The Nation May 20, 2012

2015: Dickson carpets Northern governors Niger gov, Aliyu, defends comment on Buhari –PAGE 4

•Dickson

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Vol.06, No. 2128

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SUNDAY

MAY 20, 2012

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BokoHaram:Wife of suspected ThisDay bomber arrested As JTF uncovers sect’s enclave in Jos –PAGE 2 Five other suspected bombers’ wives held Accept negotiation offer, Sambo tells sect

KINGS OF EUROPE:

• Chelsea Football Club players celebrate after defeating Bayern Munich 4-3 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to win the Champions League at the Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany yesterday

LAGOS BLASTS NMA OVER SACKED DOCTORS

–PAGE 4

NEWS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

• A member of Operation Flush from Maiduguri watching the demolition in Rikkos, Jos

• Ammunition recovered from the demolished residence in Jos

• The Boko Haram residence before the demolition

• Hauwa responding to questions from journalists

Boko Haram: Wife of suspected ThisDay bomber arrested

A

SUSPECTED Boko Haram enclave came down in rubbles yesterday in Jos. Its last occupants included Hauwa Mohammed, said to be the widow of the suspected ThisDay suicide bomber who attacked the newspaper office in Abuja, last month.

Five other women, believed to be wives of Boko Haram operatives, were among the residents.

Seized from the house before a bulldozer was called to duty were over 1000 assorted ammunition and ten bags of fertilizer suspected to be part of the materials used by the sect members to make explosives.

The building was demolished by the Special Task Force (STF) on the Jos crises in conjunction with the Borno State Joint Task Force.

A few hours after the operation, Vice President Namadi Sambo told the sect members to grab the opportunity for dialogue offered

• As JTF uncovers sect’s enclave in Jos • Five other suspected bombers’ wives held • Accept negotiation offer, Sambo tells sect From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos them by the Federal Government.

The women were traced there from Maiduguri by the Borno JTF which stormed the village at about 4am yesterday accompanied by their counterparts in Jos. The soldiers first cordoned off the area only for some people to throw an explosive at them, according to a military source.

The next stage of the operation was for them to search the area. They found some explosives which they detonated.

This was followed by the evacuation of the residents and the ammunition, and then the demolition of the building.

The entire operation was

completed at about 5pm.

The women were taken to the STF headquarters in Jos for interrogation.

The operation was originally planned for Friday but was put forward by 24 hours on religious consideration.

Jos has witnessed repeated religious crises between Muslims and Christians over the last few years.

Rikkos village has had its own share of the crises with several churches there coming under attack.

Hauwa Muhammed was allowed to talk to reporters before she was taken into custody.

She said: “My name is Hauwa Muhammed. I am from Damaturu, I came to Jos a few weeks ago. I was brought by my late husband, but three days ago I was told

my husband had died in an accident.

“Another man promised to take care of me in Jos here.”

Military sources said Hauwa’s husband was the suicide bomber in the attack on ThisDay’s office, Abuja.

Following the bombing, the man’s widow and wife and 11 children were relocated from Maiduguri to Jos. The STF, in a statement yesterday signed by its media officer, Captain Markus Mdahyelya said two generators, four Improvised Explosive Devices ( IEDs), and assorted chemicals including sodium oxide, potassium chloride, lead nitrate, aluminium meter powder and one remote control were impounded.

He warned landlords against giving out their houses for use by terrorists,

saying landlords should thoroughly screen their tenants and report any suspected person to the appropriate agencies for prompt action.

The village has been placed under heavy military surveillance.

Also yesterday,Vice President Namadi Sambo advised Boko Haram to embrace dialogue with government now.

Speaking at the closing of the 2nd edition of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ‘Air Exposition 2012’ at the NAF Base, Kaduna to mark the 48th Anniversary of the force, the Vice President said: “I must say that we are leaving no stone unturned at ensuring the safety of lives and properties of all Nigerians and our visitors by subduing the current security challenges we are facing. We are still calling on the group to take our offer for dialogue in the interest of peace and development of our country”.

The Vice President said

while it would continue to explore all options is search of peace in all parts of the country, the Federal Government has mobilised the military and other security agencies to enforce and maintain security across the land.

“President Goodluck Jonathan clearly captured the mood of the nation when he stated that a strong, modern and proactive military is pivotal to achieving the administration’s transformation agenda especially in the face on going security and development challenges, we are currently faced with,” he said.

“The military in pursuance of its tradition has been actively engaged in the full defence of our territorial integrity as well as maintaining our sovereignty with them being pivotal in quelling internal insurrection due mainly to the inadequacies of the needed manpower in the police force to which government is committed to address with the urgency that it deserves.” he added.

Column

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Seven types of terror I

T is just as well that President Goodluck Jonathan is reported to have embarked on widespread consultations on the letter sent to him by the National Judicial Council over its decision to reinstate the substantive president of the Appeal Court, Justice Issa Ayo Salami. The earlier letter to suspend him arrived at the presidency swiftly and post-haste and Jonathan acted swiftly and post-haste.

But this time around, the letter took four full days to arrive at the presidency obviously ambushed for further consultations by the judicial occultists of Aso Rock. Even the famed Idogo train travelled much faster in those days. We thank god and our good luck for small mercies. We are still far away from the days of the ancient Greek Empire when official letters were dispatched through marathon runners.

Consultations are a necessary and desirable tool of modern governance.

In a fractious, heterogeneous and multi-national polity like ours, consultation is the lubricant of effective and just decision-making. Judging by how well earlier consultations, particularly on the oil subsidy fiasco, had helped President Jonathan, we have no doubt that a glorious resolution of the judicial impasse is around the corner.

Meanwhile, as the president is busy with his consultations, the NJC should ask Justice Salami to resume at his post without any further ado, even at the risk of some constitutional stress. This is the only way to ensure the separation of power and horizontal accountability which are the hallmark of modern governance. In recent past, the Nigerian judiciary has suffered grave abuse and self-abuse.

This is a golden opportunity to redeem itself. We cannot say that because a child should not die it should be given an elder’s scrotum as football.

However that may be, it is useful to alert the nation about seven types of terror that is currently stalking it.

The first is judicial terrorism. This is the kind of terror Justice Salami succumbed to. It works sometimes in a sublime and surreptitious manner and sometimes with brazen brigandage.

First, terror is unleashed on the judiciary in order to encourage it to unleash terror on the opposition. Famously, the English have observed that from time to time, an admiral is usually quartered just to encourage the others. From time to time in Nigeria, an upright and fearless judge is put through the judicial guillotine to serve as a deterrent. Mass compliance with political evil and herd misconduct naturally follow. This is judicial totalitarianism at its most brazen and obscene.

The post-independence history of the Nigerian judiciary is littered with the examples of heroic judges who have been wantonly persecuted at the altar of political expediency or mercilessly slaughtered at the abattoir of political infamy. The result has been a steady deterioration in the quality and efficacy of judicial intervention in our political process and a wanton desecration of the sacred principles of justice on which modern society is founded.

Judicial abracadabra and legal legerdemain became the order of the day.

Black market injunctions flourished.

Venal satisfaction was given to the highest bidder. Narrow technicalities and juridicial razzmatazz replaced sound judgement. Supreme Court justices were openly accused of taking bribes and no subsequent suicide was reported.

Recently, it took a British court to expose the hollow ritual and chicanery that have replaced justice in Nigeria. It is a shame, an abject shame of

S

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nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu

•Justice Salami

world-historic proportions. While the dominated faction of the Nigerian political society has been at the receiving end of judicial terrorism, the judiciary itself has virtually imploded under the weight of its own iniquities and contradictions.

When a judiciary is so openly politicised as it is the case with the current Nigerian judiciary, political crimes are systematically legalised.

Let the Nigerian judiciary begin its self-cleansing with the Justice Salami issue and in doing so, it may yet save Nigeria itself from inevitable political perdition.

The second type of terror is political terror. Judicial terrorism is the handmaiden of political terrorism.

Political terrorism is the hunting ground and main weapon of those who insist that a heterogeneous, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi- cultural nation like Nigeria must become a one-party nation either by force or by fake and manufactured consensus. Rigging, electoral heists and political assassinations are their preferred route to this political Elysium.. This is the tragedy of cultivating democracy without practising democrats.

The Fourth Republic is particularly notorious for political terrorism.

Never in the history of post-colonial Africa has a combination of residual military despotism and innate authoritarian disposition produced such a democratic fiasco. Obasanjo famously abolished the Nigerian electorate in the worst election in the history of the continent. In an infamous Freudian slip, he had pronounced that elections are a do or die affair. And so it has been.

While acknowledging the grave flaws in the election that brought him to power, Umaru Yar’Adua, his anointed successor, developed cold feet when it came to implementing the recommendations of the panel he had set up. Jonathan is following closely on their heels with the antidemocratic zeal of a quintessential sorcerers’ apprentice. Under his watch, elections are fast becoming a do and die affair.

The next mode of terror is economic terror. For some time now, Nigeria has been at the receiving end of a unique form of economic terrorism. First, the technocratic faction of the dominant political elite unleashes half-baked and ill-digested

western economic orthodoxies on a helpless and hapless nation. In the ensuing chaos and national disorder, they steal the nation blind together with the dominant political elite joining the stealing frenzy. The bureaucratic faction completes the paper work for them The result of this epic run on the Exchequer is growing national insolvency. Statutory budgetary allocations are violated. Internal whistleblowers are screaming from the rooftop to no avail. The nation can no longer meet its own self-stated fiscal needs. Pensions are summarily stolen. The budget cannot be balanced. Even the old sleight of hand and World Bank expertise in figurejuggling no longer work. The nation is gradually sliding to fiscal anarchy.

It should be obvious from the foregoing analysis that while these variants of terrorism work alone and on their own, they are often mutually reinforcing and the multiplier effects can be quite damning to national survival. For example, political terrorism requires economic terrorism to flourish. Harsh political regulation must underwrite deregulation and the triumph of the jungle market. Primitive accumulation of economic power requires primitive acquisition of political capital and vice versa.

From another analytical perspective, it should be clear why political and economic terrorism require religious terrorism to complement them. Religious terrorism, which is the next mode of terrorism, is often used to justify economic terrorism and the depletion of scarce national resources. It is boon for those throwing bombs and those disposing of bombs.

Yet religious terrorism remains real enough. The Boko Haram scourge is the most potent threat to Nigeria’s corporate existence since the civil war. If they succeed in Islamising the north, it is goodbye to Nigeria as we know it. Apart from a few aberrations, the modern nationstate is a secular proposition. The idea of a theocratic enclave within a modern nation is a violent contradiction and unworkable anomaly. Yet as the entire north is gradually brought to heels something is bound to give.

Exit of a star Vice-Chancellor

T

HE hand is beginning to cramp from writing about the steady exit of good and great Nigerians. With the passing of Professor Adetokunbo Babatunde Shofoluwe, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday, the academic community in Nigeria and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors have lost a sterling scholar and a star administrator.

At the University of Lagos, the scale of mourning and sense of acute bereavement have been unprecedented. A giant and prince among men has truly fallen. The comets are blazing all over the Akoka skyline.

Almost everybody, workers, students and colleagues, have something nice and uplifting to say about the fallen professor. A sense of loss pervades the entire place. It is communal grief at its most intense.

Snooper mourns the loss of a great and good fellow; a charming, chummy, amiable and immensely clubbable friend; an irrepressible wit and humorist who took delight in

helping everybody. There was no place for malice and malignancy in his heart. In the last three years or so, the professorial quaffing table at the University of Lagos Staff Club has lost three of its most illustrious and distinguished habitués.

First to depart was Professor Abiola Ojo, the legal luminary and astute investor. Then it was the turn of Tayo Fakiyesi, a notable professor of Economics who was as upright and forthright as they come. Now, it is the turn of the Vice Chancellor. On a typical evening and after a gruelling day at work, Shofoluwe could be seen exchanging friendly banters and beaming his famous cherubic smile on everybody. Like most gifted scientists, the late professor was genial and playful. But his docility could not be mistaken for timidity. He could also tackle like a tank if the need arose.

Yet in every material respect, Shofoluwe was the quintessential gentleman: courteous, cultivated, infinitely polite and eternally solici-

tous of the wellbeing of others. There was something about him of the perpetual old public school boy and the proverbial English gentleman who wears his hat and opinion lightly.

Good breeding from a distinguished family and excellent education had burnt into him an unusual sense of public propriety. He had brought an uncommon common touch to university administration. He was neither sectarian nor sectional in his affiliations.

Success sat very well with this gem of a man . He was without airs or affectations. Not for him the stuffy professorial arrogance which often masks multiple insecurities and serial psychological wounds. All over the world, the university can be a brutal coliseum indeed. The competition for scarce resources and scarcer glories often leaves its horrific scars on the gladiators. Shofoluwe’s life and academic career spoke to possibilities beyond the petty animosities.

May his noble and gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

Coupling religious terror is ethnic terror. Some mild variants of this virus have always been with us as a logical corollary of the multi-ethnic nation. But ethnic terrorism is on the absolute rise in contemporary Nigeria and it is damaging the Jonathan presidency beyond repairs. Perhaps as a response to the huffing and puffing of the two dominant nationalities, the Ijaw political leadership has gone on a politically naïve binge replete with supremacist sabre rattling.

But it ought to be remembered that the Ijaw as yet do not constitute a power bloc in Nigeria. Jonathan does not belong to either of the two major power blocs. He straddles perilously astride two active political valcanoes.

The interesting thing about the Fourth Republic is that its three leading actors till date were thrown up by circumstances beyond the two major power blocs. Ordinarily, this ought to suggest the arrival of a new pan-Nigerian power bloc. But what we have is inchoate and undernourished; a power-driven cartel rather than an authentic power bloc.

It is this Fourth Republic coalescence of disparate and desperate interests that Goodluck Jonathan is about to upset, which may actually be good for Nigeria. In its current form, the Fourth Republic has exhausted its historic and political possibilities. In the coming months, Jonathan and his Ijaw ethnic hegemonists will discover that no ethnic nationality has ever succeeded in holding the nation to ransom. All the ethnic nationalities that have tried this have been humbled at Waterloo, sometimes serially..

The remaining two forms of terror can be described as the rise of counter-hegemonic knowledge and the emergence of the Nigerian educated mob They are also mutually reinforcing. It will take a future essay to explore the contradictions and possibilities of these new forms of terror. Suffice it to say that while four forms of terror, namely judicial, economic, political and ethnic terrorism are directed at the Nigerian nation, the last-mentioned two are directly aimed at the Nigerian state. Religious terror is aimed at both the state and the nation.

In its purest form, counter-hegemonic knowledge is akin to intellectual terrorism. It puts spanners in the work of official mendacity, making governance more arduous and critically challenging. We can see this in the fuel subsidy debate when nonstate actors both at home and in the Diaspora tore the government arguments to shreds and took their facts to the cleaners. Their exertions fed and directly led to the first sustained revolt of the educated class in the history of Nigeria such as we witnessed in the first days of January.

It is called the terror congregation and it is this multitude of educated and disaffected people; the déclassé intellectuals, the jobless millions that both Jonathan and General Buhari should fear and placate. Just as the advent of the knowledge society is yielding insight into the hollow vacuity of the state, the rank of the political class is swollen by influx and infiltration by the lower classes. This is double jeopardy and rather than excoriate Buhari for his glimpse into an apocalyptic meltdown, Jonathan should put on his thinking cap. Nigeria is no longer what it used to be. There is a dangerous ferment and terror out there.

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Niger gov, Aliyu defends comment on Buhari From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

T

HE Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu is adamant over the Forum’s backing of the warning of the former Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on the 2015 poll.

The Presidency was upset by the position of the Forum on Buhari’s comments and made its feelings known to Governor Babangida Aliyu on the security imports of the Forum’s position.

It was however, learnt that the governor also explained to the Presidency yesterday that the Forum had no plan to create disaffection.

But a source close to the development said: “Well, the truth is that the governor is not afraid, he is standing by what he said. The government has been asked to review what he said and how it was presented to the public.

“If you know the governor very well, he likes calling a spade a spade. He was actually hard on Buhari too.

He said Buhari gave an advice which ought to have been couched in a more diplomatic manner.

“His comments in Kaduna were not meant to incite hatred or support Buhari in any manner.

“The governor is a nationalist and a committed senior member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he could not have been involved in any antiparty activities.

“He believes in the oneness and unity of the country and he has been working on that.”

ACN will rule South West for 100 years, says Lanlehin From: Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

News

ENATOR Olufemi Lanlehin representing Oyo South on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria { ACN} has predicted that the party will rule the South West region for the next 100 years with massive development never witnessed before in Nigeria.

The lawmaker who described the eight year rule of the People’s Democratic Party {PDP} in the region as locust years, commended the people for their ‘sacrifice and endurance during those dark years.”

Lanlehin, speaking at the inauguration of seven solar automated boreholes in Ibadan and Ibarapa areas of the state expressed the optimism that the people have determined never to allow a repeat of PDP rule in the South West.

2015: Dickson carpets Northern governors G

OVERNOR Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State believes the clamour by some Northern governors to have a president of Northern extraction in 2015 will amount to ethnicity or regionalisation of the office.

He spoke in Lagos yesterday at a forum with senior editors and media executives.

Reacting to recent moves by the Northern political elite to “reclaim” the presidency in 2015, Dickson said it was inauspicious to begin to clamour or even plan now how to win the presidency in 2015.

He said: “I think it is rather too early to begin to think of 2015 (election) now.

What they are trying to do is to regionalize or even ethnicise the presidency.

What we as governors should be doing now is to provide good governance by executing developmental programmes and projects for our people, not clamour for the presidency.

“The 2015 elections are

still three years or more from now; it is too early; it will overheat the polity and distract the president.”

The 2015 presidential race was a major issue at last Thursday’s meeting of the Northern Governors’ Forum in Kaduna.

There, the 19 Northern governors resolved to sink their differences and unite against candidates from the South.

Chairman of the Forum, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State had, in his opening speech, condemned the early positioning by politicians for the 2015 polls saying: “Whereas it is legitimate for anybody to aspire to any leadership position, subject to our constitution, we must remember that 2015 or any date for that matter belongs to Almighty Allah who decides what happens to individuals or society at any given period.

We should, therefore, leave 2015 or beyond unto Almighty Allah to do as pleases Him…”

However, at the end of the session, Governor Aliyu who read the Forum’s resolutions, disclosed among other things, the official position of the North on the 2015 polls.

Aliyu was quoted as saying that this time, the North “will not allow what happened in 2011 to repeat itself in 2015,” vowing that the region will unite against candidates form the South.

But beyond his joining issues with governors from the North, Dickson, preparatory to marking his first

100 days in office, reeled out the strides he has thus far made in Bayelsa State.

Anchored on accountability, good governance and transparency, Dickson said he has positioned the State to attain greater heights.

These include education, which he said he declared an emergency on assumption of office; security challenge including cultism, crimes and criminality; provision of infrastructure and above all, prudence in governance.

As a first step, Dickson said he brought down the State’s wage bill, which he described as unjustifiably high when he came into office.

Even as the State plans to build an air strip, Dickson said he ultimately plans to make Bayelsa State a tourism destination.

He, however, decried the activities of oil multinationals, saying they destroy the aquatic environment, yet they (oil firms) do not pay taxes to the State.

‘Lagos doctors sacked for abandoning patients’

T

HE Lagos State Government has urged the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) to stop spreading falsehood, saying its sack of doctors who abandoned patients in the hospitals had nothing to do with a ploy to “decimate” the medical profession.

• Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu State and his wife Clara during the church service for the burial of the governor’s mother, at the weekend.

PHOTO: OBI CLETUS

The Head of Service, Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe, said in a statement that no responsible administration would continue to watch citizens die in the hospitals after the doctors abandoned them for an illegal strike.

He said while the doctors had the right to declare an industrial dispute through a strike, they also had a duty to serve statutorily stipulated notice on government so that adequate preparations could be made to take care of emergency situations and properly monitor patients on admission.

“The decision of the doctors under the Medical Guild to abandon the hospitals without the notice stipulated by law caught government by surprise and led to many deaths. No responsible government will tolerate that”, the Head of Service said.

According to him, the medical doctors would have had to deal with criminal suits from patients for abandoning them without any lawful justification in other climes.

The Head of Service described as cheap blackmail accusation that the State Government wanted to decimate the medical profession when indeed the Govern-

ment had invested heavily in human personnel and physical infrastructure in the health sector to globally acknowledged level.

Ogunlewe added that the sacking of the doctors had to do with the need to protect the public service and ensuring that illegalities do not become the order of the day.

He said following the abandonment of their duty posts, Government had no choice than to hire new doctors to halt the deaths and sufferings of the people in public hospitals.

Reacting to the allegation that the Governor walked out of a meeting meant to find solution to the problem of the sacked doctors, Ogunlewe who said he was present at the meeting, noted that the Governor was with them at the meeting for over two hours at the expense of other scheduled state assignments.

According to him, the Governor had to go late to another function in Lagos involving the Governor of Edo State and also had to keep waiting a delegation from the Federal Government which had earlier inspected the on- going clearance of the Apapa Ports areas waiting.

Govt alone can’t solve Boko Haram threat—Suswan

G

O V E R N O R Gabriel Suswam of Benue State says Northern leaders and the generality of the people must rally round the government to effectively check the menace of Boko Haram and other security challenges.

The governor told journalists in Kaduna that government requires intelligence from the public to deal with the problem at hand especially when Boko Haram leaders remain faceless.

“If it is a situation where you have a defined leadership from the people causing this problem and you can seat at a round table and discuss with them, then it is understandable.

But in this case, these people are not known! They are not articulating any demand, so it is something that is totally different,” he

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

said.

“If you look at terrorists from across the world, especially in places like Afghanistan, they articulate what their issues are. But these people (Boko Haram) are not saying anything and that presents a very difficult situation for the leadership, so it is not just about leadership.

“We are doing our best at our own level, but we can’t even see the people who are doing this; they are not ready to come to the table for discussion. So what do you do? We have to go into intelligence gathering and in intelligence gathering it is the people that provide the necessary information to security agents.

“We are calling for the support of all Northerners to help us by providing information because if you

look at our situation, Kano is gone, Kaduna is gone, Jos is gone. These are the three most vibrant cities in the entire north. All of them are gone! Nobody wants to live in Kaduna; nobody wants to go to Kano and trade, who will go on holiday in Jos? Nobody!

“So we have a very serious situation that affects us all, it is not about leadership, so let’s not be pushing it on leadership. Yes, leadership has a large chunk of the responsibilities, but we need to come together and see it as our collective problem and not a leadership problem.

“People must assist in intelligence gathering because these people are not spirits; they live in homes, they live in the community.

They do their training at home. We need to have information at the level of leadership, otherwise, the North as it were, is being

decapitated economically and so there is nothing that we, as leaders alone can do, except we collaborate.

“At the meeting (Northern State Governors Forum), we seriously discussed the security challenge in the North and we took very far reaching decisions to address it. But you will agree with me that what is happening now is an emerging phenomenon in the North.

“We must look at where we have gone wrong, why we have moved from one extreme to another extreme. It is very strange to see that people are bombing in the North; it is strange that we now have armed robbery and criminality in the North” He said the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar was being expected in Benue to help resolve the constant clashes

between Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen.

The Benue governor said that a lot was being done to address the situation adding that himself and his Nasarawa State counterpart, Alhaji Tanko Almakura have set up a committee which made far reaching recommendations for ending the clashes.

He blamed those he called criminals for the clashes saying: “You have some criminals who will go and get the Fulani cows and rustle them and then the Fulanis don’t know the difference between the farmer who is working peacefully on his farm and the criminals who might not even be Tiv “We have substantially addressed the problem and I believe that we would be able to put that to rest”.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

E

LDER statesman and former Nigeria Ambassador to Switzerland, Alhaji Yahaya Kwande, is optimistic that Nigeria will not break up, the current challenges facing it notwithstanding.

He described the challenges as part of nationhood and not signs that the country will split.

Speaking with The Nation on Sunday in his residence in Jos, Plateau State, he said experience has shown that many Nigerians want the country to remain united.

The former Ambassador, a member of the 19-man committee raised by the late Gen. Sani Abacha to prepare an agenda for the Constitutional Conference, said the committee, during its deliberations, was initially reluctant to include discussions on the country’s corporate existence out of fear that many might vote for separation.

However, according to him, it was discovered that the issue of the nation’s corporate existence was one many people saw as indivisible.

Asked why various sections of the country had been calling for or supporting agitations for the break-up of the country, he said most of the calls were simply meant to scare off others. He said, “Those who call for separation only do that to throw fear into each other. We all want to be one.”

Assessing the country’s performance 13 years after the return of democracy, he said progress had been made with the establishment of new educational institutions and provision of infrastructure.

News

Why Nigeria can’t break up,

by Yahaya Kwande

By Olayinka Oyegbile

He, however, scored the country low in terms of political development, saying: “Politically it is worse...when the only way to be rich is to dabble into politics.”

He also blamed the citizens for demanding too much (financially) from their representatives.

“The ordinary citizens always make it worse because they make too much demand on the political leadership. We have gone back several years in terms

of politics,” he said.

Kwande who was also a civil servant said he is in support of the Steve Oronsaye Panel recommendation that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent and Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) should be scrapped.

He said the “EFCC and other anti-graft agencies are making corruption worse and so we should scrap them and make the internal audit departments work” He said: “In our days we

used to have Audit Departments that were courageous and up and doing. They did not wait for you to steal before they would act. As a revenue collector, an audit officer was there to check what you collected. If he checked your safe and you had more money than you recorded as collected you’re a thief. If you had less you’re a thief.

We don’t need EFCC or ICPC to work and make things better if the various departments are made to work.”

He decried the level of wastage in government. He

• Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra State (middle), handing over the key of a new ambulance donated to the Aguata Diocesan Hospital, Umunze to Archbishop Christian Efobi (right).

Left is the is the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Linus Amobi Ilika

asked: “Why do you have a Minister of Information or the ministry when you have an agency on orientation?

What is the minister of information doing when you have an agency of orientation? That is duplication.”

On the current debate and hustling for 2015, he said there was nothing wrong in politicians embarking on campaign now because they have to plan and consult ahead of the next election.

“The bad aspect is when you have people abandoning their primary responsibilities. There is nothing wrong with planning. I learnt from the media that Muhammadu Buhari went to Lagos to see my friend Bola Tinubu. It is in order; they are planning and there is nothing wrong in planning for 2015.”

Turning to Plateau State, Kwande lauded the administration of the governor, Jonah Jang but said he has slowed down the pace of development adding, “Perhaps he impressed us during his first term and has now slowed down.”

On the crises that have bedevilled the state he blamed the cause on injustice and autocracy. He said “There are autocrats and dictators here even though we are operating a democracy” and blames this on the participation of former military men in politics.

WATCHOUT FOR DETAILS IN SUNDAY INTERVIEW NEXT WEEK

NJC’s decision: Battle line drawn as top lawyers offer to defend Salami • Fed Govt weighs option on Doctrine of Lis pendens T HE battle to save the judiciary, triggered by the Justice Ayo Salami saga, is gathering momentum.

A battery of top lawyers, many of them Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), has offered to defend in court the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC) on the reinstatement of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal.

Two lawyers -Wilfred Okoli and Noah Ajare -are in court seeking the stoppage of Salami’s recall.

There were indications yesterday that the Federal Government might adopt the Doctrine of Lis pendens (pending litigation) in treating the NJC’s recommendation.

But a lawyer and human rights activist says the NJC does not need to refer the reinstatement of Salami to President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said the President has no business with the suspension and reinstatement of any judge.

The Nation on Sunday gathered that more top lawyers offered to defend Salami following the filing of sepa-

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

rate suits by Okoli and Ajare to restrain the President from reinstating him.

Wilfred Okoli, a lawyer, filed his suit through Amobi Nzelu chambers.

Curiously, copies of the court papers were circulated in Abuja by top government officials.

It was this development that provoked eminent lawyers to rally for the defence of the integrity of the judiciary, especially the NJC. “We are also battle ready they cannot go far with frivolous suits against the NJC’s decision. We won’t allow anyone to hijack or pocket the judiciary,” a source involved in the matter said.

“As I am talking to you, many lawyers, including respected Senior Advocates of Nigeria, have opted to defend Salami and NJC’s decision in court. They want to plead with the court not to grant the injunctions.

“It is going to be a battle royale in court this time around. Once the NJC is disrespected, the Judiciary

will go down the drain. We cannot afford this type of politics.

“We have assembled ourselves but I will keep the list secret until the appropriate time.”

A legal practitioner and human rights activist said: “The NJC committed constitutional blunder by referring the reinstatement of Salami to President Goodluck Jonathan.

“By Sections 20 and 21(b) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, the President has no say in the suspension and reinstatement of any judge. It is the responsibility of the NJC to reinstate Salami.

“But where it has to do with the removal of a judge, the NJC will recommend to the President who will in turn refer it to the Senate.”

The Federal Government was, at press time, still weighing options on the Salami saga with one source saying it might go for the Doctrine of Lis pendens (pending litigation).

A reliable government source, however, said: “As I am talking to you today (Sat-

urday), the NJC’s letter has not even reached the desk of President Jonathan. Yet, the President is being vilified by some critics, especially those in the opposition.

“Ordinarily, this issue can be resolved peacefully without much hassle. But the way some people are going about it, they feel they can intimidate the Federal Government. No government will allow itself to be intimidated on any matter.

“I think some people are trying to complicate Salami’s case by playing politics with it.”

The source hinted that government might apply the Doctrine of Lis pendens to address the controversy over Salami’s reinstatement.

“Do not forget that Salami is also in court to challenge his suspension by the NJC and this matter has not been resolved till date. There are also other cases either against Salami or the NJC. Fairness demands that these issues be addressed by the court.”

But a Senior Advocate faulted the proposal to apply

Lis pendens in Salami’s case.

He said: “This doctrine applies mostly to property dispute. I think some forces are just desperate to hang on to something to nail Salami.

There is a better principle which says that there should be less resort to litigation.

“It is a misapplication of legal principle to adopt the Doctrine of Lis pendens for Salami’s reinstatement. This is only applicable to property dispute.

“The right question to ask is: whose suits are pending or are we talking about?

Whose suits are we talking about. If it is about Salami’s suit, the NJC that was sued has righted the wrong. By the reinstatement, Salami’s suit at the court will be a mere academic exercise.

“As for Noah Ajare, Wilfred Okoli, Segun Oni and Olagunsoye Oyinloa, what is their locus? Oyinlola and Oni are wounded lions.

They complained to the NJC and their claims were investigated and dismissed.

“We should not make a mockery of the judiciary at all with this macabre dance on the reinstatement of Salami.”

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National Assembly stops work on power projects • Alleges shoddy jobs in Rivers From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

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HE National Assembly Joint Com-

mittee on Power has suspended work on two power projects in Rivers State, alleging shoddy jobs by one of the contractors.

Affected are the Eneka and Oyigbo distribution plants under the National Independent Power Project (NIPP).

The committee members, on an inspection visit to the plants, expressed displeasure at the quality of the structural work done by the firm handling the projects.

The committee chairman, Senator Philips Aduda, and the Deputy Chairman, Patrick Ikhariale also asked that the transformers supplied to the contractor by the NIPP be verified to ensure that they meet specifications. They claimed the transformers appeared to be refurbished and not new.

The committee members complained in particular about alleged badly cast pilings and defective plastering.

Aduda said: “I want to say that we are looking at this project and we are dissatisfied. We have asked the contractor to stop work forthwith, because there are lots of defects.

“We will call the contractor and look at the project again, with a view to ensuring that the proper things are done.

In the power sector, we have had various problems and the committee members will stop at nothing to ensure that power projects are carried out, with the level of seriousness that they deserve, so that Nigerians can have regular power supply.”

The Managing Director of the contracting firm, Nelson Chima, who is also the Project Manager, said work was still in progress, with modifications and corrections to be effected.

He said the company was handling five projects under the NIPP at a contract value of N1.8 billion whereas it had been mobilised with only N300 million.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

News

6

USAID establishes VVF centre in Cross River From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

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HE United States Agency International Development (USAID) in conjunction with Cross River State Government has established a Vesico Vaginal Fistula Centre at the premises of the Ogoja General Hospital.

In his address, shortly before the inauguration of the centre last Friday, the Country Manager, Fistula Care Project of USAID, Chief Iyeme Efem, said the Ogoja centre is the second to be established with the collaboration of the agency in the southern part of the country.

The centre, which is the ninth in the country, is expected to contribute to the treatment of about 4, 000 fistula cases handled by specially trained medical practitioners through the help of USAID. Other states where the centre had been successfully established in collaboration with the respective governments are Kano, Kwara, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Bauchi and Sokoto.

Efem said the sustainability of the project, which involves the special training of medical personnel and provision of surgery equipment to handle the rising cases of Fistula was of concern to USAID. Cross Rivers Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, who unveiled the centre, said his administration had resolved to ensure that it achieved the 2015 Millennium Development Goals target through successes in the primary healthcare service delivery.

According to him: “One of the things we want to achieve is success in the primary healthcare service delivery. ‘’We have placed priority on this not because we need donor attention but because we are committed to healthcare delivery. We have pegged 2015 to deliver the MDG.”

Gowon, Obasanjo for conference

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WO former Heads of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) will lead other eminent Nigerians to examine the indispensable roles of strong institutions in building a great nation at this year’s national conference of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, Nigeria (AES).

AES President, Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu, said Gowon will chair the event slated to hold next Tuesday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs(NIIA) Lagos.

Obasanjo will deliver a speech on “Institution and Systems: Necessary Tools for Building”.

Ajagu added that a legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Itse Sagay, will speak on “Strong Legal System: Necessity for Building a Virile Nation”.

Ajagu will also make a presentation on “Ethics and Value System: Necessity for building a virile nation.”

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HE Federal Government has repatriated about 4, 214 foreigners in the last three months.

It also refused about 16,998 foreigners entry in the same period.

The Federal government did not, however, give specific reasons for the action.

The repatriation followed a February 26 directive by the Federal Government for the immediate easing out of all illegal immigrants from the country.

Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, disclosed these yesterday at an interface with the media and some members of the public at the ongoing 2012 ministerial platform in Abuja.

He also informed that 335 foreigners were also deported within the same period with 34 stowaways.

The Minister said the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) watch-listed 1, 247 persons and restricted about 3, 298 Nigerians from travelling for allegedly possessing doubtful travel documents.

He added that although

Nigeria repatriates 4,214 in three months

Don’t tamper with CBN autonomy, Soludo warns

•Denies 16,998 foreigners entry From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

the ministry does not have the mandate to generate revenue for the government, it has been able to rake billions into Federal Government coffers.

The ministry, according to him, generated over N190 million at the Citizenship and Business Department.

The NIS generated N5,765 billion from issuance of immigration facilities while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps made N72 million within the period, the minister further disclosed.

The NIS, he added, generated a further $11,470 mil-

lion through the issuance of immigration facilities by Foreign Missions and another $729, 600 as fines imposed on certain airlines that brought some inadmissible foreigners to Nigeria.

Moro also regretted the lack of cooperation among security agencies and said effective internal security can only be achieved through maximum synergy between the ministry and other security agencies.

According to him: “There were grave ambivalences in the defined responsibilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. ‘’These were manifest in situations where the Ministry

was saddled with the responsibility of maintaining internal security without having the necessary control over the requisite indispensable paramilitary establishments such as the Police Force, Passport Office, Revenue and Preventive Divisions of the Customs and Excise Department. The Fire Service was also under the supervision of the Nigeria Police Force.’’

The minister disclosed that the Federal Government is collaborating with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to effectively patrol and control the nation’s borders with over 1, 497 irregular and 84 regular or legal entry routes.

By Ayo Aminu

I

MMEDIATE past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has cautioned against whittling down the autonomy of the CBN as guaranteed by the CBN Act 2007.

He feared that such development could hamper the effectiveness of monetary policy and the management of the macro-economic framework of Nigeria.

Soludo, who spoke at the weekend during a sent-forth dinner in his honour, declared that “the survival of that institution, CBN, is at the heart of the survival of the Nigerian economy”.

He warned that any attempt to remove the autonomy of the apex bank will lead to “ominous” consequences.

He decried a situation in which a disagreement with an individual could lead to the destruction of the entire institution.

The respected economists appealed to members of the National Assembly to have a “constructive dialogue” over the matter “to avoid going to the other extreme as the institution of the CBN must be preserved no matter the level of disagreemen.”

Obi assures on accelerated rural development From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

•Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, in a handshake with the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alh. Bamanga Tukur, during the funeral ceremony of his mother, late Mrs. Theresa Chime, ... at the weekend

JTF clamps down on illegal refineries

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HE Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has smashed a syndicate of oil bunkering operating in Ogbia creeks of Bayelsa State.

The exercise code named Operation Pulo Shield is to rid the Niger Delta region of bunkering and illegal refineries.

This came few days after

From Isaac Ombe, Yenogoa

the JTF arrested suspected bunkering operators and impounded items in some states in the region.

Media Coordinator of the JTF, Col Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement in Yenagoa shortly after the operation led by Lt. Colonel Jafaru Ibrahim, said many il-

legal refineries were destroyed during the exercise.

He also disclosed that items recovered include 36,000 litres capacity lorry tankers loaded with illegally refined oil products, 26 surface tanks, 10 pumping machine and 1,000 drums containing refined products.

According to Nwachukwu, “the operation

is in line with the mandate given to JTF to protect oil sector from illegal oil bunkerers and oil thefts”.

While conducting newsmen round the destroyed and recovered items, the JTF media coordinator said the operation was a “continuous exercise aimed at stamping out all oil- related crimes in the region.”

How to tackle insecurity, by Badejo

F

ORMER General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev. Wilson Badejo, has declared that the current level of insecurity in the country can be addressed by paying more efforts and resources to ameliorating the socio-economic challenges facing the less privileged.

He said many poor Nigerians are hardworking and willing to be meaningfully engaged if given a chance.

Badejo spoke with news-

By Sunday Oguntola

men yesterday ahead of the 5th annual lecture of the Wilson Badejo Foundation (WBF) slated to hold next Wednesday at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Lagos.

He warned that the nation may continue to battle with insecurity ‘’until and unless symptoms of poverty, squalor, lacks and underdevelopment are arrested’’.

The cleric described the

mass poverty in Nigeria unacceptable, saying the situation is at the root of the different conflicts being experienced.

According to him, ‘’wellmeaning Nigerians and governments have to devise ways of tackling the challenges of the less –privileged. ‘’These people are hopeless and helpless and this is why they are vulnerable to criminal tendencies’’.

He informed that WBF has awarded scholarships to over 50 indigent students and provided empowerment as well as mentoring to many area boys.

Twenty other indigent students, he said, will receive scholarship during the annual lecture with the theme Nigeria: great resources and the paradox of economic poverty.

The lecture will be delivered by Prof. Akpan Ekong.

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NAMBRA State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has pledged to scale up efforts in reversing the gross neglect of some rural communities by successive administrations. Obi spoke at a service to mark the collation of canons at Cathedral Church of Saint Michael Umuikwu Anam in Anambra West Local Government Area.

The Governor said the ongoing massive infrastructural development of rural communities was geared towards opening up the areas to boost socio-economic activities and widen opportunities. Obi reiterated that his administration will continue to support initiatives that promote development and better life for all.

He assured that necessary measures will be taken to make major access roads in the area motorable throughout the rainy season.

The Anglican Bishop of Mbamili Diocese, Right Reverend Henry Okeke, thanked Obi for loving for Anambra West and commitment to uplift quality in the area.

He noted that the Governor has received a lot of local, national and international recognition and honours for his people-oriented leadership and commitment to welfare of rural communities.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20 , 2012

Nigerian Legion seeks for exservicemen From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

N

IGERIAN Legion yesterday appealed to ex service men and women in Anambra State to show up for technical and socio-economic empowerment.

Chairman, Nigerian Legion, Nnewi South chapter, Major Ambrose Ubah (Rtd), made the call during the armed forces remembrance day and emblem appeal fund launching at the Nnewi South Council Area headquarters, Ukpor.

Ubah said the association is geared towards enabling veterans to contribute towards essential leadership and efficient solutions in making the state a better place.

He also requested for provision of an office block and bus among other essential logistics for the legion to implement planned programmes.

The Transition Chairman of the council, Barr.

Kingsley Umenwa, called on the federal and state governments to help shoulder the responsibilities and family burdens of ex-service men.

News

FOI Act will strengthen ‘GDP computation to democratic process, says minister tackle unemployment’ T T HE Federal Government is to use the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) being generated to address unemployment, Minister/Deputy Chairman National Planning Commission, (NPC), Dr Shamsuddeen Usman, said yesterday.

Usman made this known in a chat with newsmen in Gombe after a ceremonial flag- off of the states’ GDP Computation.

According to him: “In fact, we will use the GDP that is generated to be able to tackle unemployment better. ‘’Right now there is so much talk about unemployment but only recently that we are even beginning to really try to understand. ‘’What is the nature of

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

this unemployment? What is the breakdown of it? What are the regional characteristics of it?”

A statement in Abuja by Head of Information at the NPC, Salisu Haiba Badamasi, said the Minister also explained that the kind of survey being worked out now by the government will correctly determine the level of unemployment statistics in each state that differentiates it with other.

Usman asked: “even within one state, what is the situation in Gombe State that differentiates it from other states?”

He stated further: “The National Bureau of Statistics is in the middle of conducting a very detailed compre-

hensive survey on unemployment across the whole country and this will become a quarterly figure.

“Government is now trying to understand the nature of this unemployment problem. The unemployment situation in Kano is different from that of Lagos. ‘’We need to understand such peculiarities as to what are the age groups; what are the breakdown between men and women; what are the different employment opportunities that exist in each state?”

The Minister described unemployment situation as a problem but pointed out ‘’the more data that you generate, the better you are able to tackle the problem by having specific targeted policies that are able to address unemployment.’’

Godonu for burial

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A. FRANCIS Godonu (JP) a.k.a Teacher, the father of Mr. Felix Godonu, the publisher of Badagry Prime and Prime Afrique has passed on at 95.

Until his demise, he was head of Jawha family, a community leader and political leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

His lying -in -state holds on Thursday, May 24 at Badagry West Local Council Development Area, Kankon, Badagry by 11.00 am.

Body leaves for his residence and home town, Jawha Compound, Ganyingbo, Badagry for Christian Wake – Keep at 6.00pm.

Requiem Mass will hold at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Ganyingbo off Owode / Apa Express Road, Badagry on Friday 25 May, 2012 by 10.00am.

Interment and entertainment of guests follow immediately at same venue.

Funeral for Akinwande

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ADAM Felicia E g b e y e m i Akinwande (Nee Idowu), who died on Friday 27th April, will be buried on June 1.

A statement signed by Pastor ‘Femi Akinwande said the wake keep/service of songs will take place at her residence, 2 Akinniku Street, Ilaro, Ogun State on May 31, by 5pm.

The funeral service holds the following day at the Cathedral Church of Christ (Anglican Communion) Ona - Ola Quarters Ilaro, Ogun State by 11.00am.

Interment follows immediately at the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Cemetery Ilaro while entertainment of guests is at Christ Church Primary School, Ilaro, Ogun State.

She is survived by her five children, several grand and great grand children.

7

HE Minister of Communication and Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, has said effective implementation and compliance to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act will strengthen the nation’s democratic process.

She spoke at the weekend during a sensitisation lecture organised by the ministry titled: “Freedom of Information Act: An overview and Implications”, in Abuja.

She said the FOI Act entrusts government to provide the public with non-sensitive and un-classified information, which according to her would

From Augustine Ehikioya and Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

promote accountability and transparency in government.

She restated the ministry’s commitment to spearheading efforts to ensure that useful, relevant and accurate government data is readily available on the internet.

Chairman, House Committee on FOI Act, Hon. Mathew Omegara, said an endorsement of the Act has projected the country among nations of the world that recognise the need for protection and promotion of the public’s right to information.

Oko Poly calls off strike

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HE Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Federal Polytechnic, Oko Chapter, Anambra State has called off its two weekold strike.Lectures resumed at the institution after a riot that forced a closure some weeks ago.

ASUP Chairman in Oko, Dr Onyeka Uwakwe, said the action has only been suspended to enable management look into the burning issues affecting the school. He said: ‘’We did not call off the strike but suspended it and I am sure this is not a matter we will talk about now because we need to sit and critically examine the issues involved in the agitation by the lecturers.

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

‘’We suspended it yesterday in the interest of the students and to give room for negotiation and dialogue to find a lasting solution.’’

He, however, did not explain why the warning strike was suspended. It was gathered that students on resumption after a riot following a face-off with masquerades met their lecturers on strike.

The lecturers insisted the Rector of the institution, Prof.

Godwin Onu, must meet their demands before attending to students.

This forced students to roam about until reprieve came last week.

Online Special www.thenationonlineng.net

•L-R: Former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olasupo Shasore(SAN): his wife Gbemi; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Mr. Charles Adeyemi Candide-Johnson (SAN) and his wife, Olatowun during the public presentation of the Book titled, "Commercial Arbitration Law and International Practice in Nigeria" by Shasore and CandideJohnson in Lagos… last week

Edo Polls: Traditional rulers restate commitment to Oshiomhole re-election

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RADITIONAL rulers (Enigies) in Orhionmwon Local Council have reiterated their commitment to the reelection of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

They said Oshiomhole’s achievements in the first tenure have earned him a second term ticket.

Chairman of the Enigies Forum, HRH Idugie Ogieugo, Enogie of Ugo, spoke at Abudu headquarters of Orhionmwon Local Council when the Governor paid a visit during a campaign to the council.

Ogieugo said they have verified all projects mentioned by Oshiomhole.

“What will other people come to tell us? We will continue to support you. We know what to tell our people,” he stated.

Oshiomhole, who was accompanied by members of his campaign team, promised to do more for the council when re-elected.

He decried what he termed ethnic politics being played by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to him: “it is legitimate to scrutinise the

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

pedigree of any one who seeks to be your cook. Today the PDP is preaching ethnicity. I want to tell them that Edo is not a name after a river or after a tree, it represents an ethnic category.

From Edo North, Edo Central, if you listen attentively, our dialect is the same.

“We have a common ancestry which is why in the statement issued by the palace, the Oba said we want a governor who will work for the unity of the state.’’

Why we supported Jonathan,

by South East traders

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RADERS in the South East geo-political zone have explained why they massively supported President Goodluck Jonathan in the last general election.

President General of the South East Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (SEAMATA), Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, told newsmen in Onitsha, they voted for Jonathan because of his promise to build the second Niger Bridge and dredge the River Niger for effective water transportation.

Ezenwankwo, who noted that the two projects were critical to the sustenance of trade and commerce in the South East, lamented that the issue had been trivialised by political interests.

From Okodili Ndidi, Onitsha

Traders in the zone, he stated, are groaning under the huge costs of transporting goods from Lagos and Port Harcourt seaports.

According to him: “though the Onitsha River port has been renovated and ready for commissioning, the River Niger has to been dredged to open up water ways to allow direct link with other seaports for easy transportation of goods and services”.

The market leader also rued the delay in awarding the second Niger Bridge, stating that millions of naira worth of goods have been lost due to transportation bottlenecks.

‘Some Nigerians live like slaves in US’ “There are those who are here to go to school but are locked up in the house as domestic maids babysitting and are being maltreated by family members they knew from Nigeria” •Bukola Oriola, Humantrafficking survivor

Jonathan’s first year anniversary: Facebook’s friends damning verdict “Mr President, your anniversary gift to Nigerians is like your New Year subsidy gift. Is the increase in electricity tariff for darkness instead of light?”

News Up date by the minutes www.thenationonlineng.net Follow us on Twitter: @TheNationNews Like us on facebook: The-Nation-Newspaper

8

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

NEWS REVIEW

9

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

A twist in the wheel of justice Does the immunity clause cover a governor from moving out of a house he illegally occupied? Assistant Editor, Gbade Ogunwale examines the twists and turns in a case between a governor and his landlord

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FEW weeks ago justice seems to be inching home for Sir Ernest Elochuckwu, when an Abuja High Court ordered the eviction of Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari from his property.

The governor had been sued by Elochukwu for buying his property illegally from a wrong person.

The governor had also owed him two years rent. However, the rightful owner who had thought he would be handed the keys of the property got the shock of his life when he was denied the keys.

What sort of immunity?

Authorities of the High Court were said to have declared that they had directed “from above” to return the building to the Governor. Shaken and confused by what he had just heard, Elochuckwu ran to his lawyer, Chief Amobi Nzelu, for his intervention. In disbelief, Nzelu, on behalf of Elochukwu, had personally approached the court to demand for the keys to the building. But he was told by officials of the court’s Litigation Department that there was an order directing that possession in respect of the property be reverted to the Governor. Unwilling to believe what he had just heard, he approached the Chief Registrar of the court for clarification. But he was told by the Chief Registrar, that by virtue of Section 308 of the Constitution which conferred immunity on the Governor, it has been ordered that the property be given back to him.

Nzelu quoted the Chief Registrar to have added: “Do you know whether the defendant (the Governor) phoned the Attorney General of the Federation who in turn phoned the Chief Judge and the Chief Judge passed down the order?” There and then, the Chief Registrar was said to have advised Nzelu to write the Attorney General if he was in doubt. An enraged Nzelu stormed out of the court premises and decided to heed the Chief Registrar’s advice. He promptly wrote the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke and copied the Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Hassan Lawal Gummi. In the five-paragraph letter dated May 10, 2012, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent,

Nzelu argued that the Governor could not have benefited in any way from the provisions of the immunity clause as enshrined in Section 308 of the Constitution. He stated in the letter: “It is worthy to note at this juncture that this is a civil matter that started way back in 2010 when the defendant had no immunity. The matter is purely a civil matter that has to do with landlord/tenant relationship. The matter has no criminal input or flavour”.

The court case was instituted against the Governor in 2010 when he was a member of the House of Representatives. The judgment was given in June 2010 when Yari was still a member of the House. But owing to administrative bottlenecks, the plaintiff could not obtain an order of execution of the judgment in record time.

On April 26, this year, Justice Jude Okeke of the FCT High Court eventually signed the eviction order.

The Governor was evicted on May 8. Nzelu stated further: “The question that readily comes to mind is whether the defendant is entitled to enjoy immunity in a matter that started and ended when he was a member of the House of Representatives. The answer is no. Another question is when is the operative date in a suit? is it when judgment was given or when judgment was enforced? The answer is when judgment was given. Section 308 of the Constitution (as amended) does not operate in retrospect. The said section is absolutely inapplicable in this matter.”

Brazen impunity at work Describing the actions of the court officials as brazen impunity, the lawyer charged the judiciary not to ridicule itself or present sets of laws that are administered at different levels. The lawyer argued further that Writ of possession duly signed rightly or wrongly by a Judge can only be set aside by the Judge that signed it and not administratively. He continued: “This brazen impunity with which people deride court orders must be radically addressed before it becomes cancerous. Because the defendant is now a sitting Governor, he is above the law or his telephone calls can bend the pen of justice”.

He emphasised that it would be a

•The belongings of Governor Abdulaziz Yari after the court supervised eviction

sad day for the country if the judiciary is allowed to be invaded by people in privileged positions.

Nzelu added: “It will be sad if an ordinary man gets to know that he can no longer get justice in a court of law. That day will signal a warning shot for chaos, anarchy and civil disobedience which will be better imagined than experienced.

Let that day not come when an ordinary man will resort to self help in solving his problems due to the failure of the judiciary to give him justice. Let that day not come also when the prices of cutlasses will

go up in the market due to injustice or denial of justice”. Nzelu demanded that possession be given to his client immediately, adding that the Governor must be made to comply with the judgment to the letter. “Like Caesar’s wife, the Governor should live above board and also lead by example.

To use executive powers to settle purely legal matter will bring him into the eye of the storm. This will not be good for him and our cherished democratic norm”.

The lawyer had demanded immediate response from the two

chief law officers, but neither the Attorney General nor the Chief Judge had replied him up till the time of filing this report. Governor Yari had rented the said house sometime in 2008 at the rate of N4 million per annum. But in 2010, he claimed to have bought the property from an agent, Mr. Obinna Kanu without the knowledge of the owner, in a transaction the police declared as fraudulent.

Kanu has since been on the run and the police have declared him wanted.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

News Review

Another Buhari salvo and Salami sa Nigerian troops for Guinea Bissau, Mali

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IGERIAN troops are to be deployed in troubled Guinea Bissau to facilitate restoration of constitutional rule in the West African country,according to Defence Minister,Dr.Bello Mohammed.He gave no details of the deployment but said is would be part of the ECOWAS contigent .He said Nigerian troops slated for deployment in Mali,another troubled spot in the sub region,were also ready.

Presidency gets NJC’s recommendation on Salami’s recall

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HE Presidency received the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) on the reinstatement of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal,Justice Ayo Salami on Tuesday,the same day an Abuja-based lawyer,Noah Ajare filed a suit in court to stop Justice Salami’s recall.Ajare in the suit filed at the Federal High Court ,Abuja,wants the ourt to declare the NJC’s recommendation as illegal,unconstitutional ,null and void.Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister,Mr.Mohammed Adoke said on Wednesday he was yet to be briefed on the counncil’s decision having just returned from a foreign trip.Top ranking members of the ruling PDP have been pressurising the President to ignore the NJC’s recommendation.

Ex-NLC leader, Pascal Bafyau,dies at 65

F

ORMER President , Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), MR. Pascal Bafyau died in Abuja on Tuesday, aged 65.Mr.Bafyau passed on at an unnamed hospital in Abuja just hours after he returned from a trip to his home state of Adamawa. Mr. Bafyau served as NLC president from 1988 to 1994 which congress, in a tribute, described as the turbulent years of the General Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha regimes. It acknowledged its contributions to the growth of the labour union as the building of the 12-storey Labour House in Abuja, establishment of the labour Transport Service (now Labour City Transport), the founding of the defunct Labour Bank and the establishment of the old Labour Party.

It called Bafyau’s death as a big blow to the labour movement and the democratic process.

Soludo links capital market crisis to systemic failure

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HE immediate past governor the Central Bank (CBN), Professor Chukwuma Soludo told the House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the near collapse of the nation’s Capital Marke, on Tuesday, that the development came about partly because of the instability in NIgeria’s political and economic system. He dismissed suggestions that alleged failure by his regime to carry out a thorough supervision on banks was largely responsible for the collapse of the capital market. “How come that since three years and with monthly oil price averaging $100 per barrel and over 2mbd,and with all the ‘reforms’ in money and capital markets (supposedly there is no more lax regulation/supervision) and despite Dangote’s over N2trillion listing which lifted the Market Capital to over N8trillion,the Market Capital is basically today at the level one left it three years ago?” he said.

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UHARI: “ G o d willing, by 2015, something will happen.They either conduct free and fair elections or they go in a very disgraceful way…I will like to quote Professor Ango Abdullahi who said there are three Boko Harams including the original one led by Mohammed Yusufu, who was killed and his supporters tried to take revenge in attacking law enforcement agencies and politicians. There is another Boko Haram of criminals who steal and kill while the biggest is the Federal Government…

Since the leaders do not listen to anybody but do whatever they wish, there is nothing the North can do. ”

A Chinese man dressed as Superman and ‘flew’ through the air - thanks to a crane - to propose to his girlfriend in Lianyungang, eastern China’s Jiangsu Province. Yue Yun arranged to meet his girlfriend, Li Xin, for lunch at a restaurant. He then ‘flew’ down to meet her and proposed on one knee. A shy Xin burst into tears and held her hand out so Yun could slip on the ring.

Photo: Quirky China News / Rex Features

Boko Haram kills 308 in 118 attacks, says minister

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TOTAL of 308 people have been killed in 118 attacks launched by Boko Haram in Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and Yobe states, Police Affairs Minister, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade said on Tuesday. The minister who was appraising the activities of his ministry in the last one year said the authorities were rising up to the challenge of terrorism by sharpening the skills of policemen through training and acquisition of tools for the force.

Nigeria, France seal 200m euro power deal

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NIGERIA and two French companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the construction of a high voltage transmission line and substations worth 200million euro. Funds for the execution of the projects are to be provided by the French government in form of a grant.

OBITUARY

CROSSFIRE

General Muhammadu Buhari vs President Goodluck Jonathan

PROPOSING IN STYLE

Disco diva, Donna Summer, dies at 63

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ONNA Summer, the influential ‘Queen of Disco’, who helped define the 1970s dance genre with hits like Love to Love You Baby, I Feel Love and Bad Girls died Thursday of cancer at her home in Naples, Florida. She was 63. Summer claimed she contracted the illness after inhaling particles from the attacks on the World Trade Centre in September 2001.

She will be remembered for changing the face of dance music in the summer of 1975 when her Giorgio Moroderproduced track Love To Love You Baby, 17-minutes of husky voiced innuendo and orgasmic moaning over a pulsing electronic beat not only ignited Summer’s career, but became the template for the disco era.

Summer won five Grammys and racked up 14 Top Ten singles between 1975 and 1989, including four Number Ones in 16 months.

Former NLC leader Pascal Bafyau passes on

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ORMER president of the Nigeria La bour Congress (NLC), Mr Pascal Bafyau, is dead. He was 65.

Bafyau, who corpse had been deposited at the National Hospital, Abuja, reportedly suffered a massive heart attack at about 10.30 p.m on Tuesday. This happened at his Abuja residence, located at Wuse 2.

It was learnt that he was rushed to Silver Spring Hospital, where doctors battled for a few hours to save his life. He was, however, pronounced dead in the early hours of Wednesday, while his remains were then taken to the National Hospital at about 1.30 a.m.

Bafyau was the president of the NLC from 1988 to 1994, during the regimes of Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

News Review

mi saga rumbles on INEC halts controversial voter registration in Edo State

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HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Friday announced the cancellation of its controversial voter registration exercise in Edo State.

INEC’s action came in the wake of widespread criticism by stakeholders and civil society groups who described the exercise as a barely disguised fraud aimed at enabling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

News of the cancellation was broken to party representatives as well as candidates of the various political parties running for the Edo governorship election that is scheduled for July, 2012.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole and leaders of the PDP were present at the announcement. Representatives from the All Nigeria Peoples Party, the Labor Party, and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) also attended the meeting at the Abuja office of INEC.

Salami’s reinstatement: Jonathan, AGF, NJC dragged to court

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HE controversy over whether Justice Ayo Salami should be reinstated as President of the Court of Appeal took an another dimension on Friday, as President Goodluck Jonathan was dragged to the Federal High Court, Abuja over the issue.

The plaintiff, Barrister Wilfred Okoli, is seeking a declaration that Jonathan is not under any constitutional obligation to act upon the recommendation made to him by the National Judicial Council (NJC) to reinstate Salami.

Apart from Jonathan, the 4th defendant, others equally dragged to court over the matter are the council, the 1st defendant, the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, the 3rd defendant and Justice Ayo Salami himself, the 2nd defendant.

2015: Northern govs unite for presidency

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HEAD of the 2015 elections, the 19 Northern Governors have expressed determination to sink their differences and unite to produce the president from the region in 2015. This was the outcome of their quarterly meeting held in Kaduna. Speaking at the opening session of the meeting, chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, and Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu said the northern governors, this time around, will not allow what happened in 2011 to repeat itself in 2015 as they will unite against candidates from the south.

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THE WEEK IN QUOTES “People who go and break laws in other countries should not expect us to protect them. We will not allow any Nigerian to be maltreated outside the shores of Nigeria.

We can even go to war if even one Nigerian is unfairly treated. But Nigerians who go to traffic in drugs, should know the risk they are taking and we will not defend them also.”

—Senate President David Mark on Nigerians committing crimes abroad.

“An average Borno man has no business being poor because God has blessed us with enormous land resources. We have no business being poor and being heaped a lot of insult by some of our country men who are calling us parasites and nuisance.

We are nobody’s nuisance.

—Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on the economic development of the state and the North.

“When people talk about slowness, how do you describe somebody being slow?

The crash programmes we have run in this country have always taken us to nowhere.”

—Elder Godsday Orubebe, Minister of the Niger Delta on the alleged slow pace of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Explosions rock two primary schools in Kano

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ULTIPLE explosions Wednesday night, hit two primary schools in Jayin and Hotoro Arewa in Kumbotso and Nasarawa local government areas respectively in Kano municipal. An eyewitness said the attackers who came on a motorbike ordered watchmen at both schools out of the premises before attacking the schools.

The attack triggered pandemonium and forced night life to a halt as residents scampered to safety.

At Jayin primary school, a newly renovated

building was damged while no fewer than ten cars parked within the premises of the school were badly damged. The midweek attack on the two pro-western educational institutions is the first of such attacks in the city since Kano came under attack on January 20, 2012.

Confirming the incident, JTF spokesman in Kano Lt Iweha Ikediche explained that “some IED’s went off within the premises of two primary schools last night”

STATUS QUO

Malawi to overturn gay ban

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RESIDENT Joyce Banda has said she wants Malawi to overturn its ban on homosexual acts - the first African country to do so since 1994. Two Malawian men were sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2010 after saying they were getting married.

Several Western leaders have recently said they would cut aid to countries which did not recognise gay rights. Mrs Banda took power last month after her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, died of a heart attack. She has since reversed several of his policies, including devaluing the currency, in a bid to get donor funding restored. Many donors cut aid under Mr Mutharika, accusing him of economic mismanagement and political repression.

•Mark

ABORTED

Private US rocket launch aborted

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ALIFORNIAN company SpaceX aborted the landmark launch of its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical problems.

The unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 was due to blast off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4.55am local time, but was halted at the last second after one of the rocket’s nine engines exceeded a technical limit. The next opportunity for launch is at 3.44am local time Tuesday.

Fueled by a taxpayer investment of nearly $400 million, SpaceX was bidding to become the first private firm to send its own capsule to the ISS amid a high-stakes commercial space race.

•Shettima

•Orubebe

FAILED

Ibru’s wife loses bid to wind up Federal Palace M R S .

Maiden Ibru, widow of the late publisher of The Guardian newspaper, Alex Ibru, on Friday lost in her bid to wind up Tourist Company of Nigeria Plc, owners of the prestigious Federal Palace Hotel.

A Federal High Court in Lagos threw away a suit she filed to that effect.

Mrs. Ibru had by the suit, - a winding up petition, she filed on behalf of one of her late husband’s company – Omamo Investment Corporation, sought to wind up Tourist Company for its alleged inability to settle the debt it owed Omamo Investment.

In his ruling, Justice Mohammed Liman dismissed the petition on the ground that it was initiated without compliance with the provisions of the law.

Z

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

COMMENT and ANALYSIS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Festus Eriye efestus2003@yahoo.com 08052135878 (SMS only)

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OR once in a very long time the news out of Kano was not of another grisly body count arising from the latest Boko Haram terror attack. Instead we were treated to the unprecedented spectacle of a state government playing Cupid.

Last Tuesday, one hundred couples were married off in a mass wedding at the city’s main mosque. The scheme which is an initiative of Hisbah, the Islamic police, was executed in conjunction with an organisation called the Voice of Divorcees and Widows Association of Nigeria (VOWAN).

The primary aim is to bring down the high rate of divorce in the state as part of a larger strategy to curb social and sectarian unrest. Ultimately, Hisbah aims to matchmake 1,000 women with lucky chaps all over the state.

According to the Director General of the Hisbah board, Malam Abba Sa’idu Sufi, the state government gave his organisation N15 million to fund the nuptials. Business mogul, Isyaku Rabiu, came up with N1 million to fund the N10, 000 bride price each of the grooms was required to pay.

Of the N15 million naira generously donated by the government, N20, 000 was to be given to each of the 100 women for skills acquisition and to make them self-reliant.

The unique and unusual nature of this initiative has drawn attention from across the globe. Clearly, Western wire services and newspapers which have feasted on the story have been drawn by its oddball nature.

With what Rabiu Kwankwaso’s administration has pulled off, the boundaries of what we have come to know as the dividends of democracy have been redefined beyond roads, bridges, schools and hospitals. Now, not even the bedroom is out of the reach of a benevolent government.

For some, what took place on Tuesday is the best thing that could have happened to them. “I’m in high spirits today because I have married the woman of my choice virtually at no cost because the government has shouldered the cost,” said 55-year-old Sule Alaramma, after the wedding.

For all the joy the joining must have given the likes of Alaramma, there are serious questions about the role of government in the exercise. It is also doubtful whether statesponsored remarriage of these widows and divorcees will mitigate the social malaise – as Hisbah hopes – because it leaves the underlying reasons for the high divorce rates in place.

One showy act of shallow populism cannot hide the fact that in places like Kano and elsewhere in the north where Sharia law is in place, it is very easy to procure a divorce. A man can kick his wife out of the home by simply pronouncing “I divorce you” three times.

This Hisbah scheme assumes that simply corralling a bunch of desperate divorcees into fresh unions will guarantee the longevity of the new marriages. The fact that officialdom has created these artificial families does not mean that these people will not become divorcees again in short order.

Marriage is more than the joining event. It is for those who are psychologically and economically ready for the journey. It requires compatibility and reasonable financial resources to succeed.

Many of those who were joined on Tuesday are unemployed fellows who could not even afford the bride price for their new spouses. How are they going to cope with the responsibilities of managing a home – especially if babies start coming rapidly as they are bound to? Surely, it is not on the N20, 000 one-off allocation to

Love in Kano

The recent mass nuptials sponsored by the Kano State government will not solve the problem of high divorce rates because it leaves the fundamental issues untouched

Lekan Otufodunrin Otufodunrin@thenationonlineng.net 08050498530 (SMS only)

Who is afraid of Buhari?

I

•Brides at the mass wedding in Kano

the brides!

Alaramma, one of the newly-minted grooms, rejoiced that he married the woman of his dreams at “no cost because the government has shouldered the cost.”

Will he be singing the same tune at the end of June given that the Kano State government has made no commitment to further conjugal subsidies beyond the wedding day outlays?

I strongly suspect that after the bubble of the television and newspaper headlines has burst, the state government might just realise that it has compounded the matter.

There is also the question of priority.

Irrespective of the number of divorcees in Kano, I don’t think government has any business financing wedding ceremonies to the tune of N15 million. This may seem a trifling amount for free-spending government officials, but it goes to the heart of how we treat government funds.

It also speaks to the question of what areas government should be involved in, and what areas it should butt out of. Once upon a time governments would construct roads and other infrastructure and manage them. But in the face of shrinking resources there is more movement towards concessioning such projects.

Across the world governments are withdrawing from certain undertakings and concentrating on making policy and creating enabling environments. In Nigeria, it is the direct opposite. We are still

“This Hisbah scheme assumes that simply corralling a bunch of desperate divorcees into fresh unions will guarantee the longevity of the new marriages. The fact that officialdom has created these artificial families does not mean that these people will not become divorcees again in short order”

celebrating government funding of vanity projects like weddings and pilgrimages – both Christian and Muslim.

In an age where policy debate is increasingly tilted towards shrinking government and reducing its intrusiveness in the lives of citizens, it is plain ridiculous for a state government to be spending these sums on this comical project. More than the amount expended, we should focus on the principle involved.

Is this really the priority in a state that perennially moans about poverty and educational backwardness? Are these the sorts of projects that state governments want to spend the increased revenue they are demanding from the centre on?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Kano State government acting as facilitators for the scheme. But that is where it should end. They should instead use their goodwill to get private sector financial backing to bankroll the weddings. Companies of all hues will fall over themselves to be associated with the initiative under their corporate social responsibility purview.

It is not too late for Kwankwaso and his team to review the level of their commitment so as not to create the impression that the state has too much cash to burn – hence its fondness for vanity projects that offer little value to the populace in the long term.

After all, this is the same state which committed itself to building multi-million naira mansions for former governors. It doesn’t matter if you were the most shiftless of executives while in office.

By law any civilian governor in the state beginning from 1999 is entitled to a house of his choice, a salary for life, domestic servants and annual vacation in any country of his choice. The law does not stipulate a specific amount for the house to be built. The generous provision also applies to former deputy governors of the state.

Last year there was a huge controversy after former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau alleged that the incumbent, Kwankwaso, had demanded for N1.3 billion to finance the house he was entitled to. As for Shekarau, he admitted he only asked for something in the region of N700 million.

For as long as states like Kano continue to commit themselves to financing mass wedding projects and erecting billion naira mansions for former leaders, their governors will have no legs to stand on whenever they moan about the poverty of their states.

AM not a fan of former Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari, neither I am that of President Goodluck Jonathan. Most politicians are the same despite the pretense many of them put up. I concede to them that it is not easy to be a politician in our clime, with all kinds of circumstances beyond their control.

Otherwise good people have to learn how to cope with the various intrigues involved in the dirty game of politics in the country. What I detest about some politicians is when some of them want us to believe that they are different when they are not. When someone openly criticised others, it is a case of the kettle calling the pot black.

Buhari while, addressing some members of his party who recently visited him in Kaduna, was reported to have warned against rigging of the next general elections. According to him, “if the election is rigged both the baboon and monkey will be soaked in blood.” He also noted that the federal government has not been listening to the demands of the people and agreed with an earlier statement by Professor Ango Abdullahi that the federal government is the biggest Boko Haram.

Expectedly, the Presidency and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) responded to the General’s outburst, accusing him of not only being an angry serial election loser but blood-thirsty. But the CPC and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) justified the statement.

I can understand Buhari’s anger over the flawed general election which any lover of democracy should fault and demand for a free and fair one next time, but I find it difficult to accept that he should keep making statements that are capable of being misunderstood and can lead to violence like it did before the last election.

I hope those who claimed that Buhari was misquoted or his statement which he made in Hausa was misinterpreted know what they are saying. The initial response by the Buhari camp was that he had the right to say what he said. I concede to him his freedom of expression like every other Nigerian, but I think General Buhari should not allow whatever grudge he has against Jonathan’s administration over election to prevent him from being an elder statesman which he really is as a former Head of State of the country.

The federal government can be faulted without anyone, especially someone of Buhari’s status, resorting to name calling or seeming to be calling for violence. Yes, the next election should not be rigged, but the truth is which party, including Buhari’s CPC, can claim not to have perpetrated one form of electoral malpractice or the other during the last election.

Buhari needs to take the advice of the Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu that some influential people should “be careful about certain vocabularies they use.” I want to believe that the former Head of State means well for this country and desires peace, but he needs to be careful not to send wrong signals to his followers who may not be as discerning as he is.

For President Jonathan, he needs to know that he has not lived up to the expectations of Nigerians who voted for him.

Many Nigerians may not be opportune to express their anger like Buhari did, but he should not wait for a mass revolt like in the Arab world before taking necessary steps to reverse our dangerous slide to becoming a failed state.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Comment & Analysis

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

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Y piece last week stung Mourinho’s army. In it I wondered why Champions League champions Barcelona have attracted so many enemies in spite of their great football. I also asked why Mourinho, one of football’s greatest coaches, does not give Guardiola enough respect.

Here are readers’ responses: You don’t seem to like Mourinho, do you? Unfortunately for you, world football pundits are agreed on this one that he is a world class coach, having proved his mettle in different leagues in Europe. We await your beloved Pep Guardiola to rival that feat. Thanks -08031153940

Mourinho army fights back kindly advise him to go to another club as Mourinho does.

After that we will know where he belongs.

-Dayo Adelove, Omuo-Ekiti You are sentimental in your article.

You clearly betrayed yourself as a Barca fan. Football is beautiful but that does not mean that you should olay to lose.

Mourinho is [far] better than your Guardiola. Let him go to other clubs like Mourinho and perform like Mourinho; let your Messi leave Barca for another club today; you will see that he is nothing. Why did your Guardiola accuse refs of not giving him cheap penalties? Honour should be given to whom honour is due.Morinho is the special one. Take it or leave it. Stop being sentimental.

-Afolabi Olawale, Lagos

I have just read your beautiful piece on the beautiful game in The Nation. It is for the masters. Keep it up.

-Coleman

Just read your piece on soccer. Why did you not tell readers you have a club? Oh boy, let me give it to you. Thou art a sweet coward! I’m 56 and a Man U dude. Would have loved to know whether you are an EPL fan or thou art a lost soul pining away at a minority grief in La Liga. As things stand, I’ve no idea how to dig at your ribs or even finish you off! But as a born-again optimist I do hope thou art an incarnation of a Crimson Devil. But seriously, let me be your Father Confessor. Are thou a gunner? Come on, don’t be shy.

-Itopa Allan Ali, 39, Cemetery Street Ebute Metta, Lagos

Your message shows that you are a Barcelona fan. You can hate Mourinho but you cannot hate his results. If Guardiola is the best as you claimed

So this is about Mourinho…I think you are a big moron. You obviously don’t know anything about football and yet you decided to write trash in a widely read

To you they play beautiful football but to us they play dirty football, crowding and pressuring the refs to give cards to opponents, being openly backed by Uefa and you call that beautiful football?

You’ve got to be joking.

-07086880855

[newspaper.]

-08050964624 I just finished reading your Sunday piece about Jose Mourinho. It is a shame that you have used your write-up to paint Pep and the Barca side as saints and Jose Mourinho as devil. Only God knows what the modern game of football will be like without somebody like the Special One. Lest you forget, your Saint Guardiola is running away after managing one team for a mere four seasons. What does that tell you about him?

-Lawrence Azubuike You are unfair to Mourinho. He deserves more respect from you. You showed by your highly biased clip that you are on the side of Barca and Guardiola. No matter your ill feelings towards the Special One, remains truly special by his record.

-08035914784 Call us any name. Chelsea (CAN);defeated Barca (Uefa PDP) -08095591847 Hello, you are a Barca supporter. Stop pretending. You cannot have your cake and eat it.

-08023638851 Thanks for this beautiful piece. When things don’t go Mourinho’s way, the whole world of football must crash. He can be likened to our PDP governors of the Southwest. If they rigged to win elections things are right. When the court ruled the fraudulent elections as illegal,

Salami becomes a scapegoat.

-08066567755 The simple reason is envy, hatred and pride. Some people hate too much success. Imagine Pele saying Messi should first meet Neymar’s standard before being comopared with himself. In four years Pep and Guardiola have set a record that will take Chelsea over s decade to meet. Have you looked at the fortunes of Mourinho’s cl;ubs whenever he left? Madrid beware, Up Barca!

-Deremi Unfortunately, I read this article late.

However I want to thank you for asking the truthful questions. Why have Barcelona made so many enemies for playing beautifully?

-08062275280 What a great piece on our beloved Barca. Well said, Sir, but truth is bitter.

The world won’t listen now until Mourinho is doomed. Then we can catalogue how he destroyed the beautiful game.

-08034309265 For Mourinho football is a war that must be won at all cost. For this reason, any person who beats him is an enemy that must be despised, derided and ultimately defeated. This attitude has, sadly, been transmitted to the army of followers he has garnered over the years.

And it diminishes his reputation in the eyes of neutrals and lovers of football as a game that it is. A good coach jhe is but a bad sportsman.

-Titus Orngu, FAAN

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Comment & Analysis

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Still on Buhari’s comment Ex-Head of State’s statement might have been failure of statesmanship, but only the guilty should be afraid

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AJOR-GEN. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 general elections is not new to controversy. Before the 2011 elections, his statement calling on the people to defend their votes against riggers generated uproar and was believed to have goaded the violence that engulfed some parts of the northern region after the elections. Perhaps, this must have informed the Presidency and the ruling People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) vituperation against the brutally frank admonition of Buhari while recently receiving CPC’s supporters from Niger State in his Kaduna office.

Buhari reportedly said “God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,’’ He further alluded to Prof. Ango Abdullahi’s statement that there are three ‘Boko Harams’, including the original one led by Muhammed Yusufu who was killed and his supporters tried to take revenge in attacking the law enforcement agencies and politicians; another Boko Haram of criminals that steal while the third and the biggest one he calls the current Federal Government.

Buhari has since been attacked from the Presidency that described his utterances as quite unbecoming of a statesman. The PDP was unsparing; it said the general is ‘inflaming the orgy of violence’ and proclaiming him a ‘bloodthirsty leader without democratic credentials.’ The ruling party cockishly wants the Federal Government to send him, a retired general, to lead the ECOWAS military contingent to Mali or Guinea Bissau so as to, in its view, ‘exorcise the bloodletting demons apparently haunting him. ‘Isn’t this a mockery of the government’s decision to send troops to Guinea Bissau and Mali to help maintain the peace?

So, the soldiers are being sent to those countries so as to ‘exorcise the bloodletting demons apparently haunting’ them?

We condemn all forms of violence that can destabilise

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

•Editor Festus Eriye •Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile •Associate Editors Taiwo Ogundipe Sam Egburonu

•Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi

eral Government has so far conducted elections in the country. After all, Buhari’s comment has received positive remarks from other segments of the society other than those benefiting from the ruling party. The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), CPC and other opposition parties have shared the views expressed by Buhari. Even the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has lent its voice in support of the critical issue that Buhari’s statement raised, at the same time cautioning the general against inciting statements.

Aliu Babangida, Niger State Governor and Chairman of the NSGF presented the position of the group after its recent meeting in Kaduna, to wit: ‘Again, certain facts are understood; that if this happens, that would happen... May be those who may be too concerned (about what Gen Buhari said) have not looked at what other eminent Nigerians have been talking about. I saw one that said Nigeria is going to be Somalianised....’

We share their views that a government that cannot guarantee free and fair elections and can still not provide good roads, effective transportation system, workable healthcare delivery services, good security and more importantly, stable electricity like Jonathan’s has no business aspiring to continue in power. Yet, it would want to rig election to sustain itself in power.

We want to make it known to those whose plan it is to rig the 2015 elections that the John Kennedy’s universal dictum of 1962 that “those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable” was not just a paper statement. Nigerians have been pushed to the wall- if they turn back, the consequences may be better imagined. Buhari might have needed to bring some finesse to bear in his utterances, given his status in the country. But then, the Jonathan administration too has to check itself and review its policies. Any government that takes the people for granted as this government has done, especially in the arbitrary fuel price hike, must expect some unpleasant consequences. Moreover, the winnertakes-all attitude of the government is not helping matters. Above all, we must say that electoral violence is itself an act of violence against the people and no one can legislate about how people will react to such.

LETTERS

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AST week I could not make it to the office. I had kept a young university graduate waiting. He just finished his course of study as an Economist in one of the federal universities. While waiting he sent me a text message, which read “I has be waiting since for you sir”.

I could not reply for a while, because till this moment “I has be trying to understand” what he meant to say. Whatever he wanted to say, he reminded me we are a nation with a short memory. We forget after all the noise, show little or no outrage and move on. Only last month over 1.5million wrote the JAMB exams and barely 500 passed enough to merit a university spot.

It will get worse, if it has got to the point of “I has come.”

Failure is recorded at mass level. One wonders how after six years in secondary school and qualifying exams in WAEC, and or NECO, JAMB and post-UME, we record monumental failures which culminate in “I has be waiting since for you sir”.

Is it the teacher, student, curriculum, infrastructure, the English premier league or blackberry phones?

WAEC as an exam body decried this situation of “John Bull who cannot spell his name...after going through school”. The examination body through a committee comprising representatives of stakeholders, met and looked at the reports of the Chief Examiners and Aptitude Tests, as well as

the already volatile security in the country. In the past, we had unequivocally condemned such statements from Buhari and others in that class. We recollect pointedly too in 2011 that we chastised Buhari for the statement he made calling on the almajiris to defend their votes with anything, at a period that was very close to the election.

At this point in time, the election is still very far and people are beginning to see desperation on the part of those in power who are ready to cling to power at all cost. The symptoms of an old political malaise is manifesting in the touted ‘Jonathan 2015 Project’, while the people are getting worried and hopeless that their votes may not count again in 2015. That must have informed Buhari’s statement.

Rather than seize the opportunity to assure Nigerians that nothing of such will happen, the Presidency and the ruling party joined issues with the general, resorting to official blackmail and intimidation in the process. Yet, it is very clear that the ruling party has the worst electoral record since the inception of this democratic dispensation in 1999. Even the late President Umaru Yar’Adua under whom the current president served as deputy publicly acknowledged that the election that brought him to power was flawed. So, the fear of rigging has always been amongst the populace.

We would have expected the Presidency and the ruling party to douse the tension by allaying the fears of the public about the suspicious manner in which the Fed-

Nigeria’s education malaise the Research Division of the organisation.

In its communiqué the committee revealed the repeated flaws made by candidates. They insisted the question papers not only met the required standards, but also ensured the council’s certificates to be worthy of international recognition. They noted the questions were also unambiguous and within the scope of the syllabuses.

“The marking schemes were exhaustible and comprehensive enough to accommodate all possible answers,” it stated.

The communique read further: “However, apart from the dearth of basic instructional materials and infrastructure, poor remuneration of teachers, among other social factors that are facing particularly public schools in the country, the committee noted candidates’ weaknesses as contained in the Chief Examiners’ Reports.”

“One could not help but observe many candidates had shallow knowledge of the subject matter, poor command of the use of English language, poor knowledge of the examination techniques, as well dis-

regard for correct interpretation of questions before attempting them.”

“We also observed that many candidates lack requisite mathematical and manipulative skills for subjects involving calculations, while handwriting of some are illegible and their answers scripts are full of spelling errors.”

Describing the condition as unbecoming the committee disclosed in the communique “that many candidates try to cut corners by engaging in various forms of examination malpractice in order to obtain marks”.

Despite all these lamenta-

tion, one good point is that there was the girl with nine A1s in WASCE. Reports had it that she is so brilliant her teachers feared her result would be seized. Miss Tolulope Falokun, an indigene of Ondo State; emerged as the overall best candidate in the 2011 West African Senior School Certificate Examination. The 17-year-old Tolulope had distinctions (A1) in all the nine subjects she sat for. She was described as intelligent, hardworking, serious-minded and above all, highly disciplined.

In an interview Tolu had

told reporters, “Our teachers prepared us early for the exams. We had special lectures everyday more than four months into the exams because we had covered our syllabus since first term of SSIII.” Tolu scored 290 in the 2011 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and emerged the second overall best student in the Post-UTME conducted by the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile –Ife with 336 marks!

While we battle the scourge of local terrorism, bad leadership, kidnap, health, and countless issues, there is need to come up with some measures that could help both the students and schools to improve on their performance in future examinations, by extension resuscitate the nation’s dying if not dead education sector.

By Charles Dickson

Oteh versus Okereke-Onyuike: Dancing on the grave of Nigerians

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HE two are eggheads, no doubt. But they are eggheads without integrity and are encouraged by the omnipotent ‘Nigerian factor’. They are hardcore professionals doing some macabre dance of shame on the grave of Nigerians Yes, they are dancing on the grave of Nigerians for if the country were not dead and buried in the cemetery of corruption, the duo would be cooling their high heels behind bars now going by the revelations of their financial recklessness

so far. But they are big cats with immunity supplied from high places. The truth is, behind the scenes they go back to their god fathers in our various government houses to pay homage.

More worrisome is the fact that the two are society ladies. So what sort of role models will they be to the generations watching their dance of shame? Verily, as far as corruption is concerned, it is not discriminating against sex. Like man like woman. In Nigeria, only God knows who is

more corrupt...

The capital market with a particular reference to the stock exchange has been in the woods for a while now. Nigerians had thought that spirited efforts were being made to revive the once bubbling market until very recently when the House Committee on Capital market decided to dig into the crisis. The revelations are as revealing as they are bewildering. The two gladiators now have been left unregulated for a long time. Although one has been relieved of her job, the other is battling hard to save

hers.

So far, none of the two women has justified why she did what she did. It has been a clash of egos, accusations and counter-accusations. The tempo is so high that their Harvard education has been an article of egoistical combat. One said she went there to study, the other said she did not only go there to study but also lectured grade-A students there. By now, I am sure Harvard University will be ashamed of these their alumni. My people, how does that address the issue of their

lack of financial probity and professional integrity? Thus far, Madam Ndidi OkerekeOnyuike, Obama’s friend, has been accused of using the Nigerian Stock Exchange money to buy Rolex watch for her accomplices among other sundry allegations. For Ms Arunma Oteh, a first class brain and former executive of African Development Bank, it has been looting galore. And she is still retaining her post.

Akinboyo Temidayo, Igbotako, Ondo State.

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16

Ropo Sekoni ropo.sekoni @thenationonlineng.net

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HE country characteristically is experiencing an avoidable heating of the polity; particularly the creation of a packaged crisis as a diversion from facing the real issues of the time. The latest controversy pertains to the seemingly vitriolic comment of General Mohammed Buhari regarding the consequences of future rigging of elections. The most cited (and perhaps most offensive to the ruling party and the presidency) of Buhari’s statements regarding the 2015 election says: “If what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon will all be soaked in blood.” The theme of dogs and baboons being soaked in blood has occupied oversized media space at the instance of the presidency and his party.

Many pro-government commentators have ignored the message to focus on the messenger in the fashion of Ad Hominem fallacy. It should not matter whether Buhari had lost elections five times. It should not matter whether he was overthrown by his juniors after he

Femi Orebe femi.orebe @thenationonlineng.net 08056504626 (sms only)

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Comment & Analysis

HE news hit me in faraway London that Chief Ebenezer Babatope, my friend of close on five decades, has self-destruct again and, in a manner so reminiscent of his ‘NADECO IS AGBAKO’ gaffe which has haunted him ever since. There is no way Ebino could like Justice Salami, the courageous jurist, under whose weight the house of cards it took him a 7-week stay in the Ekiti state House, AdoEkiti, to plot, aka Ido-Osism collapsed irretrievably. But who will deliver Chief Babatope from Ebeno, the loquacious?

The Ondo state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Iroko to millions of his admirers, is no mean strategist. He is, today, a far cry from the young man I knew way back in the ‘80’s as a political understudy of Chief Segun Adegoke, the now gracefully aging Ondo politician. And nothing reminds me more of our escapades in those than that event on the grounds of the Ajasin state House when we crowded out the exit of Chief Afe, the Edo born Ondo State Electoral Commissioner, insisting he won’t leave the premises until he ordered, there and then, the release of the 1983 governorship election result.

It took the intervention of Papa, whose personal friend our quarry was, to let him go. That audacious effort was at the instance of none other than Segun Adegoke.

At dawn the following day, the unthinkable happened: Chief Omoboriowo was declared the winner on orders from Lagos, and hell promptly broke loose. For details of that story, and, more importantly, because of the direction of politics in the state today, Dare

Election and blood in Nigeria Buhari has employed two levels of language to convey his feelings became head of state from a military coup d’etat. It should not matter whether he had been indicted before for charges of mismanagement in the oil ministry when he was minister. What should matter to patriotic citizens is the meaning and relevance of Buhari’s message to the mission of improving the quality of governance and thus increasing the chance of development in the country.

Buhari has employed two levels of language to convey his feelings to his party members in particular and citizens in general.

His use of the conditional tense deserves more critical attention from his critics: “If what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon will be soaked in blood.” In other words, Buhari is saying if something unwholesome is done to the process of choosing the country’s political leaders in 2015, God permitting, there will be violence. With by the grace of God, he has not categorically called for violence even if the election is rigged; he is, in the language of Christians, taking the wish to God in prayer.

With respect to Buhari’s de-

ployment of metaphors in terms of dog and baboon, he is using Islamic symbolism to refer to the shedding of the blood of those responsible for violating the democratic soul of the nation through election rigging. Although the dog in most mythologies is perceived as an animal that symbolizes friendship and loyalty, to Muslims, the dog represents the unclean, which can be translated to refer to the corrupt in the management of the electoral process. The baboon in ancient Egyptian mythology served as security agent at the gate to Afterlife and also as the messenger of Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom, science, and measurement responsible for directing scribes in their tasks. What Buhari seems to imply in the shedding of the blood of dogs and baboons is that the high and the low, those who choose to be unclean and those charged to protect the integrity of the electoral process but who fail to do so will be victims of the anger of those whose right to choose their political leaders is violated by rigging. Stretching the symbolism of the baboon as the gatekeeper of the Underworld

in ancient Egypt, the victims of violence spawned by rigged election in Buhari’s thinking would include all categories of persons (including the judiciary) charged with protecting the sanctity of free and fair election.

There is nothing in the statement of Buhari that has not happened in Nigeria before. In the past, Nigerians had resorted to shedding of blood in response to the stealing of their votes. In 1965, election was rigged in Western Nigeria by NNDP, the party that was favoured by the federal government. Citizens who felt violated by the rigging went on the Wetie rampage that included killing those responsible for the rigging and burning their property. The violence in the Western region eventually led to the 1966 military coup, the negative effects of which Nigeria is still experiencing today. In Ondo State in 1983, the gubernatorial election was rigged against Adekunle Ajasin for the favourite candidate of the ruling party at the centre. Both dogs and baboons of the time were soaked in blood, and the rest is history. Similar responses had taken place in other African

countries. A few years back, Kenya was depopulated by crisis arising from rigged election.

The same thing happened in Cote d’Ivoire when Laurent Gbagbo rigged the election between him and Alassan Ouattara two years ago. There are many more such examples in other parts of Africa.

Buhari is not the problem of Nigeria’s democracy for what he had said regarding future electoral fraud. On the contrary, it is those who give the impression that the country’s electoral process is already free and fair. The real challenge is for the underdog and the overlord in our country to accept the need to reform our electoral process with the view to allow free and fair choice for voters at the federal, state, and local government levels. No party should lead Nigerians to believe that the electoral process is something without remedy. To do so is to take the risk of urging people to see election in the country as something without regard, something that may be replaced by violence and blood shedding of the high and the low, as it happened in Western Nigeria in 1965 and 1983.

Ondo: This iroko is beatable but...

Iroko to millions of his admirers, is no mean strategist Babarinsa’s book: ‘HOUSE OF WAR’, is a recommended read for all.

At no time in the recent history of Ondo state has the A C N been in a better position to win a gubernatorial election. But truth be told, it will take a helluva lot to defeat the strategist in Segun Mimiko who, in spite of the vociferous repudiations of the opposition, is largely seen as a performing governor. A visit to the state will confirm this, and his MOTHER AND CHILD project in health service delivery , though largely a Lagos state idea, is a huge testament to the people’s perception of Mimiko as a performing governor. And perception, they say, is reality.

Besides performance, which the oil producing parts, however, vociferously dispute, seeing no development to justify their contributions to the state’s solid finances, Mimiko has other things going for him. A very critical one is Abuja’s homicidal fear of letting another state go the way of the truly transformational A C N , which fear inspired the result of the 2011 governorship elections in states like Akwa Ibom, Kwara and Benue; states that people who should know say the A C N won hands down.

For both the President and the PDP, it would appear that the fear of Tinubu is the beginning of wisdom. Jonathan will, therefore, not only open the treasury to Mimiko, who is by no means poor, ahead his South-West PDP no-hopers, he will also, most probably, put the entire state security apparatus at the governor’s disposal. But again, THE HOUSE OF WAR becomes a must read for persons who may be inclined to play poker with a peoples’ wish. A word, they say, is enough for the wise!

Nothing will, however, compare with the way and manner the A C N handles its primary election process as its mis-handling could allow Mimiko snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat. Transparency must be the beginning and the end of the entire process and like Caesar’s wife, it must not only be transparent, but must be seen by all Nigerians to be so since the slightest deviation from an all- encompassing probity could prove very costly.

To an extent, and in spite of his passable performance, Mimiko could, with considerable justification, be described as an elephant with a feet of clay. After all, all politics is local, just as politics is all about people. Iroko must be counting on pure abracadabra to win the forthcoming election if he thinks he could mess up, the way he did, with all those who stood solidly by him and spared no effort in ensuring the success of his Labour party which then was a party ‘FROM NOWHERE’.

He had gone ahead to trounce a sitting governor even though Abuja ordered the announcement of a PDP victory even as votes were still being tallied in Akure, the state capital where the Electoral Law stipulated governorship election results were to be announced. That the PDP impunity was not sustainable was largely because hundreds of politicians, leaders in their own right, rallied round Mimiko even as Obasanjo was threatening to turn night to day light.

In a manner that is so unexplainable, but which so completely diminishes governor Mimiko, he has shown, time and again, that in the quest for self glorification, he sets no stock by either his word of honour or loyalty to friends. For him the end justifies the means. The

result is that literally everybody that made his victory possible, beginning from the highly regarded Dr Olaiya Oni, to countless others, have had to turn their back on him and, without a doubt, he is sure to rue his selfish proclivities come the election. That is, if the A C N does not self destruct.

In Ondo state today, not many can claim to have done more than Mrs Jumoke Anifowose in turning the A C N to the beautiful bride it has become. But unless the party is working assiduously towards the popular view that it will most probably hurt itself , shadowy organisations like the Owo DESCENDANT GROUP which has been running unnecessary and very expensive newspaper advertorials to rubbish and purloin another contestant, even where these are obviously based on fallacious grounds that the alleged has since shredded, must be stopped. To every reasonable person, their allegations collapsed the very minute Akeredolu-Ale proved not only that he was not the state Attorney-General as at the time alleged but also that Mama Ajasin was his God-Mother, pointing to close ties between the two families.

The Owo Descendants Group, in particular, has been acting in futility because no amount of political scavenging can rubbish Rotimi Akeredolu-Ale’s progressive antecedents and credentials right from his student days at Ife, till today when, in the league of legal titans like Olanipekun, Akintola and Femi Falana, he has put his deep knowledge of law at the disposal of the greater interests of the progressive cause not only in the South-West but in the country at large. Not many knew, for instance, that PDP did not supinely go back from its determined effort

to mess up with Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the Code of Conduct Bureau, but that the sinister home-spurn treachery collapsed to the withering legal profundity of the above mentioned gentlemen amongst many others. It is indeed, a needless stratagem to attempt to shore up the chances of an Amazon like Mrs Jumoke Anifowose who, apart from being a scion of the redoubtable Ajasin family, has more than paid her dues to the party, if that was ever the intention. Henceforth busy bodies should please allow the party leadership to transparently handle this heavy, indeed, divine responsibility without let or hindrance. What the time calls for is statesmanship, not sabre-rattling or political-voodoo-ism.

I have given considerable thought to the forthcoming election in Ondo state, not only because it has the potential of solidify-ing the A C N base as a national party, if it wins, but because I can easily look back three decades and see, very clearly, the sheer debauchery that the events of 1983 caused. Being an active participant who barely escaped with his life, I can see the burnings, not only of property but human beings, respectable individuals in society and the scores of ordinary easy going Nigerians who perished in that needless fiasco.

I have put down my thoughts, views and suggestions to the A C N leadership as to how this heavy responsibility can be approached and I haven’t the least doubt that these will be considered for whatever they are worth, going forward.

The odds are, obviously, heavily staked against Dr Mimiko and the A C N stands a very good chance of winning, if things are done properly.

May the good Lord guide our leaders aright.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Tunji

Adegboyega tunjade@yahoo.co.uk 08054503906 (sms only)

W

HAT former head of state and the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the last general election, General Muhammadu Buhari said (that has made some people uncomfortable) was exactly what President John F. Kennedy told the diplomatic corps of the Latin American republics on the first anniversary of the Alliance for Progress on March 13, 1962.

Kennedy had said then that “those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”.

Buhari, who spoke in Hausa while addressing members of the CPC from Niger State, who paid him a courtesy visit in Kaduna had said, “God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.’’

He did not elaborate. He didn’t have to, though.

But this is a fact of history. Why would anyone who does not harbour any sinister motive lose sleep over that? If anything, General Buhari has merely localised Kennedy’s statement to suit our peculiar environment. There is no way such a message can sink into the skulls of our political elite here if the retired general had put it as elegantly as Kennedy did. Would the PDP have

Postscript, Unlimited!

By

Oyinkan Medubi 08187172799 (SMS only) puchuckles7@gmail.com

T

HIS week, dear reader, I am turning away from the very painful subject of politics, and the painful-to-watch antics of our own very clueless politicians, to gaze a little at a subject more pleasing to the eye and velvety to the touch, namely fashion. Listen, whenever I have tuned to the fashion channel on my TV at the height of any fashion season, I have been struck in wonder.

First, I am amazed by the strange turns of the minds of these makers, movers and shakers of fashion on account of the unbelievable, out-ofthis-world styles they dish out, and I have often wondered what such minds feed on: kryptonite?

Secondly, I am often awe-struck by the wonderful thought that someone, somewhere, actually has the courage to buy these garbs.

Thirdly, I have pondered long and hard over the question of who exactly can dare the devil enough to actually wear the clothes they advertise on TV on a normal, ordinary day.

The reason I say this is because in 99.99 per cent of the foreign fashion shows I have seen, the models and creators arrive and leave the scene in street clothes that are so normal that even my dog will not notice. For whom, then, do these fashion bells toll?

From my observatory, the products of these foreign fashion scenes

Comment & Analysis

17

Of Buhari’s dogs and baboons

been happy if Buhari had said he would go to court if the elections were rigged in 2015, knowing full well that they have almost castrated the judicial process?

Are election riggers here elegant about it? Did we not see some of our big men carry ballot boxes in the 2007 elections, maiming and killing with all manner of weapons in the process? Did a top Nigerian citizen of the ruling PDP not say “we who deployed Mobile Police (MOPOL) to rig the last elections will now deploy soldiers”? Have we not heard people from the ruling party say they would ‘capture’ some places, in a democracy? Or that they would stop and search a sitting governor’s convoy? This is gutter language and the only language such people understand is gutter language. That is what Buhari has given to them in its raw form; elder statesman or no elder statesman. Do they have consideration for elder statesmen when they rig? Why is the guilty becoming jittery?

Elections are for people in a democracy to choose people to lead them. The peaceful revolution occurs when the polls are free and fair. But when elections are blatantly rigged, it is an open invitation to chaos. When the 1966 elections were rigged, we saw that in the Western Region. Also,

The retired general merely localised what J.F. Kennedy said in 1962 in 1983, after the ‘landslide victory’ of the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN), the Yoruba race did not decorate those responsible for the rigging with garlands; rather, they moved swiftly against them, burnt their property, killed some of them and gave many of those who facilitated vote rigging in the south west baptism of fire that they (the people) considered proportionate to their crime.

Nothing can be more infuriating than when some people, in broad daylight, rig elections and occupy offices illegally for (in some cases) as long as three years (of a four-year term) only to be sacked by the courts for the rightful owners to take their mandate. No punishment; not even a reprimand. Despite the fact that these people are known as renowned thieves, their soulless political party keeps promoting them (so they could steal more for the party?) and the criminals keep dancing about with a young goat. (A npe won l’ole, won ngbomo eran jo).

We need someone to do what Buhari has done. Buhari is not a saint and I am also one of those who know he did not win last year’s presiden-

“When those who want to rig election are aware that people are ready for them naira for naira, dollar for dollar, cudgel for cudgel, gun for gun, bomb for bomb, blood for blood, they would think twice. I do not support violence, but I do not know what alternatives there are when elections are so blatantly rigged as they often are in Nigeria”

tial election. The truth however is that 2015 elections will be different. This is what Buhari has seen; and it is what anyone with eyes should have seen, except those who think it is their birthright to rig elections and impose people on the electorate. More Nigerians are now getting sensitised to the evil that PDP represents. By 2015, the ruling party would have so successfully messed up itself that millions of Nigerians more would not want to have anything to do with it.

The only thing the PDP would want to resort to then is massive rigging because, as the pie gets smaller, so would the desperation to hold on to power, even in places the party has not won and could not have won even in a dream.

That is the problem the PDP is having in the south west right now.

As I have said often, that party harbours a lot of hardened criminals and when some of these criminals were sacked from power, they could not imagine life outside of the cozy government houses. For instance, those in the south west are now hallucinating of ‘capturing’ the region in the next elections. These are people who cannot point (whether with their left or right hand) to the politically sophisticated Yoruba people what they did with their money in the years they were in power illegally in the region. These are people who should thank God profusely that they escaped in one piece. They want to come back. If they have forgotten history, they will be reminded what

happened to their traitor ancestors who took the Yoruba people past the road they (the election robbers) want to tread again.

The ruling class wants peace, in fact, it romanticises it, but it forgets its twin brother, justice. Yet, both are like Siamese twins, they go together. Whoever is planning to rig elections, whether now or in 2015 and wants peace is deceiving himself. Peace can only come when votes count and elections become a true reflection of people’s wish. Over the years, it has become clear that election riggers owe no one no obligation and so behave as they wish after seizing power, in the expectation that they can repeat the same thing in the next (s)election.

Gone should be those days when people would fool Nigerians as the PDP has done for years. If it would take Buhari’s wake-up call for Nigerians to be alive to their responsibilities, so be it. When those who want to rig election are aware that people are ready for them naira for naira, dollar for dollar, cudgel for cudgel, gun for gun, bomb for bomb, blood for blood, they would think twice. I do not support violence, but I do not know what alternatives there are when elections are so blatantly rigged as they often are in Nigeria.

No right-thinking person will resort to violence when peaceful change is made possible via the ballot.

As the Yoruba people say, a bad person knows that he is a bad person; he is only waiting for someone to tell him. PDP may have some gentlemen in its fold; but it is generally evil; and that is what Buhari has just said. What we should be concerned about is the message; not the messenger.

At the height of the season’s fashion ...

I have resolved not to let fashion speak for me; I will tell it what I want fall into several categories. There are some that appear to have been intricately woven and put together by devises closely resembling a spider’s sewing machine. This is because the products appear to consist of nothing more than thin lines of cloth crisscrossing each other across the wearer’s body like a Zebra’s stripes deciding to cross each other and fight instead of going parallel in peaceful co-existence.

However, I love watching the wearers strut across the fashion stage, recklessly throwing one long leg after another after first coiling it in the opposite direction and jauntily swinging hips in such careless abandon that it is a wonder they don’t dislocate. I guess they are only paying their gleeful homage to the genius creators of their err, clothes. The more the swing, the deeper the homage.

The clothes which combine fabrics and colours so thunderously that even Thor, the fabled god of Thunder (that was before men discovered that thunder did not need a god but was entirely self-sufficient), would consider shielding his eyes to avoid being blinded fall into another category. Not only do the colours riotously produce what can only be considered, well, interesting, they also do things to the brain. They send it into a frenzy of disbelief.

Yet another group are those ones which have been made with the off-cuts from some long evening dress. Not ones to waste anything up to two inches of leftover cloth, many fashion houses have woven many artful styles from such pieces, among them ladies ‘spaghetti’ blouses.

At least, that’s what they look

like. Many unwary wearers the world over have adopted them without question as the hand or brainwork of fashion creators, not knowing those ones only wanted to reduce the debris on the cutting room floor by putting them on women’s bodies. Naturally, these left-over pieces (and that’s exactly what they are) are so small that the resulting products are equally small, resulting in tight-fitting shirts, blouses, skirts and trousers.

When men wear them, they reveal rippling muscles that God originally designed should be hidden; and when I see them, they just make me go, ‘Ugh, these should be on a farm!’.

Women, on the other hand, reveal waists so large they have no curves. Listen, I have watched some female Okada fares or passengers ride past me with their waists flowing after them as they zoomed by because the tight things they have vainly held those waists in have failed to do their work. I think that is actually what gave some universities the jitters, forcing them to come out with all kinds of dress codes.

So, I have watched men and women as I watch birds. Birds however are not only arrayed in unmatched colours that are kind to the eyes, they also appear very comfortable in their feathers. Not so our fashionistas who are anything but comfortable in their artificial dresses of many colours. Some of them can’t even breathe well. I have heard stories about and seen firsthand how young women especially have to struggle for two hours in order to be poured into their trousers or skirts. When you see them

moving around with great difficulty, you are moved to think in pity, someone’s lungs have got to be suffering.

I heard the story of one man who was so fashionable that all his wears fitted him closely. Soon, he began to have a persistent headache for which he sought medical advice. Drugs however were of no use so he went back for more advice.

‘I’m afraid’, said the medic, ‘the only recourse for this kind of persistent headache is castration’ (please pardon me, dear reader). Unable to tolerate the headaches any more, he succumbed to the medical procedure.

A little depressed afterwards, he went out to buy some more outfits. The helpful shop assistant took a look at him and suggested his size.

It proved to be correct in every particular, and so it was he got all his clothes. When it came to a pair of pants though, he insisted on the size he used to wear. ‘That can’t be,’ said the assistant, ‘because if you wear that size, you’ll get a mighty big headache’.

Now, shoes are another matter.

I am told, if I am still in the know that is, that shoes are now of very tall heights. Wishing to crosscheck this myself, I took some good looks at the ladies foot-wears at some ceremonies. While I didn’t exactly laugh, I did something very close to it. I guffawed. What I saw as shoes resembled tall, decorated stilts.

How on earth, I wondered, could anyone walk around wearing teninch heels talk, laugh and dance, eh, how? But the ladies I see around appear to be able to manage these feats, with panache too. Only one case of toppling over has come to my notice; I didn’t see it but I believe it. She

apparently was not to blame, though; it was the fault of the uneven Nigerian road. There are many problems associated with moving around in multi-storied stilts.

Once, I dragged out my own three-inch heels (my highest) out of its corner in the rack and gave them the light of a day. In short, I wore them to the office.

Neither the shoes nor I have forgotten that outing: the shoes have not forgotten because that is the last time it remembers being worn, and I have not forgotten because I returned home with my hip veritably out of joint.

Seriously. Not only did I have to take an injection for my trouble, I also had to hobble around the house on only one hip for a while, while the other persisted in remaining perpendicular to my body. So, I have reexamined my commitment to fashion.

I have resolved henceforth not to let fashion speak for me; I will tell it what I want. While I believe I do not stand in danger of being castrated, nevertheless, I do not think I want clothes so tight every sinew in my body can be read.

Supposing someone reads something I have not written there such as (no, not what you’re thinking) ‘this part is looking to be donated should I stop breathing of my own freewill’, what then? So, come next fashion season, I will choose a fashion that actually makes some sense, comfortable sense.

I will opt for a fashion that will swing clothes across the body in reckless comfort and ease. I will also choose shoes that are within reasonable heights, such as one inch above ground level.

18

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Comment & Analysis

Understanding the paranoia over Edo governorship election S

INCE the sad crash involving the convoy of Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have been battling to distance themselves from being held culpable. Through advertorials, feature stories and what not, they have adduced a litany of reasons with regards to why people should look elsewhere.

Sadly, it appears that the more they try, the more convincing they create the impression that indeed, they have foreknowledge, at least, of plans to run a moving truck headlong, into the governor’s convoy. The impression was further given a boost in a feature story written by one Callistus Omoregie and published in the Compass newspaper of Tuesday, May 8, 2012, and also syndicated in the Vanguard of Wednesday, 9, 2012.

With the publication, it is becoming evident that PDP and its agents simply want to divert public attention, particularly on the issue of the comrade governor’s convoy accident. If no one else is guilty, the author of the feature mentioned above is and it appears he knows a thing or two about the crash before it happened on Saturday, April 28, 2012. The reasons are not far to seek.

In the said article, Omoregie gave a graphic description of how the accident happened. Though his every account of the place and manner of the accident is patently incorrect, his account appears plausible enough to arouse curiosity. Indeed, it goes a long way in proving the axiom that truth is very elastic; it will fly right back and sting you if you overstretch it. That appears to be the case in the said article.

In paragraph three, Omoregie wrote inter alia: “Barely two and a half hours months to his re-election bid, a governor who just exhausted himself at a failed campaign rally, feeling angry and agitated, jumped into a vehicle and decided to drive himself, against all known protocol; perhaps with no valid driving licence and a bit of alcohol playing games in an overstrained brain, took control of the steering, and led a convoy that is reputed for recklessness. He sped off and the security vehicles gave hot chase, “normally” chasing other road users from the opposite direction into the bush. The long convoy followed at top speed all trying to catch up with the governor-turned driver.

Suddenly, the convoy arrived at a very sharp and blind bend at the same time as a truck driven by a poor driver. Then there was confusion at the bend of the single lane road that was fully occupied by a crazy convoy.

The truck driver was scared and lost control; so also the vehicles at the head of the convoy. The rest was history.”

The major thrust of Omoregie’s re-enactment of events that the Comrade Governor is the culprit as far as the accident is concerned, at least, given his accident scene portrayal. Universally, one must be present at the scene of an accident (or receive briefings from credible witnesses) to be able to re-create events as they happened. One would therefore expect that Omoregie was either present at the scene of the accident or he recreated the account from evidence given by a credible witness. But to the best of my knowledge, he was not anywhere near the scene of the crash. That perhaps leaves the only other option-a credible witness. Unfortunately, no credible witness could have given him the account he re-created because of its absolute falsehood.

The other possibility here is that it would take someone who is privy to a plan to drive a truck headlong against the governor’s convoy at a pre-arranged location to engineer the scenario painted by Omeregie. In putting the plan into motion, they will assume that certain conditions must play themselves out to justify the incident.

Happily, Omoregie knows this; little wonder that he created a scenario that fits into general expectations. That perhaps explains the emphasis on first describing the

•Oshiomhole

By Ernest Omoarelojie governor and his convoy in a plethora of unedifying adjectives. “…a governor who just exhausted himself at a failed campaign rally, feeling angry and agitated, jumped into a vehicle and decided to drive himself, against all known protocol; perhaps with no valid driving licence and a bit of alcohol playing games in an overstrained brain, took control of the steering and led a convoy that is reputed for recklessness …”

Omoregie stated clearly that the accident happened in a very sharp and blind bend. In reality, it happened on a straight stretch of road of over 500 metres where every driver can see clearly ahead without any obstruction. Secondly, he alleged that the truck crashed on the leading vehicles.

In truth, the truck and its driver were actually selective in the choice of vehicles to run into.

Instead of crashing into the first two leading vehicles comprising the pilot car and the one incidentally driven by the governor, it chose to crash headlong into the governor’s official Flag Car, clearly identifiable because of the flag fluttering on its front hood and sent it tumbling severally into the bush. Thereafter, it rammed into the bus on which the governor’s media team was travelling, resulting in the death of three journalists and injuring several others.

Clearly, Omoregie’s feature is a recollection of plans put in place before the accident occurred. In other words, with the manner he succinctly re-created his variation of the accident scene, it is clear that he is part of a larger group that attempted to engineer an accident aimed at removing Oshiomhole from campaigning for his reelection. As part of the plan, he, along with his other accomplices, had a pre-conceived spot designed for the accident-look-alike.

Unfortunately, the crash either happened before or after the designated spot.

But because someone still pre-occupied with an obviously over-studied and overassimilated scenario, is in a hurry to find some plausibly reckless justification for the crash. The best option would be to simply regurgitate everything, unmindful of the fact that people can rationalise beyond the pedestrian level displayed in Omoregie’s article.

Omoregie labeled Comrade Oshiomhole as “The culprit, the governor, who caused the accident…” Considering the fact that all his claims about the cause and manner of the accident are false, Omoregie needs to tell the world how the governor instigated the truck or its driver into crashing headlong into his convoy leading to the death of “innocent souls…” as he puts it. Obviously, it appears he knows more than he has written down about how the crash occured. He needs to tell the world those who planned it. What also remains to be done now is for security agencies to invite him and his conspirators to explain what they know about it.

Ostensibly angry that the Comrade Governor, the target survived, Omoregie took on everyone that raised a voice of support and solidarity for him. In toll, Louis Odion, the state Information commissioner, Prince Kassim Afegbua, Director of Media and Publicity and leadership of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers were not spared. He described both Odion and Afegbua as erstwhile respected journalists.

Unfortunately, his own name cannot be juxtaposed with the duo anywhere journalism is mentioned. Woefully, he failed to tell Nigerians that only people like him, without any professional media pedigree and so would not understand the workings of the profession, are those who no longer respect both Odion and Afegbua.

Omoregie is quick to note that Comrade Oshiomhole was once an apprentice tailor hence the Textile, Garment and Tai-

loring Workers union supported him unquestionably. (He deliberately avoided identifying his own profession as doing so would have been very embarrassing for his professional colleagues who will suddenly realize that his intellectual capability is dwarfed by that of an apprentice tailor.)

How can someone who re-created an accident scene without witnessing it reasonably accused another one of partisanship in describing how it happened or supporting their comrade, the intended victim, particularly as the latter received dependable briefing from reliable eye witnesses?”

I am at a loss here and my questions are numerous. When will PDP and its agents be rid of their obnoxious penchant for redefining logic? When will members of PDP stop peddling logic that is at variance with deductive syllogism? The world would like to know why Omoregie would re-create an accident scene he never witnessed. Nigerians want him to tell them where he found the moral courage to upbraid another person or group, who unlike him, described what happened exactly the way it did having heard it from a credible source.

Generally, Omoregie accused the Comrade Governor of being paranoia over his re-election bid. In a hurry to nail an imaginary target, he raised issues that are at variance with his subject matter. I need to know the nexus between the comrade governor’s perceived paranoia and the PDP inspired mansion over which he allegedly spent a whooping N10 billion? Better still, how did it become a governorship re-election issue that makes the governor paranoid? Or does the comrade re-election programme include transferring the Dennis Osadebey seat of government from its present location to Iyamho? Why would the state’s Internally Generated Revenue make the governor paranoid? Or is there also a bank in the said mansion into which he plans to transfer and hide all the state’s internally generated revenue such that he is obviously worried that it is being threatened? Or is he just being paranoid of facing the same people who have graciously acknowledged his performance and declared their desire to vote him into office a second time? What point is Omoregbe labouring to make? It will be interesting to see the connection.

By now, if anyone is still in doubt about how well Comrade Oshiomhole has handled the affairs of the state, the person must be from outer space. Even at that, if such a person raises any doubt about what the governor has done for the state and its people, something must be fundamentally wrong with such a person’s sense of appropriation.

Given where they are coming from, I am not surprise at all that Omoregie and his other co-travellers are still in a haze and so will not see what the governor has done in so few a number of years. If they still don’t believe in miracles, they should be reminded that it takes longer to build than repair. It is a miracle that in less than four years, Oshiomhole what Omoregie’s group wrecked in almost one decade.

Is that why they want to replace truth with make-beliefs and even assume that the world reason along the same ignorant line, seeing nothing where everyone else sees newly constructed hospitals, roads, schools, etc,? Obviously, Omoregie, like his friends, sees nothing because their sense of appreciation is obviously transgressed.

Otherwise, there is no other explanation for anyone to want to advertise the view that the governor’s evident performance is fabled as Omoregie is trying to do. If it has become a matter of routine for him to drive through roads, see hospitals and schools constructed and/or rehabilitated by the governor and refer to them as fabled, I will not be surprise at all if he publishes tomorrow that the devil is the same thing as the Arch Angel.

POLITICS

19

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Did Buhari go too far?

•Buhari

General Muhammadu Buhari’s recent warning against rigging in 2015 elections has pitched the opposition against the Presidency and Peoples Democratic Party. Sam Egburonu, in this report, examines the allegation that the retired general went too far in his choice of words.

“I

F what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,”General Muhammadu Buhari.

Former Military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, may not have anticipated the kind of controversy the statement he made on Monday is generating across the country, considering that he probably considered the occasion to be a mere family meeting. As the National Leader and Presidential Candidate of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the retired army general was addressing a delegation of the Niger State chapter of his party. So, like a father to his children, he spoke freely in Hausa language: “God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, ‘the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,” he said.

Perhaps because of his stature as former Head of State, the statement, which many Nigerians described variously as weighty, unbecoming of an elder statesman, deep, reckless or forthright, immediately struck a major chord that has both electrified the Nigerian polity and pitched opposition political parties against the Presidency and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The Buhari’s utterance has also brought to the fore sensitive issues like

fears over 2015 elections, rigging, violence and such like. Above all, politicians and observers, while reacting to the comments are sharply divided, as they debate whether the former Head of State erred in his criticism or exceeded his limits in his diction.

Blunder or forthrightness?

While his political party, CPC, and most of the other opposition political parties have insisted that the general’s criticism was in order, the presidency, the ruling People’s Democratic Party and some other Nigerians have expressed disappointment at his choice of words, arguing that he went too far when he alluded to a bloody aftermath of 2015 elections.

First to react harshly was the presidency.

In a statement, signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Dr Reuben Abati, the president said the former head of state’s statement was “unfortunate and unbecoming of a former head of state.”

The statement reads: “The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to unfortunate statements in the media made by former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) in which he allegedly predicted bloodshed in 2015 and labelled the Federal Government led by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as “the biggest Boko Haram”.

“But perhaps the most unfortunate part of the statement was the portion in which Buhari said that, “Since the leaders now don’t listen to anybody but do whatever they wish, there is nothing the north can do.”

“We find it very sad that an elder statesman who once presided over the entirety of Nigeria can reduce himself to a regional leader who speaks for only a part of Nigeria.”

The Presidency also said: “When Buhari says that “if what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, ‘the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood”, we hereby state that it is Buhari himself who does not listen…

“Indeed, such a reaction from Buhari is not totally unexpected since he has become a serial election loser who has never taken his past election defeats graciously even when such elections were generally acknowledged to be free and fair.”

Some other Nigerians have also come out to condemn the general utterance. For example, Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye, described the statement as “provocative” and “unguided” and must be checked, noting that the former Head of State was in the habit of threatening the nation as he similarly threatened the nation that he would make government ungovernable for the president if the election of 2011 was rigged.

Speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, during the week, he said” “Nigeria belongs to all of us, we have no other place to go and we should watch our utterances, no matter our status.

“We are in a very trying time and we need to be prayerful and work our prayers; we need to be positive and concrete in our thoughts and work our thoughts.

The clergy added that “The former Head of State ought to have been invited by secu-

rity agencies for questioning if we are in other climes. I don’t know what our security agents are still waiting for. No matter whose ox is gored, if another person had made such a statement, they will say he is planning something against the country.

Buhari and his supporters were not perturbed by the presidential tonguelashing and condemnations by some Nigerians. Reacting to allegations that the presidency may be considering the option of issuing arrest warrant against Buhari as a follow up to the explosive utterance, the former military leader said only those currently contemplating to rig the 2015 elections could have been afraid of the threat of a violent response.

The National Secretary of the CPC, Alhaji Buba Galadima, explaining the Presidency’s response said, “They are picking on the General because it is him they are afraid of and because once you take away rigging, they are gone; but they have forgotten that their master, Obasanjo was the first to talk of do or die, do or die means blood, if you don’t do what I want I will kill you, that is what he said.

“The issue is very simple; if you are not a thief why should you be afraid if they say whoever steals should be killed? That is why they are afraid.”

A member of CPC Renewal Committee, Comrade Wilfred Frank Agbotobo, from Bayelsa State, who defended Buhari told The Nation that PDP response to Buhari’s statement lacks content and logic. “The presidency and the PDP should realise that contrary to their distorted, narrow thinking, Buhari has over the years cultivated love, loyalty and respect in the hearts of the multitude of living fellowership in the South-South who cherish him in high esteem. Presently, there is recovery and deep regret over the manipulation that led to the emergence of the present apparently confused PDP administration.

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the leading opposition political party in the country, was also not impressed by the response of the Presidency. The party therefore scolded the administration for launching a personal attack on Buhari, just because he gave “a valid warning against election rigging.”

The ACN added that the verbal attacks against Buhari were reflective of the determination of the ruling administration to use the instrument of power to return itself to power.

In a statement, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued in Osogbo, Osun State, the party said Buhari’s statement was “nothing but a warning against those who may be planning to rig the 2015 general elections hence should not have rankled anyone who believes in free, fair and transparent polls.” ‘’We hold no brief for anyone. But it is true that if elections are rigged, as they have been so shamelessly and brazenly done by the PDP since 1999, naturally people will react, and in doing so it is impossible for anyone to predict how far things can go. This is what, in our opinion, Gen. Buhari warned against. If the presidency and the PDP have no intention to rig in 2015, why are they so worried about the consequences of such action,’’ ACN queried?

The party said Buhari’s warning was in order, considering that the 2011 general elections remain the most systematically-rigged polls in Nigeria’s history, irrespective of the so-called endorsement by some visceral foreign election monitors. The debate is still ongoing.

20

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Politics

T

HE post election violence in Kaduna and other parts of the north in April 2011 dealt a serious blow on the peace initiatives of the Kaduna State Government.

Before then, Kaduna had been polarized along religious lines with Christians living predominantly in the southern part while the Muslims formed majority of those living in the northern part of the metropolis. On assumption of office as the governor of the state, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa immediately put in place machineries to sustain efforts by his predecessors to ensure that everybody in the state live in peace. Several peace initiatives were therefore initiated, including an assurance by the governor that he will be fair and just to all, irrespective of religion or ethnicity. One of such moves is the establishment of a Peace and Reconciliation Committee that has been going round the state trying to build synergy among the various communities. But the current security challenges in the country have further increased the need for adequate security in the state if investors are to take interest in coming to invest in the state.

The Yakowa government has said several times that it is aware of the role peace and security play in the development of any society. This apparently explains the decision of the government to invest heavily on security, a decision that has been widely criticized especially by the opposition parties in the state. At a meeting with traditional rulers in the state on the security challenges facing the state, the governor, represented by his Deputy, Mukthar Ramalan Yero, said, “We are all aware that peace and security form the bedrock for the development of any society. Therefore, whenever and wherever peace and security are challenged, development is automatically compromised.”

Buttressing his belief in the restoration of peace in the state at a recent investment summit in the United States of America, the governor noted that both foreign and local investors are finding the state safe for investment because of the government’s investment in security, adding, “My adminis-

Challenges of security and investment in Kaduna

•Yakowa

tration has been doing a lot of things to make the state very safe for both the natives and foreigners. We are also doing everything to ensure that terrorists do not have any place to stay or hide in Kaduna State. With all these steps and support from the federal

Recently, the administration of Governor Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna State has been under intense criticism for investing excessively on security. Tony Akowe, in Kaduna, attempts to unravel the root cause of the controversy and reports government and our security agencies, Kaduna State will soon overcome its security challenges. Security challenges are everywhere and every state knows how it manages its own security problem”.

But there are those who believe that the

‘History will judge Yakowa positively’ Emmanuel Ado is a commentator on public issues and an external media consultant to Kaduna State governor, Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa. Ahead the first year anniversary of the tenure of his administration, Ado spoke of what the governor has achieved and what he is yet to achieve.

•Ado

I

T is almost one year since the current administrations at the state and federal levels came into office. Looking back, what would you say has been the experience in the hands of the governments?

I will want to concern myself to Kaduna state and the government of Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa. That is not to say that what is happening in Abuja has no effect or impact on what is happening in Kaduna. I will rather focus my attention on Kaduna state. Be that has it may, I want to say that Yakowa as the governor of the state has given a good account

huge investment by the government on security has not yielded any positive results. The Action Congress of Nigeria in the state believe that the Kaduna State Government should wake up from slumber and genuinely design a way out of the present security challenges facing the state.

In fact, critics of the administration argue that the Peace and Reconciliation Committee, set up by the Yakowa administration, is a mockery of an acceptable standard of peace initiative. They maintained that the foundation of peace is justice and fairness which unfortunately have continued to elude the Yakowa administration. This criticism became more rampant after the governor’s Principal Private Secretary; Allahmagani Yohana, was quoted as saying that the state is spending about N300 million on security, weekly.

Though the government denied this, stressing at every given opportunity that expenditure on security depend on circumstances the state found itself, critics have held onto the claim of spending such huge amount of money on security. But the government believes that the investment on security has yielded positive result.

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Reuben Buhari, said it is the government’s investment on security that has led to the new investments coming into the state. Buhari said “as we speak, I am sure you are aware that Indomie noodles are now produced here in Kaduna. If the investment in security was not yielding positive results, I am not sure that company will come and establish a plant in this state.

Masey Fergusson, the American Tractor manufacturing giant is coming to Kaduna to establish a plant. There are other investors that have agreed to come and invest in the state. If the investment was not yielding results, they will not come to the state”.

Emmanuel Ado, a Media consultant to the governor also believes that investment on security by the state government is not misplaced at all. He said in an interview that with the investments, new industries have started coming to the state. He said “the industries are coming and for sure, industries are not just a barometer for a robust economy, but an indication as well of the sign of peace.” However, The Nation investigation shows that one major challenge that government may not have paid serious attention to is the issue of miscreants, who specialize in hard drugs such as Indian hemp and sniffing cough syrup solution used by vulcanizers in order ‘to get high.’

Those involved in this contributed significantly to the violence that erupted during the post election violence in the state. While these youths have continued to pose grave danger to the society and the state at large, it seems nothing tangible has been done either by security agents or the government to call them to order or check their activities.

In spite of the security challenges across the state, the Yakowa administration believes it has done well by providing infrastructural facilities. Even though the efforts of the government have largely gone unnoticed, investigations revealed that at the moment, there are over 400 roads under construction across the state. While some of them are tarred, others are being constructed as earth roads to provide access to communities in the hinterland of the state to have easy access to the city and transport their agricultural produce to the market. The courage to construct a fourth bridge across the Kaduna river is one effort that has received wide applause from residents of the state who believe that when completed, the bridge will ease the current difficulty experienced daily by residents of the state especially those residing in the southern part of the metropolis.

of himself in the last one year. Very soon, like it has become the tradition, you are going to see people giving their judgement on whether he has done well or not. I would rather want us to contextualise our analysis. First, he is not a superman; secondly, he is just a leader. Has Yakowa provided the needed leadership and given an indication of where he wants to take Kaduna state to? Yes. The next question is; have we followed and played our own part in making Kaduna state a better place? In what way have we contributed to peace and security in the state? In what way have we contributed in solving some social problems that I see on the roads, in schools? You don’t expect Yakowa the superman to be everywhere doing all these things. I will rather we ask ourselves how we have contributed in taking Kaduna to the next level within the last one year. Have we been paying our taxes? Without resources, what do you expect the governor to do with a wage bill of over N2.2 billion? So, there are challenges and he has provided the leadership needed to confront those challenges.

So, what are the critical areas where the governor has impacted on the state positively?

For Yakowa’s government, civil service reform is very key. He is paying the new minimum wage to workers. There is so much attention on peace and security and people will say why so much attention on security.

Without peace and security, will people come into Kaduna? Will the Nigeria Football Fed-

eration bring the Super Eagles to Kaduna or will Indomie come to build a factory in Kaduna; will Dangote buy that carpet factory along the Western bye pass? I understand they are planning to start producing juice and Mowa water there. The governor went to the United States of America and Massey Furgerson is coming to establish a plant here in Kaduna. Without peace and security, can you do anything?

So, the emphasis is not misplaced.

There is also the issue of power which is very critical too. There is a committee put in place by the Kaduna state government, headed by the former minister, Arch. Nuhu Way, and they have been interfacing with the NIPP and the Federal Ministry of Power to ensure that the 30 megawatts of electricity lying unused at the Gurara dam is evacuated to Kadauna.

If industries are coming to Kaduna, they need power. The governor is desirous of facilitating the industrial development of Kaduna.

But some people feel that government is not doing anything about employment generation. What is he doing in this regard, especially bringing back some of the industries that are dead?

I want to challenge indigenes of Kaduna state. The era of government running businesses is gone. Now, government is into Public Private Partnership. Kachia Ginger Factory, Ikara Tomatoes Factory and Zaria Pharmaceutical have no reason not to be running. Where are Kaduna state indigenes? These days, it is no longer about money because I can give you money and you waste it. It is all about ideas.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Politics

Political Politics

Political

turf

ripples Imo power rumpus

T

HE closely guarded rift between Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and his deputy, Sir Jude Agbaso, which has been successfully managed in the last four months, may have worsened, following the growing antagonism between Agbaso and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu over the juicy Ministry of Works.

Although Imo State Government •Okorocha House sources claim that Agbaso still oversees the ministry, as the substantive Commissioner of Works, Ripples learnt that Uwajumogu, who Okorocha allegedly asked to oversee the ministry recently, has, as rumour mongers would say, rendered the deputy governor redundant. Of course, tongues are wagging that the power play between the first three citizens of the state is becoming more intense by the day.

Where is Jim Nwobodo?

M

with Bolade Omonijo boladeomonijo@yahoo.com •Mark

W

ITH the approval of Sena tor Dahiru Kuta-led Com mittee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental affairs on the confirmation of the appointment of Mr. Diogu Uche Romanus from Imo State as a member of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and Senate President David Mark’s warning to future lobbyists for federal appointments to always seek their senator’s support as part of their lobby, Ripples learnt that some governors feel the senate president may be setting up a stage for rivalry between them and the senators over federal appointments.

It would be recalled that the intrigues that trailed the initial refusal of National Assembly to approve appointment of Romanus in April, was traced to refusal of Senators Mathew Ifeanyi Nwagwu and Chris Anyanwu, two senators from his state, Imo.

Sullivan Chime’s mother last week

F

And Buhari returns

By Sunday Oguntola

ing blow where it hurts most. Receiving a delegation from the Niger State chapter of the (CPC), Buhari said also that the next general elections must be free and fair or else there would be serious crisis in the country.

According to him, ‘’I will like to quote Professor Ango Abdullahi that said there are three Boko Harams, including the original one led by Muhammed Yusuf who was killed and his supporters tried to take revenge in attacking the law enforcement agencies and politicians.

“There is another developed Boko Haram of criminals who steal and kill, while the biggest Boko Haram is the Federal Government. In 2015, there must be a free and fair election or there will be a serious crisis. God willing by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way’’.

That statement has thrown the nation into frenzy. Suddenly, Buhari has become the in-thing. Every political commentator and analyst is either supporting or dismissing the statement. By comparing the federal government to the despicable Boko Haram sect, Buhari has received the kind of attention a politician of his stature needs.

Experts say it is a calculated attempt to

Salami: Of peace, justice and unity

As Mark empowers senators W

ANY of his political supporters and admirers who have been worried over the seeming disappearance of former Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, could not hold back their joy last week, when he attended the burial ceremony of Governor Sullivan Chime’s mother and was welcomed heartily with cries of Jiiimmm! jiiimmm!

The passion is understandable because of the way he deliberately disappeared from public political life. Ripples gathered that Nwobodo’s decision to keep away from the political podium may have a lot to do with a feeling of unfair dealings by the federal government both when he lost his bank and the intricate circumstances that frustrated moves to revive the bank. According to our source, “it is for this reason that Jim reclined to himself.”

Ripples report that the once flashy politician now lives a relatively secluded private life in Abuja and occasionally visits Enugu, though he still enjoys very cordial relationship with the Sullivan Chimeled state government. For instance, we gathered that he is still a very influential member of the •Nwobodo with Dora Akunyili, others at the burial ceremony of Governor Elder’s Forum, a group that has Chime’ ears.

ORMER Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd), has suddenly regained his voice. He lost it few days to the last general elections.

Overwhelmed by the enormity of challenges facing the nation, Buhari openly broke down in tears during a news conference in Abuja. The open display of emotions by the retired general was interpreted by pundits as a sign of resignation. Buhari, they said, realised he would never become a democraticallyelected president because of his lean purse and rigidity. He discovered he was helpless and broke down in tears.

Buhari, at the event, had said: ‘’For me this campaign is doubly significant.

First, because it is an election in which more clearly and more unambiguously than the previous two in 2003 and 2007, our victory is assured, as evidenced by the unprecedented turnout by the people and spontaneous popular acclaim all over the country. And, second, because this campaign is the third and last one for me; since, after it, I will not present myself again for election into the office of the president.’’

Thereafter, he went more or less into political oblivion. But he emerged last week to justify the saying that old generals never die. He hit the presidency below the belt and delivered a damn-

21

regain the consciousness of the nation.

He has the presidency and political class scampering for cover.

The Presidency expectedly berated Buhari, dismissing him a blood thirsty politician and a ‘’serial election loser’’.

An elder statement of his calibre, the presidency said should not be saying those things. But opposition parties have also thrown their weight behind Buhari, saying he was in order. Northern governors emerged last Thursday from a strategic meeting backing the retired general. There was nothing wrong in what he said, they agreed.

For now, Buhari has the nation’s attention once again. Pundits expect him to release those bombshells intermittently until the next elections to remain relevant and in view. The plan, it is believed, is to keep the presidency on its toes and sustain attention. With Nigerians becoming disillusioned and disenchanted with the performance of the President Goodluck Jonathan, the script

by Buhari seems to be well on course.

2015 is three years away but Buhari is starting earlier this time around. His other campaigns kicked off late, leaving him with no time to consolidate and sell himself. With his new found voice and vigour, Buhari is taking giant political steps. Whether or not they would take him to the seat of power remains to be seen.

HEN last week, the National Judicial Council finally came round to accept the inevitability of the decision to reinstate Justice Ayo Salami as President of the Court of Appeal, it appeared that the crucial third estate of the realm had embarked on a redeeming mission. Lovers of democracy and justice heaved a sigh of relief and said there were still things that the national ruling party may be unable to fix after all.

But, more than a week after the recommendation, nothing has happened. Justice Salami, a man who brought dignity to the Bench is still in the doldrums. Democrats and patriots are still mounting pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to do the needful in the case.

I do not know if leaders of the executive branch are familiar with the history of democracy and the fact that people fought in different parts of the world to ensure that the people are the kings in their countries. In Nigeria, too, the blood of patriots watered the tree of liberty. How? Remember the Iva Valey Massacre in Enugu that claimed lives of protesting workers in 1949. Remember too that, although Herbert Macaulay died at the ripe age of 80, the stress of leading the campaign against the unrepresentative Arthur Richards Constitution contributed to his final collapse. Many others had to give way to have Nigeria. People like Anthony Enahoro, Osita Agwuna, Raji Abdallah, among others, were thrown into prison custody many times by the colonial state. Their demand; let there be justice and freedom.

Many years after, beneficiaries of the freedom are misusing it. They are behaving like the colonial masters. They are oppressors of fellow citizens and compatriots.

I do not know if rulers of Nigeria have ever paid attention to the wordings of the national anthem. The first stanza is all about call to serve a country that acknowledges the labour of heroes past. Nigeria, it insists, must be a nation bound in freedom, peace and unity. By playing politics with the judiciary, by attempting to cover up the misdeeds of a departing Chief Justice, by punishing a man who has stood for truth, are they doing anything ennobling?

The anthem ends with a solemn pledge to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign. It is sad that at an age when all nations realise that the foundation of genuine unity and peace can only be justice and would do anything to serve that end, Nigeria is ebbing further away. What is delaying the reinstatement? I heard the Attorney General of the Federation explain that he had been out of the country and could therefore not volunteer an opinion.

That is revolting. How long did it take the President to endorse Salami’s suspension? What is there really to consider? When he was being suspended, the President said his hands were tied and that he was doing so in obedience to the principle of Rule of Law. He said he had no right to vary the opinion or recommendation of the NJC. So, what is the problem now, has the principle changed? It is sickening how the PDP, the party that claims to have the mandate of the people to rule, is insisting that the NJC should be damned. It is suggesting that Justice Salami enjoys the support of just a section of the political class. What about eminent jurists and lawyers who have weighed in on the matter? Are they also being partisan?

We must learn to speak the truth always. You cannot persecute a man as high up at the Appeal Court President, the number three man on the hierarchy of the third branch of government and expect order in the institution. Others are watching. Junior judicial officers would certainly take exception to the treatment and all it could invite is anarchy.

Once again, I am worried and disappointed by the caliber of men holding offices in Nigeria. There is a Ministry of Justice.

Let’s assume that Adoke Bello was telling the truth when he said he was not seized of the matter, had not been briefed.

Does the constitution suggest that nothing should move in the country in his absence? Isn’t there a Solicitor General who could have filled the gap in Adoke’s absence? And, in any case, what was there to review? The President was merely playing the ostrich.

This President has not demonstrated the capacity to take prompt, decisive action in the interest of the country. He loves power and could go to any length in using it, but that is when it confers advantages on him. He knows what to say and do to ensure that PDP national chairmen do his bidding. When they do not, he sends them to court for cases he has no intention of pursuing to logical conclusion.

As I said last week, these are signs that things have gone awry. It is not the way to run a country and expect that the ship of state can safe safely to the shore. If President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is at a loss how to mobilize Nigerians to do all necessary to take giant development strides, he should save us the prevarication and certain disaster.s

22

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Politics

PoliticsWeek ...Next week’s issues, events and persons

Imo community dares Okorocha Governor Rochas Okorocha’s development policy is facing a major threat as Amawom community, whose land the Imo State Government is trying to take over, battles hard, reports Chinaka Okoro

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HE Imo Monumental Projects comprising a 25storey world-class hotel, ecumenical centre and other stateof-the-art edifices proposed by Governor Rochas Okorocha appear threatened. The Amawom community on whose land the projects would be sited has occupied the land. The land is the Area K of the World Bank housing layout Owerri.

Amawom is one of the five villages that make up Owerri Nchise.

Others are Umuororonjo, Umuodu, Umuoyima, and Umueji.

In an interview with The Nation, a representative of the community Mr Emmanuel Abiodun Ozuzu stated that the land which used to be known as Warigariga and Ishiokohia farm lands are now called Area K Owerri.

He disclosed that the essence of the community’s occupation of the land is to say no to government because “as Owerri indigenous people, our rights have been violated. Government’s action contravenes UN Charter, chapter 61 subsection 1, about the protection of indigenous people’s rights.”

He regretted that government has based its argument on the Land Use Act of 1978, saying that “fundamentally, the act invests lands on the government to hold on trust for the people,” noting that “we are part of what UN termed indigenous people because we are of a distinct race; we have culture and economic antecedents that are peculiar to our people. Anything that government does without regard to the preservation of that culture is a contravention of the United Nations resolution.”

This was also contained in a communiqué issued and signed by the executive of the Amawom Welfare Association (AWA) among who are Chief Jonathan Unanka (KSC) and Mr Gabriel Osuji, chairman and secretary respectively.

The communiqué reads: “It does not accord with natural justice, equity and good conscience

sundaynation@yahoo.com (08023165410 sms only)

People on the Podium

•Okorocha •Ozuzu

•Duruji

for the state government to hide under the thin guise of the Land Use Act to dispossess us of our remaining inheritance and make us homeless…It cannot be the intention of the makers of the Act to make an indigenous people, i.e. Owerri people, homeless in their ancestral abode… Any development initiative that does not take the interest of man into due consideration is unapologetically anti-man, inhuman, and a misnomer…”

Continuing, Ozuzu said his community has played significant roles in the development of Owerri as the state capital, even as he revealed that since 1976 when Imo State was created, Amawom community has been landlord to the triumvirate arms of government.

“The fact that we have found ourselves in a situation where we are landlords to these three arms of government, and for the fact that we needed development, we had to, over the years, give our lands numbering about 15 (the least measuring not less than 30 hectares) to government for the development of the state,” he said.

He listed some of the 15 lands his community had allegedly freely given to government to include the present Government House, the police headquarters, shell camp, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Federal Medical Centre, old secretariat; both at Okigwe Road and Orlu Road, Imo Hotels, NITEL headquarters, NIPOST headquarters, old stadium, Assumpta Cathedral, Holy Ghost College, old D and Area E, and others that are among the 17 farm lands that the community had.

Accusing the government of disregard for the rule of law, Ozuzu disclosed that in 1999, the Amawom community went to court when the then government showed interest in taking over the land.

“The matter is before a competent court of law. Governor Okorocha forcibly took this land without consultation and negotiation with the land owners. Then after clearing the land which is about 24 hectares or 420 plots, our people came and occupied it because we are almost getting extinct.

“Governor Okorocha erred in

his approach to the issue. If he is interested in the land and knowing that the matter is in court, what he should have done is to vacate the matter in court and then approach and talk to us with respect,” he said.

Refuting government’s claim that it had sent a delegation to the community with a view of negotiating with them, Ozuzu said: “Amawom community has a constituted administrative hierarchy like the Amawom Welfare Association which took the matter to court. I challenge the government to produce evidence of any formal invitation to Amawom community for negotiation.”

Stressing the need for government to establish industries where greater percentage of jobless Imo people could be employed, Ozuzu said Owerri has enough hotels and churches which are the most prominent of the proposed projects.

Responding to Amawon community’s position, Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy Dr Obinna Duruji said the community may be ignorant of the fact that by virtue of the Land Use Act of 1978 (as amended), all lands belong to the state, especially in the urban areas.

Based on this, he said, the land opposite Green Land which government wants to use for Imo monumental projects belongs to the state government and the governor is the symbol and representative of government.

The commissioner further stated that the state is in dire need of tangible development, even as he added that development has to be carried out on the planet earth.

“All the gigantic projects listed for development of Imo State, including the capital have to be on lands. None of those indigenous to Imo State has advocated the relocation of the state capital from Owerri to another area.

“You cannot develop Owerri in the absence of the lands in Owerri; you cannot develop Imo State without acquiring lands from Imo State as we cannot import lands from Bayelsa, Adamawa, or from Kogi states,” he said.

• Personalities who would likely dominate political discourse this week include President Goodluck Jonathan and former Military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, whose verbal exchanges last week have brought new zest to the hitherto dull political scene.

Apart from these two, other personalities that are likely to dominate political or power dis•Salami course include the suspended President of Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami and Minister of Finance, Ngozi OkonjoIweala.

Salami will continue to be in the news since his reinstatement as PCA has continued to be delayed by hi-wired politics. There were reports last week that government may have •Okonjo-Iweala tried to persuade him to apply for voluntary retirement, a proposal Salami reportedly rejected since according to sources it would have amounted to self indictment. As it is, the politics will continue this week.

Mrs. Iweala will be in the news because of her curent demand for National Assembly’s approval of the N1.8 trillion laon from World Bank and other foreign financial institutions which the federal government plans to use in financing some major projects captured in the 2012 budget.

•Tambuwal, Speaker of the House

Events, issues …

• At the House of Representatives, it is expected that the probe into the over 200 audit queries for which the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla, was dragged to the House last week, would continue to feature prominently this week.

It would be recalled that Otunla, who mistakenly presented a wrong report before the House (Report meant for Senate Committee), pleaded to be given time this week to represent. The probe’s intrigues peaked last week when Atalu, who has failed to appear before the lawmakers finally made it, but was tonguelashed by angry lawmakers who threatened to jail him.

•Jega: INEC boss

• Also this week, preparations for the Edo State July 14 governorship election will continue to make headlines. It would be recalled that most of the participating political parties, especially Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have c o n t i n u a l l y e x p r e s s e d disappointment over the preparations of the Independent National Electoral Commission. While Edo State chapter of

ACN reportedly accused INEC officials of manipulating Voter Register to favour PDP, PDP objected to INEC’s plan to make use of corps members.

SUNDAY INTERVIEW

23

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

‘Nigeria lacks structure to fight terror’ Dr. Joseph Sunny Moneke is a United Kingdom based terrorism expert with specialisation in aviation. In this interview with Assistant Editor, Onyedi Ojiabor, he ex-rayed the Boko Haram phenomenon as well efforts by government to deal with the sect. He argues that the situation cannot be resolved by armed confrontation alone.

•MONEKE

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ERROR attacks rather than abating are increasing at an alarming rate. What is the way out?

For most of us who live in Britain we find it difficult even to come back to Nigeria our fatherland because of the prevailing security situation. Honestly, several times in quiet of the night, sitting alone in my study in England I ponder over what has happened to Nigeria and its security environment. What has caused the swift deterioration in our national fabric? Nigeria, the envy and the pride of Africa, was once a perfectly normal, religiously harmonious society with only occasional tension between Moslems and Christians. The recent trauma, reckless butchery and the mass exodus of non-indigenes from Maidugiri, Borno State and some other core north areas of Nigeria are my greatest nightmare.

What is seen today is a byproduct of many years of growth and decay in our national security as past regimes never gave attention to national security. Intelligence was relegated to the background when it is supposed to be in the front line. I want to refer you to the remark of a former Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero in 2006. Ehindero while at a Senate Committee question and answer session in September 2006 told the Senate that his mobile police personnel were ill-equipped to match the sophistication of modern day armed robbers. This revelation was supposed to have precipitated intense worry and anxiety in Nigerians but nobody expressed any form of apprehension then as if we did not understand the implication of what he said. The statement implied that our security was challenged and every institution was on its own to guarantee lives and property within their jurisdiction. This state of anomaly continued with time. So what we are seeing today is an accumulated decay in our security situation.

Is the present administration managing the situation better?

They are managing the prevailing situation well because if you look at the whole thing and the way they handled the 2011 election, many people anticipated that the election was going to be very bad; people anticipated that there would be theatres of blood in parts of the country - but even the international com-

munity commended the conduct of the election.

But it is worrisome that the security situation has deteriorated so much after the election…

Yes the situation deteriorated after the election because of some factors especially the zoning issue of Peoples Democratic Party. The struggle of which region should have the presidential slot was a major factor that inflamed militancy in parts of the country. As the controversy persisted, there was a war drum going in the SouthSouth geo-political zone. Some people in the South-South threatened that if President Goodluck Jonathan was not allowed to have the slot they would make the country ungovernable. So from the two extreme points, Northern part and Southern point militancy was being inflamed. So the zoning controversy was at the heart of the problem.

Can you track the decline to the point of today’s frightening security challenges?

It was gradual. First of all it started as a single day operation.

It went into double, then it went into triple and multi-single day operations, until it came to the precarious situation we have today. A lot of things brought the situation to the point we are today. Some of these guys are byproducts of past elections, stateless combatants that are numbered almost two million all over the country. Some of them were used during election, and after using them they were abandoned by their political masters without proper rehabilitation. The issue now is what we are going to do with these boys that had been abandoned. The arms briefing and orientation the boys received during the elections is another reason why the surge in militancy has continued. How to handle the debriefing of these boys should be the concern of Nigerians. What do we do with the cache of arms given to the guys by their political masters? Until we are able to solve these problems we may not be able to handle what is going on.

People have been propounding theories on how to address the security challenge. What is the way out?

I have always said that confrontation will not lead us anywhere. All over the world it has been established that combat operations or combat remedies have never worked in such situations. America tried it in Iraq it didn’t work; they tried it in Afghanistan it didn’t work. In Iraq they came back to compromise, the same thing with what is currently going on in Afghanistan where they are coming to terms with the Taliban.

Having said that, I strongly believe that the care-frontation method should be applied. It is too expensive to continue this war of killing Boko Haram sect members and Boko Haram sect members in turn killing soldiers and other people in sight. The war seems to be endless; the war is expensive; the war is getting lengthier by the day. So Nigeria must come to terms with what best to do

and one of the best things to do is constructive dialogue. I have talked about dialogue for a long time and I will continue to talk about dialogue for as long as it is not adhered to. In the study of counter terrorism there is what is called diplomatic technique in handling terror and allied issues. That is what we should apply now, not military operation. We have used military operation for three to four years, it has not worked. Change of strategy should be applied. I’m thinking that gradual withdrawal of the troops should commence. We are not saying hurried withdrawal, but gradual withdrawal.

Again there is no structure to address the problem of terrorism. If you are talking of narcotics you go to National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), if you are talking of drugs and food control you go to National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), if you are talking of safety on the road, you go to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Which structure does the country use for terrorism? We don’t have any structure. What is the composition of the structure? What is the headship of the structure? What defines the qualification of those to be in the structure? So who are you going to blame in the advent of these terror incursions in the country? Are you going to blame the NSA? Are you going to blame the IGP? Are you going to blame the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff or Chief of Naval Staff? None of them is directly in charge. Therefore direct responsibility cannot be apportioned to any of them. Until we get all these things right we may never solve the problem the country is facing today. I think there was an oversight in the Senate when the whole thing was being reviewed. The National Assembly did not take into cognisance the issue of composition, the headship and the entire structure. Until we get these things right we are not going anywhere.

Those opposed to dialogue ask how discussion can be held with a group whose leaders are faceless…

The group is faceless but they could be contacted because members of the group are still talking. There are ways of doing these things. Also, in trying to dialogue with the person they call an enemy, we should not try to criminalise them or give them a tag so that we will not scare them away. In terrorism there is a definition that says one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. We should therefore create an atmosphere that will enable us to discuss.

Jonathan’s anniversary should carry amnesty package for Boko Haram as was done in the Niger Delta for peace in the country. Again inter-agency struggle over who is in charge should stop as they are all important parts of one body fighting one cause. Better harmonisation, collaboration, synergy should be seen in coming weeks as suggested in the Chief of Army Staff’s remarks few day ago. Held up intelligence should be released and shared with relevant agencies thereby breaking the syndrome of intelligence monopoly.

Are you saying in effect that military action will not solve the •Continued on Page 24

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•Continued from Page 23 security challenge facing the country?

Military action will not solve the problem as it has never solved such problem anywhere in the world.

Some people feel that the government is clueless about the situation?

That may be correct and that is where professionalism comes in. The military said that the enemy is new to them, the police said the enemy is new to them, everybody is saying the same thing. Don’t we have professionals that have researched and understood the group? Don’t we have people that have worked with this type of group in their studies?

America has its experts, Britain has its experts. Where are our own experts in this field? Does it mean that we don’t have research experts in this field that could put heads together with those who say they don’t know about the group? Look at what the group is, look at how to work with the group, look at how to dialogue with the group. I say again and again, confrontation will not solve this problem. Current policy of militarising the zone has not worked in our favour.

The level of violence in Borno and other parts of the north is rising and politicians are not advancing any solution. There is cross fire between the current tenants of power and the group and making no changes in policy will simply delay the day of reckoning at a high cost. Quietly our soldiers are being killed and the surge will continue unless a gradual withdrawal is planned. The security agencies are spending so much on this operation and it is obvious that this level of expense is not sustainable over an extended period especially when progress is not in sight.

The longer our troops remain in the critical north area the more resentment will grow among certain sections of our people who may believe RINKING joints could be a very interesting place. It could be a good place to feel the pulse of the people on the acceptance rating of a public officer. This was the case on this fateful day as a young man was locked in a witty debate on what Senator Ibikunle Amosun has done in 350 days as Governor of Ogun State.

The young man in his early thirties had engaged a group of cynical colleagues who held that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)governor has done little to impact the lives of the people of the state since he assumed office.To the cynical youngsters, Senator Amosun was yet to raise his game as governor in a sophisticated state like Ogun. To them, the governor still needs a lot to learn in the art of governance. They maintained that the governor’s style of financial management has impacted negatively on liquidity in the state.

But this young man vehemently disagreed and carefully picked holes in those positions. He reminded them that Senator Amosun inherited a state akin to post-Saddam Hussein Baghdad in Iraq where several public infrastructure had failed or were about to collapse. He refreshed the memories of his audience that the governor took over a state whose finances was seriously depleted by crippling debt and un-serviced loans which had eroded the confidence of financial institutions in the state government. Several priced assets of the state, he added, were also concessioned out in controversial manner.

He recalled that the administration inherited four Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPO) which takes away over N1.5billion being deducted directly by the Federal Ministry of Finance from the monthly allocation of the state leaving her with little to pay salary and run the administration.

The young man explained that Senator Amosun’s mission to rebuild the state practically commenced on an almost impossible note. But the governor refused to be distracted from his

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Sunday Interview

‘Nigeria lacks structure to fight terror’

“

Again there is no structure to address the problem of terrorism. If you are talking of narcotics you go to National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), if you are talking of drugs and food control you go to National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), if you are talking of safety on the road, you go to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Which structure does the country use for terrorism? We don’t have any structure.

•Moneke they are subject of repressive occupation. We must do something to contain the situation before it gets out of hand.

Some countries have vowed never to dialogue with fundamentalist organizations. Why should the situation be different in Nigeria?

Well, these issues are determined by the security situations in a particular country. Yes, America initially did that but recently you must have heard what is going on between them and the Taliban. A truce is ongoing, an understanding and affinity is being built that enabled them to open an office in Qatar. There is no rigidity in resolution of this kind of crisis. You make policy, as things are unfolding you make amends. There is nothing like being static about it.

Let us go back to what the NSA

said that at the Asaba forum. He localised the origin of the security challenge facing the country and heaped it on PDP. What is your take on what the NSA said?

Language is the issue of semantics. You might want to say something in a tailored way and somebody understands and interprets it his own way. The NSA is a very brilliant man, a man whose position on issues should be respected. He has followed Presidential protection closely. When the issue of who succeeds Yar’Adua came up, there was inflamed militancy; there was an atmosphere of insecurity that was heightened in the whole of the northern region. That could be one way of explaining what is happening now.

Again, when Jonathan’s succession effort was being threatened because

“

of what was going on in the north, South-South started their war drum.

There was also inflamed militancy from that area. I think that was what the NSA tried to anchor in his speech.

But there are two ways of saying the truth. I will be modest and honest with you. It is either you say a blunt truth which is customary with soldiers or you say what is called diplomatic truth which is an insignia of the political class. That is saying the truth and putting a jacket on the truth to dilute the effect. I think the NSA must have taken the honour of speaking like a soldier. This is not supposed to be a contentious issue at this stage.

What we are supposed to dwell on is how we move this country forward. How do we come out of this security quagmire? In any moment

What has Amosun done in 350 days?

“The only limits are, as always, those of vision”— James Broughton

By Olusola Balogun vision to rebuild the state. He faced the daunting challenges heads on by re-engineering the finances of the state and introduced financial prudence into the state public governance. The governor also put in place measures to increase the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state. Part of that effort is the activation of the Residency Rule which promises to revolutionize the IGR of the state. The governor slashed salaries and allowances of political office holders and blocked leakages to free funds for developmental projects.

The effect was almost magical.

Things started taking shape. His demonstrated sincerity of purpose and honesty gradually restored confidence of financial institutions in the state.

Assisted by technocrats and professionals, the governor made real impact in his five cardinal programmes in less than one year.

In his policy of zero tolerance to potholes on roads, several roads hitherto riddled with potholes, were fixed while bridges and culverts that constituted death traps were repaired. The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, once acknowledged that driving in the state is now easier and safer.

The reconstructed six-lane IbaraSokori-Totoro Road broke many records in the history of the state. It has pedestrian walkway, two pedestrian bridges, flower tracks, drainages and street lights. The construction of a flyover at Ibara Roundabout to permanently solve the perennial traffic congestion is also in progress to complements the new road.

Several roads were equally constructed across the three senatorial districts within the period. Some of them are the Onikolobo- Ibara GRA Link

Road, Arinlese-Saje Road while the government intervened to end traffic nightmares on failed portions of some federal roads in the state. Work would soon commence on the 34 kilometre Sango-Ijoko-Alagbole-Akute—Ojodu Road.

In education, 200 blocks of classrooms were renovated across the state in an attempt to inject life into the decaying infrastructure in public schools.

The foundation for the 26 model secondary schools aimed at permanently resolving the faceoff occasioned by the return of some secondary schools to missionaries by the last administration with soon be laid.

The governor also gave true expression to free education as the government supplied free textbooks and instructional materials to its students in secondary and primary schools. This was a re-enactment of Pa Obafemi Awolowo’s free education policy as executed by the late Bisi Onabanjo.

Governor Amosun also restored the payment of running cost to schools, which was stopped in 2008 by the last administration.The government also slashed tuition fees in tertiary institutions and summoned the political will to rationalise the tertiary institutions from 10 to manageable six in an attempt to improve monitoring and restore the standard and sanity in the education sector.

In the area of administration, the governor made prompt remittance of union dues, cooperative and pension deducted from the salaries of employees a priority. His administration has also paid over N5bn as pension and gratuities to retired staffers of the state within 10 months in office.

The administration of Senator Amosun also produced the first oneday Permanent Secretary in the history of the Gateway state. Alhaja Modupe Leshi, widely acclaimed to be

•Amosun a very dedicated civil servant was elevated to the position of Permanent Secretary on the very last day of her 35th year as a public servant. The young guy noted that an uncaring governor would have overlooked her dedication on account of her impending exit from service.

In the area of health, the Ibikunle Amosun administration upgraded 100 health facilities across the state and provided medical equipment for several hospitals. The government gave full effect to its free healthcare program for children under the ages of five years and the aged. The administration also re-equipped the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital to bring it up to speed with its peers in the industry.

A peaceful atmosphere hitherto alien to the state in recent times was

of history in most countries, people should be careful. It was in this kind of moment in history in Pakistan that they gunned down Benazir Bhutto.

It was also in this kind of situation in India that Indira Gandhi was killed; it was also in this kind of situation in India again that Rajiv Gandhi was killed. This whole thing is not about Boko Haram, it is about presidential security. There could be so much organised conspiracy going on. We need to be careful, we need not allow the NSA to be distracted because I believe he has done so well for the years he has been NSA. This is the only time that somebody is linking him with a statement that is contentious.

But most Nigerians feel that the NSA is not doing enough…

If much result is not being achieved you cannot blame him.

National security is a corporate undertaking involving different agencies who must work in synergy. Our problem is that our agencies are yet to come to terms with this enemy.

What do you see in future? Do you think Nigeria will come out of this problem unscathed?

Yes, definitely I’m confident that we will come out of it. So many other countries have had this kind of problem and they came out of it. Pakistan which was one time rated the most dangerous country in the world went through and came out of it. Afghanistan some time rated the second most dangerous country in the world went through it and they are coming out of it. Nigeria currently rated the third most dangerous country in the world will emerge victorious. We must allow what is secondary to fizzle out. restored as the governor showed keen interest in the security of lives and properties in the state. Governor Amosun inaugurated the state Security Trust Fund in a move designed to ensure transparency and steady flow of funds for security in the state.

Former Director General of State Security Service, retired Colonel Kayode Areh was made its chairman, while several industry chiefs were named as members. That inauguration turned out to be the beginning of the government’s interest and heavy investment in Security.In one fell swoop, the government imported 13 state-of-the art Armored Personnel Carriers (APC). The effort, which was also acknowledged by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, as unprecedented in the history of security financing by any state government in Nigeria, was accompanied by 125 vans fully kitted with communication gadgets, 2000 bullet proof vests and 2000 bullet proof helmets for the use of security officers in the newly introduced Operation MESA and Quick Response Squad. The young man was quick to remind his audience that Senator Amosun inherited just two APC’s when he assumed office.

The state government, in conjunction with the Bank of Industry, also distributed N1billion as soft loan to cooperative groups and organizations to assist Small and Medium Scale Industries in the state. The wife of the governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun,also trained 1200 unemployed graduates in vocational skills for two weeks after which she donated trade equipments and N25,000 to each of them.

The young guy, who acknowledged that a lot still needs to be done by the government, however, contended that there is no way anyone can objectively score the Amosun administration low given the situation it found itself at inception. To him, Senator Amosun has acquitted himself well and only needs to stabilise.

Balogun is a media aide of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

THE ARTS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

‘The pains of marketing books’ Nigerian authors met during the just concluded Nigeria International Book Fair, held at the University of Lagos, to brainstorm on ways to market their books and make them available to the public. Edozie Udeze was there

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HE Nigeria book industry is facing a big challenge . And it is a challenge that is making writers and published authors feel uncomfortable and unhappy. During the just concluded Nigeria International Book Fair held at the University of Lagos, authors’ book sellers and publishers met to rub minds on ways to distribute and market published works. It is becoming quite apparent these days that an author will get his books published, but it becomes difficult for same to be seen or made available to the public.

What irked writers most was that the big and the older publishing houses no longer show concerted concern towards book marketing. In the words of Dagga Tolar, the chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State chapter, “they just publish you and dump you there. But we as writers must find a way round it. It is our business, it is our life and our creative efforts, and so we mustn’t relent on our oars to see that our works get the desired attention from the public”.

Interestingly, authors came forward to register their individual and collective disgust against the attitude of both publishers who strictly publish for money and then shun the marketing aspect of the book and booksellers who only concentrate on the books that are in season. Part of the general complaints is that publishers now demand money from authors before their works can be published. Once an author has paid for his work, and the work is out, the

•A cross section of writers at the event

•From left: Njoku, Ezeigbo and Tolar discussing books

publisher feels unperturbed to get the book to public galleries and libraries.

“Perhaps, all we need do is to help one author when and where necessary, otherwise we all end up writing and stockpiling our works in our homes”, was the contention of Professor Akachi Adimora-

Ezeigbo of the English Department of the University of Lagos. As a renowned writer and award-winning author, Ezeigbo should know better.

She has had several contending battles with her publishers that she and some other younger authors have decided to form a bookselling cum publishing outfit called Jalaa.

“With Jalaa, we have made tremendous progress in the area of the marketing and publishing of our works. Perhaps, we can form a coalition in this regard to include the works of other authors who are willing to come on board,” Ezeigbo said.

According to Ezeigbo, whose works grace many international and local bookshelves, what authors all over the world usually do is to come to the aid of one another. “It is our world and we must ensure that we make it suitable to us, suitable to what we do. We must never leave it to the vagaries of those who do not understand or appreciate what we do.

Therefore, in terms of getting published, Jalaa is there; in the area of distribution and sales, we are also on ground,” she said.

Addressing the literati, the president of ANA , Professor Remi Raji of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, said that the best approach to the issue is for both the publishers and the authors to have mutual working relations that will encourage the sector.

“You need to make the book industry breath. You have to nurture the

book. And we, on our part, have to continue to think and write what is sellable. This war of words has to end, because it looks as if we do not need each other. There must be a synergy to make the book see the light of day. As publishers, you have to ensure that books get to the reader. It is part of the long chain of publishing, because your job does not end, until people see what you have produced”, he stated, amid cheers and applause from both writers, sellers and publishers.

Harder knocks, however, went to road side book sellers who do not only connive with pirates to scuttle writers’ efforts, but equally pay more attention to books that are in season”. It is not our fault”, Tony, a book seller from Ajegunle, Lagos State, asserted. “People come to us to demand for school textbooks especially for children. When they are in school, we ensure we get the books to the doorsteps of parents and school authorities,” he said.

His argument was immediately punctured by Tolar who insisted that a buyer shows more interest in a book that is more properly displayed and not necessarily pirated. “A good product with the desired presentation naturally captures the attention of the public,” he said. “And you can also help that product by being more compassionate towards it. As children and their parents go for textbooks, so do other readers go for their own type of books. So, try and display other books a bit more generously,” he pleaded.

For Austyn Njoku, a poet and publisher, authors have a duty to themselves by endeavouring to write what is publishable and marketable. “It is not just to churn out books. You have to have a strong grasp of the English Language. You see, every book deserves the kind of attention commensurate to its status. A good product is a good product anywhere in the world,” he said.

On the whole, ANA members agreed to reach out to governments at all levels to include some of their books in school curricular nationwide. In addition, they agreed to mandate ANA offices in the states to build book clubs and libraries to make books available both for sales and for public attention and reading.

Troupe holds dramatized storytelling competition for schools

I

N line with its objective of encouraging the development of children theatre, the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) says it will stage a dramatized Schools storytelling competition in celebration of the 2012 International Day of Child. The programme is to run annually under the Troupe’s children theatre support services. It is also to complement the Troupe’s annual children creative station programme, which was introduced in 2010.

Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Troupe Mr. Martin Adaji, explained that like the troupe’s children creative ctation programme which is in its second year, the new dramatised

schools storytelling competition will seek “to re-awaken children’s imagination, creativity, imagery, visual appreciation and love for ancient culture through the storytelling competition”. Adaji observed that storytelling which is a unique element in the Nigerian culture and traditional values is gradually fading away, noting that children are now more exposed to foreign stories and tales that have beclouded their minds. “It is for this reason that we have initiated this project as a way of helping to bring back our fading storytelling tradition,” Adaji said.

Slated to hold between May and June 2012 with the preliminaries scheduled for between May 29 and

June 1, 2012 at the National Theatre, Iganmu Lagos, the competition will be among selected schools in the Lagos metropolis and it is open to primary and secondary schools. However, elimination will take place during this period and successful schools for the finale will emerge from the elimination process. The grand finale will hold in June 2012 and successful schools will perform to a very large audience, which includes members of the Diplomatic Corps, Art Patrons and top-notch personalities. Certificate of participation, and valuable educational items will be won by participating schools. Also, each school participating in the competition will be at liberty to choose

•National Troupe children on stage

their title, write their story and decide method and mode of presentation. Furthermore, stories to be reenacted can include music, drama, puppetry or any other visual elements and must have local content as well as teach morale and academic prowess.

Meanwhile, the National Troupe will now hold its quarterly

play reading session in June 2012 as against May 2012. The postponement, according to a statement from the Troupe, is to allow time for the final burial rites of Miss Virginia Okereku, a lead dancer and actress with the Troupe who passed on recently after a brief illness. The deceased artiste will be interred in her home town in Cross River state later in May 2012.

26

W

HEN the Guild of Professional Fine Artists (GPFA) was formed a few years ago, the idea then was to bring together those who own and have had studio experiences to take fine arts to greater heights. In bringing them together, the founding fathers intended to make artists look inwards by using their vast studio knowledge and exposure to encourage and empower the younger ones.

“This is why it is slightly different from the Society of Nigerian Artists, (SNA)”, Abraham Uyoubisere, the president of the Guild stated.

“We formed this Guild in order to take art appreciation to a higher level, a level where those who value the aesthestic nature of what we do can see and appreciate and then patronise us. Of course, this is what makes the Guild a collection of artists of like minds who often pull their huge resources together to get to the level where arts is recognised not only in the society by people that matter, but in the industry as well,” he said.

Abraham, whose studio experience spans over two decades, has come to realise that the best thing a gifted artist should do at a certain point in his professional career, is to give back to the society. “Yes, what I do now is to go to higher institutions where I teach and impact on students free-of-charge. So far, I have been to various schools which include the Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU) Zaria, Delta State University, Abraka, Auchi Polytechnic, University of Benin and lots of others”.

In the process of doing these, Abraham has helped to develop, nurture and discover new talents in the field of fine arts. “These students, some of whom couldn’t have made it through school, are doing so well today. My joy

O

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Arts/Reviews

Books

An artist with A leader on trial big dreams T

•Uyoubisere

By Edozie Udeze

is that we are touching lives and both the students and the society are the best for it”, he said, grinning.

A Fine Arts graduate of ABU, Abraham has had several group and solo exhibitions both in Nigeria and abroad. He is indeed a phenomenal artist who loves landscapes and surrealism with unbridled passion. He often captures his scenes with different vignettes of feminine elegance, romance and cultural profussion. He said, “I love paintings a lot.

This is why I paint with emotion, dwelling extensively on areas of natural life, natural movements, curves, touches, all of which, to me, culminate into a natural miracle in painting”.

With his quasi-impressionistic approach to his works, he often brings landscaping into closer focus

LUMIDE Adeyinka grew up with a strange knack to see things differently. ’’I just realised I was always seeing things differently from others,’’ he affirmed. While other kids played away, Adeyinka would bury himself drawing. When hurt or upset, he would recoil, pouring out himself in artistic impressions. These convinced him he was born to draw. So, while others avoided fine arts in secondary school, Adeyinka embraced it with full arms. He turned out to be the only fine arts student in State High School, Agege Lagos in his set.

His drawing skills started blooming as a secondary school student. He drew the image of the badge, which the school uses till date. By the time he gained admission to Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, he had become an established artist.

There, his skills were honed and he rubbed minds with bigger artists.

Though he is just in his late 20s’, Adeyinka boasts years of drawing.

According to him, ‘’I have realised this is what I am born to do.

This is the only thing that brings me joy and showcases the essential me.”

His artistic works have deep socialeconomic and cultural meanings. His latest depicts the popular Festac 77 bronze with a splitting sword and dripping blood. This, he says, depicts the state of the nation. ‘’The crises in Nigeria and the continent is simply a clash between western values and African cultures.’’ He explained further: ‘’This is the origin of religious crises, Boko Haram and what have you. That is essentially what is tear-

thereby makings his paintings more alluring and appealing to collectors. “Before my tenure ends in two years time, we, as a body, would have been able to inculcate a lot of new ethics into the Guild. We hope also to bring more professionals into it in order to expand our frontiers,” he explained.

A multi-award winning artist, he was in 1987 conferred with the T. A. Fasuyi Award as the best painter by the ABU. Equally, he has won the Yusuf Grillo Award in life drawing, all of which have distinguished him as an exceptional artist by all standard. 1n 2006, the Delta State government honoured Abraham with an award as a distinguished professional studio artist whose impacts have helped humanity a lot.

Today, he invests a lot in the younger artists, whose dreams, he says, he has come to encourage.

HE book, Born to Serve, written by Enuma Chigbo and Ejiro Barret is, clearly a very brilliant way of bringing a public servant to the court of public opinion for proper trial. Interestingly, the modest effort of these two writers pays off finely with a big catch in the person of Senator Liyel Imoke.

Senator Liyel Imoke, two time Governor of Cross River State is no doubt one of the most significant public figures and politicians in the country today.

Apart from venturing into the murky waters of Nigeria’s politics as the country’s youngest senator at a relative young age of 30, Senator Liyel Imoke in the course of his public service career has been saddled with very challenging national assignments.

“In the last twenty years,” President Goodluck Jonathan wrote in his foreword to the book, “ Senator Liyel Imoke has been actively engaged with Nigeria, having served in various capacities: senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1991, Special Adviser( Utilities) to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman, Technical Board of NEPA, Executive Chairman of the Federal Government Committee to wind down OMPADEC in 1999, Minister of Power, Minister of Education and currently, Governor of Cross River State.”

It is to these national assignments that the biographers of this critically engaging book bring to trial with the intent of not convicting their subject or acquitting him, but allow the public to pass the judgment.

By El Omar McPhilips

Written in 208 pages, Born to Serve is an account of essentially, Senator Liyel Imoke’s 20 years journey in public service.

It is a story told through the mouth of over a hundred witnesses drawn from across different strata of society and tribes, vis –a-vis politics, business, parastatals, ministries, church, schools and traditional institutions.

Brilliantly too, the authors methodological approach of the interview style makes it possible for the interpretation of the activities and personality of the subject be done by outsiders, who do not have anything, so to say, at stake, in scoring the man.

It is important to state here

that this biographical writing approach is very innovative and equally lend some sense of objectivity to the entire exercise.

Through this approach, the authors are able to assess the leadership years of Imoke while he served in his various offices. Those who spoke about Imoke in this book include: his political colleagues, career public servants who worked with him, clergy men. Party chieftains, business moguls, traditional rulers and his employers such as, the Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan under who he served.

From the account of all the witnesses that testified on Imoke, essential evidences in his favor are: dedication, loyalty, innovativeness, good team player, brilliancy and above all, humility in low and high places.

Besides being properly packaged and excellently edited, Born to Serve, which will be presented at Kola nut Conference and Event Centre, Calabar on 25th May, 2011, is no doubt an important read, not only because of its subject matter, but more significantly, because of its manner of presentation, which makes it possible for the people themselves to try those who are called upon to serve them.

One Missing Ingredient at the Muson

An eye for excellence •Author of ‘One Missing Ingredient’, Femi Onasanya and Chief Ernest Shonekan

I

•Adeyinka

By Sunday Oguntola

ing this country apart.’’

The work shows an indifferent, bleeding man, which Adeyinka calls the ‘’typical African’’. Africans, he explains, “will never budge no matter how much pain they are going through. The nation has been bleeding for years yet people are unrelenting. They keep hoping for the best, believing tomorrow will be better.” The work has attracted wide interest and comments on Facebook, the social network site. Since he posted it on his wall, Adeyinka has been receiving commendations and applauses. ‘’The

•A woman

comments have been most encouraging,’’ he stated.

After a stint in the corporate world, Adeyinka said he is back to base. He affirmed, ‘’Drawing is what I am called to do and that is what I will do for the rest of my life’’. He reiterated his commitment to excellence:”That is the only thing that can take anyone to the top. I want to get there and I am going for it’’. He called on government to provide enabling environment for artists and collectors. According to him, ‘’The materials we use are expensive. Government should make them cheaper and work on the economy so that more collectors can come for our works.”

T was a quality crowd by all standards. On the high table were a former Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan; former President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mrs. Adenike Adeniran and some other esteemed guests.

The event was the formal launch of a motivational book titled ‘One Missing Ingredient’ written by a London-based Nigerian, Mr. Femi Onasanya.

Speaking on the book, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Ernest Shonekan, commended the author for ‘a job well done’ and putting the book together in record time. He said, ‘’Writing an inspirational book is not an easy task, as it calls for deep thinking. This is a book that teaches that all is not lost if you are focused and also that there is hope for our younger generation.’’

The Chief Launcher, Mrs. Adenike Adeniran, also spoke glowingly of Onasanya’s efforts, adding, “One Missing Ingredient will be useful to the

By Remi Adelowo

young and upcoming generation” An excited Onasanya, a graduate of South Bank University, London, could not hide his joy seeing the caliber of the guests, who had come to honour him and the encomium poured on his book, which, revealed he wrote in just four months.

While stressing that the book is an inspirational material for anyone desirous to succeed against all odds, Onasanya added, “I am here because I persevered. Failure is not a permanent thing; rather, failure and rejection are steps to success. Whatever you are doing, as long as it is noble, you may not get people to encourage you, but you must go on.”

Other guests at the event included the former Minister of Industry, Mrs Onikepo Akande; Chaiman of Skye Bank, Mr. Tunde Ayeni and veteran actor, Justus Esiri, to mention but a few.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Nigerian models are their own worst enemy

–Bunmi Ademokoya –PAGE 42

30

Glamour

Kehinde Falode Tel: 08023689894 (sms)

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

E-mail: kehinde.falode@thenationonlineng.net

FASHION TREND:

Lovely in lace

•Burberry prorsum lace dress •The charm of these black lace dresses is definitely undeniable

L

ACE has been around for centuries, and this timeless favourite has been used as a fashionable trim on clothing of all types as well as serving as the primary fashion fabric itself for entire garments.

Lately, we are seeing the lace trend in several designer lines, and where designers go, many women follow in ready-to-wear garb.

-If a lace dress seems too fussy for your personal style, add just a touch of lace with a lace shoe, scarf or clutch.

-Avoid very large lace motifs because they may look out of proportion on a petite woman.

-Check to make sure that sheer lace is properly lined or adds Tips for wearing lace a p p r o p r i a t e -When choosing a lace dress, select undergarments one in a flattering style that works well (camisole) to avoid a for your body type. totally bare look.

•Halimah Abubakar

•Dolce & Gabbana sleeveness green lace dress

•Karen Millen Jacquard and lace dress

•Solange Dolce Gabbana green lace dress •A Chic and gorgeous white cotton voile lace dress with lace detail front

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

•Multiple strands pearls necklace

31

Six great fashion items you need to own •Model

•African red coral beads necklace •Sigerson morrison shoes

Carlos

by Carlos Santana Zebra Pump shoes

•Gucci large handbag

One stylish black blazer There is a reason timeless fashion pieces retain their popularity, they go with most things in your wardrobe and transcend the trends. A great tailored and fitted jacket to show off feminine curves, not a baggy masculine style; which can be paired with everything from work trousers to jeans.

Black pantsuit Pantsuits may be the ultimate power suit for the working woman, but they also pull their weight after hours when paired with a silky camisole and heels. A solid black pantsuit is the most flattering and the most classic.

Turtleneck sweater Neckline trends come and go like weather, but a turtleneck sweater has earned its place as a classic.

•Black Manhattan Blazer

•Mulberry bag

Beads or pearls Feminine pearls and beads are the perfect trend-proof accessory to compliment your look. Wear gray pearls with black for a sexy tonal look; or choose layers of creamy white pearls worn with a simple black sheath dress for a perfect cocktail dress look.

Large handbag The bigger the bag, the better, and they all work under everything from cardigans to jackets or gowns.

Pumps and stiletos shoes They are a great choice when it comes to looking kinky; black pairs with almost everything.

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P

Glamour

ERFECT skin is at the top of just about every woman's wish list, but despite all the information we get from friends, media, salespeople and even dermatologists, many of us still lack the flawless complexion we crave.

Despite best efforts, even the most well-informed among us make simple mistakes that keep us from clear, dewy skin.

Many skin-care errors are a result of misinformation, not lack of commitment to perfection, says Jennifer Fifer, owner of Tru Skin Clinical Spa in Manhattan, New York, United States.

Luckily for us, she pinpoints nine skin-care blunders that can be easily avoided.

What's in your cleanser?

Fifer says women often buy high-end exfoliating products and moisturizers, but don't pay attention to what's actually in them. Choose products with few chemicals, she advises.

Avoid those containing SD-40, isopropyl alcohol, a common ingredient that can be an irritant for acne-prone and senstive skin types, leading to redness, dryness, and in some cases, brown spots and premature aging.

Speaking of exfoliating, don't overdo it, says Fifer.

Many products today have alpha hydroxy acids to combat wrinkles and fine lines, but if you mix-and-match too often for example, an acid-based moisturizer in the morning and an exfoliating cream at night you run the risk of inflaming your skin.

Don't pick at your blemishes.

Hands off, says Fifer. "You'll end up with a bigger problem because you break down the follicle wall, allowing bacteria to spread." Use a sulfur mask to bring down the swelling, she says.

Surprisingly, women with dry skin should avoid overmoisturising, so don't spackle on cream or heavy moisturizers. "It causes more congestion in the long run," says Fifer. "Women would do better to invest in a good humidifier instead, especially if they live in a dry climate."

"Women believe that when

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Nine skin-care mistakes These common skin-care blunders may be sabotaging your clear skin. Ginger Otis writes. they drink water it moisturizes the skin. It does help carry oxygen to the skin, but don't rely on it for moisture," says Fifer. Instead, consider what you're eating or not eating and add some good fat to your diet. "Essential fatty acids, like what you'd get from eating an avocado, help skin glow."

While overexposure to the sun ages skin, many protective products can cause another issue acne. Fifer suggests looking for sunblock that contains zinc and titanium, which protect without clogging pores.

You fall asleep with your makeup on, what's the big deal? "Never, never, never!" says Fifer. Even if it's only a r a r e occurrence, t h e proble m s c a n casca d e into your com plexio n for a week. To avoid a skinc a r e nightmare, be sure to wash your face before you head to bed.

Don't skimp on sleep. "Skin repairs itself at night," says Fifer.

"If you're routinely sleepdeprived, your complexion will show it."

Get the beauty sleep you deserve and you'll wake up to better skin.

When was the last time you threw out your make up? Don't hang on to beauty products if you don't use them frequently.

Since your fingers are usually your applicator, bacteria build up fast in bottles and in makeup sponges, then end up on your face. As a rule of thumb, Fifer suggestions tossing foundation out after six months.

•Agbani Darego

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

33

Accented perfectly with impeccably sized chandelier earrings, Daisy Danjuma's dress most definitely retained her place as one of the best dressed in the Nigeria. Kudos!

On the Lagos social scene, no event is considered classy without the red carpet where invited guests display their outfits with relish and joy. But the big question is: can some of these guests' outfits pass the strict scrutiny of what style is all about? asks Kehinde Falode

• Pricilia Suchi Best's garment is what happens when creativity and courage fall flat. The fit was awkward and the print brings to mind cheap prints. Oops!

Queen Ahneva African print knee-length gown was undeniably gorgeous. Her dress was a elegant and inspired choice for the red carpet and the colour choice was daring and divine and the gown fit her body like a glove. Kudos!

•Lovely and charming Ngide. C, really didn't need all of the extra bling attached to her mature look. Her smile and sparkling eyes were enough of an accessory and her garb was not age appropriate. Oops!

Benita Nzeribe looked whimsically chic for her first red carpet appearance in recent time.

While many consider black to be a bit drab for the red carpet, Benita's design looked perfect against her pale skin.

Kudos!

34

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Abuja-based Nollywood actress and model, Ashley Mariam Yusuf, reveals her top ten favourites to Kehinde Falode

1

Favourite sunglasses Gucci and Louis Vuitton

2

Favourite drink Strictly champagne

3

Favourite wrist watch Swatch

4 Favourite food Pounded yam and vegetable 5

Favourite bag designer David Jones, Louis Vuitton

6

Favourite shoes designer Gucci, Kenneth Cole, Jessica Simpson

7

Favourite nail polish Pink, green and blue

8

Ashley’s

top

0 1

Favourite author Stephen King

9

Favourite pet Dog

10

Favourite book read lately

John Manson's Impossible is Possible

THEATRE

With VICTOR AKANDE

t

BIGSCREEN

SOUND TRACK

plus

Tel: 08077408676

GISTS

PAGE

35

e-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com

D’Banj stars with Kanye West in new movie M

ULTIPLE award-winning artiste, Dapo Oyebanjo a.k.a D'Banj has just featured in an untitled movie with his American label boss, Kanye West.

The movie, it has been revealed was shot in far away Qatar and we hear the flick is a hard core thriller that saw both musicians playing the roles of bandits in their debut movie careers.

This new development, to most people buttresses the growing bond and relationship between Kanye and D'Banj as both artistes have been in the news lately.

While D'Banj has been the centre of media frenzy and attention owing to his break-up with his co-label owner, Don Jazzy, Kanye West on his part has been painting America red with his latest relationship with reality TV star, Kim Kardashian.

•Hilda, Julio, Maneta and Teclar

F

OLLOWING Sunday's eviction the House of Big Brother Africa reality show, tagged StarGame, fell three housemates. Taking an intriguing turn on Sunday, May 13, Teclar, Julio and Hilda were kicked out of the competition.

After only a week in the game, Teclar, who goes by the title, Princess of Zamunda, was unable to use her royal powers to save herself from eviction.

Julio and the bubbly Hilda from Tanzania are also on the next aircraft home.

As Downille gathered in the lounge, Maneta and Teclar were the first to be told to leave the Big Brother House. Their

Eviction blues begins in StarGame

fellow Housemates did not seem too heartbroken about the news and proclaimed "More food for us."

Maneta simply made a dramatic beeline for the eviction doors, telling Julio not to touch her, as he reached for a hug.

The Zimbabwean Housemate had no hint she was about to upgrade to posh Upville. When her older sister, Teclar was notified of the end of the road, she held back the tears welling in her eyes.

After she had walked off the stage, Julio and Hilda were notified of their fate too.

Maneta said that she hates surprises and that her heart stopped when Biggie thanked her for her time. “When Biggie thanked me for my time, my heart stopped for a moment and I thought I had been evicted. I realized that God is really there and that Africa is amazing,” she said, describing the Upville housemates as warm and welcoming.

Oga Bello clocks 60!

V

ETERAN actor, Adebayo Salami popularly known as Oga Bello clocked 60 recently. The movie icon who is one of the pioneers of present day Nollywood decided to have a low key celebration because his son was to get married some few days later.

The ace actor who is the leader of the Awada Kerikeri group, hosted close family members and colleagues to a get-together and plans are also underway to have a bigger birthday celebration in the coming months.

The patriarch of the Adebayo Salami household is still actively involved in movie productions and he says he will not quit the movie world anytime soon.

•D’Banj with Kanye West

Eva drops first video

B

URGEONING female rap star, Eva is really getting the needed boost that her young career deserves, having just concluded the shooting of her brand new video titled 'High'.

This is officially Eva's first music video, but she isn't exactly new to the big screens as she has featured in high profile collaborations in other videos such as the SMVA nominated "Owo ati Swagger", and her collaboration with Str8buttah on the song titled "Make 'em Say”.

The music video being directed by Mex of PXC, it is gathered, will be premiered soon.

The young Rapper, who emerged winner of the 2011 ELOY Awards for Best Rap Female and the Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2011 Nominee for Best Rap Act, says she is also itching for the video to hit the airwaves.

“I cannot wait to watch the video on air; it was an exciting experience shooting the music video and my fans should expect a good and crispy video with a nice concept. My urge is to see the video increased after watching the teaser.” She added.

•Eva

38

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Big names don’t make good movies —Chuck Ajoku

BlackFace in comeback?

M

EMBER of defunct R&B trio, Plantashun Bioz, Augustine Ahmedu Obiabo, AKA Black Face has been quiet for a while, but if his recent actions are anything to go by, the singer/songwriter could be said to be staging a comeback to the music scene.

Within the week, Black Face released the track Bose to his fans that have waned over the years, owing to his several unsuccessful comebacks. In the month of March, the artiste whose lyrical prowess is credited for the song African Queen returned with a new single featuring another Plantashun boy Faze titled Emotions. Before that, he was also involved in a collabo with controversial singer, Kelly Handsome in the track Knock Me Off. With the series of releases, it could be right to deduce that the artiste is gearing up to make his way back into the industry.

With four nominations at this year's African Movie Academy Awards, producer of Unwanted Guest, Chuk Ajoku has established himself as a producer to be reckoned with in Nollywood. The New York-based filmmaker last year stormed the country with his latest flick titled Unwanted Guest which received impressive reviews. From Figurine, to Anchor Baby, Ije, Tango with Me, Return of Jenifa, Nollywood is witnessing a growing number of hits at the box office with every producer striving to outdo the other with a higher production quality. MERCY MICHAEL, in this interview takes a look at Chuck Ajoku's Unwanted Guest.

I

F you were not the producer of Unwanted Guest what will make you hit the cinemas to see this movie?

First, the storyline; it is a wholly Nigerian story and very original. You will discover that the story of Nigerians leaving abroad is being told in a uniquely different way. Chike is a young man who studied in Nigeria before relocating to the United States of America in search of greener pastures.

Before travelling, he got married to his high school sweetheart whom he promised to invite to United States once he gets a green card. In United States, he began a love affair with an American lady. His grand plan before getting into the relationship with the American lady was to dump her as soon as he gets a green card and invites his Nigerian wife over to the States.

Unfortunately for our Chike, his Nigerian wife won in the US green card lottery. She decided not to tell Chike and planned to surprise him by showing up unannounced in New York on his birthday. Meanwhile, Chike's American girl friend also planned a huge surprise birthday party to tell Chike that she is pregnant. What becomes of Chike, when in the middle of his surprise party organized by his American girl friend he receives a call from his wife that she is at the J.F Kennedy Airport in New York? You can only find out when you watch the movie.

What are your thoughts about Nollywood movies?

I have been in New York since 1998; and I have seen a whole lot of movies made in Nollywood. As I watch every Nigerian movie the same set of questions keep coming to mind- Why is the black American community not watching Nollywood movies? How come our Nigerian Stars are known as far as the Caribbean but are not known in the United States of America?

Simple, the storylines in Nollywood movies have not been deep and original. In the past, Nollywood did not give people a lot of reasons to go to

cinemas and see their movies. And the implication is that the industry will remain unknown to other parts of the world. So, we decided to do this movie and contribute our quota in bringing about the needed quality movies that the industry need to cross into the big stage of movie making.

How did you get the inspiration for the story?

Oh, it is a true life story that happened to someone I know. I spoke to him about turning it into a movie and he agreed. Let me spill it out, it's my twin brother's story. It happened to him. The only changes we made was the American girlfriend, she actually came from France. And his Nigerian wife is an Ibo lady who hails from Owerri in Imo State, Nigeria.

As a young Nigerian company based in New York, how challenging was it shooting there?

It was really a challenging experience, in the sense that, we practically introduced Nollywood to New York. It was a tough mountain to climb in the aspect of getting locations for the movie. As Nigerians, we can achieve anything we set our hearts to achieve. And we got a lot of favours in New York, simply because we are Nigerians. Take for instance; we shot at the J.F Kennedy Airport at no cost.

How? We simply told the woman about the Nigerian movie industry and its potentials and we said to her, “Look, if you help us it means you have become part of those that supports the growing film industry in Nigeria”. Immediately, she has said yes. Money was another big challenge; as you know, two naira to American two dollars is really expensive.

How Nigerian is the movie?

The lead character in the movie is a Nigerian who has featured in both Nollywood and Hollywood movie, so we felt he was the best person to carry the role. Aside that, we have a lot of other Nigerians who are based abroad in the movie, the story and the setting is entirely Nigerian. You just watch it

and see.

Considering Ijeh and Anchor Baby, it seems that we are in the season of Nigerian foreign movie makers…

Well, if you say so. I have seen the movies you mentioned and they are good. So, making an attempt to beat that standard is all the Nigerian movie industry need to be fully integrated into the international circle. And that is what every filmmaker should strive to achieve.

Most Nigerian movie makers who are based abroad always use known Nollywood faces to boost the commercial success of their movie, but yours is different. Was it difficult for you to access the A-list stars?

It depends on what you want. The stars were not difficult to get. I used actors that matched my philosophy and interpreted the roles well. This is what I believe in, big faces do not make good movies but I believe good movies make big faces. This belief enabled me to remember that there are young kids out there who desire to be like Tonto Dike or Omotola and that's the reason I decided to work with young people.

But the lead character is a guy who has done about ten Nollywood movies and has been part of Hollywood movies including the highly acclaimed Phat girls with Monique. So, you cannot say he is new.

What should Nigerians expect from Chuck after Unwanted Guest?

We have series of other movies lined up and we will be churning them out in the nearest future. As a matter of fact, my next production will be a wonder in Nollywood. I will be working with some of the best hands for the production.

Unwanted Guest had four nominations at the AMAA`s but didn't clinch any of the awards. How did that make you feel?

I do not feel slighted in anyway, rather it puts me on my toes to do more. AMAA is our own Oscars and every filmmaker should work towards not just been nominated but actually clinching the award.

•BlackFace

Tuface Idibia dazzles at LMA

P

OPULAR music act, Tuface dazzled guests at the Limitless Minds Africa (LMA) with popular tracks such as African Queen; See Me as Your Brother, and Implication among others. The event was meant to connect Rwandan and Nigerian major players in government and business.

“I dedicate the African Queen to the beautiful ladies in the house,” he began.

“It doesn't matter where you are from you are an African queen.”

As he sang, 10 beautiful Rwandan ladies gave the audience a play back of the African Queen video where Tuface was surrounded by ladies (African queens) as they went on parade. It drew applause from the audience as they struggled to capture the moment with phones and I-Pads.

The performance brought the event to a close.

•Tuface

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

39

Now gearing up for her debut album which will be released soon, Soul/Pop singer AiRis hopes that she meets up with the expectations of music lovers in Nigeria and her growing list of fans abroad. The mother of one revealed her plans for her career, her label and how she hopes to contribute her quota to the development of music in Nigeria, AHMED BOULOR reports.

9ice, Terry G, others to croon for Adesina

H

IP-HOP star, Akande Abolore, better known as 9ice has joined the list of well-wishers of Chief Adewale Adesina, the Chairman/CEO of Western Group Of Companies, on the occasion of his birthday celebration.

The Gongo Aso crooner described Adesina as one of the few Nigerians who have contributed immensely to the Nigeria's entertainment industry.

Against the background, the Elegushi of Ikateland, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla III will today roll out the drums in his honour at the Elegushi Beach, (Iconic Bar), Lekki, Lagos.

Expected to parade the crème of the society, the epoch event, according to the monarch, is to honour the celebrated socialite who has also impacted positively on the socio-economic life of the country.

Other guest artistes expected at the event include Wizkid, Wande Coal and Terry-G.

Byno out Emi o le Pariwo

I

MO State-born Obinna Michael, better known as Byno, says he is set to take the music scene by storm. He recently released his debut single Emi o le Pariwo which means in English, 'I can't shout', a song which he says gets listeners moving.

Hoping that the track will go on to become a DJ's favorite, Byno described Emi o le Pariwo as a hot banging club tune.

Still in his early 20's and fresh out of the box in Entertain ment, he was featured in reality shows like the Peak Talent

A

AiRis: Born of dual parentage, bound by music

T the tender age of 5, she got hooked to music when she first heard 'Faith' by George Benson and ever since she has not looked back. She got into song writing well into her teens and started singing professionally at age 16 while also perfecting her passion as a multidimensional artiste.

This is the story of AiRis (Asmaa Idrisu) born in Cairo, Egypt to a Nigerian father and an Egyptian mother. AiRis spent her formative years shuttling between Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Egypt.

“I had different influences while growing up and that has affected my kind of music. I strongly feel connected to my roots. Yoruba is not the only Nigerian language that I understand because I partly grew up in Nigeria. I don't speak it that fluently but I familiarise myself with the language because most of the people I grew up with and those that I live with are mostly Yoruba people. My dad was from Kogi State and my paternal grandma is from Edo State. My mother is from Egypt.” She said.

AiRis became more involved in the arts when she began to find creative hobbies and skills to develop. Her quest for the arts saw her immerse herself in music, fashion and craft. She attended ADRAO High School in Lagos, and then the University of Lagos for three years before moving over to the United States of America in 2002 to attend the George Mason University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering.

In the fall of 2009, she moved to Nigeria to pursue her career in music; she later set up AiRis Music, her own record label. But before then, she had cut her teeth in the business of making music working with Trybe Records in the same year before she decided to set up her own music outfit.

“I set up my own label because I want to run my own business, but mostly I want to contribute my own quota to the development of the Nigerian music industry. I want to render my own contribution to sound development too. I want a situation where Nigerian's can have the opportunity of producing quality music that can measure up anywhere in the world. That is my goal; the process is work in progress and it will become reality pretty soon.

“The label is young and we are still scouting for talented artistes to be part of the label. We also offer management services; we give artiste a total package.

We market, produce, manufacture CD's and offer image and branding services.

“We have so many talents in music here in Nigeria; not just in music I must say but in virtually all spheres of life. I have also recognised the fact that Nigerian artistes are also adept in playing the drums, the guitar and other musical instruments. I recognise all that and I thought to myself that we need to have a platform where we can actually bring out this good music and market it internationally.” AiRis averred.

With a heavy fan base in Africa and a growing clutch of followers in Europe, AiRis is greatly influenced by Mediterranean, Rock, Pop and African music. She is described as a truly international artiste who tries to convey her feelings, experiences and those of others in the words and rhythm of her

musical style.

“While growing up, I had so many musical influences from the likes of artistes such as Sade, Sting, Michael Jackson and Madonna. I easily get attracted to artistes that are original and unique in their own way. My style is such that I am sometimes being compared to Tamia and Madonna. Someday, I hope to collaborate with Quincy Jones, David Guetta, Daft Punk, Darkchild and Cobhams,” she said.

In launching her debut single “Without You” produced by Chino Ojunta of C17 Music, AiRis secured award winning director Adam Rush to produce her music video which was shot in Miami. Her songs have severally been featured on MTV Base and other music platforms. “Without You” was also nominated for various awards including the Soundcity Music Awards and Tru Africa Music Awards.

“I released that single and a video for the single in the 2010; at the time, I had my baby and I went to the United States. I also used the time I spent in the US to equip my studio. And that explains why I was off the scene for close to two years. I am back now with a new single entitled 'Olowo Ori Mi'; the song is a fusion of western music and African nay Nigerian vibe. The song was specifically recorded to put my career in the spotlight again after my short hiatus. The song is also a forerunner to my forthcoming album which will be released soon.

Before my album is released, I hope to release six singles to herald the album.

“My first two singles both have different titles; the first song is titled 'Without You' and it is famous for its Yoruba lines. You'll probably not know that the song is a Nigerian song but you'll

know the artiste is Nigerian,” she added.

Currently being managed by Twenty20 Entertainment in Nigeria, the artiste who describes her style of music as alternative pop and soul music with a fusion of various cultural influences, especially African says every good song should pass on a message.

“I think every song is a lesson or story that anyone can listen and relate to or learn from, no matter how small the message.” She said.

The catchy, soulful and unique songstress who brings a new dimension to music says she is currently working on her full length album entitled The AiRis Project. She also says she is looking forward to working with a host of local artiste and some foreign based artistes.

“I have plans to collaborate with other Nigerian artistes because Nigerian artistes are very well known all over the world. I plan to collaborate with some established Nigerian artistes and other international as well. My debut album is currently in the works and it is entitled The AiRis Project. I am really looking forward to its realese; it is my first album project you kno w and I hope Nigerians will love its content,” she posited.

•AiRis

Entertainment

40

BIG

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

CINEMA GUIDE LAGOS

PICTURE Supported by: SILVERBIRD CINEMAS

Battleship

Rihanna makes a debut here I

NSPIRED by Hasbro's classic naval combat game, Battleship, produced and directed by Peter Berg is an epicscaled action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as the human planet fights for survival against a superior force.

The flick stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper's fiancĂŠe; Alexander SkarsgĂĽrd as Hopper's older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper's crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and

international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone's superior (and Sam's father), Admiral Shane.

Battleship is a humansfighting-aliens movie. An actionadventure, the film is laden with good humor. Except that music star, Rihanna, is not made to dance here, her movie debut makes for another side of the singer to watch out for.

Battleship is a special-effectsheavy movie invented to extend the brand of a commercial board game suitable for ages 7 and up! in which two players move imaginary boats around a simple grid. The surprise is that Battleship is also the rousing, engaging, and emotionally complex action war picture.

Genre: Action/Adventure Dr Seuss' the Lorax Featured Actors: Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito Genre: Drama Running Time: 86 min Wrath of the Titans Featured Actors: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Rosamund Pike Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time: 99 min The Scores Featured Actors: Aremu Afolayan, saheed balogun ,Eniola olaniyan , Olumide Trespass Bakare,sunkanmi omobolanle Featured Actors: Nicolas Cage, Genre: Drama Nicole Kidman and Cam Phone Swap Gigandet Featured Actors: Wale Ojo, Genre: Drama Nse Etim Ikpe, and Ghanaian Running Time: 91 min Superstar, Lydia Forson True Citizens Genre: Comedy Featured Actors: Uti Man on a Ledge Nwachukwu, Alex Usifo, Featured Actors: Sam Brian Okwara, Clareth Worthington, Elizabeth Banks Onukogu, Keneth Okolie, and Jamie Bell Clara Iweh, and Melvin Odua. Genre: Action/Adventure

PORT HARCOURT

The Nicolas Cage way!

A

and deadly consequences.

"Seeking Justice" is another revenge-themed thriller starring Nicolas Cage. A palatable and engaging thriller, Cage plays Will Gerard, a low-voltage high-school teacher whose cellist wife, Laura (January Jones) is assaulted on her way home from rehearsal. Before the ink is even dry on her insurance forms, Will is approached by a mysterious stranger, (Guy Pearce), asking if he wants the rapist dead, which, of

Worthington, Liam Neeson and Rosamund Pike Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time: 99 min Best Exortic Marigold Hotel Genre: Action/Adventure Contraband Genre: Action/Adventure John Carter Featured Actors: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins and Willem Dafoe Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time132 min Man on a Ledge Featured Actors: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks and Jamie Bell Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time102 min

ABUJA

Seeking Justice:

happily married family man's quiet life is turned upside-down when his wife is brutally attacked one night while leaving work. The husband unwittingly pulls himself into a dangerous underground vigilante operation after agreeing to an intriguing offer for a stranger to exact vengeance on is wife's attacker. While continuing to protect his wife from the truth, he quickly discovers that his quest for justice could lead to frightening

Titanic Featured Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane Genre: Drama Running Time194 min Trespass Featured Actors: Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman and Cam Gigandet Genre: Comedy Running Time: 91 min Dr Seuss'- The Lorax 3D Featured Actors: Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time86 min 21 Jump Street Featured Actors: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube Genre: Comedy and Sequel Running Time109 Mins Machine Gun Preacher Featured Actors: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time129 min Phone Swap Featured Actors: Wale Ojo, Nse Etim Ikpe, and Ghanaian Superstar, Lydia Forson Genre: Comedy Running Time Wrath of the Titans Featured Actors: Sam

course, at that moment, he does.

All that will be asked of him, he's told, is a future favour.

It's pretty obvious that Will is going to be asked to kill off the next heinous criminal who comes into the crosshairs of the vigilantes.

Will doesn't want to kill the random stranger he's told to murder. How many people would, even if he owes a debt, which he does, and which makes him less sympathetic than he might otherwise be.

The Ides of March Featured Actors: Paul Giamatti, George Clooney and Philip Seymour Hoffman Genre: Drama Running Time: 101 Mins True Citizen Genre: Drama Running Time: 97 Mins 21 Jump Street Featured Actors: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube Genre: Comedy and Sequel Running Time: 109 Mins Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Featured Actors: Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time: 86 Mins Trespass Featured Actors: Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman and Cam Gigandet Genre: Action/Adventure Running Time: 91 Mins Wrath of the Titans Featured Actors: Sam

Worthington, Liam Neeson and Rosamund Pike Genre: Action/Adventure Phone Swap Genre: Drama Running Time: 70 Mins Machine Gun Preacher Featured Actors: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon Genre: Action/Adventure

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

S

AMUEL L. Jackson is 63 but looks younger; muscular, handsome and bald, with unlined skin, he wears round glasses and a black adidas tracksuit and trainers. Sitting straight-backed on a green velvet sofa, his presence dominates the subdued hotel suite. He ushers his assistant (just one, no entourage) out of the room “I don't need to pay somebody to watch my back” and orders a turkey club sandwich and cranberry juice. He quit drinking over two decades ago.

Jackson (his middle name is Leroy) has appeared in 140 films to date. His global box office, that includes monster hits like Jurassic Park and the Star Wars trilogy, as well as Tarantino thrillers Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, amounts to $8billion (£5billion). No wonder he can afford to tip generously. Do these sort of statistics give him plenty of clout in the industry? “Hell no,” he thunders, “it just means that I've been in a bunch of movies like Star Wars that made a bunch of money and they would've made that money without me in them. I was just fortunate enough to be in movies that people wanted to see.” His latest project, which I am here to discuss with him, is no exception: the $220million Disney blockbuster and latest offering from the Marvel comic franchise, Avengers Assemble. Jackson is back with the eye patch and bad-ass attitude as Nick Fury, director of S H I E L D, the international intelligence agency charged with maintaining global peace.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), the film is certainly generating excitement: just check out the online fansites. “Joss is a comibook person. He has a respect for comic books, what their law is in terms of the history of the characters,” says Jackson, who has a nine-picture Marvel deal and has appeared as Nick Fury in the Iron Man films, Captain America and Kenneth Branagh's Thor. This time Thor's evil brother Loki (a menacing Tom Hiddleston) is planning to take over the Earth and Fury must persuade superheroes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), among others, to join forces.

Though Fury is central to the story, Jackson admits that supporting roles in blockbusters fail to stretch him these days.

“It's getting sort of tedious because I'm on the other side of my career,” he says, removing his glasses to clear them. “I've never been the love interest but I like being the engine that drives the story. I liken myself to Michael Caine; Michael works all the time. He's not the star of the films any more but he's always an interesting character.” Caine, a friend of Jackson's, is, as it happens, also in New Orleans filming a crime drama, Now You See Me. “But my choices are shrinking. I guess because I'm getting older, whatever. They are looking for new people to drive the films. One of the things that has served me well in terms of being able to cross lines of age and race is that I can't be put in a box.” Nevertheless, the actor has commented on the huge disparity in fees for black and white performers, most famously following his Oscar-nominated turn as fast-talking, biblequoting hitman, Jules Winnfield, in Pulp

•Jackson with wife, Latanya and

daughter, Zoe

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

‘I drank and used drugs’ Today Samuel L Jackson is a well adjusted, universally adored box office superhero. But his life could so easily have gone off course.

Elaine Lipworth writes.

Fiction.

“I get paid like B-list white actors,” he said at the time.

Have things improved?

“Sure and for Hispanic and Asian actors, it's got better for everybody.” He pauses and grins. “But nobody's getting paid much now. The five to 10 million dollar co-starring roles are gone; they're doing event films they can put anybody in.”

We move from Hollywood to American politics, a subject on which Jackson, a staunch Democrat who campaigned for Barack Obama in 2008, is equally blunt. “The problem with our government is that there are too many voices and if they're not in your political party then they're not going to let you get anything accomplished because they want you to look bad.”

His opinion of Mitt Romney and his Republican peers? “God only knows what this country would be if those people had free reign the one per cent [of the wealthiest Americans] would be reigning.” He also shares his country's outrage at

the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in February, by armed vigilante George Zimmerman.

Thanks to America's “stand your ground” law (which allows citizens to use deadly force in selfdefence) Zimmerman avoided arrest for 46 days by claiming that he followed Martin for “looking suspicious” and only shot when the teenager attacked him. Zimmerman has s i n c e

41

been charged with second-degree murder.

“Who are these people running around the community with guns, pretending to be cops, who have a right to shoot somebody because of this bulls--- law?” vents Jackson.

“What's untenable is that nobody put the guy who shot this kid in custody.” Not that he disagrees with America's gun laws altogether. Far from it. “I don't mind people having guns, I grew up with guns in Tennessee.” You own one? “Hell yeah.” He laughs at my surprised expression. “I'm not going to be the one without the gun when the people who have guns show up.” It's uncensored comments like this that distinguish lunch with Jackson from the ubiquitous pedestrian celebrity interview.

In fact, he's happy to discuss everything from his childhood in segregated Tennessee, to drug addiction, to his relationships. He's been married to actress LaTanya Richardson, with whom he has a 30-year-old daughter, Zoe, for 42 years, and doesn't deny they had difficulties during his drug-fuelled twenties and thirties.

“We're both very tolerant. We've had big fights and those moments when it would have just been easy to walk away, but fortunately I went on location or she went on the road doing a play or something and then we forgot about it.” Jackson was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by his grandparents and aunt. His mother, Elizabeth, moved to Washington DC for work but visited regularly.

His father left when he was a baby. “It was fine,” he shrugs his shoulders and pauses for thought. “One of the things that disturbs people about me is that I don't have separation anxiety. I don't miss my wife.

LaTanya's in New York, we talk once a day and we're fine. At the end of a movie people go 'I'm so sad'. [I say] 'Is this the last movie you ever going to do?'”

He admits, however, that his father's absence has made his relationship with Zoe a priority. “One of the reasons LaTanya and I s t a y e d together was that we felt that Z o e deserved t w o parents in the same p l a c e , because my wife was also the product of a b r o k e n home.” Even so, Jackson has mainly positive memories of an upbringing he describes as “great and loving. We were never hungry, I was never ragged”.

It was also strict. “I had to be home at a certain time. People ask me 'why do you work so much?' People in my house got up to go to work every day. My grandmother was a domestic, like the women in The Help and my grandfather was a doorman/elevator operator/furnace maintainer. My aunt was a schoolteacher and I was reading by the time I was three.” Indeed, Jackson was a model student. “[I was] extremely well read and different from my friends in that respect. For every four or five comic books, I had to read a classic. My teachers [at his all-black school] knew that my family wanted me to go to college so they held me to a high standard. They talked to my mother, my grandmother, my aunt and my church about how I was doing at school. The 'it takes a village to raise a child' syndrome was in operation,” he smiles.

Continued on page 56

42

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

‘Nigerian models are their own worst enemy’

Olubunmi Olubukola Ademokoya came into limelight when she won the maiden edition of Nigeria's Next Super Model. She went ahead to win Best Model of The World 2007 after she was chosen as first runner-up, Nigeria's next super model 2007. Arguably Nigeria's biggest modeling export based in South Africa, the tall, leggy model, who has strutted her stuff on the world's best fashion shows in London, New York and Paris in France, told Remi Adelowo and Kehinde Falode the price she has paid to get this far

H

O W does it feel to be a super model?

Well, I would not classify myself as a supermodel yet, because I believe I have not reached my ultimate goal. However, life as a top model has been fine.

If you weren't a model, what would you have been?

By now, I would have finished in the law school and started practicing as a lawyer. That ambition is still on mind, but the snag is that it will take a little longer to realise it.

Can you tell us about your career?

Modeling is a way of life in the entertainment industry where we are always trying to sell one product or the other. The work is very interesting, although like

any other job, it has its own ups and downs but generally, it can be fun.

What goes on in your mind when you struts the runway?

My goal when I'm on the catwalk is to sell the idea of what the designer had in mind when the outfits were made and to also have fun while doing it.

What future do you see for Nigerian models?

I believe that Nigerian models have the potential of storming the international market and creating a new definition of what black models are but unfortunately, Nigerian models are their worst enemy. They allow themselves to be underpaid and overused.

Do you feel threatened by the new set of models coming up?

No! I believe that the market is big enough for both old and new models without anyone feeling threatened. If you know your worth and the market recognises you, you will always be relevant.

Besides modeling what else do you do?

Besides modeling, I'm in school currently pursuing a degree course.

In this age of 0 models, what is your nutrition?

Good diet is essential for not just models but for everyone. I personally eat a big portion of food, but that is because I have a fast metabolism and my body digest the food easily. I try to work out whenever I can, eat less processed products and take supplement that are essential to my general well being.

How often do you go to the gym?

Whenever I have the chance or need to tone up.

Do you practice constantly?

Well, it's like riding a bike. You never forget.

How often do you travel?

It depends on my schedule for the year.

What do you hope to accomplish in modeling?

I hope to be an international brand worldwide. Nigeria needs a model representative in the modeling industry and we have not got that since Oluchi. So, it will be great to be recognised as one.

What are your likes and dislikes?

I'm a cool person and likeable person. I love to read books, lots of them; I listen to music, go dancing and stay at home. For my dislike, I am not a fan of pretentious people.

What is the worst thing about being a model?

It's about people making false assumptions about models.

How true is the rumour that you are dating ex-Mr Nigeria, Byran Okwara Oh really!

Do you have any favourite designer?

I am not designer crazy; I wear what I see and like and if it happens to be a designer brand, all well and good.

How do you unwind?

I read novels but when I'm not doing that, I play video games or games on my phone.

What is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to you?

Wow, that's a tough one!

Well it's about being given the opportunity to become a better person or the best I can be.

What determines what you wear?

It's my mood.

What is style to you?

Style is what your own version of fashion is. When you copy someone else's style, you can't be fashionable.

44

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Glorious farewell for Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi’s father

G

LORIOUS farewell it was for Deacon Peter Afikuyomi, father of former Senator and ex-Lagos Commissioner for Tourism, Tokunbo Afikuyomi penultimate Friday when society heavyweights gathered to accord him a befitting burial. The first leg of the burial rites kicked off at the Yaba Baptist Church, Lagos on Thursday, May 11, 2012, where a farewell service was held in honour of the deceased. And on the following day, May 12, Deacon Afikuyomi was finally interred at the Ikoyi Cemetery. Shortly afterwards, Senator Afikuyomi played the perfect host to the cream of the Lagos society and beyond at the Haven Event Centre, GRA, Ikeja, at a grand reception featuring Evangelist Ebenezer Obey and Akin Sugar on the bandstand.

•L-R: Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Senator Afikuyomi and Sen. Adolphous Wabara

•L-R: Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, Ogun State Governor, Ibukunle Amosun and Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi

•L-R: Femi Falana and Mr Kayode Komolafe

•Deceased’s children

•L-R: L-R Hon. Abike Dabiri and Hon. Funmi Tejuosho

•Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, •L-R: Comedian, Tunde Adewale (Tee-A) and Mr. Gbolahan Lawal & wife, Mariam Akin Tofowomo

•Dr . & Dr. (Mrs) Femi Oke-Osanyintolu

•Sen. Ganiyu Solomon

•L-R: Alhaji Lai Mohamed and Chief Pius •Sir Sam Akinyelure Amuka-Pemu

Sunday,May 20,2012

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

47

VOL 1 NO. 037

Market segmentation L

ET us begin by digressing relatively, considering an interesting observation in our local auto market segment.

Within 6/8 year-period my team dwelt on auto brand management in this market, our experience was that not even one practitioner or brand owner successfully achieved brand differentiation. At best, what was nearly achieved was (and still is) user category appreciation. It became worse with the entry of those auto brands from Korea and all such related Asian countries. Brands like KIA, Hyundai, Mahindra and those China via Dubai versions of Japanese offerings to include Toyota, Mitsubishi and even Honda rushed into Nigerian market without distinguishing value-offer. So we have all manner of auto brands promising same offer without any one of them swaying anything different.

So, KIA range took a lead in the new executive sedan segment by pushing affordability. The offer connected immediately with the Nigerian market, anchoring on corporate users primarily, to assist its market entry/penetration.

The mushroom marketing method characteristic of our local auto market goes a long way to describe our value pattern as a market and our level of sophistication as a broad consumer-group. Global players are quick to know that the average Nigerian will rationalize his/her choice of auto product on emotional rather than rational consideration, so the brand owner's focus as far as Nigerian market is concerned, to play up the emotional benefits, to support sales. To a large extent, individual and corporate Nigerians purchased vehicles that are not designed for tropic region like ours, fresh from auto shops, feeling cool. Some of these dealers even went as far selling cars that were brought into this market with fabric seats, fraudulently covered with leather here in Nigeria as leatherseat option straight from factory, at premium price. Yes, all such happened and is still happening today.

Like we indicated earlier, this is a slight digression from the topic of today, though related. To the extent that these global marketers identified Nigerian market as one where any auto product sells, amounts to effective and efficient MARKET SEGMENTATION. Perhaps this analysis will help us in treating the concept of market segmentation much easier or faster in this episode.

The concept of market segmentation was first proposed as an alternative market development technique in a situation of near-imperfect market, where offerings were near identical showing no real differentiation. Subsequently, development, consumer awareness and growth in consumers' disposable income necessitated taste variants, leading up to marketers having to design product and service offerings around consumer demand. It became imperative for marketers to be customercentric in focus as a way of growing their market. Let us quickly mention at this point, the relationship between market segmentation and product differentiation since they will both interplay in the consideration of the over-riding application of the concept of MARKET SEGMENTATION. “Market segmentation is the division of a market into different groups of customers with distinctive similar needs and product/service requirements”. Or “…the division of a mass market into identifiable and distinct groups or segments, each of which have common characteristics and needs and display similar responses to marketing actions” (Principles of Marketing Management, an Online resource center). Essentially, market segmentation is about effective and efficient allocation of finite resources for optimal return

on marketing investment (ROMI). It is to that extent that market segmentation itself is approachable from either (a) market segmentation or (b) product differentiation.

Market segmentation, as separated above, is when the concept of segmentation is approached from the angle of starting with the customers' needs, focusing on designing, developing and delivering the customer experience. In this case, the marketer approaches the concept of market segmentation, starting with the customers' needs. It is difficult to find an ideal case in this market, so we will draw a case insight from a brand of bus service in UK the Stagecoach UK Bus service. It is one of the largest bus operators in UK, a huge

success, operating both express and local bus services across the country. In spite of its success, the challenge of meeting the needs of identified non-users of its services led to a major research. The major objective was to consider those issues that bother on the target market perception of Stagecoach Bus service and those barriers that should be taken care of, to attract those present non-users. The operative action standard was the deliberate efforts at attracting identified present nonusers by designing service offers primarily concerned with the needs of the identified market segment. Here, segmentation is all about the consumer.

On the other hand, market segmentation through product differentiation is more about adapting new product variants, primarily as a market growth initiative based on identified market opportunities. Unlike the case of market segmentation that is customer needs-focused, product differentiation aims at taking advantage of market growth opportunities, as they are identified. It is about the brand not essentially about the consumer. For instance, a given brand could aim at different market segment by adapting different variants (to satisfy the different segments).

So while the one is about the consumer, the other is about

the brand, even though both are driven by market segmentation as a marketing concept. Over time, marketers in modern societies have sought to design product and service offerings around consumer demand (market segmentation) more than around their own production needs (product differentiation), with the aid of proper market research. If this was to apply in this market, auto product marketing in this market would have been more customer-satisfactory. But as we have always stated the extent of consumer sophistication, enlightenment and education contribute a lot towards trade practice. The common knowledge of the rule generally referred to as “American Spec” will always guide the quality of products/service offering intended for American market from any where in the world. The American standard is a quality benchmark for all global players.

But with undeveloped and unregulated market such as ours, the compromises are legion.

However, if nothing else, MC&A Digest considers the concept of market segmentation and brand positioning for purposes of academic exercise and professional learning, as against standard implementation in our local market. To that extent, let us point out that the concept of market segmentation is more in the interest of the marketer than the consumer. Primarily, it assumes the state of scarce resources in guiding the marketer towards investing same in the most effective and cost-efficient way that will help return on investment. Market segmentation is an intricate subject, appreciable through a careful consideration of all the elements involved, including the socio-psychological considerations.

However, it all leads to profitable marketing, riding on the next stage which is brand positioning. Whether the concept is actualized through market segmentation or product differentiation, it helps in brand positioning. Brand positioning is about the target consumer's reason to buy a particular brand over the competing brands. It is a deliberate effort at establishing the reason-for, for any given product/service offering, by expressly capturing the given brand's unique offer, value-essence, competitive advantage and promise. It derives from a distinct personality that separates a given brand from the lot.

Now, brand positioning can only own from proper market segmentation. You will agree that a properly positioned brand will more likely achieve market growth versus that which is not properly guided in the market place.

A particular brand of cocoa beverage is presently struggling to make a come-back into our local market it withdrew from many years ago after a long period of market leadership, by going the way of many others who run on assumption. The story is not pleasant right now, and they know it. The principles of marketing will always come to play at critical times. We agree that so many brands have successfully taken this market for granted in the past (and some still do), but change is on the way. Many of the auto brands are redefining the market in line with present development accessioned by the global financial difficulties, yet change is evolving.

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48

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012 me-time are all the roles I juggle.

Life is never really balanced. Striving to maintain the balance is what makes life exciting.

It is constant juggling.

When you over tilt one way, you check yourself and regain your balance.

Could you tell us about your educational history and give us a hint of what was growing up like?

My first memories are of Lawanson. It was a close knit community. We had great neighbours and everyone helped each other.

At age 8, we moved to LUTH compound, Idiaraba (my mother was in the catering department). There, I climbed trees and watched medical students go about their business. My parents were separated and so mother ensured we had lots of love and a good education. My mother recently told me that one day at age 8, I placed my hand on my hips and said ''why is there never any money in this house? When I grow up, I will make lots of money”. A sense of humour characterizes our household; we find joy and laughter in many things.

My nursery education was at Osimoye Nursery and Primary School in Lawanson while my primary education was at Surulere Baptist School. Later, I proceeded to the International School, University of Lagos for my secondary education.

For my first degree, I studied Pharmacy at the University of Lagos. I graduated in 1992 with five awards for being the Best Graduating Student. In the late 1990's, I studied MBA (Marketing) in the University of Lagos. In 2002, I took the Foreign Pharmacists Conversion Examinations and b e c a m e a R e g i s t e r e d Pharmacist in the UK. I later proceeded to the Lagos Business School in 2005 for the Owners M a n a g e r s Programme.

If you were not working i n t h e pharmaceutical/health industry, what other job would you do?

I love marketing.

A t m y company, I a m responsible f o r Marketing and Brand Management amongst other roles. I oversee all design and production of marketing materials. I lecture. I really enjoy passing on knowledge. I have been told I can sell anything. I want to sell the gospel more. That's tugging my heart.

‘What a woman needs to succeed’ Mrs. Bukky George is the Chief Executive Officer of HealthPlus Pharmacy, one of Nigeria's most successful retail chain pharmacies. The company which started operations with a single store in 1999 has in five years, grown to sixteen branches across Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Bukky is also the Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria's Continuing Education Programme and was the Chairman of the selection committee for the Goldman Sachs WEL programme at EDC (an arm of PAN African University). Sharing some of her success secrets, she spoke with Rita Ohai.

W

HAT were the problems you faced in the early days of setting up your retail pharmaceutical company?

My personal mantra is “to every problem, there is a solution” or “with God, all things are possible”. As a retailer, one critical challenge is location. If you get that wrong, the business is set up for failure. The second challenge I had to overcome was finance. I had personal savings and my husband supported me. The source of supply is also a challenge in retail.

With the prevalence of fake and adulterated drugs in Nigeria at the time, we decided to source or drugs carefully. There is the also the challenge of human capital. Getting the right people to work for you can also be a big issue.

As we expand our chain, we face challenges but divine favour and direction, business savvy, the right people and a compelling vision that meets the needs of our commualways see Mentoring is key. nities us through to Budding our next levels.

How do you entrepreneurs think the should connect government can with suitable effectively mentors who have t a c k l e t h e problem of been there, done production and that and won the sale fake drugs?

If all importtee shirt. This r s a n d makes the learning emanufacturers curve less steep. sell only to the Finally, the power a u t h o r i z e d mega distribuof books and tors, the mega information should distributors sell to registered not be underwholesalers estimated who in turn sell to the registered

retailers and the public of course buy all their medicine needs from registered retail premises, then fake and adulterated drugs will be at the barest minimum.

We know that the most developed countries still deal with fake and adulterated drugs but it is at its minimum. We can achieve this in Nigeria.

Statistics show that most Nigerian businesses fail after five years, what do you think are the causes?

There are several causes. Some of these businesses exist without meeting needs and filling gaps in products and services needed by society. Also there are inexperienced entrepreneurs who do not have the discipline and expertise that is required for corporate engagement. These ones have no vision, no strategy, poor marketing and accounting skills, yet they expect to succeed.

Other factors that affect Nigerian businesses are inadequate finance, the unpredictable business environment and a power sector that has let us down for decades. When you expend a significant portion of your profit on purchasing diesel to power generators, this is crippling.

What steps can a budding entrepreneur take to avoid these pitfalls?

There is plenty of help these days. There are a lot of programmes and courses out there that prospective entrepreneurs can take to help them get the necessary skills that they need to help grow and sustain their businesses. Many of our universities also offer the very useful Masters of Business Administration programmes.

Mentoring is key. Budding entrepreneurs should connect with suitable mentors who have been there, done that and won the tee shirt. This makes the learning curve less steep. Finally, the power of books and information should not be underestimated. There are plenty online and at the book stores. With all of these, no entrepreneur in Nigeria today should fail if they are serious.

What tips do you have on how women can succeed in their careers especially in the face of discriminatory and economic difficulties?

I feel women are now being empowered more than ever before.

Opportunities abound.

This government has included more women in top positions in various sectors. Frankly speaking, anyone who has vision, who is focused, hardworking, excellent and offers real value must succeed.

What do you like most about being an entrepreneur?

I enjoy the independence that comes with entrepreneurship. The

ability to use my all: my qualifications, experience, creativity and my energy for the good of my country is exhilarating.

I also enjoy the many opportunities I have had to speak to people. From pharmacy students, MBA students and budding entrepreneurs especially the females, to seminars & conferences and one on one mentoring. Life is hectic but great!

How do you balance your professional life with your social life?

I have many roles and obligations. My relationship with God, family both immediate and extended, the church, p r o f e ssional groups, alumni, friends a n d s o m e

New WOMAN

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Stay-at-home mom or career woman…who works harder?

49

Relationships Deola Ojo 08027454533 (text) Pastordeegfc@yahoo.com

Improve your marriage in 5 seconds

A

A

T two in the morning, as her family sleeps soundly, 45year-old Folashade Williams slips into bed after folding the last set of laundry for her family. Weary to the bone, she makes a mental list of her activities for the next day.

“Prepare breakfast, bathe the kids, pack their lunch and drive them to school, resume work at the office, hurry to pick the kids at 4pm, prepare dinner, help with home work, attend to husband's needs, do the dishes, put the kids to bed, give my husband his quality time, plan for tomorrow…”, and the list keeps growing until she falls asleep in exhaustion.

Tomorrow, the cycle continues for this working mother of three.

At the other end of town, Julia Mustapha suffers from neuralgia, a condition linked to stress. She is a stay-at-home mom with two toddlers.

Mary is 2 years old and Bayo, her 4year-old hyperactive son. She spends her days keeping her house and family in top shape and her nights in her husband's arms. More often than not, she is worn out from chasing her children about the house and attending to house chores.

The above are commonplace scenarios witnessed globally. In a society where harsh economic times force some mothers to leave the nest in a bid to support the family's income and the need to properly cater to the needs of a family encourages other moms to give up their professional lives, there has been widespread views as to who exerts the most amount of productive energy daily.

Deola Adeboye, who is an architect believes career women work harder.

She said, “Going to work and being there for my family is a sacrifice for me. As much as I love my job, I always try to put my family first which is not easy. Sometimes, when I get home at the end of the day, the very first thing I would want to do is hit the bed but no matter how tired I am, the adrenaline kicks because I know there is work at home to be done.

“I really think working mothers carry a heavier load because the stakes are higher. You will be doing two jobs at the same time. There have been many times I desperately want to just run away on a private vacation but

By Rita Ohai

when I think about my children who are still young or my job which is demanding, I just push it to the back of my mind,” she said.

Airing a different opinion, Irene Okoro observed, “As far as I am concerned, working moms do the same amount to work as housewives because most of these house wives do not have househelps unlike the ones who go to work. They spend the whole day doing one house work or the other and they hardly have time to rest but many of the women who work, drop their kids in daycare until 5pm when they return and when they get home, they will cross their legs while one house girl will be cooking and cleaning.”

Speaking from personal experience, a woman who decided to join the employment pool after fifteen years of living as a house wife, Ima Ukoh, now a teacher narrated: “I am one of the lucky women who has been fortunate to get a job after stay away for so long from the work force. While I was raising my children, my husband actually didn't want me to work because he wanted someone to be there for our children. I agreed with him too because we would hear stories of children who develop terrible traits because some househelp was influencing them and so I made up my mind that I was not going to let my children turn out that way.

Continuing, Ukoh states, “It was tough being a housewife because I

didn't have an income of my own so I had to depend on my husband for everything. Anybody who is married knows that that can be hell sometimes.

There are days when you would just get fed up with asking him for money but the good thing is that if you are not a lazy woman, your house would be in top shape. As I started working all of that has changed, I now know that it takes a lot more effort to keep a home.

If not for proper planning, it can't be done. If you start slacking at home or at work, the shame of being a failure will not leave you and you will be giving people the opportunity to badmouth your family. So being a successful working wife or mother is a lot more work.”

Offering advice to young mothers who are considering the option of being stay-at-home wives or mothers, Adline Edegbai expressed, “I do not believe there is anything wrong with choosing not to work but women need to know that no condition is permanent. If they are depending on their husband for money, they should know that anything can happen tomorrow. So it is good for a woman to have something doing with her hands, no matter how small it is. Even if you, husband is a millionaire, do some small job on the side and be saving the money for your future. This money will serve as your pension when you are old and you will feel good just knowing that if anything happens, you already have something to fall back on.”

N elderly couple, now hard of hearing, sat opposite each other. The wife looked up from the book she was reading and thought about their marriage. They had stayed together through thick and thin.

Their marriage was not without some minor glitches. But, other than that, she could say they have had a happy marriage. She smiled at her husband and said to him "After all these years, I've found you tried and true." the husband did not hear what she said so she shouted the same statement again.

"What?" the husband responded. She raised her voice even more and shouted "After all these years, I have found you tried and true".

The husband looked at her and responded "After all these years, I am also tired of you too". The husband had thought the wife said "After all these years, I am tired of you".

In 5 seconds, he had thought about his wife"s statement and given a response that damaged the relationship. What should have been a time to reminisce and talk about the good old times had suddenly turned into a painful moment for his wife.

How long did it take for him to give his wife a response? 5 seconds. Pro15:1 " A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Within 5 seconds, he Had uttered a statement that had a negative impact on his marriage.

How was he going to convince his wife that he did not mean what he said? He had just responded to what he thought his wife was saying. In 5 seconds, you can make a positive decision that will strengthen your marriage. Many things happen in the twinkling of an eye.

The decision to quit a marriage, or make it work, is made in 5 seconds. Many hurtful statements, are made in less than 5 seconds.

"You are stupid!" Takes two seconds. "You are irresponsible and useless!". Takes three seconds. If you talk really fast, you can make up to ten marriage altering statements. Within five seconds, you can build up your marriage in a positive way.

"I love you." Is said in one second. "I am sorry, Please forgive me." Four seconds. The words that will turn things around, can be said in less than five seconds. People who have mastered communication, realize that their words have great impact on their listeners.

There are many times couples refuse to apologize to one another even though they know that an apology will end the quarrel. Use the quick fix before u blink.

Three to five seconds is how long it takes between blinks, this is also how long it takes to say "I am sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you".

Some people never apologise because they feel too big. Others give the excuse that they were too shy or embarrassed. Some might even say they were too depressed after they offended their spouse. They just decided to retreat into their shell without an apology.

Remorse must always be expressed with an apology and backed up with corrective actions. Some people refuse to apologize because they believe they have reached the phase of 'Entitlements'.

"I have said sorry for years, now it's your turn." It will take five seconds to show remorse or comtempt.

Marriage is like a boat that can be rowed or rocked.

You can diffuse the tension in your marriage within 5 seconds by your actions. How long does it take to smile, give a warm hug, squeze your wife's hands, blow kisses, give a peck? While listening to your spouse, it takes just five seconds to show empathy or indifference. We can choose to make our spouse happy or miserable. Some spouses gloat over how they put their spouse in his or her place. The Bible says we will give account of every idle word we speak.

Spend your time saying "Thank you" or "I appreciate you."

To be continued next week

50

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Arts & Life

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi

POLITICKLE

deewalebf@yahoo.com 08060343214 (SMS only)

A world of difference

OH, LIFE!

THE GReggs

OLD SCHOOL; what a time! A computer was a device seen only on TV – in a science fiction drama or film. A window was something you loathed to clean and ram was the animal cousin of a goat. A disc was what slipped in older folks; now it is also the accessory in hard form.

Meg was short for Megan or Margaret while gig was a paid session by musicians or a job you probably did on the side at night. Today the pronunciation of either means different things – things that pack bites (megabytes or gigabytes). An application only came after advertisement of a vacancy in the old days and it launched the process of employment for which the domain name is just as important as personal names today.

A program described a show on TV. A curser (cursor) implied user of profane language. Keyboard was mentioned along with the piano and memory was something viral in youth but gradually lost with age. Flash related to images and lightning, not storage device.

Browsing related mostly to books, not the internet. To chat or interface required physical meeting. To surf, you needed the ocean.

A community usually took time to build and it often lasted, but a virtual community develops and dissolves faster today. Where culture once identified a particular people, the world now identifies with cyberculture. And Java used to be an exotic tourist destination in Indonesia, not a specially developed computer language.

A CD meant a fixed deposit bank account. If you had a 3-inch floppy you hoped nobody ever found out. Compress was something you did to refuse and not something done to pictures or a file. And if you unzipped anything in public, a stint in jail could follow.

To log on was to add wood to the fire. Hard drive was a long tiresome trip on the road. A mouse pad would mean the abode of the mouse and a back-up implied an awful reverse of the car into your garage or house. You needed a pocket knife to cut, and glue or gum to paste. A web constituted a spider’s unique home and a virus usually meant influenza.

Sometimes it seems safer to stick to pad and paper, and memory in the head, but nobody ever died in a computer crash so it’s probably surer to join the bandwagon, or in more appropriate language, log on to the World Wide Web and surf the internet.

… And a death mourned

CHEEK BY JOWL

WE, announce with utmost regret, the passing of a table icon.

According to accounts, White Dough-guy died yesterday of a severe yeast infection and complications from repeated pokes to the belly. He seemed to have been around for ages.

Dough-guy was buried in a slightly greased coffin.

Dozens of celebrities turned out, including The Dry Raisins, Grandmaster Granulated Sugar, Madame Mixed Margarine and the incredibly tasty, sorry, talented Chocolate Flava.

The graveside was packed as longtime friend, Ol’ Salt Sprinkle, delivered the eulogy, describing Dough-guy as one who never knew how much he was kneaded, who always rose to the occasion, but whose later life was filled with many turnovers.

He was hardly a tough cookie, wasting much of his time on halfbaked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he was still considered a roll model for millions, even as a crusty old man.

Sir Hot Cocoa, Mr T, Uncle Marmalade, Aunt Mayo, Nanny Toaster, Master Mashed Beans, Miss Genuine Butter, The Jam Brothers, Sisters Cheese and other relatives helped countless bread lovers observe memorial protocol.

Dough-guy is survived by his wife Lady Wheat-Flour. They had two children named Shortbread and Muffin, with another bun in the oven. The funeral which was held at 3:50pm lasted 20 minutes.

QUOTE The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.

—David Ogilvy

Jokes Humour Snoring Solution A COUPLE has a dog that snores. Annoyed because she can’t sleep, the wife goes to the vet to see if she can help. The vet tells the woman to tie a ribbon around the dog’s testicles and he will stop snoring. “Yeah, right,” she says.

A few minutes after going to bed, the dog begins snoring as usual. The wife tosses and turns, unable to sleep. Muttering to herself, she goes to the closet and grabs a piece of ribbon and ties it carefully around the dog’s testicles. Sure enough, the dog stops snoring.

The woman is amazed!

Later that night, her husband returns home drunk from being out with his buddies. He climbs into bed, falls asleep, and begins snoring loudly. The woman thinks maybe the ribbon will work on him. So she goes to the closet again, grabs a piece of ribbon, and carefully ties it around her husband’s testicles.

Amazingly, it also works on him! The woman sleeps soundly.

The next morning, the husband wakes up hung over. He stumbles into the bathroom.

As he stands in front of the toilet, he glances in

the mirror and sees a blue ribbon attached to his privates. He is very confused, and as he walks back into the bedroom, he sees a red ribbon attached to his dog’s testicles. He shakes his head and looks at the dog and says, “Boy, I don’t remember where we were or what we did, but, it look like we got first and second place.”

Little Girl Knows TO STOP her four-year old daughter from biting her nails, her mother tells her it’ll make her fat. “I won’t do it any more, Mom,” says the daughter.

Next day they are out walking when they meet a very fat man. The daughter says, “If I bite my fingernails, I’ll be as fat as that, won’t I, Mom?” “You’ll be fatter than that,” says her mother.

They get on a bus, and sitting opposite them is a very pregnant lady. The little girl can’t take her eyes off the woman’s belly. The pregnant lady feels increasingly uncomfortable under this stare, and finally leans forward and says to the little girl, “Excuse me, but do you know me?”

And the little girl says, “No, but I know what you’ve been doing...”

•Culled from the Internet

S

HORT story Writer’s Fountain structure: Each short story has an identity of its own, of dealing with stories as an analogy to the a purpose of its own and a structure based on human mind? Well, for starters, they get a clear idea about the existence of Character, Plot, Theme, its motive and the plot.

Just as different human minds think and Genre of stories.

Each of these forms the framework of the differently, feel differently and each one has story and each has its own importance. Character his or her way of dealing with things, in the same way each story has a format and acts as a means of expressing the motivations progression of its own. However, the basis of within the human mind. Plot comes about as a every story revolves around the analogy for natural representation of the methodologies the human mind’s problem-solving process that the human mind explores in solving and there are some basic rules which all short problems.

The theme of a story acts as the measuring story writers are advised to follow. stick with which to judge the characters and the What happens when writers get an insight actions they take. The theme fulfils the need to express the evaluations the human mind Queer world: undergoes. Genre, which can range from •A group of crows is called a murder.

Romance, comedy, war, action, thriller and so •You can send a postcard from Hell. There is on acts as a way of expressing the purpose behind a small town located in the Cayman Islands a mind’s attempt to solve a problem. Put called ‘Hell’ with a post office while there is together, each part combines to create a another place called Hell in Michigan, USA. meaningful model of the human mind at work •In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more and then forms a complete story. energy than all the world’s nuclear weapons However, with short stories it is difficult to combined. define and clearly classify each part and it is •Before the 17th century, carrots used to be in entirely the discretion of the author whether he the colour purple. or she focuses more on a central character or on •Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables. the plot of the story.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

O

N the evening of Aug. 5, 2002, President Bush and I met in his residence at the White House to discuss the pros and cons of the Iraq crisis. Momentum within the administration was building toward military action, and the president was increasingly inclined in that direction.

I had no doubt that our military would easily crush a smaller Iraqi army, much weakened by Desert Storm and the sanctions and other actions that came afterward. But I was concerned about the unpredictable consequences of war. According to plans being confidently put forward, Iraq was expected to somehow transform itself into a stable country with democratic leaders 90 days after we took Baghdad. I believed such hopes were unrealistic. I was sure we would be in for a longer struggle.

I had come up with a simple expression that summarized this idea for the president: “If you break it, you own it.” It was shorthand for the profound reality that if we take out another country’s government by force, we instantly become the new government, responsible for governing the country and for the security of its people until we can turn all that over to a new, stable, and functioning government. We are now in charge.

We have to be prepared to take charge.

“Taking Charge” is one of the first things a young Army recruit learns. The new soldier is taught how to pull guard duty—a mundane but essential task. Every recruit memorizes a set of rules describing how a guard performs his duty to standards. These rules are collectively known as the “General Orders.”

One of those guard-duty General Orders has stuck deeply in my head all these years and become a basic principle of my leadership style: a guard’s responsibility is “to take charge of this post and all government property in view.”

In the days, weeks, and months after the fall of Baghdad, we refused to react to what was happening before our eyes. We focused on expanding oil production, increasing electricity output, setting up a stock market, forming a new Iraqi government. These were all worth doing, but they had little meaning and were not achievable until we and the Iraqis took charge of this post and secured all property in view.

The Iraqis were glad to see Saddam Hussein gone. But they also had lives to live and families to take care of. The end of a monstrous regime didn’t feed their kids; it didn’t make it safe to cross town to get to a job. More than anything, Iraqis needed a sense of security and the knowledge that someone was in charge—someone in charge of keeping ministries from being burned down, museums from being looted, infrastructure from being destroyed, crime from exploding, and well-known sectarian differences from turning violent.

When we went in, we had a plan, which the president approved. We would not break up and disband the Iraqi Army. We would use the reconstituted Army with purged leadership to help us secure and maintain order throughout the country. We would dissolve the Baath Party, the ruling political party, but we would not throw every party member out on the street. In Hussein’s day, if you wanted to be a government official, a teacher, cop, or postal worker, you had to belong to the party. We were planning to eliminate top party leaders from positions of authority. But lowerlevel officials and workers had the education, skills, and training needed to run the country.

The plan the president had approved was not implemented. Instead, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, our man in charge in Iraq, disbanded the Army and fired Baath Party members down to teachers. We eliminated the very officials and institutions we should have been building on, and left thousands of the most highly skilled people in the country jobless and angry—prime recruits for insurgency. These actions surprised the president, National Security Adviser Condi Rice, and me, but once they had been set in motion, the president felt he had to support Secretary Rumsfeld and Ambassador Bremer.

We broke it, we owned it, but we didn’t take charge—at least until 2006, when President Bush ordered his now famous surge, and our troops, working with new Iraqi military and police forces, reversed the slide to-

Arts Extra

Our war mistakes,

by Colin Powell Former Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs and Secretary of State, Colin Powell, reflects on lessons from the battlefield to the halls of power—including the mistakes of the Iraq War, his infamous U.N. speech, and the crimes at Abu Ghraib in a his new book ‘It Worked for Me : In Life and Leadership’

•Powell

ward chaos.

Unreliable Sources You can’t make good decisions unless you have good information and can separate facts from opinion and speculation.

Facts are verified information, which is then presented as objective reality. The rub here is the verified. How do you verify verified?

Facts are slippery, and so is verification.

Today’s verification may not be tomorrow’s.

It turns out that facts may not really be facts; they can change as the verification changes; they may only tell part of the story, not the whole story; or they may be so qualified by verifiers that they’re empty of information.

My warning radar always goes on alert when qualifiers are attached to facts. Qualifiers like: My best judgment ... I think ... As best I can tell ... Usually reliable sources say ... For the most part ... We’ve been told ... and the like. I don’t dismiss facts so qualified, but I’m cautious about taking them to the bank.

Over time I developed for my intelligence

staffs a set of four rules to ensure that we saw the process from the same perspective and to take off their shoulders some of the burden of accountability: Tell me what you know. Tell me what you don’t know. Then tell me what you think. Always distinguish which is which.

What you know means you are reasonably sure that your facts are corroborated.

At best, you know where they came from, and you can confirm them with multiple sources. At times you will not have this level of assurance, but you’re still pretty sure that your analysis is correct. It’s OK to go with that if it’s all you have, but in every case, tell me why you are sure and your level of assurance.

During the 1991 Gulf War, our intelligence community was absolutely certain that the Iraqi Army had chemical weapons.

Not only had the Iraqi Army used them in the past against their own citizens and against Iran, but there was good evidence of their continued existence. Based on this assessment, we equipped our troops with detection equipment and protective gear, and we trained them to fight in such an environment.

What you don’t know is just as important. There is nothing worse than a leader believing he has accurate information when folks who know he doesn’t don’t tell him that he doesn’t. I found myself in trouble on more than one occasion because people kept silent when they should have spoken up.

My infamous speech at the U.N. in 2003 about Iraqi WMD programs was not based on facts, though I thought it was.

The Iraqis were reported to have biological-agent production facilities mounted in mobile vans. I highlighted the vans in my speech, having been assured that the information about their existence was multiplesourced and solid. After the speech, the mobile-van story fell apart—they didn’t exist.

A pair of facts then emerged that I should have known before I gave the speech. One, our intelligence people had never actually talked to the single source—nicknamed Curveball—for the information about the

51

vans, a source our intelligence people considered flaky and unreliable. (They should have had several sources for their information.) Two, based on this and other information no one passed along to me, a number of senior analysts were unsure whether or not the vans existed, and they believed Curveball was unreliable. They had big don’t knows that they never passed on. Some of these same analysts later wrote books claiming they were shocked that I had relied on such deeply flawed evidence.

Yes, the evidence was deeply flawed. So why did no one stand up and speak out during the intense hours we worked on the speech? “We really don’t know that! We can’t trust that! You can’t say that!” It takes courage to do that, especially if you are standing up to a view strongly held by a superior or to the generally prevailing view, or if you really don’t want to acknowledge ignorance when your boss is demanding answers.

The leader can’t be let off without blame in these situations. He too bears a burden.

He has to relentlessly cross-examine the analysts until he is satisfied he’s got what they know and has sanded them down until they’ve told him what they don’t know.

At the same time, the leader must realize that it takes courage for someone to stand up and say to him, “That’s wrong.” “You’re wrong.” Or: “We really don’t know that.”

The leader should never shoot the messenger. Everybody is working together to find the right answer. If they’re not, then you’ve got even more serious problems.

Tell me what you think. Though verified facts are the golden nuggets of decision making, unverified information, hunches, and even wild beliefs may sometimes prove to be just as important. Many intelligence analysts and experts believed the Iraqis would use chemical weapons. That was their opinion. The facts could be taken either way. My own judgment was that they wouldn’t use them. There was too much to lose. We had communicated to them that we would respond in an asymmetric way if they did, and we left them to imagine what that might be. They were aware of our capabilities.

I further believed that we could fight through any Iraqi chemical attacks. The possible effects back home worried me—public outrage and near-hysterical reactions. But I felt we could manage these. In making these judgments, I was relying on my experience and instincts. If I was wrong, the responsibility and accountability would be upon me and not the intelligence community.

It turned out that the Iraqis did not use chemical weapons.

Always distinguish which is which. I want as many inputs as time, staff, and circumstances allow. I weigh them all—corroborated facts, analysis, opinions, hunches, informed instinct—and come up with a course of action. There’s no way I can do that unless you have carefully placed each of them—facts, opinions, analysis, hunches, instinct—in their proper boxes.

Years ago, one of my best friends, then– major general Butch Saint, got thrown out of the Army chief of staff’s office for delivering bad news about one of the chief’s favorite programs. Butch knew before he walked in that he was entering the lion’s den, and he wasn’t surprised when he got thrown out.

Word quickly spread around the Pentagon, as it always does when things like that happen. Not long after I heard about it I ran into Butch in a hallway. As we walked along, I offered him comforting words. “Hey,” he said quietly, “he don’t pay me to give him happy talk.” I have never forgotten that.

Butch retired as a four-star general.

The Burning Fuse of Abu Ghraib THERE’S an old Army story about a brand-new second lieutenant just out of airborne jumpmaster school who is supervising his first drop-zone exercise. He is standing there by the drop zone—a big, open field—watching the approaching planes.

Standing next to him is a grizzled old sergeant who has been through this hundreds of times. The lead planes will be dropping artillery, trucks, and ammunition.

Everything is looking good and the lieutenant gives the OK to drop. The first chute comes out and deploys fully. The second one is a streamer and doesn’t deploy. It hits the first one, which collapses. Subsequent chutes get caught up in the mess and they all start hitting the ground at full speed.

•Continued on Page 56

Your HEALTH Combating pneumonia 52

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

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ITH the worrisome increase in the incidences of chest and lung related infections in Nigeria, it is becoming imperative for people to pay particular attention to this health challenge.

Due to the similarity of pneumonia symptoms to other minor chest infections, it is often overlooked for the lifethreatening disease that it is. More often than not, victims are wrongly diagnosed until a full blown infection occurs.

As a result, patients without adequate care are vulnerable to death.

Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that about 56 million Nigerian children suffer and die from this disease annually. A large percentage of this figure are children under the age of five despite effective vaccines and nutritional and environmental interventions.

This is the highest in Africa and second highest across the globe.

Explaining the nature and common causes of the disease, Dr Eunice Alegbe of Health Sinai Diagnostic Clinic stated, “Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs that is usually caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi infections. Pneumonia can also be caused by inhaling irritants such as vomit, liquids, or chemicals and even from the micro-organisms inside a person's throat. Normally, the immune system keeps these bacteria in check but if someone is weakened by a throat virus, these bacteria can trickle down into the respiratory tract and cause the person to have pneumonia.”

“Most times, transmission occurs by people's hands and by tiny droplets from their mouths and noses. In fact, the same viruses that cause colds and the flu can cause pneumonia. If they infect the throat, sinuses, and upper respiratory tract, they cause a cold.

If they reach the lungs, they cause pneumonia,” she said.

According to health reports, incidences of pneumonia peak sharply around the end and beginning of the year but could occur sporadically if certain factors encourage the spread of infection.

People who are at a higher risk of contacting pneumonia are smokers, drug (narcotics) users and alcoholics, patients with weak immune systems or a chronic illness such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes and people who are exposed to poor environmental conditions. Pneumonia rarely causes serious complications for healthy people less than 65 years of age.

In addition to infectious diseases, people can get pneumonia from chemicals that enter the lungs and inflame them. For example, aspiration pneumonia is caused by accidentally inhaling food, vomit, or digestive acid into the lungs.

Giving a brief overview of the symptoms which accompany the disease, Dr. A l e g b e stated,

“Symptoms of pneumonia can vary depending on the cause of the pneumonia and the general health of the person who has pneumonia. The most visible sign of pneumonia is always the presence of a cough, which often produces some coloured sputum. The colour of the mucous, most times tells us the kind of infection the person has.”

Other possible symptoms include shortness of breath, shivering chills, headaches, severe bad breath, muscle pain, weakness, chest pain especially when breathing deeply , blue lips and nail beds from lack of oxygen in the blood.

Preventing Pneumonia Pneumonias caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics prescribed by your doctor but there are important ways to avoid falling ill with this disease. Some of the preventive methods include: The first is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, stay physically fit, and get enough sleep. This will keep your immune system strong.

The second is to get vaccinated. There are no vaccines for most types of pneumonia, but the two most common types (influenza virus and pneumococcus) can be prevented with vaccines. A pneumococcal vaccine developed for children to protect against disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae is recommended as part of the primary series of immunisations for infants.

The third way to prevent pneumonia is to see your doctor about any cough that's still getting worse after three or four days. See your doctor immediately if you cough up blood or oddly-coloured, foul-smelling sputum. Even if the illness starts as a cold, bacteria can easily cause a secondary infection that could lead to serious pneumonia.

The fourth way to limit the spread of the viruses and bacteria that can cause pneumonia is to wash your hands properly and frequently.

Home Remedies: Pneumonia is a life-threatening condition and thus, home remedies can only help the main treatment and must not be considered as the main treatment. Following are some effective natural cures for pneumonia that you must follow along with medications: One should prefer raw juices for at least 57 days in the initial days. You can take a glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice such as orange, apple and pineapple. This will help nourish the body and provide your body with required vitamins for fighting infection.

Stay away from strong coffee, tea and other carbonated beverages and also avoid white flour, white sugar and all food items made out of them. These foods are heavy for digestion and can worsen pneumonia.

Alcoholic beverages and meats must not be consumed in this condition.

Massage the rib cages with gentle menthol oil as this aids in soothing the pain associated with constant coughing.

Smoking works like a poison in this case. It gives much trouble to the lungs and puts extra burden to get appropriate levels of oxygen.

In the initial and acute stage of pneumonia, herbal tea with black pepper and fenugreek seeds will be very effective. This is a most simple natural cure for pneumonia.

Black pepper, fenugreek, ginger and turmeric are mucolytics and thus are considered to be good to expel mucus from the body particularly from respiratory tract. You can take these herbs in any form like cooked or raw as they are good for the lungs.

Also simple lukewarm water along with lime juice and a pinch of rock salt can give temporary relief from congestion and coughing during pneumonia attack. This is a beneficial remedy for pneumonia.

By Rita Ohai

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

53

Gory: 87year old man killed over parcel of land

—PAGE 55

B

EHIND a row of shops somewhere in Agege, Lagos, a steady plume of smoke bellows.

Kazeem, 22, an unemployed youth comes here daily to join the steady stream of people for whom a day is not worthwhile without a visit to Aba. Aba (mostly common in villages is a small house in Yoruba), is manned by Wasiu.

To his shed, customers throng all day long. On this particular afternoon, about 25 people loiter; many with blurry eyes sit on a bench, smoking the foul-smelling weed wrapped in all sorts of papers. Pieces of rusty corrugated roofing sheets are all that protects them from the scorching sun. An old woman sits behind a creaky counter displaying various brands of alcoholic beverages. Despite the sweltering heat, for many in this group, the sniff of the marijuana, also known as cannabis sativa is considered a relief.

Moving with the crowd As I settled down between three scruffy looking boys, puffing heavily on their marijuana cigarettes, the air envelopes into a thick cloud just above my head. They could not be more than 14 years old. I couldn’t help but stifle a cough.

“E dey worry you?’” Onile teases, shooing the little boys to a far corner.

Here, in this drug den, he is the ‘pharmacist’ and his clientele form the addicts which law enforcement agencies in many countries want to curb.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report, almost 200, 000 people died from the use of illicit drugs. Ms. Dagmar Thomas, country representative of (UNODC), Nigeria, said the country is one of largest cannabis cultivators in Africa with about 8 percent of the population ‘abusing’ the drugs.

Statistics obtained from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), listed cannabis as the most abused drug among youths between the ages of 16 and 30 in Nigeria.

Yet, every day, in different parts of the country, individuals of different ages, class, and calling flock in drove to these joints. Young and old, male and female, employed and unemployed, it’s a dusk to dawn call to puff on marijuana. In a society, where possession of cannabis attracts a 15-year jail term, it is surprising that the growth of the cannabis industry has only been moving in one direction - higher.

Despite the punishment, addicts like Kazeem, who has been smokng for five years, are on the increase.

Many factors are responsible for this.

An old problem

It wasn’t always the case that hemp was ‘abused’ widely in the country. In the 1970s, it was only diehards like the late Afrobeat musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti that fearlessly engaged in consuming Igbo, a local slang for cannabis in public. His residence, Kalakuta, and club, The Afrika Shrine, became a haven for selling and smoking the illicit weed.

And on several occasions while he was alive, he was arrested for possession and usage of hemp. At Fela’s death in August 1997, however, the whole procession blazed in marijuana smoke as fans smoked the illegal weed all day. In the new club, The New Afrika Shrine built by his son, Femi Kuti, it is more

•Marijuana smoker

MARIJUANA: Rise of a stoned generation Despite stringent efforts by the law enforcement agencies to eliminate illicit drug use, smoking of cannabis is on the rise, Joe Agbro Jr. writes spacious, modern though Spartan, it bears resemblance in the Africamotivated design and artworks. A large sign on a part of the wall of the club declares, ‘Drugs are not allowed inside the Shrine.’

Apparently, drugs here do not include marijuana! It is coyly peddled around the club’s premises.

It is one of the many places in cities across the country where marijuana smokers converge daily – a sort of ‘free-parking.’

NDLEA, set up by Decree Number 48 of January l990 was charged with the responsibility of eradicating the use of hard drugs.

Swiftly, it launched a war against hard drugs and it was with gusto it began arresting dealers and users of Marijuana, a drug which falls under its jurisdiction. But by 2008, it was estimated that 196.5 acres of cannabis farmland was discovered across the country. The NDLEA Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade said, “the Southwest geo-political area has gained notoriety as one of

the major areas where cannabis is cultivated in massive proportion.”

While there has been noticeable drop in seizures regarding cocaine, heroin, and other drugs, seizures of cannabis increased from 174, 662kg in 2010 to 191, 847kg in 2011. The anti-drug agency burnt hemp farms measuring about 918 hectares in 2011. According to Mitchell Ofoyeju, NDLEA public relations officer, cultivation of cannabis now compete with food crops such as cocoa, rubber, cassava, plantain, and yams. Some farms, located deep in the forests of Delta, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun, and Oyo States, are to provide a decoy.

“In front of the farms, you can see corn but behind,” Ofoyeju said, “you’ll find the cannabis farms.”

It is not only in Nigeria that there is a rise in marijuana intake; many countries are joining the hemp wagon. Countries like Netherlands relaxed laws on users. However, by January this year, legislation curtailed foreigners from embarking

on ‘drug tourism’ in the country.

Ofoyeju, however, says introducing such legislations to decriminalise hemp in Nigeria would result in “invitation to anarchy.”

Let’s get high

Believed to have been introduced to the country from India, cannabis became largely cultivated and used in Nigeria. Classified as a drug by most governments, marijuana is banned in many countries. But, in some parts of the world, medicinal marijuana has been legalised for various medical symptoms. In Nigeria, however, cultivation, possession, and use of marijuana is illegal and considered an offence.

Ingested orally or by smoking for its hallucinogenic effects, marijuana enjoys growing popularity. A recent derivative of cannabis usually grown indoors under light rays, though more expensive, is known as Skunk.

Eighteen-year old Thomas remembers being introduced to marijuana by his friends at Gatan

Kowa, a popular used-clothes market in Lagos. “Immediately, I took about five puffs, people became so many. It was as if they increased but I knew that wasn’t possible. I was taking big steps and it felt like I was walking on a mountain.”

What Michael experienced was hallucination, a common phenomenon experienced by marijuana smokers.

When taken, the main psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana is absorbed into the bloodstream and binds to cannabinoid receptors. Usually the receptors are blocked by anandamide produced at low rates by the body, but the large percent of THC increases the blocking of the receptors, and allows dopamine to flow freely.

Dopamine is the chemical responsible for the happy feeling many dope smokers get during a ‘high’.

•Continue on Page 54

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Life

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Marijuana: Fighting a losing battle ?

•Continued from Page 53

Dilated pupils, increased heart rate, reddening of the eyes, and muscle relaxation are other short-term effects of smoking cannabis. These are noticeable within a few minutes. However, depending on potency, repeated use, and tolerance of user to the drug over a long period, other effects may include general feelings of well-being, relaxation, enhanced recollection, increased sensuality, increased libido, and creativity.

Some religious groups such as Rastafarians and some Hindus are said to engage in its smoking for perceived spiritual effects.

There are no conclusive studies on many effects of marijuana. In September 2011, the University of Colorado Cancer Centre published a paper which summarised that “There is little direct evidence that THC or other cannabinoids are carcinogenic” and that THC as a compound is not cancer causing.

This means THC via the consumption of cannabis plants poses no threat of death. The report states that a typical marijuana “joint” contains less than 10 mg of THC, and one would have to smoke thousands of those in a short period of time to approach toxic levels THC molecule, however, is usually detectable in drug tests for three to 10 days, while heavy users can test positive for THC up to three months after ceasing cannabis use.

A 1988 ruling from the United States Department of Justice concluded that “In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity.”

However, Dr. Niran Okewole, consultant psychiatrist at Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta says “there is strong evidence linking cannabis use to mental illness.”

According to him, “various studies have shown that cannabis, if not a causative agent, is definitely a risk factor for psychosis or major mental illness. This is similar to smoking being a risk factor for lung cancer, even though not every smoker develops lung cancer.”

Law enforcement

In some countries, possession carries long jail sentences. For example, in Malaysia as well as many countries in Asia, sale of cannabis

Origin of the term ‘Indian Hemp’

O

FTEN seen as the country where the plant originates from, throughout India, it is illegal to grow, consume, or traffic

cannabis since 1980, although there is a variation in penalties and enforcement according to the region. Usage of cannabis, also locally known as ganja or bhang (when made into a drink) is common throughout India. There are government

•Rolling the weed

attracts life in prison or even execution. In Nigeria, ironically, many ‘joints’ where marijuana is usually purchased and smoked, shares a close proximity with the police stations and the peculiar whiff of marijuana should give the smokers away easy, but according to to figures, the illicit trade flourishes.

Police Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Jaiyeoba Joseph is of the view that smoking marijuana, unlike before when it was considered a pastime of urchins, has people of different social standing participating. “Everybody, the high class, the low class is involved,” he says.

Joseph says anyone arrested concerning

licensed bhang shops in some regions and on the festival of Holi, cannabis is widely consumed in the open in its numerous forms. Also, in Hinduism there are many elaborate spiritual practices that involve cannabis.

On protest from the Indian Embassy in Nigeria, the NDLEA no longer refers to cannabis as ‘Indian hemp’ but simply hemp.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

hemp is handed over to the NDLEA. But, investigations revealed that only the big ‘dealers’ usually end up in NDLEA net.

According to Ofoyeju, “We (NDLEA) were saddled with that responsibility when Decree 48 of 1989 was promulgated establishing the NDLEA. That law removed drug control functions from other law enforcement agencies. For instance, Customs used to have a narcotics department, the police too used to have a narcotics department. But, with the establishment of the NDLEA, the powers to prosecute was taken away from every other security agency and given to NDLEA. “It is our responsibility to detect any place

illicit drug activities are taking place. We also have the responsibility to carry out investigation into anybody, group or persons found to be involved in drug trafficking.”

So, why is there still a proliferation in such hemp joints across the country?

Ofoyeju responds: “What would have been the situation over the years if NDLEA has not been able to take away several tonnes of illicit drugs from the society; if we have not been able to convict several thousands of persons involved in illegal drug?”

In some quarters, it has been advocated that the funds used in arresting and prosecuting drug offenders do not correspond with the gains achieved. In the US, it’s been argued that marijuana legalisation would yield tax revenue of $2.4 billion annually if it were taxed like all other goods and $6.2 billion annually if it were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco.

A 1936 movie Reefer Madness starring Mary Lane had been canvassing for it, Jamaican musicians like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear had sang songs to legalise marijuana. And in an October 15, 2010 article, former Surgeon General of the United States, Jocelyn Elders voiced support for legalisation of marijuana, saying nicotine and alcohol are more dangerous drugs. “We need to lift the prohibition on marijuana,” she wrote. And on May 5, a march took place in Santiago, calling for the legalisation of marijuana.

Locally, contemporary artistes like 9ice, Blackface have flaunted using the drugs in songs.

But Ofoyeju dispelled the idea of legalising marijuana in Nigeria as “invitation to anarchy.”

At the boisterous joint in Agege, it is getting late in the night. Kazeem rolls another joint, licks the paper, and lights it. This simple skill of rolling the weed is something he has honed out of practice. But, it’s a habit he has been trying to kick for the past three years. As he takes what must be a refreshing drag, he expresses concern for those yet to pick the habit.

Between heavy puffs and wispy bluish smoke he said, “The best thing is not just to attempt to smoke at all but many youths like me then would not listen.”

‘Legalisation of alcohol has not stopped it killing people’

W

HEN did the cultivation and usage of marijuana first become a crime in Nigeria?

For narcotics, generally, effective legal control dates back to the Dangerous Drug Ordinance No. 12 of 1935. That was the first elaborate and comprehensive drug control Act in Nigeria. It took effect from the first day of July 1935.

Principally, it restricted the importation, manufacture, sales, use and exportation of opium and other dangerous drugs.

We have the Indian Hemp Decree No 19 of 1966. We equally have a Food and Drug Act of 1974 before the special tribunal miscellaneous offences decree No 2 of 1984 which prescribed death penalty for hard drugs during the regime of Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

So, what is the punishment for cultivators or users of marijuana?

There is no prescribed punishment for users. The users are the victims, so to speak, of illegal drug trade. Once we go out on a raid operation, maybe we apprehended some users at the scene of an operation, what we do is refer them to the counselling department.

Then, the dealers are where we are actually concerned. The law (NDLEA Act) requires that anyone caught has to be prosecuted. On conviction, they are liable to a minimum of 15 years imprisonment. This refers to whoever sells or cultivate because unlawful possession itself is a minimum of 15 years.

What quantity determines unlawful possession?

Any quantity... even if you possess a wrap of cannabis What are the challenges faced in stopping drug cultivation and usage?

First, there is a challenge of getting farmers to stop cultivating cannabis and begin to cultivate food and cash crops. A

Mitchell Ofoyeju, Public Relations Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, speaks with Joe Agbro Jr. on the agency’s war against hard drugs. Excerpts sincere cannabis cultivator in Ibadan made a confessional statement that to him, cannabis is more profitable for him to sell.

And that cannabis also does not require improved variety. If he is to plant cocoa, he needs improved variety, chemicals that will prevent a lot of disease. But, he said, he does not know any disease affecting cannabis and that saves costs. He said it is also easier for him to sell 50 bags of cannabis in a day than to sell bags of cocoa.

Like we always say, the problem is beyond one agency. NDLEA for instance, is not the ministry of agriculture, so we can’t be talking of providing fertilizers for farmers. We’re not financial institutions to provide agric loans to farmers. We are also not the ministry of agriculture to be teaching them that this is a new variety of cocoa, plantain and this can mature within three months. That is not our responsibilities.

In order to get them (farmers) to leave that criminal act, there should be a viable alternative.

Besides, the traditional rulers in charge of leasing land also have a part to play.

You must as it is in the banks, know your customer. If you’re leasing a land out purportedly for agricultural use, you should know what they are using it for. At most cannabis farm we destroy, at the entrance, you can see maize for about one acre. But, after that, it’s all cannabis.

Then, the cannabis farmer would not cultivate the cannabis where it can be easily seen. They go down into the forests.

There are some farms that we cannot go and come back the same day. We have

got to some farms where it took us a month to destroy. And the reason is that we are doing this manually. In advanced countries and other developed climes what they do is use helicopters in locating farms and to spray chemicals to destroy the farms. Nobody is talking of giving NDLEA helicopters. Even, we are in dire need of operational vehicles to penetrate into the hinterlands. And destroying farms needs a minimum of about 25 officers.

Would you say you’re winning the war against drugs?

Absolutely. We’re winning it because we’ve been able to suppress the drug traffickers from graduating into powerful cartels In some countries, there’re agitations to decriminalise offences related to cannabis. Do you consider liberalisation of such laws as solutions in Nigeria?

We cannot afford to do that. In any case, in countries where they canvas legalisation of cannabis, it’s the devil’s alternative. They have heavy problem of type A drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and they now feel that maybe it will be better to discourage somebody from instead of taking a strong one, take a weak one. It’s all the same thing.

Bob Marley never died of Type A drugs, it was cannabis. Anything that could alter your sense of reasoning, I don’t think it is advisable it should be legalised because whatever you do under the influence if such a person becomes sane, it’s highly regrettable.

If I would have my way, alcohol

•Ofoyeju

should be restricted because we’re now concentrating on the illegal ones. If you take your time to do a research on alcohol, you will see that it’s as more serious a problem as this drug we’re talking about. If you look at cigarettes, you’ll discover it’s also a serious problem. So, from the legalisation of tobacco, has it stopped killing people?

From the legalisation of alcohol, has it stopped killing people?

Life

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

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HEN Alhaji Muniru Ayinla- Okeowo, 87, woke up on May 10, 2012 he had many things going on in his mind.

However, one thing he perhaps never dreamt of was that he would not live to see the next day!

Pa Ayinla-Okeowo was on that fateful morning visited by 10 people in company of some police officers in mufti. They were led by a man simply identified as Akano, a surveyor. The men visited the deceased at his residence, No 16, Olanrewaju Street, Abule –Iroko, Ota, Ogun State. According his wife Mrs Kafayat Okeowo, “At about 7.30am four plain-clothed policemen with three other men who claimed to be lawyers came to our house; two of them entered the compound with a video camera. It was at this juncture that Akano, who introduced himself as a surveyor pointed to me and my late husband, asking us to start packing our belongings from the house as he had come to effect an ejection order from the court.

In the full glare of a crowd of residents who came around to see what was happening, one of them who claimed to be a Warrant Officer went to post a Warrant for Possession on the wall while the Surveyor advised the old man to cooperate with them as the Ogun State Government had from the High Court of Ota, instructed them to lock up the house and take possession of it.”

At this point, Mrs. Okeowo objected the directive that they should vacate the house she claimed they had won the case before although the other party had taken the case to an Appeal Court where the case was still pending. She added, “I started screaming that we would not leave the house, and they later called some ‘Area Boys’ and some policemen in uniform with guns.

They all rode on okada (motorcycles) Some of them came inside and started throwing our mattress and other property outside. I continued to scream on top of my voice that they were unfair.’’

Hell let loose She continued “They did not stop there, as they went to raid every room and went into our safe in the house and took over N250,000 away. This money was part of the payment just made by the new tenant in addition to the fund his children sent to him. I later engaged them in hot argument, insisting that every legal issue concerning the house had been resolved. This is a house we have been living for the past 16 years. Shocked by the unfolding development, my husband who was until then hypertensive then excused himself to go to the toilet”.

Mrs. Okeowo added that :“While the exchange was going on between me and the men, Akano suddenly followed my husband to the toilet in the compound, pretending to be resolving the issue amicably with him. But few minutes later, my husband started screaming, crying for help from neighbours to save his life as he was burning from hot acid allegedly poured on him by Akano.

We heard a loud noise and cries from my husband from the toilet.

He was shouting saying, ‘He has killed me, he has killed me o!’. We all rushed inside, while a young man jumped the fence from the other building when we heard the cry he met the surveyor watching the old man burning !.As the neighbour tried to put out the fire the surveyor fled.”

The neighbour who confided in The Nation said “I was taken a back when I saw flame from the compound and heard Alhaji shouting help me! help me! ! They have killed me. I am burning. Akano has killed me, I jumped the fence separating my house from Alhaji’s where I met him rolling on the floor while the suspect was standing by watching him. I then called the people out-

Eighty Seven year old man killed over parcel of land One Thursday morning an octogenarian was visited by 10men and some armed policemen. By the time they left the old man was dead. Taiwo Abiodun reports

•Ayinla- Okeowo House

A

B

•Ayinla- Okeowo •The purported warrant

side to bring water to rescue the fatally burnt man.” The eyewitness does not want his name in print.

Some angry sympathizers and landlords in the area, however pounced on the suspected killer of Okeowo and took him to Sango Police Station. But in a move which defied all logic, the suspect was said to have boasted that he would come out unscathed. The eyewitness who made the initial effort to rescue the

dying man told our correspondent that he heard the man phoning the police that an old man was about to commit suicide. Meanwhile, the suspect was said to have been released in the afternoon of that fateful day.

The first daughter of the deceased, Mrs. Monsurat Ajayi, who was devastated by the tragic incident, said, “I live in Agbado Station. My father called me in the early hours of Thursday, informing me that

some people were throwing out his property. When I got to the place, the people I met told me to rush to the hospital as my father had been burnt in the house by the surveyor. I later headed for the hospital where he was rushed to. By the time we got there the doctor on duty rejected him and referred us to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, [LUTH], Idi Araba. Unfortunately, we were told that the doctors were on strike.

55

From there we took him to the Military Hospital, Yaba. Again he was rejected. They said there was no bed space and that he was not a military personnel. From Yaba, we took him to another private hospital in Gbagada. Yet we had no luck. A patient later directed us to go to another hospital in Dolphin Estate where he was finally admitted. There we were charged N300,000 but we paid N50,000 deposit leaving a balance of N250,000 [excluding registration card]. He was not responding to treatment as he was said to have suffered first degree burns. He, however, died on Saturday.”

Escape from justice?

However, the family is angry that the suspect who had been arrested was later released. One of the children of the deceased said, “We learnt that the police arrested the surveyor but he was released later. A few days ago, he was said to have been arrested again. You know the police. We even heard that the woman [names withheld] who was fighting over the land had denied ever sending her surveyor to do the act but that is not our concern.’’

The 87-year old man had since been buried in his compound according to Muslim rites. However, the family is demanding justice as according to their spokes person: “The medical report said chemical suspected to be acid was poured on him.

In fact, we were informed that he must have been overpowered and the acid forced into his mouth as his internal organs were said to have been badly affected.’’

Speaking about the genesis of the story, Madam Kafayatu said her late husband bought a parcel of land from one Sapaki, an Aworiman, many years ago but another Aworiman, called Dewumi, a lawyer, later turned up to claim ownership of the land. She said her husband had to pay money to the man again. “My husband was then a staff of Nigeria Ports Authority and later erected this building on it. Not quite long after building on it, a woman called Madam Adijatu Gbadamosi came up to say she was the rightful owner. She said she was the first person to have it. We then went to court again. Judgment was in our favour, but the woman kept on demanding for N500,000 from us as compensation. And we again went to court.

The case is still in court before this incident.”

Mrs. Okeowo was surprised that a court order could be brought and executed on the same day. She said her suspicion that it was a fake order arose from the manner they wanted to carry out the order. “That was my argument but I know it was all fake. The police are trying to say the old man burnt himself alive. We have never bought fuel at home for we have never used generator in this house. About four policemen were here to sympathize with me.

When they saw that the man had died they went to re arrest the suspects. I want the law to take its course. It was some of these policemen that came with these suspects and when they saw that they had burnt my husband alive they ran away. The Inspector General should fish out the policemen that accompanied them to our house during the incident.’’

She is unhappy with the fact that the police have started pleading with the family to forget the issue as the family of the suspect are ready to pay them some compensation. She asked “When did the police become a judge? They killed an old man at 87. It is unfortunate.

Justice must be done. We shall soon forward our petition to the Inspector General of Police to investigate how they came to post a warrant paper on our house, and harassed the residents with their guns. We want the whole world to know.’’

When The Nation visited Sango Police Station, it was confirmed that the two suspects arrested were under investigation.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

56

EBERE WABARA

WORDSWORTH 08055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

All-expenses-paid trip N IGERIAN Tribune Front Page Banner of May 17 committed the worst blunder so far this month: “Security exhumes bombs, weapons in Kogi” You exhume a body that has been buried for (medical) examination—not objects!

Next time: excavate.

Still on the above edition: “NOA condoles (condoles with) NLC over Comrade Bafyau” “And while 5 lucky winners have emerged for the all-expense paid (sic) trip to….”

(Heineken Full-page Advert, THE GUARDIAN, May 17) Open your world: all-expenses-paid trip.

“Watch a brand new entertainment channel with the very best African TV programming….” (DStv Fullpage Advert, THE GUARDIAN, May 17) No African magic: ‘best’ has attained the superlative level and cannot be amplified or inflected (for needless summit emphasis) as most people do on grounds of poetic freedom (licence)!

So, the best African TV programming—nothing more, nothing less!

“Their brothers’ keepers” (THE NATION, May 17) Stock expression: brother’s keeper (irrespective of statistical profile).

“Challenge of progress in the midst of crisis (crises)” (Source: as above) Nigerian Tribune Front Page of May 16 ‘capsized’ once: “2 feared drown aftermath of Ibadan rain” I cannot be drowned by gaffes!

“NURTW dissociate (dissociates) self from Mile 12 park mayhem” (Source: as above) Let us welcome a relatively new publication to this column: “The controversial Freedom of Information Bill (FOI) came into (to) the fore again recently as….” (Nigerian News Direct, May 14-May 20) THE NATION ON SUNDAY Editorial of May 13 did not defend its lexical freedom on six occasions: “Majority (A majority) of Nigerians on several occasions have (had) been disappointed by….” “…but this must be complimented (complemented) with a right work habit by judges and their staff.” “…some judges resume late to (at) work….”

“Millionaire emerges

at maltina (sic) promo” Company News: Maltina promo.

“INEC, schools sensitise youths on electoral process” This is no longer news: sensitise youths to (not on). “…and other matured (mature) minds have argued that it is only but a moral pervert (perversion) which if censored will do much good to the youths (youth or the youth).” (Blueprint, May 10) “The pen will always eventually silence the gun in a contest between the two (between them, preferably) because the former is creative and produces lasting artifacts while the latter is destructive.” (Vanguard, May 17) “She argued that a pact such as is being advocated for by Aremo Olusegun Osoba amounted to Nigeria’s reorientation.” (THISDAY, May 17) Yank off ‘for’.

“Didn’t the people disregard the presence of military tanks on (in) the streets to maintain the momentum of their presence on the Marcus regime?” (National Mirror, May 17) “I searched in vain for the Ministry of Defence and, unless the text I had was defective, it was conspicuously absent.”

(Daily Trust, May 17) ‘Absence’ in this context does not require qualification.

Simply, it was absent.

“In fact, the situation has degenerated from that of epileptic power supply down to that of complete blackout which in most cases last from weeks to months.”

(BUSINESSDAY, May 17) ‘Blackout’ does not require any modifier: it means total extinction or concealment of lights (Chambers English Dictionary).

“The reasons range from power generation limitation to the use of overaged (overage), antiquated and arsenic hydro plants and so many others too numerous to mention.”

(THE GUARDIAN, May 17) “Many people have lost their valuable properties as a result of uncontrolled power voltage.” (Leadership, May 17) Time to remove the immunity on PHCN: property (not properties in the extracted context).

“It could be recall (recalled)….” (DAILY Sun, May 17) “The consensus of opinion in the country today.…” (The Moment, May 17) Despite the

pockets of debate on what some learner’s dictionaries say, I insist on consensus (without opinion).

“It is also an open secret that a cabal of highly placed sacred cows holds the fuel distribution process in the country to ransome.” (The Nigerian Pilot, May 17) Spellcheck: ransom.

“Council chairmen and legislators at the council, state and federal levels were also later sworn-in for the take off (a hyphen) of the Eighth Republic.” (Source: as above) Phrasal verbs do not admit hyphenation.

“The Yorubas, Igbos and even Northern minorities have grudges….” (THE NATION, May 17) English is no politics: the Yoruba, the Igbo and the minorities.

“Except round pegs are put in round holes, the nation will be the looser (loser) for it.”

“Mbeki rounds-off intensive election campaign.” Already addressed: no hyphen.

“It is arguable if the current spate of advancement (advancements) recorded in the area of ….”

“Such position makes nonsense of religious freedom and lends (gives) credence to the church’s insistence on a separation of state and religion.”

“I want to congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan for (on) all that God has allowed him to do.”

“Thank God he is concerned at (about) the security situation.”

“There were other ministers who performed creditably well, but who have not been re-appointed” Ministers who performed creditably.

‘Creditably well’ is an over-kill.

“Lagosians welcome Fashola’s marching order on tankers on Iponri, Ijora flyovers” Fixed expression: marching orders.

“I doff my hat for Okonjo-Iweala.” (Source: BUSINESSDAY, May 17) As I round off this edition, I take off my own hat to (not for) Mr. Yemi Adeola, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank PLC, the one-customer bank, for growing the financial institution as contained in the Bank’s 2012 Annual Report unveiled on May 15 at The Lagoon, Ozumba Mbadiwe on Victoria Island in Lagos.

•Continued from page 41 Jackson developed an interest in theatre after winning a place at the esteemed black men's college, Morehouse, in Atlanta, at the height of the civil rights movement. He was one of the ushers at Martin Luther King Jr's funeral in 1968 and recently spent six “amazing” months on Broadway portraying King in The Mountaintop and became heavily involved in radical black politics. After being suspended for two years for leading a protest demanding the college offer a black studies course (and taking several members of the board of trustees hostage) he finally graduated with a drama degree.

Jackson's dabbling in drugs began in New York in the late Seventies when he joined the acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company. “It was the life. I was in the theatre, the revolution. I fancied myself as Oliver Reed. Part of it is hereditary: my father died of alcoholism,” says Jackson with measured detachment.

“I took it a step further, I drank and I used drugs. I liked the feeling of not being cognisant of what was going on around me.” Despite the addiction he never spiralled into utter dissipation.

“I didn't rob people, I was working the whole time.

I rehearsed and performed on drugs. I went on stage and watched people's eyes roll across stage and I'd go 'oh I have a line, OK got to focus on the play now.'” He admits it was hard for his wife and daughter to deal with his behaviour. “I was not affectionate, I was not associative and I was kind of crazy in a way that I regret and I've apologised to both.” The turning point came when his family discovered him “passed out on the kitchen floor. I guess I wanted to get caught. I ended up going to a

I drank and used drugs’

•Jackson party, drinking too much tequila and decided on the way home I needed to get cocaine and level myself out because I was drunk. I got home and cooked it.

“When I looked up, LaTanya and Zoe were standing there. The cocaine was cooked but I'd never smoked it. That was the first time LaTanya realised I was doing something that was greater than just smoking weed and drinking.” Jackson checked into rehab. “I didn't resist because I was ready.” Ironically, two weeks after rehab he began shooting what would become his breakout film performance, as a crack addict in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever(1991). “It was the first thing I did without a substance in my body,” says Jackson, who is now a “great friend” of Lee's. Offers flooded in and career-defining performances followed. Sobriety, he says, enabled him “to get inside a character” in a deeper way.

There have been no relapses. But there's been no shortage of temptations either. “I hang out with people who smoke weed on the golf course, I've been in rooms with big plates of cocaine.” He scratches his head and smiles.

“When I was drinking nobody offered me f------ Cristal,

now I've got bottles of it in my house that people keep giving me. But my wife doesn't worry about me opening those bottles.” Since rehab, Jackson, who was raised Christian, has become a spiritual (rather than religious) man. Is acting a godgiven gift? “No, because I work at it. I still learn, I read.”

He's clearly excited to be working with Tarantino again.

Django Unchained tells the story of a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) on a quest to rescue his still enslaved wife from a cotton plantation. Jackson plays the loyal houseboy of the plantation's owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). I ask Jackson if it is emotional playing a slave. “It's an eerie sort of thing. When I went to the set for the first time we pulled up to this huge cotton field and there were extras picking cotton and white guys sitting on horses. It was such a stark picture.” He won't go into details about the plot but it's reportedly violent and shocking. “Hopefully people will see past [that] and understand they're watching a movie about heroism and redemption.” How, I wonder, will Jackson's friend Spike Lee view the movie? The director has criticised white film-makers in the past for interpreting the black experience. “I'm sure he'll have some outcry,” he laughs.

Away from the film set, Jackson is an avid golfer and has homes in LA and New York, but describes his lifestyle as simple. “I've made plenty of money [but] I've been frugal. I was pretty much grown when all this stuff happened to me so I didn't go through that period of 'wow, an 800 dollar watch, let me have it.' Hell no. I go on maybe one vacation a year. I love travelling around Europe because I like looking at old stuff.

Courtesy: www.telegraph.co.uk

Our war mistakes, by Colin Powell •Continued from page 51 Pieces of wreckage are flying everywhere, gasoline fires break out, touching off the ammunition and starting a brush fire that rapidly spreads into the surrounding woods.

The young lieutenant stands there contemplating the disaster. He finally says to the sergeant, “Umm, Sarge, do you think we should call someone?” His patient reply, “Well, Lieutenant, I don’t rightly know how you are going to keep it a secret.”

Staffs try like the devil to delay as long as possible passing bad news to the boss. That suits some bosses, but it never suited me. I had a standing rule for my staffs: “Let me know about a problem as soon as you know about it.”

Everyone knows the old adage: bad news, unlike wine, doesn’t get better with time.

In 2003 American soldiers and interrogators in charge of Iraq prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad subjected prisoners to horrendous abuse, torture, and humiliation. Their actions were shocking and clearly illegal.

Late that year, one of the soldiers stationed at the prison reported the abuses to his superiors and said that photos had been taken by the abusers. The commanders in Iraq immediately took action and took steps to launch an investigation. Soon after, the

news reached Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told the president in early January 2004 that incidents at Abu Ghraib were being looked into. It seems that nobody told these senior leaders that these incidents were truly horrendous. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the overall military commander in Iraq, announced the investigation on Jan. 12.

Soldiers were suspended from duty during pending disciplinary action.

The machinery was working, but not all of it. The pipes leading up to the senior leader were never turned on. The Abu Ghraib photos were available to senior Pentagon leaders, but it does not appear that Secretary Rumsfeld saw them, nor were they shown at the White House. A fuse was burning, but no one made the senior leadership aware that a bomb was about to go off.

In late April, CBS’s 60 Minutes broke the story wide open. They had obtained the photos and showed them on the air. The bomb went off and all hell broke loose.

I was shocked when I saw the photos. How could American soldiers do this?

How could the implications of their eventually becoming public not set off alarm bells at the Pentagon and White House? Why was there no action at the top? Don Rumsfeld

had been around a long time.

If they had known what was going on, he and his staff would have immediately realized the dimensions of the crisis. So would the president’s staff. And yet nearly four months went by and no one had elevated the material up the chain to the secretary or the president.

If that had happened, the problem would not have been magically solved, but the people at the top would have had time to decide how to deal with the disaster and get to the bottom of it. The president was not told early.

Leaders should train their staffs that whenever the question reaches the surface of their mind—”Umm, you think we should call someone?”—the answers is almost always, “Yes, and five minutes ago.” And that’s a pretty good rule for life, if you haven’t yet set your woods on fire.

With early notification, we can all gang up on the problem from our different perspectives and not lose time.

As I have told my staff many times over the years, if you want to work for me, don’t surprise me. And when you tell me, tell me everything.

Source: ‘It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership’ by Colin Powell. To be published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. As excerpted in Newsweek.

57

BUSINESS

Vacation, a luxury I can’t afford—Funke Opeke, CEO, MainOne Cable Ltd.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Whistle blowers in the dock I

F creditors to the comatose national mobile telecom company (M-Tel) had been told the inconveniences that go with whistle blowing, they would have acted differently by putting a seal on their lips.

Perhaps, by now, they would have been smiling to their various banks.

The creditors, numbering about 300 were being owed for contracts executed for M-Tel at various times between 2005 and 2007 but they could not be paid before the company went under.

The ensuing battle was a protracted one in which the creditors engaged the Federal Government represented by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in what seemed like a fight to the finish.

Led by their lawyers, Messrs Suleiman Usman and Julius Nwodo, arguments appeared tilted in favour of the creditors while the court process lasted.

The creditors, through their lawyers, were seeking the order of the court to liquidate and sell all assets of the telecom company to offset the outstanding debts.

Apparently sensing that the creditors could have an upper hand in court, the BPE opted for an out of court settlement by agreeing to pay the creditors the outstanding debts.

Thus, the creditors were persuaded to withdraw the suit from court sometime in 2011.

After months of dithering, the BPE eventually set in motion the process of settling the debts in the last quarter of 2011.

But the Bureau, along the line, developed cold feet. The delay forced the creditors into beating the war drums, threatening to vandalise existing M-Tel facilities and installations wherever they could find them.

Apparently worried by the trend, Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation and Vice President, Namadi Sambo intervened by directing the BPE to expedite action on the payment.

But months after Sambo’s express directive, the BPE was still dithering amid threats by the creditors.

Obviously miffed by the recalcitrant posture of the Bureau, the Vice President had, in December 2011, directed the management of the BPE to hand over the payment process to M-Tel with a marching order to the M-Tel management to speed up the process.

Having taken over the process, the M-Tel management had compiled the list of the creditors which it forwarded to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) in January 2012 for payment.

United by common adversity, the creditors had formed an association for collective and coordinated action plan. Members of an executive committee were elected on the spot and various monitoring committees promptly set up from the membership.

The various committees were given the task of monitoring the process from start to finish.

One group was detailed to monitor the activities of the BPE; another was mandated to keep watch on MTel, while the third group monitored

Some creditors to the moribund Mobile Telecommunication Company (M-Tel) recently blew the whistle alerting the Federal Government on alleged plot by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to fleece the government of billions of naira through some phony contract payments. Apparently following the tip-off, the government was able to block the leakage in the nick of time. But the whistle blowers are being punished for sticking out their necks. Assistant Editor, Gbade Ogunwale reports

-- Page 59

Briefs Dangote, others for Africa CEO forum

•Dangote

O

•Vice President, Namadi Sambo

developments around the office of the AGF. Sometime in February 2012, the group monitoring the BPE had reported to the association its suspicion that the BPE might have been cooking up some phony lists of M-Tel creditors apparently with the view to forwarding same to the office of the AGF for payment.

Acting on the information, the unit monitoring the office of the AGF sprung into action by sniffing around for vital information. The efforts paid off in a matter of days.

The group was able to establish that there were indeed a number of phony lists of contractors allegedly emanating from the BPE and received by the AGF for payment.

According to them, the alleged phony lists were meant for payments for sums running into several billions of naira. Promptly, the creditors raised the alarm through the media to alert the NPC and Vice President Sambo.

Two representatives of the creditors, Messrs. Kabiru Musa and Sylvester Onwuna tendered a copy of the February 20, 2012 edition of The Nation newspaper (page 11) which carried the report.

With the authenticity of the creditors’ claim established, the Vice President was said to have ordered that the payment process, which was at the last stage, be put on hold with immediate effect. That was sometime in February 2012.

In a chat with our correspondent last week, the creditors la-

•DG, BPE, Bolanle Onagoruwa

mented what they described as unfair treatment being meted to them by the authorities.

They charged the authorities not to create the wrong impression that it has become more convenient to reward proven misdemeanour and punish patriotic gestures.

Kabiru Musa stated: “We thought we were doing the nation a patriotic duty by exposing what would have amounted to one of the monumental leakages in the system. But it turned out that we are being punished for alerting the authorities to an attempt to fleece the government of billions in public funds. It’s over three months now since we raised the alarm. Now we seem to be back at ground zero.”

But spokesman for the BPE, Mr. Chukwuma Nwokoh dismissed the creditors’ story as farfetched.

He has consistently denied the alleged infraction, saying there was no truth in the allegation.

Nwokoh had repeatedly challenged the creditors to prove their allegation with facts and figures.

But the creditors have maintained that the fact that the Vice President suddenly halted the exercise at the eleventh hour was enough to cast doubts on the integrity of certain officials and the credibility of the process at that point.

But a competent source in the Presidency denied that the government was deliberately punishing the creditors for exposing the attempted fraud.

The source who pleaded ano-

nymity told our correspondent on Wednesday that on the other hand, Vice President Sambo was impressed by the creditors’ sense of patriotism.

According to him, the Vice President was alarmed by “certain developments” that cropped up at a certain point during the process.

The source stated that contrary to the creditors’ insinuations that they were being punished for blowing the whistle, arrangements are currently being made to settle their claims. According to him, the Vice President had already directed the relevant officials to address the creditors’ demands, but he could not say how long it would take to resolve issue.

Our source, however, declined to state how much was involved in the botched fraud attempt, but a source in the office of the AGF simply said; “what you are asking is a N14 billion question.”

The contractors were initially slated to be paid alongside hundreds of disengaged staff of M-Tel in 2010.

But apparently angered by the government’s slow action, the disengaged staff had, in January 2011, embarked on sustained protests that recorded a few broken limbs and bloody noses. The rampaging protesters had locked out the management and staff of the BPE and office of the AGF on different occasions.

They were promptly paid when the government discovered that the situation was getting out of hand.

VER 300 chief executives from all over Africa, together with 100 bankers and investors, and numerous decision-makers from Africa’s public sector will be gathering in Geneva for two days of dialogue and debate in November 2012.

The AFRICA CEO FORUM is the first international conference for leaders of top African companies, high-level executives of large African, surpassing sectoral conferences and staying off the beaten track of academic events. It brings together for two days, entrepreneurs, investors, financial decisionmakers, and policy-makers to promote the success of the African private sector, providing a platform for public-private dialogue and high-level strategic solutions to support the development of company and its African markets.

For Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank, coorganisers of the event, the AFRICA CEO FORUM fits perfectly into the AfDB’s mission, which is to foster an environment conducive to business and private sector development.

Several leaders of the largest African companies are confirmed as participants. Examples include Aliko Dangote, CEO of Nigeria’s largest industrial conglomerate, Jean-Louis Billon, president of Sifca, Cote d’Ivoire’s largest private employer, Issad Rebrad, CEO of Cevital, the largest private group in Algeria, Terrab Mostafa, CEO of the Moroccan company, OCP, the world’s largest exporter of phosphates, and Mark Cutifani, who heads the South African mining group, AngloGold Ashanti. Leaders of major international groups who have also announced their attendance at the Geneva meeting include, as Tidjane Thiam, CEO of top British insurance group, Prudential, and Sunny Verghese, CEO of Olam, the multinational agribusiness based in Singapore.

A press conference to launch the African CEO Forum will be organised at the AfDB Annual meetings in Arusha, Tanzania between 28 May and 1 June 2012.

58

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Business Intelligence

One million youths for vocational training T

HE Federal Government is to train one million youths annually in various technical and vocational skills under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme as part of its Industrial Revolution.

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Agaga, disclosed this in Abuja, during the Presentation of the National Industrial Skills Development Project to stakeholders.

He said, “The NISDP was a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Trade and Investment, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority of Nigeria Industrial Training Fund and the

From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

organised private sector, the scheme would help to reduce youth unemployment across the country.

“Skills development is one of the major pillars of my ministry’s Industrial Revolution Plan, the Ministry of Trade and Investment would partner the OPS and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation to significantly increase the pool of skills required to increase the productive capacity of local industries to enable them create jobs, generate wealth and transform Nigeria’s economy.

“The new initiative would widen the scope of entrepre-

neurial opportunities for skilled youths, the Industrial Revolution which we have embarked upon is based on three major pillars which are industry, innovation and skills development. We want to focus on industries where we have comparative and competitive advantage, and with high potentials for job creation and wealth generation.

“As part of its skills development strategy, the Ministry of Trade and Investment had already embarked on policy reform programmes aimed at removing bottlenecks along the value chain in order to link skills development and innovation to industry needs.

PHOTO SHOP

“One of the major causes of unemployment is the shortage of technical and vocational skills. But what differentiates the NISDP from previous efforts at training and capacity building is that it is sector-driven. It has been conceptualized to

transform our numerical advantage into productive advantage in the sense that training for each sector will be need-based. This will go a long in addressing the specific skills requirements and priorities of our local industrial and ultimately create

jobs for our youths,” he stressed.

Speaking, the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, said the development of vocational and technical skills was critical to the Nigeria’s Industrial Revolution.

Guinness launches low sugar malt drink

G

UINNESS Nigeria PLC has added to its stable Malta Guinness Low, a low sugar malt drink targeted at individuals desirous of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

At the official unveiling of the product on Thursday, in Lagos, the management of the company led by the Managing Director, Mr. Devlin Hainsworth said the new variety has been developed in response to the growing demand from consumers across Nigeria for a great tasting, lower sugar variant of the nation’s number one malt drink to satisfy the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle.

According to him, “We know that people across the country love our classic Malta Guinness. Today’s launch of Malta Guinness Low Sugar is not a replacement to the country’s number one malt drink, but an alternative offering for those people that want a lower sugar beverage

Stories by Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

that still tastes great.

“We have seen that there are an increasing number of people in Nigeria who are becoming more health conscious when it comes to diet and exercise, and Malta Guinness Low Sugar will meet the demands of a lower sugar alternative on the market while still giving the same goodness of their favourite malt.”

Hainsworth also announced that Arsenal Football Club has chosen Malta Guinness to be the Official Malt Drink of the club in Nigeria for the next three years.

As part of the partnership, new Malta Guinness Low Sugar will be the Official Malt Drink of the Arsenal FC tour in the country later this August.

Arsenal FC Club Captain, Robin van Persie delighted guests with a special pidgin message urging fan to get ready for their arrival.

Hainsworth added: “Malta Guinness is proud to partner with Arsenal FC in Nigeria and for new Malta Guinness Low Sugar to be the Official Malt Drink for Arsenal’s Tour.

“The Club’s great history and exciting style of play is set to energise and inspire Nigerians when they tour here in August whether they be fans of the club, fans of football or simply fans of the good things in life. We look forward to giving them a great reception on their first ever visit to Nigeria and to showing them the passion we have for our football as well as the vitality and energy of Nigeria and its people”.

As part of the tour, Malta Guinness and Arsenal FC will be providing malt drink lovers across the country with a variety of opportunities to interact and get involved.Guests at the event were thrilled to view specially recorded messages from Arsenal Football Club.

Consolidated Breweries Plc rewards customers •L-R: Tunde Adegbola, Plant Manager, Udo Anya, Sales Director, Devlin Hainsworth, Managing Director and Sola Oke, Marketing Manager Innovation all of Guinness Nigeria Plc during the launch of Malta Guinness Low Sugar in Lagos recently

•From left: Mr. Ed Weggemans, General Manager, (Commercial), Consolidated Breweries Plc, presenting certificate of recognition to one of the customers at the event

W

F

OR their outstanding contributions to the development of te brand, distributors of Consolidated Breweries Plc got a pat on the back from the compnay with many of them carting home fabulous prizes.

Consolidated Breweries Plc, brewers of high quality value-for-money brands, and the nation’s third largest brewer, rewarded loyal distributors at the company’s annual customers’ Award Nite at Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

Tagged: “Winning Together”, the forum afforded where the company the opportunity to review preceding year’s performance as well as and expectations for the current year.

The General Manager-

Commercial, Mr. Ed Weggemans, while sharing business plan for 2012 with distributors at the Conference said 2011, though challenging, was nonetheless a successful year for Consolidated Breweries Plc and her business partners.

He said the various strategic acquisitions by the company, recently, represents a great opportunity for Consolidated Breweries’ business, as the company is expected to take full advantage of the synergies offered, by tapping into the distribution networks of the acquired brewing companies – Benue Brewery Limited in Makurdi and Champion Breweries Plc in Uyo. The acquired brands – Williams Dark Ale, More Lager Beer and Champion Lager Beer, according to him, are strategic extensions for the other brands

in the portfolio of Consolidated Breweries Plc. Besides, he said the acquisitions were part of strategic initiatives by the company to further expand its production capacity with a view to meeting the ever growing consumer demand for its brands.

At the colorful event, various prizes were given out to the satisfaction of all in line with the company’s policy of rewarding outstanding performance, particularly partners who carry the entire brand portfolio of the company.

The Managing Director’s prize for outstanding growth in 2011 was a 3.5-ton, 400 crates capacity fully branded delivery truck which was won

by Mrs. Funke Ayeni, Managing Director, Sea Ventures in Lagos.

MARBLE AND GRANITE CARE

HEN cleaning, never use vinegar, acid, glass or furniture cleaner to clean the stones. They poison the stone, kill the polish and damage surface. Stone cleaning products should have neutral pH equal or close to 7. Use dry-mopping as often as you can. Think that scratches come not from walking on the floor as such, but from the sand and grits lying between shoes and polished surfaces.

Keep mops, rags, sponges, dust mops and other supplies to clean the marble separate from other cleaning suppliers. A mop used in a restroom may have acid from toilet bowl cleaners or urine in it. Both can

Maintaining your floors - Marble and Granite have negative effects on polished stone floors.

Use only trusted products designed for stone maintenance. Maldini can recommend a wide variety of reliable products which you can use yourself at home before you need a professional scheduled Maintenance.

Schedule a Professional Maintenance periodically with Maldini to implement low-cost restoration procedures. If you experience that your marble flooring lacks glossy end and shines call in as well to have our professional staff apply

wax to give a shiny gloss finish for the marbles. You want this done professionally simply because if too much of wax is utilized, the stone will not be able to breath and this will affect the life time of marbles.

Aside from typical servicing of your marble floor, you ought to consider edge of skilled marble cleansing completed by professionals. A sealing cod is generally utilised to seal gaps and spots in marble and have to be applied each and every 6 months on the hallway or any substantial targeted traffic regions,

preserving the lifestyle of your marble flooring and resurfaced with diamonds every 3 many years to preserve the elegance of the stone. Granite is a strong and durable construction stone. It got better resistance to scratches and heat compared to marble. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that granite care should be taken lightly. It should be effective to keep the granite surface’s beauty and longevity.

There are two types of granite cleaner. Prefer the natural-based over the chemical-based as it can yield better results. Granite sealers can add protection to the surface.

Before you use them though, know the type of sealer that you will have to use and how often it should be applied. There are some granite types that require single sealing while others need it every one or two years.

For more information on Marble/Granite Care, Sales and Delivery contact: Mike Anazodo – Email: info@maldinimarbles.com, Tel: 018934967 . Maldini Marble and Granite Company

Business

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

59

‘Vacation, a luxury I can’t afford’ Ms. Funke Opeke, one of the few leading lights in the engineering profession among the women folk, is the Managing Director/Chief Executive, MainOne Cable Company Limited, the first submarine cable company offering open access, wholesale broadband communications capacity and across the continent.

In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, she takes us through her social routine outside the office

INTERVIEW

• Opeke

A

S one of the upwardly mobile executives, how do you unwind?

Well, I exercise. So, time, obviously with my work is at the premium.

So if I have downtime, I try to keep fit. I get some exercise though it is not something I give as much time as it deserves.

I like to read. Generally, I like peace and quiet. It gives me time to catch up with my family and we just spend time together.

Do you follow any particular regimen for your exercise?

Well, I’ve joined gyms but I found out that I rarely go. (Laughs) May be I should permanently stop joining gyms. But I do have quite a lot of exercise equipment.

But also I don’t use it often enough. Depending on where I’m, if it is conducive for a walk or a jog and of course, a lot of things like that, I like to do that as well.

How often do you go on vacation? Is

…THIS WEEK IN BUSINESS

T

HE 2012 Africa CEO Round-table and Conference on CSR (ARCSR™) is scheduled to take place at the Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar, Cross River State from June 28-29, 2012.

The keynote speaker at the event is Dr. Gro Brundtland, first and only female Prime Minister of Norway, Former Director General, World Health Organisation, Chairman, UN World Commission on the Environment and Development (aka Brundtland Commission) and UN Special Envoy on Climate Change.

In a statement from the conveners, ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited; the UN

only able to spend four days. And one of those days, I actually went to the office, our office in Ghana. But my siblings and their families were there and so were able to spend some time together. And then, this spring, I actually spent some time in the United States in March, during the children’s school break.

You operate in an otherwise “male” dominated sector, engineering. So, how does it feel like calling the shot in this sector?

Well, after sometime you get used to it. I was the only female in my undergraduate days in the Electrical Engineering class in the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. Yes, as a technical field, engineering seems to be male-dominated. But after a few years, you stop noticing your friends, your colleagues and work goes on.

Sometimes when you’re meeting new people, they will be taking aback and may be expecting that because you’re a woman, you’re not exposed to the details. But I think people quickly realise that that is not the case. So, it’s not such a differentiator anymore and you know business and engineering is really about what you achieve and what you know and what you’re able to bring to it something that is customary with the table. So, I think the results speak for you? And where are your possible des- themselves. I really don’t feel that direct bias. I think if there is opportunity availtination points?

You know, it’s tough to go on ex- able for women to pursue technical catended vacations and I must also ad- reers, it would increase our rights. Any mit that with this job, it is tough. I woman that I see trying to pursue a techmean, we are a company on a growth nical career, I try to encourage... phase. So, it is really difficult for me to Still talking about stereotypes, has take any kind of extended vacation. there been any occasion when people disThen, usually you have family obliga- criminated against you at the workplace tions as an adult that you need to keep. based on your gender?

Not really. I don’t notice. I tend to be a So, I would say if I’m taking time off, it’s usually a few days to attend one kind of person who doesn’t regret or look family obligation or the other. Then the back. I’m sure gender or no gender, just opportunity to spend time with my fam- like anybody else, some doors have been ily or my extended family is what usu- closed in my face. Maybe, it was because of my gender, I wouldn’t know. But of ally pops to the top.

Sorry to take you back. In the very course, others have been open. So, I purrecent times, when last did you take va- sue the ones that have been opened. I have cation? been able to make some success out of it.

We had an extended family vacation So, perhaps, I don’t dwell on it and I don’t reunion in Ghana last year. But I was particularly notice closed opportunities,

I go through the ones that are open.

I recall at the last Information and Communication Technology Girls’ Day, Women in Technology in Nigeria called for increased participation of more women in the sector. As one of the few women in the sector, what are you doing to encourage young adolescent girls who are interested in the profession?

Definitely we’re doing our best. We sponsored the ICT Girls’ Day event by bringing together secondary school students. We had essay competition and we also brought in lot of professionals competition. We brought a lot of professionals.

Female professionals in the ICT sector to talk to them about pursuing career in ICT, they were able to interact with us and ask questions.

Besides, I mentor both at work and outside of work...

I am on the board of a non-for profit, that was founded by Mrs. Amina Oyagblola of MTN. It is into mentoring.

Of course, a lot of the young professionals I work with through the years of my career in Nigeria and at the United States, I continue to provide friendly guidance to them about their careers. So, my mentoring takes both structured and unstructured forms... I do quite a bit of mentoring...

You said you read books. Can you remember the last book you read?

(Laughs) I think I’m reading a book now called “The Impostor”. I’ve also read “Long Walk to Freedom b y Nelson Mandela. I have been reading it for so long but I only just finished reading it just a few months ago...

As an individual, what is your philosophical mantra about life generally?

I think cause and effect. It is not that I have a philosophical mantra but I know that I do believe in taking responsibility for my life. I have strong faith in God...God, as someone said asked that somebody should bring water before He turned it into wine. He could have performed the miracle and just go ahead to make the wine but he wants us to be participants in the process. So, I feel individually and collectively that we need to take responsibility for ourlives, for society, for our decisions.

And with God’s grace, we are able to achieve something in life. I believe in hard work. I think it is also important for us to live disciplined lives...

Experts for Africa CEO Roundtable Special Envoy on Climate Change will be hosted by Cross River State at the Tinapa Business Resort. Graham Sinclair, President, Africa Sustainable Investment Forum and Principal, Sinclair Consult, South Africa will lead discussions at the CEO Round-table this year amongst other speakers.

The 2012 Africa CEO Round-table and Conference on CSR (AR-CSR™), with the theme: ‘Sustainable Development: Expanding Economic Opportunities through Public-Private Synergy’ is an

industry flagship, all-inclusive CSR & Sustainability management event of the year and the first of its kind in Africa. Leaders from a variety of sectors from far and wide within and outside the continent will gather to share their expertise and experiences on an array of Business and Development topics.

According to the Lead Consultant/ CEO of ThistlePraxis Consulting; Ini Onuk; ‘the choice of Dr. Brundtland is very instructive and is intended to mark the 20th year of the first global platform on Sustain-

able Development which was inspired by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, chaired by our Keynote Speaker and renamed the Brundtland Commission’.

African Business and NewsAfrica are media partners to the 2012 AR-CSR™ as well as Nigerian Leadership Initiative, Lagos State Signage & Advertising Agency (LASAA), Khumo Marketing Group South Africa, Connect Marketing Services, JustMeans and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

60

Business

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2011

COMPANY NEWS

Beyond Agency adopts satellite T alent technology to tackle security

By Adetayo Okusanya

T

HE National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) of Nigeria has hinted of plans to begin series of trainings for the country’s security agencies on how to use simple satellite technologies to tackle some of the security challenges facing the country.

This, according to the agency’s Director General, Dr. Seidu Mohammed, is in line with its vision “to uncover and exploit the capabilities of science and technology for national socio-economic and technological development through cutting-edge research.”NASRDA boss made this disclosure when a group of science journalists from the West African subregion, namely Nigeria, Benin and Ghana visited NASRDA in Abuja recently.

According to the Agency’s boss, “personnel of the relevant security agencies would be trained on simple interpretation of information obtained by the country’s satellites and processed at the base stations.”

At the tour organised by the Nigerian Association of Science Journalists (NASJ) as part of the capacity building programme during the

association’s International Annual Science Communication Conference, Mohammed said, “A communication Satellite in place, Tariffs on GSM Phone Services as well as tariffs on Satellite Television Broadcasting Services will be reduced, it will also link the rural areas with telephone services and promote E-Commerce and E-Government.”

The DG also disclosed that the centre is currently focused on the coordination and implementation of projects and programmes in specific areas including remote sensing and geographic information systems, meteorology, astronomy and astrophysics, communication as well as human capacity development.

The agency currently has

a -25 year road map that will begin with the training of Nigerian Astronauts in 2015.

This is to be followed by the development and building of made in Nigeria Satellites in 2018, development of rocketry/propulsion system (2025), spin-off of Allied Industries-electronics, softwares, among others expected to happen in 2026.

•L-R: Dr. Adetayo Olagbegi, Business Development Manager, Smith & Nephew; Mr. Timmy Kolawole, Assistant General Manager (Commercial), Morison Industries Plc and Mrs J. O. Popoola, Chief Nursing Officer, University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan and Dr. Ayodele Iyun, Consultant Plastic Surgeon of UCH, Ibadan, during the donation of Smith & Nephew products to the hospital as part of its corporate social responsibility activities recently

Migration policy central to poverty reduction

R

ESEARCHERS, experts in the manufacturing as well as financial service sectors have emphasised the importance of effective migration policy in reducing the level of poverty and redistribution of income in the country.

The stakeholders at a workshop in Abuja noted that understanding the poverty and income dynamics of the large inflows of remittances into Nigeria was pivotal to any attempt to minimise the negative effects of migration, while optimising its development potentials in the country as a whole.

The workshop with the theme: “International Remittances, Poverty and Inequality: The West African Case (IRPI-TWAC)”, was designed to disseminate the preliminary findings of the study conducted by the Centre for Demographic and Allied Research (CDAR) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), with suport by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

In his welcome address at the event, the Director of CDAR, Professor Cletus Agu stressed the need for government to put in place migration policy targeted towards reducing income inequality more in urban areas than in rural areas, saying remittances would be very effective in poverty reduction if its inflow increased in the future.

The don, who also heads the Department of Economics, UNN, averred that remittances were most often earmarked for specific purpose like subsidising general

By Toba Agboola

household expenses and household education spending.

He also said that recipients of remittances had lower poverty compared to similar households that did not receive remittances but the dif-

ference was not statistically significant and recipients were mainly responsible youths that could be trusted who belong to the active population.

WISE Awards seek to address challenges in education

R

EPRESENTATIVES of original and pioneering initiatives in education are invited to apply for the 2012 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Awards which will be presented to six successful projects at its 2012 summit in Doha, Qatar.

Now in its fourth year, the WISE Awards recognise and spotlight innovative educational projects from around the world, and from all educational sectors, which have had transformative impact upon education and society. Applications are open until May 31, 2012.

Its mission is to address the challenges facing 21st-century

By Adline Atili

education, to expand dialogue around the world, and to implement practical and sustainable solutions.

The winning projects will be showcased at the summit and will benefit from substantial media visibility, helping promote their achievements and development, as well as $20,000 prize money.

The theme of the WISE Awards 2012 is “Transforming Education.”

One of the 2012 WISE Awards will be for a project that has best delivered innovative financing of primary

education. This reflects the support of Chair of the Qatar Foundation, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser for the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 2 on achieving universal primary education and it is designed to stimulate innovative projects targeted at achieving MDG 2.

A panel will examine the applications and 24 finalists will be announced in July. A Jury of leading educational experts will then select the six most innovative projects while winners of the 2012 awards will be announced in September.

Diamond Bank improves performance IAMOND Bank’s op- at 1st quarter of funds. We have shown that we have a leading posierating performance

D

has continued to show significant improvement even as the bank reissues its first quarter 2012 results in line with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The bank’s reissued results indicate it made a profit before tax of N7.8billion for Q1 2012.

According to a press statement made available to our correspondent, Group Managing Director/CEO of the Bank, Dr. Alex Otti, stated that the first quarter results prepared according to IFRS shows a consistent improvement in PBT growth indicates that the bank is on track towards delivering significant ROE in 2012.

While the bank recorded a net interest income of N20.2 billion, operating expenses stood at N13.5 billion and profit before tax at N7.8 billion. These figures are consistent with the results prepared based on Nigerian General Accepted Accounting Practice (NGAAP) where the bank recorded N18.1billion, N13.4billion and N7.5billion for net interest income, operating expenses and profit before tax respectively.

Said Otti: “Our customer base is growing with recurring monthly fee income improving, and our growing retail liabilities have continued to sustain our low cost

tion in net interest margin which is sustainable. In addition, our operating efficiency is robust and yielding strong operating performance.”

Diamond Bank’s group balance sheet results for Q1 2012 indicate that its cash balances with Central Bank is N61.8 billion, loans and advances to customers are N433.5 billion, total assets are N855.3 billion and deposits from customers are N641.1 billion. These IFRS results are similar to the one prepared according to NGAAP where the bank recorded N61.7 billion, N440.3 billion, N858.3 billion and N640.1 billion respectively.

Email: adetayookusanya@hotmail.com

Is your ambition olympic-size?

W

HAT do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question that we were asked many times by family and friends when we were kids. In those days answering the question was less about our competencies, and more about our interests, our television heroes and the role models around us. Some of us were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity and freedom to articulate our dreams, while others were told what they were to become. Regardless of which side of the aisle you are on, there are many of us today who are yet to lay that question to rest. We still hear its lingering echoes in our minds, but now it is not the voice of another questioning us but our own souls seeking clarity as we ask ourselves, “What do I really want to be when I grow up”.

I recently ran into an old friend of mine, who I will refer to as Bola for anonymity, and we spent time bringing each other up to speed on our lives. Bola, who is in her thirties, is still trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. After majoring in one of the social sciences for her undergraduate degree, Bola went back to school to study law. When I asked her why, she said everyone told her she would be a good lawyer. Today, after more than half a decade of additional schooling, not only has she discovered that she has no interest or passion for the legal world, she still cannot articulate with confidence what her purpose or passion is. I dare say that Bola is not alone in this plight.

Every successful life or career is built by design. Design does not in any way mean that everything is planned to the “T”. Any successful professional, artiste, entrepreneur or leader will tell you that they did not start out having all the answers. A consistent theme in many success stories is that successful individuals “Stay True To Themselves”. They make decisions in spite of fear, and not because of it. They consistently choose to err on the side of purpose and passion, even when it means getting off the well-beaten path and going where others have not gone before. According to Steve Jobs, your heart and your intuition already know what you truly want to become and if you have the courage to follow them, then somehow the dots will connect.

The first building block for laying the foundation for a “Designer Career” is self-awareness and this was covered last week. The second building block is “Ambition”. This is a tricky one because it is often viewed in the negative.

Newsflash for all, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH AMBITION! It is simply a strong earnest desire for some type of success, achievement or distinction. Without ambition there would be no space travel, no Apple, no Facebook, no Google, no Microsoft, etc. Without ambition, Michael Phelps would never have won sixteen Olympic medals.

Many of us are looking forward to the 2012 Olympic Games, an event that epitomizes ambition at its best. We commend the ambition and dedication of the men and women who compete in this event, but do we stop to ask ourselves how we can strive for excellence and distinction in the things that we do every day? Great careers are built on the desire of individuals to distinguish themselves and make a lasting difference. Ambition becomes negative when it seeks only to create value for itself, at the expense of others.

Do you have ambition? Imagine that ten years from now, you are featured on the cover of Forbes magazine.

What would you like the article to say about you? What would you like others to say about you to the writer of the article? In what Industry or sector would you like to distinguish yourself? How would you like to have spent your time and life? What types of business or social problems would you like to have tackled? Whose job would you like to have at that time? In what areas would you like to be a thought leader? I have a friend who works for the Boeing Company, who shared her vision of the future with me.

For her Forbes glamour shot, she sees herself wearing a white “designer” pant suit, standing in heels in a hangar, against a backdrop of airplanes and being described as a “Transformative Change Agent in the Nigerian Aviation Industry”. Wow! What a powerful ambition and a compelling vision.

What would you like history to say about you ten years from now? Ambition will infuse your life and purpose with motivation and energizing power. Next week, Beyond Talent, will be featuring useful and practical tips on how to bridge the divide between where you are today and the “Designer Career” that you desire. Don’t miss it.

• Okusanya is CEO of ReadinessEdge

61

WORLD NEWS THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

•G8 leaders, from L to R, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Francois Hollande, US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and European Council president Herman van Rompuy pose for a family photo during the G8 summit yesterday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

AFP PHOTO

I

T was what President Barack Obama called a “war of necessity,” a conflict thrust upon America by the 9/11 attacks. As NATO’s mission here winds down nearly 11 years later, the insurgents remain undefeated, corruption runs rife and the peace process is stuck in the sand.

Such is the bleak reality of Afghanistan as Obama and leaders of about 60 countries and organizations meet today and Monday in Chicago to map their way out of an unpopular war. The goal is to develop a strategy that does not risk a repeat of the chaos that followed the Soviet exit two decades ago, which paved the way for the rise of al-Qaida.

With none of the NATO countries having the stomach to pursue the war much longer, the only viable option is to leave behind an Afghan army and police force capable of defending the country against the Taliban and its allies after the NATO combat mission is declared over at the end of 2014 and most of the coalition troops leave.

That would require no less than $4.1 billion a year from foreign coffers at a time when most of the countries are struggling with deficits and the specter of recession and bank failures. Without big handouts, Afghanistan simply cannot pay for its own defense.

“Our security forces last year cost $6 billion while our national revenue was $1.7 billion,” said Ashraf Ghani, head of a commission overseeing the process of passing the baton to the Afghan forces. “Investment in our security forces is part of an investment in international security.”

The challenge facing Obama and other world

By Deb Riechmann, Associated Press

leaders will be to convince their own voters that Afghanistan is worth the investment. The war has already claimed the lives of at least 3,000 NATO service members — more than 1,840 of them American — and thousands of Afghans.

Support for the war has eroded in Europe and hit a new low in America. Only 27 percent of Americans say they back the effort while 66 percent oppose the war, according to an AP-GfK poll released earlier this month.

Pessimism and fatigue over Afghanistan stand in sharp contrast to the euphoria that accompanied the quick routing of the Taliban and their al-Qaida allies in 2001. With American and NATO jets in the skies and pro-Western Afghan fighters on the ground, the American-led coalition swept the Taliban from power in less than two months — without a single combat death among U.S. military forces.

But the Bush administration’s shift toward war with Iraq left the Western powers without enough resources on the ground, so by 2006 the Taliban had regrouped into a serious military threat.

By the time Obama sent 33,000 more troops to Afghanistan in December 2009, years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan had drained Western resources and sapped resolve to build a viable Afghan state, especially after the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

President Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland, which has some 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, said Friday that those giving financial aid will face “tough decisions” over

whether to spend on security or other civilian needs.

After meeting Obama at the White House, French President Francois Hollande said Friday he stood by his campaign pledge to withdraw his country’s 3,300 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year but that France would keep supporting Afghanistan in a “different way.”

Jawed Ludin, deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan, said Western powers should understand that terrorists in the region remain a global threat when they consider how much aid to give his country.

“This is not a charity that we are receiving,” Ludin said.

“Afghanistan is and will be on the front line of the world’s fight against terrorism. We Afghans will be making sacrifices for years to come in what is essentially an international war.”

He cautioned donors against trying to place conditions on the pledges.

Making development and reconstruction aid conditional on the government’s ability to fight corruption, for instance, might be acceptable, but not so with money to finance the security forces, Ludin said.

“Terrorism has never been a creation of Afghanistan. It was brought to us,” he said. “Even today, it originates outside our own borders and our people have been victims as ... people in the West.”

Ludin was referring to the al-Qaida and Taliban sanctuaries across the border in Pakistan, off-limits to NATO and Afghan ground forces.

Despite a nominal alliance with NATO, the Pakistanis have been unwilling or unable to rout militants from those sanctuaries, in part for fear of stirring up hatred among the

ethnic Pashtun community that lives in both countries and provides most of the Taliban fighters.

Solidarity with their fellow Pashtuns and opposition to Western attacks against Muslims generated the rise in Pakistan of a Taliban movement, which the government in Islamabad has struggled to contain. The conflict has generated deep resentment among Pakistanis who believe they have been dragged into America’s war.

Across the border, tens of thousands of coalition troops have flooded Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan the past two years and appear to have gained a better handle on security.

But the Taliban have shown resilience, reportedly stepping up attacks recently in three farming districts outside Kandahar city. The militants have also opened up new fronts in northern and western Afghanistan and are fighting back in the east. Questions remain as to whether the Afghan forces can ever secure the nation by themselves.

Foreign troops have begun their exodus — 33,000 Americans alone, or about one-third of the current U.S. force in Afghanistan, will be gone by the end of September.

After most of the 130,000 international troops withdraw by the end of 2014, many Afghans fear their country will descend into civil war.

The Taliban continue to carry out spectacular suicide bombings and assassinate government workers and officials. A top member of the Afghan peace council was gunned down this month in the heavily guarded capital, Kabul, dealing another setback to the stalled effort to make peace with militants. In September,

the head of the peace council was assassinated in his home by a suicide bomber posing as a peace emissary from the Taliban.

“The Taliban are trying to come back as rulers. I don’t think that they want anything less than that,” said Ismail Qasemyar, a member of the government-appointed peace council. “If there is no compromise or softening of their position, I think it will be very difficult to reach any agreement.”

The Taliban pick up support among Afghans fed up with rampant corruption and the need to pay a bribe for a simple service. Government dysfunction leaves other Afghans demoralized and looking for a way out.

More Afghans fled the country and sought asylum abroad last year than in any other year since the start of the war, suggesting that many are looking for their own exit strategies as international troops withdraw. From January to November, more than 30,000 Afghans applied for political asylum worldwide, a 25 percent increase over the same period the previous year and more than triple the level of just four years ago, according to U.N. statistics.

Some civilians who remain in Afghanistan become victims of the fighting — usually Taliban attacks but sometimes NATO assaults. Many Afghans focus their blame on NATO, though, arguing that the mere presence of international troops encourages fighting. President Hamid Karzai has played into that rage with his frequent criticisms of night raids on homes.

In a troublesome twist, Afghan security forces are increasingly turning their guns on foreign troops, fracturing the

fragile trust between Afghans and their partners.

Equally disturbing, an American Army staff sergeant has been accused of walking off his base and killing 17 Afghan villagers. And, at a time when anti-Western sentiment was already on the rise, Muslim holy books somehow got tossed into a burn pit at a U.S. base in February, prompting deadly anti-American protests across the nation.

Although Afghans fear the worst after the international forces leave, the continued presence of foreign troops is also sapping morale also among many Afghans.

“Listen to what the Afghans say,” says NATO spokesman German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson. “There is a hunger for sovereignty.”

There is some progress to report in Afghanistan.

NATO says that in every month since May 2011, it has recorded fewer militantinitiated attacks than the corresponding month of the year before — though data compiled by the United Nations suggests a less rosy trend.

Afghans have gained greater access to education and health care. More highways are being built, though most of Kabul’s streets are unpaved and deeply rutted.

A network of railroads has been planned. The government has started awarding contracts for copper, iron ore and gold to reap revenue from its vast wealth of untapped minerals.

Several government ministries have been upgraded and reformed.

Afghan police and soldiers have started taking charge of security in wide swaths of the country, though so far no area has fully transitioned to sole Afghan control.

“This isn’t a sprint,” said Brig. Gen. Richard Cripwell, who works on transition at the coalition’s headquarters in Kabul. “We are absolutely on track to meet the goals of the Afghan national security forces being responsible for security across the country by the end of 2014.”

The force is still plagued with graft and desertion, and many recruits can neither read nor write. Some Afghan forces have been accused of making side deals with the Taliban, yet many others have exhibited a sense of national pride and fearlessness in battle.

Some provincial officials complain that their forces lack equipment, ammunition, heavy weapons and even sturdy boots.

NATO is training a 352,000member force, but the size is to shrink to about 230,000 sometime after 2015. The $4.1 billion a year will pay for the smaller force.

This strategy worries Zalmay Khalilzad, President George W. Bush’s representative in Kabul following the collapse of the Taliban. He wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday that the coalition drawdown and the future cuts in Afghan forces were risky.

“Doing so will create a security gap that the Taliban and other insurgents and terrorists, operating out of sanctuaries in Pakistan, could readily exploit.”

62

World News

Seven killed in Somalia blasts

A

T least seven people, mostly Somali soldiers, were killed yesterday in bomb explosions in the Somali capital Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said.

A roadside bomb planted under a tree killed four soldiers and one civilian in northern Mogadishu’s Karan district while at least two soldiers died in a separate grenade attack in Bakara market.

“Four soldiers were killed when a bomb planted in the shade of a tree was detonated. One civilian was also killed in the attack and the security forces are conducting investigations,” Abdirahman Mumin, a Somali security official told AFP from the scene of the blast.

He attributed the attack to the Somali Islamist extremists who abandoned fixed positions in the capital last August and who have since concentrated on guerrilla tactics.

“I think Al-Shebab planted the bomb during the night when nobody was in the area,” he said.

In a second attack, unknown assailants hurled grenades at Somali soldiers who were pulling down illegal buildings near Bakara market, killing at least two of them.

“There was a heavy explosion in Bakara market as the soldiers were destroying illegal buildings. It was a grenade attack and I saw the dead bodies of two soldiers,” Dahir Moalim, a witness, told AFP.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

Army, mutineers clash in DR Congo A

RMY troops clashed with ex-rebel mutineers in the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday in fighting close to a national park famed for its rare gorillas.

The two sides have been mired in tit-for-tat jungle clashes for weeks after the exrebel soldiers, integrated into the army under a 2009 peace deal, started to mutiny, complaining of poor conditions.

The latest fighting started early yesterday, when mutineers attacked loyalist positions in the Rutshuru territory in eastern Nord-Kivu province, a military official told AFP. But Lieutenant Colonel Vianney Kazarana, a mutiny spokesman, said loyalist forces had initiated the fighting.

Kinshasa accuses the mutineers’ former chief of staff General Bosco Ntaganda,

wanted by the International Criminal Court for enlisting child soldiers, of leading the mutiny.

Loyalist soldiers fell back about two kilometres (one mile) before regrouping and shelling the mutineers. There were no immediate reports of deaths.

“It’s the government’s army that started to attack us,” Kazarana said. “We advanced a little and gathered some heavy weapons.”

The region melds into Virunga National Park on the Ugandan border, home to more than half of the world’s 700 or so mountain gorillas.

It is not known how the fighting has affected the gorilla population. The WWF has previously said at least 23 of the critically endangered apes had been killed over years of fighting in the region, long a

theatre of armed conflict.

The resumption of violence has prompted the displacement of thousands of civilians. More than 8,200 have fled to Rwanda since April 27 and more than 30,000 went to Uganda in May, the United Nations said.

“All week people have been leaving, but since the fighting on Saturday, the population has fled to Uganda.

It’s like a desert here now,” Bunagana police chief Leon Bipegeka said. “Now there are maybe more dogs and soldiers.”

Thought to number about 300, the mutineers began abandoning positions in early April and were soon being hunted by the army. They are now consolidated on hillsides in Virunga, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) northeast of Goma, the capital of Nord-Kivu.

The mutineers have formed

Gulf states issue Lebanon travel warning

T •Ntaganda

a new military group called the March 23 Movement, comprising ex-members of their rebel National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP).

On Friday, the government called on mutineers to return to their ranks.

Only the “initiators of the mutiny and the criminals among them” would face court martial, government spokesman Lambert Mende said.

Mende said ex-CNDP chief Ntaganda, known as “The Terminator”, had allied himself with local militiamen and other fighters.

Human Rights Watch this week said he was again forcing boys into military service, accusing him of pressing at least 149 boys and young men into service.

Seven charged in major roundup of Irish militant suspects

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Gay Muslim activist launches book in Malaysia

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Canadian Muslim gay activist launched her controversial new book on liberal Islam in Muslimmajority Malaysia yesterday despite a government minister’s attempts to shut down the event.

Irshad Manji launched “Allah, Liberty and Love” at a hastily arranged event in the capital Kuala Lumpur after two other venues pulled out of hosting her, according to local publisher ZI Publications.

Jamil Khir Baharom, minister in charge of Islamic affairs, had said Islamic officials and the Home Ministry would not allow the author’s roadshow in the country following complaints.

He was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying earlier yesterday that the book was offensive to Muslims as was Manji’s ideology and openly gay lifestyle, which was deemed to be against Islam.

According to her website, the book, now available in the local Malay language, “shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas... This book is the ultimate guide to becoming a gutsy global citizen”.

The book has not been officially banned. Manji was due to fly to New York City late yesterday.

Her previous internationally acclaimed book, “The Trouble with Islam Today”, is already banned in Malaysia, ZI Publications said.

HE United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain yesterday urged their citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon, where clashes linked to the conflict in neighbouring Syria have left 10 people dead.

“The UAE foreign ministry has urged citizens not to travel to Lebanon until the tense security situation there is cleared,” the ministry said in an English-language statement carried on state news agency WAM. The advice has been issued “to guarantee the safety of its citizens,” senior foreign ministry official Issa Abdullah al-Kalbani said in the statement.

Qatar issued a similar warning due to the “unstable security situation” in Lebanon, its news agency QNA reported.

And Bahrain asked its citizens not to travel to Lebanon to ensure their “security and safety” as it urged those already there to “immediately leave or stay away from insecure areas,” the official news agency BNA reported.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansur, however, called on the Gulf states “to review these decisions as the situation in Lebanon does not justify them,” Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported.

•People protest in the centre of Antananrivo, yesterday. Between 3000 and 5000 people gathered in the city centre called by the main opposition radio, Free FM. Madagascar electoral commission sources have said a date for elections will be announced around May 28.

AFP PHOTO

Student dies, 7 hurt in blast near Italian school

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bomb exploded yesterday outside an Italian high school named after a slain anti-Mafia prosecutor, killing a teenage girl and wounding several other classmates, officials said.

The device went off a few minutes before 8 a.m. in the Adriatic port town of Brindisi in the country’s south just as students milled outside, chatting and getting ready for class at the Morvillo-Falcone vocational institute.

The school is named in honor of prosecutor Giovanni Falcone and his wife, Francesca Morvillo, a judge who was also killed in a 1992 highway bombing in Sicily by the Cosa Nostra.

The victim was identified as 16-year-old Melissa Bassi, from the nearby town of Mesagne, the town’s mayor Franco Scoditti said.

Dr. Paola Ciannamea, a Perrino physician who helped treat the injured, told reporters that one of the injured was a teenage girl who was in a grave but stable condition after surgery. She added that surgery was still being performed on others.

Officials said at least seven students were injured, but some news reports put the figure at 10. Perrino Hospital health director Graziella Di Bella said most of the injured suffered burns and shrapnel-like wounds.

“The explosion sent out fragments and flames ... pieces of iron,” Di Bella told Sky TG24 TV in an interview. She said a team of four psychologists were working with the students.

“One of the (injured) girls asked me: ‘What do we have to do with this?” Di Bella said, adding the students were feeling a sense of “disorientation, terror” as well as anger.

Most of the pupils at the school, which trains students for jobs in fashion and social services, are females.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack.

Italy has been marking the 20th anniversary of the attack on the Sicilian highway that killed the prosecutor and his wife, but it was unclear if there was an organized crime link to yesterday’s explosion.

National police chief Antonio Manganelli told Sky

TG24 in a phone interview that Italy’s “best investigators” had been dispatched to Brindisi to determine who was behind the attacks.

Manganelli said there were “shadows” of doubt clouding the hypothesis that the school blast was caused by organized crime because the Sicilian-based Mafia usually targets precise individuals. Still, he said, neither the hypotheses of organized crime nor that of subversives have been ruled out.

Officials initially said the bomb was in a trash bin outside the school, but later ANSA, reporting from Brindisi, said the device had been placed on a low wall ringing the building. The wall was damaged and charred from the blast. Sky TG24 said the device included three containers of fuel. It was unclear if the blast was triggered by a remote control or by a timer.

Public high schools in Italy hold classes on Saturday mornings.

EVEN Irish nationalists were remanded in custody in Northern Ireland yesterday on terrorism charges, in one of the highest profile security roundups in the province in recent years.

Four of the suspects, including a 37-year-old woman, were charged with attending a militant training camp and firing range near the town of Omagh.

The other three were relatives of prominent Lurgan nationalist Colin Duffy, who was acquitted this year of charges related to an attack by militant group the Real IRA on the army’s Massereene Barracks in Antrim three years ago.

The suspects have yet to enter a plea.

The Real IRA is one of several groups opposed to the 1998 peace deal that largely ended three decades of tit-for-tat killings between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists opposed to British rule of Northern Ireland, and predominantly Protestant unionists who wanted it to continue.

Syrian suicide blast, attacks kill at least 19

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T least 19 people were killed in violence across Syria yesterday, monitors said, including nine who died in what state television said was as a suicide bombing in Deir Ezzor.

The assailant detonated an explosives-laden car outside security headquarters in Syria’s biggest eastern city, also wounding 100, state media said.

The attack was the first of its kind in Deir Ezzor since an anti-regime uprising broke out in Syria in March 2011.

Among other fatalities in Syria yesterday were a woman and her two children gunned down in the northern city of Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A “terrorist suicide bomber” used 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of explosives in the attack on the Deir Ezzor neighbourhood of Ghazi Ayyash, said state television.

The powerful explosion left a crater 3.5 metres (yards) deep and damaged buildings

within a radius of 100 metres, the channel said, adding that a four-year-old girl was among those critically wounded.

It occurred on a road housing a military and air force intelligence headquarters and a military hospital, according to the Observatory.

Images broadcast on state television showed a large bloodstain on the ground, a damaged building and vehicles charred by the blast, as well as smoke rising from the targeted district.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

World News

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The American presidential contest gears T up HE American presidential contest is entering full throttle. Such contests are never for the faint of heart.

Yet, this one promises a throwback to a bygone era where almost no insult was too ugly to hurl at an opponent and where unscrupulous, mercenary political operatives become the most valued assets of a campaign. This is raw, almost citric, electioneering; it is democracy functioning on instinctual bias and emotion instead of reason and intellect. It is a time for ignorant blathering rather than intelligent gnomes.

The spirit of 2012 election will resemble those elections that occurred prior to the American Civil War. Slavery was the subtheme of those elections.

President Obama’s color and his supposed foreignness will be this election’s undercurrent. As a result, this election will be an election of hate. America is thrust into a new socio-cultural civil war, more subtle than its 19th century predecessor but every bit as mean and potentially as tectonic.

The Republican Party has effectively chosen its candidate in former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney. In so doing, the party has swept aside all minor pretenders to the crown in order to coronate the biggest pretender to happen along in over a generation. Romney is an infinitely malleable vessel, a canvas that relentlessly erases then repaints itself. In his quest for high office, he has become the utmost politician: a genuine fake. There is almost nothing he will not say or do to win the elections. Worse, his loyal minions along with those who may be indifferent to Romney but detest the President are willing to do and say that rare thing that Romney won’t.

Those of you who have suffered the tedium of regularly reading this column know that I am not an admirer of the President. I believe he is too much the conformist guardian of the status quo and financial elites to do much good.

When he tries to burnish his conservative credentials by advocating fiscal austerity, cutting important social services to the poor and reducing government programs that could build the nation’s human and physical infrastructure, he is capable of doing harm. All in all, I believe the President is a decent man with a vulnerable moral compass. He does not mean wrong yet he causes more than is unavoidable because he is enthralled by the ways of the powerful. He may believe in progress but he doesn’t believe it enough to push against the pillars of a tarnished establishment. In the end, he conforms. He leads by following the trend laid out for him. As such, he is like the protagonists in the ancient Greek tragedies. He is endowed with considerable gifts yet challenged by a mortal flaw — in this instance, the love of the moneyed elite – that prevents him from his finer destiny. It instead chains him to a precarious situation bounded by imminent failure.

If Obama is a tragedy, Romney is a farce. This man has changed position on so many key issues ranging from health care to counter-terrorism that either he is possessed of multiple personalities or of such an obsession for office that he has become an unfettered prevaricator.

The most astounding volte face dealt with an important aspect of domestic economic policy, the emergency bailout of the automobile industry. At the inception of his administration, President Obama was faced with a Hobson’s choice. Either enlarge the emergency assistance his predecessor had provided America’s car makers or allow those firms to sink. A significant percentage of America’s remaining manufacturing capacity was linked to the car industry.

Allowing the companies to sink was to consign the nation to depression. There was no real option other than support the companies in order to keep America itself from following down. The government injected money into the companies,

Those who lie to acquire a thing will do worse to keep it

•Romney

•Obama

By Brian Browne

in effect becoming their dominant shareholder and owner.

Spewing free market lava, Romney and those like him accused Obama of infecting the American economy with the leaven of European socialism. Romney’s cure was to withdraw all government financial assistance, allowing the firms to fall into bankruptcy and likely dissolution. From the demise of the ineffective companies would come the reallocation of labor and assets toward more productive ventures. This is what the textbooks say and Romney mimicked them because mimicry of conservatism is his stock and trade. Trying to prove himself to be an economic know-it-all, he proved to be a know-nothing.

His remedy would have been worse than the sickness. Had the car manufacturers fell, they would have doomed over 10 percent of America’s manufacturing capacity with them. Instead of freeing labor and capital for more effective allocation elsewhere, the purist free market attitude would have consigned thousands upon thousands of workers to unemployed destitution. This attitude would have sent forever to the dustbin these once venerable firms and symbols of American manufacturing prowess.

A strange thing happened along the way. Critics charged that government intervention would be a foolish and silly lark that would only make the inefficient car makers greater wastrels. The opposite happened. With the benefit of the government’s visible hand, the companies became better organised. They began to produce better, more affordable cars in short order. Romney and the free marketers had been proven wrong. Their socalled infallible theories of the infallible market were but secular theology refuted by real world fact. With the right personnel and perspective, government can be every bit as efficient an economic player as a large private entity.

An even stranger transformation took place. Instead of admitting he was wrong, Romney simply decided to redraft the historical text. He now claims credit for the success of the auto bailout. The man has the effrontery to state that President Obama had done nothing except follow the advice Romney gave him. Even with the wide latitude given a politician during the hurly-burly of campaign season, this recast of an event of such recent import is as ribald a theft as one can attempt without incurring criminal liability. The auto bailout fabrications testify to

Romney’s modus operandi. He has committed similar transgressions against the truth and consistency on more than a dozen issues, large and small. The man is like a chameleon pinned against a rainbow. He knows not which color he should be. He therefore tries to be them all.

With his many flaws and missteps, Romney runs a close race against President Obama. The most recent CBS/New York Times polls gave Romney a three percentage point lead over the President.

This goes to show Romney is not so much a candidate as he is a rallying point for those who dislike Obama. For a decisive segment of the population, the election is not one of Obama versus Romney. It is not even a referendum on Obama’s substantive performance. It is an election pitting Obama against the concept of the prototypical American president. Obama’s problem is not that he is running against a formidable opponent made of flesh and bone. He is running against idea whose name dare not be spoken by friend or foe yet one that is omnipresent and strong. It is that discreet form of racism that says a Black man is eligible for an important position provided his performance is vastly superior to that of his White rivals.

President Obama and his team believed he had the strong upper hand but this recent poll should dispel complacency. Obama is in this predicament not because he has done so poorly but because he has not done very well. At bottom, he has proven to be a relatively competent mainstream political operative whose middling governance has been handsomely punctuated and made to seem more than it is by excellent oratorical skills. He has done enough to show he is qualified to be president. But as a Black man, he might not have done enough to remain president.

Obama’s natural caution has blinded him to this quandary. He continues to believe that to succeed he must be cautious to a fault so that he does not alienate too many Whites. Yet, the truth may be more complicated. His mocha complexion alienates four of ten whites. He need not do anything wrong for them to signal thumbs down on him, let alone his presidency. These people will vote against him even if he walked atop water, raised the dead, and cured the dying. These people will vote Romney. But the fate of the election revolves around another group of mostly White voters.

During the 2008 election, most of these voters went toward Obama because they saw in him a dramatic personality that might lift them from the recession break-

ing all around them. In that instance, concern about economic disaster trumped race. No one cares about the complexion of his rescuer until the danger has passed.

Obama managed to save them from the worse but not from the bad. They did not sink completely but they were battered and wounded. Obama, the heroic candidate, was reduced to Obama, the pedestrian chief executive. This is where the Obama paradox manifests. He feels the path to electability is to be as mainstream as mainstream can be. For those voters who operate mostly on political logic, this calculation may be valid. However, most voters are not governed by logic. Their reasoning may defy his political equation.

Many will feel Obama is just another politician, perhaps only nominally better than the undifferentiated horde of office seekers. If this is the case, they would much rather go with a mediocrity that looks more like them than with a darker skinned one with a foreign name. Obama won the 2008 election based on the implicit promise of delivering the spectacular. That promise went unfulfilled. For many, President Obama 2012 is a dwarf and inferior vintage to candidate Obama 2008. It is uncertain if these same voters will break for him as they did four years ago. Because he has been unable to distinguish himself as an outstanding president, his skin color may prove to be a subtler yet more difficult obstacle than in the prior election.

To move this group of voters to Romney’s side, the bigots have already intensified the racial attacks. One group commissioned television ads resurrecting the controversy surrounding the intemperate remarks of the President’s former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright. The tasteless ads were quickly pulled back. Romney and other Republican repudiated them. But this was all theatre. The deed was already done. Obama’s connection to Wright has been surreptitiously laced back into public square as if by innuendo. Also, conservatives have dug up a booklet written by a former literary agent of the President.

Written to publicize the autobiography where Obama discusses his Kenyan father, the pamphlet erroneously states Obama was born in Kenya. Conservatives are using this to signal Obama’s alien heritage and to foment more talk of his legal ineligibility for the White House.

These bigots would rather people believe a literary agent who did not know Obama until adulthood and only in a contractual relationship to promote a book is a better repository of the man’s birth records than the Bureau of Statistics of the state of Hawaii. For them, the agent is the true chronicler of fact and the state government is guilty of taking literary license by affirming the man was born in the United States. Again, this is but another attempt to sway enough wary white voters so that the scales tip against Obama.

During this election, many issues will be raised. The economy, foreign policy, gay rights and women’s rights will figure prominently in the discussion. But the importance and impact of the discussions will not be as they appear on the surface. The current running through all of this is whether enough white voters decide that Obama’s average performance is sufficiently underwhelming that they feel no tinge of conscience in holding his race against him. Obama thinks he should be favored because this election should be a case of “the devil you know against the angel that you don’t.”

What he doesn’t realise is that for so many voters he remains and will forever be the one who is unknown despite his four years in office. If this election were based solely on logic, Obama could rest assured. However, since the election will be influenced by “primordial” spirits and feelings, he will have to sweat this one out until the last moment. So much for a better future. America is merely reliving the ugly elements of its past in a new way.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

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FAAN rewards staff From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

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HE Regional General Manager of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Mohammed Ali-Nock, has urged staff of the agency at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) to imbibe the spirit of hardwork and dedication to duty. Ali-Nock who honoured two outstanding staff yesterday threw up a challenge to others to improve on their performance.

He honoured Isiaka Nasiru of Operations department with best overall senior award and Ismaila Saleh of Mechanical department who bagged best overall junior award. AliNock appealed to the recipients to maintain the spirit of handwork, diligence and dedication for which they were honoured.

“I wish to throw a challenge to other staff to improve on their performance not only for them to aim such award and honour, but to also attain greater heights and leave behind a legacy for FAAN to be proud of,” he said. The FAAN boss added that, “the objective of selecting staff who are adjudged best and reward them is to throw challenge to others, create competitiveness and bring about attitudinal change in our work environment.

“This will, indeed, tally with the remodeling of the airport infrastructure; and to make the transformation complete and worthwhile.”

While congratulating the award recipients, AliNock noted that the award ceremony was also aimed at inspiring the staff to imbibe the spirit of togetherness as well as giving a sense of belonging to all staff of FAAN at MAKIA.

Lawmaker bags chieftaincy title From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

News

OLLOWING his philanthropic gesture to the people, a member representing Dekina/Biraidu constituency in the Kogi state House of Assembly, Hon. Paul Gowon Haruna is to be conferred with a chieftaincy title as “Ogohi Attah Iyale.”

The traditional title which will be bestowed on him by the chairman of Kogi state Traditional Council, HRM Dr. Aliyu Obaje, the Attah Igala, is scheduled to hold later this month, May 29th at Attah’s palace in Idah Local government area of the state.

Why urban dwellers prefer imported rice, by Minister T

HE Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Bukar Tijnai, at the weekend attributed the presence of extraneous materials such as stones and the offensive smells of local rice as few of the reasons why urban dwellers prefer imported rice to the locally-produced ones.

The Minister made the remark in Abuja during stakeholders’ workshop on State Level Implementation of Rice Value-Chain Agenda for 2012.

Tijani said: “The major complaint of urban dwellers who consume the bulk of improved rice against locally-produced

From Olugbenga Adanikin and Francis Ajewole, Abuja

rice centres on the quality of the latter – it smells, it has extraneous materials like stones.”

To address the situation, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government is planning to provide machineries that will parboil the rice correctly, mill as well as polish it.

He said the government has commenced plans to partner with the Chinese government to develop hybrid rice in the country.

The minister noted that it is important to make available improved high yielding seeds for farmers if the country is to achieve

self-sufficiency in rice production by 2015.

His words: “The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMA&RD) has begun negotiations with the Chinese government for the development of hybrid rice in Nigeria. Our dream is that before the end of this administration, the hybrid rice will be on farmers’ fields “The FMA&RD has gotten 100 modern integrated mills from China. These mills will be distributed to all states of the federation. With clusters of paddy producers around the mills to supply paddy of small

rice varieties, the quality of locally produced rice will be competitive in the market.”

He said the ministry has also empowered the Seed Association of Nigeria (SEEDAN) with loans secured through the Nigerian Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) to produce about 15 thousand metric tons (MT) of certified seeds for the season.

The minister added that SEEDAN is expected to provide 70, 000mt of certified seeds required to develop 1.5 million hectares of land under improved rice varieties by 2014.

PHCN to prosecute meter vandals From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

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ANO Electricity Distribution Company has warned customers to desist from tampering with meters to avoid arrest and prosecution.

The Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Mohammed Balogun, also advised customers not to pay charges apart from the statutory ones approved by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

This was contained in a press statement signed by Principal, Public Affairs, Mukhtari Baffa Usman.

Balogun urged customers to report any PHCN officials who demands illegal processing charges as it is against the tenets of the organisation.

He further announced the provision of adequate quantity of single phase and three-phase pre-paid meters for immediate installation in the state.

According to him, this is to eliminate the lingering problem of estimated billing and achieve greater customer satisfaction.

He stressed that a flexible and convenient payment arrangement has been worked out for customers to spread payment for upwards of 24 months.

Youths task Awka leaders on probity, accountability From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi WKA youths have tasked the new leadership of the community to make accountability and probity their watch words.

They also charged the Sir Anthony Okechukwu- led executive of Awka Development Union Nigeria (ADUN) to make restoration of peace and unity in the community its utmost mission.

Anambra state coordinator of Transform Nigeria Group, Comrade Obi Ochije, an Awka Youth, appealed to them to secure the quota of employment due to Awka in all Federal, State and private establishments in the capital territory.

This, he said, will help reduce unemployment and idleness among the youths and unemployed graduates in the capital territory.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Dubem Obaze, said that elections are aimed to producing unsurpassed candidates that will promote the safety and well being of the community.

According to him, “Anambra state has always prided herself in the quality of leaders that emerge from communities because these are the people that will advise the state government on the needs of the common man. ‘’I therefore commend Awka town for conducting a free and fair election today and for imbibing the spirit of democracy in doing it”.

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•Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State (right) chatting with the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America, Prof. Ade Adefuye (left) at the opening of the 7th USA-Africa Trade and Investment Forum in Hilton Chicago recently. With them is the President/Chief Executive Officer, Continenetal Africa Chamber of Commerce, U.S.A, Mr. Ganiyu Dada (Middle).

PHOTO: OYO STATE GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Oyo signage agency demolishes dilapidated billboards

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HE newly-established Oyo State Signage and Advertising Agency has commenced the demolition of dilapidated billboards and removal of torn posters on major roads across Ibadan, the state capital.

The demolition exercise, which commenced on the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway, according to the agency, will take it to other areas within the metropolis such as Toll Gate, Challenge, Dugbe, Mokola, Bodija, Apata, Total Garden, Iwo-Road, Gate, Ife Road, Sango, Bere, Eleyele, Molete, Odinjo and Idi Arere, among others.

The Director-General of the agency, Mr. Yinka Adepoju, told newsmen shortly after carrying out the exercise on the IbadanLagos Expressway last week, that the exercise would last for five days.

He said his agency would leave no stone unturned in its determination to rid the state of dilapidated and broken down billboards.

“We are set to rebrand Oyo State through the improvement of the outdoor life of the state,’’ Adepoju said, lamenting that

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

the deplorable state of many billboards on the highways had become worrisome.

He expressed displeasure over situations where billboard structures continued to display faded posters, thereby having negative impact on the aesthetic situation of major streets and highways in the state.

“We cannot continue with this situation again,’’ the direc-

tor-general said, describing the establishment of the agency as a new dawn in the state.

He said that the outdoor space would be re-planned and re-engineered for mutual profitability as, according to him, there would no longer be room for massive display of billboards at road junctions and roundabouts.

Adepoju called on advertising agencies to ensure that they were duly registered with the

agency, warning that any billboard erected by any unregistered agency would be removed and such agency prosecuted.

He said that with the ongoing exercise, his agency would get rid of clustered billboards and that there would be proper re-grading and re-allocation of outdoor space for practitioners and advertisers to enhance orderliness, decency, beauty and friendly business environment.

Orji assures communities on electricity supply

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BIA state governor, Theodore Orji has assured all communities in the state of electricity power supply before the end of the year as a result of the power evacuation being done by his administration from the electricity power project at Ohiya in Umuahia South council areas of the state.

Speaking in Umuahia when the Item Development Association (IDA) and members of the Item Traditional Rulers Council led by Bishop Sunday Onuoha paid him a courtesy call, Orji said that his adminis-

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

tration is determined to leave lasting legacies for the people of the state.

Orji said that any government that knows what it is doing must take care of the people that have elected them to handle their affairs, “This is why we are working assiduously to ensure that electricity is taken to the most remote part of the state through our partnership with PHCN.” The governor assured the people of Item that the ring road he promised to build for

the community will be done, including other projects in the community and across the state stressing that it was his intervention that brought back Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the Amokwe-Akanu Item road after being abandoned.

Earlier in his speech, the President General of IDA, Bishop Onuoha said that they were in Government House to thank the governor for his decision to fast track the development of the state through massive infrastructural development.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MAY 20, 2012

Murder of 18months-old baby: court remands four

By Precious Welundu

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OUR employees of Living Spring Orphanage have been remanded at the Ikoyi Prison for allegedly causing the death of an 18month old baby.

Nnenna Ugochukwu, 22, Jessica Ekim, 46, Comfort Henshaw, 39 and Ahmed Akanji, 32, are standing trial on a two-count charge of murder of one Victoria Obierika.

It was alleged that the accused on February 26, about 11:30am, left Obierika in a car with the windows locked. ”The death of Obierika, which happened at plot 22, Yusuf Abiodun Way, Victoria Island, Lagos was allegedly caused by the negligence of the employees of the orphanage.

“Obierika suffocated in the car which resulted to her death,” Ishiaku said.

He told an Ebute-Meta Magistrate’s Court that the offence contravened Sections 221 and 231 of the Criminal Code, the prosecnting officer of Lagos State, 2011.

Magistrate Joy Ugbomoiko adjourned the case to June 26 pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

News

Tension in Benue over LG committees list

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OVERNOR Gabriel Suswam’s prolonged absence from Benue State has been linked to the growing tension over the composition of chairmen and members of caretaker committees for the 23 local government councils.

The governor hurriedly left Benue state midway into the visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan, as he joined President Goodluck Jonathan for the World Economic Summit to Ethiopia two weeks ago and has not been seen in Makurdi since then.

It would be recalled that before the journey, the governor dissolved the 23 local government caretaker committees chairmen and members and forwarded to the House of Assembly a new list of nominees for screening and confirmation as chairmen and members last Thursday.

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

But Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains have protested against some of the nominees shortly after it was made public by the House of Assembly.

Already, there is tension in the state as the list has allegedly pitched Suswam’s aides, commissioners and special advisers against other PDP chieftains who have candidates.

In Ushongo Local Government, The Nation confirmed that some PDP members disowned the list of nominees forwarded to the House, as they accepted only Cyril Gajir, who was nominated as chairman.

In Gwer West Local Government Area, a first class traditional ruler vehemently rejected the inclusion of Richard Zwatema as chairman

of the council against the popular choice of one Anta Galadima Igbauta.

In Ukum Local Government Area, the dramatic inclusion of Terfa Bosua led to the sudden tension and anxiety in Zakibiam.

In Kwande Local Government Area, PDP actors are already beating drum of war following the decision to drop Asor Tar of Kwande, Chief Terlumun Akputu, for Iorhide Iorchir.

In Katsina Ala Local Government Area, it was alleged that as soon as it was gathered that the immediate past Caretaker Committee Chairman was not reappointed, some yet-to-be identified elements looted the air conditioners in the chairman’s office.

In Logo Local Government Area, the country home of Governor

Gabriel Suswam, it was smooth sail for Donald AnMadam Iorzer as Dr.Terkula Suswam, the elder brother of Governor Suswam allegedly ensured his return without rancor.

In all, some PDP members are poised for war with Suswam over the composition of local government caretaker committees warning that the party may loose the coming local polls if some nominees are not substituted for others.

But since the tension became noticeable, Suswam has stayed away from the state, perhaps to avoid pressure over the list.

Attempt to interview Solomom Wombo, who is the Special Adviser to the governor on local government and chieftaincy affairs failed as his phones were switch,even his Personal Assistant Job Tsea refused to pick his calls.

New livestock insecticide launched From: Olugbenga Adanikin and Adeola Adeyoye, Abuja

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N agric firm named ZeroFly, involved in disease control common to livestock, has launched an advanced solution that keeps flies away from livestock.

The commercial insecticide is designed to minimize the impact of biting and tsetse flies on dairy cows, beef cattle and pigs that transmit the deadly African trypanosomiasis disease.

Briefing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, the Regional Director, Food Security Africa, Mr. Thomas Hansen, said that Nigeria is one of the countries suffering from poverty.

Hansen said: “Nigeria is the most interesting country for this product because of its size and market attractive.

“The product is the most improved and sponsored by African Development Bank (AfDB), in Nigeria with the tsetse fly population estimated to cover about 80 per cent of the country’s total area. Much of this land is suitable for crop and livestock production, but is rendered unusable by the deadly pests.”

Hansen noted that ZeroFly livestock works with a zerograzing or penned- in system which has proven to be highly effective in maintaining healthy, productive animals. Citing that in this system, livestock is kept in stalls all the time, feed and water are brought to the animals, he added it is to be installed around livestock pens.

Earlier, the Regional Area Manager, Food Security, Mr. Isaac Ola, said that the insecticide used in the product is deltamethrin which is approved by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), for use in agriculture and by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for public health.

•Primate of All Anglican Communion , Bishop Nicholas Okoh (left), representatives of the President, Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Minister for Land and Housing Development, Ms Amma Pepple, during the Diocese of Abuja, Anglican Communion Synod 2012 in Abuja yesterday Photo Abayomi Fayese

‘Jonathan, Buhari face-off unnecessary’

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HIEF Whip of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru, has described as unnecessary, the current faceoff between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government and Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 election.

Abiru stated this in a chat with journalists in his office at the Assembly complex yesterday. “The Federal Government should concentrate on the act of governance and deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians rather than try to intimidate the voices of the opposition,” he said.

According to him, instead of crucifying Buhari, the statement credited to him, which has led to the present altercation between both parties, should be seen as a timely advice to the PDP and Federal Government to ensure that the right thing is done in 2015.

By Oziegbe Okoeki

“If the government conducts a free and fair election in 2015 and everybody sees and knows that it is a free and fair election, even if Buhari cries wolf, nobody will listen to him, but if the contrary is the case, what Buhari is saying is that Nigerians are

sufficiently sophisticated now and can react in whatever way they deem fit.

‘So, except PDP has already perfected a plan to rig the 2015 elections, I don’t think it has anything to fear, because it is not enough for the government to say elections were free and fair, the people who participated in voting

know whether or not it was free and fair,” Abiru said.

He also advised the FGN and PDP not to take Buhari’s statement out of context.

This, as he said, is because playing politics with what he said is not good for the health of the polity, especially with the current security challenges in the country,” he said.

FGN, LASG commended over removal of trucks in Apapa

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member of Lagos State House of A s s e m b l y , representing Apapa 1 Constituency, Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe, has commended the Federal and Lagos State governments for removing trailers and tankers that were hitherto parked along the Apapa highway, which had been causing serious traffic on a daily basis.

Egberongbe, who expressed his appreciation in a chat with The Nation yesterday, said the prompt response to the cry of Apapa residents to the menace of truck drivers has brought

By Oziegbe Okoeki

relief to the people in the area.

While thanking the governments, Egberongbe, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, said some months ago he raised alarm over the menace of the trailers/tankers and called for their removal.

“At last the government acceded to our cry that the tanker drivers be moved out of Apapa and today there is relief. What is important now is that it should be sustained such that the LASTMA officials

are made to be on ground so that no tanker/trailer driver or reckless abandonment of vehicles is condoned”, the lawmaker said.

He also appealed to the government to relocate the Farm Tanks at Apapa to virgin lands in the state to areas that are not as choked as Apapa.

“Over 2, 000 lorries come into Apapa on a daily basis to load petroleum products from the tanks. These tanks are combustible and will go up in flames at the slightest provocation and you know what that means in a congested place like Apapa,” Egberongbe said.

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We are building a model health institution –Obi From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

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OVERNOR Peter Obi of Anambra State has laid the foundation stone for the three multi-million naira building projects at the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala. He said the projects were in line with the present efforts of his administration to reposition the hospital and its health institutions to become a model in the country.

The projects include a two storey new Hospital Complex that will accommodate out patience department, accident and emergency wards, ultra modern laboratory, state of the arts theatre, children’s ward and conference centre estimated to cost about N210m. The other two projects are both three storey buildings for students’ hostels for the schools of nursing and midwifery each, made up of, at least, 90 self-contained rooms and other facilities.

Obi noted that medical personnel remain the engine that drives effective and efficient healthcare delivery and therefore require adequate and proper training to carry out their responsibilities. He explained that the state government’s partnership with the church is geared towards providing quality services to the people and assured the hospital that government will do more.

The Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Reverend Hilary Okeke, assured that the facilities will be put to effective use and enjoined the students to appreciate efforts of the governor to give them a sense of pride and brighter future prospects.

In an address, the Managing Director of the Hospital and Schools Complex, Reverend Dr. Peter Uzochukwu, extolled the governor for giving new lease of life to all sectors in the state and for returning mission schools to their original owners.

He said the robust partnership between the Obi administration and the Church is impacting directly on the lives of the people.

Arik Air introduces summer promo on Lagos-London route

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

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RIK Air Nigeria has announced a summer promo fare on the Lagos-London Heathrow route. Guests can now buy a return Lagos-London Heathrow economy class ticket for as low as 304 US Dollars (equivalent of approx N48, 640, exclusive of taxes).

Similarly, passengers on the airline’s Lagos-London Heathrow service now have a greater baggage allowance of two pieces of 32 kg each (i.e. a total of 64 kg) On-board services include Nigerian cuisine and entertainment for guests to experience a new standard in air travel.

Chris Ndulue, Arik Air Managing Director/Executive Vice President, commenting on the development, said, “We are constantly looking to offer our passengers the very best in value and comfort and this explains the special summer fare and increase in baggage allowance from 30 kg to 32 kg.

We have a commitment to our guests not to compromise our high standards.”

WORSHIP

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

NEWS

Free check-ups, drugs for Ipaja community

•Some residents being treated at the outreach

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HE Executive Pastor of Dominion Faith International Church (DFIC) Ipaja Lagos, Rev (Mrs.) Dele Olatona, has appealed to Christians to take good care of their health to avoid terminal diseases.

She spoke at the annual free medical check-up week organised last week by the church in Ipaja.

Olatona explained that the annual exercise is part of the church’s commitment to the well-being of residents in the area.

The retired teacher said the free medical check-up has always been part of activities marking the birthday ceremony of the founder and General Overseer of the church, Reverend David Olatona.

According to her: “we deem it fit to give back to the society which we have been part of since 1996.

By Adeola Ogunlade

‘’It is our own way of bringing positive development to our society and it will continue every year for five days even though there has been agitation for us to hold it for longer days.”

Head of the health department of the church, Mrs. Funke Soremekun, said over 500 patients turned up for the exercise with focus on blood, sugar, malaria, eye and body tests.

The residents were also given free drugs and mosquito treated nets.

She added that a total of 18 medical practitioners, made up of eleven members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) comprising doctors, nurses and pharmacists participated in the exercise.

The 2012 edition was held in collaboration with the NYSC Community Development Services.

WHAT AND WHERE?

Church holds prayers for men

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NON-interdenominational outreach, Mantle Prayer Ministry, has concluded plans to stage a special prayer session for men.

It holds on 29th of May 2012 at Ewu-oliwo, OkeIsimi, Sagamu, Ogun State.

The President of the Ministry, Pastor Isaac Olaomo, in a statement, said the theme of the session is Power with God. He explained the outreach is to mobilise men to pray and lift their families

By Adeola Ogunlade with the nation to God. According to him, ‘’the inability of the men to fulfill their God-given role as head of the home has thrown the nation into the quagmire of corruption, theft, criminality and other forms of wicked activities perpetuated by today’s youths.

“Men can only have power with God and men and prevail when they pray and are empowered to become effective leader in all spheres of our national life.”

Christian union marks 70th anniversary

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EN Christian Union (MCU) of Williams Memorial Methodist Church, Ago-Ijaiye, EbuteMetta, will hold its 70th anniversary next Sunday.

It starts by10 am at the cathedral while luncheon and other related events come up later at the Arch Bishop Soremekun Memorial Hall, old Methodist Boys’ High

School, Lagos.

The topic of the anniversary lecture is “The burden of being a Christian in the present day Nigeria”.

It will be delivered by the Rt. Rev. O.O. Babalola, the Methodist Bishop of Lagos Mainland Diocese, during which the anniversary brochure shall be formally launched.

INTERVIEW

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OW did the Abiye prayer mountain come to be?

It was started in the 40s’ by my father in response to a vision from heaven. When he came here, it was a thick forest with nobody in sight.

But he had enough faith to stay here and get the place to become a Mecca of a sort for people. God promised that He would meet people on the mountain and He has been faithful to that commission. On this mountain, we have seen prayers answered. We have seen the blind see, the lame walk and the barren becoming fruitful.

What has changed on the mountain since then?

Well, I took over this place in 2001 when my late father’s assistant released it to me out of his volition. So much has changed, I must tell you. We don’t only pray here, we also study the word. We have dedicated an evening every week to Bible Study. I have realised that the devil is not as powerful as people want to believe.

Many of the challenges facing them can be handled with insights in the word and knowledge. So, we are not just praying, we also study the word. We have chalets for all classes of people who want to come around for retreats, holidays and relaxation. They are free to join us for prayers or engage in private sessions. But we discourage people from patronising prophets or prayer contractors on the mountain. You just pray on your own and go. We monitor people on the mountain to avoid all of these.

These prayer contractors must have become a pain in the neck, haven’t they?

You see, it is really a tough one. I have realised you cannot fight for God because I used to be very angry with some of these people. The people you fight today because they are wrong can repent and reconcile with God. So you will still be fighting them after God has forgiven them. That is why one has to be very careful. It is not right to give up on anybody because I used to do things before that if God were not patient enough would have killed me.

Must people always access God through contractors?

There is nothing like that my brother. But when somebody is a goat and does not hear from God, why won’t they contact contractors? But

‘Why Nigeria is close to a revolution’ Presiding Pastor of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Ori Oke Baba Abiye Ede, Osun State, Pastor Funso Akande, is a rare prophet in the nation. He spoke with Sunday Oguntola on the famous prayer mountain and the nation. Excerpts:

• Akande

for those who have knowledge of the word, they don’t need anyone. But you can have prayer partners because even the Bible encourages that. Unfortunately, many prayer partners have turned to contractors these days.

How did you find yourself in the ministry?

I was working with the then Agip Nigeria Plc when God called me. But right from childhood, I had always known God wanted to use me. I never wanted to have anything to do with ministry. But then in 1995, I became born again. Everything changed and God arranged for my disengagement from corporate work. I started a management consulting firm that did not also do well. In the end, I knew I must serve God. I went straight to a Bible College, Faith Christian Theological Centre under Dr. Olumide Ige. I spent one session there before God instructed me to leave and go and meet Pastor Enoch Adeboye. When I finally met him, he instructed that I had to go and start all over with

the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Bible School in 1995. So I enrolled at the RCCG Bible College at Acme, Ikeja. In 1999, God finally revealed to me that this was where He wanted me to serve Him. Was it easy to take over?

It was tough. Many of my father’s associates and some other people did not believe in me. They felt I just came around because my father started the mountain.

But I continued with God. Eventually, the man in charge handed over to me.

He said God told him to.

Today, all of them acknowledged that God really called me.

What is the next level for the ministry, especially in the next 10 years?

I would have been 65 in the next ten years. I don’t know where I would be then but I can only talk of the next one year. We have a 75-chalet project that we are working on. We hope to complete and commission it next year.

We are working on a 2,500 auditorium for the bible school. We want to make it

a full-fledged degree-awarding institution.

What is God saying about Nigeria now?

We just concluded a vigil in the church. I remember asking the congregation to pray for mercy for Nigeria.

You see, many of our leaders do not have compassion for this country. A lot of universities are training sophisticated criminals because there is no job anywhere.

Poverty is ravaging the country and our sense of value has been destroyed. People just get away with everything as if there is no tomorrow. Our leaders are busy looting as if there would be no Nigeria tomorrow. I don’t want to be seen as a prophet of doom but the fact is I foresee a revolution. God will soon intervene in this nation.

I don’t know how and when but we are very close. In 1990, I saw a sword dangling from heaven and a man in military uniform on a horse. The Lord said he would visit this country soonest. If we are not careful, somebody will come that will change things. That was in 1990 when Nigeria was a like paradise. If you review what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah with what is happening now, you will know we are close. Look at the Boko Haram problem. If we are in a war, let us know.

Somebody once said the cheapest thing to happen to anyone in Nigeria is death.

People die like fowls every second.

Is there hope?

There is hope since we are praying. God will intervene because of His people.

Prophetically, what I see are very frightening but God will show up soon. Look at the pension scam, nothing will come out of it. In the past if two people die in accidents, musicians will wax albums about it. But it has become a common place now. But there is hope because the people of God are praying.

NEWS

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HE Redeemed Christian Church of God (Apapa Family) holds the 5th edition of the annual Excel celebration on Sunday, June 3 at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

Ministering is the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

RCCG Apapa family holds 5th Excel celebration This year’s theme, Change catalyst is geared towards the role and impact of youths as core change agents in the society.

No fewer than 100,000 people will receive free meals

at the anniversary, which will also witness the establishment of Excel Academy, a mentoring institution for young leaders.

Adeboye will also endow a professorial Chair in Mathematics at the Obafemi

Awolowo University (OAU), Ile- Ife. This would be in addition to the existing ones he already endowed at University of Lagos, University of Ibadan and University of Nigeria Nsukka.

Worship

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

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NEWS

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HERE were more puzzles than excitement few days ago when popular Lagos-based preacher, Prophet Chris Okafor, returned after 53 days of abduction.

Okafor arrived the domestic wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA) Ikeja to a rousing applause from church members.

Surprisingly, he looked ever radiant without any trace of harassment or molestation.

While church members clapped away, others simply wondered how someone who was abducted for close to two months looked unruffled and unaffected.

He did not lose weight but had indeed added flesh. The general overseer of Mountain of Liberation and Miracles, Ojudu Lagos, was neither unkempt.

The fair-complexion handsome preacher even appeared fairer.

An observer at the airport wondered: ‘’How come he is looking even cleaner after two months of abduction? How can someone who was in kidnappers’ den for two whole months be this clean?’’

The preacher exchanged banters with some church officials, beaming with smiles as he was escorted to a waiting vehicle amid applause from his followers.

This forced many to wonder if he was really kidnapped or arranged the incident.

Okafor was reportedly kidnapped on March 11 after holding a crusade tagged Nnewi/Awka power and pro-

Puzzles as kidnapped Lagos pastor returns

By Sunday Oguntola phetic conference 2012 with the theme ‘’feast of solution’’.

The incident occurred around 12midnight beside Psychiatric Hospital, Nawfia.

Okafor was travelling back to Lagos to meet the Sunday service before the abduction.

Instead of taking the EnuguOnitsha expressway, his driver reportedly decided to ply the old road.

He was said to have discovered that a Camry vehicle with five men was trailing their Black Armada Jeep.

The five-man kidnap gang reportedly opened fire on Okafor’s exotic 2009 Armanda Jeep.

The heavy fires grounded the vehicles.

Attempts by Okafor’s security details to resist the attack turned fatal.

While in abduction, Okafor was reportedly in touch with associates and partners of the ministry, soliciting for funds.

Okafor, it was gathered, kept calling in the middle of the nights begging acquaintances to save his life.

A source, who donated a hefty amount, said there was always heavy gunfire during the midnight calls from Okafor at the background. ‘’He kept saying someone else had been killed, begging

• The bullet-ridden SUV (Inset: Okafor)

that we save his life,’’ the source said.

Most of the funds, it was gathered, were paid to a popular deacon in his church (name withheld).

Sources said the over N35million was raised by concerned partners and associates to facilitate the release of the flamboyant preacher.

But eyewitnesses at the airport were shocked to see Pastor Tony, his PA, who was said to have been killed during the abduction incident.

Tony was grinning with smiles, hugging everyone in sight.

Many simply went numb.

But there were more surprises.

Instead of heading to his 19bedroom duplex in Magodo, Okafor checked into Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja straight from the airport.

He was at the expensive hotel for one week during which his wife and children visited often.

An associate said: ‘’How

can someone who was abducted and drained of his hardearned money check into Sheratons after his ordeals?

Where did the money to pay the hotel bills come from?’’

They are wondering if the whole incident was stage-managed to convince them to part with their hard-earned money.

After many attempts, Okafor spoke with our correspondent last Friday.

He attributed his release to the ‘’hands and fingers of God’’.

The cleric said his enemies were behind the incident, wondering how he could have arranged it to raise funds. ‘’We are not hungry at all,’’ he began. ‘’There is no reason on earth why I would plan to endanger my life, let alone those of others.’’

On why anyone would be after his life, he said: ‘’If they wanted to kill Jesus, why not me? You don’t have to offend anybody to become a target. ‘’Once you are fulfilling destiny, you become a target but I have forgiven my abductors and their sponsors’’.

He said he was held in the same camp with the former Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Godfrey Dikeocha.

Dikeocha confirmed he was in the same camp with Okafor on phone.

He said: ‘’I don’t want to talk about it but for the man of God. We were there together and I can confirm he is a true servant of God’’.

Okafor said he was in Sheraton Hotels only for one day ‘’to attend a reception organised by the church’’.

Tributes as Ileri Oluwa is launched

Leave Aregbesola alone, South West CAN pleads

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• Governors Aregbesola and Kayode Fayemi(Ekiti) with Christian leaders and Osun State officials after the visit

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HRISTIANS rose stoutly in defence of Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, last week.

They said the governor is too wise and godly to contemplate Islamising Osun State as alleged by political opponents.

The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South West region, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, who led a delegation on a courtesy visit to Aregbesola in

By Sunday Oguntola

Government House, Osogbo, said trouble makers should allow the governor concentrate on good governance.

Atilade said: ‘’The governor is a prophecy fulfilled. He is here to serve God and the people. He is a god-fearing man who loves people too much to hurt anybody. ‘’He is accommodating and tolerant and cannot contemplate half of the allegations against him. He is for every-

one regardless of religious affiliations.’’

He called on the governor to continue his good works and improve standards of living in the state.

The cleric assured that prosperity will judge the governor well considering his populist policies.

He called for introduction of interreligious studies in public schools in the state to promote religious harmony.

This, he said, ‘’will enable Christians study Koran with

a view to better understanding and Muslims study the Bible.’’

Atilade added: ‘’When we do this, we will douse tensions and ensure religious harmony.’’

Aregbesola promised to protect the interest of all Osun indigenes, regardless of political or religious affiliations.

He thanked the delegation for the visit, saying he remained committed to providing good governance despite the many distractions he faces.

RIENDS and well-wishers of Grace Abundance voices, a musical group led by Brother Ezekiel Olusanya, last Sunday converged at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Victory Chapel, Messiah Zonal Headquarters Abule Egba Lagos for launch of its maiden album titled Ileri Oluwa(God’s promise).

It was an opportunity for Olusanya to exhibit his passion and recall his days of little beginning.

He said he was forced to drop out of secondary school because of financial difficulty.

In an emotion-laden voice, Olusanya said: ‘’I came to Lagos with no place to stay but God in His caring ways directed a brother whom I met just once while still in the village. ‘’The brother accommodated me until I got a job as a househelp, the family eventually sent me to secondary school and paid for my WEAC fees, and thereafter I got a scholarship to study at the university’’.

He said music has provided a platform for him to serve God and live his passion.

The gospel musician explained: “I’ve always wanted to be a member of my church choir while still in the village, so when I got to Lagos I immediately joined the choir and became vibrant in the group. ‘’This album is a collective effort of Grace Abundance Voices, and I really give God all the Glory and adoration

for letting my desired dream come to reality”.

The guest preacher, Pastor Jide Olabiyi urged others to learn from Olusanya and be diligent.

In his message titled ‘’reward of diligence’’, Olabiyi said: “People who have faith in themselves and are diligent will always succeed in whatever they do”.

He added: “if you are diligent and focused, nothing will derail you from your ambition, no amount of peer pressure can make you backslide because God will renew your strength and make your faith stands firm.”

He enjoined Olusanya to continue in his good stead as a song minister in the Lord’s vineyard and see where the Lord would lead him.

“Ileri Oluwa is good song with sound spiritual teaching, and a good instrument to propagate the words of God and at the same time win soul for the Kingdom of God.

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Worship

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

It’s time for revival (1)

Lover fever (3) Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi CHRISTIAN ROMANCE SERIES

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HE bedroom she still shared with her husband, Ladi was even doing more harm than good.

It was more like pouring fuel into fire because Ladi would always try to reach out to her, but she was not ready for any intimacy with him.

Sometimes she felt used.

The traffic lights changed and she moved on.

She reached Solid Bank where she worked and drove inside the compound, parking her car tiredly. She joined the bank about five years ago, some months to her wedding. She was in the Human Resources unit.

Entering the building, she pushed open the double glass door to the impressive reception where there were leather seats, plants in pots and a curved mahogany desk.

“Good morning, Gloria.

How are you?” Tosin called out to the dark-complexioned receptionist pleasantly.

“Good morning, Madam.

How is your family?”

“Fine, thank you.” Tosin replied and went to her office.

There, she sat down frowning, a bitter expression evident on her face and for the first five minutes, all she did was stare into space. She felt emotionally and physically exhausted, utterly tensed up. Her plan was to make her husband, Ladi suffer but she seemed to be hurting herself more than anyone else. Marriage was causing her more stress than she ever imagined. She had thought marriage would

solve all her problems and bring her fulfillment. Although, during her days as a single lady, she had been told that there was no perfect marriage because no one was perfect, but she was getting more than she bargained for. Ladi was causing her stress, wounding her emotions, and she would not forgive him.

Having a lot to do that day, she sat up and looked around. There was no dust on the table and the files had been arranged. The cleaner must have come, she thought.

She mumbled some words of prayer as she normally did but today, she wondered if her prayers were actually ascending to heaven, with so much bitterness in her heart.

She stopped to think about it and a Scripture came to her heart, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

Forgive me Lord, she prayed under her breath as she swung around in her leather chair and opened a cabinet, bringing out some papers which she placed on her table. She got up to plug in the computer, then flipped a switch on the side of the monitor. Pulling her chair closer, she began to work. She typed a letter to NYSC secretariat, requesting for five Youth Corp members to be deployed to the bank. When she finished, she began to draft a letter of promotion for a staff. She was half way through when she suddenly stopped and pushed her chair back. She must do something about the issue of getting a maid. If Ladi had chosen to be stubborn and unfeeling, she could be too. Standing up with a resolve, she went out of her office to see Chichi in the banking hall.

“Tosin how are you?”

“I’m fine. Chichi.” Tosin answered, sitting down. “I need a maid desperately.

How can I get one?”

“I thought you said your husband didn’t want you to have one.” The fair-complexioned slender lady with a

round face said. She was one of Tosin’s friends in that bank, and she was a Christian.

“He doesn’t want one but I need one!” Tosin replied emphatically. “I didn’t tell you this but last week, Sade, that cousin of his who came some time ago, resurfaced.

I’m surprised he is allowing her to stay, with the way she behaved the last time she came. She’s so lazy! When I got home yesterday, the whole place was upside down. I had to start washing and cleaning up - at 9.30!”

“For how long is she staying this time?” Chichi asked quietly.

Tosin shrugged. “I don’t know and I didn’t bother to ask Ladi.”

“Okay, I’ll keep the issue of a maid in mind. I know a woman who can help you get one.”

“Please, I’ll appreciate your help.” Tosin said, rising to her feet. “I’ll see you later.”

She went back to her office and continued working on the system. Suddenly there was power outage.

“Oh my God, I didn’t save!”

Just then, the door opened and Lola came in. “Are you busy or something?”

“Not really!” Tosin said and hissed in annoyance. “I didn’t save my work.”

“Don’t you have UPS?” The heavily pregnant lady with a pleasant face asked.

“One of those I.T guys took it away yesterday.”

Tosin answered, glaring at the monitor.

“I’m sure the generator will soon be switched on.”

The light flickered on again and Lola came near Tosin’s chair. “Let me see if we can still retrieve the work.”

To be continued.

For this novel and other books by the same author, Contact: 08023000773, 08058040949 www.pastortaiwoodubiyi.org.uk

Bishop Abraham Olaleye

REVIVAL HOUR

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HE nation of Israel went through several periods of spiritual backsliding which necessitated the birth of spiritual reformations that took place at several times in history. A particular case of study is the Revival that came through Prophet Samuel. This was during the period of the Judges. Eli manned the spiritual position in Israel then.

To bring about this spiritual reformation, God needed a human vessel like in all history. (God uses men to accomplish His divine will on the earth). Samuel was the instrument God used for this spiritual change. You will remember that Hannah, the mother of Samuel, was barren for many years.

She prayed to God at Shiloh and vowed to give God the son He would give her. As soon as Hannah received Samuel, she gave him to the Lord [1Sam 10:11, 2428]. The Bible says that the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. At this point, the word of God had become rare. The Bible says there was no widespread revelation (1Samuel 3: 1). God began calling the young man Samuel. I believe that young men and women need listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in these end times. God wants to use the young ones to affect this generation.

Samuel was young yet God called out to him. God called Samuel three times and he went to Eli on each occasion. At the third time,

Eli realised that the Lord called the young man and told him to go lie down, “and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears (1 Samuel 3:9). Samuel went and lay himself down and the Lord God came calling. This time around, Samuel remained where he was and told God, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears’. God told Samuel what He wanted to do in the land of Israel. He told Samuel about the judgement He was bringing upon Eli for his failure to restrain his sons that did evil before the Lord.

The most fearful statement made by God was “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle (1 Samuel 3:11 NKJV). I can hear God speaking in the nations in these end times about the mighty and awesome things He wants to do.

I tell you that they are going to be what Isaiah termed ‘awesome things’. King James Version of the Bible puts it as ‘terrible things’.

“As God spoke in the times past, He is speaking now! Brothers and Sisters, this is true. Whatever He says, there is only one thing to do: Obey! If you would yield yourself to Him, the Holy Spirit will use you to do what He used men and women of old to do. God will use you to bring about spiritual reformation in every stratum of our society and world. We would see again the manifestation of the early church”

The Psalmist calls it terrible things in righteousness [Isa. 64:3 & Psalm 65:5]. They would be things that would drive men to the Lord. God told Habakkuk, “Look among the nations and watch be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days, which you would not believe, though it were told you” (Habakkuk 1:5).

My earnest prayer is that the church will capture the mood of the Spirit at this special time. As God spoke in the times past, He is speaking now! Brothers and Sisters, this is true. Whatever He says, there is only one thing to do: Obey! If you would yield yourself to Him, the Holy Spirit will use you to do what He used men and women of old to do. God will use you to bring about spiritual reformation in every stratum of our society and world. We would see again the manifestation of the early church.

The Holy Spirit will use you to do great and awesome things for the Kingdom. God will not only raise the dry bones in your life, but like Ezekiel, would make you a prophetic agent of raising dry bones in families, communities, countries and nations of the world and making them an army of the end times. I also see Ezekiel’s prophecy of the River of Life coming to pass in your life and ministry.

God is raising, right now, people that have been reared at the threshold of the temple, people who have experienced not just the ankle, the knee or the waist deep level of the Holy Spirit but those who are yearning for the mighty river experience. My earnest prayer is that you will be an instrument in the hand of the Holy Spirit.

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NEWS

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HRISTIANS have been advised to invest in others with a view to mentoring them to greatness.

The Secretary of Conference, Methodist Church Nigeria, Rt Rev. Raphael Opoko made the call last week during the book presentation and launch of a book titled Mission Strategies for Church Planting and Growth written by the Very Rev’d Raphael Idialu of the Methodist Theological Institute, Sagamu Ogun State.

Opoko described investing in others as the hallmark of greatness and Christianity.

According to him, “It is not your high position in the society or the number of titles that matters. What really matter are the numbers of lives you have been able to touch positively, those you have mentored successively in the society will speak for you.’’

He urged Christians never to look down on anybody or write anyone off.

The dregs of today, he stated, could become the ref-

Invest in others, Christians advised

By Sunday Oguntola

erence points of tomorrow.

The cleric pointed out that many who were once written off have risen to become focal references in different fields of human endeavours. ‘’Never look down on people. Cosmos Maduka, the Chairman of Coscharis Group, was once considered a nuisance on the street but today he is seen as one of the brilliant guys in the business community in Nigeria,” he added.

He commended the author to rising through the vicissitudes of life to become a lecturer of repute.

Opoko recalled that she was a drop-out because of financial difficulty, noting however that “today, Rev’d Idialu is not just a Master degree holder from the University of Birmingham, United kingdom courtesy of a scholarship but

also a principal lecturer and the Dean of Student Affairs at the Methodist Theological Institute.”

Prof Konyin Ajayi (SAN), who reviewed the book, said the author was mindful of the sensitivity of mission works and church growth.

He explained that Idialu also analysed the theology of mission as a reflection of the Christian understanding of God. According to him, “ while it may appear as though the subject of the book is within the exclusive preserve of spiritual exegesis, the author right from the introductory part of the book dispels this misconception by a presentation of the issue as one which encompasses biblical, academic, historical, and cultural dimensions”.

The legal luminary said the book is not only theoreti-

• L: R: The donor, Elder Davidson Nnamdi; Wife of Prelate of The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (PCN), Dr Uka; the Prelate, Most Rev. Prof. Emele Mba Uka; the Deputy Clerk, Elder Dr. Kalu U. Kalu, and Principal Clerk, Rev. Daniel Etim during the dedication of an ultra-modern classroom block for the N100m Mission/Resource Centre being sponsored by PCN, Enugu Presbytery for AguAmede community in Isi-Uzor LGA, Enugu State … recently

cal and suitable for students, seminary lecturers, the academics and the clergy but also of substantial in the practical work in the mission field with a distinctive flavour for the Af-

rican situation.

The occasion also coincided with the author’s 40th birthday and 10th wedding anniversary.

She stated that God has been faithful to her over the

years despite the many challenges she faced.

Idialu said no matter how much difficulty Christians face, they will always succeed if they trust enough in God.

THE NATION SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

71

SPORT EXTRA

Chelsea lifts first Champions League trophy IDIER DROGBA tucked away the decisive penalty as Chelsea fulfilled a long-standing ambition to win the UEFA Champions League after a thrilling shoot-out victory over Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.

Bayern had numerous chances to wreck the dream of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, manager Roberto Di Matteo and his players, and even led 3-1 in the shoot-out after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had scored.

But Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger both failed from the spot to allow Drogba, on potentially his final appearance for the club, to step up to erase the heartache of Moscow four years ago.

Thomas Muller’s 83rd minute header had earlier appeared likely to give Bayern victory on their home ground, only for Drogba’s stunning riposte to send the game into extra-time.

Drogba blotted his copybook by conceding a penalty early into extra-time, only for Petr Cech to deny Arjen Robben and the veteran Ivorian, who was sent off in the final against Manchester United in 2008, completed his redemption by maintaining his composure in the shoot-out.

Di Matteo sent Chelsea out with a game-plan to contain Bayern and, for the most part, the policy worked as Jupp Heynckes’ side sought to pick holes in a resolute defence.

Midway through the first half, Robben wriggled into space inside the box, but the former Chelsea winger was denied by a smart reaction stop from Cech,

D

who diverted the ball onto the post.

Mario Gomez, who had scored 20 goals in his previous 17 Champions League appearances, was enduring a frustrating night and he skied over just before half-time as Bayern remained the dominant force.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first as a marginal offside decision against Franck Ribery went Chelsea’s way when the French winger turned home the loose ball after Robben’s shot had been blocked by Ashley Cole.

The Blues full-back appeared to be a magnet for the ball inside the box, but a momentary lapse from Cole allowed Bayern to take the lead with seven minutes to go.

Toni Kroos curled in a cross from the left and Cole seemed unaware of Muller’s presence behind him at the back post as the Germany international’s header bounced down and over Cech before going in off the underside of the crossbar.

Drogba looked primed to go from hero to villain three minutes into extra-time when he tripped Ribery in the box, but Cech spared the striker as he kept out former team-mate Robben’s low penalty.

• Chelsea players pose with the trophy after their hard-fought victory in the UEFA Champions League Final against FC Bayern Muenchen at the Fussball Arena München on May 19, 2012 in Munich, Germany.

Mikel joins League of Champions

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HAT a season it has been for John Obi Mikel as the 25 yearold midfielder won his second trophy of the season on Saturday as Chelsea took the UEFA Champions League in Munich.

Didier Drogba scored the decisive spot kick of the night as the Blues won 4-3 on penalties

after regulation time ended 1-1.

Playing a yeoman role in the middle of the pack, Mikel was the anchor man as his side held up the Bayern attack on a night where they were mostly second best.

Mikel has now joined the enviable class of Nigerians to win the trophy, 17 years after Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi

That’s Chelsea spirit—Drogba IDIER DROGBA believes Chelsea’s stunning UEFA Champions League final success is a testament to the spirit that is embedded in the club.

Chelsea were crowned European champions for the first time after Drogba converted the decisive penalty in the shoot-out following a 11 draw with Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.

Bayern had dominated for long periods of the game and missed numerous chances to settle the match, including when Arjen Robben saw an extra-time penalty saved by

D

Petr Cech.

“I’ve been here eight years and the guys they show us the way. When you are a Chelsea player you never give up until the end.”

Didier Drogba Quotes of the week Drogba, who had conceded that spot-kick having earlier headed Chelsea level with two minutes of normal time remaining, hailed the neversay-die attitude within the camp.

“That’s what we’ve been doing for years and years and years, that’s the spirit we have,” Drogba told Sky Sports.

“I’ve been here eight years

and the guys, they show us the way. When you are a Chelsea player you never give up until the end.

“We try to give it to the new players, the young players and today I think it’s amazing.”

Cech also denied Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the shoot-out and the Chelsea goalkeeper admits he felt confident when facing Bayern’s penalties.

“I was so proud of everybody when we got the equaliser because it was not easy and then, when I went the right way five times and touched the first one, I kept believing I would get at least one,” said Cech.

George won it with Ajax.

The Champions League title comes after Mikel won the English FA Cup with Chelsea two weeks ago.

Even though the season

looked to be going bad for Mikel under former coach Andre Villas Boas, he has enjoyed resurgence under caretaker coach Roberto Di Matteo.

FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Falconets secure ticket

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IGERIA’S Falconets have secured their berth at this year’s FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan. Falconets on Saturday in Kinshasa defeated DR Congo’s Leopardess 3-0 in the final fixture to bring aggregate score to 7-0.

Despite a 4-0 cushion from the first leg in Abeokuta two weeks ago the Falconets approached the second leg game with gusto, overpowering the Central African women in all departments of the game.

Honours were even for only seven minutes at the Stade d’Martyrs, before vice captain, Ngozi Okobi scored for Nigeria in the 8th minute.

Five minutes later, Desire

Oparanozie made it two for the Falconets before Francisca Ordega scored her fourth goal for the team in the qualifiers with a sizzler in the 23rd minute.

Thereafter, coach Edwin Okon’s wards decided to take things easy sure that the Congolese women could not see their way back into the fixture.

The Falconets thereby have emulated the Under-17 team, Flamingoes, which qualified for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup Azerbaijan 2012 two months ago.

The Nigerians are expected to depart Kinshasa on Monday aboard an Ethiopia Airline flight to Addis Ababa and back to Abuja.

Harrison Jalla detained over fraud

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• Bayern’s Schweinsteiger Stunned beyond belief • Mikel now a ‘Blues’ champion

• Drogba lifts the coveted Cup

HE President of the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF), Harrison Jalla is currently being detained in the cell of the police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), command, Millverton, Road, Ikoyi.

Lagos.

Jalla was arrested on Friday by operatives led by one Inspector Wewe over alleged fraud.

He is at currently being quizzed over an allegation of N3million fraud, an amount he allegelly duped some footballers who he promised to take new clubs in Europe.

It was gathered that Jalla had collected the money from one Mr Walter in 2008 with a promise to take about 16 of his players on trials in football clubs in Europe..

By Jude Isiguzo However, the suspected turned around later to say he was no longer going to comply with the agreement.

Jalla is currently being question by police fraud detectives led by one Shuaibu Friday who is the Investigating Police Officer (IPO).

SFU spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume, an Assistant Superindendent, (ASP), confirmed the arrest and detention of Jalla.

Isintume told The Nation that the suspect is being held for obtaining money by false pretence (OBT).

She noted that the suspect would be charged to court when investigation has been concluded.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net

QUOTABLE "The situation by which members of the ruling party at the centre, but opposition in their respective states, should beckon at the BIG DADDY government to help in destabilizing their respective home government, should not be encouraged or, even, tolerated"

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 6, NO. 2131

— The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, advising President Goodluck Jonathan on why he should not use federal might to destabilize the South-West states

I

T is important to point out a few salient points in Awo’s letter to Gen Aguiyi Ironsi in order to emphasise the point that his lasting fame and reputation rested on something much more solid and nuanced than infrastructure and policy. To shed more light on the thesis, let us recall an example from the life and politics of Sir Winston Churchill, whom former United States President Richard M. Nixon described as the largest human being of our time. Churchill led Britain through the difficult period of World War II, and many Britons till today still regard him as probably the most respected British prime minister ever. Yet, even before the guns and bombs of WWII fell silent in 1945, Churchill lost the election of that year, taking the Conservative Party to one of its worst defeats ever.

How and why did a popular prime minister lose an election, and by a staggering margin? Paul Addison of Edinburgh University offers an explanation. According to him: “Between 1940 and 1945 Winston Churchill was probably the most popular British prime minister of all time. In May 1945 his approval rating in the opinion polls, which had never fallen below 78 per cent, stood at 83 per cent. With few exceptions, politicians and commentators confidently predicted that he would lead the Conservatives to victory at the forthcoming general election. In the event, he led them to one of their greatest ever defeats. It was also one for which he was partly responsible, because the very qualities that had made him a great leader in war were ill-suited to domestic politics in peacetime…The conduct of the war… was his overriding passion, and military victory was by far the most important of his goals – thus everything else, including party politics, was secondary. As a result, when the war came to an end and party politics resumed, Churchill suddenly found himself without a clear sense of purpose or direction.”

Churchill was to return later as prime minister in October 1951. But even in defeat, his reputation was never threatened. That reputation was built on his prescient and steadfast opposition to Nazism in the late 1930s. In fact, at a point, he appeared to be the lone voice denouncing the policy of appeasing Hitler, warning that the German fuhrer could really never be appeased considering his huge expansionist hunger. Churchill proved to be remarkably right as Hitler eventually began his European war.

It is noteworthy that in 1987 the Yoruba tried to persuade the federal government to give Awo state burial, in much the same way the Igbo tried to secure national burial for Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu in March this year.

Both failed, mystified that the nation seemed unable to appreciate the value of the two leaders and the character they brought into national life and politics. It was a needless campaign.

Provincial or regional burial could not vitiate the relevance of the two leaders in the sight of their people. It is indeed unlikely any Nigerian leader would evoke as much passion in death as Awo and Ojukwu did, not to talk of sustaining unending celebration, as we have continued to witness in the case of Awo decades after his death. The reason, as Nixon succinctly put it, is that “In the footprints of great leaders, we hear the rolling thunder of history…When the final curtain goes down on a play, the members of the audience file out of the theatre and go home to resume their normal lives. When the curtain goes down on a leader’s career, the very lives of the audience have been changed, and the course of history may have been profoundly altered.” This is as true of Awo as it is true of Genghis Khan or Chairman Mao Zedong.

Awo’s letter to Ironsi provides rich insights into his character as a leader, far surpassing the ordinary meaning of the word. Analysing leadership through the writings of de Gaulle, Nixon defined character in a leader “as the fervent desire and inner power to exert one’s will.” As de Gaulle himself put it, “The setting up of one man over his fellows can be justified only if he can bring to the common task the drive and certainty which comes of character.” Still paraphrasing de Gaulle, Nixon elucidated, “When confronted by the challenges of events, the leader with character turns inward and relies only on himself. The leader with this passion for self-reliance finds an especial attractiveness

25th Anniversary: What made, and still makes, Awo tick (2)

•Awolowo

•Gowon

in difficulty because only by coming to grips with difficulty can he test and expand his limits. He does not cower at the moment of decision, but takes the initiative with a daring to meet the moment.”

In the first paragraph Awo’s letter to Ironsi, he recounted how he was asked in 1963 to abandon the alliance with the NCNC and to engineer the collapse of the Action Group in order to form an all-embracing party with Chief Ladoke Akintola. This, he was advised, would then end in an alliance with the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). If he did all these, he would be set free and made deputy prime minister or deputy Governor General. Not only did Awo understand the dynamics and intrigues involved in the subterranean struggle for the leadership of the Western Region in particular, with Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, a Yoruba, as the incongruous arbiter, he also appreciated the future consequences of ratifying the proposals of the negotiators. Again in 1965, another offer was made to him, this time slightly modified in view of the political realities on the ground. He shunned all the offers.

Awo’s refusal to compromise provoked the fury of the negotiators and the government of the day. He was described as inflexible and proud. But obviously his prescience and courage set him apart from his contemporaries, made his enemies to loathe and fear him, and his supporters to respect and adore him fanatically. At last, here was a champion they could follow into battle and be assured he would not sell them either to save his skin, as Awo himself remarked, or to serve his political pleasures, which he also quaintly described as the “profit and glamour of office.”

Here was daring unusual both in its tempo and temerity, the daring of a man who was in

jail, and could very well die in jail, dictating freedom on his own terms. By refusing the deal, a deal designed in the eyes of his opponents to promote him politically, Awo crossed the leadership rubicon, and served notice on the country of a man prepared, as de Gaulle said, to gamble everything for virtually nothing. “Only leaders who prove their worth in action,” said the former French leader, “who confront and overcome difficulty, and who stake their all upon the throw (of the dice) can win the crowd.” He concluded spiritedly: “Characters of this temper radiate a sort of magnetic force. For those who follow them, they are the symbol of the end to be achieved, and the very incarnation of hope.” Former Chinese leader Zhou Enlai concurred. “A great leader,” he said, “develops strength in swimming against the tide, not with it.”

By opposing Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement and opting for war no matter how unprepared Britain was, Churchill got himself canonised by history. By denouncing the French Vichy regime and condemning armistice with Germany in 1940, preferring instead to fight to the death, de Gaulle supplanted both Marshal Petain and Admiral Darlan as the natural leaders of France, and etched an indelible place in French and world history.

By calling the bluff of the then ruling Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) and refusing all overtures to make peace in exchange for freedom, Awo carved a place for himself in Yoruba history in a way no infrastructural landmark could have done. Principled deeds do not decay like buildings. For all these men, the passion of their visions gave strength to their resilience and helped them to endure the unendurable, battle the forces of reaction and mediocrity, and yield themselves sacrificially to the

Here was daring unusual both in its tempo and temerity, the daring of a man who was in jail, and could very well die in jail, dictating freedom on his own terms. By refusing the deal, a deal designed in the eyes of his opponents to promote him politically, Awo crossed the leadership rubicon, and served notice on the country of a man prepared, as de Gaulle said, to gamble everything for virtually nothing.

“Only leaders who prove their worth in action,” said the former French leader, “who confront and overcome difficulty, and who stake their all upon the throw (of the dice) can win the crowd.” He concluded spiritedly: “Characters of this temper radiate a sort of magnetic force.

For those who follow them, they are the symbol of the end to be achieved, and the very incarnation of hope.” Former Chinese leader Zhou Enlai concurred. “A great leader,” he said, “develops strength in swimming against the tide, not with it”

abstract and transcendental conceptualisation of their countries or regions. “To my mind,” said de Gaulle as if summarising the relationship between leaders and their countries, “France cannot be France without greatness.”

How many Nigerian presidents could echo de Gaulle?

In the first part of this article, I cited the Awo letter to Ironsi as giving us a significant indication of the character of the sage. It is easy to miss the historical import of the second example provided in a curious event that occurred in the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) following the resignation of Dr Kofo Abayomi from the Legislative Council in 1941. The story has been recounted in several books and journals. Let us use the account given by Emmanuel Oladipo Ojo in the Canadian Journal of History. Said he: “One of the reasons for the nottoo-warm relationship between Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr. Azikiwe was the IkoliAkinsanya crisis which had occurred in the Nigerian Youth Movement in February 1941.

The immediate cause of the crisis was the scramble by the Movement’s leading chieftains for nomination to contest a legislative seat vacated by one of its members, Dr. Kofo Abayomi, who left for further studies in Britain. Two candidates struggled for the party’s nomination: its President, Ernest Sissei Ikoli (an Ijaw) and the Vice President, Samuel Akinsanya (an Ijebu). The Movement was thereupon split into two factions —while Chief Awolowo supported Ikoli, Dr. Azikiwe backed Akinsanya.

Although, Akinsanya eventually won the party’s primary, the Movement decided to give the ticket to Ernest Ikoli. This angered Samuel Akinsanya who went ahead and contested as independent candidate and lost to Ikoli. This incident created much bad blood between Chief Awolowo and Dr. Azikiwe.”

For Awo, who was later to be stigmatised as ethnically biased, his principled support for an Ijaw man against his own Ijebu compatriot simply did not fit the mould in which many still cast him. It would have cost him little or nothing to back Akinsanya, thereby preventing or at least postponing the schisms that finally undid the NYM. But for Awo, justice and fairness came first. His refusal to take the soft option, even though he was aware of the consequences his inflexibility could cause both the Movement and his own budding political career, opened a window into how his mind worked. The curious workings of that mind must have baffled his friends and foes alike.

But it gave notice that at last here was somebody with a higher mind, somebody willing to risk everything for something as paradoxical as an abstraction. Most Nigerian politicians and leaders would have simply compromised without so much as a twitch of conscience and moved on.

The various industrial estates in present Southwest zone and all other historic landmarks built by Awo evidenced his uncommon developmental zeal and managerial acumen.

But these testimonials flowed from his passion for the region and his character. He shaped the region into his worldview, not the other way round (as the fierce internal battles he had had to fight showed), and imbued it with a modernising character that was, before his coming, either inexistent at worst or inchoate at best. It was said of the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, that it took many generations of dissolute successors to undo his achievements. In similar fashion, many decades of retrogressive, mainstream and reactionary politics have proved incapable of reintroducing into the Southwest zone the defeatism that paralysed the region before the advent of colonialism and the pervasive hesitancy of the turbulent First Republic.

It is remarkable how history repeats itself.

In the First Republic, the Western Region was locked in mortal combat between conservative mainstreamers and radical regionalists and progressives. The war was won only after many years of internecine battles and the intervention of meddlesome external forces. Less than two decades after the death of Awo, the region was again polarised along virtually the same ideological lines as in his days, but blunted by economic hardship, political adventurism and intellectual mischief and ignorance.

To be concluded next week

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Editor - 08033510610, Marketing: 4520939, Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja. Telephone: 07028105302 E-mail: sunday@thenationonlineng.net Editor: FESTUS ERIYE