary. Where that effort fails, Bassey said he would move on with his life and possibly look for a new job, save enough money and set up his own restaurant ultimately.

'We were not criminals' YABO Tiamiyu, 52, and Bose Olude, 31, got to Kirikiri Prison in November, 2011. They were alleged to have stolen a baby boy, the son of Bose’s boyfriend, simply named Abiru. According to their account, Bose, who was used to playing with the boy whenever she was chanced, had taken the boy on a visit to Iyabo Tiamiyu, who she became friendly with through one Iya Alore in their church. It was said that Bose went out on another outing from Iyabo’s house and when it became late in the day, Iyabo was forced to take the boy to their church and was instructed by their Baba ijo (church elder) to leave him in the care of Iya Alore pending when Bose would come back.

Meanwhile, Abiru who thought Bose was on a revenge mission for failing to fulfill a promise made to her, had trailed Bose to Iyabo’s house and when he didn’t see his son, he got the police to arrest Iyabo and taken to the station. Iyabo said the police turned deaf ears to her claim that she did not steal the baby. Bose, who confirmed that she was going through a rough time with her boyfriend over an unfulfilled promise, was later arrested and accused of planning to steal the baby.

When the baby was finally found in the church days later, the police refused to release them on bail when they couldn’t meet their demand. They were arraigned remanded in prison custody. Since their first arraignment in 2011, they were never taken to court again, thus began their confinement behind the prison walls until freedom was

She obeyed a voice and killed I her brother

•Elizabeth

• Freed prison inmates relive tales of horror n Adebisi ONANUGA n brother who she claimed to love so much.

She said she still cannot fathom why she killed her brother.

Elizabeth, in tears, claimed that in 2010, she heard a voice which told her that she should kill her brother, that he was a sinner.

She said she followed the voice which instructed her to set her brother on fire, thereby killing him.

She said the mystery voice kept pushing her until she set her brother on fire. She was arrested and taken to the Police Station. She said she could not believe it when she came back to her senses and was told that she was responsible for the death of her brother.

That ugly incident, she said, set her on the way to the female section of the Medium Security Prison, Kirikiri, where she had been awaiting trial to no avail for over two years.

For Comfort, the freedom granted her was meaningless without her husband, Bassey, who was also in the male section of the Medium Security Prison, Kirikiri, Apapa.

The case of the couple was like the common saying: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder”.

While those freed from the female section rolled on the ground, giving praises to God for His mercies, Comfort could not savour

the joy of freedom immediately. She started going all over the place, pleading with anybody that cared to listen that they should assist to secure the release of her husband.

Providence smiled on her because her husband was one of those later released in the male section of the Medium Security Prison by Justice Phillips.

The couple’s journey to prison started March 2011. Comfort, who worked as house maid, had stolen golden jewelries valued several hundreds of thousands of naira belonging to her boss in Magodo, Lagos. She was eventually caught and the jewelries recovered from her. Comfort said that her boss, determined to teach her a lesson she

,

T

EARS rolled down her cheeks. It was more than tears of joy. Elizabeth Sampson's image on April 30 was that of a sick person. She was one of those the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, freed from the female section of the Medium Security Prison, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos.

96 inmates, who were awaiting trials, were released from custody. They included, a couple, Bassey and Comfort Udeh and their baby. Eight of the awaiting trials released on are women while 88 are men.

They had been awaiting trials for upward of between three and nine years.

Justice Phillips told them: "When I was sworn in, I said I would look into prison decongestion and I meant what I said then.

When I came in September (last year), I released some of you but again, your number has swollen. I congratulate those released and admonish you to go and sin no more. When you leave this place, go far away. There are people from this place who have performed well in life. For the sake of yourself, your children and your family, please, do not let me see you here again."

While Justice Phillips was speaking, Ms Sampson's mood was that of a sad person.

She later gave insight into her mood. She found herself in prison after killing her

She said the mystery voice kept pushing her until she set her brother on fire. She was arrested and taken to the Police Station. She said she could not believe it when she came back to her senses and was told that she was responsible for the death of her brother

,

17

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

, •From left: Dep.Comptroller of Prisons, Female Section, Mrs Ishioma Onweli; Lagos CJ, Justice Ayotunde Phillips; Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo and Justice Olabisi Akinlade granted them when the Lagos Chief Judge visited the prison.

Mojisola Igbajo would forever regret the day she fought her neighbour three years ago. According to her, it was her neighbour who brought the knife that eventually killed her. Mojisola claimed that in the course of the struggle she had with her neighbour, she pushed her and the deceased fell on the knife she was holding. Mojisola said she was arrested for the murder and had been awaiting trial for over three years and three months.

Taiwo Alatishe, 46, was an estate surveyor and valuer before his arrest and arraignment in court in 2008 for obtaining money under false pretence. Alatishe claimed to have assisted a supposedly client, Mohammed Yinusa, to sell a house and remitted the proceeds to his account. He said it was when the police came and arrested him that he realised that the man was not the owner of the house. For this costly mistake, he said the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) penalised him.

Alatishe said he was taken to Panti Police Station, Adekunle, Ebute Metta, Lagos, and was there for two months after his arrest during which the police did not arraign him before any court of law.

His wife, who stood by him during his trying period, sold the family’s generator bought at over N100,000 for N50,000 and gave the police in order to secure his release on bail to no avail. That was after spending all her savings in the process. Eventually, he was arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court 7, Muritala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, presided by Mr. Rasak Davies who ordered his remand in prison custody. After this initial arraignment, the IPO, who he identified as Inspector Gbolahan Igboke, as well as his accusers, stopped coming to court. As a result, Alatishe recorded 76 adjournments without actual trial owing to the absence of the IPO, before he was granted freedom.

Alatishe found God while in prison. “I held on to God. God has opened my spiritual eyes to see things that are in hiding.”

Asked what he would do, he said he would first go to Bible College and after graduation, start pastoral work. Alatishe said his wife Joy remained a source of joy to him. He said: “She never left me. My friends and blood brothers ran away. But my wife remained faithful. I feel happy and I feel joy enveloping me. I didn’t pay to have this freedom. So, I believe God has a purpose for me. I look at this prison as a retreat ground, a greater ground, a place where one can be trained and discovered.

God told me, ‘As soon as I send you are out of this place, go to the world and proclaim me’. So this place is not a prison to me but a stepping stone to greater heights, to what God has destined for me.”

Ikechukwu Agaranwa, 32, said he was arrested by the police along with other occupants of a taxi cab during a stop-and-

•Bose

•Mojisola search operation in September 2010. He claimed that though nothing was found on him, the police arraigned him for armed robbery.

Agaranwa said after the initial arraignment at the Magistrate’s Court 8 during which he was remanded, the prosecutor stopped coming to court. He said he had been in prison since then awaiting trial to commence, until his release.

Otunba Okanlawon, 53, is a building contractor. He claimed to have sublet a contract to a colleague and friend and paid him for the job to be done. He claimed that his friend took the money but failed to complete the job. He said the owner of the job complained to the police consequent upon which he was arrested and arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court 16 on July 20, 2009. He said he had been going to court for over three years in spite of the fact that the complainant stopped coming to court as a result of which his matter went through long adjournments.

Tunde Animashaun had been in prison

•Ikechukwu

•Iyabo custody since 2005 after he was arrested for the alleged murder of a woman on a construction site. He said he was not arraigned before any court up till the time of his release. Animashun, who claimed to be a carpenter, said he handled the carpentry works of Augustine Catholic Chapel from foundation to roof and was paid N1,500 daily for a duration of eight months the project lasted. He said he would go back to his job now that he is free.

Plea for HIV positive, diabetic inmates The comptroller of the female section, Mrs. Ishioma Onweli, said she compiled a list of 16 other inmates and pleaded with the Chief Judge to look into their case.

Onweli said they are afflicted with different ailments like tuberculosis, HIV, hypertension, diabetics, among other diseases, while others were awaiting trials for lesser offences like stealing, prostitution, breach of peace, wandering and for absence from court.

She said the prison also has four other nursing mother and nine babies. According

My friends and blood brothers ran away. But my wife remained faithful. I feel happy and I feel joy enveloping me. I didn’t pay to have this freedom. So, I believe God has a purpose for me. I look at this prison as a retreat ground, a greater ground, a place where one can be trained and discovered. God told me, ‘As soon as I send you are out of this place, go to the world and proclaim me’

,

to her, the situation was made more difficult because there was no relation to take the babies away from their mothers and that they have been relying on NGOs to care for them. She said this was not easy because "the mothers had to eat double rations".

Onweli said two other inmates were under aged when they were brought in as awaiting trial. She said both women claimed that it was the police that forced them to claim to be 18 years as at the time they were arrested about three years ago.

Though the female facility built to accommodate 211 has 207 inmates, Onweli said it was considered congested because it only has three functional cells. She said those freed would not pose threats to the society, as they are all remorseful and have been trained in various vocations like hat making, bead making, sewing and music, among others.

A judge's prisons decongestion drive So far, the total number of prison inmates released since Justice Phillips was sworn in as Chief Judge of Lagos State on June 15, 2012 is 375, the highest so far in the history of the state judiciary by any sitting CJ. She released 279 inmates from the Kirikiri Maximum and Medium Security Prisons and Ikoyi Prison last year. And indications are that more awaiting trials would get freedom before her retirement next year.

Before Justice Philips' visit on Tuesday, April 30, the female facility built to accommodate 211 had 207 inmates. Of this, 167 were awaiting trial; 36 were convicted, three were condemned while one was on a life sentence. The male section, on the other hand, was built to accommodate 1,700. The facility housed 2,496 of which 2,344 were awaiting trials and 152 were convicted.

The deputy comptroller of the male section of the medium prison, Mr. Tunde Ladipo, said in his 23 years of experience on the job, Justice Phillips is the first CJ to live up to her billings. According to him, the CJ “promised to visit again when she came in, in September last year, and she did”.

Ladipo said the prison built to accommodate 1, 700 inmates is highly congested with awaiting trial inmates of 2,344 and 152 convicted prisoners. He said this was why he would still implore the CJ to visit again, adding that in spite of the volume of those released, the prison is still congested with awaiting trials.

“So, we need you to visit this place again to lessen our burden," he pleaded.

Justice Phillips said: “To err is human but to forgive is divine.”

The CJ said the population of prisoners has again swollen up since September last year. She said she would keep visiting the prisons to free deserving inmates until her retirement.

The CJ's action is in line with Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act CAP C40, 2007, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, aimed at decongesting the prisons.

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THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Horror as 21-yr-old lady falls into soak-away...two weeks to wedding Kunle AKINRINADE

The lateWuraola

Outrage as policeman shoots bus driver

‘

The late Ibrahim Kunle AKINRINADE

,

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THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

I surrendered to the police because my gun disappointed me —Robbery suspect

In that circumstance, I had no alternative but to surrender myself to the police when they ordered me to drop my AK47.

They noticed that my rifle had hung and could not fire. I obeyed and they handcuffed me and whisked me away

Ebele BONIFACE

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

20

A

S security situation in the northern part of the country assumes a more worrisome dimension, fears that the insurgents may extend their heinous crimes to other parts of the country, Lagos State in particular, have been rife in the minds of the people.

This was heightened by the recent arrest of suspected members of Boko Haram, the dreaded Islamic sect, with cache of arms and ammunition at Ijora Badia, a suburb of Lagos, and the constant threat to bomb strategic places like the airport and Third Mainland Bridge by the group.

Shortly after the suspects were arrested, security experts raised the alarm that there could be more members of the group hibernating in various parts of the state and advised that an eagle eye be kept on the lorries and trailers bringing food items and other consumable goods from the North as they could be used to smuggle bombs, arms and ammunition into the state to wreak havoc.

Dazed by the ugly development, findings revealed that some Hausa leaders in various markets dominated by people of northern extraction in the state have started keeping special security teams in the outskirts of the state to ensure that no trailer or lorry bringing food and other consumable items into the state is stuffed with dangerous weapons.

The move, it was gathered, is a deliberate attempt by the leaders to distance themselves from the activities of the arrested suspects and the Boko Haram sect in general and ultimately avert any act of terrorism that may affect their relationship with both the government and the people.

A trailer driver, who gave his name as Amiru Mohammed, told our correspondent that bringing goods into the state from the North has not been business as usual in recent times. He said they are now thoroughly screened before being allowed to finally come into the state.

“Allah, I was surprised when I was asked to stop for checking before I could be allowed to enter Lagos State. I was just a few minutes away from the toll gate when some of our people flagged me down and said they have been instructed to check every vehicle that is bringing goods from the North. Initially, it appeared like a disturbance and waste of time but on a second thought, I saw immense benefit in the exercise. Walahi, it is good because anybody that has any plan to put weapon in vehicles carrying food items would have a rethink. Nobody likes all the killings and violence going on in our place,” he said.

A leading member of one of the markets, who did not want his name in print, told our correspondent that their efforts are geared towards making sure that the insurgency in the North does not lead to reprisal attacks in other parts of the country.

“We are leaving no stone unturned in our bid to prevent the insurgency in the North from spilling to Lagos and I believe our people in other states are doing the same. Last week, what would have been a bloody reprisal was averted in Ibadan after some traders who travelled to the North to do business were allegedly killed. We know that such reprisals would be inevitable if by mistake any act of terrorism is carried out in Lagos. We are not in support of violence and would do everything possible to prevent it,” he said.

Some traders, who spoke with our correspondent, lauded the Hausa leaders’ efforts but feared that the possibility of compromise may be inevitable and called on the security agents and the government to also beam their searchlight on such vehicles.

A trader, who identified himself as Basiru Abiodun, expressed concern about the alert that lorries could be used to smuggle explosives into the state .He cautioned that any threat by Boko Haram should not be taken lightly.

He said: “The security alert that members of Boko Haram may plan to use vehicles bringing goods into the state to smuggle in explosives and bomb market places is not what we can dismiss with the wave of the hand. It calls for serious concern because big market places are always crowded. If such happens here in

•An aerial view of the Mile 12 Lagos market.

Inset: The pepper section of the market.

PHOTOS: Innocent DURU

INS ECURITY:

Hausa market leaders mount guards at Lagos outskirts

•Alhaji Sokoto Lagos, the casualty figure will be higher than we have had in previous attacks in the North. No security threat should be treated with kid gloves. ‘’Do you know that some Boko Haram suspects were arrested at Ijora Badia recently and large number of arms recovered from them? Have you ever wondered how they managed to bring such quantity of arms into the state? Now that those ones were not able to carry out their assignments before they were caught, you can be sure that the group would be looking for other means of sending their agents into the state and the use lorries bringing food items to the state may not be out of their game plan since they cannot be easily suspected to be carrying arms or explosives to wreak havoc."

Monday Ofu, another trader at Alabarago, said he has always been avoiding such lorries and traders since security experts warned that they could be used to smuggle bombs and other weapons into the state.

"You don't need any divination to begin to avoid such lorries and trailers. The alert

•Trailers, lorries bringing foodstuffs under surveillance n Innocent DURU n by security experts after a suspected terrorist was arrested recently is enough to make one shiver when they appear. I have ceased to stay close to them whenever they arrive. When driving, I always keep as much distance as possible from such vehicles because they may be carrying some other things apart from foodstuffs. he chances of using such items and vehicles are very high because it is difficult, if not impossible, to ask every trailer or lorry bringing in tomatoes or pepper packed in baskets to begin to pour them on the ground for security checks. The terrorists look for such loopholes to carry out their dastardly acts. It is therefore imperative for security operatives in the state to keep eagle eyes on them."

Another trader, who identified herself as Agnes Ojo, thumbed up for members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for the plan to screen luggage and passengers using public motor parks. She said the development has

"T

assuaged her fears to an extent and pleaded that similar efforts should be extended to the ever busy Third Mainland Bridge to prevent terrorists from carrying out their threat to bomb it.

She said: "I have been highly relieved since I heard that transport union leaders would be screening passengers and their luggage at public motor parks. It is a right step in the right direction but they should extend it to the Third Mainland Bridge and other areas that are being targeted by Boko Haram. If possible, they should put it on all the roads so that it can expose those carrying bombs.We all travel through this bridge in the course of doing our businesses or going to work. May God never allow them to have their way but security operatives should also not fold their arms. They should be involved in the offloading of all the items brought from the North."

Hausa leaders in some of the markets have, however, said that it is impossible that anybody would use vehicles bringing goods from the North to smuggle bombs and other dangerous weapons into the

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

21 border town between Lagos and Ogun states, doing that job on a regular basis.

When the goods arrive their final destinations, we would still subject them to another round of checking to make sure that they are free of foreign materials. All these efforts are to ensure that nobody uses our lorries and trailers to wreak havoc in the guise of bringing in goods,” he said.

He further said that the market has acquired some security devices to detect arms and works with other security agents in the state in checking insecurity. “ We have also acquired some security devices to help detect anybody carrying dangerous weapons. We are currently using these in different parts of the market as I speak to you. We are also planning to acquire more sophisticated security devices that will enhance our efforts in making the state a terrorist-free zone. Apart from this, we have a weekly meeting where security matters are discussed extensively here in Alaba. We work with the Nigerian Police, State Security Service (SSS), the Nigerian Army and local security groups. I am the patron of the Vigilance Group of the Ojo and Iba local governments which are also part of our security meetings. Obas and baales (chiefs) are also actively involved. ‘’I want to assure the residents of the state and the government that never would such happen in our market and Lagos in general. We are working very hard to maintain and advance the peace enjoyed by all in the state.”

Shehu Usman, the Financial Secretary of the Perishable Foodstuffs Market Association in Mile 12, the biggest commodity market in the state, also said the items they sell in the market contain water and may be impossible for bombs to explode in them.

He said: “We deal with perishable goods in this market. These goods, as you can see are water-logged and there is no way bombs can explode in them if they are hidden in a vehicle that brings them. ‘’There is no way anybody can smuggle weapons or bombs into the vehicles that bring these goods from the North because before they load the goods in the vehicles, we have different representatives among the farmers and the dealers who check the goods and monitor the loading process. They make sure that what is brought here is not only devoid of materials that have no connection with our business but are also healthy for the people to consume. ‘’Again, we have a manifest for every lorry or trailer that brings goods to our market. With this in mind, there is no trader who would want anybody to toy with the lorry that is bringing his goods because if anything happens, he would be held responsible. All these are efforts to check possible practices considered unethical to our business activities at the point of loading and bringing the goods.

“When the goods get here eventually, we have five solid steps that we have put in place to check the goods that every vehicle brings. We have representatives that check all the goods at the point of offloading them. Sectional heads also have representatives that check the goods thereafter. We also have security alert officers who move around the market every minute to prevent and check any act that could jeopardise the security of the market and the state at large. ‘’We have been operating here for more than 40 years without any problem and would always work with the government and the security agencies to make sure that peace continues to reign.’’

,

When the goods are about reaching Lagos, we would still check them before they are finally allowed to enter the state. We have our men stationed at Ogere, a border point between Lagos and Ogun states, doing that job on a regular basis. When the goods arrive their final destinations, we would still subject them to another round of checking to make sure that they are free of foreign materials...

state. They allayed the fears expressed by the people and assured the government and the citizens of the state that never would anybody or group use their vehicles to wreak any havoc in the state.

Alhaji Umaru Sokoto, the Seriki Alabarago market located on the LagosBadagry Expressway in a chat with our correspondent, ruled out the possibility of anybody using such vehicles to smuggle dangerous weapons into the state. He said, however, that they are leaving no stone unturned to prevent such.

“It can't be true that anybody is planning to use our lorries and trailers that bring food items from the North to bomb Lagos.

People who used to bring goods from the North are not the kind of people that can do such a bad thing. They have been doing it for the past 50 years. Most of them have shops and houses here in Lagos and can never wish their investments to be destroyed. I have been here for the past 56 years. I gave birth to all my children and raised them here in Lagos. Virtually all my investments are here. We have a good working relationship with people from other tribes and have always enjoyed the support and attention of the government.

“Therefore I don't believe that such will

,

happen. It is impossible for anybody to bomb Lagos using our lorries. I want to state emphatically that anybody that says that there are plans to bomb Lagos by stuffing bomb in our foodstuff coming from the North is only trying to raise a false alarm. Why would we collaborate or watch anybody unleash terror on the state we cherish so much and have taken to be our own? If you don't know, most of us even like Lagos State more than our states of origin.

HE former Governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, takes us as his family members. He discusses with us and supports us where necessary. The same goes with the present Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola. Less than two months after he was sworn in, he invited us to his office and had a heart-warming chat with us. We took pictures together and have continued to relate as members of the same family. ‘’Take it from me that never will such happen in Lagos, but you cannot rule out the possibility that some people who may not be of northern extraction may want to seize the opportunity to wreak havoc under the guise of being members of Boko

“T

Haram just to discredit and damage our image before the people and government of the state. Security is everyone's business; so, we need to be on the alert to avert terrorism in whatever form and shade it may take.’’

He added that they have lists of people who bring goods from the North and would not allow anybody who is not on the list to bring in goods that they may not be able to vouch for. “ We have the lists of people who bring these goods from the North to our market.

The market is not a place where every Tom, Dick and Harry can bring in goods and sell to the people. If you are not on our lists and you bring goods to sell in our market, nobody will buy from you because we would see it as stolen goods. ‘’Before the goods leave the North, we have people who check them to make sure that they are not stuffed with any other thing like bomb or arms and ammunition.

The checkers make sure that it is only the food items, and may be goats, that are loaded into the lorries that come to Lagos.

“When the goods are about reaching Lagos, we would still check them before they are finally allowed to enter the state.

We have our men stationed at Ogere, a

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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ntertainment

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

ntertainment

ntertainment

ntertainment

ntertainment

ntertainment

ntertainment

ntertainment

Pg 32

Tor res:

I'm BACK Pg 30

Pg 33

: s e r Tor

I'm BACK GOAL SCORERS

Player

Team

Goals

van Persie Man Utd 25 Suarez Liverpool 23 Bale Tottenham 20 Benteke Aston Villa 19 Michu Swansea 18 Ba Chelsea (Newcastle 13, Chelsea 2) 15 Lampard Chelsea 15 Berbatov Fulham 14 Dzeko Man City 14 Lambert Southampton 14 Lukaku West Brom 14 Walcott Arsenal 14 Cazorla Arsenal 12 Aguero Man City 12 Rooney Man Utd 12

Chelsea Liverpool Man City Southampton Tottenham Newcastle West Brom West Ham Swansea Wigan

v v v v v v v v v v

Everton QPR Norwich Stoke Sunderland Arsenal Man Utd Reading Fulham Aston Villa

Inside The

Glass House WITH AMINU MAIGARI

By

Harry Iwuala

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Continued on Page 44

-

40

With KAYODE ALFRED

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

E-mail:kayflex2@yahoo.com

TEL:08035733605

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

TEL:08035733605

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Sartorial looks in ethnic attire Kehinde OLULEYE

Arinze Okonkwo

Julius Agwu AY Yomi Fanso-Lanso

FEMI BRAINARD

Ali Baba

Desmond Eliot

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Ways to go

Floral Kehinde OLULEYE

Zoe Saldana Belinda Effah

Yetunde Banabas

Kiki

Biola Alabi of Mnet

Efetumi Doghudje

Fiona Garba

EWS N Ultra-orthodox women protest

FASHIO

John Galliano signs on for Vanity Fair tell-all

unorthodox use of men’s prayer shawl

44

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Dele Momodu

45

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

...With Prof. Wole Soyinka

Dele Momodu and wife during their 10th wedding anniversary

with Mike Adenuga

46

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

From you to me

Please help I’m in love

H

i Adeola, my name is Caleb am from Kaduna State but I am working in Cross Rivers. I want you to help me. I am in love with a girl in Calabar and I want her to be my wife but her church doctrine is not making it work and she is complaining that I am from the North. Please help me; what do I do? I love her so much I can’t stand losing her; she is a Jehovah’s witness.

Dear Caleb, a lot of people know that Jehovah witnesses do not marry outsiders just as they are not allowed to attend another church. I clicked the internet and got this for you: It is an offense if caught. Marriage is for life.

The only solution for remarriage is that of adultery or death of a spouse. Here is some scriptural facts as follows: 1Cor. 7: 39—Marry only in the Lord: This means that a baptized servant of Jehovah should

Re: Foods and fruits which are good for virility?

I just read through your piece of April 27, 2013 captioned, ‘What foods and fruits are good for virility?’ I just want to appreciate you for that. I will give it a try. Keep it up. – Clem from PH. Does boiled ginger serve the same purpose as you explained on foods and fruits which are good for virility?

P.S: Yes, you can boil ginger root to make ginger tea as an herbal remedy for virility. You can also add sugar to ginger tea or cool it and mix it with green tea or drink it straight as homemade ginger ale.

marry a fellow worshiper. They study God’s Word and do family study together. This strengthens the marriage and makes it easy to manage family problems. There is no compatibility if a Witness marries an unbeliever, be they church goers, Muslims, and idol worshipers. Because the two have antipodal or opposing beliefs and ways of life.

Gal. 6:4,5 - Each one will carry his own load: We should not compare ourselves with the other person. Each one’s circumstances differs. We should think before making decisions. Because our decisions can have beneficial or adverse results.

And they may be irreversible. Whatever decision we make, we should be ready to live with it whether for good or bad.

Gal. 6:7—We reap what we sow: Some Witnesses have disobeyed Jehovah’s laws and are reaping the sad results. With regard to marriage, I know Witnesses who married outside the organization for different reasons but who experienced things shocking to relate in their marriage. It means that there is “punishment” for anyone who disobeys Jehovah’s laws.

Lost contact •Kindly link me up with former Miss Omolara Awomolo, then a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta and living at Iyana Soji, Asero sometimes around 1983-84.

She later worked at General Hospital Ijebu-Ode. This Is Adefela Owolabi, (08034664531).

•Please kindly link me with Charity Ngozi Uwaoma. We met at Silver Street, Apapa, Lagos in 1988. She is from Umuahia in Abia State. I’m a Deltan. – A.A.Enunuaye, 08038776916, 08053093053, 0802644578.

FThank you very much for your helpful advice to me. God bless you and I pray that god will give you more grace to do this work. (08063532333).

Mat the blessing of God be with you and your family, amen.

(08023520341).

I’m troubled because I’m in a mixed-status relationship Good evening ma, I am 20 and dating a guy whom I just found out is HIV positive and I love him so much. I am just confused whether to leave him or stay with him. The problem here is that we have had sex just once and I am troubled if am also positive. But he is not just coming to me for friendship, he is coming for marriage.

Please ma don’t include my number. – TA. TA, of course, I don’t use people’s real names and telephone numbers; sure you must have noticed that already. That’s that. It’s too late to cry over spilled milk, you have already had unprotected sex with this guy, so the next thing should be to ensure you know your HIV status

and re-do that after six months.

During the period between now and when you do the HIV test again, make sure you are well protected if you must have sex.

Let’s pray you come out negative. If you do, you would then be in what is generally known as a ‘mixed-status’ relationship. A mixed-status relationship is a sexual relationship between partners with different HIV statuses: one partner is HIV-positive and one is HIV-negative. This can involve a couple in a long-term relationship or a single encounter between two partners.

Now the question to ask is: is it safe for mixed-status couples to have sex?

For mixed-status couples, the possibility of HIV infection is a con-

My wife is zero both socially and romantically My wife with her education is zero socially and romantically and I am the timid type. I have tried known methods but to no effect- a big regret. J. Dear J, if your wife was antisocial alone but hot romantically, it would have been a fair deal. At least, when others complain about her, you would be consoled with the fact that she is making you happy in the right places. But for her to be cold to strangers and even colder to you is a cause for alarm.

I guess she needs counseling.

You may need to schedule an online counseling session with me and her. You both can overcome this problem, if she is willing to change.

Being romantic is actually not a pen and paper thing. Most of the most romantic people I know have it in them. Being romantic varies widely from person to person, but at its core, romance involves doing something to express affection in a meaningful yet unexpected way. A true act of romance requires creativity and sincerity, often inspired by love (either its presence or its possibility). While harboring affection for someone might be easy, translating it into romance usually is not. There are millions of romantic ideas in books, movies and on the Internet, but true

romance comes from within. But I’m sure we can learn it somehow.

So, I’m putting some tips below to help address both her social and romantic coldness: How to be romantic Focus on the little things.

Romance can be practiced every day, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or grand. In fact, sometimes the most romantic moments are simple, spontaneous and free.

There are millions of ways to say “I love you” and “I’m lucky to have you.” Think of the world as your medium. You can write it, say it, sculpt it, look it, hide it, shout it, paint it, kiss it, fold it, grow it, touch it, and express it in unlimited ways. Make it a habit to find a new way to be romantic every day. Be creative and have fun with it!

Be thankful. To make someone feel appreciated, you have to really, truly be thankful for their presence in your life. Maintaining that sense of gratitude takes conscious effort. It’s easy to forget how amazing someone is when you see them every day, but if you constantly remind yourself how lucky you are to share your life with that person, every day will be the most romantic day of your life.

Court them. Pretend that you and the person just met, and you want the person to fall for you.

What would you do to impress them? To show them that you’re

interested? To win them over?

Treat your partner like they’re single, like you’re trying to earn their affection and trust. The opposite of being romanced is being taken for granted. No one wants to feel like they’ve already been “caught” and it’s over and done with. Put on a show! Stay on your toes! The most romantic ideas come to people when they fear they might lose the one they love.

But you don’t have to actually be on the verge of losing someone in order to tap into that mindset!

How to be socially confident By: Braniac (Read more on: http://www.ehow.com) 1. Remember that no one is any better than you are. If someone can perform well in a social environment, why can’t you? Really, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Why do you feel better when talking in front of your family and friends, but not when dealing with new faces? We’re all people with the same abilities.

Stop wondering what others will think of you. Just get out there and do it.

2. Stop worrying ahead. When dealing with social situations, for example, people immediately start thinking about the public’s reaction. Furthermore, have you noticed it’s never a positive one? Do not get ahead of yourself. Do not start thinking “what if”; This will only turn any (negative) possible outcome into reality. Live in the

•President of the Oduduwa University, Chief RamonAdedoyin (fourth right); Vice Chancellor, Oduduwa University, Prof Adeleke Ogunwale (first from right); Director of Works, Engr Ojo. (Fifth from left) and the Germans who visited the institution recently.

present.

3. Let’s say you’re in an atmosphere where you don’t know anyone, and no one knows you.

Instead of feeling awkward and shy, take this opportunity to make a great first impression. Remember, people don’t know you, therefore they can’t tell what to expect of you. This is your chance to shine before them and pass with flying colors.

4. If you need to speak, do it out loud. This will automatically send a signal to your audience that you’re in control of the situation, and nothing can stop you. On the other hand, if you let people know you’re shy by not letting your words be noticeable, they will immediately think you’re a failure before they even know you.

5. Be yourself, and stop letting anyone else into your head. If someone can do a fancier job at explaining a problem, it doesn’t mean your methods are useless; It only means you have another way of exploring issues which might even teach people a thing or two.

6. Control your breathing. Instead of feeling tense and breathing from your chest, stop and breathe normally from your stomach. This will get you incredibly relaxed, and thus allow both your words and your self-image to be exposed beautifully.

7. Physically relax, followed by mentally. The best way to start is

by relaxing your muscles. If you’re making a fist, stop this bad habit. Take control of yourself in order to manage the situation you’re presented with. Once in a stable state of mind, you will notice your body language, expressions, and words will flow naturally.

8. If socializing, a very useful tip is to keep your eye at someone you know from the crowd. If this person makes you feel at ease, try to focus most of your attention on him/her (while occasionally staring at others, of course.)

9. Model someone you admire.

Do you know a motivational speaker, or a good, confident comedian on TV? How well do they perform? Try to act like them while teaching yourself new techniques. Model the way they talk, how they behave, as well as their body language and movements.

If you’re in front of a crowd, never stay still - Keep taking small steps to express a confident, successful body language to your audience.

10. It’s okay to prepare in advance for a situation, especially a social one. However, try not to overly practice what you’re going to say. In the end, this will only cause you to draw a blank when you realize that not every word remained stuck in your head. Instead, know what you will say, but make the final practice when you’re actually ready to demonstrate it.

stant reality. There is always a risk, but you can minimize it.

If you are in a mixed-status relationship and you have sex, you can protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections by using condoms and dental dams consistently and correctly. If you are part of a mixed-status couple, it is important that you and your partner communicate openly and often about safer sex practices and HIV prevention. Healthcare providers and local HIV/AIDS organizations can be important sources of information and support for you and your partner.

As he is the HIV-positive partner in this mixed-status relationship, he can lower the risk of transmitting HIV to you if he is on antiretroviral therapy. Taking all your medications, on time, will help to lower the viral load in his body fluids and decrease the chance that he will transmit HIV to you. But remember, even if he has a low viral load, he can still transmit HIV to you. So it is important to always use a condom and practice safer sex.

Talk with your partner about condoms and safer sex practices. If you are very sure you love him and want to remain in this relationship for the sake of love and not just because of the promises of marriage, then you have the responsibility of supporting him in taking all of his HIV medications at the right times.

Help us reduce the spread of the HIV virus. The more understanding and love we show to those who are positive, the more they come out clean about their status and make others aware about the dangers.

Re:10 signs she faked her orgasm •I like your article on orgasm and I also like you. – 07031929204.

•It was a good write-up.

Orgasm - reflex response to sex. Faking it for whatever reasons is absurd. How about virginal spasm felt as soon as penetration is achieved? How could a vagina ‘expel’ (push out) penis after ejaculation when the woman is relaxed and wants the man to remain inside?

You try to cling on but the spasm pushes it out.

– 08057776….

•From left: The Council chairman, Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora, Chief Babatunde Soares; Acting Provost, Oyo State College of Agriculture, Professor Jacob Gbemiga Adewale receiving Media friendly Award presented to him by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FRCN, Ibadan, Oyo State and the provost’s wife, Bose

READER’S VIEW 47

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

The fight against glaucoma A

S the world ended observation of World Glaucoma Week in March, it was revealed that not less than 4.5 million Nigerians suffer from this incurable disease.

In his bid to address this challenge, the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation has contributed •150,000 to endow a professorship of glaucoma in the Department of Ophthalamology at the University of Mainz, Germany. This will help to support research on the early detection and treatment of glaucoma. The foundation has previously contributed more than •100,000 in an effort to find a cure for this most frequent cause of irreversible blindness. The foundation has also established a Nigerian Fellowship for Cataract Surgery and Glaucoma Management at the same university.

Dr. Funmilola Ogun, consultant ophtalmologist and associate lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, has received training for her work in Nigeria through this initiative.

There is no cure for glaucoma yet, but innovative and unique treatments are being explored by Dr. Norbert Pfeiffer and his team at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Mainz, Germany.

By analysing tear fluid and blood samples, Dr. Pfeiffer has discovered that auto-antibodies found in patients can act as markers for detection of the disease.

Even though glaucoma is not considered a classic autoimmune disease, these changes in antibody profiles might be used as a screening test. It is known that antibodies develop many years before the clinical onset of the disease, hence, autoantibody profiles have the potential to be powerful and highly specific markers to assist in the diagnosis of glaucoma.

This exciting discovery of improved biomarkers for detection may contribute to a better understanding of the genesis of glaucoma, and has the potential to open a new avenue that will radically change treatment options.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a chronic neurodegenerative disease and the leading cause of blindness among Africans after cataracts. Intraocular pressure damages the optic nerve that transmits images to the brain, resulting in

•Sir Emeka Offor Jacqueline W. FARRIS

a gradual loss of vision. Initially there are no symptoms or pain and the disease can go unnoticed until the situation becomes critical. Without treatment glaucoma can

‘

This exciting discovery of improved biomarkers for detection may contribute to a better understanding of the genesis of glaucoma, and has the potential to open a new avenue that will radically change treatment options

’ Where is Emmanuel?

A two-year relationship between a U.K-based Nigerian, Emmanuel, and a Caribbean lady which was supposed to end in marriage in June this year has ended abruptly with the whereabouts of the prospective groom unknown after a visit to the country. LEKAN OTUFODUNRIN reports

I

•Farris cause blindness within a few years. Blindness from glaucoma is 6-8 times more common in Africans than Caucasians.

People of all ages can be affected by this disease. However, certain groups are at a higher risk of developing glaucoma than

NITIALLY it was supposed to be a case of a fiancée missing in transit. Rachael from a Caribbean Island whose Nigerian fiancée, one Emmanuel Adebanjo, travelled home to Nigeria from his United Kingdom base to see his mother suddenly became incommunicado.

The last time she heard from Emmanuel who she usually communicated with every day before his sudden disappearance was in February. All her attempts to contact Emmanuel who she was supposed to get married to in June this year after two years of courtship failed. “I had a phone number for which just rings without anyone responding,” she recalls.

Just when she began to panic about Emmanuel’s fate, she started getting messages from some “relatives” of her husband to be claiming that Emmanuel was involved in an accident a day after he arrived Nigeria and he was the sole survivor.

The “cousins” refused to give Rachael the name of the hospital where Emmanuel was being treated and other information to locate or speak with him because they said she was not yet known to the family. They claimed they were trying to raise money for Emmanuel’s treatment after selling some of his property and asked how Rachael was willing to assist them.

In an email to ST the cousins wrote: “Hello madam, you have to be patient until we can get back to you... We have not told his mother about what happened to Emmanuel because she will be so devastated with shock and only close family members are informed.

“We are making arrangement for him to be flown back to the UK, but the financial side of it is yet to be concluded. You

have not visited Nigeria before, hence no member of the family knows nor ever seen you before. So we cannot release him to your care. Our hope lies on the fact that the moment he is able to get better, we will ensure he speak with you and he will decide if he will come direct to you or to the UK. Have a blessed week and God bless you. Kunle.”

Although she had reasons to suspect that the cousins may be scammers, she found it difficult to believe that Emmanuel could be part of the scheme.

“I know him well. He has nothing to gain by trying to scam me because he knows I am not a rich person” In her search for information on Emmanuel’s whereabouts, Rachael reached out on the phone to someone he had introduced to her as an uncle in Nigeria. In their first telephone conversation, the uncle said he had not heard from Emmanuel for some time and was not aware if he was involved in any accident since he is not sure he was in Nigeria.

The only home address ST had for Emmanuel in Nigeria, was 41-43, Ashabi Cole, Agidingbi Road, Ikeja, Lagos which turned out not to be none existing. The street was none residential.

Much later when Rachael told the uncle she was going to hire a private investigator to fish out Emmanuel, he called the following day to say that Emmanuel was in the UK and had an accident, was not working, had no job and was embarrassed of his situation and could not face her.

With the hide and seek now over and Emmanuel still incommunicado, Rachael, family members and friends are

‘

Just when she began to panic about Emmanuel’s fate, she started getting messages from some “relatives” of her husband to be claiming that Emmanuel was involved in an accident a day after he arrived Nigeria and he was the sole survivor

’

others: •Individuals who have poor vision (short-sightedness) •Diabetics •Those who have a family history of glaucoma. Family history increases risk of glaucoma four to nine times.

•Less common causes include blunt or chemical injury to the eye, severe eye infection and blockage of blood vessels in the eye.

•Intake of cortizone Glaucoma most often occurs in adults over age 40, but can also occur in young adults, children and even infants. Onset of the disease in Africa is common between the ages of 30-40 years, compared with 4060 years old worldwide. Africans are six times more likely to develop glaucoma and ten times more likely to become blind; ten years earlier than Europeans.

How can glaucoma be prevented?

Diagnosis of the disease is difficult, with average detection currently at ten years after onset. The first sign of glaucoma is often the loss of peripheral vision which can go unnoticed until late in the disease. In some cases, intraocular pressure can rise to severe levels. In these cases, sudden eye pain, headache, blurred vision, or the appearance of halos around lights may occur.

Regular eye examinations are the best form of prevention against damage caused by glaucoma. A complete eye examination with an eye specialist every one or two years is key to protecting your vision. Getting informed and staying healthy is also necessary in managing glaucoma. It is important to see your eye doctor regularly so that glaucoma can be treated before long term visual loss occurs. If the condition is detected early enough, it is possible to arrest its development or slow the progression by medical and surgical means.

Remember! A burglar is on the prowl and he is right around the cornea. This “thief of sight” is neither heard nor seen, and can smash your precious window on the world. It is up to you to arrest glaucoma. Get tested!

•Farris is the Director General, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, Abuja

shocked at the turn of events.

“This is a man who was coming back and forth to our country over a period of two years- something is still amiss to me here- while here he met my family, friends, boss, church priest, etc helped my children paint the house, and more- he was a very mild mannered, polite, calm, but always on the computer - I wonder if his resume was in fact legit- it was very long and detailed- should have had a job easily with that.

“Everyone of my friends are shocked, the men who met him tell me they are depressed because they all can’t believe it. It is not a regular thing for us here to run into this type of thing or people. All I can say that he is lucky my father is not alive. He had a lot of contacts. I am not sure if Emmanuel would have been able to hide from him,” Rechael said.

Rachael and Emmanuel had known each other through a Nigerian for about two years and he usually visits the Island from his UK base staying about a month each time.

According to Rachael, “when he came here it was not to do anything, but to get to know one another better- you cannot have a long distance relationship with someone unless someone goes to visit the other person often before taking it to the next step.

“I thought it better for him to come here around my people to check him out - and they all thought he was a great person - who knows - so when he came here we went to the beach swimming, concerts, movies, church, family get - together, he even went to my class to help me get ready for the beginning of the school year in September - I mean he just fit in with everyone.”

For now there has been no word from Emmanuel or his uncle and cousin.

“I have not heard a peep from anyone - but I can see someone coming and going off line on Yahoo Messenger, but they have not made any further contact and neither have I. It is almost as if he has dropped off the face of the earth- or so he wants me to think.”

The chain of events still seems like a bad dream for Rachael, but she is glad she didn’t get married to Emmanuel before finding out about his true identity.

“We live and learn - but suppose we had married? He would then have had access to much more than he would by this act, so I appreciate God spared me that. Always look for the silver lining in any situation,” Rachael said.

48

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

• View of Elmina Castle from afar

E

VEN today, it towers above its surroundings like a white beacon of hope. The scenery is beautiful, peaceful and serene with the huge structure framed by the surging ocean on one side and ringed by rows of tall coconut trees on the other.

This cool ambience, though is deceptive, for in its heyday, this majestic building, the Elmina Castle, Elmina, Ghana, was the location of one of the most horrendous, horrible and brutal acts ever committed by man against his fellow human being. It was in this place that thousands of African slaves were kept in subhuman conditions, brutalized and eventually shipped to America, the Carribean and other far-flung parts of the world to work as

Patience SADUWA (who was in Ghana) slave labourers.

“It is difficult for us today to imagine what these captives or slaves went through both while they were kept in this place and even before they arrived,” said Phillip, a guide at the castle.

On this bright and sunny afternoon, he was taking a small group of foreign tourists, includ-

ing this reporter, round the huge castle. He is very knowledgeable about its history, often giving graphic descriptions of life within its walls both for the captive slaves and the slave masters.

It’s a tale of immense misery, pain and suffering beyond belief. Indeed, the contrast between the beautiful castle and the horrors that took place within its thick walls is just too

hard to contemplate.

A hellish life The castle was like a transit point for captives before they were to be transported to foreign lands. They were brought from all over the west coast, trekking barefoot all the way, sometimes about 300 miles from the places where they were captured to the coast.

“The slaves walked from all over West Africa- from the

present day Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic, Ivory Coast, other parts of Ghana and other places. The journey could take months,” he explained.

He noted that the captives, who were in chains, were given very little food and water and never bathed. Those who became very weak and sick, he added, were left in the forest to die or to be at the mercy of wild animals.

“By the time they arrived the

castle, they would have grown very weak, sick and exhausted.

Many died in the process.

Those that survived were kept in the dungeons inside the castle,” disclosed Phillip.

There are several dungeons for male as well as female slaves in the castle. The main female dungeon is a long, narrow room. Apart from a little opening at the upper side of the wall, there are no windows. In this stuffy, airless enclosure were kept about 400 women slaves.

Life in the dungeons was hellish. The captives were held in there for a maximum of one or two months, depending on the availability of ships to take them away. Given enough food and water to keep them barely alive, they were rarely brought out for exercise and sunlight, nor allowed to bathe.

“In the case of the women who had their menstrual period, they were not given clothes or pads for the flow. So, they just did it there on the floor. Those who were too weak to ease themselves in the containers placed at corners of the dungeons as toilets were forced to do it on the floor,” said Phillip. Thus, the floor on which the captives slept was often filled with human waste, blood, urine and vomit. All this stench, coupled with the heat, made life harrowing and unbearable in the dungeons. “It’s no surprise that many of the captives died before they were transported abroad,” Phillip stated.

As if the dehumanising conditions under which the captives lived was not bad enough, they had to contend with all forms of harassment from their captors. The female captors, for instance, were sexually abused by the slave masters.

Hear Phillip: “Whenever the governor of the castle wanted a woman, he went about it this way. He would stand on the balcony overlooking the female dungeons and order the women to be brought out and assembled. He would then pick the woman he wanted.”

The chosen female would be by this time, filthy looking and unkempt as she might have been in the dungeon for a month or so without a bath or

Tourism News African Travel Market appoints Kwanza as representative

A

FRICAN Travel Market have an nounced her partnership with Kwanza Trade Marketing, Dubai in preparation for the upcoming ninth African Travel Market taking place in Lagos, Nigeria from October 23 to 25.

Kwanza will serve as the official representative of Akwaaba in the emirate.

Kwanza Trade Marketing is a boutique marketing agency that promotes trade between the Gulf and SubSaharan Africa. A representative of Dubai World Trade Centre in Sub-Saharan Africa, the agency’s goal is ensuring that the best and value-added products and services from Africa reach this market and encourage investments and skills transfer from the region to Africa.

•Karimi of Kwanza (left) and Rita Ikechukwu of ATM According to the publisher regions, but also entertainment, film and Afro-fashion. of the Destination Dubai African Travel Market, in magazine, a lifestyle brand its ninth year, is the only guide to Dubai, the agency annual international travel not only promotes trade and fair in West Africa, drawing tourism between these

7,000 to 10,000 delegates from over 20 countries worldwide. This travel fair not only boasts a large amount of visitors, but also excels in the promotion of the 80+ exhibitors from the region’s leading hotels, airlines, travel agents, tour operators and similar industry suppliers that participate in the event. In addition to the trade show aspect of the event, the organisers will also be running several educational sessions aimed at addressing business travel topics that are of pertinence to local industry professionals.

The Director, Kwanza Trade Marketing, Nancy Karimi, speaking on the partnership “with my vast work experience in various parts of the world-Africa, Europe and far East Asia- as

well as my travels to at least a dozen Sub-Saharan African countries, I have gained insight into business in Africa.

I also represent some African Chambers of Commerce, Trade & Tourism Offices and top African companies-some of whom now export packed goods to UAE and Saudi Arabia, thanks to our efforts and this we hope to do with Akwaaba: African Travel Market 2013. I am relentless in promoting Africa and I am delighted at this opportunity to share my passion with like minds”.

Also commenting on the partnership, Ikechi Uko, organizer of Akwaaba: African Travel Market, said: “We have always looked forward to reaching the biggest destinations Africans travel to and get them to come to Africa.

Kwanza comes in handy in

meeting this need. They know the emirate and they know Africa and so they bring together the market and the people. We look forward to a great relationship”.

With this partnership, Akwaaba: African Travel Market 2013 seeks to create more trade and business opportunities for its clients from the Gulf region, especially Dubai, making it the must attend travel expo in the whole of Africa.

This comes as Akwaaba has inked a partnership with South African-based ABTA (Africa Business Travel Association). An organisation with vast experience in training and corporate travel empowerment as the exclusive education partner for the upcoming Akwaaba African Travel Market. The education

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

other forms of personal hygiene.

“Since she could not meet the governor in her condition, she was usually cleaned by the soldiers, dressed, fed and taken up a flight of stairs and through a trap door off the inner courtyard known as the private entrance to the governor’s bedroom,” said the guide.

These regular sexual assaults by the captors resulted in pregnancies among some of the captives. Those who became pregnant were freed, but it was a bittersweet freedom as many could not make their way back to their places of origin.

“Since the captives came not only from present-day Ghana, but also from Togo, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Benin and a host of other places, when these women were freed, they could not return to the villages where

they originally came from,” Phillip explained.

Some of the captors who had impregnated the women subsequently built houses in the village where some of them were kept to deliver their babies.

Door of no return When the ships that would take the captives away arrived, those sold were taken to a room now known as the “room of no return”. A very low door leads to this room. Unless you are a dwarf, you will need to bend to enter. The captives, all in chains, were led to this room and made to exit through another door. From this door (known as the door of no return), they were taken down a ladder to canoes and finally the ships that would take them to unknown places in the world.

This journey called the “middle

•Male dungeon

•Gate of no return

session is aimed at addressing business travel topics that are of pertinence to local industry professionals and will positively impact business travel professionals across Africa.

We are delighted to have formed this partnership and to have been named as the Exclusive Education Partner for the upcoming Akwaaba: African Travel Market,” said ABTA Founder Monique Swart.

“Akwaaba has done a fantastic job, working very hard over the last several years in hosting these phenomenal events and we feel very privileged to have been invited by them to assist in hosting the educational sessions that will be taking place during the event.”

passage” saw the captives being shipped across the mighty Atlantic Ocean to Europe, the Caribbean, the Americas and other places. It was a long tortuous journey in which many of the slaves died from hunger, disease and brutality and horrible conditions in which they were kept. Those who perished were thrown into the sea.

“Over 60 million Africans were captured during the three centuries or so the evil trade in humans lasted. Only 20 million survived and ended up in foreign lands to work as slaves under terrible conditions,” stated Phillip.

From one power to the other The castle, which was at the epicentre of the evil trade, began life innocently enough. Built by the Portuguese in1482, it was originally used as a trading post for goods. The Portuguese first arrived Elmina in 1471 and began to trade with the Africans.

Back then, the system of trade was by barter, that is the exchange of goods for goods. The Portuguese exchanged items like guns, hard liquor, gunpowder, enamel bowls, tobacco, iron

bars for such items like gold, ivory, spices and artifacts from the Africans. The locals had a lot of gold to exchange with the foreigners. This gave them the impression that the village was full of gold. Thus they called the place, “El Mina” (the mine).

This name was corrupted to today’s Elmina.

This mutual trade in goods continued till the early 16th century when the trans-Atlantic slave trade began. In 1637, the castle was taken over by the Dutch after a fierce battle. They held fort there, using it as a transit for shipment of slaves to the West until the British gained possession in 1872. By this time, the trade in slaves had mercifully been abolished.

Today, the castle, with its different sections such as the courtyards, dungeons, cells, official quarters for the slavers, church, mess, kitchens and others, stands empty of both slave masters and ill-treated captives.

All that remain within its thick walls are echoes of a past that saw the worst form of man’s inhumanity to man. Well- maintained by the Ghanaian government, it’s a magnet for tourists from all over the world. Briana Wilson, an African-American from Atlanta, Georgia, is one of them.

“I had heard so much about this place that I just had to come here. This is my first visit to Africa. Seeing the place where my ancestors stayed before being taken away to other parts of the world gives one goose pimples. There are no words to describe the feeling.

You can read all you want and watch all the documentaries you like about slavery. But they don’t give you the same experience as being there and seeing and feeling how those people must have suffered. It’s an unforgettable experience,” the 56 year old school teacher stated.

49 Lagos Airport Hotel opens institute to the public

•Some of the students

L

AGOS Airport Hotel has opened its training school to the public. The institute, the Lagos Airport Hotel Hospitality Institute, which has been in existence since 1997 as the training arm of the Lagos Airport Hotel, has now been approved by the government to award certificates and diplomas to its graduates.

Speaking during a training programme for 50 students that are being sponsored by the Lagos State government, the Controller of Training, Lagos Airport Hotel, Mrs Ebunoluwa Oyaleke, said the institute was currently training 50 students on different areas of hospitality management.

According to her, the four-week intensive training on housekeeping management would allow participants have broad knowledge of what housekeeping and cleaning are. It will give the participants the skills needed so that at the end of the programme, they will not only be self-employed, they would be fit into any organisation that requires their skills.

In the four-week programme, students would be taken through both practical and theoretical aspects of the training.

The institute is now officially opened to outsiders who want to be trained in hospitality management, catering housekeeping, event management and other things.

A participant at the training, Olukoga Oluwafunmilola, a professional caterer was full of praises for the Lagos State government and Airport Hotel for the quality of the training. She said the training had broadened her knowledge. According to her, “The training is good. With the knowledge I gathered here, I can start my own business that will help those who are jobless.”

Orekoya Basirat, another participant, who is a banking and finance graduate, also applauded the training, describing it as interesting and total. Like Olukoga, she is thinking of establishing her own business after the training.

The training was done by the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in collaboration with the Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja, Lagos.

•Olukoga

•

Oyaleke

FTAN holds tourism investors’ forum

T

HE Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) will be holding an investors’ forum.

The programme is tagged Nigerian Tourism Investors’ Forum and Exhibition 2013. The event scheduled to start Tuesday next week. According to the organizers, it is aimed at bringing both policy makers and investors in the tourism sector and providers of ancillary services to the sector.

At a press conference on the event, the FTAN president, Chief Samuel Alabi, said the forum was to help stimulate the industry, open up business opportunities and also bring to the fore some of the industry’s challenges.

The forum will address “the issue of funding as vital element towards the development and maintenance of tourism products and induce the creation of new

•Chief Alabi

tourism business frontiers by the creation of accessible funds by the Federal Government of Nigeria as done for other sectors such as the bailout funds granted the commercial banks in 2009,

intervention fund for the real sector, revival fund for textile, cotton and garment industry, intervention fund provided by power and aviation industries and the recently granted entertainment industry grant.

He said further: “The relevance of tourism to the development of the gross domestic products of our dear nation cannot be overemphasized. Tourism is not only an economic multiplier, it is a veritable ingredient for nation’s building and physical growth. It helps preserve the environment and places of historical heritage.It opens up the rural areas to development as well as provides employment and income not only to individuals, but to the various levels of government. It also supports good

image building and general poverty alleviation drive of the country.

“At the global level, tourism is one of the major employers of labour. At the national level, considering the number of employees in hotels, transportation and other tourism-related enterprises quite a number of persons are employed by the industry.

“We are not unaware of some challenges militating against the growth and development of the tourism sector in Nigeria, such as security situation, inadequate infrastructural facilities, over-taxation of the industry and many others. However, it is our belief that there are many countries all over the world with worse situations yet

tourism thrives therein.

While with time these other challenges could be handled, the issue of funding of the tourism industry requires immediate intervention of the Federal Government. “ Alabi also used the opportunity to talk about his tenure as FTAN president.

He said: “Since the inauguration of the current FTAN Executive Committee, we have contributed to the growth and development of the tourism industry by way of deliberate programme and activities. We also served on many committees put in place by the Federal Ministry of Tourism, such as Tourism Master Plan Implementation Committee, Ecowas Study Group on Tourism Development, just to mention a few.

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THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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FORTUNE& I

Tom Samson and wife

Paul UKPABIO

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THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Segun AJIBOYE

EXECUTIVE LEISURE

Dr. Wale Omole

Continued from last week

Ajaero TONY MARTINS

Continued next week

Martins is an entrepreneur, investor and business blogger Source: www.strategicbusinessteam.com

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Building a sound relationship (3) D

EAR Reader, You are welcome, this week, to another exciting time in the presence of the Lord. My focus is still on Building A Sound Relationship. Last week, I unveiled the two types of relationships. This week, I shall be sharing with you some fundamental factors. To build sound and meaningful relationship, certain fundamental factors must be in place. Let us examine some of them here.

Define the purpose: This is the principal factor that must be in place, if a sound relationship must be built. To everything under the sun, including relationships, there is a purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Whatever relationship you are into, whether with your mates, superiors or juniors, it is crucial and fundamental to define its purpose, right from the outset. Dr. Myles Munroe said, "When purpose is not known, abuse in inevitable." Purpose is power and relationships thrive on it.

Purpose enhances your focus.

Constantly keep the purpose of your relationship before you.

Defining and knowing the purpose of your relationship, will help you to fight and overcome distractions. With well-defined purpose, you are able to know whether you are on track or not.

It makes correct evaluation possible.

Be Sincere to yourself: Another major factor is that you must know, understand and be true to yourself. Remember, you are the principal actor in any relationship you are involved in. So, refuse to play the game of self-deceit! Know, understand and be true to yourself.

Where knowledge is present, power is present for performance.

Where there is understanding, there will be outstanding accomplishments. For any relationship to be outstanding, a good understanding is required. Be practical, be real! Find out your

Health Matters With DR MIKE OYAKHIRE 08170268670 email: drmikeoyakhire@yahoo.com Continued from last week As is often whispered, those who have paid their dues should be given a break. That was unusual compared with an incident that occurred not too long ago in one of the Hospitals in the South South geopolitical region; the wife of a medical Doctor developed abnormal vaginal bleeding at eight months of pregnancy, ultrasound scan done about the sixth month had revealed that baby was presenting breech and so the area of the buttocks which usually do not help in the gradual opening of the cervix would make first contact . That was not considered to be any major challenge, but the scan report also showed her Placenta was located at a point dangerously close to the neck of the womb(grade 3 placenta praevia).

She had registered for Antenatal care(ANC) with the Teaching Hospital and a holding decision had not been taken before problems declared them selves, Unfortunately a warning strike by, Doctors in the Teaching Hospital began that day and so she had to be rushed to the state owned Hospital.

She had lost close to 1500mls(about three bags of blood)of blood and had begun to show signs of shock.

For reasons better known to the Anesthetist, he was reluctant to put the patient to sleep. Doctors from other Hospitals had to go talk to him and he dragged on and on for as long as he could delay, even when the Con-

sultant Surgeon and assistants were in their full theatre gowns, his attitude took time enough for the baby to die in the womb. While she hung between life and death, as she watched herself bleeding helplessly, the patient wondered how shocking, how un imaginable it would be for any one to hear that the wife of a Medical Doctor died with her unborn baby after getting to Hospital with both alive, in the depth of her mind she wondered whether her decision to marry a medical Doctor had been a good one. She was sectioned to save her own life and the baby was lost to arrant negligence. She vowed to spend the rest of her life taking good care of the ones she had, and never to think about getting pregnant. While this gory scenario lasted, the hospital had no other Anesthetist in that Hospital to call, coupled with ethical issues of getting someone from outside to administer an anesthetic agent to a patient in another Hospital. Anesthetists have become very few, and in rural surgical practice, the surgeons do more to ensure they have successful surgeries.

Quacks of course who are less inclined the principle of do no harm (primun non nocere) will simply open op what ever cases, with a readiness to blame any unfavorable outcome on paranormal or spiritual forces of darkness.

The are two of the thousands of situations that can be encountered by any one and when you are not affected you may never know how bad things can really get.

It is difficult to know precisely when the summersault

weaknesses and your strength, attitude and temperament. To build sound and meaningful relationships, learn to seek and receive help in your area of weakness.

1 Corinthians 10:12 says: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Successful relationships begin with you. Do not hide from your own flesh. Do not pretend to be super-strong, when you know you are not. A sound relationship is possible when the principal actor, which is you, is sincere.

Examine your motives: Motive is defined as the reason for doing something. Motives are powerful and they are everything.

No wonder, 2 Corinthians 13:5 says: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith: prove your own selves: know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Examine your motives; you are the best examiner of your life, whether there is an ulterior motive or whether your motive is pure and godly. Your motive is clearly known and never hidden from you.

Interestingly, God sees beyond your actions. You may succeed in deceiving man, but can you deceive God? Impossible! So, right from the outset, sanitize your motive, before you enter into any relationship whatsoever. This will make it sound, healthy and rewarding.

Be a contributor: It is very important for you to enter into a relationship as a contributor, not a burden. What you take into a relationship will determine what you get out of it. Take a close look at Proverbs 27:17 which says: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Seek to sharpen and add something to the life of the other party involved in that relationship.

Don't keep looking for what to get, what to grab and what to take. What to benefit. Instead, think of what to add and give.

Constantly bear in mind the fact that what you make happen for others, determines what God makes happen for you.

Giving, you must remember is living! So, give, contribute and invest spiritually, materially and otherwise, to the development and growth of the relationships you are involved in. When contribution is one-sided, it cripples relationships. Beware of selfishness! Stop taking undue advantage of people. Refuse to join the company of those who keep sucking life out of others, rather than adding to them. Don't always sit at the receiving

end in a relationship.

Engage in Constant Evaluation: Constantly evaluate your relationships. In evaluating your relationships, ask yourself: Is this relationship profitable, both to me and to the other person or persons involved? Is it contributing anything to me and the parties involved? Is it leaving me refreshed, energized or is it draining me?

In a sound relationship, there will always be mutual respect for each other. This means that each person values who the other is. You need to evaluate whether this respect is there or not and if it is, whether it is growing or diminishing.

Another important area that requires constant evaluation is trust. No relationship at any level for that matter can be healthy, without trust. Evaluate whether there is trust and if it is present, whether it is growing or not. Examine your spiritual walk with God, because any relationship with man at any level, male or female that draws you backward in your walk with God is not godly and does not deserve your consideration or attention.

The questions then are: is He Lord over your life? Or are you lord over yourself? God must become the Lord of your life, so you must be born again. To get born again, you have to confess your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour.

If you are ready to be born again, say this simple prayer with me, in faith: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I believe You died and rose again for my sake. Forgive me of my sins, take over my life, make me Your child and let Your peace reign over my life. Thank you for saving me. Now I know I am born again.

Congratulations, you are now born again! I believe that you will begin to experience the reality of the price that Jesus paid for your sins at Calvary. All round rest and peace are guaranteed you in Jesus' Name!

Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through: E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 07026385437; 07094254102 For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Single With A Difference, Building A Successful Family, and Success In Marriage (CoAuthored with Bishop David Oyedepo).

Post graduate medical training in Nigeria and the millenium development goals

Attitude of governments, philanthropists and relevant institutions not helping matters occurred in the life of this country.

The choice of medicine as a career is not so much the desire for money as is the joy and fulfillment of having life entrusted to your care from the time of conception, through birth, and finally to the grave. The attitude of the policy makers in the period before now was informed by the understanding that a Medical doctor will not exist in a vacuum, but amongst people, with his nuclear and extended family. There were well furnished Doctors' quarters for House officers ; Medical Doctors during youth service had bungalows and duplexes, well furnished, so they could take call duties with very little stress. Job satisfaction was remarkable and with it was a huge sense of patriotism and the spirit of belonging. Governments placed maximum priorities on health, people's health, shelter and education. Post graduate training was available to those who showed interest at home and abroad with grants for research and scholarship provisions. Most of those

who went abroad came back and others who remained here contributed in one way or another to the growth of the Medical profession.

People now talk about Post Graduate Medical Training overseas in very special circles, because getting positions or centers for newly graduated Medical Doctors to do internship so they can complete the first stage of their medical career, register and do other things is now a problem, applicants are now expected to know some one who knows some one who knows, Where to stay and commence the post graduate residency training has also become infiltrated by the cancer of tribalism, where you are told to your face that certain areas are simply for indigenes. What is really biting now is that with regards to what the future holds, the medical profession except for those from affluent background is increasingly becoming unattractive in this country and this is in spite of the pains, denials sacrifice that an individual puts in from secondary school through the

Medical instruments

long uncertain road of the MB; BS program and the additional years it takes to specialize approximatel 15 years The initial training of a medical doctor takes seven years, (eight during my time); six years in pre clinicals and then one year as a preregistration intern. He then goes for youth service or is exempt.

Depending on his age.

Usually Doctors in the Teaching Hospitals are expected to partake in academic activities no matter how many patients they have to care for. This is in addition to the mandatory requirements of either passing regular exams or being sent out. To do this effectively they travel long distances for updates and exams. Apart from risks of death through road or Air accidents, there have been cases of attacks by armed Robbers on the journeys and in Hotel rooms. The entire costs of exam fees, feeding, hotel room charges, transportation and others are borne by individuals, it is only in very few instances and very hospitals that refunds are made In the past, many people were scared out of the path to become Consultants because of many issues, what you don't see actually remains mysterious to you, Doctors who by their youth service posting served in places where exams were routinely conducted ,saw that all they needed to do was read and see

their patients in the wards, and these exams became demystified; they knew and defined what they wanted and charted various courses for them selves; majority are the medical consultants of today. For those living far away from these centers, travelling to these places with very little to hope, was like the head of a camel passing through the needle. Those who didn't have to travel, enjoyed writing the exams, encouraged by teachers who though felt strongly that post graduate medical training should indeed be very strict were equally convinced that the exams should be given a human face .Some students during undergraduate training had the misfortune of coming under people who took them as invincible and un teachable in a manner much like what American blacks suffered under Whites. The Students were given the most unfavorable environment (centers to learn and prepare for exams, in fact some were given the impression that God designed post graduate specialist training for some particular tribes in Nigeria.

Fortunately, evil machinations don't last for ever and in these places, human beings have taken over these positions, they eat and dine with residents just as people do when the feeling of one family is there. Unfortunately however, Nigeria is a country where certain people continue to remain in circulation in very active capacities. They are there and have carried the same mentality of assuming that some certain human beings are there but don't exist in their scheme of things. To be continued

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

Catholic diseases

With Prof. Dayo Oyekole

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

T

HE catholic medical conditions happen to every hu man being. They are universal in occurrence and varied in manifestation. For each and every one of us, each of these conditions may be mild or severe, transient or enduring, acute or chronic, manageable or overwhelming. We may be at fault or blameless. Such conditions may hurt the bearer alone or may also hurt other people.

The catholic medical conditions are part of life on earth.

They may arise from within us - within our body, mind, or spirit.

They may arise from the effects of our environment upon our body, mind, or spirit. One or more component(s) of our environment may be the source(s): a person, a place, a condition, an event, etc.

The catholic medical conditions are part of the states we go in and out of in a continual flux of reality. They do not necessarily have a negative effect if we understand them and know how to cope and deal with them. This means we need a reality check every now and then and personal effort to direct the outcomes of our experiences towards lasting good.

The world, every now and then, brings to us things that do not fit us or that we do not like, do not agree with, do not appreciate, or do not want; or things that disappoint, that hurt, that hinder, that diminish, that deprive us; or things that punish, that embarrass, that shame, that humiliate us; or things that surprise, that overwhelm, that undermine, that threaten us, etc.

In the face of such presentations of the world what do we do? We get stressed, we get depressed, or we get mad. Stress, depression, and mania are catholic or universal experiences of human beings. Say you have never been mad and you are probably mad. Say you have never been depressed and you were probably too depressed to know it. Say you have never been stressed and you are not areal person. If you examine what you are going through presently, or have gone through in recent times, if you are facing reality, if you are really alive, you are most likely to discover some elements of stress, depression, or mania in your life.

Stress is a result of our limitations of body, mind, or spirit within our human condition presented with realities that overwhelm us. Depression is unfulfilled ego. Mania is derangement of the

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S

integral working of body, mind, and spirit. We experience fulfilment of life when we are able to overcome these conditions.

It is important that we know these things happen to us and we know how to cope with them and overcome them for our own sake and for the sake of those that may be affected by our own conditions. The capability of damage from these conditions differs at different stages in life. A seven year old child may get manic and disturb his parents and companions whereas a fifty year old executive that gets manic will disturb his family, companions, subordinates, charges, and all that he normally influences or controls. We thus have a personal responsibility to check our tendencies towards these catholic medical conditions of stress, depression, and mania for the overall good of our families and society.

Stress, depression, and mania are catholic conditions indeed. Now, please do not go and be looking at everybody for signs of stress, depression, or mania. You will end up judging everybody and you will most likely lose your peace. Your view would be preconceived, superficial, and self-reflexive. You will misinterpret everything you see and react wrongly to people. Most likely, you will see other people from the point of view of your own stress, depression, or mania. Our discussion here is for our personal uplifting and personal peace, not for screening other people.

We have recently discussed stress. We now discuss depression and mania and note some tips to save ourselves from such conditions.

Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please Email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

How to get rid of a yeast infection

yeast infection occurs when a certain species of fungi start to grow without any boundaries in the human body. This species is most commonly the Candida albicans species, and exists in mucous membranes of the body, such as the oral cavity and genitalia, but also in any warm, moist areas like the folds of skin in the toes and fingers. These fungi in the body are usually under control by good bacteria. Sometimes these good bacteria are reduced due to the intake of certain foods or medication, which lets the fungi rapidly multiply, causing an infection.

There are types of yeast infection such as Intertrigo yeast infection of the skin, and can usually be found in any skin folds of the body, because it is warm and moist. Examples would be any folds of fat, the armpits, the groin, and the fingers and toes. This infection will

often look like a rash, with scaly edges, and red, swollen patches of skin. The rash usually extends just to the outside of the folds of the skin. Small lesions may form around the area of the rash as well. Usually the affected areas are itchy and uncomfortable.

A vaginal yeast infection can be identified by a white, cheesy discharge, in addition to the area around the vagina, and labial folds being red, swollen and itchy. An oral yeast infection is mainly characterized by white patches forming on the tongue and soft palate of the mouth. These cannot be easily wiped away, and if one attempts to scrape them the skin underneath will bleed so this is not advised. Infections occurring between the fingers and toes usually form a patch of red, dry skin that flakes off and is extremely

53 Coping with diseases

itchy.

1. Use anti-fungal medications.

The most common way to cure a yeast infection is to use anti-fungal medications. There are many topical treatments for yeast infection available on the market including clotrimazole and terconazole. Remember, though, that it is highly suggested to consult your doctor first before using any medication. If you mistake your condition for another disease, using yeast infection treatments might make the problem worse.

2. Keep your vaginal area dry.

Failing to clean your vaginal area makes it easier for fungi to thrive and overgrow. This might lead to infection of other parts of your body, a case which can be life-threatening.

Make it a habit to clean your vaginal area – and your whole

Participants distributing asthma awarness leaflets during a walk organised by GlaxoSmithKline in Lagos, as part of the activities marking Asthma Day

body for that matter – regularly.

Many women can get away with washing twice daily but for those who engage in strenuous activities, extra care must be observed.

3. Avoid products that can cause irritation.

Some products might cause irritation to the genital area, especially scented soaps, sprays, and creams. If you find that you feel itchy down there after using a certain product, discontinue use immediately. Scented products might give the false feeling that you are cleaner but this is not the case and these products will just make it more difficult for you to get rid of a yeast infection fast. Fragrancefree products are enough to get the job done and keep you feeling clean and fresh.

4. Watch what you wear.

Tight clothing that emphasizes your curvy figure might be the new trend, but this won’t help when you are trying to treat a yeast infection. Tight jeans and underwear can cause further irritation. It is advisable to wear loose-fitting clothes and wear underwear made from cotton. Fabrics made from synthetic materials do not allow your skin to breath, trapping moisture which attracts fungi.

5. Consult your doctor.

As with any other condition, it is recommended to consult your doctor for proper diagnosis. Without the guidance of an expert, you might make the problem worse and cause further complications. Doctors usually prescribe oral medications and vaginal tablets or suppositories. Ask which one is the best option for you to get rid of a yeast infection. Also do not forget to ask how to use the recommended treatment properly.

EXUALLY Transmitted Diseases are popularly called ve nereal diseases. They are contagious diseases, easily trans mitted by sexual contact from an infected person to a sexual partner who is otherwise healthy.

The germs causing these diseases vary a great deal, but all depend on the warmth and moisture of the sexual organs for survival. They readily penetrate the delicate skin and moist membranes that come in contact during sexual intercourse.

Once the germs have invaded the tissues of the sex organs, they propagate and spread to other tissues, even throughout the body in some cases.

The sexually transmitted diseases cause various kinds of suffering with tragic results as damage to an unborn child, infertility and even premature death.

Once established in a person’s body, the disease tends to persist, if untreated, for the duration of life. Syphilis and Gonorrhoea are the best-known venereal diseases, but the range also includes genital herpes, candidiasis and warts, as well as trichomoniasis, chancroid, staphylococcal infections and Lymphogranuloma venereum.

In spite of our present knowledge of these diseases and in spite of the availability of effective treatment, the number of cases of sexually transmitted illness has increased so alarmingly that they are virtually out of control. Changes in public attitudes towards sexual matters, widespread use of contraceptive pills and the emergence of resistant strains of organisms seem to have contributed to the increase of these diseases.

The symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases vary, depending on the causative agent. There may be abnormal discharge from the sexual organ, with foul odour and itching sensations, as in Gonorrhoea, Trichomoniasis and Candidiasis. There may be ulcers and pinching sensations as in Genital Herpes Simplex, Staphylococcus, Syphilis, Chancroid and Granuloma inguinale. Thirdly, there are those characterized by the appearance of lumps and bumps in the private parts, as observed in cases of genital warts and Lymphogranuloma venereum.

Prevention It should be well understood that when a sexually transmitted disease is diagnosed in a man or woman, the disease has probably already passed on to the sexual partner, it is therefore important that both should treated to prevent re-infection.

Also, it is strongly advised that any suspicion of a venereal disease or of possible exposure to infection, calls for urgent medical attention. In fact, prolonged cases of venereal infections have been shown to predispose one to more dangerous infections such as HIV/AIDS.

Treatment/Control In Holistic Lifecare, it is strongly advocated that in order to avoid suffering in the midst of plenty, we must turn to NATURE. Some of the natural remedies being advanced for the treatment and control of sexually transmitted diseases include the extracts of local herbs such as Allium cepa, Senna alata and Plumbago zeylanica.

For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call on: 0803-330-3897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan. Website: www.holisticlifecare.com. Distance is no barrier, we can send remedies by courier if need be. We also have facilities for accommodation, admission and hospitalization in a serene and homely environment.

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ORMER Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, yesterday advised Nigerians to reject religous war.

Speaking in Abuja during the third session of the Eight Synod of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Gen. Gowon said “religious leaders have a role to play in resolving the the current crisis in the country.”

He told them to “exorcise the spirit of violence by never offering violence in self-defence,” adding: “You must never allow to be drawn into or encourage religious warfare in our country, leave the authorities to handle that.”

The former Head of State also urged Christians to sur-

Say no to religious war, Gowon urges Nigerians John OFIKHENUA, Abuja render the guidance of their country, leaders and men of faith to the hands of God for them to understand and display tolerance to all people, especially those of other faiths and beliefs in order to win them over.

Referring to the theme of the synod , “Christian Stewardship”, he said Christians must be good leaders in order to tackle insecurity and the ravaging scourge of corruption in the land.

His words: “I cannot overemphasis the scriptural injunction that you should do

unto others as you wish them do unto you. You must abhor all forms of cheating or injustice; you must pursue truth and show love to all and you must actively discourage the laundering of ill-gotten wealth in the guise of donations towards the furtherance of the

work of God. “The God that I know and serve will always make provision when He commissions.

Once these admonitions are properly internalized, I am confident , you would have been fully armed to take charge as well as account for

your stewardship before God and before man.”

He suggested that the Anglican Church of Nigeria ordains willing female members as priests.

According to him, his own mother brought him up as an ardent Christian- a path

which he said he has not deviated from.

Meanwhile, the Primate of the church, Bishop Nicholas Okoh, said the church had been considering the issue of female ordination since it was tabled in Kaduna in 2006 and the motion was defeated.

Boko Haram could face war crime charges, says UN

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OKO Haram members could face charges of crimes against humanity, the UN’s human rights office warned yesterday.

But it asked the Federal Government to ensure that civilians are not swept up in an army counter-offensive.

“Members of Boko Haram and other groups and entities, if judged to have committed widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population — including on grounds such as religion or ethnicity — could be found guilty of crimes against humanity,” said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“Deliberate acts leading to population ‘cleansing’ on grounds of religion or ethnicity could also amount to a crime against humanity,” he told reporters.

The armed forces have launched an offensive against Boko Haram strongholds in Borno State after President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a state of emergency on the state and neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa, following the militants’ seizure of territory and declaration of war on the government.

Colville underlined that UN

rights chief, Navi Pillay, had repeatedly slammed the “cowardly attacks” by Boko Haram against civilians, politicians, the security forces and foreign nationals.

But with Nigeria’s military accused of massive rights violations in the past, including indiscriminate attacks on the ordinary population, there are warnings of a risk of high number of civilian deaths.

“We also call on the Nigerian government to make sure its efforts to achieve security are in full compliance with human rights principles,” said Colville.

“We urge security forces and the military to respect human rights and avoid excessive use of force when conducting operations, as these can all too easily feed local resentment, especially when civilians are killed or have their property damaged,” he added.

Boko Haram has become notorious for blending in with the local population, both in towns and major cities where they have carried out suicide bombings as well as gun and bomb assaults.

The conflict is eotimated to have cost 3,600 lives since 2009, including killings by the security forces.

•Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi (middle), during the commissioning of the 128-stall Neighbourhood Market in Awedele, Ado-Ekiti... on Wednesday. With him are, from left, Chief of Staff to Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu; Commissioner for Housing, Physical, Planning and Urban Development, Mr Remi Olorunleke; Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi; President, Market Women Association, Chief Waye Oso; and Director General, Ekiti State Enterprise and Economic Development Agency (EEDA), Mr Seyi Aiyeleso.

Police arrest another ‘baby factory’ owner in Lagos

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50 year-old woman, Mrs. Oby George, who allegedly sells babies to couples who are in desperate need, has been arrested by police operatives of the Lagos State Command.

The suspect, who is based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, deceived her victims with the story that she had harbal medicines that could make them get pregnant and have babies of their own no matter their ages.

She allegedly collected N1.5million from a 61-year- old woman, Mrs. Momoh Ceclia Adesope, to give her twins and N2.7 million from 43-year-old Mrs. Joy Okonkwo for triplets.

Terrorists bomb Buhari’s hometown Continued on Page 2 Items recovered from the insurgents include 10 AK 47 riffles with large quantity of ammunitions, two Gulf cars, and some quantities of IEDs. “This is a new tactic being used by the Boko Haram terrorists. So members of the public are enjoined not to trust just anyone in uniform. They should look closely because their lives may be in danger”, General Koeoso said.

Two variants of the fake army camouflage used by the insurgents were displayed at the briefing. The fake desert operation camouflage had faint green and bold brown patched. The army’s variant had green and beige colours.

Similarly, the fake forest camouflage of the Boko Haram had more brown patched compared to that of the army with a preponderance of green patches.

He attributed the killings and burning of houses in Baga, another Borno town in Borno three weeks ago, to members of the Boko Haram dressed in the fake army camouflage.

“A recent exchange of gunfire with the insurgents in the Northeastern part of the country which resulted in a large number of casualties on their side showed that the insurgents were dressed in fake military camouflage.

“For the unsuspecting popu-

lace, these insurgents would have been misconstrued as soldiers of the Nigerian Army. No doubt, the Nigerian Army has often been erroneously accused of heinous crimes on innocent citizens whereas the Boko Haram insurgents have been the perpetrators of the dastardly acts.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the camouflage worn by Nigerian Army troops on operations in the Northeastern part of the country is easily identifiable,” he said.

The Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji,also speaking on the incident said the invaders were armed robbers.

He said: “Yesterday (Thursday) around 10:00 p.m, we received information that some armed robbers were attacking banks in Daura town. When I received this message I tried to connect all the DPOs within the area and at the same time dispatched an armoured personnel carrier and other vehicles that could rescue the situation ‘“These hoodlums were armed robbers.I, therefore, urged people in the community to be wary of strangers and report any person of suspicious movement. The police are always ready to ensure protection of lives and property, and we are on trail of the fleeing hoodlums.

“Most people ran into the bush when the shooting and the bombing started. I believed they came in about ten cars and they overwhelmed the security in the town. In fact, everybody was on his own during the attack by the hoodlums who were armed robbers.”

Jude ISIGUZO and Ebele BONIFACE While Adesope and her 78year-old husband got their supposed twins, the Okonkwos were still waiting for theirs when she was caught by the police.

Operatives of the Area ‘E’ Command got information from some concerned citizens that Mrs Adesope who had passed the age of child bearing had twins. Following the report, the couple was invited to the area command for questioning by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge, Mr Dan Okoro. It was their confessions that led the operatives to Port Harcourt where the prime suspect was arrested.

Command’s spokesman, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) who paraded the suspect yesterday, said she was arrested on April 16 after Mrs. Adesope, one of the victims, went to a hospital in

NAMA workers, unions suspend planned strike

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HE planned industrial action slated for Monday by the workers of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to press for additional welfare package has been put on hold.

The suspension of the strike was a follow-up to a meeting in Lagos yesterday between the union leaders and the management of the airspace agency.

The meeting, according to the General Manager (Public Affairs) of the NAMA, Mr. Supo Atobatele, is expected to continue on Monday to further deliberate on issues at stake after the parties agreed that dialogue remains the best way of re-solving industrial crisis.

At the meeting were representatives from the National Union Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport

Kelvin OSA OKUNBOR Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Reacreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).

Comrade Abdulkareem Motajo,who led the NUATE team, remarked during the two-hour delibration that the union leaders were not interested in creating problems for the management ,but that the ultimatum earlier issued was to send a friendly warning that there were issues yet to be resolved.

This view was similarly shared by Comrade Clement Ajayi who advised the management to always involve the national secretariat in all its trade union matters so as not to create unnecessary tension in the system.

Festac Area of Lagos for a medical check-up.

Doctors, it was gathered, suspected that her babies were not twins as she claimed. One of the babies was about two weeks old, while the other was over two months old. The hospital alerted the police and she was arrested for intrrogation.

Braide said the woman confessed that one Mrs George in Port Harcourt sold some herbal medicines to her and that when she was due for delivery, she went back to the same woman who, she claimed, delivered her of the babies.

It was gathered that when the operatives probed further, Adesope could not provide any evidence of anti-natal care at any hospital before delivery or any medical analysis to confirm that she was ever pregnant.

ACP Okoro led other operatives to Port Harcourt where the suspect was arrested and fake hospital delivery equipment was also recovered.

The suspect, Oby, said: “I am from the Ummabo side in Port Harcourt. Let me tell you the truth. It was one Helen Okoronkwo who brought them. I helped her really to deliver her of the babies. I bought the herbs which I administered on them from a market. They were all roots.”

She said she started the business over a year ago, adding that she only helped people who were in desperate need of children to achieve their dreams.

Adesope said: “One lady who asked me whether I was looking for a baby told me that it was possible to get pregnant and get a child of my own. I paid her N1.5million for male twins. She said the person was her neighbour who just returned from abroad. She gave me the woman’s phone number. When I called her she said I should come to Port Harcourt to meet her. She gave me directions to her place when I got to Port Harcourt. She gave me seeds to eat the first day, and later started administering herbal drugs. I came to Port

Harcourt after eight months of taking the prescribed herbs and seeds. Therefore, when I got to Port Harcourt again, she said it was time for me to deliver.

“She told me to lie down. I became almost unconscious and she used razor blade to cut my clitoris and started asking me to push, and I continued to push. At a point, I heard the cry of a baby. They congratulated me that I had a baby boy and told me to be patient and that the second boy was on his way. They asked me to push harder and before I knew it, I heard another cry of a baby and they congratulated.

“When I came back to Lagos, I started feeling pains and went to hospital despite warning by Oby that I should never go to hospital because miracle babies have nothing to do with hospital. It was at the hospital that the doctor asked me how old I was and was surprised that I should deliver twins, two bouncing baby boys, at the age of 61. He alerted the police and I was arrested”.

Okoronkwo, who resides in the Ajah area of Lagos said: “I have been married for 18 years.

It was somebody, a neighbour that texted me the GSM number of the miracle babies woman at Port Harcourt.

When I got there, she asked me to take a cab to her miracle maternity. She gave two types of herbs to start with. When she saw me she said I was due to deliver the desired triplets.

“As I was taking the drug my body started swelling and some of my clothes could not even be worn again. I was instructed not to go to any doctor because miracle babies have nothing to do with hospitals.

It was this woman, Oby, that was my miracle baby deliverer.

I paid her N2.7million for the triplets. To be honest, I am not pregnant. I am sick, see my body. My legs are swollen; my tummy is swollen due to the drug she administered. I don’t believe I am pregnant. I am sick”.

58 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

Search for Supreme Court Justice’s abducted wife, daughter shifts to Ekiti, Ondo

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HE search for the wife of a Supreme Court Justice, Mrs. Mrs. Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour, yesterday shifted to Ondo and Ekiti states.

The victim, who is the wife of Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, was kidnapped penultimate Friday with her daughter and a driver near Benin in Edo State.

The expansion of the search for the three hostages followed tracking signals that the kidnappers have relocated to some swamps along the two neighbouring states.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Maryam Alooma-

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

Mukhtar, is said to be highly worried by the development and plans to visit Justice Rhodes-Vivour in Lagos where he has been monitoring the rescue effort of the abducted.

According to investigation, the kidnappers have got in touch with some people leading to the tracking of their location by the police and other security agencies.

A reliable source said: “As at the last time the tracking was conducted, the kidnappers were said to be shuttling between the forests in Ondo and Ekiti states. So far, the security agencies and the police have done well.

“The kidnappers have also opened up on their demand for ransom which is about N200million. We learnt that they have got in touch with one officer in charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the police in one of the states on

their demand.

“I can say that dialogue is ongoing on how to prevail on the abductors to release their victims unhurt in national interest.

“We have been begging them

Jonathan secures release of 10 prisoners RESIDENT Goodluck from Equatorial Guinea Jonathan has secured has for Nigeria as it is the first

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the release of 10 Nigerians held in Equatorial Guinea for various immigration offences.

Nigerians urged to attach importance to training

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IGERIANS have been urged to attach im portance to training to enhance their skills and contribute to the nation’s development.

The President/Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD), Dr. Kayode Ogungbuyi (FITD), said this at the 11th induction ceremony of the institute held on Wednesday in Ikeja, Lagos.

He said to become skilful employees, Nigerians need to go for training regularly.

Dr. Ogungbuyi enjoined employers to organise regular training for their employees and sponsor them on training outside their organisations to

improve their knowledge about their duties, adding that this would rub off on their productivity.

He said NITAD is a professional body of learning and development practitioners registered in Nigeria to promote the science and practice of training, learning and development nationwide.

Said he: “The professional development activities of NITAD are aimed at facilitating the exchange of knowledge, skills and experience for those engaged in training and development and at achieving a better utilisation of human ability and potential in business, industry and government.

“The institute promotes in-

ternational interaction and exposure of its members through affiliation and co-operation with the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO), American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), African Association for Training and Development (AATD) and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) UK. “It currently has more than 10,000 individuals and 1,000 corporate members. The services rendered are recognised and supported actively by its patrons, namely the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Centre for Management Development (CMD), Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON)

Making Okagbare a blessing •Continued from Back Page Had Okagbare chosen either of the two events, she would have clinched at least a silver medal. It is for this reason that Elegbeleye, Ogba and, indeed, the minister should sit down with Okagbare to find out which of the two she prefers to specialise in. By the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, Okagbare would be a lot slower to compete for honours in the sprints, making it imperative on her to pick the long jump event, where age counts for nothing. Experience is it!

For the sake of winning gold medals in the women’s relay races, Okagbare can be asked to run in the quartet as anchor legs, but not in the gruelling 100 metres or 200 metres races. She should spend the next three years working with the best long jump coaches in the world to perfect her acts. It won’t cost Nigeria much to get her what she needs for the sake of a gold medal.

Okagbare has a big future, but she must be packaged like the champion that she is. She needs a trainer, a dietician, a nutritionist, a doctor, a psychologist et al reminiscent of what others like her have to shine on the big stage. It is possible as the 2014 Commonwealth Games beckons.

Let us tell ourselves the truth, if we must resolve the problems in sports which most people have laid on the weak bed of early preparations, good funding and the need for government to devote attention to the sector through the national lottery, like we have seen in other places.

What are the lessons? Coaching is the key to sports development. It sets the formats for athletes’ growth. It distinguishes athletes during competitions. It emboldens athletes to be professional in their conduct.

Without good coaches, the athletes’ foundation is faulty - no matter how talented they are. It is what the coaches expose athletes to that they imbibe and execute during competitions. So, if the wrong techniques are introduced to athletes, it is always too difficult for them to learn new tricks. Old habits die hard, you know.

Table Tennis is one sport where Nigeria has harvested a lot of medals at the Commonwealth Games. But the presence of visionless administrators and bad coaches affected the sport.

Happily, the incumbent sports commissioner of Lagos State, Enitan Oshodi, is the game’s new helmsman. He needs to start rebuilding the game by recruiting ex-international Kasali Lasisi as the country’s chief coach.

I don’t want to bore Oshodi with Lasisi’s details.

If he could get Congo to the 2012 Olympic Games, the least we can do for him is to expose him to better training methods through courses for the task ahead.

Oshodi’s emergence gives this writer plenty of hope that we will see a lot of table tennis

competitions round the country. Oshodi reshaped the ping pong game in Lagos. We need to see people play the game in the nooks and crannies of the country.

World powers in table tennis will respect us more if the face of the game here is Kasali Lasisi, the former African champion. A country’s game is as good as its coaching staff.

Nothing has given me joy more than the news that there is a change of guards in weightlifting. At the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, Nigeria stunned everyone with her lifters’ heroics. Need I mention Oliver Orok and his ilk from Cross River under the watchful eyes of Bulgarian coaches?

Chibudom Nwuche, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and newly elected president of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), has said: “What I foresee for the next four years is to get weightlifting to be at the next NUGA Games, because I know what happens with an athlete that is educated up to the university level.

“Over the years, our sporting system has decayed and that is why weightlifting was not able to do well at the last Olympics. I have just been elected as the president which comes with enormous responsibilities, and I know that it is a sport that is expected to do well at the Commonwealth Games.

“I also know that the sports minister expects us to win a medal at the next Olympics and to do that, we have to set the ball rolling immediately and what we will start with is drafting a constitution for the federation.

“The constitution is like a bible to a church.

So, we must set up a constitution which will define each official’s responsibilities. We also have to ensure that we have regular tournaments, at least one senior and junior tournament, and we have to have a fixed national championship because we don’t have one now.

“We have to propose that, maybe, every last week of March every year will be for the National Weightlifting Championship, so every athlete knows that that is where they will be selected for the national team,’’ Nwuche said.

Talk is cheap, Nwuche. This writer hopes that you can match your words with action.

Weightlifting can bring us medals but we must go to Bulgaria, a world power and get the coaches here to train our coaches. Our youths need to be taught the rudiments of the game so that they won’t feel inferior to their better exposed counterparts in other countries.

to let off these victims.”

It was learnt last night that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alooma-Mukhtar might visit Justice Bode RhodesVivour in Lagos this weekend to sympathize with him.

The source added: “The

CJN, who has been on top of the situation, might go there with some justices to identify with the travails of Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour.

“She might also use the opportunity to consider security reports on the hostages with the family.”

and Office of Establishment and Management Services, Federal Secretariat, Abuja. The institute is also highly patronised by numerous corporate bodies in the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy.”

Dr. Ogungbuyi noted that the virility of both the art and science of HRD in a country determines the reliability of its Human Resources profit in the face of continuous challenges of advancement of practitioners.

According to him, the institute was, therefore, established for the advancement of many noble objectives.

The guest speaker at the induction ceremony was Mr. Olasunkade Azeez, a consummate human resources practitioner, who spoke on: HRD Challenge: Aligning Employee Learning and Development with Performance Management.

The prisoners have now been given a one-year resident permit.

The kind gesture, according to Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of National Security, was secured during President Jonathan’s two-day official visit to the country.

The official also noted that the release was as a result of the high regards the country

time such a gesture is extended to any illegal immigrant in Equitorial Guinea.

The names of the lucky Nigerians are Kalu Nkemnakolam David, Onyeka Uzoma, Obinna Uzoma, Linu Iwu, Uruka Onne, Ike Kelechi Okorie, Francies Chukwu, Obinna Samson, Henry Udoh Chukwu Eze and Adekunle Rasaki Akintolu.

TRIBUTE 61

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

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any people have sought to understand why Oyo State Governor, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, a man who had turned down several chieftaincy titles from many respected monarchs, would accept the conferment of the Aare Atunluse of Ibadanland on him by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade I. For a man who had, from inception, believed that such conferment often interferes with the smooth running of government, many atimes constituting a stumbling block on the way of good governance, why would he accept this chieftaincy title? Or put differently, how different is this from the rejected titles?

To understand why the governor accepted the offer, you would need to take a shuttle into the unprecedented inroad he has made in the renewal of the city of Ibadan, the state capital, in the last two years. Inheriting an unplanned, widely considered dirtiest city in Nigeria as the state capital, Ajimobi expressed his plan from the outset to change the typecast of filth heaped on his kindred and the city of birth.

So he embarked on an aggressive urban renewal and city beautification exercise that has left most skeptics stupefied about its transformation.

Themselves arrested by this transformation of the city and the unprecedented infrastructural revolution happening in the state, the opposition had sought to, not only belittle the efforts but cast aspersion on its raisondeter. Not only that, a leading light of this tarbrush-him politics and former governor of the state, had sought to hit Ajimobi's head against the revered

Festus ADEDAYO

monarch of Ibadan by appealing to base and primordial sentiments, insinuating that the Olubadan was not happy with his son, the governor.

How does Ajimobi tell the world that this is not true? How does he verbalise his respect and appreciation for a king who, in spite of the gang-ups of the ‘Sadducees’ and ‘Pharisees’ who constitute the opposition parties of Oyo State, has overtly and covertly given kudos to the governor for a job well done? More fundamentally, how does Ajimobi tell the world without saying anything that these mudsling-him politicians, a kingpin among them himself a high-ranking Olubadan chief, have no consent of the revered monarch in their campaign of hate and calumny? How does he tell the world that as is his wont, the former governor had embarked on another journey to dreamland?

Being a human being composed of flesh and blood, how does Ajimobi receive feedback from an apparently appreciative Ibadan people whom the opposition had lied was unappreciative of the turnaround of their city from that of filth to a proper metropole?

If one can access the mind of the governor by telepathy, the need to answer the above questions must be the reasons for his accepting the offer of the highly respected monarch who has chosen to make him the Aare Atunluse (City Reformer) and his wife, Florence, Yeye Atunluse of Ibadanland.

But why would Kabiyesi make Ajimobi a City

Reformer? Telepathy, again, would be our resort. Ibadan had courted a notorious renown as a very dirty and unplanned city. Visitors and residents of the state capital were besieged by a daily ritual of disregard for aesthetics in building of houses, mounting mountains of debris and a haphazard culture of street trading and erection of kiosks by the roadside. These all contributed to the unfavourable image of a dirty city that Ibadan had. These were further worsened by a culture of impunity that had grown hydra-headed over the years which was superintended over by many residents most of whom are not indigenes of the capital city.

Areas in the state capital like Beere, Oje, Iwo Road, Challenge, Dugbe, Ring Road, Sabo Suya Spot and many others, pre-May 2011, looked like mangers. Kioks and stalls littered the roadsides, many of them competing for space with asphalted road paths. And nobody seemed to be bothered.

Because it was becoming a culture, it had dug deep into the people's skins like leeches. It was apparent that anyone who attempted to rewrite this trend would court the people's wrath.

To be fair to the last two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, they were not the harbingers of this unfortunate renown. They inherited it. Their only blame was that they lacked the vision to rebuild a house of debris into a palatial mansion, the kind of vision that gave birth to the current Ajimobi acclaim.

Please permit this revelation of state secret: When he first began the yeo-man campaign to beautify Ibadan, many of his executive council members were far from Ajimobi's page. They thought he would be frightened off this against-method policy the moment he was confronted by decades-old filth establishment. And off Ajimobi went. True to their prediction, the establishment resisted it. One popular

musician who built a magnificent complex on a setback was quoted to have confided in some people that no government would ever think of dualising the complex's road, not to talk of identifying its structural err. It took Ajimobi government's human kindness to meander an ongoing dualisation of this same road from consuming the edifice.

Today, the hitherto mentioned filth hot-spots in Ibadan are as clean as London's St. Charingcross. A culture of order now pervades Ibadan and obedience to Ajimobi's evangelism of cleanliness seems the beginning of wisdom. Many elite who commend the governor today were themselves afraid when the painful revolution began.

Many executive council members, who, like the biblical Peter, denied their Principal at inception, now preen themselves in identification with one of the most revolutionary governments in Oyo State history. This is why many who once lived in Ibadan and have the opportunity of visiting the city again go back with the testimony of a revitalisation of a rejected city of filth.

Indigenes of the city, who had endured years of denigration, today thump their chests that they hail from that reformed city.

The Olubadan, being the father of the people, and who collates different views of his populace on a daily basis, could thus not close his eyes to this uncommon transformation. As such, the conferment of Atunluse title on this uncommon reformer. As the traditional Akoko leaves are being stuck to Ajimobi and his wife's ears, let us all hail the man who upturned the biblical observation that a prophet has no honour among his own people.

Adedayo, PhD, is Special Adviser (Media) to the Oyo State Governor

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THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

63

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

Equities rally to 54-month high with N162 gain

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HE stock market closed this week with a major upswing as several leading capitalised stocks rallied to highest prices. Total market value of all quoted equities increased from its opening value of N11.636 trillion to close at N11.798 trillion, representing capital gains of N162 billion.

The All Share Index (ASI), the main value-based index that tracks all equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), also trended upward to 36,907.81 points as against its opening index of 36,400.16 points.

With 41 advancers to 17 decliners, the bullish rally reflected both widespread capital appreciation and substantial increases in share prices of several highly capitalised stocks.

Dangote Cement, market’s most capitalised stock, led

• Investors acquire 3.43% stake in Abbey Building

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

the rally with a gain of N6.89 to close at N187.

Nestle Nigeria, market’s highest-priced stock followed with a gain of N5 to close at N950. Nigerian Breweries set a new high with addition of N4.50 to close at N179. Julius Berger Nigeria rallied N3.75 to close at N58.25. International Breweries rose by N2.60 to close at N28.67.

CAP added N2.45 to close at a high of N67.50. Presco gathered N1.49 to close at N28.99. Unilever Nigeria gained N1.04 to close at N65.04 while Conoil added N1 to close at N24.

On the downside, Total Nigeria led the losers’ table

with a drop of N7 to close at N165. Lafarge Wapco Cement dropped by N2.85 to close at N92.15. FBN Holdings lost 42 kobo to close at N18.57. National Salt Company of Nigeria (Nascon) and Oando fell by 40 kobo each to close at N12.90 and N15.10 respectively.

Meanwhile, there were indications of notable change in the shareholding structure of Abbey Building Society Plc as 3.43 per cent of the mortgage banker’s share capital was traded yesterday. Investors struck nine deals for 144.39 million shares of Abbey Building valued at N186.28 million.

On sectoral basis, the banking stocks remained atop activity chart with a turnover of 215.41 million shares valued at N1.55 billion in 2,312 deals. Altogether, total turnover stood at 484.35 million shares valued at N4.17 billion in 5,699 deals.

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

TOMORROWPUNCHLINE IN THE NATION

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.7, NO. 2488

Furthermore, killings of Beroms and other groups in Plateau State came to national attention during Obasanjo's rule. But the government looked away from addressing the cause of the killings that had since become a part of the culture of Plateau State —Ropo Sekoni

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O after much deliberation and rigmarole, after much dissent by leading sec tors of Nigerians, after the massacres and nauseating murders of men, women and children, the government has finally declared a state of emergency in three states. The unexpected declaration of the state of emergency to deal with the high rate of violence and spate of deadly attacks by militant groups has taken many by surprise.

Yesterday evening, 14th May 2013, President Jonathan delivered an address in which he gave the military powers to take over security in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. This step, which affects a broad range of civil rights, has already triggered widespread debate about the implications of the government’s latest strategy, from the opposition, to religious groups, civil society and even the governor’s forum.

The state of emergency requires a presidential proclamation under conditions specified in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended under the provisions of Section 305 (1). It gives the authorities special temporary legal powers to arrest and search citizens without a warrant. It also imposes a curfew on the specified states, restricting residents to their homes between the times of a curfew.

Other emergency powers regulations affect ‘habeas corpus’ and citizens’ rights to freedom of movement, assembly, association, speech, and privacy.

Over the past two years, the rate of violence in several states has increased dramatically, fueled by the rise of militancy, extremism and the widespread availability of illegal weapons. Successive clamp down by authorities, an apparent trigger-happy task force, mismanaged deliverance of information on behalf of the government and a leadership that seems totally confused and not in control have had the utmost regressive effect, almost to the point of providing sympathy and understanding for the plight of the insurgents. In recent weeks, the country has been horrified by the series of violent murders. The situation became a lot worse, with the massacres in Baga and Bama town. Announcing the state of emergency, President Jonathan said, “The country is facing, not just militancy or criminality, but a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity”.

While I am often at variance with the utterances and policies of President Jonathan, it is not so difficult for me to understand why the president felt the need to take such an aggressive reaction, especially along his reasoning that no terrorist group, religious or tribal has a right to pose a threat to national unity and territorial integrity. Not Boko Haram or tramps and vagrants like Asari Dokubo or any other ignorant yobs who fancies themselves as the new Scarface and who happen to all be the same kind of bigoted criminals disguised in different garbs. The country cannot go to war because of some criminal elements have been threatening to overrun the Nigerian state under the guise of religious extremism, resource control, militancy or insurgency.

State of emergency to slate the insurgency If reports that over a dozen local government areas in Borno State have been taken over by insurgents are true, if reports that in those local governments there is no semblance of authority are factual, then a state of emergency in those hotspots was absolutely and unquestionably necessary. Why should a whole nation be held to ransom by plundering and rancorous groups of brutes bent on creating havoc on a society, no matter how candid their grievance or cause?

Why should a group of people organize themselves in guerrilla warfare and carry out the kind of offensive that is claiming the lives of innocent men, women and children? For goodness sake, when did our society sink to the depths of darkness we are in now; where we are forced to discuss the destruction of people’s lives and death of fellow human beings in such a blasé manner?

That is what we have been reduced to. Every single morning, the minute one listens to the news or reads a paper, the first thing one is confronted with is stories of death, destruction and murder. I mean it is just so absolutely unbelievable for us to wake up every morning with news of the kind of senseless violence we have been witnessing. It is simply unacceptable. As a civilized society which has evolved from the dark ages, our current situation has got to be intolerable by every standard, even for those criminal Nigerians who are hell-bent on declaring a ridiculously, unnecessary and unfair war against innocent Nigerians.

It may be easy enough for those of us who are not directly affected by the violence to sit and judge this draconian declaration by the government, but even those of us that have not been directly affected by the violence and unwarranted massacres in the affected states have been shaken to the core by it and shudder at its domino effect. The situation of the murders and total disregard for human life has reached epic proportions; proportions which call for the authori-

ties to respond in the most decisive manner possible.

There is no doubt that this measure which the government has taken will have an impact on the daily lives of innocent, law-abiding citizens in these areas and provide inconveniences for them. It will limit people’s movements and give the regiment powers to arrest; it will even infringe on the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens, but, unless someone in authority takes the bull by the horn and affects this kind of stringent system, the situation in those areas will not be brought under control and it will come to a point when the violence cannot be contained.

Those affected by the state of emergency should look at the bigger picture and recognize the need to protect them and bring the current violence surge affecting them under control. Many people have lost their loved ones to unnecessary violence in the past three years and unless something is done to restore normalcy in those areas, it will likely get worse.

Of course, there are other manners of dialogue and solutions that need to be adopted in order to bring this impasse totally under control; solutions that focus on long-term results to the problem and the fundamental issues that gave birth to the crisis itself has to be tackled. A state of emergency has a time-limit and therefore has a short-term effect and short term gain.

Therefore, in addition to placing the state of emergency, the government must immediately sit down and identify what is driving this upsurge of violence in these respective areas and address the best way to bring an end to it, otherwise when the emergency is eventually lifted, it will be ‘violence’ business as usual.

To show sincerity in its wish to end the violence, the government should immediately make an undertaking to release the innocent women and children that have been detained without cause in the quest to clampdown on the guerril-

las. Government should further undertake to rebuild and relinquish the Mosques and properties that belonged to the Jam’a Ahl al-sunnah lida’wa wa al-jihd movement before the Borno state government under the leadership of Ali Modu Sheriff launched its offensive against them, before the murder of their leader Imam Mohammed Yusuf. And most importantly, the on-going trial of the security operatives who murdered Imam Mohammed Yusuf and Alhaji Buji Foi should be intensified, together with the arrest and prosecution of the government officials who allegedly ordered their execution.

Those actions would show the sincerity and commitment of government to tackle the root of this problem and bring it to an end.

Now that the presidency has expressed determination to root out the insurgents in the affected areas, the good people of those states should endeavor to cooperate with the authorities in order to bring an end to the horror that surrounds them every day. To restore law and order to the states, people should be able to give accurate and dependable information as well as advice to all seekers of peace. It is expected that if the society as a whole resolves to end the crisis today, there will be no more killing or kidnapping of our people tomorrow. If the communities do not provide a safe haven for those who are out to disrupt peace, there will be no place for any criminals to hide. Our brothers that have turned renegades should also be persuaded to embrace peace and end the killings of innocent people.

The security officials deployed in the three states ought to understand that democracy is still in place in Nigeria as a whole and even though a state of emergency has been declared in those states, we are still a democracy and overzealousness of any kind should by no means be exercised or tolerated. The authorities themselves cannot use lawlessness to fight lawlessness because violence begets and encourages more violence.

One prays that we will soon see an end to the violence and hopes that the government, in enacting this state of emergency can tackle the mayhem in the troubled areas in the most responsible manner and be committed to placing every resource at their disposal towards winning this war in a way that is in the best interest of the collective.

The current rate of violence dictated for more to be done and stronger action to be employed.

The situation, especially in Borno State, could not have been expected to continue the way it was going without a response commensurate with the wanton acts of violence and lawlessness; it is a response that is necessary to halt the current spike in the hostile activity of insurgents in the shortest possible time. Desperate acts require desperate measures.

So, even though the method is not ideal under our democracy, I can appreciate the current declaration of government to be more than a panic response. I do not see it through the lens of opposition, creed or tribe; I see it simply as a “state of emergency to slate the insurgency.”

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

Making Okagbare a blessing

T

did not play also.

For Moses, the transfer from now relegated Wigan FC of England to Chelsea amounts to an Oscar. He is being rated as the next biggest African hero in Europe. He didn’t play the final game against Benfica, yet his goals contributed immensely in lifting Chelsea into the finals.

But the news that gladdens the heart of sports purists is the emergence of former House of Representatives Sports Committee member Gbenga Elegbeleye as the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Elegbeleye’s appointment is shocking because many had looked forward to having the new DG from the NSC, like it happened in the past.

President Goodluck Jonathan thought otherwise. His decision may trigger the changes that many have advocated for. No one would doubt Elegbeleye’s pedigree. He is no stranger to top players in the industry. He won’t come with the ministry bureaucracy. No mindset of how things were done in the past.

There will be celebrations inside the Glasshouse of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with Elegbeleye’s appointment. It should sign-

post the end of the induced face-off between the NSC and the NFF. His inclusion should provide the desired support of growth initiated by Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi.

There can’t be a better time for the president to pick the NSC DG than now. With the sports federations’ elections held in Abuja on Tuesday, Elegbeleye should hit the ground running, asking the federations’ bosses to produce their blueprints for the next two years.

The Commonwealth Games hold next year in Scotland and we need to use the platform to correct the mistakes learnt from our shambolic outing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Our emphasis should be on those sports with many medals than with individual medals. A few athletes showed in London that with adequate preparations, good welfare packages and exposure to quality training, they would rule the world.

The re-election of Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s President Solomon Ogba and his counterpart in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) tells the story of a minister who knows how to build on the gains of the past.

The closest Nigeria was towards clinching a

medal at the London Olympic Games was in athletics, basketball, weightlifting and boxing.

If we had coaches with adept knowledge of the games, Nigeria would have returned with a least two bronze medals and, possibly, a silver medal from Blessing Okagbare - if she had been properly managed at the crucial stages of the multi-sports competition.

Interestingly, Okagbare has equalled the 7.12 metres record set by Atlanta’96 Olympic Games women long jump gold medallist Chioma Ajunwa. But the record would not stand because it was wind aided. What it simply means is that Okagbare is on the threshold of making it big in long jump. We need to provide her with the logistics that bigger athletes get from their countries to excel.

Okagbare left London in pains because she was shuttling between the long jump pit and the sprinter’s tracks. Both events took their toll on her, with a serious thigh strain. She ended up being a failure rather than the queen of the tracks and the long jump pit, in spite of the fact that she came to London with the best time and marks in both events.

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HE urge to write football is strong. The talk of Super Eagles chief coach Stephen Keshi apologising to his employers is commendable. Keshi’s resolve to contact his players is heartwarming. It also shows that he wants to learn.

Nigeria’s meteoric rise to 28th on the FIFA ranking raises the hope of better prospects for the game. The choice of Shuaibu Amodu, Kashimawo Laloko and James peters in the NFF’s technical department is perhaps the biggest fillip the beautiful game can have on the domestic front.

Mobile giant Globacom’s N1.9 billion sponsorship package for the Nigerian league should jumpstart new trends in the game, with the main actors - the coaches and the players - benefiting from it.

Of course, on Wednesday night at the Amsterdam Arena in Holland, Nigeria’s pearl John Mikel Obi joined the league of UEFA Champions League and Europa Cup winners, even though he didn’t play in the final game against Benfica. His compatriot, Victor Moses,