The Nation November 06, 2011

BAYELSA GUBER WAR Jonathan undecided on Sylva, Alaibe, others –PAGES 5, 17 & 19

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Vol.06, No. 1935

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SUNDAY

N200.00

NOVEMBER 6, 2011

11 policemen, 79 others killed in Yobe bombing Government agencies, banks, churches burnt CONSTITUTION Jonathan cancels wedding trip, orders security beef-up Presidency scales Boko Haram spokesman vows more attacks down amendment from 50 to 20

Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operations, Joel Duku, Damaturu, Abiodun Joseph, Maiduguri, with agency reports

FROM: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

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PALL of grief enveloped Damaturu, the Yobe State capital yesterday, as residents began to bury their beloved ones killed in Friday's bomb and gun attack on the town by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect.

The police gave the casualty figure as 53 including 11 policemen, two soldiers, two Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officers, and one each from Immigration and Customs.

However, the Nigerian Red Cross put the figure at 65 and the Jamatu Nasir Islamiyya (JNI) at 93.Even at the figure of 53 given by the police, this is the highest number of people killed in a single attack by the sect.

The State Police Command headquarters, State Anti-Terrorism Squad, the offices of Immigration and Customs Departments, and the FRSC were attacked by the rampaging gunmen. They did not spare the First Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA) branches in the town. The Federal Government Secretariat in the town was also burnt.

HE Presidency may soon present its list of fresh amendments to the 1999 Constitution to the National Assembly.

But the government has scaled down its proposed amendments from 50 to between 15 and 20.

Investigation by our correspondent confirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan opted for what was described by sources in the Presidency as “watertight amendments.”

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We are likely to send the bill on the amendments to the National Assembly before the end of this year.

The proposal is going through its final checks before presentation to the National Assembly.

Continued on Page 4

Eid-el-Kabir

Continued on Page 4

Happy

Eid-el-Kabir

to all our readers

SAUDI ARABIA, MOUNT ARAFAT: Muslim Hajj pilgrims perform the noon prayers at the Nemra mosque near Mount Arafat on November 5, 2011.

More than two million Muslims began massing on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain, marking the peak day of the largest annual pilgrimage. Photo: AFP

Jonathan calls for more support –Page 5

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

IN OTHER WORDS

GOING DOWN FIGHTING

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HIS year’s Sallah celebrations in Ikorodu, Lagos State received added spice on account of the antics of a clairvoyant cow. Conscious of the fate that awaited it the animal chose to go down fighting. The militant bull tied up traffic for a long period, and charged at everyone in sight sending them scampering for safety. Here’s hoping its meat is not as tough as its attitude! Barka de Sallah!

“The prospect before us as a nation is not only blighted; it is disastrous.

Consequently, if the scenarios continue, as indeed they may, President Jonathan may be the last President for this country”. - Prominent lawyer and Afenifere chieftain projecting a potentially dubious achievement for President Goodluck Jonathan while celebrating his 80th birthday in Lagos last week.”

“Before the court ruled I knew what the judgment was going to be; it’s something I can write from my Sankore Avenue (residence) here in University of Ibadan.” Reacting to the judgment of the Presidential Election Tribunal in favour of President Goodluck Jonathan, former Petroleum Minister, Prof.

Tam David-West, demonstrates that his skills do not end at botanical research but extend to legal draftsmanship. “”We are responsible for the attack in Borno State and Damaturu.

We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stop persecuting our members and vulnerable civilians.” Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, sending a potent Sallah message on behalf of the extremist sect.

WEEK NOTES And these also happened!

CIVIL SERVANT OF THE WEEK A one-month old baby, said to hold an ordinary national diploma, was on the Zamfara State government payroll, officials have discovered.

The name of the infant was recently found on the payment voucher of a local government council in the state, during an exercise to fish out ghost employees from a bloated workforce, Garba Gajam, Commissioner for Justice in Zamfara State said on Wednesday.

“What is even more astonishing is that it was

indicated in the payroll that the infant holds an ordinary national diploma,” said Gajam, revealing that the discovery is a “widespread trend in the local government service where senior officials stuff payrolls with the names of their wives and children”.

In August the name of a fivemonth-old baby was found on the payroll of another local council, prompting an investigation.

GUNMAN OF THE WEEK South Carolina officials say a 10year-old trick-or-treater pulled

a 9mm handgun on a woman who joked that she’d steal his Halloween candy.

The Augusta Chronicle reported Tuesday that a 28-yearold woman told authorities she recognized some youngsters Monday evening and she joked she’d take their candy.

Aiken Public Safety Lt. David Turno says a 10-year-old in the group said “no” and pointed the handgun at her.

Turno says the gun wasn’t loaded but the boy had a clip of ammunition. He was taken to the police station and was turned over to his parents.

Turno said the boy’s brother,

who is also 10, told officials he also had a gun and both weapons were recovered by police. Turno says the boys got them from their grandfather without his permission.

JOY RIDE OF THE WEEK An 86-year-old woman in America is recovering after accidentally driving her car into a swimming pool.

It happened when Mary Lee Fine, who lives in a retirement home in Austen, Texas, tried to get into her car through the passenger seat because the driver’s side was blocked by another car.

After starting the car, it unexpectedly went into drive, reversed and hit another vehicle.

It then sped through the parking area, hitting a fence and finally landing in the pool. “In pushing myself to get over, I either hit the key or the gear shift, I don’t know what happened, but the car backed up - wooo whoom,” she said.

Mrs Fine’s car started filling with water but it was propped up by a garden chair that was knocked into the pool during the incident. It stopped the car from sinking, allowing Ms Fine to remain safe until her neighbour was able to wade into the pool and rescue her.

Luckily, she said, the water was warm. She added she may take a taxi the next time she goes shopping.

DRIVER OF THE WEEK A pregnant learner driver sat her driving test during labour, passed it, then drove herself to hospital to give birth to her first child.

Emma French, 20, of Livingston, Scotland, was so determined to pass the test that she even endured four contractions while behind the wheel. Her waters had broken at 4am on 30 August - four hours before she was due to take her

second 45-minute-long driving test.

Despite hiding being in labour from the examiner, with contractions just 10 minutes apart, Miss French passed with just 10 minor faults. After the test, she drove to her grandparents’ house to break the good news about the labour and the test refusing a lift to hospital from them.

By the time she reached hospital, she was three centimetres dilated and six hours later gave birth to 5lb 1oz baby Eva. Speaking about her shocking decision, new mother and warehouse worker Miss French said: “Everyone was telling me to go to the hospital, but I had waited so long for my driving test I was determined to do it.

“I didn’t dare tell the examiner in case he made me cancel the test.”

NOTA BENE

Couch potatoes risk cancer A major study, presented at the American Institute for Cancer Research annual conference, has revealed a strong connection between inactivity and unregulated cell growth. Researchers say that 92,000 cases a year of breast and colon cancer can be attributed to lack of exercise and are now urging people to get fit, alternating every hour of sitting with one to two minutes of activity.

Lead researcher Christine Friedenreich, of Alberta Health Services Cancer Care in Canada, presented findings from a new paper, published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, on physical activity and cancer risk.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Column

Regime change and popular disaffection

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N most of Africa, peaceful regime changes are so infrequent that violent seizures of power or loss of hegemony by a particular faction of the ruling class often appear like revolutionary upheavals. By the time the storm clears and the din of contention recedes, it is obvious that nothing has changed, or that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Whereas in advance democracies with durable and well-developed institutional mechanism for regime change, fundamental changes in societies often appear normal and routine developments.

Just about a century or so ago, it would have been unthinkable for a female to accede to the reins of power in leading western countries. Yet today, and barely a century after adult suffragette was extended to women, you have female leaders firmly in pole position in several western countries. Britain had earlier elected the tough no-nonsense Margaret Thatcher. America, a deeply conservative and thoroughly patriarchal country despite grandstanding to the contrary, has had three female Secretaries of State in quick succession, namely Maidelene Albright, Condoleeza Rice and Hillary Clinton.

In 2008, the USA elected its first black president ahead of a female president.

Despite deeply entrenched vested interests against change, institutional mechanisms that facilitate peaceful changes allow these countries to experience revolutionary changes without revolutionary upheavals. In most of Africa, on the other hand, the absence or weaknesses of these institutional changes often lead to violent ruptures or even a temporary collapse of the state when it comes to a mere transfer of power from one faction of the ruling class to another.

In Liberia, the two Congos, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Uganda, Angola and many others, elections that ought to have heralded peaceful change led to civil wars and a calamitous collapse of the state. In Nigeria after the debacle of the June 12 1993 presidential election when the dominant military faction refused to hand over power to the legitimate winner, it took some intricate elite pacting and the Obasanjo Settlement to effect a transfer of power from the military to a pan-Nigerian civilian coalition.

As this column never tires of preaching, elections do not resolve national questions. In fact, they often worsen and exacerbate the national question, leading to a dramatic resurgence of ethnic, regional and religious polarities. Despite being hailed as relatively and reasonably free and fair, the 2011 presidential election would appear to have worsened intra-elite contention for power in Nigeria and its nuclear fall-out. Never in its modern history has the country appeared more spectacularly adrift

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•Buhari

and rudderless. There is an upswing of national disaffection on a scale that has never been seen before. Once again, the storms are gathering. This is the time for the political elite to put on their thinking cap.

Yet despite sharing in the continental aberration of non-democratic elections, Nigeria remains a unique and perplexing paradox. In the last presidential election, power appears to have been prised away from a power cartel that has held the nation hostage either directly or by sly proxy since independence. Goodluck Jonathan’s mandate appeared to have been divinely ordained; a darkly mysterious intervention in the body politic and a pan-Nigerian resurrection of the great national dream. It spoke to the possibility of a new beginning if a famously “shoeless” boy from the tidal backwater of Otueke could accede so effortlessly to the Nigerian imperial presidency.

Ordinarily, this ought to have greatly warmed the heart. It ought to have strengthened our collective resolve for a new beginning. We have been looking for signs and signals of that new beginning, of a great stirring of the huge black behemoth. Alas, it has turned out to be a backbreaking mirage; a damp squib that suffers a huge disconnect from the great yearning of the Nigerian multitude. Apart from its profound symbolic possibility, the Jonathan presidency is turning out to be a continuation of the past by other means.

Because it was ordered from above through the instrumentality of state power and its coercive machinery, because it was a product of a manufactured elite consensus rather than a genuine national rupture of the old order, what we thought was a peaceful revolution has turned out to be nothing more than a mere revolt

by an ascendant faction of the ruling class. In the event, we have been saddled with a mere change of personnel rather a change in the personality of the post-colonial state. Some will even aver that that will do for now.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that many voted for Jonathan for different and mutually exclusive reasons. In the restive riverine enclave which has been clamouring for resource control and power shift based on the ownership of a mono-cultural economy, Jonathan enjoyed the home-boy advantage.

The west gave him a tactical nod in order to give the “auld” northern enemy a historic black eye. But it hedged its bet by giving complete power to a party campaigning for regional autonomy and the resuscitation of the old federalism and the fiercely competitive spirit which drove change and innovation up to the demise of the First Republic. The east played the traditional good boy naively and opportunistically hoping that this good gesture will guarantee its eventual turn at the till.

The north was fissured, fractured and fragmented down the line. While the masses were obviously yearning for change powered and driven by one of their own, the traditional power barons, outsmarted at their own game of divide and rule, outfoxed on their own natural turf, lapsed into a surly bewilderment and bitter misgiving which has continued till date.

Rather than a genuine national consensus, this was the cocktail of contradictions that has borne the Jonathan presidency aloft and may yet shipwreck it. It requires a sober rectitude, tactical astuteness and strategic brilliance to plot one’s way out of the labyrinthine maze of conflicting and conflicted passions. But for a man who has found himself in a great foxhole, Jonathan has continued to dig in with frenetic fury. Apart from a series of unforced errors, Jonathan has been helped along in his perilous misadventure by a string of inexperienced advisers and the stony resolve of the general who will be democratic president.

Enter the tall ramrod war-lord with the aristocratic forbearance of his Fulani forebears. In certain moments of history and in the tumultuous flow and ebb of vital events, a particular exceptional individual may incarnate the contradictions of the age to an unusual degree. No other contemporary personality encapsulates or emblematizes the paradox of the contemporary Nigerian situation and the dilemmas of democracy more than the taciturn and ascetic former infan-

Okon in rent- a- ram scam

S the Sallah festival got underway, the house has suddenly become a beehive of activities with many going and coming. Misfits and muggers abound.Snooper was curious as to the reason for this sudden upsurge of human traffic. It turned out that the indefatigable Okon had established a thriving ram market very close to the house. Having made some money recently from sourcing and transporting human containers to the various EFCC political road shows, snooper had thought that the mad boy wanted to show gratitude to god by giving off sallah rams to the deserving.

But always with an eye on the main chance, Okon had come to the conclusion that with hardship biting harder in the country most people who cannot afford a ram might pre-

fer to rent one for bragging purposes.

So Okon rents the rams only to rent them out again. After he might have struck by midnight before sallah day it might then be given out that the poor ram had died or had been stolen.

“Oga, dat way, man happy, goat happy and dem Lagos mumu happy too”, Okon exulted in this new found economics of disaffection.

“Na dis one dem dey call Okonomics. This boy get brain pass all dem Okonjo and dem Owonjo Ewunla people”, Baba Lekki elaborated with perfunctory malice.

In a more advanced and sophisticated version of the same scam, Okon actually collected money from people on the pretext that he was going to sell rams to them only to come back to inform them that the poor animal had

died in transit owing to heat, exhaustion and toxic weed from flooding.

“Na dem Majidun weed come poison dem ram and dem come dey shit like Baba Suwe”, Okon calmly explained to a distraught Alhaja from Okokomaiko.

“Madam, na dat one dem dey call ewekoro”, Baba Lekki sniggered.

But nemesis caught up with the crazy boy in the guise of an irate mallam from Agege. After listening to the cock and bull story with stoic dismay, the poor man made a gesture of fatalism to the skies and brought out a long knife.

“Barawo…bani naira!!”, he screamed as he lunged at Okon. Okon ducked and took to his heels with the mallam in hot pursuit. Snooper quickly locked the gates of the house against Baba Lekki.

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nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu try general. His short spell as military dictator was distinguished by its draconian measures and the sheer ferocity of the effort to turn Nigeria to the path of rectitude.

Riding on the crest of popular revulsion with politics and politicians, the general did not even bother with a programme for the return of civil rule throughout his tenure. Even after he was kicked out in a palace coup masterminded by his Chief of Army Staff, Buhari has never publicly expressed any remorse over that seeming lacunae. If this abiding contempt for politics and politicians is his sterling strength, it is also the source of his undoing as a contemporary political figure.

It is a perplexing irony that it is an unabashed former military autocrat who has done most to deepen the democratic process and to return sovereignty to the Nigerian electorate in the Fourth Republic. Buhari’s quest for the Nigerian presidency has become the stuff of fabled legends. In fact it has become the general’s odyssey and far more intriguing than his military exploits on Chadian territory or the battle fields of the Nigerian civil war.

General Buhari has already bested Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s record appearance at the presidential polls. He has also been at the Appellate Court to overturn presidential verdicts more than any other Nigerian living or dead. In the process, he has helped to deepen the judicial process and gifted the judiciary with some landmark dissenting judgements, particularly Oguntade in 2007 and the brilliant minority judgement of 2003.

Slowly and imperceptibly, General Buhari has also transformed from a military dictator to a cult political figure particularly among the northern masses who view him as the messiah in waiting and the equivalent of the mythical twelfth imam. For a man who is not gifted in the elocution department and who disdains oratory as sheer fraudulent rhetoric, this is no mean achievement. For the old northern political class and its diminished power masters, the fear of Buhari is the beginning of wisdom.

Snooper has had the opportunity of watching and interacting with the general at close quarters. One cannot but be impressed by his stark simplicity and sincerity of purpose and the patriotic fervour that underlines every statement of his. There is an incandescent rage about the plight of Nigeria and its people. If only Buhari can lay his hands at the scoundrels.

But there is also a misdirected piety; a puritanical self-righteousness which sits oddly with a politician and which is touching in its idyllic and idealistic naivete. This leads to a mental, professional, ideological and spiritual blockage which prevents the general from seeing the total picture as it is and not as it ought to be. Politics is the art of the possible. The paradox is that General Buhari is a non-professional politician. In the murky jungle of Nigerian politics, that is as short as a suicide note can get.

In the light of this, it is a bit rich for the Federal Executive Council to attempt to prevail on General Buhari not to seek redress at the Supreme Court. This is a classic case of chutzpah.

It is reminiscent of the man who has murdered his parents asking the court to set him free on the grounds that he is an orphan. Where were they when the judicial stakes were being openly manipulated and deliberately rigged in favour of a preferred outcome? This

column warned then that the removal of Justice Ayo Salami from the Appellate would strip the judgement of any legitimacy and authority. This is precisely what has happened.

It is feeble and futile at this point to ask General Buhari to act in the greater national interest when the temporary and transient custodians of the same national interest act in a way and manner that threaten national interest. This is either cynicism gone haywire or some idle postprandial rap. Of course it is obvious that the dour and impassive general would treat the appeal with stony and affronted contempt.

But having said that, it is now time for General Buhari to take political, spiritual and ideological stock of the struggle for the democratic emancipation of Nigeria and his own signal and sterling role in this. As a tested general, he should know that there is no point fighting a new battle with old weapons. All over the world, the adjudication of presidential electoral disputes is rigged beforehand in favour of the status quo.

Luckily for Nigeria, this is not an ethnic, religious or regional affair but a pure class act.

The protocol of judicial elders who adjudicate in these matters belongs to a caste within a class. Their revered lordships may frown and scowl but they are also not disposed to disrupting an on-going party. In any case, it is standard practice in boxing adjudication that to dethrone a reigning heavyweight, you not only have to beat him, you have to beat him up. If General Buhari’s sole ambition is to enrich the judicial process, he can continue with his quest for justice but out there in the real power canvas, the PDP will have to be beaten silly before it agrees to go home punchdrunk.

Luckily Jonathan is providing ample ammunition to the enemy on that front with ill-judged anti-people policies and his flagrant misreading of the national mood. But first Buhari’s party will have to put its own house in order. This is bound to be time-consuming and energy-sapping. As it is, the CPC is neither cohesive nor coherent. It is a mass-action movement gone haywire.

The masses may vote en-masse all right, but they lack the discipline and organization to see this through.

Once the vote-counters appear to shortchange them, they desert in droves to look for petrol cans or burn their voters’ card in a ritual act of electoral suicide and political self-immolation. This was what happened in the north the last time which allowed the PDP to claw its way back into contention in a suspect and suspicious manner.

A period of sober strategic reflection is now imperative for the much-admired general. To start with, the CPC will have to break out of its regional and ethnic cocoon to become an authentic national platform. In the absence of that, the party will have to cut the much detested deal with other opposition parties. If the general finds the wheeling and dealing, the shabby horse-trading so customary of contemporary Nigerian politics too dishonorable, too disreputable and too demeaning for his puritanical mind-set, it may be time to yield place and become the Mathama Ghandi of his movement. Here is wishing Mohammadu Buhari many more years of patriotic service to the fatherland.

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NEWS THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

11 policemen, 79 others killed in Yobe bombing •Continued from Page 1 President Goodluck Jonathan who was billed to travel to his home state of Bayelsa yesterday for the wedding of one of his brothers called off the trip and directed security agencies to fish out the brains behind the spate of attacks.

He also ordered security beef up in Borno and Yobe States. His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr.Reuben Abati said: “The President does not feel that he should be seen attending a wedding when such incidents are happening and he has renewed his charge to security agencies to renew the search for those behind the dastardly acts.

“He believes that for anyone to carry out such acts of destruction of lives at this season of peace deviates from the message of peace and love that ordinarily radiates around Eid-El-Kabir.”

The attack started with a car bomb exploding outside a three story building used as a military office and barracks. Many uniformed security guards died in the blast.

The state government has declared a 7pm to 7am curfew in the state.

This came just hours after a series of explosions by the sect in Maiduguri, capital of the neighbouring Borno State on Friday. The town of Potiskum, also in Yobe, was attacked simultaneously as Damaturu. The distance between the two towns is 100 kilometers.

As the day broke yesterday, scores of Damaturu residents began to flee following whispers that the sect might return. The situation was not helped by a statement by a spokesman for the group that more attacks were coming.

“We are responsible for the attack in Borno State and Damaturu. We will continue attacking federal govern-

ment formations until security forces stop persecuting our members and vulnerable civilians,” sect spokesman, Abul Qaqa said in a state to new agencies.

Witnesses said the Damaturu bombs hit several targets, including churches and the headquarters of the Yobe State police.

Red Cross official Ibrahim Bulama, in Damaturu, told the BBC at least 63 people had been killed there.

He said people visiting morgues have reported seeing 92 bodies.

An unnamed local government official in Damaturu was quoted as saying that hundreds of wounded people were being treated in hospital.

The attacks began on Friday at about 6.30pm and lasted about 90 minutes.

Gunmen then engaged in running battles with security forces after invading police stations and shooting indiscriminately. Business activities were abruptly called off as people ran for their lives.

A Roman Catholic parish priest said his church had been burnt down and eight other churches also attacked. He described gangs of young men roaming the streets throwing improvised bombs into the churches.

A Damaturu resident, Mamman Mohammed said: “We are all indoors while the fighting is going on.

Damaturu and Potiskum my home town are under siege.

The Boko Haram sect have taken over the towns and the security men are battling them. No one is safe.”

A lawyer who visited the Damaturu General Hospital yesterday looking for a missing friend said he counted 60 bodies in the morgue.

“I have seen 60 dead bodies in the hospital, all brought in yesterday from the attacks,” the lawyer who

asked not to be named said.

“I am here to look for my friend who didn’t return home yesterday.” He said anxious relatives were flocking to the hospital in search of loved ones.

Security forces this week started door-to-door searches for weapons in the

northeast, after an arms amnesty for Islamist militants expired on October 31. It was unclear whether or not this spate of attacks was a response to that operation.

Yobe State Police Commissioner, Suleiman Lawan, said the attacks caught the town by surprise. He dis-

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Constitution: Presidency scales down amendment from 50 to 20 •Continued from Page 1

• More devolution of powers likely

“But the government will not propose 50 amendments as being speculated. To have 50 amendments would amount to re-writing the entire constitution. That is not the intent of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. I think you can

safely say that we will present water-tight or compact amendments to the National Assembly.

“We do not want amendments just for the sake of playing to the gallery. These new amendments will enhance our democracy and

• Writes Chief Justice of Nigeria From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

Boni Haruna, and Rasheed Ladoja.

Others are Jolly Nyame, Attahiru Bafarawa, Adamu Abdullahi, Lucky Igbinedion, Ayo Fayose, Chimaroke Nnamani, and Orji Uzor Kalu.

The affected ex- Ministers are Chief Femi FaniKayode and Babalola Borishade. Clark asked the CJN to prevail on the courts to dispense with the cases of these former public officers to prove that Nigeria is committed to anti-corruption crusade.

mounted checkpoints in parts of the city, searching vehicles and carrying out body search of drivers and passengers.

In Potiskum, a grenade narrowly missed a police station and an ensuing gun battle left one policeman dead.

• L-R : President, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Mr Ledus Mitee , Mr George Feyii – Secretary, Rivers State Government, Dr. Wale Ahmed – Commissioner, Special Duties Lagos State. Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin – chairman of the occasion and Prof. Itse Sagay – guest Speaker

Corruption: Clark demands speedy trial of Odili, Ibori, Kalu, others FORMER Minister of Information and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark has written a petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, seeking speedy trial of 14 former governors and two former ministers standing trial for alleged corruption. He said there was no reason why the courts cannot determine the fate of the 16 high-profile cases within six to 12 months.

Clark, in a November 2, 2011 petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, which was made available to The Nation listed the ex-governors and ministers as James Ibori, Senator Saminu Turaki, Peter Odili, Michael Botmang, Joshua Dariye,

closed that seven Boko Haram members were shot dead.

“A police station and a mechanical workshop of the police were attacked. Six churches in the area were also bombed,” said resident Edwin Silas, adding: “The whole city is traumatised.”

Soldiers and police have

He said a situation whereby over 50 high profile cases of corruption levelled against some former governors, ministers and legislators and other high profile government functionaries have been pending in various Federal High Courts and Court of Appeal for over four years due to corrupt practices both in the judiciary and at the Bar, is most unacceptable because it is definitely responsible for placing Nigeria at the bottom index of corrupt countries in the world such as Somalia; Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc.

“You may wish to know

some of these high profile cases lying dormant in some of our courts for the past two to four years. In listing these cases, I have decided to state or mention some of the offences they are facing in the various courts for which they have taken plea and granted bail.”

Clark demanded timeline for the treatment of the pending cases of the exgovernors.

He added: “Your Lordship, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, you should direct the various courts handling these high profile corrupt cases mentioned above, to resuscitate and give accelerated hearing as “justice delayed is justice denied.”

assist it to work for the benefits of all Nigerians. They are amendments that will add value to our democracy and economic development.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “There is every likelihood of more devolution of powers to states and local government in line with the spirit of true federalism.”

On state police, the source said: “Forget about the idea, it is not part of the proposed amendments being worked on. The security situation in the country and the attitude of some governors will not allow state police to thrive. We have dumped the idea.”

Top on the amendments is the proposed controversial seven-year tenure policy.

Other proposals are well-defined economic-related clauses to empower the presidency to take decisions on issues like the Sovereign Wealth Fund; review of revenue allocation formula; devolution of more powers with more issues on concurrent list; no more uniform wage structure; and fixed

tenure for the 774 local government areas.

Others are abolition of Joint State- Local Government Account widely adopted in most states; and constructive federalism; abolition of indigene ship; right to vote and be voted for after being resident in any part of Nigeria for six months; and removal of prison management from Exclusive List to Concurrent List.

Findings revealed that the proposals that have excited the governors border on review of revenue allocation formula; devolution of more powers and the abrogation of uniform wage policy At present, Section 34 of Part 1, Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) places the wage system on the Exclusive List.

The section says the following shall be on the Exclusive List: “Labour, including trade unions, industrial relations; conditions, safety and welfare of labour; industrial disputes; prescribing a national minimum wage for the Federation or any part thereof; and industrial arbitration.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2010

News

Bayelsa: Jonathan yet to make up mind on Sylva, Dickson, Alaibe

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HERE are indications that President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to make up his mind on who to back for the Bayelasa governorship race.

He is weighing his options on who to back among the three leading aspirants namely the incumbent Governor Timipreye Sylva, a former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State, Henry SeriakeDickson, and a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Mr. Timi Alaibe.

It was learnt that Jonathan is still under pressure from different stakeholders.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that although Dickson is highly favoured by most of the strategists and loyalists of the President, everyone is still awaiting the final verdict of Jonathan on who to back.

According to findings, Jonathan told South-South governors, who met with him on Thursday, that he is yet to make up his mind.

It was gathered that the President also said that the wish of the people will prevail on the final choice of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A reliable source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “When the governors met with the President, he was non-committal on the forthcoming governorship primary election in Bayelsa State.

“From his countenance at the session, the President proved to us that he has not made up his mind. Although some governors felt he was playing politics, there was consensus that we should leave him to take his decision.

“The President also indicated that the situation in Bayelsa State was not as delicate as the public is being made to believe.

“All we know is that he has a choice to make among Sylva, Seriake-Dickson and Alaibe. But none of us at the session could read his mindset.”

Another source added: “I think the President is keeping his joker to his chest until the last minute.”

A party source however said” The pressure on the President informed the stalling attitude of the National Working Committee of the PDP in releasing the list of cleared aspirants for the governorship primary in batches.

“The party leadership is awaiting the right signal from the

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

• Bayelsa West Elders back Dickson

President based on some factors.

“For instance, the return of Alaibe to the PDP from the Labour Party was with the knowledge of the President as part of the search for a governorship candidate.

“But most stakeholders have been shocked that Alaibe has been kept in suspense when ordinarily he had a governorship ticket handy in the Labour Party.

“At least for the sake of honouring Alaibe, the presidency and the party leadership ought to put him into confidence on where they are going.”

But investigation confirmed that four factors may determine who the President might back.

The factors are delivery of dividends of democracy to his state; undiluted loyalty, security reports, and the opinion of PDP

leaders in Bayelsa and National Headquarters.

A source in the presidency said: “Jonathan is not happy with the state of things in his state.

He believes the dividends of democracy have not been substantially delivered as expected.

“Also, the President does not joke with loyalty. The tension in Bayelsa State borders on loyalty especially when the tenure of the next governor will outlive that of the President in 2015.

“From the experience of what ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo went through in Ogun State under ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel, you won’t blame the President for watching his back.

“I think Sylva ran into trouble with the President over some decisions which amounted to an affront to Jonathan.”

Meanwhile, the elders, political leaders and youths from Bayelsa West Senatorial District in Bayelsa State have thrown their weight behind the candidature of Seriake-Dickson in the forthcoming PDP primaries in the state.

Some dignitaries that attended the meeting are Charles Dorgu, Chief Asiyai Etifa, Gen. Okidowei Enai, Chief Martins Agbede, Chief Mrs. Dorris Oru, Chief Salo Adikumo, and Chief Clifford Apina.

A statement by the Director, Publicity, Dickson Restoration Team, Fungeowei Ebiegberi, said: “After all exhaustive deliberations at a meeting held at Sagbama, headquarters of Sagbama local government area of the state, the group said that Bayelsa West as a political unit

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is highly interested in the aspirations of Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, member, Federal House of Representatives with regards to the governorship election of 2012.

“According the political leaders from the area, other political units of the State have at one time or the other, had a taste of the leadership of the State, including when they were in the old Rivers State and argued that it is only Bayelsa West that has not been privileged to govern the State.

“They further said that Hon. Dickson is eminently qualified to lead the State to greater heights as he is known to be a consensus builder and will carry all sections of the State along in his drive to bring development to our people.

“Finally, the group called on all well-meaning Bayelsans, including politicians and youths to ensure that peace reigns in the State during this crucial period of electioneering campaigns.”

Eid El- Kabir: Jonathan calls for support From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has appealed for the continued support and understanding of Nigerians, saying that his administration’s efforts to transform the country may require that they make more sacrifices.

In his Sallah message, the president called for sustained efforts to build a better nation for the present and future generations. In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan also congratulated all Nigerians who have undertaken the Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina this year and wished them Allah’s mercies as they travel back home.

The President urged Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the EidEl-Kabir holiday to reflect on how the ideals and virtues of peace, harmony, brotherly love, selflessness, tolerance, honesty, fairness, justice and equity taught by Islam and other religions can be more extensively harnessed and deployed in addressing the developmental challenges confronting the nation.

Noting that Eid-El-Kabir is a festival of sacrifice that commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, in obedience to the will of Allah, President Jonathan appealed for the continued support and understanding.

He, however, assured Nigerians that such sacrifices will not be in vain as his administration’s efforts to positively transform the nation will soon begin to yield fruits. “I am certain that this administration’s plans for rapid national development will soon begin to bear fruit and fulfill the yearnings of our country men and women for qualitative changes in their lives.”

The President noted, however, that the anticipated progress will be more readily achieved with peace and security in all parts of the country. He, therefore, enjoined Nigerians to continue to work for the peace and stability of the nation.

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• Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire with the President of the Central African Republic, Francois Bozize at the Presidential Lounge of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos at the weekend in Lagos.

Revenue allocation: Niger State commissioner advocates 52% for states NIGER State Commissioner of Finance and Economic Planning, Alhaji Mu’azu Bawa has said the 52.6 percent currently allocated to the Federal Government under the revenue allocation formula should be given to the states.

He told The Nation in an interview in Minna yesterday that if this was done it would usher in economic transformation of the country. Bawa said that federal government should concede its current 52.6 per cent accruable to it to the federating states instead of the 26 percent allocated to the 36 states He said that more money should be allocated to the states rather than the government at the centre because the states have a lot of needs to be met adding that the federal government had other means of generating income to

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By Jide Orintunsin

meet with its needs while most states do not have enough means to generate income to keep them solvent.

Bawa stated that the initial formula of 52 percent to federal government, 26 per cent to state and 20 per cent to local governments was not favourable to the states and local governments and

should be reversed.

According to the commissioner, “If the on-going struggle for the review revenue allocation formula will produce the desired results, there should be a total reversal of the allocation, with federal government having 20 per cent, 52 per cent to state government and 26 per cent to local government councils.”

Justifying the reversal, Bawa

maintained, “There are other revenues that the federal government have that is not lodged into federation account; like the revenue from the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), our air and sea ports and others, with those revenues, the federal government can recuperate and get more than the current 52 per cent they are currently receiving from the federal allocation formula.”

Osun ACN appeals to striking lecturers HE Osun State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has appealed to the striking members of academic and non academic staff in the four tertiary institutions owned by the state government to honour the agreement reached between them and the state government and resume work without further de-

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lay.

The party in a statement issued by its Director of Information and Strategy expressed worry on the continuous strike embarked upon by both the academic staff of the institutions and the non academic staff, saying such action could not aid the development of the state.

The statement enjoined the

striking staff of the institutions to in the interest of the state and the future of the students resume work, as the state government has promised to implement 75 percent of their request, while the remaining 25 percent of the agreement would be implemented as the economy of the state improves.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

News

Emirates to invest in Akwa Ibom, says Akpabio From Dele Anofi, Abuja

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N the wake of the just concluded Common wealth Heads of Government meeting held in Australia, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, has said the state would soon wear a new look as it expects a multibillion dollar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He disclosed that several international organisations have indicated interest in investing in Akwa Ibom State.

Akpabio, who returned to the country over the weekend, was part of the federal government delegation to the meeting.

He disclosed that the Emirates Group was particularly interested in investing in the aviation in the state, adding that the focus of government, which is also my primary focus in my second term, is to create employment opportunity and this is what underscored my long trip.”

He added that a team of experts would be assembled to follow up the new development.

Road construction cuts off Adaba FM, Akure M

ANAGEMENT staff and workers of a private radio station, Adaba F.M, Akure, the Ondo state capital, were at the weekend trapped in their respective offices as the broadcasting house situated along Akure-Ilesa road, IlaraMokin, was totally cut off from members of the public.

The Nation learnt that the contractor handling the access road to the station, which is under construction, made the road impassable by digging a wide gully on the road.

It was observed that vehicles of workers and

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

clients were therefore confined to the station.

It was gathered that the contractor did not give the management of the radio station any prior notice before they embarked on the construction.

Eyewitness account said the agent of the contractor, Cornerstone Construction Company (CCC), came with an excavator around 2:30 pm to carry out the exercise.

They reportedly declined comments when members of Adaba F.M

management demanded to know their mission.

Many observers, who visited the place, noted that the road had been abandoned for more than six months before the sudden appearance of the company with excavators.

Aggrieved workers and management staff had to return to their homes on hired motorcycles after closing hour as no vehicle could enter or move out of the station.

Prospective advertisers and commercial agents of the radio station went home disappointed as they

could not have access to the station.

It would be recalled that the station was also banned from relaying some programmes purported to be against the present administration.

As at press time, many workers were still trapped in the station.

Two gatemen at the neighbouring sunshine estate, Ibule, owned by the state government, which could provide an alternative road to Adaba F.M workers, refused to allow the workers to pass through their gate to the

Nullify CPC candidate’s election, Makarfi tells tribunal From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

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Osun revokes former LG boss’ contracts From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

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SUN State Government has revoked the Rural Electrification Project contracts awarded to the former Chairman, Atakunmosa-West Local Government Area of Osun State, Chief Supo Fadare, and one Kayode Igbalaye.

The state government also warned all agencies of government in the state against transacting any business with the companies.

The companies concerned were also ordered to refund all amounts received in excess of the job performed within six weeks or face the consequences.

Addressing newsmen on the revocation of the contract, the State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Electrification, Mr. Kolapo Alimi, said the contracts were financed by the Excess Crude Oil (ECO) funds released to the local government councils between 2007 and 2010.

Aregbesola announces new appointments

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OVERNOR of Osun State , Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has announced the appointment of new top officials. The new appointees include Mr. Gbenga Adebusuyi, Deputy Chief-of-Staff; Barr.

Gbenga Akano; Assistant Chiefof-Staff; Barr. Adejare Adebisi; Assistant Chief of Staff; and Hon. Oguntola Toogun; Assistant Chief of Staff.

Others are Mr. Abdullahi Binuyo, Senior Special Assistant (MDG); Mr. Oye Obe - Senior Personal Assistant; Mrs. Alice Olufunmilayo Adeyi- Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor and Mr. Kazeem Aderemi Salami - General Manager, Osun Road Maintenance Agency All appointments take immediate effect.

main road.

They were said to have maintained that the order was from above.

None of the team from the construction company was ready to speak with our correspondent.

The General Manager of the radio station, Martins Ayoola, expressed displeasure on the development which he said was targeted at disrupting the activities of the station.

He urged the citizenry and other stake holders to impress it on the contractor to bail them out of their predicament.

•The cut off road leading to the radio station

Development rating: ActionAid tasks FG on human development

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ORRIED that the c u r r e n t international development Index ranked Nigeria 156th out of 187 countries, ActionAid Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to quickly respond to the challenges of development in the country.

According to the Country Director of ActionAid in Nigeria , Dr. Hussaini Abdu, the situation is a time bomb that should be urgently tackled.

He said: “The recently released United Nations’ Human Development Index has shown that not only has the Nigeria government failed in its obligations to provide for the populace, it has put the poor in a precarious situation”.

He said that Nigeria ‘s new rating does not give a comfortable and comforting picture of the state of the Nigerian nation.

“Countries like Libya ranked 64, Tunisia 94 and Algeria 96 . Egypt and Syria which have experienced social and political upheavals as well as violent eruptions have fared better

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

than Nigeria . With the state of the nation as shown in the current index, it is obvious that the nation is sitting at the edge”, he added.

The Nigeria’s new ranking, he said, calls for serious concern as it has shown a steep drop not only in the level of development

but value for human lives. ”For over 11 years, Nigeria has consistently designed and operationalised economic policies that have not only underperformed but have also added no value to human lives in the country”, ”It is now imperative that we start thinking of alternate development

strategies that not only present new routes to development but place human beings at the centre of development”.

On the economy, he said: “There is no economy model anywhere in the world that works where people are not at the centre of such models”.

Entrepreneurs team-up with Rivers on investment

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GROUP of entrepreneurs and c o n c e r n e d stakeholders of Rivers State are collaborating with the Rotimi Amaechi’s administration at the maiden Investors’ Forum, in order to develop and turn the state to a robust and secure commercial hub. .

The Chairman of the Organising Committee of the forum, Mr. Atedo Peterside, stated that the event was put together to

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

bring investments into the state and its environs.

He said Rivers State and its environs were strategic to the economic well-being of Nigeria, in view of the richness in crude oil and gas.

Peterside, who is also the Founder and Chairman of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, at a news conference in Port Harcourt, said the investors’ forum with the

theme, “Change That Works,” would hold at Government House, in the Rivers state capital, between November 16 and 18, 2011.

The plenary speakers that are expected to feature at the forum include Governor Amaechi, Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria , Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Peterside and other eminent personalities.

ORMER Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, yesterday asked the Legislative Elections Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Kaduna , to nullify the election of the CPC candidate, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, and declare him winner of the senatorial election for Kaduna North Senatorial district.

Adopting their written address before the tribunal yesterday, counsel to the former governor, Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN), told the tribunal to order the deduction of the total invalid votes discovered during the recount and declare him winner of the election.

Makarfi, who is challenging the declaration of Baba-Ahmed as winner of the senatorial election, conducted on April 28 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleged that Baba-Ahmed did not score majority of valid votes cast during the election.

He also alleged that there was ballot stuffing with unsigned and unstamped ballot papers thumb printed in favour of the CPC candidate during the election.

Following the request through a motion, the tribunal had ordered a recount of vote cast in some polling units in about six of the eight local governments that make up the senatorial district, adding that the outcome of the recount will form part of the judgment of the tribunal.

Usman told the tribunal that after the recount, it was clear that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erred when they declared BabaAhmed as the winner of the election, pointing out that he did not score majority of the lawful votes.

Counsel to Baba-Ahmed, Abbas Ibrahim asked the tribunal to reject the plea of the petitioner and uphold the election of the respondent, pointing out that some of the local governments, where the recount took place, were not pleaded by the petitioner in his petition.

Abbas who had earlier brought a motion seeking permission of the tribunal to file his written address out of time also asked the tribunal to refuse the petitioner the opportunity to reply to his written address and adopt the address originally filed by them within the stipulated time.

News

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

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Reps mobilise against fifth columnists M

EMBERS of the House of Representatives have vowed to stop the proposed removal of subsidy on petroleum products.

One of the antagonists of the subsidy removal said contrary to insinuations in some quarters, President Goodlúck Jonathan must bring the issue before the National Assembly.

Abiodun Abdul Balogun said if Jonathan fails to comply with provisions of the constitution to bring the issue before the National Assembly, the consequence would be high. ”The House derives its powers from the constitution and the Nigerian people.

There is no way Mr. President would not bring it to the National Assembly because

From: Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

that is what the constitution says”.

The lawmaker also said some pro-subsidy removal legislators have swung into action by trying to convince others on why the subsidy must be removed.

“Let me say this, some legislators are prepared to make sure that the proposal does not see the light of the day because it is antipeople”.

Balogun who is a member of the Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu-led 7-man panel, raised by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), told The Nation that some legislators have taken it as a national duty to convince their colleagues against the proposed removal.

But he queried: “What does it cost or how long does it take to build a refinery in this modern age, if not for corruption? The Petroleum Minister told the House that

they just found the real contractor that built the refineries that would now undertake the turn around maintenance (TAM).

“She even owned up that

previous TAMs were been rip-offs. But I ask, for how long would this continue?”

The Nation however gathered that pro-subsidy removal legislators have

started making moves to convert their colleagues.

Abdul-Balogun said such moves would fail because antagonists of subsidy removal are in the majority.

Boy, 6, five others injured as building collapses in Ibadan

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HE rear side of a 16room one storey building located along Salvation Army Road, Ibadan, collapsed yesterday, leaving six occupants, including a sixyear old boy, battling for their lives.

The kitchen and boys’ quarters’ part of the old building detached from the main building at about 7:30 am yesterday. It took combined efforts of men of the Oyo State Fire Service and sympathizers to rescue the victims.

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

While one of the victims was said to have been rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH) due to the seriousness of his injury, others, including the six-year old boy were taken to a nearby private hospital where they were treated.

Three of the victims were writhing in pains when our correspondent visited the private hospital located at Oke Padre Area of the city

yesterday.

Co-residents said the victims were doing some home chores when the building suddenly gave way and crashed on them.

The incident threw the entire area into panic as cries for help by victims filled the air. Some escaped with minor injuries but those at the main building at the time of the incident were not that lucky.

Though plastered, residents explained that the house was built over 60 years

ago. They added that it was sold to a new owner about two years ago, who gave the occupants quit notice to pave way for renovation but that the tenants ignored the quit notice.

One of the volunteer rescuers recalled that they could not use a digger or axe to cut through the roof that fell on the victims to avoid hurting the victims. “We used our bare hands and spade to clear the rubble off the victims. It was tough,” he said.

Senate mourns Gombe Deputy Governor

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RESIDENT of the Senate, David Mark, yesterday described the death of the Deputy Governor of Gombe State , David Miyims Albashi, as a “very painful loss.”

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, Mark lamented that late Albashi died when his

services were most needed.

The Deputy Governor died in a German Hospital following injuries sustained from a ghastly motor accident.

Senator Mark described the late Deputy Governor as an amiable, easy going and patriotic public servant, who gave his best to the services of society and humanity.

...Tambuwal too

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HE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal has sent a message of condolence to the Government and people of Gombe State over the demise of the state’s Deputy Governor Mr David Niyim Albashi who died in Germany.

The Speaker described the late Deputy Governor as

•Passangers travelling for the Sallah celebration in Oshodi at the weekend

PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA

Pakistan indicts 2 more in Bhutto’s assassination

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W O p o l i c e officers were indicted yesterday in the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and will face trial along with five members of the Pakistani Taliban, a state prosecutor said.

The policemen were charged with failing to provide Bhutto with proper security and with destroying evidence, said the prosecutor,Zulfikar Ali. Their indictment triggers a new trial for the Talibanmembers so that all seven defendants can be tried together, he said.

Bhutto and 23 other people were killed Dec. 27, 2007, in a gun and suicide bomb attack as she was leaving a rally in the garrison town of Rawalpindi. She was campaigning there to return her Pakistan People’s Party to power in parliamentary elections just weeks after returning to the country from years in selfimposed exile.

A U.N. commission said the assassination could have been prevented and blamed

all levels of government for failing to provide adequate security. It also accused intelligence agencies and other officials of severely hampering the investigation into those behind her murder.

The two police officers are accused of ordering the crime scene to be hosed down within minutes in what investigators believe was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence, the prosecutor said.

A judge read out the charges against all seven defendants during a closeddoor hearing at a prison in Rawalpindi, he said.

The U.N. commission’s report said the Rawalpindi police’s decision to hose down the crime scene and its failure to collect and preserve evidence “inflicted irreparable damage to the investigation.”

The government of then military ruler Pervez Musharraf blamed Bhutto’s death on Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani militant commander with reported links to al-Qaida who has since been killed.

But Bhutto’s party has

repeatedly hinted that Musharraf or his allies were involved.

Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party won the most seats in elections in February 2008 weeks after her killing. Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto’s husband, won the presidency months later after forcing Musharraf to quit the post.

The U.N. commission’s report said Musharraf’s government, though fully aware and tracking threats against Bhutto, did little more than pass them on to her and to provincial authorities and did not take action to neutralize them or ensure “that the security provided was commensurate with the threats.”

The commission urged Pakistani authorities to carry out a “serious, credible” criminal investigation.

Pakistan later set up an investigation team of various law enforcement agencies that told the court there was evidence of Musharraf’s involvement.

The court summoned Musharraf — who has lived in Dubai and London since leaving office — though he never appeared, resulting in him being declared a fugitive.

The Pakistani Taliban have declared a war on the state and often target Pakistani troops, government officials and minorities.

A suicide bomber heading toward a Shiite mosque was killed Saturday when his bomb detonated prematurely in southwestern Pakistan, said Hamid Shakeel, deputy inspector general in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, where the blast took place.

Also yesterday, militants attacked a Pakistani army convoy in the South Waziristan tribal region along Afghan border, killing three soldiers and wounding five more, said two intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.

LAGOS PH

humble, reliable and loyal to the governor in charting a new course for the development of Gombe state.

“I wish to on behalf of the House of Representatives condole with Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, the Government and People of Gombe State as well as the family of the deceased over this great loss”.

Old people advise leaders

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HE National Old People Association has called on leaders in various positions in the country to use their wealth to better the lives of people around them.

In a press statement signed by its Chairman, Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin, the group called on government officials, traditional and

religious leaders to always give back to the society as a way of the developing the people around them and contributing to national development.

The group also called on the on the federal and state governments to invest in the agriculture sector as a way to engaging unemployed youths in various parts of the country.

Have Your Say What is your view about the plan to bring back toll gates to Federal roads?

— Send SMS with full name and location before Wednesday to 08074473182 Responses to previous week’s question are on pages 52

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

News EID-EL-KABIR

Tinubu sues for peace at Sallah Kaduna governor urges sacrifice •Advocates compassionate policies T T From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

HE National Leader of the Action Congress of Ni geria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians should use the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir, the Moslem festival, to pray for the peace and security of the country.

In a goodwill Sallah message yesterday, he cautioned that since peace cannot thrive on injustice, Nigerians, particularly those in government, should strive for justice in everything they do. According to him, “Nigeria needs peace. It is the first condition of security and prosperity. I therefore call on Nigerians to pray for our country. We

should use this occasion of Eidel-Kabir to pray to God to bring lasting peace to our country.”

Asiwaju Tinubu who is also former governor of Lagos State, decried the recent bombings in Maiduguri and Damaturu and regrets the loss of innocent lives and destruction of property. He added, “I call for a ceasefire.

Bombing can’t be the solution. I call on them to embrace dialogue towards achieving lasting peace, stability and prosperity.”

He called on the government to promote justice through strict adherence to the rule of

law, and reminded all angry citizens that Allah is the only judge and the only one who can lead us on the path of justice and righteousness.

The ACN National Leader called for equity, fairness and justice in Nigerians’ dealings with themselves but particularly urged governments across the board to rededicate themselves to these universal pillars, adding that it is through these principles that true peace can come to the land.

He congratulated Moslems for yet another successful Eid-

•Crowd of passengers at Iddo Terminus of the Nigerian Railway Corporation waiting to board the ‘Ileya Special’ train service from Iddo to Ilorin during the Eid-el-Kabir. The train services resumed after a three year lull.

PHOTO: JOE AGBRO Jr.

el-Kabir and equally congratulated Christians celebrating with their Moslem compatriots, stressing such tolerance should promote religious harmony in a multi-religious country like Nigeria, where every creed and faith should unite to put the country first.

Tinubu urged both faiths to note the symbolism of faith, love and compassion that were at the root of the Eid-el-Kabir, saying “If Prophet Ibrahim did not have absolute faith in Allah, he would not have obeyed His divine injunction to sacrifice his only son. But Almighty Allah too rewarded Ibrahim’s faith with love and compassion, hence the offer of the ram, the prime symbol of Eid-el-Kabir celebrations all over the world.”

He called on Nigerians to learn from the story of Eid-elKabir and make love and compassion their cornerstone, while having absolute faith in their country and its development.

Finally, he called on government to “critically evaluate the level of poverty, frustration and hopelessness that pervades the country and act to develop pragmatic compassionate policies and programmes, that will alleviate the sufferings of the people, knowing that the people are the only reason they are in government. A government that insists on implementing anti-people policies is only courting socio-political unrest.

We must fight poverty and want and put a smile on the faces of our people.”

Ajimobi, senators, Oyo monarchs preach peace, tolerance

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YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi and other leaders in the state have admonished Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of togetherness and peaceful co-existence which will enhance growth and development of the country.

The governor, in his message to Moslems on the occasion of this year’s Eid-ElKabir festival, said that it was only in an atmosphere of peace that Nigeria can achieve the desired greatness.

Ajimobi, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, condemned the spate of violence in some parts of the country, saying it was an ill-wind that would not blow anybody any good.

Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged leaders at all levels to embrace the fear of God in the discharge of public responsibilities and in task of making the lives of the ordinary people worth living.

Ajimobi in a statement by Adedayo said, “We cannot say we are brothers and sisters and still be carrying guns and machetes against one another. What do we stand to benefit by killing and maiming ourselves with ignominy?’’

•Atiku counsels fear of God From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

According to the governor, while it is not out of place for any person or group to have an axe to grind with Nigeria as a state, proper channel should be employed to settle whatever grievances instead of recourse to violence.

While congratulating Moslems, Ajimobi urged them to use the occasion of the eid-El-Kabir to pray for the peace, progress and economic emancipation of the country.

In his message by his Media Office in Abuja, the former Vice President said without practising the ethics

of their religions, leaders would not have the conscience to appreciate the untold hardship facing millions of ordinary citizens.

According to him, leaders must carry religion beyond symbolism and external ostentation adding that without the fear of God, justice and equity to the people would mean nothing in the hearts of leaders.

Put Nigeria first: Mark, Ekweremadu urge Moslems

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RESIDENT of the Senate, David Mark has enjoined Moslems to lift up their spirits, pray for the nation and face the challenges of today with new hope and vision.

In a good will message signed by his media aide Paul Mumeh, the Senate President noted that today’s challenges should not dampen our spirit to celebrate pointing out that Nigerians have indomitable spirit and resolute to live together under one indivisible geographical entity.

He specifically implored Moslems to pray for the continued peace, unity and progress of the nation and wished Nigerians in Saudi Arabia performing the Hajj safe journey back home.

Mark said: :”I am glad to note that Nigerians from all

From Onyedi Ojoabor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

walks of life, religious or ethnic leanings are of the consensus that there are more to gain by staying together than otherwise.

It is therefore incumbent on all of us to play our parts and make Nigeria a place of pride for all citizens and foreigners alike.”

He observed that “The ugly picture of occasional outburst by some radical groups especially the violence orchestrated by the Boko Haram sect, is a challenge not just to the security operatives but to all citizens. No matter the grievances in a man’s mind, resort to violence, arms struggle or outright taking of another man’s life cannot be and has never been a solution to any problem.”

Also the Deputy Senate

President, Ike Ekweremadu has described obedience and high sense of sacrifice as indispensable virtues for the rapid development and transformation of the nation.

In his Sallah message, he said corruption, the resultant poverty as well as the rising waves of insecurity and violent crimes in the land were the sour fruits of greed, disobedience, and wilful departure from the sound religious teachings and precepts in the country.

The Deputy President of the Senate who noted that such virtues of selflessness and total submission to the will of Allah helped Ibrahim to pass Allah’s test, therefore urged the Muslim Umah and Nigerians in general to put God and the nation first in all their dealings.

HE Kaduna state governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday said that the Eid-el-Kabir celebration should be used as a period of sacrifice and a show of love for humanity rather than the current wave of violence across the land.

In their messages both Yakowa and the ACF said that Nigerians and the Muslim Ummah in particular should imbibe the spirit of sacrifice and unhinged love of God and humanity.

Yakowa in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Reuben Buhari said “as the entire Muslim Ummah, the world over celebrate Eid-el-kabir, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, Governor Yakowa felicitates with the entire people of Kaduna State.

“His Excellency fervently hopes that we will allow the sacrificial spirit of the occasion to impact on our lives and transform into continuous peaceful coexistence amongst all inhabitants of Kaduna State.”

The ACF in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani lamented the resort to endless circles of revenge attacks that is becoming the order of the day in parts of Kaduna State, adding that “this is because a resort to Torah law of an eye for an eye would leave all of us blind”.

Orji calls for prayers for leaders

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From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

HE Moslem community in Abia State have been called upon to pray for the unity of the country and its leaders at all levels of government for peace to reign and the spate of bombings to stop.

The Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji made this known in Umuahia in a message he sent on the occasion of the celebration of the Eid-El Kabir, saying that peace is the foundation of any nation.

Orji said that a nation that prays for its leaders always have a focused government and urged them to pray for the constant bombing and other violent crimes to be a thing of the past in the country.

In the message which was signed by his media adviser, Bonnie Iwuoha, Orji reminded them that love, peace and unity are essential in the growth and development of the country. The governor assures Moslems that Abia State remains safe for all and promised that his government will continue to protect their interest and welfare, now, during the celebration, after and all the time.

We must all sacrifice for a better Nigeria, says Aregbesola OSUN State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has charged all Nigerians to live together as brothers with mutual benefit of peace, harmony, and stability. He reminded them of the need for sacrifice by all towards building a better society.

The governor said love and unity should not be limited to periods of festivities alone; saying it should be part of people’s lives. In a goodwill message by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor said, “Love and unity should not be limited to the time of Eid-elKabir; it should be part of our lives. In a country like Nigeria where the tendency is to emphasise our multiplicity in destructive direction, peace, love and unity should be the moderating factor.

To indigenes of the state currently performing the hajj in Saudi Arabia, Aregebsola charged them to pray for the state adding that prayers of the people of the state had set the state free from almost eight years of bondage.

He noted that Eid-el-Kabir which is also known as a festival of sacrifice, commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his only son as an act of obedience to God, which is also recorded in the Bible, an act which he admonishes all to emulate while co-habiting with one another.

The governor said the demand of sacrifice increases daily in the country, especially the demand for exemplary and qualitative leadership.

The governor called on citizens to use the occasion of the celebration of the festival of sacrifice to pray for the continued existence of the country.

Makinde congratulates Moslems

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HE Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde, has charged Moslems to reflect on the realities of their religious discipline.

On the occasion of the celebration of Sallah, the Prelate of the Methodist Church asked the country’s leaders to rule with the fear of God, with a view to passionately cushioning the problems of all, especially the teeming masses who he asserted are the creation of God. He enjoined them to be their brothers keepers at all times and to meaningfully create a very conducive environment that will promote effectively, such peaceful co-existence, the society and the nation will be happily proud of at all times.

He said, “Since Isaac unequivocally obeyed the dictates of his Father, Abraham, which has now translated to the present EID-ELKABIR. Today, it therefore behoves on us all to be very law abiding, as well as to positively serve at all times, exemplarily, as front burners against crimes and other vices, that might tend to destroy the fabrics of a disciplined society and nation called Nigeria.”

The Prelate reiterated on the need for any warring section of the community, to sheathe the sword, embrace continued meaningful dialogue for peaceful co-existence among all, with a view to building such a very virile society and nation, they can always be very proud of at all times.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

COMMENT and ANALYSIS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

How to ruin an economy Friendship is put to test both by unexpected wealth and unexpected poverty

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UROPE slumps into a cauldron of its own making. Once hailed as a historic achievement, the European Monetary Union (EMU) has been revealed as the flawed structure it is. By its very composition, the eurozone amplifies the dominant economic trend. Good times turn very good. Bad times get exacerbated but no one worried about the latter aspect because no one anticipated bad times would come. But they have and an unprepared European reels from gutter to ditch, its economic infirmity compounded by the piecemeal interventions of its political leaders.

Every hundred years, Europe enters a tryst with calamity. During the early decades of the past two centuries, Europe engulfed itself in crises. The Napoleonic wars pocked early 19th century Europe. In the 20th century, Europe marched mindlessly into world war. Blinded by dumb jingoism and outmoded military theories bearing no connection with actual military science and technology, Europeans thought the war would be brief and heroic. Instead it was squalid and long, a piercing onslaught against the heart of their civilization. This century, they are again at their best to be their worst. This time the self-infliction isn’t the fire and iron of war. It is the suffocating anxiety of debt and economic deflation.

Once more, the continent’s leaders are being propelled by archaic theories and designs inapplicable to the moment and injurious to the citizens who are their charges.

Just as we shake our heads at the folly of those who steered the continent into world war, future generations will refer back to this moment as a case study in the collective myopia of a leadership class that could not see the crisis so clearly before it.

The eurozone confronts a compound storm. The region’s real economy is tatters.

Economic growth has vacated the premises.

France and Germany, the two largest economies, are in near recessionary mode as is Spain. The Portuguese economy lags almost in depression. Italy is not far behind.

The Grecian economy stands at the door of depression. The question is not whether it will enter but how long will it stay.

While productive real economies stagger, the financial system is worse. Greece cannot pay its debts and is obviously insolvent. Italy, Portugal, Spain and others walk closely behind. Meanwhile, numerous major private banks also are insolvent and would crash if the debtor nations cannot repay what they borrowed. The European financial system is an elegant castle built on thin, inferior stilts.

European leaders, particularly German Chancellor Merkel and French President Sarkozy, have toyed with these serious problems for months. With each successive month, the problems worsened but Merkel and her Gallic sidekick stuck to their piddling course because it served the narrow purposes of comforting the creditor communities in their nations. Out of numb adherence to orthodox financial theory and due to their paramount love of banking institutions, the two leaders have failed to do what is required to save the situation.

Their dilatory manner was purposeful.

They wanted private sector creditors to bleed as much money from southern European debtor nations before providing any significant mediation between private creditors and public debtors. They miscalculated severely. That debtors and creditors occupy different seats does not mean they travel on different vessels. They travel in tandem. If a debtor is unable to pay, the creditor is left unsatisfied. By squeezing debtor nations too hard and too long, Greece was pulled underwater and the others were put on the verge of sinking. However, if debtors drown, so do creditors; many creditors borrowed the money they

• Nicolas Sarkozy

By Brian Browne

lent to Greece and others. One day you are the piper, the next day you must pay him.

The German and French tandem underestimated the complexity of their own financial structures and thus ignored the circularity of modern debt relationships.

In late October, the enormity of the threat finally dawned on them. Merkel and Sarkozy cobbled an agreement that would shave Greek debt in exchange for Greece swallowing further budgetary austerity.

The agreement called for the expansion of a monetary support fund to assist other distressed nations provided they entered into bone-cutting austerity programs and provided for the recapitalization of private banks. This was heralded as a comprehensive agreement. It was not. The only thing comprehensive about it was its lack of comprehension of the problems Europe faced.

Otherwise it had the lasting effect of an inefficient trick by amateur magicians during the first round of a local talent contest.

At first news of the agreement, financial markets around the world rejoiced. By the next day when serious people had time to read the fine print, they discovered there was nothing fine in the print. It was all mud. Markets fell, the downward momentum being stronger after the purported corrective agreement than before it. The transient euphoria affirmed a longstanding contention: Falling from a great height affords the opportunity to entertain at least one pleasant thought before the harsh encounter with the ground below.

The short-term solution to averting severe financial dislocation is obvious but key leaders select to ignore the answer be-

cause it waylays the economic myths they hold dear. The most direct way to defuse the immediate crisis is for the European Central Bank to backstop debtor nations by lending them enough to satisfy their immediate debts to private creditors. This way, the creditors are made whole while debtor nations are not mowed under by severe austerity programs that threaten to implant them in chronic deflation. This would give the nations breathing space to get their fiscal house in order without imposition of austere budget cuts that savage their economies. The ECB can play this role because only the ECB has the legal authority to issue euros at its discretion. This tact would not be anymore inflationary than if debtor nations somehow had the funds to make good their debts. However, rich people and nations enjoy deflation because it makes them and their money masters over the poor instead of relegating money to being merely a tool at the equitable service of all.

Merkel, Sarkozy and their henchmen in the EU bureaucracy veto this soluble use of the ECB’s monetary capacity because it would trash the economic model they seek to preserve. Consequently, they profess that imposing austerity on the southern nations will engender economic growth. This is akin to telling someone to jump into the ocean yet avoid the salty water. It is IMF economic lore and it is a fool’s lark. Rather than change their minds to accord with factual reality, these leaders would rather fall on their swords and even force Greece, Italy and others to fall well before them.

They would rather die by keeping the free market faith than live according to a new and better understanding of economics.

They remain ardent market fundamentalists although the market has long betrayed them. They plunge into oblivion pulling the continent with them.

Yet, a funny thing happened on the road to the Grecian poorhouse. PM Papandreou got cold feet. Knowing the budget-shearing provisions of the deal with Merkel and Sarkozy would consign Greece to a decade of steep recession, he dared not impose this on the people himself.

He feared their present reaction and how the nation’s historians would cast his name in the future. Greece approaches civil disorder and social revolt. Severe budget reductions contemplated by the agreement casts a match to a ready fuse.

Papandreou did not want to be known as the man who ignited the incendiary.

In an act of inspired cowardice, he called for a referendum on the deal. Seeking to avoid personal responsibility, he tossed the matter to the masses. However, he had already betrayed the people.

A pliant subordinate to Merkel and Sarkozy throughout the months of talks, Papandreou wasted time and squandered whatever leverage Greece had by allowing negotiations to go so long and so far down the road of economic depression through budget cuts more severe than those imposed on a vanquished belligerent at the end of war.

Continued on page 71

“Spending so much time repeatedly lancing the Grecian boil, they allowed Italy and other nations to weaken to where danger is now acute. Also the rough treatment handed to Greece will become the modus operandi for eurozone private creditors. Bullying Greece has little downside. The same tactics might backfire in other countries, sparking social unrest and falling parliaments”

Lekan Otufodunrin lotufodunrin@yahoo.com 08050498530 (SMS only)

Okada menace

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OR sometime, I have been contemplating writing on commercial motorcycle operators popularly known as Okada drivers. My hesitance has been that I don’t want to be misunderstood.

Yes, I hardly ride Okada, but I know how precious it is for many for whom it is almost their only means of transportation.

But for Okada operators, it is difficult to imagine how many Nigerians would have coped with moving around. Many places are simply not accessible by vehicles and even when they are, there are not enough commercial vehicles plying the routes.

The usual traffic jam on most of our roads has also made it expedient for many to rely on Okada as a faster way of commuting. Even though Okada operators charge more expensive fares, many still prefer to patronise them to avoid spending hours in traffic.

However with the increasing number of Okadas on our roads, one cannot but be worried about the manner of their operations. If successive governments in the country had developed our transportation system, there would probably not have been need for many Okadas as we have on our roads.

Their operations used to be restricted to neighbourhood roads, but nowadays they are everywhere, from the remotest parts of every state to major highways. It is not unusual these days for them to operate on expressways at the risk of their lives and passengers’ lives.

While some states have banned them on some major roads, the Lagos State government has for whatever reason had to back down on its plan to regulate their operations on some major highways.

Much as Okadas have helped greatly as means of transportation, they have gradually become a nuisance on our roads. My particular worry about their operations is their disregard for traffic regulations. While motorists have to comply with traffic regulations, Okada operators ride dangerously as if they are above the law. They drive recklessly against traffic and most times don’t obey traffic lights.

This explains why they are usually involved in avoidable accidents which have left many innocent passengers either maimed or dead. For motor drivers, Okada operators have become terrors and fearing them is sometimes the beginning of wisdom for anyone who does not have precious time to waste arguing over who has the right of way.

What is obvious is that some of the operators who take to the business for survival are not properly trained. Men of the Federal Road Safety Commission and other security agencies have not helped in this matter as they prefer to extort money from the operators instead of ensuring that they comply with safety regulations.

It’s a shame that we now have to cope with the large colony of Okada operators nationwide. While they may be here to stay, we have to insist on minimal safety standards from the operators who have become a law to themselves.

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

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Comment & Analysis

HEN our federal legislators busied themselves last month with same sex marriage debate, something told me there were worse days ahead for Nigerians who reportedly voted them into office.

When the distinguished lawmakers, as they often refer to themselves, started talking about bringing back Nigerian prisoners in overseas jails to serve their sentences at home, I knew our purported representatives were bent on breaking our hearts afresh.

But in fact, this assault on our hearts started quite early. By the late 90s it was clear that Nigerians had had enough of the military.

We longed for civilian rule presided over by democrats. We craved for people who would listen when we talked, not those who demanded that we listen when they talked, even if they were not making sense. We wanted to reclaim our humanity. We needed leaders who naturally understood our pains and yearnings and were ready to soothe and address them.

We so badly yearned for a new era that we almost did not notice when all manner of people crept into the new government. Civilians who cared little for their people found themselves in power. Retired military officers with scant interest in civil procedure also became leaders in a democracy. Integrity was often in short supply.

Such was the state of affairs as this new democratic setting took off in 1999.

Soon it became clear that the National Assembly becoming a big problem. Scan-

Our lawmakers need help The debate over same sex marriage and returning Nigerians jailed abroad is sheer waste of time dals were erupting with the ferocity of an active volcano, and at a dizzying frequency. If leaders of the legislature were not upstaged by the very forces that threw them up, they were consumed by one scandal after another. Tales of bribery were woven around our honourable lawmakers. Hefty Ghana-Must-Go bags were moved around on their hallowed floor.

Fights broke out now and then, and the revered lawmakers showed their combat skills. They fought over pay and the comforts of life and office. And if their fists would not serve well in such brawls, any furniture within reach made up the difference. It was a heartbreaking sight at that height.

Perhaps only the killing of the infamous third term agenda under Ken Nnamani’s leadership served to cover some of the heartbreaking scandals in the federal House. Now the evil days seem to be returning in the revered chambers, with very disturbing developments. One of such developments is the debate over same sex marriage. The other development is the

question of returning Nigerians serving time in overseas prisons. And they are all the more distressing because both are coming up at a time a number of progressives have been added to the federal legislative community, leading many of us to hope that the business of making laws would now be robust, focused and profound.

But what do we get? Our esteemed lawmakers tabled homosexual and lesbian unions before the House. They wanted to determine the propriety or otherwise of making a law that would allow people of the same sex to marry.

Thank Goodness, commonsense prevailed, and the matter was stood down.

But my worry is that such an issue came at all for consideration, and that our knowledgeable men and women in the National Assembly saw it worth debating.

What has come upon the land? No one denies that men sleep with their kind for a number of unwholesome reasons, as do women, but to consider giving such an abnormality legislative approval is just as

“What has come upon the land? No one denies that men sleep with their kind for a number of unwholesome reasons, as do women, but to consider giving such an abnormality legislative approval is just as unwholesome as the very act itself”

unwholesome as the very act itself. Same sex marriage is a non-issue here.

Overseas, yes because of the baggage and wrongness of their political correctness and freedoms. Nature prohibits same sex union. Our traditions abhor it. Our lawmaking House should knock it out as soon as it proceeds from the mouth of any member.

The issue should be dismissed outright not just because of its moral repugnance or assault on traditions but also because it amounts to a huge waste of precious legislative time. Have our lawmakers nothing more to do with their time? Have they run out of debating topics? Don’t they have any serious issues to tackle that will help the suffering people of this country?

Now consider too that our people in Abuja also debated whether or not to make a law to bring our prisoners in foreign lands back home. This matter is just as laughable and saddening as the same sex issue.

Britain in whose jails thousands of Nigerians are kept has every reason to seek their expulsion. What reason do we have to seek their return? Is it love and care for our own? If Nigeria loved and cared for them, they would never have fled to break foreign laws. They did not leave Nigeria because they hated their homeland any more than they loved their host nation. They fled by hook or crook to seek comforts by hook or crook. Also most of them will prefer to rot in foreign jails rather than return to the death chambers called prisons at home.

If our lawmakers have nothing to do with their time, or have run out of ideas, they should come out to seek help in the streets. The first person they encounter will offer them enough suggestions to last them beyond 2015.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Comment & Analysis

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Today’s Eld-el-Kabir The festival should awaken us to the act of sacrifice and love that inspired it

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USLIMS in all continents of the world would today celebrate Eld-El-Kabir.

The festival is the most important celebrated in the Islamic Calendar. Usually, it falls on the 10th Dhul-Hyjah coinciding also with the climbing of Mount Arafat during the yearly holy pilgrimage to Mecca. The feast of sacrifice is unique for its spiritual connotation and the divine commandment underlying it.

Annually, Muslims observe this age long ritual as a mark of absolute faith in almighty Allah and exemplified through slaughtering of animals including cow, ram, goat and even camel. The feast is celebrated in commemoration of Abraham’s sacrifice of his only son in total obedience of his pledge to Allah.

The almighty was satisfied and convinced with Abraham’s unalloyed faith in Him before sending Angel Jibril at the nick of time to provide him a white ram that was slaughtered as replacement of his son, Ismael. With this act, Allah had foreclosed the use of human being for any sacrifice, considered to be barbaric in the spiritual and physical realms.

Abraham’s admirable volition to sacrifice his then only son even at an old age with little hope of having another remained the profundity and enormous scale of his faithful act. In Islam, submission to Allah is unqualified as typified by Abraham who did not compromise his faith during the several decades of his childlessness.

Today is the commemoration of that day when Allah tested Abraham’s faith in Him and it remains so dear to true Muslims in all parts

N

IGERIAN roads are collapsing. In fact, they have collapsed completely. These roads are getting more dangerous to ply. The fact that a country like Nigeria cannot construct and maintain good and motorable roads is scandalous. The problem of bad roads has been there for long and nothing has been done about it.

What beats my imagination is that most of the roads in question are federal roads. These roads are most used and lest cared for. The former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief

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

as a sacrifice to him before Allah stopped him and provided a white ram in his stead.

We believe that, apart from fulfilling our spiritual obligations, in anticipation of such blessings, the people and the government should also be prepared to make inevitable sacrifices for the well being of the country, during this occasion and beyond.

The country is still bugged down by mass insecurity arising from Boko Haram unscrupulous activities that is yet to be fully resolved. Lives and property are being wantonly destroyed, all in the name of politics/religion.

The issue of fuel subsidy removal that can further impoverish Nigerians is inflaming the polity while the government remains recalcitrant. These are all consequences of official hypocrisy which Islam absolutely abhors in the running of domestic and public affairs in any society. The people are suffering since over half of the nation’s population of over 140 million live below the poverty line: Governmental actions at the centre are still very slow and unsteady.

Why should all these be taking place if we are all truthful to our pledge in the spirit of what Abraham did to almighty Allah? It is hoped that those engaging in acts inimical of the nation’s corporate progress will disengage forthwith in the spirit of sallah.

We seize today’s occasion of Eid-el-Kabir to call on all Muslims and non-Muslims to reflect on the tests of Abraham and also emulate his good virtues so as to ensure the growth of our society and that of the entire world.

LETTERS

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O V E R N O R Chibuike Amaechiled government of Rivers State has continued to plead with residents to exercise patience with his government. The government continues to beg and plead for human patience to augment its governance’s incapacitation. The government hardly empowers its indigenes, let alone a bloody non-indigene. But it is surprising that during elections, we are all incorporated as indigenes.

There is no ruling out the fact that Amaechi has initiated massive road constructions and rehabilitation projects in Rivers State,

of the world. They will eat and merry with friends and well wishers.

However, this is just a part of the significance of Eld-El-Kabir. Another important aspect of this great feast is our living together as siblings with mutual benefits of harmony, peace and stability for the individual and corporate interest of the nation.

Islam embraces development, growth and progress. Islam spreads the gospel of love; it teaches peace; it preaches tolerance. So does Christianity.

The unalloyed display of unity and love with no religious limitation or inhibition, witnessed today, should go beyond the moment.

Such fraternity should not be for the festive season alone; it should be for all times so that our nation could grow from strength to strength. Also, on a broader scale, the faith fosters harmony, irrespective of race or colour of the skin.

Father Abraham is a recipient of immense blessing today because in obedience to Allah’s commandment, he obliged to use his only son

Amaechi and Rivers State yet the whole city has clamped down. You might not read this on the newspapers. Tune to your radio and be sorry with the cry of the people, asking; “Is this ‘the change we can see’?” I am not cynical and will not fail to admit that Amaechi is doing something. At least, each of the schools that would accommodate about 1,000 students cost the state government about

N4.5bn. You understand what I mean?The problem is that Amaechi is battling with cultural, politics and developmental flaws in his government. He needs to be pitied and needs to be praised for leading Rivers State to the condition of inertia, at least, for whomever that will succeed him to know that governance is not a newspaper work but a practical thing. Amaechi

is just realizing it that he was supposed to owe power to the people, but unfortunately this mentality he lacked brewed cold political wars in the state, been carried over to an era where he nearly became only a governor in name.

His praise singers didn’t advise him better. And I found it nauseating when the praise singers went nuts simply because they

wanted to please him and make money. Some of us who criticize the government, our names are in the government’s ‘Black Book’, but not our critiques, as some of our suggestions are been used by the government without any payment, and I am not worried or interested about payment; let’s leave it that public opinion is part of government. But on a different note, people should be acknowledged if they do the right thing. For example, you see newspapers com-

The roads: Who is in charge?

Emeka Anyaoku, once described Nigerian roads as “worse than those in a war devastated Iraq and Afghanistan.”

There is a high level of poor maintenance of these roads. This has led to the roads having potholes, or what someone has cheekily referred to as crater holes, usually leading to ghastly road accidents resulting in loss of lives and properties.

The irony is that though so much has been spent offi-

cially on the roads yet the condition gets worse in many places.

The Senate adhoc committee recently said that over 80% of federal roads in the country have collapsed; 27,200 out of 34,000 km federal road network is out of use.

The deplorable state of Nigerian roads has contributed greatly to traffic problems in the country. For instance, the issue of traffic in Lagos State; the bad state of

Lagos- Ibadan express road, Shagamu- Ore- Benin express road and Abuja- KanoMaiduguri express road which are the three major federal roads in the country have contributed immensely to traffic problems in these areas.

Bad roads have led to robbery attacks most of the time on these federal roads and travellers and other road users end up losing their lives and properties.

For the state of Nigerian

roads to become good and motorable, the federal allocations on maintenance and construction must be judiciously spent and the state and local governments must perform their own responsibilities in making the roads motorable. If these are done, the conditions of Nigerian roads would improve immensely.

By Abu Esther University of Nigeria, Nsukka

panies in Nigeria giving both merited and unmerited awards to the ‘distinguished’ persons in the society without awarding same to the opinion writers whose elbows have greased government policies and make the editors smile to the bank. I, for one, have seen no exceptional performance that should attract outlandish praise to Amaechi. It is the critics of his government that deserve the praise.

How many projects has this government initiated?

It is a known fact that most of the projects the government is executing were projects that were initiated by the previous administration, but the news we hear today make us feel they were Amaechi’s brainchild, when he came into office.

We continue to suffer in Rivers State because this government has only succeeded in personalizing and glorifying individuals, but not lasting institutions.

This is the problem! Given the revenue flowing into the state coffers, you can see that when the government boasts about achieving development, you only but laugh that it is at the lowest ebb of development.

By Odimegwu Onwumere

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Comment & Analysis

Mini-states in mangled federation (1) Ropo Sekoni ropo.sekoni @thenationonlineng.net

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UTURE studies, the discipline that is involved in rigorous analytics with a view to predict the future of things was already in existence by the time succession of military dictators created Nigeria’s states from the four regions in existence in 1966. But this discipline was not available in Nigerian universities. Even if it were, there is no evidence that the military rulers who came to power to redesign Nigeria in the interest of their godfathers or sponsors would have countenanced any group trying to predict the future of the policies and decrees created by soldiers in power. It now appears that the chicken has come home to roost.

Using existing data to predict what could happen has found a home in the nation’s political discussion.

Senator Adetunbi’s recent revelations on the floor of Senate that most of the nation’s states are prone to bankruptcy or insolvency would not have surprised futurists if they were available in the Nigeria of military dictatorship. The results of Nigeria Governors’ Forum cited by Senator Adetunbi should not even amaze ordinary students of public

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

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OR the average Yoruba man or woman, you can only write about the Tribune, in its present circumstances, with consummate dexterity, analogous as it now is to the apocryphal tsetse fly that perches on the scrotum. You write critically, as it amply demands, you are easily pigeon-holed as being disrespectful to, unarguably, the most respected family in the land. You gloss over its irreverent, money-driven verbiage which the South-West PDP money spinning years made worse , and you find yourself, heedlessly, lining behind the likes of its Chairman, Reverend Adesua.

Listen to Adesua at a recent Annual General Meeting: ‘The truth on which the company was founded, coupled with the progressive virtues of its workers earned the company an enviable position in the newspaper industry in the country and the world at large’ (Italics mine. )He then went on to berate the evil wish of some politicians on the company, saying: “Some politicians want Tribune dead.

This will never be possible, because the ANN is founded on the truth which we uphold and will always uphold.

We are not politicians, but we will always be ready to support the truth, irrespective of party affiliation. Other papers will come and go, but the African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc., publishers of the Tribune titles, will remain.”

About the only truth in that long quote is that the newspaper was founded on truth by the one and only Chief Obafemi Awolowo but Rev Adesua will now have to tell to the marines, his confabulations about the

affairs today. What should astound citizens is the solution being proffered for the problem of a basket of unviable states in a nation that depends largely on exportation of non-renewable fossil energy. The solution being offered today is similar in imagination to the one that led to creation of 36 states: throwing available but unsustainable funds at problems or creating solutions and finding problems for them later.

States are, justifiably, asking for more allocations from the federation account. It is the states that are close to the people and are in a better position than the federal government to embark on pro-growth and development projects. It is also state governors that receive directly the effects of citizens’ frustration from lack of social services and employment. With allocation of over 70% of federal government’s budget to recurrent items, the chances that states can do any better than they are doing at present are slim, unless the basis of revenue allocation is reviewed in favour of the states.

But giving more money to the states, though very necessary, is not a long-term solution to the problem of a profusion of mini states.

Even if the trustees of the federal government agree (an uphill task) to bring down its own share of national resources to 42% from 52%, the solution to financial weakness in most of the states of the federation would not have been solved.

It is important for all involved to note that the trustees of the federal

States in Nigeria are mere centres of administrations government are as much about power as their counterparts in the states. For them to release more than 10% of what accrues to the federal government is to commit political suicide. What is needed for long-term solution is to re-conceptualise and restructure the country’s federal system.

The legacy handed over to civilians in 1999 by the military is not sustainable. The states are too many and too fragmented to be able to generate substantial internal revenue of their own. It is instructive that in the days of just four regions (four states, if you will), none of the states was insolvent, even when only 50% of revenue from oil accrued to the federation account. To expect that the inability of states to function (like their counterparts in other federal systems) as centers of growth and development will be over if more money is released to states from the federation account is to look at the small picture and to take a shortterm view of the solution.

It is the philosophy of basing creation of states on the manna from oil and gas that needs to be looked at critically by both federal and state governments. Several communities are clamouring for states and they are likely to continue to do so, even if they are confronted with the nuances of the research by Nigeria Governors’ Forum. The imagination that easy money from oil and gas should

serve as rationale for creation of states is also at work in the demand by governors for more funds from the federation account: that more money will automatically stop insolvency.

At present, most of the states, apart from Lagos and those that receive special allocations for being oil producers, are basically centers of administration, rather than of growth and development. Most states cannot provide potable water for their citizens; they cannot provide safe roads; they cannot promote healthful living for their citizens; they cannot create jobs for their youths; they dare not for lack of resources challenge federal monopoly of ineffectual security of life and limb; they cannot provide functional education for their youths and functional literacy for their teeming illiterate adults; they cannot provide support for non-state agencies interested in providing food security; etc. If all of these activities were to be added (as they should) to the menu of programmes that states should provide, the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency would have quintupled, even if trustees of federal power release 10% of what they currently hold to the states.

While it may serve the purpose of not further demoralizing an already demoralized citizenry, the claims by any state that it is not bankrupt or insolvent must not be used beyond that purpose. The financial problem of most of the

The pitiable Tribune Tribune has derailed from the vision of its founding father Tribune being guided by anything resembling truth.

The Tribune, now so far away from the days of an Alhaji LK Jakande, fire-spitting and chain-smoking Ayo Ojewumi and all those other distinguished names that have edited the paper, who were driven by Awo’s unquenchable thirst for truth, has now regressed beyond description that it would publish just any rumour dressed up as news, wish the most virulent illness on its supposed political enemies or those opposed to any of those who still keep it on the newsstands. And that is if it is not deploying one of the many rogue NGO’s on its list to run out-rightly ludicrous, and absolutely libelous adverts for dirty money. I should know.

Working in tandem with its cousin –in -chicanery, the Compass, in the heady days of our ‘Ekiti’s Long Walk To Freedom’ from these local predators and mini - gods, they both ran full page adverts on small me, intent thereby, on suborning the federal government to harass me. But those were the days of about the only Inspector-General of Police who in the last decade, left office with his head held high. He simply refused to be misled or unfazed.

I digress.

The Tribune has perfected three of the meanest tools any newspaper could ever elect to operate with.

The first is: whenever any antiYoruba plan was, or is being planned by the federal government, or any of its agencies, and this probably started in the Obasanjo years, it was first bounced off the Tribune. An example will suffice.

A few days to the judgment of the Ekiti Election Tribunal chaired by Hon. Justice Bwala, an article was

posted on the ekitipanupo web portal by a young operative of the Oni government, culled as usual, from the TRIBUNE. A few of us quickly got wise to what was afoot. Every ground on which the Fayemi case rested had been imaginatively destroyed, far beyond all reason and the provisions of both our constitution and the extant Electoral Laws. The idea was to make the tribunal decision sit well with our people when the baloney finally gets into the public space. Of course, we shouted blue murder, but that was not enough to stop them until the good Lord came to use the Appeal court on which sat one of Nigeria’s most distinguished judges.

That was the precursor to their second tool: that of outright lies.

Space constraint will not permit a rehash of the invidious role to which the Tribune lent itself in the whole Justice Ayo Salami Vs Katsina -Alu saga. Apart from the usual serpentine Northern influence on a whole lot of issues passing muster as governance under the Jonathan administration, the cheer-leading role played by the Tribune in that totally asinine matter surely gave the President all the courage he needed to act in a manner that would cause Akin Oyebode, a Professor of Jurisprudence, to write as follows on the President’s post-haste approval of a totally un-called for NJC recommendation calling for the suspension of the one and only nemesis of Nigerian poll riggers: ‘With that decision, President Jonathan has effectively pulled off his mask of an objective, non-partisan statesman and thrown his hat into the ring. How far he is going to go in this harebrained gambit remains in the womb of time.’

Anybody interested in confirming the validity, or no, of the pathetic

role of the Tribune in that shameless episode should take time out to Google the long running Tribune coverage of that odious case. But a quick check will show that in the two cases involving the NJC, Katsina – Alu and Justice Salami and the Katsina-Alu Vs Salami one, only the online Sahara reporters came anywhere near their masters’ voice. And whilst the former wrote from the point of truth, puncturing with ease, every lie of the Tribune and its sponsors, the newspaper, in screaming banner headlines, joyfully played the errand boy of those who would rather see justice stood on the head.

The final Tribune instrument is blackmail, sheer, outright blackmail of innocent souls.

What name has it not called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the man who has done for the Yoruba race, exploits which its current sponsors and minders, e.g. those rogue South-west PDP governors of yore cannot by any means achieve were they to have nine lives. Also because Tinubu refused to be eternally beholden to those who ‘claim they made him governor,’ in spite of his monumental and yeoman’s contributions to the democratic cause both here and abroad, the Tribune feels it is duty bound to fight that proxy war, regardless of the fact that many of those , no doubt redoubtable Yoruba elders, have a thing or two to personally thank the former governor for.

As part of its blackmail which is actually intended to turn South-West progressive leaders to a milch-cow, seeing that its erstwhile financiers had been swept off their giddy offices, the Tribune and its cousin suddenly transmuted to fake medical doctors, routinely alleging that these leaders were

states is not primarily the fault of most governors (apart from those that have turned corruption into a vocation). Governors have inherited states that came into being, not because they were considered economically viable by their creators, but simply because they have the capacity to spend whatever money is pushed to them from revenue from oil and gas. In other words, today’s civilian governors have inherited states that were created to live on subsidy. It is not the demand of workers for a minimum wage of 18,000 naira per month that is the cause of insolvency; it is only an illustration of financial anemia of the states that have been created as administrative centres.

What is needed most is not for governors to exert themselves in trying to assure their citizens that there are no serious financial problems in the states, even though there may be no problems with current governors’ financial management.

But they have to own up to the sad reality that their purses are too anemic for the obligations that responsive and responsible governance requires of them. Governors of the country’s mini states (that all appear to be cast in stone) need to find out, in the words of Chinua Achebe, where the rain started to beat their states so that they can know how to dry the “bodies of their states” of the wetness from bureaucracy or administrative ritual that form the raison d’etre of the states.

To be continued next week. suffering from this or that disease.

Left to the Tribune, the Osun state governor would be a dead man, just as the Amazon, as we call the Ekiti state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, will be on some sick bed somewhere. Such demented mentalities! A Deputy Governor who went abroad, officially to represent the Governor suddenly got charged with being three months away from her duties.

In like manner, but in about the most ludicrous of its Lilliputian proclivities, the Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi who, in her own right had, long before her husband became governor, stood shoulder to shoulder being honoured by the United Nations with the likes of new Peace Laureate, Mrs. Ellen Sir leaf, President of Liberia, was alleged to have accompanied her husband abroad because of some miserable estacode on an official trip the governor made outside the country with nary an aide outside the absolutely necessary.

A write-up on what the Tribune has become will best be concluded with the following live story.

On Thursday, 28 July, 2011, I accompanied Dr Fayemi to the well-appointed Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where he was not only being honoured by the EKITI DEVELOPMEN NETWORK which also presented him with a well-researched BLUE PRINT FOR EKITI SOCIO- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT but was to also give a lecture on the buzz of the moment: SOUTHWEST REGIONAL INTEGRATION. Shortly before we arrived Ife, the Osun state governor, who was the event’ chairman invited the governor to Osogbo so they could take off together. It was in the process of our going to table that I noticed both governors holding a copy each of the Tribune and the Compass. I was surprised and asked what they were doing with them. Almost in unison they both asked me how they would know the latest lies in town if they don’t read them.

For me, that summed up the Tribune in its current circumstances.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Comment & Analysis

15

When petrol pumps dispense blood T

HE pump price of petrol will soon be out of reach of millions of Nigerians if the Federal Government actualises its threat to remove fuel subsidy.

The negative consequences of this are vast. And aside the fact that the fallouts are unquantifiable, they cannot be entirely captured as only a few economic experts can predict the catastrophic proportions.

It is no news that the Nigerian economy is oil-driven. Nigeria’s sole ‘benefactor’ over time has been its immeasurable oil reserve, which is not only present mainly in the Niger Delta area of the country but also in pockets of broad regions scattered across the southern axis of the country.

‘We are truly blessed!’, was the song in the mouths of Nigerians upon the discovery of the Black Gold -crude oil in Nigeria.

However, as the country continues to shift its entire weight on the proceeds from crude oil, the blessing started assuming the appearance of a curse. The country has abandoned its human and agricultural resources, and shifted attention completely to crude oil. And as a result, it has unwittingly starved its masses amidst plenty.

Yes, most people would finger corruption as the major culprit of this starvation, but they should not fail to see that overdependence on oil is also culpable. Why? Because once upon a time, Nigeria stood out amongst other nations because of her economic prowess provided by her

Postscript, Unlimited!

By

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

W

HEN Jimmy Cliff sang a song beginning with those words in the seventies, I had not heard the news; I had not even known he was in the country. Even though I could lay claim to some admiration of him, I do not think I could have made a very good cult follower, for I would soon lose sight of his tracks. I have trouble tracking my own movements, let alone someone else’s. Besides, having read in the news what one of John Lennon’s fans did to him, I had tended to regard most, if not all, fan-followers with a little bit of suspicion. Anyway, here was Cliff, heartily crooning into everyone’s ears what was done to him in Nigeria when he came to play, and here were people ‘ohhing’ and ‘ahhing’ so much that many felt like going after the government then.

In retrospect, I wish they had because, naturally, many other musicians (and many businessmen) kept off the shores of the country, setting back our development many notches.

Dear reader, I am sure you know that celebrating World Development Information day really means celebrating information about development efforts. We have little information about our development in Nigeria; for instance we are informed that Abuja businessmen and

Federal Government should re-think subsidy removal

By Damilola Owoyele

boundless wealth from crude oil sale; but that epoch is long gone, and we are currently in an age where the world’s dependence on oil means our economic fortune too has to continue to vary in reaction to the vagaries of crude oil in the international market.

Most non-OPEC countries are focusing on other means of energy other than crude oil, because of this fluctuating price. Also, the endless ’Green campaign’ for clean and renewable energy has led to the invention of electric, battery-driven and such other vehicles. These technologies are not common in Africa yet, but they are already popular in Western countries and Asia.

For decades, people had envisaged that the only blockage to the incessant flow of cash into Nigeria could only be by the de-

pletion of her oil reserves. Thus, it has come as a shock that instead of the exhaustion of her reserves, the world could rather cease to need crude oil.

In Nigeria, clinical signs of the increasing world’s independence on oil are palpable. So palpable are they that they are already causing tension in the country. Not too long ago, the Federal Government bemoaned that there would be severe budget deficit come 2012 because of falling global price of crude oil. It is also noteworthy, that the finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has complained that 70 percent of the annual national budget is used to service recurrent expenditure (one of which is for salaries of civil servants).

Therefore, in these austere times when there is a clamour for increment in the minimum wage, the government has deemed it fit to bleed the citizenry to pay such

“Come 2012, when the fuel subsidy is removed, the petrol pumps will literally dispense blood, because the present uproar that trails the announcement of the planned removal of fuel subsidy, will become fullblown strife and chaos. The current high insecurity in the country will seem like a peaceful demonstration when compared to the level of insurgency and rebellion then”

salaries. The government has decidedly taken the audacious step to consider the removal of the fuel subsidy.

What will become of the masses when this is done? Will they starve some more? Of course; they will crave for the basics of life, and their yearnings will never be met. Their woes would increase as profound poverty will plague Nigeria.

The point I am making is that the government has not acted responsibly in this matter. And the greatest farce of all is that the government has claimed that removal of the fuel subsidy will provide funds to ameliorate its adverse effect on the people.

How absurd is that? That excuse is very untenable; for it is lacking in reason and logic. The government wants to suffer the masses so as to alleviate their suffering; the government wants to burden the citizenry to unburden them. That is standing logic on its head. The authorities should be prevailed upon to heed the cries of the people because the panacea to national budget deficits does not lie in sucking the already anemic populace dry.

Come 2012, when the fuel subsidy is removed, the petrol pumps will literally dispense blood, because the present uproar that trails the announcement of the planned removal of fuel subsidy, will become full-blown strife and chaos.

The current high insecurity in the

country will seem like a peaceful demonstration when compared to the level of insurgency and rebellion then. Nigerians who had been stoic enough to bear hardships all this while will not only speak out but act out because this latest attempt to subjugate and oppress them would have reached insufferable limits.

Rather than being overbearing, the government should try to be parental to the masses. In this time of fierce global competitiveness, nations across the world have mustered strength and garnered resources to stay above water.

Against all odds (such as scarce resources) countries not endowed with the black gold have developed their human resources to produce products for foreign exchange, and hand-in-hand with that they have also created massive employment opportunities. Why can’t Nigeria emulate that?

The age of luxury when the elite can deprive the people the necessities of life so as to fill their purses and bellies is gone. The Nigerian government must assume a populist role rather than an elitist’s. It must seek to please the people first before feathering the ambition of owning strings of businesses and hotels.

Nigeria is still blessed with resources. The government must be a proper manager of her people and her resources to achieve economic stability without distressing the people.

Owoyele writes from Lagos.

Tunji Adegboyega returns next week

‘Have you heard the news …?’ women (e.g. Assemblymen and women, Civil Servants, etc.) are in the habit of spending money obscenely to the envy of the rest of us so we do not know whether we are in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd world. Obviously, our Abuja Assemblymen are in the 1st, the Civil Servants are in the 2nd, and the rest of us are in the 3rd. To be sure, those of us in the last category are expected to be happy enough to be alive.

Anyway, appreciating information about our development status begins with appreciating the power of information itself. Anytime I need to know what is going on in the remote world outside my gate (if you don’t believe that the world outside your gate is remote, try being caught in a hailstorm in traffic – you’ll know the importance of your gate), I turn on the radio or TV. That’s when I hear all the dreadful rumours confirmed: scores dead in senseless shootouts, other scores dead in other senseless shootouts, and yet more scores dead in even more senseless shootouts. Yes, that’s about the news, the announcer says. Good night. You sigh with some relief at least: the fact that you are the one listening to the news means that you are not involved in the shootout.

The other day, I made ready to go to work only to hear a voice on the radio say that there was a little traffic build-up along a route in my city. I just shook my head. What is the world coming to now, that a man (or woman) cannot make ready, go out into the road, and simply let himself or herself be surprised by little things like the horridness of Nigerians to each other, by the carelessness of some mothers who leave their six-year old toddlers to go to school on their own,

and by heavy traffic? I prefer to be allowed to go out of a morning and let the traffic surprise me so that I can have the opportunity of cursing at a build-up like any dark-brooding Nigerian: this blessed country that will not provide sufficient roads for us! I mean, does a hunter get ready to go out into the jungle to hunt and then tune on the radio to hear someone say the deer have definitely migrated east, so the hunter should direct his feet and gun that way? Don’t you think that might alert the deer?

Anyway, I certainly know the power of information. On a regular basis, I listen to a specific type of news. I very regularly listen to any friend who is willing to tell me where they have discovered the newest and latest tailor-designer.

Even though this particular type of news does not travel on any legal channel, it still moves faster than even the JFK news. There is no beating the news you are interested in.

But I’ll tell you the one that travels even faster in Nigeria; it is how little the nation is developing.

Actually, come to think of it, information about the level of our development is not too difficult to get. You find it in the information about the quality of what you eat, when you sleep and why you wake up in the morning. Just imagine how the news got to you that eating ‘wheat amala’ is good for your health. I got the news from my doctor who got it from a patient who got it from a friend who got it from a relative, and now, its national news off the record. Eating ‘wheat amala’ helps us to pretend we are eating bread and ‘amala’ at the same time, just to save money.

It is also on the news that

sleeping eight hours a day is best for the health, but how many Nigerians can sleep all eight hours when school fees have to be paid, rent to beg for and push forward, cars to buy, etc? Then they find themselves worrying if those unslept hours are not being sliced off their liver or spleen or kidney. They soon find out when they read about the life expectancy in Nigeria. Then, of course, many Nigerians wake up in the morning to solve the government’s problems by running after water, first thing, calling the mechanic to fix the car and the generator, and shutting the child up who insists she is no longer taking ‘just biscuit’ to school. How can we not have information about our development? It is all around us, sometimes in the blackout.

On the news channel of foreign countries, any time there is a power cut, due, maybe, to a natural disaster, it is on the news. However, when my little locality is thrown into a three-day blackout for no reason, no news channel ever goes ‘… The residents of X local area were thrown into …’ I think the reason is the reaction they fear they may get in some other areas. Someone might go, ‘They’ve not had light for just three days? Hey! How about our own three months? Who’s reporting that?’ And before you know it, the channel is engaged, full-time, in reporting on the power cut problem only. ‘For the fourth day running, the residents of Y local area have been without electricity …’ ‘This just in; For the tenth day running, the residents of M local area have not even had a flash of electricity …’

‘Breaking news. The people of O local area have not had electricity for one year today …’ Now, that is what

I call development information.

The power of news is such that were the TV channels to film and show the darkness the general Nigerian populace is thrown into every night, perhaps President Jonathan would take pity on us and do something about electricity. For one thing, he will not be able to see anything. And I believe that if, for instance, he cannot see the very dark footages very well to know if they contain any photo of him when he was young, he might be moved to do something. He’ll probably shout, ‘For heaven’s sakes, please give these people electricity so that I can see what they are seeing. This is not a country of the blind.’ Since that has not happened yet, our development is still a way off.

Once, I spoke to a foreign national whom I had met in my travels and asked if his country had ever had any problem with electricity, and he cried ‘Never!’ But what would you do if you did? ‘Then the whole country would troop out and stay on the streets because we would not know what to do with ourselves: water taps would dry up, train transport would halt, planes would not fly, nothing would work, walk, run or fly in the country, he said.

Development is the goal of everyone who is breathing, and it is not too difficult to appreciate. When it happens, it can easily be seen: people would take walks in parks, they would even have parks to begin with, and people can sleep with both eyes shut for more than two hours at a time. The citizens of a country that cannot work, walk, run or fly find that they cannot sleep either; that information says a lot about its development.

16

M

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Essay

Y last article, “A Tale of Two Elections in Imo”, elicited so much interest flowing which I got several calls from people who sought for one clarification or the other.

From what I could gather, the anxiety of all the various callers centered on one thing: whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was right in canceling the April 26 2011 Imo Governorship election and conducting a supplementary election on May 6, 2011. My answer to this question is a resounding “NO”.

The role of INEC under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 is simply to conduct an election, and once the polls are conducted to declare a return. The phrase making a return, or declaring a return simply means declaring a winner.

In essence, INEC has no legal authority to declare an election inconclusive and order a supplementary election. INEC may, however, declare an election inconclusive but such declaration must only be followed by a run-off and not a supplementary election.

When INEC declares an election inconclusive, it can only mean that there is a factual Stalemate in votes and spread enough that there is no clear winner.

Therefore a run-off would be needed to determine a winner. Note must be made of the deference between a run-off and a supplementary election.

A run-off is an election between the two highest vote getters, while a supplementary election is simply an election of all the candidates in parts of the electoral constituency. In an election where polling had been completed, INEC’s only remaining responsibility under the Constitution is to declare a winner, but if it cannot, based on the raw vote count and spread in terms of gubernatorial and Presidential elections, it may then declare the contest a Stalemate and order for an immediate runoff.

Most Constitutional analysts may have problems agreeing with this assertion but the following example will definitely clarify the Issues. Section 179(2) states the Constitutional requirement for the declaration of a winner in a gubernatorial election. It states: “A candidate for an election to the office of Governor of a state shall be deemed to have been elected where there being two or more candidates, a) He has the highest number of vote cast at the election and; b) He has not less than one quarter of all the votes cast in each of at least two-third of all the local government Areas in the State.”

The above quoted section 179(2) means that once polling is completed in a guber election, and no candidate meets the requirement for the declaration as a winner, INEC shall declare the election inconclusive but only a run-off election shall follow to determine a winner. This is therefore the only circumstance by which INEC can declare an election inconclusive under the Constitution.

INEC’s only duty at the completion of any election is to declare a return.

The only time under the constitution that INEC may not declare a return is when no candidate had met the Constitutional requirement to be returned. But the duty to declare a return is purely a factual one. It only involves the tabulation of the vote cast and announced at the various collation centers. INEC cannot declare an election inconclusive without a Subsequent run-off.

Another way to look at this issue involves looking at it from a factual and legal determination. INEC’s role in declaring election returns is purely a factual role. The determination of any completed election only involves a factual assessment by INEC. If INEC undertakes to cancel results in any part of an electoral Constituency before reaching an inconclusive declaration of an election, then INEC had over reached. Such determination will not stand because it amounts to INEC an executive agency engaging in making a legal decision which is tantamount to usurping the Constitutional role of an Election tribunal.

Under our electoral laws, INEC can-

Imo: Between “an election” and “an election result”

• Ohakim

By Chima Nwokedi

not cancel an election after voting has been concluded. INEC can cancel election before voting commences. INEC can even cancel an election on the day of voting but before voting is concluded.

INEC may also cancel election in some parts of the electoral Constituency on the day of the election. But in every occasion where INEC had the legal authority to cancel an election, INEC must provide cogent and variable reasons for the cancellation. However, once voting in an election is concluded and results announced at the polling centers and the various collation centers, INEC’s only remaining duty is to declare a return based on the raw votes as announced at the polling centers and the collation centers.

There is a marked distiction under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Nigerian electoral laws between the cancellation of election and the cancellation of election results. The cancellation of an election is an executive decision within the legal authority of INEC, an executive agency.

But the cancellation of election results is purely a judicial function and it is a function of the Electoral Tribunal.

Under section 26, of the electoral Act 2010, several scenario’s that could lead to the cancellation of election are detailed.. When an election is cancelled no return is expected, because no voting had taking place. When election is cancelled in parts of an electoral constituency, if a return is made by INEC, that return will immediately be suspended upon a challenge at any Federal High Court and the return will remain suspended until the issues are resolved by the court or the remaining parts of the electoral constituency participates in the voting process. (Please see the entirety of section 26 of 2010 Electoral Act).

Cancellation of election dealt with under section 26, of the Electoral Act 2010 is not necessarily pertinent to our discussion in this piece but I have tried to delve into cancellation of election because of the confession posed by cancellation of Election and cancellation of election results.

Having looked at INEC’s role or responsibilities at the completion of an election, we will now take a look at the role and responsibilities of the election tribunal. May be this will help explain the limitations on INEC’s role in election declarations.

Section 285 of the constitution of the

• Okorocha

Federal Republic of Nigeria reads: “ There shall be established for the Federation one or more election tribunal to be known as the National Assembly election Tribunal which shall to the exclusion of any court or tribunal have original jurisdiction to hear and determine petition as to whether; (a) Any person has been validly elected to the office Governor or Deputy Governor” In each elective office, the Constitution uses the same exact language to define the mandate of an election tribunal. If the Constitution did not intend the exact meaning of this language as regards the mandate of the electoral tribunal, it would not have used the same exact language on each occasion to describe the mandate of the Election Tribunal in the entire document.

The question is, what exactly is the mandate of the Election Tribunal? The Election Tribunal mandate is made subsequent upon a formal dispute filed against the declaration of INEC. Once a contestant or his political party files a petition in dispute of INEC’s declaration, the Tribunal mandate is automatically triggered. Both INEC and her declared candidate must substantiate the declaration factually and legally before the Tribunal. This is why the language ‘whether any person had been validly elected”.

In a nutshell therefore, it is only the tribunal that may establish the authentic winner of an election. There is not one single instant that the constitution uses the language “INEC declared winner or candidate”. If the intention of the constitution is for INEC to declare the valid winner in an election, it would have given INEC both the factual and legal authority to accomplish this duty.

But the constitution gave INEC only the factual authority but not the legal determination of a winner in an election. With just the Factual determination of a winner, INEC’s declaration then is a presumption reputable at a tribunal. INEC’s declare winner is reputable presumption because it is limited to factual determination of a winner. This is why the language in the section 285 which says “whether any person has been validly elected”.

If INEC’s declared winner in an election is not accorded any legal validity once challenged at the tribunal by the constitution, it then means that INEC’s declared candidate is simply a stop-gap measure designed by the constitution to prevent the creation of a vacuum in Governance. As a tempo-

rary stop-gap measure, it must be devoid of legal judgement. Cancellation of election result involves legal judgement because before election results are cancelled, there must be irregularities proven to the acceptable judicial standard in election litigation.

Applying the above analysis of the Structural Frame-work of the Constitution to the Imo Guber election case, the only question that must be determined is whether the Imo Guber election could still be declared inconclusive with the declaration of the election results of the three local governments’ cancelled by INEC? The answer is absolutely no, because if INEC could still declare the results of the April 26, 2011 Imo Guber elections inconclusive with the inclusion of the three local Governments cancelled by INEC, then PDF would not have gone to court praying for her declaration as the winner.

Furthermore, even if INEC could legally declare the election inconclusive after declaring the results of the cancelled three local governments, the next step under the constitution would be a run-off instead of a supplementary election. The constitution has absolutely no provision for a supplementary election. It is either that voting is completed and a return made or voting completed, a stalemate return declared followed by a run-off to break the tie. A supplementary election does not assume that there was a tie, but rather that voting had not been completed as a result of the cancellation of the results in some areas. This is not the intendment of the constitution with regards to the legal authority of INEC. The Electoral Act 2010, Section 26 provides a very narrow room for supplementary election. But this is only when election is cancelled in parts of the electoral constituency and not based on cancellation of election results. The only authority constituted by the constitution of the Federal Republic Nigeria 1999, which may legally cancel election results, is the election tribunal.

This is why an election tribunal can nullify an election. Nullification of election results simply means the cancellation of the election results. INEC cannot nullify election because it involves legal determination which an executive agency does not have the requisite training to do. The cancellation of the election results in Mbaitoli, Oguta and Ohaji/ Egbema, amounts to illegal nullification of results by INEC. The following practical life experi-

ence may further drive the point home with regards to the policy reasons for the structural frame-work of the Constitution in terms of declaration of election results.

On the April 16, 2011, the entire Federation went to the polls to elect a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is no longer news that the South East and the South South States of the Federation gave the president the highest percentage of votes in that election. Imagine what could have happened in Nigeria if INEC cancelled the result of these states and scheduled a supplementary election. If these states voted and gave the president the exact same amounts of votes as in the cancelled election where upon the president was then declared the winner. One could only imagine what the reaction in the North would be bearing in mind what happened after April 16 2011.

Then imagine what could have been the fate of our dear country today if CPC was ahead and the results of the South East and South South cancelled, a supplementary election conducted and the president simply on the strength of the supplementary election emerges the winner of the election. In my own limited imagination, Nigeria may be in a Civil war by now or at least a National crisis of a very high proportion where the legitimacy of the president will be called to question.

INEC cannot approbate and reprobate. INEC cannot conduct an election and determine that the result of the election is unacceptable warranting its cancellation and scheduling and conducting a supplementary election. The entire nation ought to exhaust to this argument now so as to avoid a situation in future where INEC usurps the powers reserved for the Tribunal to cancel a presidential election results and throwing the nation into turmoil. By the time all the grammer are done with at the courts, it may become too late. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.

Imo people are very peaceful people and would wait for the system to play it self out. Otherwise if INEC had done the same exact thing it did in Imo Guber elections in some states in the South West or South South, those states would be boiling by now. In the 2007 elections in Ekiti and Osun states, where INEC played similar role in the declaration of the election results as it did in IMO 2011, several lives were lost as a result.

In conclusion, supplementary elections are not recognized by the constitution. Under the structural framework of the constitution, INEC can only declare a stalemate and a run-off to break the tie and not a supplementary election. A stalemate may be declared only when no clear winner emerges in an election and to break the tie a run-off between the two highest vote getters and not the entire contestants.

Cancellation of election results is a legal decision within the jurisdiction of the judiciary and not an executive agency.

There is a legal distiction between the cancellation of election and the cancellation of election results. Cancellation of an election before it commences or before voting commences is an executive decision which INEC an executive agency is authorized to undertake but cancellation of an election results is purely a judicial matter.

INEC may cancel election in parts or in whole before results are announced at the polling stations. But in every instance INEC exercises its authority to cancel election, it must provide cogent and variable reasons for the cancellation. And only when voting is cancelled in parts of an electoral constituency can INEC declare the election inconclusive and schedule for a supplementary election in the parts that voting did not take place.

The declaration of the Imo Guber election inconclusive is therefore illegal and unconstitutional and the supplementary election by which the present Governor emerged is not recognized either by the Constitution or the Electoral Laws of Nigeria.

POLITICS

17

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Lowdown on Bayelsa power game Political intrigues in Bayelsa State over PDP’s governorship ticket in 2012 peaked over this weekend as the party’s National Working Committee stalled over Governor Timipre Sylva’s future. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, who monitored the power game reports that the intrigues has just begun

I

N the early hours of Friday, November 4, 2011, there was ominous silence outside Legacy House, Abuja; the campaign headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Considering the decisive meeting that took place in that house of power the previous night, the silence appeared more like a mockery of some sorts. In this house, on Thursday, November 3, 2011, a 10-man National Working Committee, had, after a secret meeting that lasted late in the night, decided to disqualify the governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, from participating in the next primaries ahead 2012 governorship elections.

It was the peak of an intense power play and political intrigues in Bayelsa State. Earlier in the week, the governor, in what was described as the battle of his political life, practically relocated to Abuja in order to stall all moves at denying him a re-election ticket.

It was a desperate game of survival as some reports alleged that several amounts of money exchanged hands. When it seems as if the governor was winning, some stakeholders alleged that he parted with about N500million to persuade members of the NWC. Given the final outcome, it seems some of the allegations were half truths as much more must have taken place within Thursday night, when the committee members met at Legacy House and the wee hours of Friday, when they presented their report to President Goodluck Jonathan in Aso Rock before the news of their decision became public knowledge.

But informed observers, aware of the depth of the power game in Bayelsa, hardly expected anything different. Perhaps, few analysts, who thought that Sylva may succeed after all, only based their expectation on the tenacity of the governor.

Those who have worked closely with him said Sylva could be described as a master in political maneuvering. An influential member of the Peoples Democratic Power (PDP), both at the state and federal level, his admirers consider him as one of the few politicians that truly understand the Nigerian political environment.

One of his aides, who boasted on Thursday morning that his boss cannot fail, said “he knows what is at stake at every point in time and knows how to go about it to achieve the desired ends. Besides, he has the willpower and the courage to go for whatever he needs.”

In fact, amongst his loyalists and associates, Sylva is considered to be a man that can never be beaten, as they would put it, for “he understands the game and knows how to play it.”

This well knit myth about Sylva’s invincibility in PDP appears to have been finally punctured by the proceedings and the final result of the current Bayelsa power game, which peaked this weekend in Abuja.

Sylva’s associates, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Sylva was a victim of an unfair power game. One of them told The Nation on Friday that “he performed excellently, tried his best to be a good party man and a loyal associate of the party leader, but his political rivals were obviously not appeased.”

He, like many close associates of the governor in the past, however denied, rather

•Jonathan

•Sylva

cautiously, that Mr. President was behind Sylva’s problems.

The denials notwithstanding, it is largely believed in Bayelsa and beyond that President Goodluck Jonathan had a hand in Sylva’s many troubles and final denial of participation in the forthcoming PDP primaries.

This view is strongly sustained by the common saying that the governor’s relation-

ship with the president got strained shortly after Sylva succeeded Jonathan as governor of Bayelsa and that Sylva has not done enough to rectify the impression.

Experts of Bayelsa State politics however argued that the issue goes deeper than the simple question as to whether or not Sylva has shown enough loyalty to Jonathan. It, in fact, touches on who actually controls the political power of Mr. President’s home

state?

For example, though Jonathan became governor of his state, Vice President and President of Nigeria in quick succession, critics insisted that he was yet to ascend the political throne as the undisputed political leader of his oil-rich state. It was therefore alleged that his loyalists had, since he became Vice-President, advised that he must be in firm control of the political power in Bayelsa. They have also insisted that Sylva has, since then, refused to accept the leadership of Jonathan, notwithstanding his public pretences.

Ordinarily, accepting leadership of PDP across the country and in Bayelsa State would have been taken for granted, but the personality and posture of Sylva, they alleged, had not helped matters.

A grassroots politician in Bayelsa state told The Nation that this was the roots of the coldness that is playing up today. “It is a pity that Sylva refused to listen to wise advise at the beginning of this unfortunate power game in Bayelsa,” he said, adding, “as soon as Dr. Jonathan got to the centre; first as Vice President, then Acting President and now President, nobody needed to be informed that he should immediately be accepted as our political leader. But events that happened at the onset of Sylva’s administration gave Jonathan’s associates the impression he was set to contest with the President for political leadership in Bayelsa. I do not want to judge the aptness of that decision. All I can tell you is that it was the seed that germinated and has grown to the current political intrigues,” he said.

Those who argue this way always cite February 2008 as the day the cold relationship was finally concretised. That day, Governor Sylva allegedly reversed an agreement made by PDP leaders. They claimed that the leaders, including the then Vice President Jonathan, in a meeting attended by Sylva and Ebebi his deputy then, had agreed to sustain the then PDP state executive led by Mr. Fred Agbedi.

•Continued on page 19

Why Sylva ran into trouble —Associates Correspondent, Isaac Ombe, in Yenagoa , who gauged the pulse of Bayelsans over the weekend, reports that the governor was a victim of high wire politics

W

HEN the contest for the ticket of the 2012 Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State’s governorship race peaked this weekend, some loyalists of Governor Timipre Sylva alleged that his opponents tried hard to stop him for selfish reasons and not for the sake of the state.

They alleged that those who opposed the governor’s second term bid were doing so because he refused to bow to their quest for him to share money freely.

To the chagrin of his opponents, he had insisted that Bayelsans are industrious people, who deserve to work for their money and not to receive handouts.

“Most of them, opposed to his second coming, are doing so because he refused to give them free money, because his slogan has been, work for your money, and most people don’t want to work but are eager to get free money from government.

He had said times without number that those days of free money are gone. That is the number one problem he is having in the state”, noted Chief Richard Kpodoh, a chieftain of the PDP in the state.

Kpodoh, who spoke against the seem-

ing gang-up against the governor noted that Sylva deserves second tenure to enable him conclude his good works.

“Sylva deserves second term because no past governor has done what he has put on ground in the last four years in this state. So far, he has exhibited the zeal, courage to develop the state in the face of numerous problems he encounters”, noted Kpodoh.

Another possible offence of Sylva was his relationship with some powerful public officials some of who were said to have been confronted by the governor in the past. Some of them had bad records in the past and were questioned by Sylva.

These are some of the major reasons for their opposition to his nomination for 2012" Also speaking in the same vein, Mr. Jude Tabai, a youth Leader and Currently the Special Adviser on Youths Mobilisation says they are after Sylva’s seat just for selfish reasons and not for the sake of the people.

“It’s all for selfish interest and not about the people’s interest. We know each other in the state. Bayelsa state is just like a small village .When we inter-

act, we know that every opposition has personal interest at the end of the discussion”.

According to him, most of them are in the opposition because they were not given appointment.

Flimsy excuses, he noted include “It is either he abandoned me, he doesn’t pick their phone calls, or he promised to give me appointment and he has not done it, and I have been waiting till today etc.”

He lamented that the so called elites are not looking at other sources of survival apart from government.

He therefore advised that the timing is wrong because all the other contestants are ill prepared. According to him, any one encouraging them is preparing them for the dooms day for the party.

Instead of killing PDP in Bayelsa, he advised, the contestants should come together and support continuity for peace and success.

“W e should sheild our swords and give the President peace of mind to govern Nigeria because whatever happens in the state could give him some distress,” he warned.

18

B

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Politics

AUCHI State governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, is one of the top politicians in the country who, it seems, must always be involved in one controversy or another. Currently, he is battling to save his image from likely consequences of many fresh criticisms, The Nation’s investigation has revealed.

One of such scathing criticisms was Yuguda’s statement over the death of 10 National Youth Service Corps members, who were killed in the state in the course of April 2011 presidential election and the post election crisis. He is also yet to fully survive criticisms over his comments on the dreaded Boko Haram group, who were said to have placed him on their wanted list and demanded an unconditional public apology.

The most current of these controversies is the on-going face off between members of the 6th Bauchi State House of Assembly (BAHA) whose legislative session terminated on June 9, 2011, and Bauchi State Government headed by Gov. Isa Yuguda. The 31 member Assembly has dragged the state government before Justice Ibrahim Zango of Bauchi State High Court 1. Zango is also the State Chief Judge and had presided over the eight-man Judicial Commission of Enquiry that probed the accounts of the Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu eight-year administration.

In an originating summons by Rabiu Garba Esq. of An-nur Chambers Bauchi, counsel to the aggrieved former Bauchi State House of Assembly( BAHA) members, along with a 21 paragraph affidavit sworn to, by Hon. Haliru Dauda Jika, filed last week, the exlawmakers are asking the court to compel the state government to pay to them N125, 595,147:50 (one hundred and twenty five million, five hundred and ninety six thousand, one hundred and fourty seven Naira, fifty Kobo) as Severance Gratuity. The breakdown of the gratuity shows that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are entitled to N4,919,625, and N4,337,947:50 respectively, while each of the 29 members is to get N4,011,675.

The legal action is coming five months after the tenure of the 6th Assembly and in spite of several unsuccessful personal appeals and correspondences to both Gov. Isa Yuguda and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barr.

Ahmed Ibrahim Dan-Dija, over the non- payment of severance gratuity of the 6th Bauchi House of Assembly.

The Nation learnt that the correspondences include two letters by their counsel to the governor on August 15th and September 23rd 2011 demanding for the gratuity.

In his reply, the SSG on September 20, 2011, said,’’ His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State has already approved the payment of severance gratuity to the Hon. members of the 6th Assembly about two months ago and necessary arrangements are being made to effect payment accordingly’’.

The 6th Assembly members alleged that they’’ have suffered serious hardship by the refusal of the government to pay the gratuity.

They claimed ‘’the government has resources and means to pay the said amount and it will not be prejudiced if the Court grants their prayer.

They also cited Section 2(1) schedule A of the Remuneration of Public and Political Office Holders Law Cap.196 laws of Bauchi 2006 (as amended), Section 2(i) part 111 of the same Bauchi law assented to by Bauchi State Governor 2007, and Section 111 of the

Many battles of Yuguda From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

’’We would have not gone to court, if the governor had either told us that Bauchi state is bankrupt or our gratuity is unconstitutional. But that’s not the case. In fact, as I talk to you, Governor Isa Yuguda, his former Deputy, now Senator Babayo Garba Gamawa, the SSG, Ahmed Ibrahim Dan-Dija have collected their severance gratuity almost 3months ago; so, why can’t he pay us our dues?’’

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) Basing their claims on these, the lawmakers are urging the court to order the government to pay N1, 000,000 to each member as general damages, 10 % monthly interest of the total sums claimed from the date of judgment until full final payment, and N7, 000,000 as cost of litigation.

Though, the suit was filed on October 6th 2011 before the Bauchi Chief Judge, we gathered that the matter is listed for November 8th 2011 hearing, as necessary court processes have been duly served on the government.

An affected member of the 6th Assembly, Harsanu Yunusa Guyaba, who represented Kirfi constituency for 8 years, on behalf of his colleagues, told The Nation that ’’we would have not gone to court, if the governor had either told us that Bauchi state is bankrupt or our gratuity is unconstitutional. But that’s not the case. In fact, as I talk to you, Governor Isa Yuguda, his former Deputy, now Senator Babayo Garba Gamawa, the SSG, Ahmed Ibrahim Dan-Dija have collected their severance gratuity almost 3months ago; so, why can’t he pay us our dues?’’

But Danjuma Garba, who had replied counsel to the ex-Assembly members on behalf of the SSG, declined to respond to our inquiry on whether the SSG has collected his severance gratuity. However, Mr. Ishola Michael Ishola Adeyemi, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Gov.Yuguda informed The Nation that, ’’the Assembly Service Commission is responsible for the payment of the lawmakers’ severance gratuity and not the governor’’.

At the House of Assembly, Director of Information, Lamaran Chinade said ‘’the State Assembly Service Commission is only responsible for the payment of the State Assembly employees only and not the lawmakers.’’ And since the Commission was dissolved over 5 months ago, you may not have anybody to answer your inquiry.’’

In a related development, the Sayawa Ethnic Nationality, Sayawa Council of Elders and Traditional Rulers at home and in Diaspora, in Bogoro and Tafawa

•Yuguda

Balewa local government areas of the state, have also sued the Bauchi State Governor, the State Government, State Attorney-General, State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the House, Clerk of the House, and Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Others sued along with the governor are Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Local Government Service Commission, Chairmen, Caretaker Committees of Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa local Government Areas.

In a Motion on Notice pursuant to section 6(6)(a) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution,(as amended) and Order 33,Rules 1and2of Bauchi High Court Rules 1987,Messrs.Bukata Zhyadi, Ehud Simon Komo, Capt. Daniel Dod Hassan(rtd), and Gung Iliya Komo, on behalf of themselves and Sayawa Council of Elders and Traditional Council are praying the court to declare the Bill on the creation of the Sayawa Chiefdom, Districts and Village Areas, assented to by the governor, null and void and invalid.

Zhyadi and others claimed the governor breached Section 100(2, 4 & 5) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria when he did not sign into law the Bill passed by the House on June 9th 2011, but was signed by the Governor on August 8th 2011.

That “the creation of Sayawa Chiefdom Bill, 2011, passed into law on June 9th 2011 is inchoate, inappropriate, antithetical, prejudicial to the Sayawa people as it seeks to dispossess them of their ancestral home,Tafawa Balewa town: That the Bill was also meant to disunite and balkanize the

Sayawa ethnic group by excising over 60 Sayawa hamlets.

They also alleged that the creation of Sayawa Chiefdom law, assented to by the governor, designating the headquarters of the Sayawa Chiefdom at Martin Giji is different from the Bill passed by the 6th State Assembly which had not chosen a headquarter for the Chiefdom.

They are further seeking court declaration, “that the arbitrary location of the Sayawa Chiefdom headquarters at Martin Giji vide section 9 of the law is inappropriate, unlawful, and manifestly in bad faith as it is against the wishes and popular demand of the Sayawa people.”

The Nation learnt from Bukata Zhyadi that ‘’the state government acted contrary to the Judicial Commission of Enquiry, set up by the Federal Government, and chaired

by Justice B.O. Babalakin. In reaction to the civil crisis in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area in April 1991 between Sayawa and the Fulani/Hausa, it recommended the creation of the chiefdom, and Bauchi state government was directed to act upon it. Our investigations further revealed that, the Babalakin recommendations were not acted upon by previous Bauchi governments, even as the Sayawa agitation for their chiefdom continued. This agitation, as contained in several presentations by the Sayawa, particularly at their annual cultural festivals, the Limzaar, and corespondeces to Bauchi state governors, since 1992 to date. Some of such correspondences included letters to Gov. Isa Yuguda on May31, 2011, June 8,2011, June 11,2011, August22,2011, all

signed by representatives of Sayawa, with exception of that written by their counsel, P. A. Akubo, SAN It is a general view in the state that, the agitations have been largely responsible for violent clashes in Bauchi. The state, previously known as hospitality state, is sometimes referred to today as hostility state thereby keeping away, potential investors in tourism, mineral deposits and agriculture.

Concerned observers said it has also denied the state of its former status as the Mecca of sports in the North-east sub-region and other popular social activities.

Another recent controversy is the face off between Yuguda and the sitting state legislators on the appointment of 24 Directors-General, made by Yuguda on September 26, 2011. The state lawmakers, according to The Nation’s investigations, are querying why the governor allegedly played a fast one on them?

Yuguda had written to the Bauchi State House of Assembly in August 2011 to request for permission to appoint 20 Special Advisers. That request was granted.

But while announcing the appointment of Advisers and other political appointees, Yuguda announced the recruitment of 24 Directors-General which he did not canvass for in his request to the State Assembly- a development the legislators described as sly means of undermining their authority.

The Nation learnt that this development is the root of many disagreements between the governor and the lawmakers.

It would be recalled that besides the 20 Special Advisers and the 24 Directors-General, Yuguda also announced the appointment 20 Deputy Chairmen and 20 Secretaries to the 20 Local Government Caretaker Committees he created last August.

Also, Yuguda is being accused of installing his loyalists in order to pocket the State Assembly.

A 2007/2011 returnee member, who spoke to The Nation in confidence, said ’’it is never the practice of any House of Assembly to have a state governor physically present when the House is being inaugurated, but the Bauchi State Governor was there in person to ensure his man was elected. His presence intimidated most of the new members’’. ‘’This was an open declaration that, he intended to manipulate the House to his advantage. He monitored the election of the Speaker and other key officials on the floor of the House. Because he readied his acts in advance, he asked for 20 Special Advisers, but ended up with 24 Directors-General besides the Advisers,’’ the source added.

Based on the sour relationship between the old and new state lawmakers allegedly caused by the governor, the old war horses insisted Yuguda put on hold, payment of salaries and allowances and functions of 24 Directors-General he recruited, until they got satisfactory explanations.

But Hussaini Alibaba, a Bauchi based public commentator believes ‘’the legislators are only pretending, they want Bauchi people to think they are not the governor’s rubber-stamp. Why did they add more time for the committee of 7 members to ‘’dig deeper’’ into the 24 DGs appointment?’’.

Continued on Page 19

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Politics

19

How Orji tackled Abia security challenge C

H A L L E N G E i n leadership may be sour in the mouth, but it is one hurdle any leader of substance must scale through to make a difference.

For Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, it seems no other single challenge has so far tasked his leadership abilities like the challenge of security.

It got to a stage when even his ardent loyalists expressed doubts if his government would ever win the war against robbers and kidnappers.

Initially, critical observers dismissed the security challenge in the state as a usual occurrence but when armed robbery and kidnapping assumed a hitherto unheard of dimension, critics and concerned indigenes cried out, wondering if the criminals have become too big for Orji and his government.

At this stage, informed observers alleged that the development in Abia was no longer ordinary but a major political tool employed by some opponents, who merely disguised as robbers and kidnappers to disorganise the state, make it ungovernable and thus achieve a political point against the governor.

In fact, before the last elections in April, this strategy almost worked, as indigenes living outside the state became too frightened to come home for the elections. We gathered that even INEC officials found it difficult to properly mobilise the electorates for registration for the elections. Most of the INEC officials in the state never

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

went beyond the state capital during the registration exercise, and when they did, it was with heavily armed security men.

Faced with this situation, Orji did something novel, not only to ensure that elections hold in the state like other states across the country, but also to reclaim the state from criminals.

Besides buying and distributing security patrol vans, numbering about 500, he engaged private and corporate stakeholders. Such corporate organisations included banks operating in the state. The banks did not disappoint as they all came out in their numbers to help the state government through the purchase of vans for security operations.

Before the advent of the security operations in the state, kidnappers and armed robbers held the state to ransom as people were being kidnapped every day, while armed robbers were having a field day. It was so bad that armed robbers after robbing banks would stay back for minutes or hours just to spread money to pedestrians, some of who may have freely watched the robbery operation.

It was not until they kidnapped 13 school pupils, aged between 5 and 15 years, who were on their way to school in their school bus that Nemesis finally caught up with the kidnappers. The outcry across the state and the country led to increased security strategies that led to the rescue of the pupils on

•Orji

independence anniversary day.

The timing of the rescue operation, on October 1, 2010, has also been described as another political plus for Orji administration.

Many critics, who had doubted his efforts towards finding acceptable solution to the security challenges in the state, had a rethink when

•Continued from page 17

Informed observers said Jonathan was red faced when Sylva ignored the alleged agreement and sacked the

•Continued from page 18

L-R: Yuguda with Yahaya M Miya after his election as Speaker of the House of Assembly.

explanation when it was put to vote, and a committee, headed by Abdull Mohammed Ningi’’ was set up to investigate and report to the Committee of the whole House on September 29,2011’’.

Even with the Committee’s report, the lawmakers were not done, and added ‘’more time to the Committee to do a more thorough investigation, and if need be, invite the governor.’’

Not satisfied with the development, opposition parties in the state, including the Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party, (ANPP),

Speaking after seeing the corpse, an elated governor Orji said he feels fulfilled that the joint military onslaught against criminals, especially kidnapping in the state, has yielded positive result.

Commenting on this, Elder Ogwo, a retired civil servant and political leader in his community said, “apart from the fact that the invitation of the military was a clear proof of resolve and political will on the part of the governor, the way the dead body of the notorious kidnapper was paraded was, to me a clever political strategy.”

Orji had requested the commander of the Joint Military Task Force in the state to parade the body of the slain kidnapper round the capital city, ’’one request I want to make from you is this, that his body be paraded in Umuahia for people to see. It will help restore the confidence of the people,’’ he said.

Given the relative peace that has been recorded in the state since then, it seems the governor’s strategies worked. “Political leadership is the totality of a leader’s actions that help to secure his state and empower his people positively,” Ogwo said.

Power game in Bayelsa

Yuguda and his battles He lashed that ‘’If they were a serious bunch, they should have summoned the governor to appear before them on this potential time-bomb, to send a nononsense signal to the Yuguda and his cohorts. That way, we will begin to look forward to good governance in the state, ’’Alibaba stressed.

It was further gathered that the lawmakers have sent invitation to the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Alh. Yusuf Musa Gumli, Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Ahmed Ibrahim Dandija, the state’s Head of Civil Service, Mr.Abdon Dalla Gin, Commissioner of Finance Alhaji Mahmoud Mai-Jama’a and the state Attorney-General Almustapha Suleiman Hassan, for explanation.

The State Civil Service Commission, responsible for recruitment of DGs cadre was not considered in the invitation, as its board was still being constituted at the time of this investigation.

The Nation’s checks further showed that invitations were delivered to the invitees, who were yet to respond.

The “un-easy calm’’ now pervading the state was kick started on September 27, 2011,

by Hon.Dayyabu Chiroma, representing Darazo constituency, when he spoke on Matters of Urgent Public Importance on the floor of the House.

Lamenting the development, he has argued that the house has an oversight function on such matters. His motion elicited a lot of heated debate, with the majority of members calling for an

they learnt of the pupils’ release.

News had it that before then, the governor had decided to shelve the idea of celebrating the Independence Day ceremony. But he quickly changed his mind when he received the news of the release of the school children.

Building on this incident, the governor sought the permission of President Goodluck Jonathan to draft the military to the state to help tackle the security challenge headlong.

This was consolidated with the establishment of a military barrack in Ohafia shortly before the 2011 Although some opponents loudly criticized these moves, the success of the military task force has, according to Elder Udensi Ogwo, “confirmed its expediency.”

Tagged Operation Jubilee, the soldiers were stationed at both the Ngwa High School and Asa High School in Aba and Asa, Ukwa West Local Government Area of the state.

When the notorious kidnapper and kingpin, Osisikankwu, was killed by the soldiers soon after their arrival, no one was left in doubt that Orji’s government had not surrendered to the criminals.

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) have asked the legislators to ensure the DGs appointments are reversed saying’’ it is a deliberate attempt to cause confusion in the state’s civil service and perpetrate anti-people activities by the governor and his ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’’.

But in a strange twist, two weeks ago, the legislators made a U-turn and gave the governor their blessings to retain his DGs. It is however clear that this momentary victory may not be the end of Yuguda’s many battles within and outside the state.

Agbede-led state executive of the party, a few weeks after. The interpretation of the action by Jonathan’s group then was that Sylva was trying to undermine the authority of Jonathan in order to assume the effective political lord of Bayelsa State.

The governor’s reported closeness with former President Umaru Yar’Adua’s associates, at the tail-end of that government, did not help the situation.

At the peak of the political drama that surrounded the sickness and death of Yar’Adua, it was easily alleged that Sylva was on the side of a powerful political clique accused of being against the enthronement of Vice President Jonathan, as Acting President.

Although Jonathan tried diplomatically to hide the depth of disagreement between him and Sylva, before the final decision of PDP’s National Working Committee during the weekend, his aides, according to our findings, did not.

His supposed attitude towards the development was however predictable. Also, the fact that he did not openly stop his associates who were opposing Sylva, according to a source, was enough proof that he authorised the final show down.

This explains why his associates, like King Johnny Turner, a traditional ruler and former Chairman of the Federal Inland Waterways, openly mobilised support for popular opponents of the governor.

He is believed to be one of the major forces behind the governorship candidacy of Hon. Dickson, a commissioner in Jonathan’s administration as governor of Bayelsa. Dickson is an unrepentant critic of Governor Sylva.

Until this weekend’s final decision, Sylva and some of his associates have however denied all the allegations leveled against the governor in relation to the power play with Jonathan.

To prove critics wrong, Sylva was deeply involved in the campaign to secure PDP’s ticket for Jonathan ahead last January’s presidential primaries.

Also at the peak of last weekend’s intrigues he told reporters that he was “in touch with the national leadership of our great party, including Mr. President. I have received solid assurances at the highest levels that the party would base all its actions concerning the Bayelsa Gubernatorial primaries on law.

I am happy about that.”

Signals to what would become of Sylva’s ambition of contesting the 2012 governorship elections under PDP began with the initial approval of four political underdogs ahead of governor Sylva. They are Orufa Justine Boloubo, a former chairman of Yenagoa local government area, who is alleged to be the candidate of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Henry Seriake Dickson, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Bayelsa and a member of the Green Movement, the campaign organisation of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Others were Hon. Enai Christopher and Hon. Kalango Michael Youpele.

Another major signal was the petition against Sylva, alleging some fraudulent practices.

Insiders said it was this petition, which was used by members of NWC to finally nail Sylva.

Whether the decision of the weekend PDP NWC will mark an end to the current political intrigues remains to be seen.

Already, there are reports that the governor’s political associates have resolved to dig up old plans for an alternative platform. What that platform would be and the overall implication to the already tense political atmosphere in Bayelsa will constitute the next ingredients of the state’s political texture.

20

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Politics

Political Politics

Total Governance in Osun A

S a concept, ‘total governance’ which we will now use to describe the governmental thrust of the Ogbeni governor, Rauf Aregbesola, can be linked to ‘total war’. Total war which first emerged as a result of the Great War (World War I) 1914-1918 was based on all encompassing ethos. It was a different conception of warfare than anything else that had preceded it. It was total in every aspect.

Everything was holistically conceived, nothing was left to chance.

The analogy with Aregbesola’s administrative thrust is not out of place. The Ogbeni has earned his spurs so his policy thrust cannot be surprising.

As the infrastructure czar of Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial heartbeat, he brought in innovate measures. The measures were based on his can-do approach to administration.

The approach, based on careful planning and the paying of meticulous attention to details, worked wonders.

Lagos state is not likely to forget his derring-do in a hurry. The project is now being built upon where he left off. His efforts in Lagos State are an astonishing contrast with the failures of the past.

The failures of the past are also confronting the Ogbeni in Osun State. It is ironic in this instance that a failed governor of Lagos State preceded him in Osun State.

Since Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was such a pathetic failure in Lagos State totally messed-up Osun State, what was on offer to Aregbesola when he reclaimed his stolen mandate was a poisoned chalice. Nevertheless, it provided an opportunity.

Given his past record, it is not surprising that Aregbesola has risen to the challenge.

We must put the nature of the challenge into a framework. It is not a hyperbole to say that the lackadaisical Oyinlola left Osun in a total mess. The index on every front was disgraceful. In the first place the public finances were in complete disarray. Public procurement, both social and physical, were instead turned into a contract bazaar.

Concubines, hangers-on, hustlers of all hues and kind fed merrily on the public trough. In addition, all manner of loan mismatches were procured. In the age of Oyinlola, short-term funds were procured to execute longterm projects. Frankly an SS3 student would have pointed out the absurdity of this programmed-to-fail proposition.

Furthermore, Oyinlola’s ‘mainstream’ mentality resulted in the state being wholly dependent on handouts from the centre. The resultant effect is that unlike Lagos State the state has no self-regenerating revenue base. The disaster arising from this misguided policy is quite predictable. And disastrous it has been. In the first instance Aregbesola therefore had to start his total governance by reigning in the public finances. This is of

•Aregbesola, Osun State Governor

By Bolanle Oke

fundamental importance.

The leakages were simply too many. With bureaucratic elephantiasis setting in, there was virtually no fund left to carry out any meaningful development. With a host of ghost workers, ghost pensioners and malignant contractors, it could not have been otherwise.

This is why Aregbesola’s efforts must be commended.

He is already playing himself into the right side of history.

Total governance has already translated into positive, even pivotal, strides. The youth employment scheme is irreversible. The O-Yes has achieved a life of its own. It is now been copied and used as both role model and benchmark in other states far and wide. It is a wonderfully imaginative way to tackle the demographic time-bomb.

And it’s for real. Let us not underestimate the effect. Out of the blues 20,000 young people have been given a new lease of life. Hope has been renewed. They have been launched unto the first rung of employment ladder.

Total governance also means that the economic landscape has to be reshaped. And it is been reshaped in a refreshing sort of way.

Aregbesola is making a determined creative effort to wean the state off the parasitic mainstream relationship with the centre. This is a very sensible policy thrust. If the current landmark initiatives are to be sustained, the state must develop its own economic base. And that base must be self-sustaining. Such a policy thrust must translate into sustainable employment as well as the extension and deepening of the tax base.

In line with the conception of total governance, agriculture which employs the bulk of the citizenry, is now been thrust into centre stage. Aregbesola in this endeavour reminds us of another great, pivotal player

- Indira Gandhi. When that great Indian prime minister launched the ‘green revolution’ it looked concomitantly both audacious and unrealistic. India at the time was plagued with both famine and critical foodshortages. Unfazed, Indira Gandhi confounded the doubters. She turned crises into opportunity. Today long after she has departed, India’s problem is no longer that of food shortages, it is now a problem of storage and distribution.

Ogbeni Governor who has the same can-do disposition will do the same.

With the foresight of an entrepreneur, he has noticed a gap in the market. And very much like the entrepreneur, he is ready to exploit it. He has calculated that Lagos has a N2 billion a day foodstuff market. He is determined to get a N200 million a day slice of that market.

A critical mass is going to be achieved in the following ways; first of all Aregbesola has procured 40 wagons to evacuate agricultural produce from Osun State to the Lagos market. The effect will be very positive. For a start rail transport is cheaper than road transportation. Secondly the price inflation wrought by numerous check-points will be eliminated. This means that Osun State’s produce will be keenly price - competitive. The marketing gains therein from these branded products will be astonishing.

The transformative effect will be very re-invigorating for the economy of the state. For a start what will be achieved is something akin to guarantee of ‘minimum farm-gate price.’

Satisfied that there is a fair market for his produce the farmer will rev-up a gear.

Production will be stepped up.

The need to step up production will make the farmer more appreciative of modern farming methods and inputs.

Following from this, coordinated storage facilities

will be induced. It is a win-win situation. And Osun State will be the biggest winner of all ensuring greater prosperity for its people.

The gain will be all encompassing. The revenue generating base of Osun State will be positively widened.

Enhanced Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) will lead to greater developmental thrusts. It will translate into better schools, greater access to healthcare facilities and better infrastructure both physical and social. The situation for every stakeholder is win-win.

It is also vitally important to remember that the traffic is not going to be one. The wagon trains going to Lagos with agricultural produce will not be coming back empty.

The wagons are going to come back with finished products from Lagos to be sold at Lagos prices. What it means is that hypermarkets will be developed in Lagos State to push forward finished goods from Lagos to neighbouring, adjourning states. Osun State is going to be translated into a marketing hub for surrounding states. Calculate how all of this will translate into jobs, IGR and enhanced economic activity.

Frankly, Aregbesola should have been an entrepreneur and not a politician.

Total governance as is being piloted by Aregbesola takes the Awolowo project to the next level. The imaginative policy thrusts will translate into a contemporary thrust of ‘Life more abundant.’ Greater IGR will be translated into the contemporary form of ‘Life more abundant.’ Morning has broken in Osun State.

Aregbesola is the latest in a long line of can-do Yoruba leaders.

Let us remember how a previous avatar turned a crocodile infested area into the Ikeja Industrial Estate. By the time the modernization of agriarian economy is completed in Osun State, the state will have induced hundreds of food processing industries. The employment prospect arising from this will be astonishing.

The place of Aregbesola in history is a work in progress.

Nevertheless at the pace he is going, his work will receive a very important, indeed, pivotal acknowledgment. Under a year he has put the concept of ‘total development’ back on the front burner. In any appraisal of Aregbesola, we cannot but remember the poem by John Doe found on the death bed of India’s founding Prime Minister Jawarlah Pandit Nehru.

“The hills, they are dark, they are lovely, they are steep.

There are mountains so high to be climbed. Rivers so wide I must cross. I have a lot of work to do. Promises to keep. And many more miles to go before I can sleep. And many more miles to go before I can sleep.”

The Ogbeni Governor has promises to keep and many more achievements to claim before retirement beckons. By the time this happens, a wonderful piece of social engineering would have taken place in Osun State.

turf

with Bolade Omonijo boladeomonijo@yahoo.com

Politics and the new INEC

I

T is unfortunate that we have a government that is refusing to listen to the voice of reason. The law is clear and, over and beyond the letters of the law, there is the spirit behind the constitution and the compelling logic of the general good. Before the amendment of the 1999 Constitution last year, it was claimed by many sophists that the law suggested, albeit subtly, that, to be a member f the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), one must be qualified to be a member of the House of Representatives. They interpreted that to mean that, since only those sponsored by political parties could be so elected, any nominated member ought to be a member of a political party.

That contention flew in the face of logic, convention and tradition.

When it was time for President Goodluck Jonathan to constitute his electoral commission, following a pledge to be free and fair, he opted for Professor Attahiru Jega as national chairman. A few of those he nominated as national commissioners were rejected by the people as card carrying members of the ruling party who could not be trusted. Bowing then to public outcry, he was quick to drop two. I refused to join the multitude who hailed him as a listening President. I felt and argued in this column that it was danger signal. Could the President say he did not know the antecedents of senior members of his party? Did he look through their resumes? Did they hide anything from him?

What about the security agents? How come he only got to know when he had made his nominations public, forwarded same to the Senate?

I knew that the President was only playing games. He knew the men. He wanted them in the commission to do the bidding of his party. But, realizing that he was still trying to gain the confidence of the public, he chose to bow to pressure. Now, he has consolidated his hold on power. He has won a full term and could afford to play his cards the way he had originally conceived.

Pray, who does not know the background of Lawrence Nwuruku? True, he was an INEC national commissioner and it is debatable the role he played then. But, we know that he was a minister in a PDP government. He was appointed an Ambassador by a PDP government and he was once a governorship aspirant in Ebonyi State. If the President is ignorant of these facts, then I wonder why he is in Aso Villa. Despite these notorious facts, President Jonathan proceeded to forward Nwuruku's name to the Senate and the upper chamber saw nothing wrong in approving the nomination. It appears that we are back to square one.

It is not just Nwuruku. One of the eight Resident Electoral Commissioners who had their nominations approved is Dr. Gabriel Ada. It is, again, a notorious fact that Ada was once the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly. By the Supreme Law of Nigeria, no one gets elected into office without a party ticket. In the character of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ada was imposed as a REC. His records in Benue and Delta States have since become subjects of debate, with many swearing that the results posted were concocted. Despite the objections, our President has rail-roaded the man into office again.

It is the shame of a nation. The National Assembly took time to work on the last constitution amendment, concentrating mainly on election reform, promising to revamp the process and deliver credible elections. As many Nigerians would attest, the last general elections were far better that the previous ones. At least one step forward was taken. But, with the steps that Jonathan has taken now, three steps have been taken backwards. What we need at a time like this is to build on the confidence being engendered in our people. However, by sending Ada and Nwuruku to the commission, Jonathan has betrayed the cause.

He has poisoned the stream from which we all drink. He is trying to compromise the next set of elections- in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

This is the time for patriots and lovers of Nigeria to speak out and get the courts to step in. In the last amendment, section 156 of the Constitution was changed to expressly forbid appointing members of any political party into the sensitive positions in INEC. Nwuruku's nomination or appointment should not stand.

It is now a popular saying that whoever stands for nothing would fall for anything. The only acceptable platform for election reform is the Uwais Panel report. The President should be weaned off the nomination process. He is the leader of a political party and cannot be trusted. Obasanjo demonstrated the ill-will before, Jonathan has followed suit. It is time for us all to insist that we cannot be led by the nose.

It is even the more disturbing the appalling sense of judgement of the President in other appointments. In putting forward the names of members of the National Population Commission, Mrs. Roli George, wife of the disgraced former Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Chief Bode George, made the Jonathan list. Dr. Marian Ali who has fought a grim battle in Delta State to dominate the political scene is now a Special Adviser to the President on inter-governmental relations. On what experience is she expected to fall in so advising our president?

This country is not a joke. It requires serious commitment to the task of nation-building at hand. And only the best should be saddled with the task. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan should be so told, please.

SUNDAY INTERVIEW

21

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

‘We must talk to Boko Haram’

H

OW did you come to be involved in the Boko Haram case?

When this matter started ab initio, some people went to court when Baba Fugu was killed and sued the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Governor of Borno State among others. The high court awarded them damages of a hundred million naira. We were instructed to file an appeal against that judgment by the government of Borno State. That is what we are involved in.

Apart from the legal angle do you think there is any other way by which the Boko Haram issue can be resolved?

I’ve said it severally, rightly or wrongly, that these Nigerian have some grouse against the Nigerian nation or its leaders. I’ve said it often that even in shooting wars, you’ll still go back to the negotiating table. There is nothing anathema in dialoguing with these people. Without that you can’t get their point of view, and that was the greatest mistake that was made in the summary execution of Mohammed Yusuf. In other climes, if he had been injured in the process of being arrested, his life would have been preserved. He would have been the man that probably held the key to the solution of these problems. He would have been able to tell our leaders the why, how and where of the whole issue regarding the conflict. If the guy had been alive he would have been able to tell the authorities who the sponsors were and why they bought into his programme or agenda. But we missed that golden opportunity by that unfortunate whimsical act of extra-judicial execution. So from now till tomorrow I believe we must dialogue with any group of people that say they have problems with the Nigeria nation, be it the militants from the Niger Delta, people who are having problems in the Plateau State, etc. Let’s sit down and talk. We don’t lose anything. We may just discover at the end of the day that it is just a small point which everybody is missing that is at the root of all these. So those who say we cannot talk with them, they are just being unrealistic. And I hope it is not true that both the United Kingdom and the United States are saying we should not discuss with the Boko Haram people. I think that will be a deliberate attempt by those powers to destroy Nigeria.

They have dissidents in their own systems and they dialogue with them. Why should they say Nigeria should not dialogue with its own dissidents? You just need to listen to UK and US news everyday; you’ll see that what happens in Nigeria is child’s play in terms of violence and social upheaval. It’s like inviting Nigeria to go on the path of Golgotha. We need peace in the country because it is the minimum irreducible level for progress.

Are there any types of brief you would not take? Some of your clients are seen as devil incarnates especially those high-ranking pubic officials who are believed to be so corrupt. What is your reaction to this?

By our training in the Law School, we are told we have no right to reject a brief. You cannot drive away a client except you find that the matter involves moral turpi-

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali, lists as his clients some of the most powerful individuals and institutions in the land – from state governors to governments. His briefs are predictably often controversial. In this interview with Associate Editor, Taiwo Ogundipe, in Ilorin, he says he is not concerned with popularity but legality tude; except it is a matter you know the facts of and the client wants you pervert them. I had occasion, not too long ago, to reject a brief worth N250 million for which I would do virtually next to nothing. It would have been for me to show one or two appearances in the court and I would have earned N250 million.

But I had personal reasons for saying no. Don’t forget that there are people who do not enjoy friendly press and negative views are carried about them in several places.

But when you get close to them, you’ll now know that this man or woman is nothing near the negative things people are bandying about regarding them.

I always tell people I’m not in popularity contest with anybody. I will take cases once I’m convinced of the facts, I believe in the case, there is nothing immoral in it for me to do, there is nothing unprofessional for me to do and once my conscience is clear about it, I’ll take it no matter what the press say about the person. Part of the problem is that the judiciary is being drawn into today is trial by the press. Matters that are in court and have not been concluded, the press would go about saying it must go this way. Unfortunately, some of the people in political landscape are also always doing that. They would say this is likely to be verdict. They are trying to push the court to work to an answer. Some of us are against it and I’ve said it publicly that we should not encourage newspaper trial because it is not in our interest to do so. It will prejudice the rule of law and the right to fair hearing.

Which case have you found to be most challenging for you?

All cases that are brought to me are challenging because the most innocuous case may become very celebrated. I’ve been lucky in this business. I’ve handled quite a number of what people call celebrated cases. I did the case of the current Ewi of Ado-Ekiti from the High Court to the Supreme Court.

I did the case of the present Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Tadese. I was the lead counsel to Governor Rasheed Ladoja when he was impeached. I also successfully defended Ayo Fayose as Governor of Ekiti State when his election was challenged. I successfully defended the former Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, both in 2003 and 2007 elections. I was the second most senior advocate that defended the electoral victory of Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan in 2007. I was the lead counsel to Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State. I was also the second

negative stories. I believe that most of our colleagues do not have selfintrospection. What do I mean?

You’ve done a case, you have lost.

Have you ever sat down to ask yourself why we lost? Did we do all we ought to do? If you had, was there something you ought not to have done that you did? Instead of doing that, it is the lawyer of the side that lost that will start the story of the judge having compromised himself even when the counsel does not have the evidence to substantiate that. People just malign other people.

The political class who gets involved in these election matters do not have good sportsmanship.

Some of our colleagues can also be blamable for promoting all these primordial things. Thirdly, the desperation of the politicians from all hues and divides…

I do not see any exception from my experience in these matters. I had had occasions to tell some politicians off especially after the 2007 elections when they were saying this party or that party liked to rig. I said, ‘Come, don’t insult some of us. Most of your quarrels about these elections are not that you want to protect the votes of the people. The quarrel, shorn of all the legalese, is how come you were able to out-rig us.

Nobody is interested in clean elections.

It is why were we not the people that won by whate v e r means?

That is the attitude of most of these politicians. Foul is fair as long as it favours me. That is their philosophy.

Of course, some of these allegations will be thrown maliciously and mischievously. But to be honest with you, some of those who get involved in election petitions as petitioners or respondents have always been thinking that they have to do something extra-legal to be able to be entitled to victory in the courts. And as long as that is the mindset, you’ll hardly be able to get out of these controversies. Like I said earlier when we were talking about the judiciary, my appeal more to the political class is in respect of political or election mat-

Yusuf Ali most senior person that God used to bring Olusegun Mimiko in as Governor of Ondo State. Of course, I won’t be talking about only victories. I was also lead counsel to Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Osun State which went the other way. I was also in the team of Oserhemen Osunbor when we lost out to Adams Oshiomhole. As I’m talking to you I’m involved in the defence of about seven governors in various tribunals all over Nigeria regarding 2007 election. As I said, don’t regard any case that is brought to you as a lawyer as innocuous, it may become a big issue especially jurisprudentially.

Let’s talk more about election petitions which have always been

attended by controversies and allegations of corruption. As someone known for handling some of the high profile election cases, how do you view them?

This is an area of our jurisprudence that those who want to be honest among practitioners will not but agree that all these allegations are not true. Most of them are allegations anyway, because Nigerians don’t have good sportsmanship spirit. Look at what just happened to our footballers - because Guinea edged Nigeria out of the African Nations Cup 2012 people are calling for the head of the handlers. But what was the level of our preparation? Some of our colleagues unfortunately promote some of these

•Continued on page 22

22

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Sunday Interview

•Continued from page 21 ters. Let them leave the judiciary alone. If they do all of us will be the beneficiaries.

Would you say that the rights of the average Nigerian are protected by the legal system we have in the country?

The legal system protects Nigerians. The problem is with the Nigerians. We have a surfeit of laws but it is the enforcement that is the problem. Ninety-nine per cent of the traffic laws, the simplest example of the laws, are observed more in the breach. That happens virtually to all our legislations.

Statistically speaking, the number of crimes committed in Nigeria in a year may probably not be up to what happens in New York in the US or Cape Town in South Africa in a month. There is the perceived notion that laws work in those places; that the long arm of the law will catch up with any criminal in South Africa, US and England. It is the reverse there. There is the perception that if you have the right connections and you have the wherewithal you can get away with anything here. It shouldn’t be.

That is the problem we have. This is a country where if somebody belongs to a party other than the party at the centre and he is said to have committed an offence, the first thing everybody reads is political persecution rather than being objective. If you say somebody has committed an offence let it be proved in court. The courts are there. We don’t even want to see such persons being apprehended because he is in the ‘opposition’. I think there is a general problem with us about issues like this because we lack basic objectivity and truth.

What do you have to say about prolonged court processes?

For as long as our judiciary has to work with 18th century tools in the 21st century, the situation cannot be different. You just need to visit courtrooms in other places outside of this country, you’ll marvel. In most other countries now, judges have research assistants who are well-educated, welltrained, well-qualified and wellexperienced. Not even the Supreme Court justices have such here. Ninety-nine per cent of our court rooms are not properly equipped. Even in states where they are trying to install electronic devices, where is the electricity to power them? Our judges write in long hand as if they are taking dictation. Of course, the human element is also there. In any combat in court there will be two sides. If one side does not want the matter to move on, the other side is there to push it to move forward. So there is very little in that. Most of the delays are caused by the lack of basic infrastructure or tools for the judiciary to really work.

In other climes, registrars of court are assigned to handle preliminary stages of cases, taking up interlocutory injunctions and similar matters. Why is that not happening here?

How many lawyers did we have when we started out? It is only now we are having higher number of people. For example, age of appointment of judges back then was put at 10 because we didn’t have many lawyers then. There is no justification to retain that in the constitution. Some of us are advocating that the minimum age to get to the High Court should be at least 15 years, Court of Appeal 20 years and Supreme Court 25 years. We now have more than enough qualified, experienced and well-exposed lawyers. If you appoint people who are of age to the benches you can imagine the kind of experiences they will bring to bear. Being a judge is like being a leader. A

‘Our problem is law enforcement’

• Yusuf Ali

leader must know more than the led otherwise he doesn’t deserve to be a leader.

What of for the magistrates?

I am proposing five years for them. A system must be put in place for the appointment of the magistrates. A prospective magistrate should have been in active legal practice. It is not that after qualifying, you’ll start to go and sell puffpuff and when you have people who are well-connected, you now aspire to be a magistrate. We must encourage meritocracy.

Another burning issue is that of the control the executive arm of government has over the judiciary in terms of appointing judges and allocating funds to them. What do you think of this?

Our law or constitution today as it is offers adequate protection for the judges. It is only a judge who decides to be controlled that can be controlled by anybody. Today our judges are controlled by the constitution and the law. A man in position is just a function of all his experience and his world view. If you put somebody who is honest, knowledgeable, fearless and courageous and make him a judge in Nigeria, you can be very sure that he will not be in anybody’s pocket.

Their tenure is protected, they cannot be removed whimsically. There are procedures under the constitution for removal. No government official can wake up and say because you gave judgment against me today you must go tomorrow. But if as a judge you decide to put yourself in somebody’s pocket maybe because you don’t have the kind of knowledge, or maybe because you lobbied to get there, it becomes a

problem. If anybody gets appointed to the superior bench today in Nigeria from the High Court up, he is as independent as he wants to be.

Talking about funding, however, some of us have been saying it, if the executive and the legislature can control their capital expenditure there is nothing under the sky which says the judiciary is not better equipped to do that for itself. I’ve also been saying it: of the three arms of government the judiciary possesses the largest number of educated people. You don’t need a diviner to know that. To be High Court judge, the minimum is that you must have graduated from the university, you must have gone to the law school which is like having a Masters, and then you must have been in practice for at least about ten years before being appointed to the bench; whereas to be the president of Nigeria you must just show evidence of attendance in a secondary school. It doesn’t even mean you passed. It is the same thing to be a legislator. So the judiciary has the largest number of educated Nigerians in terms of percentage of the three arms of government. So if the two other arms could control their capital votes, then the judiciary is more than qualified. The judiciary should have even been saddled with the responsibility of looking after the capital votes of the other two arms because of the level of the education of the people there.

What is your reaction to the suggestion that the jury system for example as practiced in America might be more helpful to the cause of justice than the British system we are practicing?

I don’t think so. Don’t forget that even in the American jury system it

is not the jury that decides cases in the Supreme Court. It is not even the jury that decides cases in the County Courts, the District Courts or the state Supreme Courts in the US. The jury is empanelled for high brow criminal matters. Jury is not empanelled for all the commercial or political cases that really impact on the nation. To that extent you’ll see that your theory may not stand the test of time. Having said that, however, people tend to forget that adjudication is an imperfect attempt by man to play God. I make that assertion because judges are human beings, they are not clairvoyant.

They base their decisions on fact and laws as presented to them and as perceived by them. A judge is not allowed to use knowledge acquired outside of the court to take a decision.

That is why some of us pray and wish that the average Nigerian, apart from the religious point of view, would take truth telling as a national pastime. Most Nigerians do not appreciate the sanctity of truth and oath. It is getting so bad that some people come to court and assume other people’s identities in order to mislead. It is unlike before when people stand up in the court and mention their names, it is their names. When most people outside of Nigeria especially in the Western world come to the court and you ask them, ‘is that the truth?’ They would say, ‘yes it’s the truth.’ And you’ll find that to be true. The average Nigerian will deny the obvious. A man with tribal marks will come to court and say he is not wearing tribal marks. And this will be too obvious for all to see. So if you are talking about the judiciary you must talk about the material they use in coming to decisions.

Since most Nigerians don’t know the sanctity of truth it makes the judge’s adjudication almost impossible when it comes to the issue of facts. Matters that are so straightforward that you want to believe that if A says this B must as a matter of fact agree because they are incontrovertible facts. The average Nigerian would still deny the facts. The press has a much larger role to play in most of these things we have been talking about.

Are you suggesting that our judges are generally incorruptible and are really doing what they are supposed to do?

I can say that the majority of our judges are doing what they are supposed to do. It is a human institution. While it is wrong for me to say that all journalists are bad but we do know there are bad journalists.

We also know that there are some bad lawyers but that does not mean all lawyers are bad. We must keep our views clear. This kind of generalisation is what is affecting the image of Nigeria negatively outside the country. There is a presumption that every Nigerian is crook or a money launderer when it is not true.

Majority of Nigerians are hardworking, honest and god-fearing people. We must admit there are few bad Nigerian individuals. We cannot take the paintbrush of a few individuals to paint the entire people just because the few are misbehaving. That is why we must strengthen our systems in all the arms of government so that they will be self-cleansing. The judici-

“ Part of the problem is that the judiciary is being drawn into today is trial by the press. Matters that are in court and have not been concluded, the press would go about saying it must go this way”

ary has an internal mechanism it uses to purge itself. The legislature and the executive do not have that.

In spite of what you just said, it is generally believed that the National Judicial Council did not fairly handle the issue between Justice Ayo Salami and the former Chief Justice Idris Kutigi. What is reaction to this?

You are picking on one case.

How many cases has the NJC handled in the last 12 years? We must be fair. I’m not agreeing that they did not handle the matter between Justice Salami and the former Chief Judge fairly. The point of the disagreement of the lawyers with NJC was not personal. It was about the rule of law. What the NBA said, and which all of us are saying, is that having been aware that there is a matter in court the NJC should have watched the event unfold. The NBA did not take a position to line up against A or B. I’ve tried to correct this with so many people. The position of the NBA is that this matter is in court, it is subjudice.

The NJC should have watched the development until the matter is resolved by the court so that they won’t do anything that will present a fait accompli to the court.

You have somehow emerged as a prominent legal practitioner on the national scene, but all these years you’ve been operating here in Ilorin, Kwara State- presumably far from the real centres of action such as Abuja and Lagos.

What is the secret of this development?

I am a fatalist. Because of my faith I believe if anything happens to me it is from God. If this has happened, as you said, it must have been the design of God. Like most other persons born into an average family, I grew up to appreciate the qualities of hard work, honesty, truth and fairness. I started late in a way. I left primary school in 1967, went to what was then known as modern school and worked for a while. At the time I was entering secondary school in 1973 was the time my classmates in primary school left secondary school. At the time I was leaving secondary school was the time my classmates in primary school were graduating from university. But thanks to God, I eventually got into the then University of Ife, and came out with second class upper. In the university I was university scholar and national merit award winner. In the Law School I also made a second class upper. I went back to Ife after about nine years to do a Masters degree in Law. I’ve been in active legal practice from day one when I was called to the bar in 1983. I’ve been in active legal practice ever since, even during my NYSC days.

At the beginning I had two options of prayer. It was either I would be in this type of legal practice or I go and teach in the university. I became more attracted to the option of legal practice and advocacy, and that is what I’ve been doing ever since. When I started out I was with Awomolo & Co. in Ilorin. I was there for about 11 years until I branched out on 1st June 1994 to set up Yusuf A. Ali & Co. Ghalib Chambers. We set out from a rented apartment.

Thanks to God, in 2001 we built our own all-purpose chambers where we moved into. And the extension where this interview is taking place now was completed sometime this year. Of course, I became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1997, a little over 15 years ago. To God be the glory, I’ve been very lucky. I’ve met with the kindness of God and man in my little odyssey.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Buhari’s dream: Is it all over?

The recent ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the election of President Goodluck Jonathan, has raised questions over the political future of General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Sam Egburonu, Sunday Oguntola, and Kolade Adeyemi in Kano, report that the general is not ready to give up.

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HEN the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, on last week upheld the election of President Goodluck Jonathan of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the major concerns of political watchers was the likely political future of the chief petitioner, General Mohammadu Buhari. Buhari, the presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court, challenging the announced results and praying that the result of the April presidential election be upturned in his favour.

Before the ruling, Buhari was quoted as saying he would no longer contest for elections if his current quest is aborted. This claim elicited speculations that the ruling would mark the end of his political career.

But reactions of his associates after the ruling sug-

gest that he would remain active in the country’s political scene. Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the spokesperson of CPC, told The Nation, immediately after the ruling that Buhari will not give up the fight, pointing out that the ruling will not mark the end of Buhari’s political career.

He said that the ruling was faulty from the beginning. “How can the judges say CPC failed to substantiate its allegation that the presidential poll was fraught with irregularities that substantially affected the result of the election, when it was the same court that destroyed the two planks upon which CPC would have proved its case without hindrance?”

According to him, the removal of the former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, was part of the grand plan to stop Buhari.

A n o t h e r plank was the refusal of CPC’s request to subject some of the controversial votes to forensic test.

According to him, once these two planks were removed, CPC was advised by its counsel to withdraw because the case had been castrated. “We only continued because we decided to allow some judges to also put their names on record either for good or for bad.”

The development notwithstanding, he argued that Buhari will not give up even though he has been shortchanged. According to him, “General Buhari has made it clear that he would forever remain on the vanguard of liberating Nigeria from the clutches of exploiters. So, it is a commitment for life. He said as long as he is still breathing, he will continue to play his part to help achieve positive change in Nigeria.”

This position was in line with the pronouncements made by other major officers of the party after the ruling.

The National Chairman of the party, Prince Tony Momoh, for example, did not waste any time before he told pressmen that CPC will appeal the ruling.

This is not the first time the dogged general would be going to court to contest results of elections. It is also not

the first time he would threaten to quit the stage only to return to the political war field.

In 2003, he contested against former President Olusegun Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). He lost and went to court to challenge the results.

After that encounter, it was speculated that the former military Head of State would retire from active political life.

But in 2007, Buhari re-emerged as ANPP’s presidential candidate. He lost again to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Buhari was inconsolable. He insisted he was rigged out. So, he headed to court to seek redress. The legal tussle dragged for months.

Battle-wearied, many members of the party started querying the wisdom in the prolonged court case. Some were fascinated by the offer of National Government of Unity (GNU) f r o m Yar’Adua.

They wanted to have a share of government patronage. His running mate and national chairman of ANPP, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezuoke, led this group.

But Buhari, ever a hardliner, would have nothing of it.

For him, it was either his victory or nothing else.

All the months the battle lasted, ANPP was in utter disarray. The party’s engine was practically knocked.

The leadership was polarised. The pro-Buhari elements wanted to see the legal battle to a conclusive end. His opponents wanted to have none of it. The interregnum persisted for months, even years. Eventually, feeling betrayed, Buhari opted out. He left the party when it became obvious he was no more welcome. The late Ume-Ezuoke has joined the GNU of Yar’Adua.

Since 2007, Buhari remained without a party. It was not until 2010 that he became active again in the politi-

“I want you to note also that even those who wanted Buhari to become the president of this country had their own selfish interests, so, nobody can be loved hundred percent out of over 150 million people. Some people are bound to be envious or to hate you for what you are and what you stand for and that is part of human nature.”

•Continued on Page 24

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Dr, Junaid Mohammed, is a Russian trained medical doctor, an outspoken politician and the National Chairman of the Peoples Salvation Party (PSP). In this interview with Kolade Adeyemi in Kano, he spoke on the political implications of the recent Presidential Election Petition Tribunal’s ruling and the future of the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari (retd). He also accused the judiciary of ‘unbridled corruption and acknowledged an impending revolution in Nigeria

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Cover

HE presidential election tribunal has declared Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the winner of the 2011 presidential election. What is your reaction to the judgment?

I have no reaction whatsoever because to admit that you are surprised will be useless. I wasn’t surprised. I knew it was going to come this way. This was one of the reasons why I thought Buhari should have been very careful in contesting for election after what happened in 2003 and 2007. But then, my advice was not heeded. Some people who thought they knew better advised him to go ahead and contest and this is the result.

With the verdict, do you think Buhari has a political future?

It is premature to talk of the political future of a man who is actively involved and fully engaged in politics. As regards his political future, it is up to him to make the decision, whether he would want to continue playing politics in the very unhealthy political arena in Nigeria, or he would want to do something else with his life, his remaining time and resources at his disposal. So, it is not for me to advise him on the pages of newspapers on what to do and what not to do.

What, in your opinion, were there mistakes made by Buhari prior to the presidential election and after the election.

Again, you are asking me to be judgemental and I have no intention to be judgemental on this matter. I do not have the intention to judge him on the pages of newspapers because his friends won’t want to follow his enemies in judging him on the pages of newspapers. I regard myself as a friend of Buhari and I have access to him. If I want to tell him what I feel about what he’s done, I’ll just jump into my car, drive to Kaduna and tell him what I feel about him. Besides, the Nigerian media has the tendency of always blaming the victim. It has done that to Buhari and a number of people, who have been badly treated by the system and in particular very badly treated by the Judiciary. For anybody who has been subjected to the impunity, the corruption and shamelessness of the Nigerian Judiciary, it will be too

Buhari, badly treated by the system —Mohammed

•Mohammed

much for anybody with a conscience to assess the same person on certain mistakes he has made. I think the mistake all of us made was to be born Nigerians and to be saddled with the kind of INEC we have, with the kind of Judiciary we have - a Judiciary that is cash and carry and the worst in the whole world.

Are you saying you do not have confidence in the Nigerian Judiciary?

Never! I have never had confidence in the Nigerian Judiciary and if you have been following my statements since 1979, when I became a public figure to date, I have never hesitated to denounce what the Nigerian Judiciary stands for; its corruption and impunity in the way and manner cases are adjudicated. This is not a rational Judiciary for a rational society. It is an irrational, corrupt Judiciary and it has continued to be corrupt. I will not be happy if I win a case in Nigeria because the Nigerian Judiciary, by its own behaviour, doesn’t give you the impression that even when you win you have won on merit. It’s so weird, so corrupt and so shameless.

Critics say that the CPC Presidential candidate, Gen. Mohammed Buhari, will never become the President of this country because of his unwillingness to compromise. Do you share the same view?

Well, first and foremost, is it a punishment if someone is not a president of Nigeria? I don’t think it’s a punishment. In fact, it may be for some people a blessing. For instance, I don’t know what Yar’Adua had to say for being President of this country and given what this man is doing, this so called Jonathan, I don’t know if there is anything to be said of his leadership even though it is quite early to judge. I don’t believe that out of a nation of over 150 million people, being a president, successful or otherwise, is something to be wished for. If you are destined to become the president of this country, you’ll definitely be.

For instance, Obasanjo has been president of this country several times although he has been a

disgrace to the country, to himself, to his family and above all to the entire human race. If for whatever reason, someone finds himself engaged in the politics of this country, as Buhari has and somehow destiny has handed him the card he got and he has to play with, if he tried and he did not make it so be it.

There are many people who have made fundamental contributions in this country, who are being remembered today but have never been the president of this country.

Aminu Kano was not a president of Nigeria, Awolowo was not a president of Nigeria, Zik was only a president in name because he was a ceremonial Head of State. He was never the Head of Government of Nigeria and these are people we fondly remember today for having done a lot for this country and a lot for Africa. I am not one of those, who believe that the ultimate achievement in life is to be a president. You can be somebody and not necessarily be a president.

Buhari has been a military Head of State and in life it is not how long you serve but how well you serve.

To me, he served very well within the short period he had the opportunity to serve. In addition to that, he has handled other national assignments. He was the governor of the largest state then, North eastern state of Nigeria. He was a Minister for Petroleum, Chairman of PTF at one point, and in between, he was NNPC Chairman. Each of this is a major achievement in its own right. I don’t think someone has to be scooped to become a president in order to have a sense of achievement. Apart from his achievement outside the military, within the military, he was the GOC of military command, so what else could he wish for that he has not achieved? To me he is a satisfied man.

From your statements, are you implying that there are cabals that are opposed to Buhari being the president of this country?

Well, I don’t know anything about any cabal, which is opposed to Buhari becoming the president of this country but certainly there are people, individuals who are in

pursuit of their own selfish interests, who see him as a threat. Remember that Buhari contested against a man that belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party, a party that is made up of opportunists and butchers of our national economy, so if they do not want Buhari to be president, it is understandable. I want you to note also that even those who wanted Buhari to become the president of this country had their own selfish interests, so, nobody can be loved hundred percent out of over 150 million people.

Some people are bound to be envious or to hate you for what you are and what you stand for and that is part of human nature.

Do you think President Goodluck Jonathan can restore peace to this country?

No! He cannot and that is the tragedy not only to Buhari but to the entire country. First and foremost, the PDP has outlived its usefulness as a party. They have nothing to offer, they have run out of ideas, even bad ideas. It is a party that does not understand anything about the Nigerian situation. It is a party that is composed of people who are only after their own selfish interests; especially in the way they connived with INEC under Jega to rig election. They are a major threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria. They are insatiable, greedy and crude and they believe that whenever there is election, they can do whatever it takes to win.

They do this by bribing the Judiciary, by also suborning the characters in INEC. They’ve converted politics into major war that any time elections are approaching, everything is being done just for the purpose of winning the election and not for the purpose of enhancing our national destiny and I’m worried about that as a Nigerian not because Buhari lost or any other thing.

By the way, the PDP also has the best of the Nigerian Judiciary, so it is impossible to get rid of the PDP without violence because they made it impossible to have a peaceful transfer of power from PDP as a party to another political formation. First, they are in charge of INEC. They put their agents there.

They are also in charge of the Judiciary and they pay the Judiciary to achieve their own aim. So, how do you achieve a free and fair election?

It is impossible and when you make it impossible for people to change and when it is clear they cannot govern, then it becomes impossible not to imagine a violent transformation of society itself and that is the way I see it.

What is your candid advice?

My candid advice is that Nigerians should come together and bring down the PDP government and as long as Nigerians are willing to use tribalism, religious bigotry and other means to achieve political aim, there will never be the end of PDP. We have to do much more than just identifying with tribe or group. If you do that, you are falling into their trap. You are reacting to the issue by using their own instrument, code, their tactics and strategies adopted to win power. That won’t work, we have to come out clearly and confront them and that is why I’m happy when I see Nigerians reacting to the fuel subsidy removal, electricity tariff rate and the issue of joblessness in the economy, which is supposed to be growing.

Is it over for Buhari?

•Continued from Page 23

cal scene. He formed the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which was registered in November 2010. The 2011 Presidential election was just five months away. But the party hit the ground running, sweeping the entire North like a hurricane. It drew appeal mainly from the Northern masses. The Almajiris and commoners in North saw the party as their own. Some pollsters started predicting a major political revolution in the coming elections. But it was not to be.

After managing few seats in the National Assembly elections in the North, the party lost out completely at the governorship election. It won only Nassarawa State and not in Katsina, Kaduna, Kano and Niger, against all expectations.

In all, CPC won six senatorial seats and 30 in the House of Representatives.

Now that the tribunal declared that he lost the presidential elections, some observers are wondering whether his problems have something to do with his political strategies. There are also questions as to whether he was being frustrated by a clique or a political cabal?

Mohammed Junaid, a long time associate of the retired general said: “I don’t know anything about any cabal, which is opposed to Buhari becoming the president of this country but certainly there are people, individuals who are in pursuit of their own selfish interests, who see him as a threat. Remember that Buhari contested against a man that belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party, a party that is made up of opportunists and butchers of our national economy, so if they do not want Buhari to be president, it is understandable. I want you to note also that even those who wanted Buhari to become the president of this country had their own selfish interests, so, nobody can be loved hundred percent out of over 150 million people. Some people are bound to be envious or to hate you for what you are and what you stand for and that is part of human nature.”

GENERAL Mohammadu Buhari came into public notice on December 31, 1983, when he emerged the Head of the Supreme Military Council (SMC), a group that overthrew Alhaji Shehu Shagari, three months after his re-election. One of the major legacies of the regime of this hard-faced general and his no-nonsense deputy, the late General Tunde Idiagbon, was a novel war it prosecuted against indiscipline which largely instilled fear into Nigerians.

Given the cycle of his defeats at the polls and in courts, some observers, are of the opinion that the best option for the former Head of State at this time may be to retire as a statesman. It seems however that Buhari and his closest associates would not hear of it. So, the battle continues

THE ARTS

25

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Authors push books in new ways Nigerian authors are exploring new routes to promote their works, Joe Agbro Jr. writes

I

N 1968, Nigerian writers Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and John Pepper Clark and others formed the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, to pursue the agenda of authors. Forty three years later, ANA is still shouldering that responsibility.

However, many people feel that ANA isn’t doing enough. Nowadays, authors are taking their destinies in their own hands when it comes to publishing and promoting their works.

Though book events have always been around, there seems to be a reawakening in that direction. On most weekends now in Lagos, there are forums which gather to do just one thing – discuss books. And every last Saturday of the month is a bounty for book lovers: There is the Bookjam at Silverbird Galleria which was initiated by Igoni Barrett, author of From Cavs of Rotten Teeth. The success which this garnered also encouraged other book events such as Celebrity Read, a monthly reading organised

by Bede Okoro which celebrities and authors are invited to read from their own books or their favourite books, while the Book N Guage, a brainchild of PulpFaction online book club holds at Debonair bookshop, Yaba.

There is also the meet of the Abuja Writers Forum and the quintessential Ibadan book crowd. Though, attendance is still low at these events, the fact that people, especially young people come shows a promise.

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ITH over 100 art works, including paintings, prints, beads and mixed media works, on display at the National Gallery of Art (NGA), Iganmu, Lagos, the Rhythm of Life, an art exhibition put together by the SOS Children Villages in Nigeria, was a sight to behold.

The works came in different dimensions, colours, backgrounds and media, showcasing the quintessential artistic essences of the six SOS Children who came together for the purpose of the exhibition.

“This is the second exhibition of this show and it for us to give back to the homes,” said Sunday Oben, one of the exhibiting artists. “This is why the title is Rhythm of Life. It is to show that life is good, no matter your condition or situation.”

In their uniqueness, the works ranged from the mundane to the spiritual emphasizing the need for man to believe in himself at all times.

One of the paintings, oil on canvas, titled Fruit Seller, justified some of the symbolisms of life. In it, Olaofuwa Smith has a colourful painting of a lady hawking fruits on the streets. On her face was an impeccable smile to go with her daily toil. On her head was a basket of fruits as she walked from streets to street calling on people to patronize her.

A graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Benin and former inmate of SOS Children’s Village, Isolo, Lagos, Smith explained that although he majored in painting and pencil drawing, his greatest joy is to draw what appeals to the soul.

“A good art work can console your troubled soul. This is one of the issues I tried to portray in Smiles, one of my outstanding works here,” he said.

In Smiles, which is also oil on can-

And young writers seeing these transformations are encouraged. For instance, The Weavers, a writers club, was formed last year on the campus of University of Lagos. Their members meet every Friday to discuss books for the week. A member of the club, Kayode Odumboni said, “it makes me know that books are alive.”

Also, the use of celebrities is also bringing more attention to books and their authors. Already, Segun Odegami, John Fashanu, Ill Bliss, Denrele, and Goldie have been part of this. Ill Bliss while reading at the CelebrityRead Africa special edition for children also chipped in advice.

“Read all you can and understand why people write books.”

At many of these events, to also spice up the line-up, music, drama, and other side attractions take place.

Spoken word performers such as Efe Paul Azino and Jaiye Plumbline and the likes of Kafayat Quadri, Eleri are musical acts that have also featured at these book meets.

Book tours are also beginning to be popular. In 2009, a group of nine authors embarked on a ‘Nine authors and four cities’ tour whereby the authors read their books in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, and Warri. This old practice is on the return and even modern publishers seem to see the need for it. Rookie publisher, Ibiso Graham Douglas, the helmsman at Paperworth Books is also vigorously

• Authors on the Nine Authors and Four Cities Book Tour in 2009

promoting its first work, Tomorrow Died Yesterday written by Chimeka Garricks. Ibiso said, “we go through the whole publishing process.” By that, she means that her outfit does not stop at just printing the books.

The problem of getting published had always confronted authors and it is not synonymous with Nigeria

and Nigerians. But, in the heyday of publishing in Nigeria, manuscripts were usually sourced and funded on behalf of authors. And it was the duty of the publisher to ensure the author and his book got maximum publicity which generated increased sales of the book and visibility for the author.

Perhaps, the present economy has sti-

When art gives hope

•Fruit Seller by Smith

•L-R: Oben, Johnson and Smith, at the exhibition. PHOTO: EDOZIE UDEZE

By Edozie Udeze

vas, Smith demonstrated a combination of designs, merged with different colours to bring out the beauty of smiles. “It has different lines to bring out my own designs. In a way, the work talks of giving hope to the hopeless,” he enthused, grinning.

For Mobalaji Johnson who specialized in fashion designs, the exhibition was good in order to “help us showcase our talents.” Johnson who was admitted into the village in 1984 as a baby described his work as the best way “to show my gratitude to

the world and to the custodians of the SOS. Children’s villages in Nigeria and world over.

He had over 40 accessories and shoes on display. He explained that it took him just two months to package them for the exhibition. He said: “Yes, I attended a fashion school for two years. Then I went back to the SOS. Vocational school to learn how to make beads. That was when I decided to diversify into making beads, shoes and other accessories like clothes, and so on. Yes, it all shows that every man

has the potentials to be great in life,” he said, laughing.

The exhibition which lasted for four days attracted mainly art patrons and enthusiasts who saw the need to buy some of the works to help the needy. Sponsored by some corporate organizations, the proceeds were expected to go into the coffers of the SOS Children’s Villages, to help train more people.

The six artists were Biodun Okemakinde, Olaoluwa Smith, Bolaji Johnson, Sunday Oben, Tosin Fabiyi and Juwon Jones.

fled that role of traditional publishing. Self publishing, not only in Nigeria is now an idea many authors toy with.

In this direction, Jalaa, a writers’ collective formed by nine authors is blazing. So far, the collective has published four works of its authors; Bullets and Roses by Akachi AdimoraEzeigbo, Pride of the Spider Clan by Odili Ujubonu, Runaway Hero by Uche Peter Umez, and Blackbird by Jude Dibia.

With the internet, authors worldwide no longer restrain themselves to terra firma. Online platforms such as pulpfaction.com, naijastories.com, bellanaija.com, sarabamag.com are all kept active for the growth of literature. Nowadays, it is the likes of Temitayo Olofinlua, Myne Whiteman, author of A Heart To Mend that turn the gristmill about Nigerian authors, both new and old.

In addition, in order to catch up with global trends, Nigerian authors are now venturing into producing ebooks. Recently, Eghosa Imasuen, author of To St. Patrick, embraced this technology for the launch of his second novel, Fine Boys. The sale of the book was via Hi-buzz, an online entertainment shopping mall. And the day after the launch, Imasuen engaged his fans in interactive one hour live chat on Facebook which got massive participation.

Nowadays, books are reviewed not only through the arts pages of newspapers but also via social media. According to a blurb on naijastories.com, a website created by Whiteman, the website ‘was created to connect Nigerian writers online by providing an avenue for networking and critique.’

Whiteman says, “authors should work with traditional media including TV, radio and newspapers as well as new social media like Facebook and Twitter to get word out about themselves and their books.”

Though President Goodluck Jonathan launched the ‘Bring back the book’ campaign, the real heroes seem to be the young Nigerians using every available fora to promote reading.

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The Arts

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Straight from the pages

•Ruby performing at the reading

•Nwokolo and Omatseye at the reading

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HE fifth edition of the Book N Gauge monthly reading organised by Pulpfaction Book Club took place penultimate Saturday with two elderly authors and two young spoken-word artists engaging the animated audience in intellectually challenging discussions on topical issues like the lamentable regression in reading culture among young Nigerians, the endless debate on the more preferable between humorous and serious literatures as a way of inaugurating the young into the indescribable pleasure of reading, and the dire need for finding viable solutions to the oodles of avoidable socio-political and economic woes gnawing bitterly at the heart of Nigeria.

On hand for the reading were the irrepressible Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Nation newspaper, Mr Sam Omatseye; the suave Editor and Publisher of African Writing, Mr Chuma Nwokolo Jr; the acerbic poet, Mr Efe Paul; and another radical poet, Mr Tosin whose stage name is Plumbline.

While Omatseye read twice from his new novel, The Crocodile Girl, Nwokolo read from his 2003 novel, Diaries of a Dead African, and his collection of poems, Memories of Stone.

The Crocodile Girl is a theme-studded literary piece with revealing emphasis on the Byzantine complexities of human relationship. Written in a diary form, Diaries of a Dead African humorously focuses on the chequered experiences and aborted dreams of a father and his two sons. Nwokolo’s novel was Pulpfaction Book Club’s October “Book of the Month”.

It was a memorable time for art enthusiasts who gathered at the spick and span Debonair Bookstore, Lagos, recently to listen to authors and spoken-word artists who enriched the day, Ademola Adesola reports In his opening remarks, Omatseye expressed his delight at reading his book to the young men and women in the audience.

“The impression out there is that your generation is more concerned with cheating, seeking pleasure, watching football, among other such issues, rather than reading. Seeing you here tells me that you are not all given to those things. It does not mean those things are not real; they are probably exaggerated. Those of you here are enough to turn things around for good. Society is not built by multitude, but by few people. Seeing you here gives me great hope for this country,” he said.

But when one of the members of the audience observed that it was a fad for the older generation to chide the younger generation for reading less, the author in response wryly noted that “we are living in an increasingly philistine society where those in positions of authority don’t read”. He revealed that when he was growing up his father not only tirelessly encouraged him to read but also read himself. He argued that readers are dwindling. He advised that parents and elderly people should encourage young people to read by reading themselves.

After his own reading, Nwokolo equally responded to some questions among which

was the one on whether young people can be encouraged to like reading by starting with “serious literature”. He contended that adventurous, humorous books “which are not about politics or absence of electricity” would be more appropriate. “If we start like that, we might have started encouraging young people to read. And this is the nature of my next project,” the practising lawyer said.

The reading and discussions were intermittently interspersed with music, entertaining trading of books, and poetic performances by Paul and Plumbline. With loud voices tinged with wounding satire and searing sarcasm, the two revolutionary spokenword artists entertained and at the same time challenged the audience with their political poems.

The works of these artists stirred the proceeding of the event in another direction, as some members of the audience sought to know whether revolution or something similar to the “Arab Spring” would be needed to get Nigeria out of the woods. What became foregrounded at the end of the discussion on the issue was the need for more rigorous thinking that would produce viable ideas of how to run the affairs of the country. The contributors held that they strongly hoped

that things would not degenerate further before the nation gets it right.

One of the coordinators of the book reading, Dotun Eyinade, said, “The reading we had today is unique because we got elderly writers and there were really interesting perspectives. The authors really have interesting views on the nation, how to engage literary works, and issues concerning young people.” He also revealed that the club was planning a bigger book party after the November reading.

A participant, Jolayemi Abiodun, had this to say: “This monthly reading has a way of sustaining your interest. It gives you this hint about some more interesting happening in the subsequent one. In other words, each reading comes with its own uniqueness. I was present at the last edition. I can say that the organisers have not disappointed with the October edition. It was fun-filled”.

Pulpfaction Book Club is devoted to the promotion of the arts and the resuscitation of the much-benefitting reading culture. Since the debut of its reading programme last June, the organisers have remained consistent in announcing the book that participants are to read in preparation for the next reading. They call it “Book of the Month”. Biographical details of the author so chosen are published on the club’s website and other social networks, while those who have read the book are encouraged to come up with reviews, or share with others what they consider salient in the work.

Spotlight on Hourglass

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S the art exhibition tagged: ‘Hourglass: Once upon a time (an exhibition of paintings and conceptual art), by Muyiwa Akinwolere, comes to an end today, many people who are conversant with the work of this Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, graduate will not be surprised at what they have seen so far in the three-day exhibition which started on Friday at the LBS Pan African University, Lagos.

Akinwolere, who works with a wide range of media that include antique ink and found objects, has evolved Adiitu (mystery) as his visual language. This could not be unconnected with his Yoruba roots. Adiitu, his Yoruba mythological approach, is a four dimensional art that is rooted in the workings of the supernatural. While Adiitu has become his signature, the volume of works that he is expected to exhibit on Friday will marvel arts aficionado.

The exhibition which has been tagged ‘Hourglass:Once upon a time (an exhibition of paintings and conceptual art)’, according to Akinwolere, was conceptualized because of the importance of time.

By Gbenga Aderanti

He said he used the exhibition to explain the importance of time and its evolvement. “Once upon a time ‘The Hourglass’ was an ancient devise that was used in measuring time. From time immemorial, mankind had placed so much value on time, that they had to device the means to quantify or measure it. A constant force of life that cannot be stopped.”

According to him, “There will always be time. Time is eternity and eternity is time. It does not matter what the time is, whether it is yesterday, today or tomorrow. It does not matter, whether we will always have the time we need, time will remain constant through eternity.”

Akinwolere, a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-ife, explained that ‘Time’ did not begin with mankind.

The concept of time had been in existence, long before men peopled the earth. Mankind only came to discover it.

“Long before the first man came into being, there was a people-king known to men of old, as EL-kind. It was from these people that the concept of time began.

Time was created at this point in time,”

•Akinwolere’s work, Once-Upon-a-Time

the Adiitu artist explained.

Muyiwa, who was recently awarded a residency at the National Gallery of Art (NGA), Lagos,has taken part in group ex-

hibitions both locally and internationally.

The exhibition was Muyiwa’s first solo exhibition.

Fulham

Sunday, November 6, 2011

VSTottenham

NATIONSPORT SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Fulham

Tottenham S V

ETUHU SET

Ranocchia: ‘Don't blame defenders’

TO

ONSLAUGHT

•Etuhu

SCHWARZER: SPURS IS A BIG GAME FOR FULHAM

SPAIN- LA LIGA Sunday

•Schwarzer

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

SUNDAY

MADRID EYE 10 OUT OF 10 AGAINST OSASUNA

•Zapata

VILLARREAL HOPE TO BOUNCE BACK

MIHAJLOVIC SET FOR FAN SHOWDOWN

GALLAS POISED

TO FEATURE •Pulis

•Coyle

ITALY- SERIE A Sunday

•Gallas

COYLE BOLTON CAN PULL CLEAR OF TROUBLE •Rooney

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

TENI OJIGBEDE

I get along better with guys; they have fewer issues – Page 41

30

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Glamour

Kehinde Falode Tel: 08023689894 (sms)

E-mail: kehinde.falode@thenationonlineng.net

Suit Matters S

style UITS give women a classy look that no other surprise outfit is ever able to give. It is therefore no ing that ladies, especially career women are spend in a apart them set d woul that suits fortunes to get classy women wore crowd. Gone are the days when only a few looking. drab and grey lly usua were they se becau suits now are suits ng atchi eye-c and h These days, stylis and trendy materials among corporate women es. ewiv hous even The type of suits you wear can actually say a lot about you. Fitted suits give a unique look that is both sexy and official at the same time.

According to Mrs. Adeola Joseph of Joseph Collections, Lagos, suits have undergone a revolution in design, fabrics and usage.

“There are different categories of women and men suit; we have traditional, contemporary, one-button, two-button and three buttons; lat front, side vent, vested, ” tuxedos and executive suits, she explained.

She also noted that the occasion determines the type of suit one wears.

Whatever your decision is, just ensure that your first impression is a solid one, because rightly tailored suit complements a good shirt or camisole, jacket. And at times your choice of tie says a lot about you, with just a simple glance.

•Model for Ituen Basi

•Dr Vivian Oputa

•Biola Balogun

What to consider W

HEN it com es to suit, a lmost every style consultant and fa shion exper you to buy t will ad a what you d t least one nice suit n vise o matter o. You will su glance if yo u get it righ rely get a second t suit-wise. you to get An it considered right, the following m d for ; ust be Fabric play general, w s a vital role in the se ool and cott lection of su on are you it. In Waist liner b est bets.

C appropriate hoose the trousers wit w for waist- li aist line-Men with p h the ot belly sho ne with ple ats. uld go Sleeve leng that must n th-Find the appropri ate sleeve le ot be too sh ort or long nght Although y . o u h ave the rig however tr ht to m ousers with hem are bet ake your choice, Consider th ter off. waistline w e jacket waist-Moder ill enhance n and suita your look a b in the crow d. nd distingu le ish you Lastly, the tight nor lo jacket and trousers m ose. ust not be too

•Dr. Doyin Abiola

•Fabric and types

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Glamour

&Ties

Men IES either long, three-quarter or bow have a long ding history of always ad en’s m to itz gl ng ali an appe . it) su d an irt (sh look

T

•Silk necktie

Enter retro sunglasses

•Mr. Ijewere

V

INTAGE and retro styles can easily take us back to a more-desired time. Most retro shades are characterized by their ultra-dark tints and uberchunky rims.

Your choice of sunglasses should be influenced by the shape of your head, your dresswhether official or casual and the colour of your dress.

They come in different grades and really trendy and popular ones are Prada, Versace, Chanel Salvatore Feragamo and Moschino.

Hi Kenny, I am losing my hairs. I will be very grateful if I can find solutions to my problems. Thank you.

0809023.

This problem may be due to two factors: it is either it is hereditary or a result of the use of harmful chemicals on your hair. You should try and discover the reason for your hair breakage first.

Sometimes, hair can break because you have subjected it to too much chemical treatment in the form of shampoos, conditioners, hot treatment etc.

Apply coconut oil and olive oil regularly on your hair, both are recommended since they are both very beneficial and can prevent hair breakage. Apply the oil at bedtime and go to bed with it in your hair. Mix equal amount of avocado oil and some mayonnaise thoroughly until the mixture is even and rub into the hair; this would make the hair smooth and moisturized. Massage egg whites from two eggs directly on to the scalp and leave it on for at least thirty minutes, wash off with warm water. This treatment can be done two to three times a week; this will greatly help in moisturizing your scalp and strengthening your hair. Cheers

•Luxboss bow tie

I don’t think that it is necessary to change the appearance of your skin.

Rather go for body cream that will maintain your natural skin tone.

Dark skin especially on the hands, neck, face and legs is a typical occurrence and this is mostly due to constant high temperature (heat) and it can be a source of embarrassment. And one way I think can minimize this is to avoid walking constantly under the sun, shower twice or three times daily; especially morning and night, and eat well, drink a lot of water, live a stress free life and go for what will make your skin glow and radiant.

Cheers!

•Jimmy Choo

des

•Funky and unique sha

•Chloe

•Omowunmi Akinnifesi, former beauty queen •Bvlgari

eat

I have a light skin, but recently, I just noticed that l am getting darker and because of this, I have had to change my cream often. What cream can I use to tone my skin. I don’t want to bleach. Please I need your advice.

Kelechi 08033

C

OLOUR outline-It is also important to have a loo k at your colour outline; as in what colours will loo k good on you and that best suit your complexion as well as the occasion.

And if you are the typ e that cares about trends, go for patterns and styles tha t are in vogue and create the perfect connection for your pe rson, outfit and the occasio n.

Beauty

31

32

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Glamour

E ssentials Jewelry matters •Manna Jewelry (U.K)

J

EWELLERY accessories are ruling the fashion scene with gleaming hues and bold designs. A suave look will radiate a strong confidence in any woman. While your dress may be simple, your personality will be more enhanced through well-cut and designed jewellery accessories.

Only one of its kind (exclusive) jewellery is what can set you apart from the crowd. It is what makes you

stand out and get you noticed. And as we all know, style is all about how you combine your garb with your other accessories, especially your jewellery.

So, make it a big thing and do not be afraid to match the earrings, necklace and bracelet in different colours that can go with each other.

Selecting and combining your jewellery right can make a whole lot of difference between looking nice and looking magnificent. When choosing which accessories to go with your outfit, play with variety of designs, colours and styles. By doing so, it will enable you to express your personality and at the same time draw attention to your style.

Tips Prettify your neck with piece of jewellery that highlights all For socials, go for glamorous necklace jewellery in gold, silver, pearls or diamonds that will accentuate your style.

Instead of going for single colour, you can take the primary colours of red, blue and yellow beads etc. and mix them into whatever colour you want. But it must not be more than three colours.

•Shade Okoya is one lady who always stand out in exotic and costume jewelry

This year is a year of lots of colourful and painted costume jewellery; they are forever present on the style radar.

t n e s c n e v Hea C

OLOGNE is used for different purposes and producers have learnt to make them having people’s needs in mind.

According to Kate Ogba of Heavenly Scent, a Consultant on cologne type and usage, some are for seductions, others are used to make fashion statements and others to enhance sensuality feeling. In all, the aim is to wear enough fragrance to feel good and make the right impression.

Spray perfume to the pulse pointsusually wrist and neck and around the throat. But do not over apply, thinking that the scent would stay strong all day long.

Do not rub wrists together afterwards as this will flatten the scent. Just allow it to dry out.

Restrain from spraying more perfume periodically throughout the day.

Spray some perfume on the nape of the neck and shoulder for intimate moments.

•Calvin klein

•Lancome Tresor

•Bvlgari

•Model-Warebi Martha

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

ops

Glamour

&

It was an event organised to honour outstanding young men and women, and tagged ‘Young Achievers Awards’. The show held at Balmoral Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos and had various styles on parade.

Photos: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL Blessing Joseph captures the fashion

Kudos

4 1

5

2 3 1

The black gown and the peep toe are good on Sharon Momoh, Kudos!

2

Avoid bra straps when attempting to put on jump suit or anything that exposes the shoulder region, Oops, Ester Ezekiel

3

A pair of Jeans and conset on a tan top on the red carpet, Oops, Dona Diva

4

Mercy Aigbe-Gentry rocks the carpet in this flawless sweet dinner gown, Kudos!

5

Set for dinner in this silk knee-length gown, Kudos, Gloria Toyin Omange

6

Fadekemi Momoh over-exposed herself in this tight-fitting gown showing too much of the boobs region, Oops!

7

Leopard skin dress and matching pair of shoes are perfect on Tokunbo Odedina, Kudos!

6

7

33

34

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Glamour

The Director of Operations, Mi ss Nigeria Pageant and fashion designer, Didi Ocheja, before going into the world of branding and fashion, began her career as a scientist in Biological Research at the Un iversity of Cambridge, UK. In this interv iew with KEHINDE FALODE, she talks about her top ten.

Favour

ite colo

Favourite sunglasses Tom Ford

ur

Favourite actress

Favourite shoes

Genevieve Nnaji

Christian Louboutin

Favourite nail polish

Favourite bags Bottega Veneta (Italian) and Chanel bags

Opi nail polish

Favourite holiday spot Barcelona

Favourite Nigerian designer Jewel by Lisa

Favourite hairdo Ponytail

DIDI’S

10

Top

Favourite wrist watch Omega

Beneath the Charly Boy python scare

Denrele joins Channel O as Veejay!

It was then that the creature came crawling out of its box and charged at the cameras

By Ovwe Medeme

Bianca Black out with two singles

36

Entertainment

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Ajebo reinvents self

Heavily endowed Nollywood actress, Ifeoma Okeke, harbours two amazing slides to her amazing personality. One slide reveals an actress who has had brushes with the ups and downs of being a celebrity while the other unveils a personality that would always follow her heart. In this interview with AHMED BOULOR, the thespian reveals more about her life, her career and other issues.

Y

OU chose to celebrate your birthday this year with kids living with Down syndrome. Is this new or have you been doing this over the years?

This is actually my first time of celebrating with kids with Down syndrome but I mostly throw elaborate parties on my birthdays. However, I usually do things with special children on days like Easter, Christmas Day, and Mothers' Day and so on. I've been doing this for about seven years now. I've been doing it on my own.

Before now, I used to have parties on my birthday. This year, something however told me that I should mark it with these children. Their Public Relations Manager, Chibuzor Patrick, is my friend. There was a day she brought me to see them and since then, I've known them. The children want love. They want to be held and hugged. I'm sure you've seen the way we played.

They have taught me that we all have to give glory to God. They remind me that if we claim to be up there and feel others are down there, the kids remind me that we still have to be humble. They remind me that everyday when you wake up, no matter your condition or situation, you just have to glorify the Lord. It's just one chromosome difference that differentiates us and it's nobody's fault. If you're opportune to be the way you are, you have to be extremely grateful to God because the truth is that some parents are not proud of these kids. Some hide them but there's a woman, Mrs. Rose Mordi, who gives them love.

So, whenever you come and you show them so much love, they call you mummy and hug you as long as you hug them back and play with them.

They even dance and eat with you. I didn't even believe I was going to spend this much time with them. I just thought I was going to come in and leave after a few minutes. I usually come during the week to spend my working hours with them. I really don't like telling people about what I do because

I've noticed that people always talk about it.

I would rather do it without so much buzz around it. If not for the fact that God had destined for us to be together today, I doubt if you'd have been aware of it. Normally, I just do it quietly and at the end of the day, we party and celebrate.

I'm sure you were born and bred in Lagos?

Yes I was.

Let us into your background My name is Ifeoma Okeke. I'm from Anambra State. I'm from Ogidi Idemili North Local Government Area. My mother is from Edo State; Ekpoma. It's my dad who's from Anambra. I'm the second child in a family of five (parents excluded).

There are two other girls and two boys and the girls come first. I attended Onward Nursery and Primary School. I then moved to Ogidi Girls Secondary School, Ogidi. I went to St. Charles Nursing School in Onitsha. I came back to Lagos and did my Diploma in Theatre Arts at the Lagos State Universit y (LASU).

From there, I had

G

EARING up to take his stand among the bigwigs in the comedy industry, fast rising comedian MC Erem says that he now goes by the name Ajebo. Also a presenter with new radio station, Naija FM, the artiste says that his decision to change names stems from demand by his fans.

“I used to go by the name Mc Erem.

Erem is my surname. People had problems pronouncing the name and I wasn't cool with people calling me "MC", I needed a change of name. My colleagues say I talk, dress and act like an Ajebota and the name Ajebo stuck with time. That was how I

Why I am still seriously single —Nollywood actr ess Ifeoma Okeke

my Diploma in Computer Science at the Lagos City Computer College. Then I went back to LASU for my Degree in Business Administration and I have a professional certificate from the Nigerian Institute of Marketing and I just picked up a Masters form in Ibadan.

Could you run through some of the movies that you have featured in?

I've done Twisted (with Empress and Chioma Chukwuka), Mr. Ibu (one and two), Not Man Enough, Lost Temple, Street Life, Narrow Escape, Yogo Pampam, Mental Case, Yeye Man, Local Champion, Women in Power and many others. 'Crossroads' is a soap opera which is airing now on African Magic; 'Treasures' has also been there.

There are a lot.

Now, let's talk about you. You look beautiful…

Thank you. I'm seriously flattered.

But you're not married No I'm not. I'm seriously single.

How come?

It's just life…

But I'm sure you still get advances from men Yes I do all the time, even

There are two of them but I won't talk about one because the journalist involved used to be my friend and I don't talk to her till tomorrow. I never will because what she wrote never happened. She just took the advantage of being my friend and wrote what she wrote. today.

So, how do you cope with all the advances? Is it that you have not found Mr. Right?

He has not come. When he comes, I would know. God's time is the best.

What kind of man do you want?

I don't want to go: 'God-fearing' because that's what everyone says these days. We all want a God-fearing man. I just want a man who would love me for my flaws. That's love. My good side would fill it up. That's all.

With a body as voluptuous as the one you posses, have you ever been sexually harassed?

(Cuts in) I was and never have

37

transformed to Ajebo,” he added.

Over the past weeks, the entertainer's voice has been heard on the Lagos-based radio station. He relates the incidents that led to the new state of affairs. “Yes, I've always had a passion for radio. Throughout my stay in UNN, I had my comedy show "NawaO" on Lion FM, the official radio station of the school. I graduated in November 2010 and moved back to Lagos, AY knew about my passion for radio so when Naija FM needed new OAPs or On Air Presenters, AY sent me to Olisa Adibua for an interview and I was taken.”

With the new passion, the artiste says that his voyage as a comedian got enhanced. Being on radio, he says, sharpens one's sensitivity, speech, nose for news and current affairs.

The artiste-cum-radio presenter reveals that he finds radio presenting more challenging than being on stage.

“I'm on air 11-4pm, Monday to Friday.

I have to beat the traffic to be at work by 10 everyday. I also have to factor in timing, news sourcing, show preps and all that. I don't prepare that much for standup comedy and it's not that often too. However, I love radio and intend to do it for a long time. I hope to own a radio station in the near future. I have it on paper already.

We'll get there by God's grace.”

Hakym’s Scoobi Doo pitches Clarence against Eldee been sexually harassed. Moreover, who is harassing who? Do you know the way I dressed before? I used to be called 'Ify Flaunt It.' I believe if you've got it, you flaunt it. Rekiya and I used to talk about it a lot back then but the thing really got into my head. I just love what I've got.

Would you ever have real sex in a movie?

Never! That would only happen if I'm drugged or dead. But as long as I'm alive, it will never happen. Never! Well, people would know it's not Ifeoma.

What's your favourite colour?

My favourite colours are brown and wine.

What about your favourite food?

I like amala and ewedu soup.

I know you're an actress but who is your favourite Nigerian actor?

I still get goose pimples for RMD. For the females, it's Joke Silva any time any day. On the foreign scene, Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie are my star mates. I also love Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington.

As an actress, if there's one thing you would never do in your career, what would that be?

That would be going naked. I would never act nude.

Not even if it's Hollywood I can't do it because I'm an African woman.

What's your favourite part of your body?

I love my voice, face and my endowments. I also love my leg because I've got good legs.

Of all the media reports about

you that have been untrue, which one hurt you the most?

There are two of them but I won't talk about one because the journalist involved used to be my friend and I don't talk to her till tomorrow. I never will because what she wrote never happened. She just took the advantage of being my friend and wrote what she wrote. The other one was a story about me and Basketmouth.

I was alarmed. I keep telling you guys that if you want the list of men I have had anything to do with, I'll give you. I no dey do hide and seek for my age. As I fine reach, so man go fit dey hide me do corner corner love Basketmouth is not even a friend of mine.

I'm serious. Basketmouth might only know me based on the fact that I'm an actress.

That's all. We've never sat together to talk before. So, when the story came out, it hurt me but I still won't do anything because that is life.

o: I don't want to g cause 'God-fearing' be ne o that's what every all We says these days. ng want a God-feari an am man. I just want e for m who would love love. my flaws. That's ld u My good side wo ll fill it up. That's a

E

VEN before its planned November 1 release, the video shoot of Hakym the Dream's new song, Scoobi Doo, may have started generating heat. Featuring rap sensation Eldee and Karen Igho, winner of the last edition of the Big Brother Africa show in a cameo appearance, it is said that what went down on location of the shoot has pitched music video director, Clarence Peters and Eldee against each other.

They reportedly do not see eye to eye anymore after the incident.

Everything was fine on that fateful day as revealed by a source present at the location. Karen came very early to set. She arrived at 10am, Eldee was billed to show up by 3pm and when he did, Clarence shot his part quickly because he had said earlier that he was busy with the Hennessy Artistry Show.

Events later came to a head when Clarence was editing the video after the

successful shoot. Hakym and his team were pleased with Clarence's work, but Eldee saw the first cut and said he didn't like some part of his verse because according to him, the bumps on his face were too conspicuous. He said he was trying hard to protect his (fine boy) image, so to him, it's better Clarence use only one shot than allow his bumpy jaw to show. He blew his tops saying Clarence should know better as he is a director. “You are supposed to cover it (bumps) with make up or take a less tight shot,” he fumed.

Clarence took him up too accusing the rap star of always picking holes in almost everything and that he is not supposed to complain because it is not his video. “If the owners of the video are satisfied, then I have no business with Eldee,” he retorted.

A source fingered ego as the root cause of this tussle between the two talented young men. He revealed that the duo may have had a run in before the Hakym The Dream's video as they were exuding so much negative vibes against each other because Clarence vowed never to do any alteration on the video. He was however prevailed upon by friends and he turned the shot that showed Eldee's bumps into multiple shots to reduce the focus on artiste's face.

The video is being released on Serengeti Music.

38

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Here comes 45th Havana Music Carnival

W L O H L Y OOD

T

HE ancient city of Ibadan will come alive with an unusual festivity as MTN, Zmirage and KFC brings Havana, a University of Ibadan originated musical concert to the second largest city in Africa.

The show which is scheduled for UEEN Latifah Friday, December 16, 2011 at the has been tapped Trans Amusement Park, Agbowo,

by Sony Pictures Ibadan is coming after much OT the best Halloween Television to anticipation from participants who for Rihanna. Yesterday host her own talk show, have eagerly awaited the staging of she tweeted this set to launch in the fall the historic event. The organizers of message to fans: Along with a of 2013. Will and Jada the event have adopted this new photo of her arm hooked up to Smith are executive date in order to ensure that the an IV. producers on the project. much sought and awaited event Sadly, she was forced to You may or may not ends the year 2011 in grand style. cancel her concert at the Malmo remember that According to Miss Betty Abang, Arena in Sweden because she's Latifah's first Public Relations and Marketing come down with a horrible flu.

Executive, ZMC, the official acting job was Rihanna later released this producers of the event, “We are on The Fresh statement: “I am sorry to working round the clock to ensure everyone who was coming out Prince of Belthat this year's event is replete with to my show in Malmo, Air, so she all the thrills and excitements that Switzerland. I was so excited to and Will go participants have come to expect perform for you all. It would way back. and more.” This year's event, have been a great time…so Sounds like Sony partnered by Genie entertainment much better than being sick have assembled and La face, comprise a series of with the flu, ugh! I'm really a dream team activities which include the disappointed I couldn't be for this one.

Mentoring Session, which comes there.”

The big "O" up on Tuesday December 13th at the Live Nation is working on better look out, Trenchard Hall, University of rescheduling the performance cuz the Queen Ibadan, Trade fairs and Exhibition; with details to follow in the is comin' on as well as the grand finale, Havana next few days.

•Rihana strong!

Music Carnival that encompasses the Havana beauty pageant.

The 44th edition of Havana Music Carnival took place on April 23rd, 2010 with a lot of pomp and magazine, Mariah Yeater claims that on Oct. 25 of 2010, Bieber and two days after the sexual exhilaration. There have been she and Bieber had sex backstage propositioned her backstage at encounter with Justin Bieber. at a concert in Los Angeles and is the Staples Center. She agreed Based upon the timing as well as performances by some of the best of Nigeria's A-list artistes in the now seeking financial support for (because he's the Biebs) and, the fact there were no other past, such as Fela Kuti, Victor her son, Tristyn.

"Immediately, it was obvious that possible men that I had sex with Uwaifo, sir Shina Peters, King "While we haven't yet seen the we were mutually attracted to that could be the father of this Sunny Ade, Seun Kuti, Jaywon, lawsuit, it's sad that someone one another, and we began to baby, I believe that Justin Bieber David Bull, Majek Fashek, KSB, would fabricate, malicious, kiss." She siad is in fact the father of my baby."

•Bieber Femi, Seyi Law, Sound Sultan, and defamatory and demonstrably "When I later realized I was Yeater wants Bieber to submit Ruggedman to mention a few. Last USTIN Bieber's legal team is false claims," Bieber's rep told Us pregnant with Justin Bieber's to a paternity test and pay child year's event was characterized by coming out swinging at a Weekly. "We will vigorously baby, I tried to contact him support. paternity lawsuit from a 20pursue all available legal through his representatives but According to RadarOnline.com, over 20,000 participants; attentiongrabbing fireworks; 150,000 watts year-old woman claiming the remedies to defend and protect no one ever called me back…. On a California court has set a of sound; a giant customized stage, teen star fathered her 3-monthJustin against these allegations."

July 6, 2011, I gave birth to a baby hearing on the matter for not to mention the ambience old baby boy. According to Star Yeater told a California court boy. That was exactly 36 weeks December. occasioned by the creation of the Havana Village.

Havana carnival is a content of Sigma Club, University of Ibadan, which has been in existence since 1955. Sigma Club is a social and philanthropic organization registered in University of Ibadan in 1950. The Club is known for its CTRESS Nana Akua charitable activities that have Addo has joined the brought succor to many through numbers of celebrities her activities in the last 60 years. grabbing bodyguards in Ghana.

This year's edition, organisers T the just concluded Red The actress was stumbled on in say will be fun-filled with two Lipstick All-female town with her bodyguard at the customized stages and 22 iconic Concert held at the Dome Red Lipsticks All Female Musical artistes billed to perform come the of the Accra International Concert.

D-day.

Conference. Over 1,500 audiences Nana Akua recently finished were put into a period of her latest movie 'Destiny's Child', argument when Ghanaian actor which also stars Roselyn •Dumelo with Becca John Dumelo, surprisingly Ngissah, Helen Asante as well as •Tuface stepped up on stage, and was said Eddie Watson, Sammy Forson, to have had a feel of the singer's Chi-chi Neblett, Ciara Zita lips while performing her 'Forever Galega and Eunice Asiedu with HANAIAN Dancehall veering off the road and crashing and Ever' song. special guest artistes Mimi, artiste Emmanuel Samini into a gutter”. The incident Ephraim and Rough & Smooth!

As at the time this story is beeb She has couple of movies to her is actually thanking God occurred near Exhibition Junction filed, the two celebrities involved credit; she is also the brand for sparing his life last week at Dansoman in Accra”. He were not reachable to confirm or ambassador for 'New Royal EM Sunday, after a serious car revealed reveal what really happened on Bread Improver'. accident on his way back from a "I want to use this opportunity the stage. musical concert. to assure my fans that I'm quite Currently, there is a rising According to samini, “At about fine now, and ask that they pray controversy over what really for me continually because it is happened on stage as opinions are 5am, I lost control of the steering totally due to their unceasing divided over it. While others said wheel after an animal - a dog, I prayers that have kept me alive “they kissed,” others claimed “he believe crossed the road from nowhere resulting in my car today,” Samini added. only gave her a peck”.

Rihanna hospitalized N

Queen Latifah the next Oprah?

Q

Justin Bieber hit with 'Sad' paternity suit

J

Crane over Ghollywood

Nana acquires bodyguards

Did John Dumelo peck or kiss Becca?

A

A

Samini survives car accident

G

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

39

What happened to Ayo Badmus dream?

A

•Ayo Badmus

YO Badmus was said not to be left behind in the fad of actors turning into producers. The actor had declared in 2009 that he was shooting his first movie. An indigenous flick, he called it. But the question on the lips of his waiting fans is what could have happened to the actor's dream of becoming a movie producer. It becomes more worrisome that not much has been heard about the actor himself in recent time.

When he was asked about his dream movie in a telephone chat

recently, he replied “We are still in the early stages of the production. But I would not want to give all the details yet, because we are working very hard to make sure it is successful. And I also want to give my fans the best.”

It would be recalled that Ayo Badmus won the 2006 AfroHollywood award as Supporting Actorin a lead role. Well known for his role as Ogagu, in Tunde Kelani's film, Abeni, Ayo is one actor whose movie appearances are though few but remarkable.

Cunlesong makes debut with ‘Beyond’

H

E is virtually unknown on the gospel music scene, but Kunle Aderehinwo, a.k.a Cunlesong, is ready to make a meaningful impact with his debut collection of songs entitled “Beyond”.

Culesong hails from Ondo State but was born and raised in Lagos where he attended primary and secondary schools.

He is presently studying Public Administration at the Lagos State University (LASU). He started singing as a teenage choir member in church before he ventured into music professionally.

His eight-track album, which

was recently released, has been doing well in the market. And the track 'Bire' has been enjoying airtime on radio. The video has been shot and will be released soon.

Speaking to The Nation, he said: "My parents were not fully in support of my musical career initially because they wanted me to go to school before any other thing, but with time they started supporting me.”

The gospel singer also revealed that it took him time to find a suitable producer to produce his first album but he eventually did. “Initially meeting a producer that

•Cunlesong,

understands my kind of music was a major problem at the beginning, until I met my producer who eventually produced my album which has been released into the market.”

NMVA nomination for Attitude

F

•Attitude

OR emerging female rap sensation, Attitude, a nomination by the Nigerian Music Video Awards (NMVA) for her song, 'Street Cry', is recognition of the effort she has put into the industry.

To her credit, the soft-spoken rapper-cum-songwriter has dropped string of singles as she finalizes plans for the launch of her long-awaited debut album, entitled Still In Da Game. Since the release of the single, which featured artiste/producer Jonah De Monarch, the Cross River State-born female rapper has been enjoying rave reviews in both print and electronic media.

Her latest string of singles which include, Street Cry, Some Attitude and Hope for Living, are gradually penetrating the airwaves too, with applause for the singer. She's equally working towards unveiling the videos of Street Cry and Hope for Living, very soon.

Although, no date has been announced for the release of her debut album, which is scheduled to be out on iRoom Entertainment, a new entrant into the industry, it is expected that the album will be a hit. Before going solo, the budding rap act used to be a member of a hip-hop movement called Game.

A

into entertainment when she was about six years old as a dancer and choreographer in primary school.

Jennik became active in the world of music at the age of 17 when she recorded her first single, and ever since she has not looked back.

She is also a student of the University of Benin where she currently studies Agricultural Science, and with the release of her current single she hopes to make a name for her self on the local scene and across the continent.

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OMMUNICATION outfit, Globacom, is set to take the excitement this year to Ojude Oba as it features its popular entertainment programme, Rock 'n' Rule in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. Promising its teeming subscribers in the town and its environs mouth-watering branded gifts in order to make the yearly carnival memorable, the Ojude Oba edition of Rock 'n' Rule will showcase comedy, music and drama.

The event which holds at the Glo Pavillion, Ijebu Ode, and features artistes including Shina Peters, Wiz Kid, Terry G, Father U Turn and Jimmy Jatt on the juke box while Gbenga Adeyinka will compere the occasion.

Making the disclosure in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Group Chief Operating Officer of Globacom, Mr Mohammed Jameel, represented by the Head, Glo 1, Mr Folu Aderibigbe, said that Globacom has sponsored the postEid el Kabir festival for seven consecutive years.

The sponsorship, he said, is to

celebrate the unique culture of the Ijebu people as well as to foster the cause of tourism in the country. Ojude Oba festival is similar in conviviality to the Rio de Janeiro carnival and attracts tourists from all over the world.

In addition to this, the company said it also desired to contribute its quota to the socio-economic development of Ijebu land owing to the fact that the festival had become a rallying point for sons and daughters of the area to converge in order to channel the course of development for the people.

The sponsorship, Jameel revealed, is also geared towards positioning Globacom as a brand which respects the peoples of Nigeria and hoped to bring its products and services closer to the grassroots on the platform of the festival.

Similarly, network-related queries will receive attention as consumer devices like laptops and handsets will be provisioned to enable access to value added services.

Maltina takes Show Your Swag to Yenagoa

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USICAL dance gig and dance road show aimed at discovering budding talents across the country and titled Show Your Swag, last weekend found its way to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State amidst fun and excitement as youths trooped out in their large number to participate in the dance competition.

Put together by Maltina, no fewer than 40 contestants took their turn to display dance skills and incredible stunts to the amazement of close to a thousand audience that filled the hall.

Event manager of the Maltina Show Your Swag, Tunji Aikomo of BatesCosse Limited could not hide his excitement at the turn of event in Yenagoa. In his words, the Bayelsa show was a huge •Helen Paul and heartthrob

Jennik drops ‘Something About You’ RMED with a smash hit single entitled “Something About You”, fast rising songstress Jennifer Azubuike, a.k.a Jennik, seems set to take her pride of place on the music scene.

The student of the prestigious MUSON center in Lagos where she is studying to perfect the keyboards and also broaden her musical knowledge cites Asa, Brandy and 2face Idibia as her role models Born on the 28th of October, 1990 in the ancient city of Benin, the singer, songwriter, dancer and model began her journey

Glo Rock 'n’ Rule to grace Ojude Oba

success. “The contestants lived up to expectations with the kind of the out-of-the-world stunts they displayed at the show and the members of the audience too are wonderful with the level of cooperation and support they gave to us,” he said.

At the end of the Maltina Roadshow in Bayelsa, two sets each of 2.5KVA generator sets, 21 inch TV sets and Home Theatre sets where given out to winners as well as many Maltina freebies.

Emmanuel Enaturu, Karo James and Emmanuel Peter were first, first and second runners up respectively in the male category while Blessing Godwin, Celestina Godspower and Treasure Eghagha came first, first and second runners up in the female category.

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Entertainment

Minisaa drops ‘Freedom Song’

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ISING performer, Patience Obiageli Epelle popularly called Minisaa has just released her first song entitled 'Freedom Song' in audio and video versions.

In a statement made by the artiste, “Freedom Song” is an African Calypso with a Zulu feel. It is a song from my heart, a gift to all freedom loving Africans and Nigerians and that is why it took me quite a while to produce it because I had to feel the song before serving it to my fans. I am happy with the outcome because the song and its video are getting rave reviews on both TV and radio.

Minisaa also stated that she got inspiration for the song from the recent happenings in the northern part of Nigeria.

“The inspiration for the song came as a result of what is currently happening in the Northern part of Nigeria and in some parts of Africa, particularly Northern Africa.

It breaks my heart when I remember African brothers and sisters being killed on the street like dogs when they are supposed to be free in their own land. So the song is dedicated to all Africans and Nigerians who are experiencing civil strife,” she said.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

BIG

CINEMA GUIDE

ABUJA

PICTURE Supported by: SILVERBIRD CINEMAS

Dolphin Tale garners compassion

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NSPIRED by the amazing true story of a brave dolphin and the compassionate strangers who banded together to save her life, the flick Dolphin Tale provides a break from the blood-sucking creatures of the night and bone-crunching martial artists.

A movie directed by Charles Martin Smith, from an original screenplay by Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi, Dolphin Tale introduces the titular creature by way of 11-year-old Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), a quiet, withdrawn boy who is forced to attend summer school after failing most of his classes.

He lives with his mother Lorraine (Ashley Judd) in the coastal city of Clearwater, Florida, and appears to be disinterested in life. His father is out of the picture, and Kyle (Austin Stowell) his closest male relative, a champion high school swimmer with aspirations of competing in the Olympics, has enlisted in the Army to earn enough money to pay for his training.

Sawyer happens to pass by a fisherman (Richard Libertini) at the same time that a dolphin washes up on shore. The hapless animal is entangled in a crab trap, and her tail badly damaged. In a compassionate spectacle, Sawyer stays with the dolphin until an animal rescue unit arrives.

The next day, he sneaks into the marine hospital and learns that Winter, as the injured dolphin has been named, may not survive very long. Morgan Freeman then enters the picture as a superhero / prosthetic specialist who may have a solution for the tail-challenged Winter, and all becomes right with the world.

Sawyer gets absorbed in the activities of the marine hospital and becomes friends with Hazel, a girl about his age (Cozi Zuehldorff); Dr. Clay Haskett, her father (Harry Connick Jr.); and her

grandfather Reed (Kris Kristofferson), a sailor who fell from grace from the sea and is now retired, living on a boat docked next to Hazel and Clay, and periodically dispensing nuggets of grandfatherly wisdom.

Sawyer cuts summer school to help care for Winter, which understandably upsets his mother.

But once Lorraine sees for herself what Sawyer has been doing, she becomes warmly supportive. She has to work full-time, and she'd rather see him spend his days happy doing something "real" as opposed to sitting unhappily in a classroom taught by a stern teacher (Ray McKinnon).

A teasing plot, Dolphin Tale sometimes feels soggy, as the film digs too hard to wrest tears from the eyes of empathetic viewers. For the most part, Dolphin Tale is honest and true, supplicating parents to consider the best way to instruct their children, encouraging children to seek out the natural world rather than the virtual, and proclaiming to everyone the wonder and beauty of a dolphin in flight through the water.

In Time: Staging a time-obsessed future

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ITH a compelling, futuristic storyline, the tone is set for action sci-fi flick, In Time.

Based on a future where humans are genetically engineered to live for 25 years after which they stop ageing.

Then, they are given a year's worth of time. This sets the stage for a society where time becomes the currency that is earned and spent.

Enter Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), a factory worker age 28, who literally lives one day at a time trying to provide enough hours for himself and his mother (Olivia Wilde) to live on. One night, while out at the local bar with his best friend Borel (Johnny Galecki), Will finds himself in the middle of a situation involving a neighborhood timebandit, Fortis (Alex Pettyfer), and one Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), a wealthy man from “New Greenwich” who buys out the bar because he has more than a century's worth of time on his clock.

Will saves Hamilton from a horrid fate and the rich man confesses that his will to live has run out well before his physical clock. As a parting gift, Hamilton passes Will a century to spend as he likes. Will's change of fate lasts long enough for him to briefly experience the luxury of New Greenwich and gamble his way into an even longer amount of time.

••Minisaa

When Will is falsely accused of murder, he must figure out a way to bring down a system where time is money, thus enabling the wealthy to live forever while the poor, like himself, have to beg, borrow and sometimes steal enough minutes to make it through another day.

He also runs into Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), daughter of wealthy time mogul Phillippe Weis (Vincent Kartheiser). Sylvia has all the time a person could want, but has not experienced a single day worth living, so naturally she is quickly smitten with Will's “every second counts” passion for life.

When the Time Keepers come to forcibly repossess Will's time, Will is forced to flee with Sylvia as a hostage and a chase follows. A Robin Hood-style crime spree that is meant to be some socio-political statement therefore ensues.

In Time produces a nice blend of sci-fi elements with human drama in order to raise larger philosophical points about the society and existence. The idea of time as currency has huge metaphorical and thematic potential, and in the first act it seems as though the film will utilize this potential by exploring issues like what it is to “live” vs. “exist,” and how the investment of time as a life or death matter realigns one's perceptions of what's worthwhile, and how to live life.

Gossip Nation (Nig movie) Genre Drama Gossip Nation takes multiple characters each on his or her journey through the strained community of Blacktown. Each character touches another through the destructive power of gossip.

Kemi, a Nigerian immigrant in her 20s, spreads damaging gossip within her African community out of her need to be loved, starting the fires of greed, jealousy and loneliness to those she touches.

RA. One Genre: Action/Adventure The film begins with Jenny Nayar of "Barron Industries" introducing a new technological product to an audience. The technology, dealing with transfer of data through different types of rays and blending of real and virtual words, evokes a very excited response from all the people present. The plot then moves to a dream sequence in which Lucifer battles the Khalnayak, a game character who has taken the Desi Girl hostage .

Lucifer rescues the Girl, but suddenly wakes in class to the chagrin of the teacher In Time Genre: Action/Adventure In a future where time is literally money and aging stops at 25, the only way to stay alive is to earn, steal, or inherit more time. Will Salas lives minute-to-minute, until a windfall of time gives him access to the world of the wealthy, where he teams up with a beautiful young heiress to destroy the corrupt system.

Johnny English Reborn Genre: Action/Adventure In his latest adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty's Secret Service must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos. In the years since MI-7's top spy vanished off the grid, he has been honing his unique skills in a remote region of Asia. But when his agency superiors learn of an attempt against the Chinese...

Jerusalem Countdown When nuclear weapons are smuggled into America, FBI Agent Shane Daughtry is faced with an impossible task -- find them before they are detonated. The clock is ticking and the only people who can help are a washed up arms dealer , a converted Israeli Mossad Agent and a by- the-book CIA Deputy Director.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Genre: Action/Adventure A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Glamour

Sometime ago, you started one of the most popular hangouts in Ikeja, what informed that decision?

I've always wanted to have a bar/restaurant, and a friend of mine, who always hears me talking about it, when the space came up informed me about it, and a few of us came together and put it up. I don't like mediocre stuff. There are so many alternatives, so if you are going to do something, if you can't do it properly and do it well, then why do it in the first place.

A lot of people are wondering why you started the business with male partners?

I get along better with guys, because they have fewer issues.

But you later moved out of the business?

I didn't actually move out of the business; that's a misconception. We've all grown, and everyone has something else that they are doing. It wasn't going to be forever; it was a launch pad, and a pretty good one at that.

We are still okay. After five-six years, you should be able to separate from your business and let it run with or without you. Also, I'm a live and let live person, so I believe in letting people do what they want.

Are you still a director?

Yes, definitely.

Recently, you came up with Rodizzo, can you tell us about it?

Rodizzo is a dream come true. It's project that had been on the cards for a while. I wanted a place of my own where people could come in, sit down and celebrate without rushing, and that's what I have now. Also, I wanted a bar, not a club, where people can come on any day and relax with no obligation to do anything. Just buy drinks, chat with your friend and if you want to sit alone, fine, and if you just want to relax with a partner, okay! I've also always wanted a cocktail bar.

The life span of most bars is five years, what are you doing to remain relevant for a long time?

Obviously, I can't see past where I am right now. The truth is clubs have a life span, restaurants don't, bars don't. Let's think about it. There are some restaurants that have served generations, and are still relevant and alive. It's about maintaining your standards. If you have what people want, they would definitely come back for it. My place doesn't have the feel of a club; it's not dark. It's just a lounge or a bar, and that's what we are aiming for, a place where people can come on any day.

How do you manage all the things you are involved in?

Truth is that I don't do them all together; there's a season for everything. For Adam & Eve, I don't run it anymore, at least not in the real sense of the word. There's Gemstone Café, which I've closed due to certain issues.

How does your immediate family feel about your many endeavours?

Like I said earlier, I'm a live and let live kind of person. I've g o t three kids, with two of them in boarding school. They are pretty independent. I have a one year old, but I manage to juggle.

How do you relate with your kids, do you understand Yoruba at all?

I speak Yoruba with my kids very well. When you see me with my kids, you'll see the Yoruba in me. The truth is I got married pretty young.

What age was that?

At 21! I didn't think getting married early was an issue. Of course when I was younger, I hung out a lot. I liked to hang out with my friends, not necessarily at parties or clubs, but neutral places.

How did your parents react to your decision to get married at that young age?

It's easy for me to make up my mind, and my parents generally stay with my judgment. I'm very decisive, and I've learnt to live with the consequences of my actions.

The thing with my parents is that they let you know the consequences of the actions you want to take, and leave you to decide. That's pretty much how we were raised, and I think it made us confident and sure of ourselves.

How did you get your tattoos?

The first one, I was in the neighbourhood, so I just got it. My friend had a scar and wanted to get a tattoo to cover it, so I decided to get mine too.

What kind of clothes do you fancy?

I like short skirts. I like shorts; I like whatever makes me happy, I like Ankara and woodin. I cannot just say that if you find me somewhere, this is what I'll be wearing. I dress comfortably and whatever I'm wearing, you can be sure I'm comfortable.

What is the lesson life has taught you?

Ha! Always listen to people; I like people to comment on whatever I do, because it helps me grow.

‘I was trained to be independent’

She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but Teni Ojigbede has turned out to be a selfdriven and independentminded entrepreneur. In this interview with KAYODE ALFRED, she talks about what makes her tick and her new project

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HERE are so many sides to you, how would you describe yourself? I'm a simple person who likes to be active; I love to create things, get new ideas and try out things.

What brought about this craft you are into?

I've actually always done something for myself. When I was in school, I realized sitting in an office was not for me, so I knew I had to do something that would task and bring the best out of me.

Tell us about your educational background?

I went to Federal Government Girls' College, Benin. It was six years of enlightening and lovely experience. Thereafter, I went to the University of Ilorin for a year, and then I went to Coventry University in the United Kingdom where I studied Business Administration, but majored in Tourism and Hospitality. During that time, I did a couple of mobile discos, tried my hands at DJing, and then I finished, and came back. I started doing home- ware and did it for some time, after which I discovered my love for creating things. I'd mix simple ingredients and come up with something nice, and I discovered I actually liked doing it. I made things for my family… my friends would come around and eat my pasta dinner, and it just sort of started from there.

What did your parents think of it when you started?

Well, I have to give kudos to them, because they are pretty open-minded about most things. My dad was a bit strict, but my mum was supportive. My siblings all went out of the country for their studies. My brother went to school in Rhode Islands, US, the other, Dublin. So, if you are sending them out, you have to be ready for them to come back with what they get. After the initial 'what!' it took a while, but every time I want to do something, he wonders why I like all the difficult things, why can't I do the normal thing. But now he's used to it.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Glamour

&

OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL (08033572821) raphseg2003@yahoo.com

R-L: Chief Kola Williams, Alhaji Raheem Oshodi, Husband and Alhaji Aliyu Umaru

R-L: Dr Shade Disu, Mrs Deroju Koshoni, Mrs Peju Marinho

70 cheers to Onikepo Oshodi

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AST week was a joyous one for top politician, business woman and Rotarian, Chief (Mrs) Onikepo Oshodi who turned 70. To mark the occasion, a lunch party was organised for her at the PiliPili Restaurant, Sheraton Hotel by the Rotary Club of Ogudu which was attended by family, friends and wellwishers.

R-L: Chief Mrs Onikepo Oshodi, and her husband Alhaji Raheem Oshodi

R-L: Chief Bode Alayande, Hajia Ausat Umaru and Alhaji Aliyu Umaru

Among guests were members of the Association of Lagos Titled Chiefs, members of the Cosmopolitan Women’s Club and Rotary Club of Ogudu and well known socialites.

R-L: Chief Joseph Obi, and Chief Ishola L-R: Senator Kofo Bucknor Akerele , Lasisi and Hajia Bintu Tinubu

By Patience Saduwa

Chief, Mrs Opral Benson

L-R: Mr Olakunle Sokunbi, and Chief Adebutu Keshinston,

Fatai Rolling Dollar @ 85

Obey Fabiyi

Amb. Segun Olusola

Orlando Julius

Glory, G. Girl

L-R: Hjia Mujidat Balogun and Adenike Adepoju L-R: Ola Balogun and Yinka Alakija

Veteran Highlife musician, Fatai Rolling Dollar is enjoying every moment of his old age. Last week, he played the perfect host to his colleagues in the music industry and other celebrities at a party to mark th his 85 birthday.

Olusegun Rapheal covered the event at Combo Hall, Ikeja, Lagos.

Mrs Folake Taiwo

Celebrant, Fatai Rolling Dollar

FROM THE CAMPUS PAGE 46

THE NATION SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Merciless Messi •Messi

H

E is undoubtedly the best player in the world and not only

by FIFA ranking but by the rankings of all football lovers worldwide. I have heard people refer to him as “winch”, “wizard”, “angel”, “wicked”, “beast”, “bastard” but his real name is Lionel Andrés Messi.

At just 24 years of age, the Argentine striker/winger is the current ballon d’or and FIFA World Player of the Year, and I don’t see him handing over the crown to anybody else in the nearest future.

It’s not surprising that he started playing for his first club Grandoli at the age of five.

His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his "successor" which has also earned him the nickname

With Prof. Emmanuel Ojeme

From Bunmi Ashebu “Messidona”.

Like Maradona, Messi was considered too small and had to be “pumped” up. His lack of growth though was caused by a hormonal deficiency in his bones. His love for Barcelona started at the age of 13, when Barcelona agreed to take care of his medical bills of over 500 pounds a month. Their foresight (both club and family) has proven to be a great investment.

In June 2005, he was the highest goal scorer with 6 goals and he was voted player of the tournament, ahead of our own John Obi Mikel, in the Under-20 World Cup, after his pair of penalties had secured a win in the final over Nigeria. It is very hard to believe that those two used to be in the same league as

they are worlds apart now.

John Carlin rightly put it in describing him. “Messi is a creature as biologically adapted to play football as a shark is to smell blood, a salmon to swim upstream and a squirrel to gather nuts. In Leo Messi, the football world is united. I am yet to meet one person who has a different opinion of the guy.

It’s indeed an amazing story for someone who was/is physically challenged. It is actually worth getting on a pulpit and testifying about.

Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal before his team-mate Bojan Krkic broke his record. It didn’t take too long for major titles to follow. Barcelona won La Liga in his debut season, and won the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. In 2006–07 season he became the only man after Iván Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994– 95 season) to score a hattrick in El Clásico. We thought we had seen it all but alas….the following season was even more successful. He scored 38 goals to play an important part in a treble-winning campaign and last season, he scored 53 goals including the eventual game-clinching goal at Wembley in the champion’s league final giving Barcelona their third title in six years and fourth overall.

This season hasn’t been any different and it makes me wonder how one man can be at that level week in week out, season in season out.

Messi started the season by lifting the Spanish Supercup with Barcelona, scoring three goals and providing two assists in a 5–4 aggregate win against Real Madrid. He scored again in the next official match against Porto in a 2– 0 victory and the UEFA Super Cup which was the only official competition that remained for him to score in. Next stop, La Liga; He began the campaign with two goals against

Villarreal and like Wayne Rooney, he would go on to score hat-tricks in back to back home games against Osasuna and Atlético Madrid.

He has since then scored a couple more hat tricks and we are not even in January yet. He has broken many records in the La Liga and I expect him to set records that will be difficult to break.

He has continued to flourish match after match.

He has been simply awesome.

He has ABSOLUTELY no mercy when he is on the pitch of play.

With his current form week in week out, he steals the headlines from the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas and other prodigies.

Even though he has Maradona’s style of play, with the flowing highspeed dribble, he has also been able to add some of Xavi and Iniesta’s playmaking, and Villa’s finishing. It is also nice to note that off the pitch, he is nothing like Diego Maradona. He is a quiet and a shy person. I really don’t see him as one who would acquire the dangerous habits that sent his former national team coach into rehabilitation several times.

He also seems to me like a man who will end his career at the Camp-Nou with a sellon clause of about 150 million Euros, Barcelona might as well have put a “notfor sale” sign on his forehead.

He is every defenders nightmare but even those he is faced against can’t help but applaud his brilliance sometimes.

There are people who are of the opinion though that Messi is not that fantastic when wearing the Argentinean shirt and that it is the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and a few of his teammates that make him as special as he is. Some have even said he doesn’t have the leadership qualities that the great Diego Maradona had and impacted on the Argentine team back then.

Whatever his “flaws” are which I can’t be objective enough to see; I thank the Lord that this boy Lionel Andres Messi played football in my generation and trust me it is a fantastic story to be told generations to come.

Sports teacher in the development chain (1)

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N all fields of human endeavour, teachers are school based practitioners whose main role is the socialization of the learner into the accumulated heritage of society in all ramifications. The teacher also inducts the learner in the current traditions as well as equips him with the power to anticipate and cope with future challenges. The teacher is an educational change agent in the lives of pupils and students. This is the case or contextualization of the physical education teacher in his area of operation.

Because the processes and experiences associated with the teachers’ school work is both professional and technical, the physical education teacher undergoes a process of professional socialization to prepare him for this role.

Consequently, a physical education teacher is an individual with both pedagogical and subject matter knowledge, competences and dispositions. These attributes enable him to most professionally and competently do his work of providing physical and sports education for pupils and students in the school situation. The physical education teacher aggregates the knowledge base of his subject in a synoptic manner. He possesses the skills of human movement activities, sports and games and the power to induct pupils and students into the world of sports from the cognitive, affective and psychomotor perspectives. All of these happen in the instructional or classroom setting.

Taking the physical education and sports experiences out of the classroom and into the field of playful activities, also known as intramural sports, the physical education teacher plays the role of guide in providing a broad range of joyful sports and games sessions for pupils and students.

This setting is crucial because it promotes the incubation and cultivation of sports skills and acquisition of enhanced participatory capacity by pupils and students.

Taken together, the physical education teachers’ work in the classroom and in the field of play are at the heart of sports development challenges which in itself has the central mission of having kids with the right attitude to sports, knowledge and skills of sports for effective performance. The culture of sports which the physical education teacher cultivates as an integral component of his professional duty, can best promote this sports development objective. From this culture, emerges a subpopulation of skilled and gifted sports boys and girls who can benefit from further training to boost their performance ability and capacity. The near absence or thinning out of school boy athletes in Nigeria today, is part of the heartache of our national sporting programmes. But are we getting it right whenever, we seek school sports development? School sports must be rooted in proper teaching of physical education in schools in the same way that the hope of producing medical doctors, engineers and lawyers among others, are rooted in the proactive entrenchment of related subject areas in the school system.

Government must take physical education teachers more serious and ensure their engagement in schools for their key role in promoting the physical education of Nigerian children and contributions to sports development.

• Some school children in action

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

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With Patience Saduwa

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

‘I don’t expect to be treated differently because of my gender’ Mrs Taiwo Tolulope Owoeye is the Director, Lead City High School, executive director, College Press Publishers, director, Lead City Microfinance Ltd and member of the board of directors, Lead City University all based in Ibadan. She spoke with Biodun-Thomas Davids on the motivation for establishing the schools, her responsibilities, challenges and how women can succeed in their careers or business. Excerpts: WORKING LIFE

W

HAT led to the founding of Lead City University?

Eduserve Consult of which my husband is chairman simply responded to the call for private sector participation in higher education by the Federal Government by applying for a license to establish a private university. The application was lodged in 2001 but the license itself came in 2005. By then Lead City High School, which included an expansive “A” Level arm was properly positioned to serve as a major feeder for the university.

You started off with Lead City High School.

What motivated you in setting it up?

‘Well! Lead City High School was founded by my husband. At that time, about eleven years ago, he was consulting for some institutions from the UK and South Africa involved in the Cambridge ‘A’ level programme and distance education, respectively. The facility housing the ‘A’ level programme eventually expanded into a full-fledged secondary school known as ESC Model College and now Lead City High School. The school is now located in its own premises in Jericho GRA, here in Ibadan.

What were some of the challenges you faced in the early days of the school?

I will say that God has been faithful regarding student enrolment. Lead City High School started with a pioneer class of about 15 students with 70 percent on scholarship. Eventually, enrolment blossomed to the extent that all the classes now have two arms. We have been blessed too in the area of staff recruitment.

Many of our foundation staff are still in the system.

Though, cost of school run-

• Owoeye: ‘I enjoy mixing with my students and mentoring them’

•Money making tips: ‘Women can succeed in any business they venture into with determination’

ning if you do not want to cut corners, is challenging.

What does your job entail?

We have two schools - a Junior School and a Senior School. I run the schools with the assistance of two able heads of School and the other teachers. I enjoy interacting with our students and mentoring them. It also

makes me very happy that they are free with me and confide in me. I also attend to parents and those intending to be part of our community.

From your experience, can you tell us how hard it is for women to succeed in business?

With determination, women can succeed in any

“I have never in all my working life experienced gender intimidation or disrespect. In fact, I did not really give this much thought until I went for a conference and some women discussed how they faced discrimination at work. I have a policy of keeping my work and home separate”

business they venture into.

Once you get married however, your success depends on the support you have, at what stage of your life you start the business and the type of business you venture into. Some businesses are easier for married women than others.

Being a woman and Director of the schools, have you at anytime experienced gender discrimination or disrespect?

I have never in all my working life experienced gender intimidation or disrespect. In fact, I did not really give this much thought until I went for a conference and some women discussed how they faced discrimination at work. I have a policy of keeping my work and home separate. When I am at work, I do my work like everyone else. I don’t expect to be treated differently because I am a woman. It does not even cross my mind! I don’t make excuses for my sex. I don’t take time off for family reasons except when absolutely necessary. I am proud to say that I have never been found slothful in the place of work and have always been

commended everywhere I have worked.

What is your advice to younger women with entrepreneurial spirit on how they can succeed in business?

Work hard, be God fearing, be bold and be focused. Learn all you can about your business and

PERSONAL BITS Born 50 years ago in Ibadan, Oyo State, Taiwo Tolulope Owoeye attended Queens’ School, Ibadan and the International School, University of Ibadan for one year (lower sixth form)for her secondary education.

From there, she proceeded to the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), formerly University of Ife, where she studied Microbiology and graduated in 1981.

After her NYSC she taught for about a year and then went to the University of Ibadan for a master’s programme in Library Science in 1983. She also attended professional courses at the

continue to educate yourself all the time. Keep your eyes open, be fair to others and treat others as you would want them to treat you.

Take risks from time to time. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Again, live a good life and take time off to rest. You owe yourself that much.

Stanford University and at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She joined the services of the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, OAU, in 1985 and worked there for about six years.

She also worked as an editor at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for 10 years (1990 to 2000), after which she resigned her appointment as coordinating editor with the Institute to work with her husband.

She has been working with her husband since then as the executive director of College Press Publishers and director, Lead City High School. She’s also a director at the Lead City Microfinance Bank Ltd.

New WOMAN

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

49

When your partner’s habits threaten marital bliss LOVE LIFE •Continued from last week

M

Y family members particularly my parents had no idea what was going on in my marriage. On the surface, we were the perfect couple and we were often used as an example of how a married couple should be.

Inside me, however, I was going through a mini hell. The abuse, both physical and psychological continued. When I couldn’t bear it any longer, I had to open up to somebody. I just couldn’t sit down and watch my marriage fall apart.

My husband had this relative, an aunt that he loved and respected a lot.

You see his mum died when he was still very young and she contributed a lot to his upbringing. I went and narrated everything that had been going on in my home. She was surprised at all that had been happening and even berated me for not confiding in her earlier.

She promised to talk to him.

It seemed to work for there was relative peace in my home for a while. My husband became more loving to me, treat-

ing me like he used to during our courtship.

It was during this period that I became pregnant with my second son, Tobi. It was a happy time for us. But like before, it didn’t last. David reverted to his old ways after Tobi’s birth.

There was a day he threw me down the stairs and I almost broke my legs. The following day, fearing for my life, I moved back to my parents home. At least, there my kids and I would be safe.

We’ve been there nearly six months now. My husband has come twice to beg me to return home. His aunt and other members of his family too have been pleading with me. I have been tempted, because, truth is, despite all he has done to me, I still love him. Besides, my older son keeps pestering me about his daddy, when he will see him.

But anytime, I remember the horrible times with him, my resolve hardens. I can’t go through all that again. It’s too much pain and heartache.

(Readers reaction to this story and whether Martina should forgive her husband and return to her matrimonial home or remain separated, are welcome. Please send sms to 08023201831 or email: psaduwa@yahoo.com.

Tips for positive parenting PARENTING •Continued from last week

• Head over heels: Certain habits of a partner can make the flame of love, that burned brightly in the early days of the relationship to fade

W

ITH little money you may decide to pick activities like board games. There are many games which cost about a thousand naira or less. These will include cards, drafts, (draughts or checkers) ludo, snakes and ladders, scrabble, ayo, darts, monopoly or chess. You could also order for a board game I created called ‘Armour’.

You may choose an activity that requires more energy like football, handball, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, basketball, bicycling, sprint, swimming, boating, bowling or golf.

It is also important to include leisure outings like picnics at the beach or at a garden. Going to the restaurant, art gallery, cinema, amusement parks may be a stimulating activity. You may find out that you both enjoy going to the shopping mall to buy things or window shop.

You may also include computer games which are varied and here the possibilities are endless. However it is important to ensure that games are not so en-

Relationships Deola Ojo 08027454533 (text) pastordeegfc@yahoo.com

Enjoy life together (4) grossing and requires concentration to the detriment of conversation. The aim should always be to spend time together having fun and not to compete against one another.

I think a spouse who continues to win a game and gloats over it may soon turn the mutually enjoyable game to a stressful activity for the other partner.

You and your spouse can list all the activities I have mentioned above and mark them A, B, C. ‘A’ for the activities you really love, ‘B’ for activities you are barely interested in and ‘C’ for activities you have no interest in. Then both of you should compare your list and circle the activities you have both marked ‘A’. If one partner marks an activity ‘A’, but the partner marked it ‘C’, I would advise the partner who loves this activity to

give it up for the sake of his/her spouse. Finding things we can do together also means that we will have to give up some things that we both do not enjoy doing. A woman may have to give up watching ‘African Magic’. A man may have to give up watching or playing football in order to spend his leisure time with his wife. Would you give up watching the premier league altogether, because your wife does not enjoy watching football? Let me predict that it’s 2018 and it’s the world cup finals. But wait a minute, the venue is Russia and the teams playing are ”Nigeria versus Germany” world cup final.

Would you give up watching this match because your wife has bought tickets for both of you to go and watch a live drama?

• Learn how children develop and know your unique child. When it comes to your child, the real expert is you, the parent. Know all areas of your child’s development physical, intellectual, social, emotional and moral - and remember there is nothing to be ashamed of if your child needs special help to progress at his or her own best rate.

and talents. Try to spend time alone with each of your children every day. Praise your children’s differences and avoid comparing them or asking why they can’t be like someone else.

• Set your household up for success — make it work for the whole family. Model and teach good safety habits and establish routines. Discuss and enforce family rules that work for your household — for example, putting toys away after play.

• Make time for family activities. A sense of belonging is enhanced when families take time to engage in common activities such as having meals together and sharing tasks and responsibilities. Use family time to discuss need and feelings, to solve problems and promote cooperation.

• Teach your child right from wrong.

A child’s understanding of right and wrong develops slowly, from within.

Actively teach your children a code of moral conduct and lay the groundwork for them to develop their moral •Future Picasso: Encourage your child’s interests and talent own guide. as it could be a path to a career in the future

• Cherish your child’s individuality. Support your child’s interests

50

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Arts & Life

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi deewalebf@yahoo.com 08060343214 (SMS only)

POLITICKLE

You can laugh, and that’s official!

Nearly every situation or process has a hilarious side to it, and the office – the most serious of places – is not left out. Here, adapted from the internet, are seemingly direct responses from official quarters and their implied meanings. Please note that the interpretations do not necessarily carry universal connotation as they are merely intended to induce a wry smile or two from the employee cum reader. By the way, employers are also invited to take humorous note.

CHEEK BY JOWL

OH, LIFE!

THE GReggs

IT is in process: So wrapped up in red tape that the situation is almost hopeless.

We will look into it: 1. By the time the wheel makes a full turn, we assume you will have forgotten about it too. 2. Forget it, we have enough problems already.

Program: Any assignment that can’t be completed by one telephone call.

Expedite: To confound confusion with commotion.

Channels: The trail left by the interoffice memo.

Coordinator: The guy who has a desk between two expeditors.

Consultant (or expert): An ordinary guy more than 80 kilometres from home.

Activate: To make carbons and add more names to the memo.

To implement a program: Hire more people and expand the office.

Under consideration: Never heard of it.

Under active consideration: We’re looking in the files for it.

Meeting: A mass mulling by masterminds where minutes are kept and hours are lost.

Conference: Place where conversation is substituted for the dreariness of labour and the loneliness of thought.

Negotiate: To seek a meeting of minds without knocking together of heads.

Re-orientation: Getting used to working again.

Reliable source: The guy you just met.

Informed source: The guy who told the guy you just met.

Unimpeachable source: The guy who started the rumour originally.

Clarification: To fill in the background with so many details that the foreground goes underground.

We are making a survey: We need more time to think of an answer.

Read and initial: Let’s spread the responsibility for this.

See me, or Let’s discuss: Come down to my office, I’m lonesome.

Let’s get together on this: I’m assuming you’re as confused as I am.

Give us the benefit of your present thinking: We’ll listen to what you have to say as long as it doesn’t interfere with what we’ve already decided to do.

Give someone the picture: A long, confused, and inaccurate statement to a newcomer.

A number of different approaches are being tried: We are still grasping at straws.

We’re working on a fresh approach to the problem: We just hired three kids fresh out of university.

Close project coordination: We know who to blame.

Major technological breakthrough: It works O.K., but looks very hightech.

Customer satisfaction upon delivery is assured: We are so far behind schedule the customer is happy to get it delivered.

Preliminary operational tests were inconclusive: The darn thing blew up when we threw the switch.

Test results were extremely gratifying: We are so surprised that the stupid thing works.

The entire concept will have to be abandoned: The only person who understood the thing quit.

Give us your interpretation: I can’t wait to hear this!

Will advise you in due course: If we figure it out, we’ll let you know.

QUOTE Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.

—Sophia Loren

Jokes Humour Pinched As the crowded elevator descended, Mrs. Wilson becameincreasinglyfuriouswithherhusband,whowas delighted to be pressed against a gorgeous blonde.

Astheelevatorstoppedatthemainfloor,theblonde suddenlywhirled,slappedMr.Wilson,andsaid,“That

will teach you to pinch!” Bewildered, Mr. Wilson was halfwaytotheparkinglotwithhiswifewhenhechoked, “I...I...didn’t pinch that girl.”

“Of course you didn’t,” said his wife, consolingly. “I did.”

•Culled from the Internet

Skill Workshop

SUDOKU ST

1 STEP IN SOLVING PUZZLE: (350) Look at the 3 middle horizontal (DEF) 3x3 boxes. The right box has 5 in cell Fg, while the middle box has its 5 in cell Dd. The left box must, therefore, have its own 5 in row E, where there are 2 vacant spaces — cells

PUZZLE 350

10 Tips for Good Storytelling by Michael Moorcock •Read. Read everything you can lay hands on. I always advise people who want to write a fantasy or science fiction or romance to stop reading everything in those genres and start reading everything else from Bunyan to Byatt.

•Find an author you admire (mine was Conrad) and copy their plots and characters in order to tell your own story, just as people learn to draw and paint by copying the masters.

•Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your novel.

•If you are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all your major themes/plot elements are introduced in the first third, which you can call the introduction.

•Develop your themes and characters in your second third, the development.

•Resolve your themes, mysteries and so on in the final third, the resolution.

•For a good melodrama study the famous “Lester Dent master plot formula” which you can find online. It was written to show how to write a short story for the pulps, but can be adapted successfully for most stories of any length or genre.

•If possible have something going on while you have your characters delivering exposition or philosophising. This helps retain dramatic tension.

•Carrot and stick—have protagonists pursued (by an obsession or a villain) and pursuing (idea, object, person, mystery).

•Ignore all proferred rules and create your own, suitable for what you want to say.

A 4 2 1 B 8 4 3 C 9 2 8 D 9 5 6 E 9 F 6 5 1 7 8 G 8 5 H 3 7 1 I 5 9 2 a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

06/11/2011

Ea and Ec. But, since column a already has 5 — in cell Ia, the only space available to accommodate 5 in the left box is cell Ec. Reasoning along these lines, try and fill in all the other vacant cells.

Solution on Saturday. Happy Puzzling!

Happy Eid. Enjoy your Holidays

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE 349

5 9 8 6 2 3 1 7 4

2 4 7 1 8 5 6 3 9

1 6 3 4 7 9 2 8 5

9 5 4 2 3 6 8 1 7

7 3 1 8 5 4 9 6 2

6 8 2 9 1 7 4 5 3

3 2 6 5 4 1 7 9 8

4 1 5 7 9 8 3 2 6

8 7 9 3 6 2 5 4 1

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

51

With Joe Agbro Jr. 08056745268

Hello children, Barka de Sallah. Hope those of you on mid-term break are having a nice time.

WORD WHEEL This is an open ended puzzle. How many words of three or more letters, each including the letter at centre of the wheel, can you make from this diagram? We’ve found 24, including one nine-letter word. Can you do better?

Riddles with Bisoye Ajayi 1. I am something I respirate and move but I cannot move from one place to another, what am I? 2. I am the longest snake in the world, what am I? Miss Ajayi is a JSS 1 student of Queens College, Yaba, Lagos.

WORD SEARCH Greek gods and godesses

• 1.3 billion people makes China the most populous nation in the world

The world at seven billion O N October 31, the world marked the birth of the seven billionth baby. And according to statistics, the world’s largest age bracket is 28, the largest ethnic group is Han, and with 1.3 billion people, the most populous nation is China.

China is already below replacement fertility, thanks in part to its coercive one-child policy. And projections show that by 2030, China will lose its top population status to India. In 1975, only three cities worldwide had population that topped ten million. Today, 21 such

megacities including Lagos exist, most in developing countries, where urban areas absorb much of the globe’s rising population.

Literacy – 82% are literate Livelihood – 40% work in services, 38% Agriculture, 22% industry Nationality – 19% are Chinese, 17% Indian, and 4% American Language – 13% speak Mandarin as their first language, 5% speak Spanish, and 5% speak English Religion – 33% are Christian,

21% Muslim and 13% Hindu Urban vs. Rural – 51% live in urban environments

In Greek mythology, the principal deities of the Greek pantheon resided atop Mount Olympus and were refferred to as the Twelve Olmpians, also known as the Dodekatheon. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hades were siblings. Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, and Artemis were children of Zeus. Some versions of the myths state that Athena was born of Zeus alone, or that Hephaestus was born of Hera alone. The Olympians gained their supremacy in a war of gods in which Zeus led his siblings to victory over the Titans.

Find some of the Greek gods in the wordsearch below

Population over time 2045 – 9 billion (Estimated) 2024 – 8 billion (Estimated) 2011 – 7 billion 1999 – 6 billion 1987 – 5 billion 1974 – 4 billion 1960 – 3 billion 1930 – 2 billion 1800 – 1 billion AD 1 – 200 million

Nine-letter word: Decrypted Other words: Cede, ceded, creed, decry, decrypt, deed, deep, deer, deter, dry, dye, dyed, dyer, eddy, eyed, preyed, red, reed, reedy, retyped, teddy, teed, typed AEGAEON APHRODITE APOLLO ARES ARTEMIS ATHENA AURA

DEMETER DIONYSUS EREBOS GLAUCUS HADES HEMERA HEPHAESTUS

HERA HERMES NYX POSEIDON TARTARUS TYCHE ZEUS

Word search created by Ifeoluwa Onifade Answer to Riddle 1. Silence 2. Train

Send in your stories, poems, articles, games, puzzles, riddles and jokes to sundaynation@yahoo.com

HAVE YOUR SAY

DIS GENERATION

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

T

HE Post-UTME screening exercise has been accorded renewed attention by the National Assembly and the ViceChancellors of the nation’s private and public tertiary institutions. Both sides, with almost equal number of supporters, are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to justify why the exercise should be scrapped or retained. The last word, however, is yet to be heard on this issue of national interest.

In the main, here are the-Josephclothe-of-many-colours views of some Nigerians on the issue.

With what I’ve seen as a university teacher since the Post-UME screening exercise (now Post-UTME) started, abolishing the exam will set the Nigerian educational system back several years into quagmire. It is a pity that students nowadays go through much stress before getting admission. But believe me, that is part of the sacrifices of the present times, else the universities will all crash under the weight of appallingly poor intakes. I wish the National Assembly well in their deliberations.

E.T.O Babalola, Dept of English, OAU, Osun State.

Any candidate who scores 200 marks and above without any foul means is expected to beat the PostUTME screening test hands down. I wish that the status quo be sustained in the interest of achieving high educational standard in Nigeria.

Adeyemi Azeez, Falafia, Oyo State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise is a source of revenue for universities.

It should be scrapped if it cannot be conducted at no cost to students.

Ojo H.O, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Statutorily, JAMB is the only organ in Nigeria mandated to conduct examinations leading to the admission of students into higher institutions. It is a sorry case that we have been psychologically converted and intellectually misled to believe that the Post-UTME screening exercise, an illegality, is the only route to getting the right candidates for admission into tertiary institutions. A good admission examination must ensure that all candidates, irrespective of their religion, tribe or social status, write the examination under uniform conditions, and are assessed using the same standards. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the screening exercise in which candidates are subjected to heterogeneous examination conditions as prescribed by each university.

Olaniran Afolabi A., Benin City, Edo State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should be scrapped. There is no basis for it as it negates the whole essence of JAMB. Fola Adekola, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Frankly speaking, both the UTME and the Post-UTME exams are all fraught with the peculiar Nigerian brand of corruption and sharp practices. But legally speaking, until the JAMB Act of 1979 is either repealed or amended, any parallel exam is an exercise in illegitimacy.

Barr S.E. Irabor, Makurdi, Benue State.

Frankly speaking, the Post-UTME screening exercise should be scrapped. The exercise is being used to make money. For instance, no matter how high the mark a student scores, he/she is not sure of admission at the University of Ilorin because the institution uses the exercise to pick the students it wants without taking into consideration candidates scores in UTME. A O Adepoju, Ibadan, Oyo State.

YES, the Post-UTME screening is

Should the Post-UTME Screening exercise be scrapped or retained? best suited for our children. That will indeed bring sanity into the system.

Well-meaning Nigerians should rise up in support of the IDEAL. We should not allow politicians to corrupt the system.

Hamis F.A Baloguo, Akure, Ondo State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should not be scrapped. Rather, JAMB should be scrapped and each university allowed to do its own admission examination.

Dadson Nwakalo, Enugu State.

Why should it be scrapped? What is wrong in adding another layer of filter to a system? How do you explain a student scoring 300 marks in a more difficult UTME while scoring a ridiculous 25% in a less difficult Post-UTME? Government should only regulate the fees charged

by Varsities.

Mr Adeoye Segun, Idanre, Ondo State.

It should be retained. Those Senators want it scrapped because they find it difficult to cajole many vice-chancellors to admit their many dumb candidates from their zones to federal universities. Merit is alien to them. They know they can always use their positions to force\bribe the head of JAMB to pass their candidates.

That’s the reason for their outrage.

Sam T. Jos, Plateau State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should be scrapped because of the hardship it imposes on poor Nigerians. It prevents poor and brilliant Nigerians from going to the university of their choice. How many lives of promising youths have been lost to motor accident, apart from the huge amount of money realised by the Vice-Chancellors? It has not improved standard of education.

Hon. Taofik Atanda, Iwo, Osun State.

The government should scrap the Post-UTME screening exercise because it has become moneyspinning venture for Nigerian universities.

Gordon Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should be scrapped. It has no improved relevance to applicants and would-be-students in the universities. UTME alone with a very reasonable cut-off score plus the required excellent results should be sufficient for admission. If a candidate passed UTME by cheating, exams in 100-200 levels in the tertiary schools will be the leveller!

Lanre Oseni, Lagos State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise is a clandestine way of milking the parents dry. I wish that the said exercise be scrapped now.

Muniru Gambia, Iwo, Osun State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should be allowed. I scored 263 in the UTME while applying for Pol. Science in University of Jos. I also scored 79% in Post-UTME and I was given my admission by merit without knowing anybody. The screening helps screen out candidates that bought JAMB results.

Bello Lukman, Pol. Science, UNIJOS. The Post-UTME screening exercise should not be abolished. Rather, other universities should be encouraged to operate a free and fair system like UI. Kehinde Agboola, Ilorin, Kwara State.

•Prof. Mrs. Ruqayyatu Rufai, Minister of Eduation

There is need to really define the role of JAMB. When I entered the university, I sat for direct exam conducted by the university of my choice. There is no need subjecting the students to rigors of two exams.

If JAMB’s exam is not okay for the universities, JAMB should be relieved of such responsibility and the universities allowed to conduct their admission exams. Presently, students are being ripped off.

Ken Uchegbu, Abuja.

I align myself with the reasons advanced by the Vice-Chancellors against that of our politricians and therefore give my fully undiluted support to the RETENTION of the Post-UTME screening in our universities.

Kayode A, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

It should not be scrapped. Those calling for it to be scrapped have dirty hands. Rather, I strongly suggest that JAMB should be scrapped and let individual university organise its exams.

Dr Oliver J. Nzalak, ABU Zaria, Kaduna State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should be allowed to continue, please. Firstly, JAMB is not reliable.

Secondly, the universities conducting the Post-UTME take responsibility for their admitted students. Thirdly, results over the years have shown serious discrepancies between the two results. Fourthly, this PostUTME screening has helped to reduce cultism in our universities greatly as only serious students are admitted.

Undoubtedly, teachers can attest to the good quality of students they now enjoy. Please let it continue.

Engr Nelson Onyemeh, Nelan consultants, Enugu State.

Retain the Post-UTME screening exercise as it is the only authentic means by which prospective candidates prove themselves. It will also reduce fraudulent practices during admission processes.

Samuel Ishaya Shammang, Mangun Town, Plateau State.

Scrapping the Post-UTME now will lower admission standards into our universities. Stop confusion in our educational system please.

Atsar Benjamin, Gboko, Benue State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should be scrapped. If universities want to deal with students who hire mercenaries for the JAMB exam, they can do so through their normal internal exams. The universities are just using it to make money.

Tonye,

Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise would have been a very useful instrument for the separation of weeds from tares if all its stakeholders’ hands were genuinely clean. Please for the sake of the educational standard, the Post-UTME screening exercise should only be reviewed and not be scrapped.

Ntui Okon, Calabar, Cross River State.

There is a very poor correlation between the UTME scores by many prospective university candidates and their academic abilities. The obvious reason for this is the prevalent culture of examination malpractice by desperate candidates and their dishonest parents and guardians. Since the Post-UTME screening exercise was introduced in 2005, there has been a noticeable improvement in the quality of candidates admitted into the Nigerian University System. At the University of Ibadan, before the era of Post-UTME we used to ask about 19% of students to withdraw from their programme of study at the end of their first year. This has dropped to about 8% and we keep improving from year to year by fine-tuning the UI admission model and template.

There is a reduction in cases of cultism. There is no need changing a winning team. To call for the scrapping of Post-UTME is a joke taken too far.

Idowu Olayinka, University of Ibadan.

The Post-UTME screening in our universities should be scrapped. This is another way of introducing corruption because you can never pass the exam or be admitted into the university base on merit. JAMB should be strengthened to set the highest standard of exam so that a child who passes goes straight to university without being hindered.

Kingsley Egumi, Cross River State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise is but an organised fraud being used by various institutions to milk helpless and desperate candidates.

Yinka Afolabi, Minna, Niger State.

The plain truth is that Post-UTME is purely money-milling venture for VCs. It should be scrapped since the universities are even unable to tame the exam malpractices going on in tertiary institutions.

Ted Chambers, Gboko, Benue State.

When Prof. Akpanekpo started Post-UTME at UNIUYO it was good, but now it has been abused by cabal which deprives eligible candidates from being admitted. NOW, it should be scrapped.

Edward Inyang, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

The Post-UTME screening exercise should be left to stay because it has helped filter fraudulent JAMB candidates. Moreover, issues of cultism have reduced tremendously since its inception.

Ihechie A.E., Pet Eng, UNIBEN. The Post-UTME is a good upgrade to Nigeria university. But the system is not free from collecting money from one candidate who did not score the required marks.

David Songo, Makurdi, Benue State.

Continued on The Nation website: www.thenationlineng.net, click on Sunday Magazine, then Have Your Say

By Jennifer Ehidiamen 08054503875 (Sms only)

Do you want to take action?

T

HERE has been so much talk about the world population growing into 7 billion- with its challenges and opportunities. What does this mean to you as an individual?

Is it going to change the way we live? how?

I have been working with an amazing team who are passionate about using online collaborative methods to develop a new UNAIDS strategy on youth and HIV. And right now I’m thinking, we can actually harness the efforts of 7 Billion people to reverse the impact of HIV and contribute to the emergence of HIVpopulation if we all make it our responsibility to CrowdOutAIDS. The project- CrowdOutAIDS basically seeks to engage young people aged 15-29years, spread across different parts of the world to share their ideas and advise UNAIDS on new ways to work with young people.

Last week, CrowdOutAIDS launched eight (8) regional Open Forums to connect young people and build collective knowledge. The focus was on leadership vs engagement...

Here’s a teaser: First week – what were we thinking?

The objective of the first week was to get a definition of youth leadership and youth engagement. We felt it w a s i m p o r t a n t t o understanding of what youth engagement and youth leadership is, what it isn’t, and how it is represented and perceived in different communities is important. So it seemed like the logical place to start.

Some of the questions the moderators asked in the Open Forums included: “In your country can you think of current examples where youth perspectives have been wellrepresented in community organizations, government, health care organizations, and/or UN agencies?”

“What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear organisations, government bodies and the UN talking about youth leadership and engagement?”

In the Africa English Open Forum, there was some feeling that youth leadership initiatives have not really worked in the past, as well as for young people to take on the leadership role themselves without waiting for anyone to come with a “programme.”

CrowdOutAIDS is an online collaboration to develop a new way for UNAIDS to work with young people in the AIDS response. Do you want to take action to CrowdOutAIDS? Would you like to join the campaign?

Visit www.crowdoutaids.org to sign up!

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011 CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME ABIFARIN I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Abifarin, Asiyanbola Kemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Abdul Raheem, Oluwakemi Aishat. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and general public should take note.

OYAWOYE

I,formerly known and addressed as Oyawoye, Michael Abiola Mobolaji Oluwafemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Flourish, Michael Abiola Mobolaji Oluwafemi. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OJEDEJI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojedeji, Elizabeth Tewogbade, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Areo, Elizabeth Tewogbade. All former documents remain valid. LUTH, LASPOTECH and general public should take note.

BADMUS

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Badmus, Soburat Abiola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Kareem-Agemo, Soburat Abiola. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I,formerly known and addressed as Odulaja, Olurotim Ademola, now wish to be known and addressed as Sunmonu Olurotimi Ademola. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

IKUEJE

ABUBAKAR

NYIBIAM

OJIMA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojima Gloria Mike-Etuh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ojima Gloria Godswill Joseph.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OKPE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Veronica Okpe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Veronica Okpanachi.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AWOSANYA

I formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Olufunmilayo Yetunde Awosanya, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olufunmilayo Yetunde Olalere.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

IDARESIT

I formerly known and addressed as Idaresit Anietie Ntukekpo, now wish to be known and addressed as Jasper Anietie Kingston.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

MOMOH

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Momoh, Latifah Iyabode, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mikail, Latifah Iyabode Mojisola.All former documents remain valid. Kogi State Polytechnic and general public should take note.

ABIODUN

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Abiodun Adesola Titilope, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olupade Adesola Titilope.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

SHOBANJO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Shobanjo Funmilayo Adunni, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Achinike Funmilayo Adunni.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

EKEMODE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nurat Olayinka Ekemode, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nurat Olayinka Ekemode-Coker.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

ADEGBESAN

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oni, Olabisi Elizabeth, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Adeoti Olabisi Elizabeth. All former documents remain valid.

Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and general public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Wuraola Omotayo Akano, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Bucknor, Wuraola Omotayo. All former documents remain valid. College of Medicine, Idi-Araba and general public should take note.

ABOYEJI I, formerly known and addressed as Aboyeji Aaron Olaniyi, now wish to be known and addressed as Aboyeji Aymon Olaniyi. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OGUNDELE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogundele Bola Motunrayo, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Falabi Bola Motunrayo. All former documents remain valid. Osun State Local government Service Commission and general public take note.

NDUKWE

I, formerly known and addressed as Ndukwe Elechi David, now wish to known and be addressed as David Elechi Nathan. All former documents remain valid. Nigerian Medical and Dental Council and general public take note.

NZEGWU

ADEKOYA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Magdaglene Mchivir Nyibiam, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Magdalene Mchivir Gba.All former documents remain valid. FMC Makurdi and general public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

EKPO

AKANO

ADEBOHUN

EMMANUEL

CHANGE OF NAME

OGUNDILE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogundile, Bunmi Tessy, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Ekugbere, Bunmi Tessy. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Esther Chiazor Nzegwu, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Esther Chiazor Akomah. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Elizabeth Emmanuel, now wish to be known and addressed as Elizabeth Awache Ibrahim.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as Abubakar Taofik, now wish to be known and addressed as Abubakar Taofik OSHIOMHOLE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ikueje, Temitope Alice, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Akinleye, Temitope Alice. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Adebohun Gabriel Adeniyi, now wish to be known and addressed as Adeniyi Gabriel Olatunde.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

53

I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs Felicia Ronke Adekoya, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Felicia Ronke Ishola-Adekoya.

All former documents remain valid.

Ogun SUBEB, Abeokuta INLGEA Ijebu-Igbo and general public take note.

OSISANYA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Osisanya, Florence Toyin, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Bulugbe, Florence Oluwatoyin. All former documents remain valid. Ogun SUBEB, Abeokuta INLGEA Ijebu-Igbo and general public take note.

OYINLEYE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oyinleye, Oyinyinka Opeyemi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Akinyemi Oyinyinka Opeyemi. All former documents remain valid. OOU AgoIwoye, NYSC and general public take note.

ODEWOLE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Odewole, Bukola Racheal, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Oreagba Bukola Racheal. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

ADESANYA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adesanya, Abiola Rukayat, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Odunaya, Abiola Rukayat. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

ADENAIKE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Christiana Olufunmilayo Adenaike, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Christiana Olufunmilayo Kukoyi. All former documents remain valid. TASUED, Ijagun and general public take note.

SEKONI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Sekoni, Mary Yemisi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Adebajo Oluwayemisi Mary.

All former documents remain valid.

Ogun SUBEB Ijebu-Ode LGA, IjebuOde and general public take note.

ABE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Opeyemi Oluwaseun Abe, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Opeyemi Oluwaseun Ilenomen. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

NIWAPI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluchi Calista Niwapi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Oluchi Calista OluwafemiAbe. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

MOIBI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Moibi, Tawakalitu Rotimi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Mumuni, Tawakalitu Rotimi. All former documents remain valid. Ogun SUBEB and general public take note.

ONI

EGEH I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Miriam Martin Egeh, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Miriam Ojong-Woda. All former documents remain valid.

Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Calabar Teaching Hospital Management and general public take note.

AKINRATA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinrata, Ayodeji Martha, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Obasi, Ayodeji Martha. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OKOYE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okoye, Francisca Ngozi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Usman, Francisca Ngozi. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

AJAYI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Esther Tomilola Ajayi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Esther Tomilola Oyewo. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHUKU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chuku, Ichechimee, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Amadi, Ichechimee. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OGBUAGU

Formerly known as Mr. Ogbuagu Eucharia, Miss Ogbuagu Eucharia Nneka, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Chineme Eucharia Nneka. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

DIKE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Dike, Ijeoma Ben, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Dimkpa, Ijeoma William. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

ETSEMITAN I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Etsemitan, Gloria, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Edafe-Asedegbega, Gloria. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

GARUBA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Shakirat Motunrayo Garuba, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Olakulehin Motunrayo Shakirat. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OLUWOLE

I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Oluwole Olayombo Ajimuda, now wish to known and be addressed as Mr. Craig Oluwole Olayombo Ajimuda. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

COKER

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Coker, Oyindamola Cecilia, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Aribikofa Oyindamola Cecilia. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

SANUSI

I, formerly known and addressed as Sanusi Sidikat Atinuke, now wish to known and be addressed as Raji Sidikat Atinuke. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

NWANMOH

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwanmoh, Dorathy Chinyere, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Ikegwuonu Dorathy Chinyere. All former documents remain valid. Federal Polytechnic, Oko and general public take note.

JOSHUA I, formerly known and addressed as Joshua Imaabasi Effiong, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Etim Imaabasi Udemeobong. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OLUWAFEMI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluwafemi Rebecca Abosede, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Owoyomi Rebecca Abosede. All former documents remain valid. Ondo State Local govt. Service Commission and general public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ekpo Ugonnaya Onyinyechi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Ezeocha Angel Onyinyechi. All former documents remain valid. Abia State Polytechnic, Ntional Poverty Eradication Programme, Abia State and general public take note.

SALISU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Salisu Kudirat Mobolaji, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Adesua Kudirat Mobolaji. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC and general public take note

AKINOLA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinola Dorcas Olatunde, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Kolawole Dorcas Olatunde.

All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

BELLO

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Bello, Baliqees Oluwatoyin, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Tijani, Baliqees Oluwatoyin. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

OKORO I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okoro, Nkeiruka Ann, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Nwachukwu Nkeiruka Ann. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OLOLO I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Maria Tochukwu Ololo, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Maria Tochukwu Imo. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC and general public take note.

ANYIMUKWU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Susan Onyinyechi Anyimukwu, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Susan Abiye David. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

KUJEMBOLA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Kujembola, Victoria Oluwaseun, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Philip Oluwaseun Victoria. All former documents remain valid. Authority concerned and general public take note.

EZIAMAKA

I, formerly known and addressed as Eziamaka, Chineze Grace, now wish to known and be addressed as Chineze Ademola Aina. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

‘DEYINOLA I, formerly known and addressed as Miss ‘Deyinola, Olajumoke Oyinlola, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Alao, Olajumoke Oyinlola. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

IMELDA

I, formerly known and addressed as Imelda Utibe Edet Iyayi, now wish to known and be addressed as Imelda Utibe Iyayi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ASON-IKHENA

I, formerly known and addressed as Master Douglas Ehizokhare AsonIkhena, now wish to known and be addressed as Master Douglas Ehizokhare Ason-Ikhena Oguns.

All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

AKPAN

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Umo Benard Akpan, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Umo Precious Adegelu. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

FOLARIN

I, formerly known and addressed as Aminat Oluwakemi Folarin, now wish to known and be addressed as Aminat Muktari Akande. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OLANIPEKUN I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olanipekun Saadat Olufunke, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. OlanipekunAdelakun Saadat Olufunke. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OSHO

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Osho Veronica Blessing, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Adetiba Veronica Blessing. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC, Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti and general public take note.

NWANMOH I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Jane Onyinye Hemeson, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Jane Onyinye Nnodim. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adegbesan Adeola Christie, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Azeez Adeola Christie. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State Local govt.

Service Commission, Ekiti State Local Staff Pension Board and general public take note.

ALADE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Alade Bukola Funmilola, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Olalekan-Dada Bukola Funmilola. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State Hospital Management Board and general public take note.

AJIBOYE

CHANGE OF NAME AJISAFE

I, formerly known and addressed as Ajisafe Odunayo Esther, now wish to known and be addressed as Gbede Odunayo Esther. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State Local govt. Service Commission, Ekiti State and general public take note.

OGUNDARE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogundare Iyabo Busayo, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Ayodele Iyabo Busayo. All former documents remain valid.

Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and general public take note.

AJAYI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajiboye Alice Omolayo, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Ajayi Alice Omolayo. All former documents remain valid.

Kwara State Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and general public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajayi Oluwatoyin Sola, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Akinrinmade Oluwatoyin Sola.

All former documents remain valid.

Ekiti State SUBEB and general public take note.

SANYA

I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Jimoh Iyabosola Abimbola, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Eletu Iyabosola Abimbola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Sanya Olanrewaju, now wish to known and be addressed as Adesanya Olanrewaju Enoch. All former documents remain valid.

Ekiti State Local govt. Service Commission, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Owo, NYSC, Orija High School Emure Ekiti, Emure Local govt. Area and general public take note.

OLIYIDE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oliyide Aanuoluwapo Simisola, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Ogunde Aanuoluwapo Simisola. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

BAMIDELE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Bamidele Omowunmi Oriyomi, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Ogunade Omowunmi Oriyomi. All former documents remain valid. Teaching Service Commission, Abeokuta and general public take note.

CHOGUDO

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chogudo Janet, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Olaiya Janet. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ABUMERE

I, formerly known and addressed as Abumere Michelle Funmibi Omolara, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Sanusi Omolara Funmibi Michelle. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OLAWOLE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olawole Olubunmi Adeyemi Mary, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Olafisoye Olubunmi Adeyemi Mary. All former documents remain valid.

Federal Polytechnic, Ede and general public take note

FAMOYEGUN I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Amulum Blessing Oluwayemisi Famoyegun, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Olowu Oluwayemisi Elizabeth. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OJEABULU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojeabulu Funmilayo, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Haroon Funmilayo. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Police and general public take note.

ADENIJI

I, formerly known and addressed as Adeniji Modinat Adeyinka, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs Animashaun Modinat Adeyinka. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

DAWODU I formerly known and addressed as Miss Fatima Abimbola Dawodu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Fatima Abimbola Dawodu-Gaji.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

FAYINKA

I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Fayinka Eyitayo Olusola, now wish to known and be addressed as Mr. Olusola Eyitayo Olusola. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

STOW

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Stow Francisca Egrien, now wish to known and be addressed as Mrs. Ejuwa, Francisca Stow. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OLOFIN

I, formerly known and addressed as Olofin Ayodeji, now wish to known and be addressed as Adebayo Ayodimeji Amos. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

JIMOH

AKHIDIME

I, formerly known and addressed as Dr. Priscilla Izehi Akhidime, now wish to known and be addressed as Dr. (Mrs) Priscilla Izehi Nwaokenye. All former documents remain valid. University of Benin Teaching Hospital, MDCN and general public take note.

AJAYI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajayi Adenike Omolayo, now wished to be known and addressed as Oladele Adenike Omolayo. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Immigration Services Abuja and The general public should please take note.

ANYANWU I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ngozi Christiana Anyanwu, now wished to be known and addressed as Mrs Ngozi Christiana. All former documents remain valid..

University Of Jos and The general public should please take note.

OFORDILE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ebere Loretta Ofordile, now wished to be known and addressed as Dr. Mrs. Ebere Loretta Anyina. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

JOHN

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nana John, now wished to be known and addressed as Mrs Nana John Ekstrand. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

UNOARUMI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Catherine Unoarumi, now wished to be known and addressed as Mrs Catherine Akeredolu. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

ALLIBAY

I, formerly known, called and addressed as Bilikis Iyabode Allibay, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Bilikis Allibay-Yaqub. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OLAK

I formerly known as Sarah Effiong Olak, now wishes to be known as Sarah olaka Oparaeche, University of Nigeria Nsukka,Obafemi Awolowo University,Skye Bank and General Public take note.

NWOSU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwosu Edith Ginikanwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Dada Edith Giniknawa. All former document remain valid, general public take note.

EMMANUEL

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Emmanuel Roseline, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Mills Roseline Bamidele. All former document remain valid, general public take note.

ADVERT: Simply produce your marriage certificate or sworn affidavit for a change of name publication, with just (N3,500.)

The payment can be made through FIRST BANK of Nigeria Plc. Account number 1892030011219 Account Name - VINTAGE PRESS LIMITED Scan the details of your advert and teller to gbengaodejide@yahoo.com or thenation_advert@yahoo.com For enquiry please contact: Gbenga on 08052720421, 08161675390, Email- gbengaodejide @yahoo.com or our offices nationwide.

Note this! Change of name is now published every Sundays, all materials should reach us two days before publication.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

54

Abandoned to mental disorder

WORDSWORTH M

•Seven years after completing national service

EBERE WABARA

08055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

Police grammatical solecism T

HE prefatory infractions this week are from THE PUNCH of October 28 and SATURDAY PUNCH of October 29: “If the deduction of the proposed $1bn is for investment purpose….”

Back page: an investment purpose or investment purposes.

“Lagosians have a cause to celebrate as the state government opens a modern bridge in upscale Lagos Island.” Sights & Signs: on upscale Lagos Island.

“Police is your friend, so extend the hand of fellowship to them (sic).”

Either the policeman is your friend, so extend your hand of fellowship to him or the police are your friends, so extend the hand of fellowship to them. Even the police themselves are guilty of this juvenile grammatical solecism!

“Peak reiterates commitment to sustain quality” Why not ‘Peak reiterates quality sustenance’?

“Olympic champion arrested over (for) cocaine” “Falcons failure puts Eguavoen under pressure” SPORT ON SATURDAY: Falcons’ failure.

“On Arsenal website, the England youth international, who has accepted to play for the Super Eagles (another comma) was described as a powerful but technically-astute midfielder….” ‘But’ is a contrasting conjunction misapplied here. The right word should be ‘and’. Got the point? “…keep resting in the bossom of the Lord.”

Spell-check: bosom.

“Most airports set-up for political motives— Experts” (SUNDAY PUNCH, October 16) Perhaps, by year-end, we shall de-emphasize this continual abuse of phrasal verbs: set up.

Let us begin our own charity mid-way: “The siege on The Nation” (Column Headline, THE NATION ON SUNDAY, October 16) The siege to (not on) our stable. “ P r e s i d e n c y : Obasanjo, not Jonathan after editors” (Nigerian Compass Front Page Banner, October 14) A comma after ‘Jonathan’ shows mastery of the English language. “ C H A M P I O N S LEAGUE: String of loses haunt Eyimba” (Sports Vanguard Headline, October 14) Three points: losses; Enyimba; and

string of losses haunts (not haunt)!

“One may say that in some countries people literarily (literally) fought for their independence.”

“Trouble, however, started when security personnels at the stadium adopted the Boko Haram style.” ‘Personnel’ is noncount.

“I was a witness to a very moving event recently at the Idimu Police Station at the outskirts of Lagos.”

From A to Z: on the outskirts.

“A strong grassroot force has to be in the drivers’ seat for the targeted poverty programme.” Richness of language: grassroots.

“The poor has to see themselves properly involved in the programme.” How does it sound? Once more, the poor think more about money than the rich!

“Government should take the bull by the horn and restructure PHCN.” No blackout: take the bull by the horns.

“Nigeria needs a judiciary that would neither be intimidated or h u m i l i a t e d . ” Neither…nor and either…or.

No carelessness!

“This is because the governor was not really in the good book of the electorate.”

A fall foreseen: in the good/bad books of the electorate.

“Four varsities to reopen, ASUU insists on strike” Get it right: reopen (no hyphenation).

“Hunger is threatening to crush majority of our citizens.”

The shape of things to come: a/the (take note of the determiner) majority of our citizens. “…other inducements to get the electorates vote for them.” The electorate/ electors. Note, however, that some language activists unofficially insist that the word is correct!

“The type of exotic jewelleries (jewellery) you can find at museum shop.”

‘Jewellery’ is uncountable. “…the president of the country can be harassed with a degree that bothers (borders) on flippancy….”

“The noise have (has) been deafening about imposition of candidates.…” “ S o m e t i m e s (Sometime) around (about) 9.35 a.m., a convoy of six cars comprising of….” Do away with the second ‘of’ in the extract.

“There were sporadic explosions while the cars were burning in

Maiduguri apparently due to remnants of a m m u n i t i o n s . ” ‘Ammunition’ does not take any inflexion.

“Beyond the cloud, pomp and pageantry.…”

Either pomp and ceremony or pomp and circumstance.

“As the saying goes, money is the root of all evils.” From my file, the love of money (not money itself) is the root of all evils.

“Also, at the onset (outset) of the computer revolution.…”

“The naira permitted it’s (its) designers to inflict on it some tribal (ethnic) marks.”

“They aroused his curiousity and we soon displayed all the denominations of the naira…”

Spell-check: curiosity.

“Beyond mere symbols of ethnic jingoism which may prove difficult for the ordinary man in the street to identify.” ‘The man in the street’ does not require any embellishment such as ’ordinary’ because the man is simply ordinary. “…eyes where poor man (a poor man) can own mansions in (on) Victoria Island”.

“One is gratified by the rising attention on (to) consumerism in the organized private sector.”

“In addition, there had been no report that he had gone to condole (condole with) the family of (the) late....” “…he may be able to warm (worm) himself in (to) the recognition and acceptance of the various nationalities and interest groups in Nigeria.”

“The police officer noted that since armed bandits have (had) shifted their operation to the churches….” Whoever wrote ‘armed bandits’ obviously does not understand the nature of banditry. There is no banditry without arms.

Otherwise, it becomes another form of criminality, not banditry.

“I am not sure the present leadership of (the) NNPC has grassroot knowledge of the oil industry.” No linguistic fraud: grassroots.

“They demanded for money only after they had made sure that the victim would not survive the shooting” Delete ‘for’. “…Most victims of sexual exploitation were found to be young girls aged between 13 to 18 years. Between 13 and 18 or from 13 to 18.

Next week: terse contribution from Lucky Ihanza.

ENTAL health problems remain a huge stigma in the country, with most people, even families of victims, choosing to ignore them, perhaps to escape stigma.

The problems, however, rarely vanish, and whether an individual’s problem is severe or mild, if not treated, can result in exclusion from society, loss of work, and breakdown in relationship.

The Nation recently came across a middle-aged woman, who is a university graduate, but has been suffering from mental disorder for past seven years. She has remained unattended to, in the ancient town of Oyo. Popularly referred to as Mary, her real name is Bose Oyeleru. She is from Fiditi, in the Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Slim, and dark complexioned Bose was said to have attended Fiditi Grammar School, after which she proceeded to the University.

She was said to have enlisted with the Oyo State Police Command after her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and later transferred to Atiba Divisional Command, Akesan, Oyo, before it was relocated to Akunlemu.

Bose, according to source was later moved to the Signal section before she

From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

•Bose

began to suffer from mental disorder. She was said to be happily married with children.

It was learn t that she used to sleep within the vicinity of the Signal office before she was chased away. She later shifted base to the Government Reservation Area (GRA), at Apitipiti.

A mechanic at BoodeOgbomoso, Mr. Michael Agboola, also confirmed that there is no day Bose would not reach the vicinity of the Signal section, and the workshop.

“Before coming to our workshop, she would first get to the Signal section and later come to meet us here. She is not violent but used to play and stay with us. Sometimes, when she is okay, she opens up when we asked questions, and that was how we know that she is a university graduate.”

What is however amazing about Bose is that besides the fact that she speaks good English and respond intelligently to questions put to her, she also appears neat all the time, and goes to Beauty Saloon to make

her hair.

Everyday around five in the evening she leaves for a stream to take her bath. After that she would put on new clothes, often times jeans with T-Shirt and some make –up to match, before leaving for Owode, the Central business district of the ancient town.

She returns to her abode late in the night.

Bose was cornered by our correspondent near the Tennis Club, along the GRA residence and the following conversation was exchanged between them: The Nation: Good day, Madam. How are you?

The Nation: : Good day gentleman, what can I do for you because am on duty here.

Please talk.

The Nation: What are you doing here? And where are you from?

Bose: I told you am a guard here and a native of this Oyo. It’s a long story my brother, don’t disturb me, am very much on duty.

The Nation: How do you mean?

Bose: Am well-read, but don’t know how I find myself in this circumstance.

But thank God, am working here.

The Nation: You mean … (Cuts in) Bose: Sorry, do I not smell because I have not taken my bath.

Do you love my environment? I know is dirty and bushy, but am at work, you may not like it. Please, leave me with my plight; I don’t want to be disturbed here.

Safety and Security Alert!

Bullying - a security challenge to secondary education

A

S Federal and unity schools in south west region of Nigeria prepares for their annual retreat on effective secondary education, there is urgent need to look into one of the security challenges Bullying.

Bullying is described as repeated abuse, an aggressive behaviour by one or more persons to hurt another who has problems defending him/ herself. The victim is exposed to intentional negative actions and the latter’s ability to participate in or benefit from the school’s programs is adversely affected.

Bullying could be by: •Name-calling, verbal taunts, gossiping,teasingandput-downs.

•Exclusion from a peer group •Threats and intimidation •Extortion or stealing of money and possessions •Physical violence and attacks •Forcing to hand over money or other possessions •Sending abusive / threatening text messages or emails •Spreading rumours about someone •Attacked due to religion, gender, disability, appearance, ethnicity, etc.

It could be directly or indirectly perpetrated by physical, verbal, emotions, racism, sexual or online.

WHY BULLYING? Some become temporary bullies after a traumatic event, such as a parental separation/ divorce, the death of loved one, boredom and frustration.

Others become chronic

bullies because they: •Like the feeling of power •Are spoilt rotten and expect everyone to obey them •Feel insecure, inadequate, humiliated •Were previously abused •Are bullied at home •Are under pressure to succeed •Don’t fit in with others.

•Feel no sense of accomplishment.

We experience bullying at home, online, workplace and community.

Bullies have problems and needs help.

HELPING BULLIES Here are some antidotes: •Remain calm and don’t bully the child back •Find out why the child is bullying not the “Spanish Inquisition”.

•Give it time to sort itself out •Get help from the educational psychologist or professional safety specialists •Set realistic guidelines and rules to help control behaviour •Ensure the child apologises.

Bullies need to achieve success therefore stakeholders should help them find what they can do well and change behaviour.

Suggestions for students against bullies Stop thinking like a victim.

Laugh at or ignore comments.

Walk away calmly and quickly as possible.

Sign up for self-defence courses.

Stay with crowd.

Tell your parents or adult and get their advice.

•Keep a diary of events.

•Alert teachers.

REMEBER EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! Some are tall, some small

Some with red, black, blonde, or no hair Some have freckles; wear glasses, beautiful ears or cute noses Some walk with crutches or get around in wheelchair Some of us are good at art, sports, music or mathematics.

Some different countries and dress differently.

Life would be boring if we’re all the same!

It’s good to be different Steps by school authority?

•Create and raise awareness.

•Develop specific anti-bullying policies.

• Provide instructions in the school curriculum.

•Use of drama to help students.

•Form discussion groups.

•Use counseling methods •Empower students’.

•Train staff and students.

Teachers should: •Bullying is not tolerated.

•Everyone has responsibility against bullying.

•Discuss bullying •Do a school survey and announce results •Provide rules for behaviour.

•Agree possible solutions •Find facts, talk to bullies and victims individually •Apply proven methods.

NO ONE DESERVES TO BE

Please, send comments, responses and contact the undersigned for security and safety challenges by sms or e-mail.

By: Mr. Timilehin Ajayi (Safety and Security Consultant) E-mail: timilehinajayi@yahoo.com 08095683454, 08075518732

Your HEALTH THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

55

With

Patience Saduwa 08023201831 (sms only) psaduwa@yahoo.com

Hepatitis Quick facts

sTesting time: Early detection through screening is important in hepatitis treatment to stave off end stage liver disease

Concerns grow over hepatitis As hepatitis prevalence rate hits 20 per cent of Nigeria's population, experts call for more screening centres, early screening, diet change and awareness about the ailment as well as other liver diseases.

W

HEN it comes to business or leisure travels, India is not a favourite destination of Nigerians. Those who have the means prefer going to Europe, America or even South Africa. All that has changed however, in the past couple of years. The air route between India and Nigeria has been unusually busy in the last few years, for something else entirely-medical treatment. And specifically for organ transplants such as kidney, heart and treatment for liver disease.

Available statistics indicate that the rate of hepatitis disease in the country has gone up to a level that has got health experts worried. Experts put Nigeria's hepatitis prevalence rate at 10-20 per cent.

According to data from Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria (SOGHIN), about 19 million Nigerians are infected with Hepatitis B with North Central and North East having the highest prevalence. About 5 million die of the consequences, annually.

Hepatitis, which is an inflammation of

the liver, is just one of the liver diseases, others being fatty liver and cirrhosis.

Any, or all, of these conditions can occur at the same time in the same person.

Liver disease is common, according to medical experts, due to the high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in the country, which often coexist with HIV infection. Antiviral treatments are expensive and drugs are commonly unavailable, even if they can be afforded. Besides, therapy for end-stage liver disease is difficult and often unavailable.

And this should not be the case for a country with huge oil wealth and resources. Over the years however, very little of the country's immense riches have been invested in infrastructural development, the critical healthcare sector included. Nigerian hospitals are poorly equipped and infrastructure for interventional procedures is mostly lacking, according to Dr. N. G. Ladep and S.D Taylor-Robinson of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos. With such a scenario, it's no wonder

“Research shows that genetic factors may determine those at increased risk of developing liver disease. This is especially so in the case of viral hepatitis which is a small virus that attaches itself to the DNA. In other words, the virus attaches itself to the genetic components of a person.

Experts say it takes 20-30 years for an infected person to develop a full blown liver disease�

that going abroad, especially to India, where facilities are said to be better with well trained staff, has become an attractive option, especially for the wellto-do.

Those at risk Research shows that genetic factors may determine those at increased risk of developing liver disease. This is especially so in the case of viral hepatitis which is a small virus that attaches itself to the DNA. In other words, the virus attaches itself to the genetic components of a person. Experts say it takes 20-30 years for an infected person to develop a full blown liver disease.

It can also be contracted through blood, sweat, semen, tears, urine, vaginal fluids even saliva. Transmission could be during pregnancy from mother to child; through injection drug use that involves sharing needles; through breaks in the skin resulting in contact with blood or open sores of infected persons; needle pricks; sharing items such as razor blades; blood transfusion and through unprotected sexual intercourse with infected persons.

Another risk factor is excessive alcohol consumption. Indeed, drinking too much alcohol can lead to three types of liver conditions - fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. One is unlikely to develop these problems if you drink within the recommended safe limits. For all types of liver disease caused by alcohol, the main treatment is to stop drinking completely. *To be continued next Sunday

*Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The inflammation can range from mild to severe * Viral hepatitis has various types, but B and C are most common. Type B is the commonest in Nigeria *It's highly infectious-about 50100 times more infectious than HIV * About 5 million die of the consequences yearly * Can take 20-30 years for an infected person to develop a full blown liver disease *Hepatitis is treatable and preventable if it is detected early through early screening *Drinking too much alcohol can lead to three types of liver conditions - fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis *About 1 in 10 heavy drinkers will eventually develop cirrhosis- a condition where normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue *Cirrhosis can lead to end-stage liver disease ('liver failure') which can cause death *A major physical symptom of liver disease is jaundice, which causes yellowing of the skin and eyes. Generally by the time jaundice develops, the liver has been severely damaged.

ABC of living with HIV

By Fredrick Adegboye

A

BSTINENCE from sex. Be faithful to your uninfected partner (mutual fidelity).

Correct and consistent use of condom.

These we have learnt are the ABC of stemming and preventing the sexual transmission of HIV, as sex is a major route of contracting the infection.

For those living with HIV, there also the ABCD of living with the condition.

Some of us at least have known our status and been living positively with it for close to a decade (10 years); others have even been coping with it for a longer period than that, e.g. Dr. Pat Matemilola, former National Coordinator of Network of People living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), without using anti-HIV drugs (ARV).

As I wrote last week, the first step is to (A)cknowledge your new found status.

Accept that you are truly HIV positive, especially after you must have gone through the processes of Counselling, Testing (screening) and Confirmatory test with the last two pointing in one direction sero positivity (HIV+). *To be continued next Sunday

Your Health

56 THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

WELLBEING

Snack your way to productivity

F

RUITS are the best foods to snack on as they are fresh and full of vitamins and minerals.

They are best eaten in the natural state without much cutting, cooking and therefore without much nutrient loss.

Fruits are made up of two sugars glucose and fructose, both of which are monosaccharides which are sugars that are digested in a single step and enter the blood stream easily as energy. Hence, fruits are the best choice for quick energy and refreshment.

Besides, they help the body fight infection, repair damaged tissues,

strong teeth and bones, and improve your eyesight aside from being fat and cholesterol-free and a good source of dietary fiber and potassium.

For a great snack at work, take a lunch box packed with sliced bananas, grapes, apples, orange segments, chopped pineapple, pawapaw, melon and plum and snack on it at break it. They not only taste delicious, but will give you instant energy boost for greater productivity. And even better, will not add an extra inch to your waistline!

“So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” – A.J. Reb Materi

Beating depression (2)

T

HERE are different ways of treating depression without the use of anti-depressants which in most cases don't work. A few lifestyle changes and the right diet can help you beat the blues and give you a new zest and passion for life.

Diet: Serotonin is a brain chemical believed to promote calmness and ease depression. Foods themselves don't contain serotonin but what you eat may be able to tip the balance in favour of increased serotonin production in the brain.

Foods to try: *Dark chocolate - the feel good factor comes from the flavour, aroma and the way it melts in your mouth and a feel good c h e m i c a l c a l l e d phenylethylamine *Sardines - rich in potassium, iron and B vitamins - all needed to maintain healthy brain

sChocolate

sRed pepper

sBanana

sSardine

chemistry *Liver - very rich in iron and vitamin B6. Low levels can exacerbate the *Peas - good source of vitamin B1 needed for healthy nerves.

Depressive system of premenstrual syndrome Brazil nuts - very rich in selenium, which research shows may help prevent low mood. * Chillies - help promote the release of pleasure-boosting endorphins in the brain. *High fibre breakfast cereal -

rich in carbohydrates to boost blood sugar and fortified with B vitamins for a healthy nervous system. *Bananas - supply moodboosting carbohydrates and vitamin B6.

Other steps to beat depression include enjoying the sunshine, getting plenty of sleep, being sociable, being active (exercise and physical activity help) Have a positive mind don't dwell on negative thoughts; instead of ruminating, start an activity; even conversation counts.

15-Minute Flab-Fighting Cardio *Continued from last Sunday sMixed fruit salad

sAvocado

sYoghurt

sAvocado and lettuce salad

Iron cross sTargets: Upper back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, butt and legs sStand with feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand. sLift arms out to sides and bend elbows to bring dumbbells near ears, palms forward. sLunge backward with left leg.

Scoop Squat Targets: Biceps, butt and hamstrings

FITNESS width apart; with palms facing forward, extend arms behind you as high as you can.

Biceps Squared Targets: Biceps, butt and legs Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with feet hip-width apart.

Raise extended arms to shoulder level, palms up, with right arm directly in front of you and left arm out to side. *Concluded

Travel

W

Leisure

Cuisine

ONDERING where to take your family for the Chrsitmas/New Year holidays? Why not give your loved ones a treat with a trip to Accra, the Ghanaian capital? Accra, has become in the past couple of years, a favourite destination for Nigerians who need a mini-break from work or business commitments. They are attracted to the city for its neatness and orderliness devoid of the bustle and chaotic situation in a place like Lagos.

Quick facts: The city of Accra has been Ghana's capital since 1877, and contains fine public buildings reflecting its transition from a 19th century suburb of Victoriaburg to the modern metropolis it is today.

Spreading along the Atlantic coast, the city is well endowed with luxury as well as great value hotels, excellent restaurants and night clubs. A range of absorbing museums and fine public monuments (especially the Kwame Nkrumah

Family get-away in Accra business and commercial Among the highlights areas, as well as busy of Accra are the markets and treeNational Museum, lined residential with its splendid suburbs, is display of ready to be exhibits that explored. reflect the Hot spots: heritage of T h e Ghana from beaches of prehistoric the Atlantic times to coast are m o d e r n popular with times; the visitors and National Ghanaians Theatre with its The good life: Escape from the alike. La Pleasure distinctive modern hassles of city life to the serene and Kokrobite Beach, architecture, the Centre beauty of a resort like this just 25km west of Accra, for National Cultural are particularly popular at Centre, Independence Square, the weekends. distinctive modern

Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum; the fishing port at James Town and Makola Market.

How to get there: By air which is quicker or a road trip that takes longer but which will enable you see some neighbouring countries along the route.

If there's time, you could also take in other popular tourist attractions in the country like the Elmina Castle in the Cape Coast. A former slave fort, the castle is preserved as a Ghanaian national museum and monument and is designated as a World Heritage Monument under UNESCO. It offers daily historical tours and is an extremely popular destination for African American tourists seeking to connect with their heritage.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

PAGE 57

‘I nearly died one week to my 70th birthday’ —PAGE 59

Nigeria’s population time bomb

•Old oshodi

United Nations demographers last week said the world population has hit the all time high of seven billion. Olayinka Oyegbile, Deputy Editor, Rita Ohai and Ibrahim ApekhadeYusuf take a look at the implications of this for Nigeria and the world.

I

N Yola, Adamawa State on Monday, October 31, at the Yola Specialist Hospital, Nigeria joined the rest of world to usher in the seventh billion child!

In far away India, the birth of baby Nargis Yadav in a small rural clinic in the northern part of the country also drew the attention of the world to that part of the globe. Baby Yadav’s birth is also recorded to have swelled the world population to seven billion!!

However, who among the baby born in Yola, Nigeria or in the populous state of Uttar Pradesh in India, or in thousand other parts of the world is the seventh billion baby? Who among the two or in other thousands of locations around the world came first was not of much importance; what was of concern to population and development experts is whether the world is prepared to cope

with the time bomb: population.

The news that the world had hit the seven billion mark came to Jude Imohede, a banker at his desk. On the flat screen television in the banking hall he watched as the news was relayed on the screen. He said, “Many of us in the banking hall were surprised when we saw the news on television. We did not know whether to be excited or upset because even though the birth of a child is supposed to be a good thing, the knowledge that humans are procreating like rats is a thing for major concern. It is scary to know that we are quickly getting to the point where the planet will be too small to contain all of us.”

He and his colleagues are worried that the world population was growing at a rate that it may become too tough to live in. He is worried that the way things are going in Nigeria the blowing population may soon be

a time bomb. The population is growing, facilities are overstretched, and infrastructures are decaying and breaking down thus making survival tougher and the contest to survive keener.

Making the world a better place However, to people like Imohede and his ilk, the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNDP), Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin has an answer.

Writing in the agency’s annual State of the World Population Report, he wrote: “Instead of asking questions like, ‘Are we too many?’ we should instead be asking, ‘What can I do to make our world better?’” He observed, “In many parts of the developing world, where population growth is outpacing economic growth, the need for reproductive health services, especially family planning, remains great. Where

•Osotimehin

population is shrinking, we need family friendly policies. Where numbers are growing, we need policies to ensure women have access to family planning. If governments do not act, we will put further strains on the

resources that we have.”

The report is a comprehensive examination of disparities between rich nations and poor ones. Poor countries continue to have low education levels and •Continued on page 58

58

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Life

‘Nigeria is one big dump site’ Tunde Imolehin, a development communications specialist in housing, development and environmental matters, in this interview with Joe Agbro Jr. and Rita Ohai sheds light on the challenges in these sectors

H

AVING spent twenty years reporting events in the housing and development sector, what is your take on its growth rate?

Unlike politics, arts and other very popular beats, development communication is very new in terms of achievements and popularity. This is a beat that a lot of people would not want to cover, because of knowledge and lack of capacity and it makes development communication very remote. That is why we are trying to see what we can do to develop capacity and passion in that area. We are trying to train young ones to take up the responsibility of reporting developmental issues such as human development issues so that we would have more correspondents reporting on development.

With respect to the housing sector in Nigeria, what are the impacts of the activities of the housing sector on the climate?

There is a nexus between the environment and the cities in Nigeria. Of course if you look at the Constitution, it says that people have a right to life and social services. For example, Chapter 4 under fundamental rights, Section 3 of the Constitution says that every citizen is entitled to acquire and own removable property anywhere in the country, while Chapter 2, section 20 says that the State shall protect and improve the environment and safeguard •Continued on page 58

startlingly high rates of teenage pregnancy and maternal and child deaths due to complications from childbirth.

Even though the agency has continued to receive serious criticism from many around the world because of what they consider as its role in spreading the clamour for abortion in the less developed world.

A tough debate The world body’s emphasis on family planning, especially in the developing world, is however not going down well with many pro-life groups and religious organisations. For instance, Dr. Is-haq Akintola, Associate Professor, Department of Religion, Lagos State University, said: “Islam will condone the idea of a couple producing as many children as they desire so long as the woman is in good health. Islam however frowns at the use of condoms and contraceptives. It is therefore unIslamic to use any of these things.

The only safe measure sanctioned in Islam is coitus interruptus, which is the withdrawal method because it is what comes from the man that can turn into pregnancy. However, this withdrawal method has to be done with the utmost fear of Allah. Islam condemns the act of killing the embryo in the womb or committing abortion. Anyone who practices abortion in Islam is considered a murderer.”

Gbemi Adeleke, a teacher and mother of four, is also not bothered by the growing world population. Taking solace in the Holy Bible she sees the arrival of the seventh million baby as a fulfilment of the biblical injunction that man should ‘go and populate the world’! She said, “I think it’s a blessing. No matter the circumstance a child

the water, air, land, forest and wild-life of Nigeria. So, the dignity of a man revolves around his status as a house owner and the cities are where majority of Nigerians live. Nobody is saying that we should not explore, but we need to do it sustainably so that we can take care of tomorrow.

Do you think government is doing enough to mitigate the challenges caused by housing and urbanisation?

We have not done much because we have policies that were put in place that have not actually worked. Not that these policies are not good policies, but it is because these policies were not designed to work. No policy is checking urbanisation. In Lagos alone, nobody knows the number of people flocking into Lagos on a daily basis.

Based on your level of experience, what is it that the country is getting right in terms of housing and what are we doing wrong?

I’m worried about the lip service that government pays to the issue of the environment and housing. The budget to have a green economy is abysmally low. Up till today, we are still using a deficit of sixteen million housing units in Nigeria. Nothing has really worked in terms of sustainability in housing provision in Nigeria despite the fact that we have so many policies in place. The Minister for Finance and Economy said government was going to borrow money to solve environmen-

tal and agricultural challenges, which shows that there is a problem with funding. The money set aside for ecological funds has not been well used. There are proven allegations where governors spend money meant for the environment on other issues. They spend this money and then come back and say they have gully erosion. Also, we do not have strong negotiators who will represent us abroad at international events.

Do you feel majority of Nigerians understand this need to fight for their environment?

Until recently, nobody took weather forecast seriously. It was not until after the July 10 rain that people started paying attention. The traditional belief in this part of Africa is that when you dump dirt in gutters and water channels, the water will carry the dirt away. Nigeria has become a dumping ground where second-hand cars are seen lying around, but in other developed countries, they have dump sites for all those things. So, we still need to educate the people on environmental management and our attitude to the environment.

In consonance with the theme of the World Habitat Day, can our housing structures mitigate against the adverse effect of climate change?

For now, no! We are under threat in Nigeria, but like every other country, we have environmental challenges es-

•Imolehin

pecially in our cities. Lagos is a peculiar example because it is located in a coastal region; it is very vulnerable to natural attack, but they are advocating measures like tree planting and attitudinal changes among other things. Other States are not yet doing much in terms of mitigating climate change. There is a challenge in Africa where we do not have the technology to mitigate climate change; we can only adapt.

Is the mega-city project of Lagos

under threat from slums?

It is a global phenomenon. Cities always have to re-build. We need to carry out a comprehensive urban renewal in a place like Lagos. The reason why this city is facing these problems is due to poor planning and selfishness on the part of professionals. There will always be slums, but we need to do ‘slum upgrading’. Soweto in South Africa was a slum, but it was upgraded in such a way that the rich and the poor can now live together.

Our population time bomb

•Dr. Is-haq Akintola

is born into, we should always be grateful because the God who told us as men to be fruitful and multiply will always find a way to provide for His children so people should stop panicking unnecessarily.”

Owing to serious religious and ethnic divides, the issue of population control in Nigeria has

been a hot potato which many administrations have given a wide berth. What could be considered something near a government policy was enunciated by the military government of Gen Ibrahim Babangida who in 1988 made four children the standard number of kids people can have.

It however ran into a storm because its plank was that only women are restricted to four kids.

This did not go down well with many pro-women groups across the country. They dismissed it as sexist and meant to oppress the women folk, the advisory policy died a natural death.

Taming the monster As Nigeria’s population grows, the challenges are many and diverse; how are the various levels of governments going to satisfy the growing need to provide housing, infrastructure and jobs for an exploding population of youths? Experts are of the opinion that rather than worry about the exploding population they should look at the great potential, if managed properly. There is also the fear that the unemployed youths could turn to crime or become easy recruits for extremist groups.

This is fuelled by a recent World Bank report which revealed that over 50 million young people in the country are jobless! John Litwack, an economist with the bank described this as “a time bomb.” He added, “With too many energetic young people without employment opportunities, it’s very easy for them to move in the wrong direction.”

It is this that is worrying a lot of people and giving many sleepless nights. How does Nigeria hope to manage its growing population?

The country is not alone; the world population is projected to add another two billion to its present figure in 2050. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, for food to be sufficient for the world population it would have to

increase by 70%, but climate change is the greatest challenge to achieving this.

How then is the world going to confront this? Co-ordinator for the African region of proenvironmental group 350.org, Samantha Bailey, said “Over the last couple of years, we have seen a steady rise in human activity which has led to drastic climate changes due to the increase in carbon emissions globally. These emissions are already causing a lot of problems in terms of flooding and drought. We as a group have been fighting for a reduction in carbon emissions but the continuous rise in the world’s population which is not willing to check its day to day activity in terms of combustion and things like that will just lead to an increase in many of the natural disasters we will face.”

But is the one-child a family policy the answer? Many analysts think the Nigerian situation has not become so desperate to call for such a step.

Mr. John Aladelola, a population specialist is of the opinion that the situation has not got to that point. He observed, “The problem we have in Nigeria is not over population. Our problem is planning. If we have a government that cares and knows what benefit a big and productive population confer we won’t be where we are today.” He added that for the country’s growing population to be turned into an asset serious development oriented projects must be undertaken to take care of the army of unemployed youths.

The adoption of the China one-child policy is going to be •Continued on page 60

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Life

59

I nearly died one week to my 70th birthday — Oba Olateru Olagbegi III Oba David Victor Folagbade Olateru-Olagbegi III, the Olowo of Owo[CFR] turned 70 two weeks ago. During a thanksgiving service to mark the day, the traditional ruler narrated how he had a close shave with death a week to joining the septuagenarian club.

Taiwo Abiodun was there HERE was pin drop silence as the celebrator stood up to give his speech.

Though no one knew exactly what he

T

was about to say, not a few in the crowd believed the Olowo of Owo’s speech would dwell more on giving praises to God for sparing his life up till 70 and perhaps thank his subjects and the guests present for gracing the occasion.

But when it was time for him to speak, the Olowo recounted an incident that almost claimed his life just a week to his 70th birthday. “About seven days ago, I was travelling towards Ibadan to attend a function. It was a smooth journey until suddenly the tyre of my car burst on high speed, while the air conditioner and the battery too exploded. That was all I remembered until I found myself being attended to by medical doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Much later, I was discharged, but I knew I wasn’t perfectly okay. So, I went to the Redemption Camp where the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye prayed for me and I got fully healed’’ Before the unfortunate incident, preparations were in top gear for the birthday of Oba David Victor Folagbade Olateru---Olagbegi II1. Within the ancient town of Owo and beyond, many had looked forward to the D-day with excitement. But as it turned out, fate had other plans.

After the incident occurred, all preparations for the celebration were put on hold.

But as news of the postponement hit town, rumour peddlers went to work spreading tales that the royal father had passed on. Expectedly, Owo town was thrown into confusion, with both the young and adults making calls to ascertain the

•Olowo

authenticity of the rumour. It turned out to be a hoax.

Oba Olagbegi has been likened to a cat with nine lives. While some are quick to compare him with the Biblical David whom God loved, others call him Victor, who is always victorious. It is interesting that he bears these names in real life.

On the occasion, His Royal Majesty was dressed in an embroidered blue Aso oke Yoruba traditional flowing gown [agbada], with his neck adorned with two special beads and a long sparkling gold necklace chain. He completed his royal outfit with gold rings on his fingers that shone like stars and a sparkling fully beaded walking stick.

As the Oba walked majestically into the church for the thanksgiving service, hundreds of people struggled to catch a glimpse of him.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God [RCCG], Ondo Province 3 headquarters, Pentecostal Parish located at Okedogbon , Owo in Ondo State was filled to the brim, as family members, friends, associates and well wishers came around to felicitate with the king. Present also, were royal fathers from across Ondo State, and dignitaries, that included the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Olanusi, other senior government officials, top clergymen and notable politicians across party divides.

Born on the 26th of June 1941, Oba David Folagbade Olateru Olagbegi III ascended the throne on the 21st of February 1999.

After his elementary and secondary education at the Government Primary School and Imade College, he attended to Poole College, Poole Dorset for his Ordinary and Advanced Level certificates. From there he went to read Law at Holborn College of Law and Grays. Inn, London where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in Law in 1968.He returned home and went to Law School where he was called to the Bar. He began his legal practice in 1969 in the chambers of Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams [SAN] for six years until he joined the Nigerian Law School in July 1, 1975 as a lecturer from where he rose to the position of Secretary to the Council of Legal Education and Director of Administration until he retired voluntarily in 1999.

•Oba Olagbegi (second left) cutting his birthday cake, flanked his wife and other traditional rulers PHOTOS: TAIWO ABIODUN

60

Life

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Timebomb

Checking the billions How countries around the world put their numbers in check CHINA

One-child policy

The most significant modern population control system is China’s onechild policy, in which, with various exceptions, having more than one child is discouraged.

Unauthorized births are punished by fines, although there have also

been allegations of illegal forced abortions and forced sterilization.

The Chinese government introduced the policy in 1978 to alleviate the social and environmental problems of China. According to government officials, the policy has helped prevent 400 million births. The

•Continued from page 57

policy is controversial both within and outside of China because of the issues it raises, the manner in which the policy has been implemented and because of concerns about negative economic and social consequences.

•INDIA

INDIA: ‘We two, ours two’

Only those with two or fewer children are eligible for election to a Gram panchayat, or local government.

We two, ours two (“Hum do, hamare do” in Hindi) is a slogan meaning one family, two children and is intended to reinforce the message of family planning thereby aiding population control.

•CHINA

IRAN: Mandatory contraception

Iran has succeeded in sharply reducing its birth rate in recent years. Iran is the only country where mandatory contraceptive courses are required for both males and females before a marriage license can be obtained. The government emphasizes the benefits of smaller families and the use of contraception.

•SINGAPORE SINGAPORE ‘Have three or more’ (if you can afford it)

•IRAN

In the 1970s the Singaporean government encouraged women, especially uneducated women, to get sterilised following their second child.

In 1966, the Family Planning and Population Board (FPPB) was established, initially advocating small families but eventually pushing for zero population growth into what became popularly known as the Stop at Two programme, also referred to in academia as the “anti-natalist” era. This programme pushed for small two-children families and promoted sterilisation through various incentives and laws for all society.

By 1982, government leaders

such as then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew became worried by the demographic trend that the educated were less likely to marry and procreate than the uneducated, leading to the “dilution of innate human talent” in Singapore. This concern drove various changes in policy. Singapore, like other countries facing industrialisation and economic development, had been undergoing the demographic transition and birth rates had fallen precipitously, a trend only reinforced by the Stop at Two programme. The government had begun to reverse the policy, and officially announced its replacement Have Three or More (if you can afford it) in 1987.

hard to sell. John Bongaarts, the vice president of the Population Council, a global nonprofit organisation said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, frankly. First of all, nobody’s going to accept it. There’s been a massive outcry over the one-child policy in China as coercive, and there’s not a single person that I know that would support it. Plus, you don’t really want the fertility to decline to one child per woman, because you end up in the same problems as Japan has now, and nobody wants that.” Japan is currently under populated as many families prefer not to give birth.

Fertility rates in Japan and throughout Europe, for example, are very low, at just 1.4 and 1.6 births per woman, respectively.

Akintola, who is also the Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an advocacy group for Muslim faithful is not bothered by any fear of Nigeria’s growing population. According to him, “Islam stands for a very healthy and secured environment, where the greatest happiness is assured for the greater majority. Islam frowns at the idea of people in desperate search for material acquisition. You will live in this earth, with all the food, shelter, clothing provided for you.” He viewed the quest for wealth as vanity adding, “Allah has provided everything that will be useful for mankind. But the irony, however, is that an infinitesimal minority of the population have chosen to appropriate the commonwealth to themselves and that is why there is strife everywhere in the country today.”

To him, population explosion is not the issue to be addressed but the greed of those who administer the resources that the world has been endowed with.

Wedding

•Mr & Mrs Olufemi Alabi during their traditional wedding at Abule-Egba, Lagos recently

• Mr and Mrs Ohanyiri Bernard Ogechi during their traditional wedding in Imo State

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BUSINESS

INTERVIEW

‘Nigeria has a huge skills gap in marketing’

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

— Page 62

O

F all the policy regimes the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have introduced lately, especially under the current leadership of Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido, the proposed cashless policy, to many analysts, is probably one policy that would require sheer grit to enforce and possibly a sustained media campaign as well as moral persuasion because a lot of people out there are not completely sold on the idea at all for reasons bordering on the superfluous to the complex.

Knocks for proposed cashless policy regime In the view of Comrade Baba Omojola, renowned economist and World Bank consultant, “If the CBN cashless policy is a template to lead the country to modern economy, then it is a welcomed idea. But it is an idea of the future, not now.

“The larger number of participants at the lowest strata of the economy is of such a larger quantum of the Nigerian economy. But they utilise averagely trading capital of so low cash (N5, 000). Therefore, making them cashless would be a costly burden for the CBN to administer”, he added.

Omojola who is the CEO of EcoConsult, said: “The CBN ought to carry out market and operational researches and need-based analysis in order to determine what the micro and macro needs are. A lot of economic activities have paralysed. The countries capacity for food processing and different production activities remain untapped.

“In petroleum for instance, we can produce as many as 101 products in the sector but we only have capacity to explore just 10 products, this is dismal.”

In the argument of Deinde Abolaji, a staff with one of the new generation banks, “It would take a lot of effort to steer the country on the path to a cashless economy because millions of people out there are yet to cultivate the banking habit. Nigeria with a population of about 80 million bankable adults has less than 10 million persons with bank accounts. So I don’t see how this idea will work.

“Besides, banks are driving customers away with automated teller machine (ATM)-related fraud, exploitative charges and bad policies. You cannot have a cashless economy if so many people have no access to banking services.

The irony is the ATM, which is the plank upon which this so-called cashless policy stands, is not popular with the Nigerian banking public as many have dumped their ATM cards, some on the advice of their close friends working in the banks where they operate accounts.

So how then do you sway these same people?” he queried.

Tolu Awoyemi, a financial analyst also shares similar views.”The bulk of the Nigerian economy is driven by petty traders. With negligible internet penetration in the rural areas, no meaningful electronic security and epileptic power supply what infrastructure does the CBN hopes to build this cashless economy on?” he asked.

Awoyemi would rather the CBN tells the banks to start to lend, since they are too afraid to do since the crashing of the stock market in

Briefs Ogun partners Longman on free education

O

•L-R: Team Leader POS Channels Service, First Bank Plc, Mr. Declan Mberede displaying a POS appliance; Senior Manager, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Hamisu Abdullahi and Head Shared Service, CBN, Mrs. Eyitope St. Mathew Daniel at the public presentation of E-payments appliances in Lagos recently PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA

Cashless Lagos... the way to go?

Barely 55 days to the planned implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy, which is to be heralded by a pilot scheme in Lagos, many Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions over this development, reports Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf 2009.

Why the cash policy?

The CBN had announced that effective June 1 next year, daily cumulative free cash withdrawals and lodgments by individual and corporate customers do not exceed a maximum ceiling of N150, 000 and N1 million, respectively. The move, according to the CBN, is expected to reduce the amount of currency outside the banking system by discouraging the use of cash in financial transactions.

With the pilot scheme expected to commence in Lagos in January 1st, 2012, the CBN has thus considered the need to create adequate awareness, especially among people at the grassroots in an attempt to usher in the scheme in the state.

The CBN has also said that the cash limit policy would, in the long run, help bridge the gap between lending and deposit rates in the country. This would be achieved, when the cost of managing cash in the economy estimated at N192 billion by 2012 is curtailed, according to the CBN Deputy Director, Currency Operations, Mr. Albert Ikmseedun.

Ikmseedun explained that the policy does not mean that cash would no longer be in existence in the country, but that it was aimed at moderating the volume of cash in the system.

The CBN official listed robbery, high cost of processing cash, revenue leakages, inefficient treasury management, among others, as some of the reasons why the dominance of cash in the system.

He went further to explain that cashless Lagos does not mean there would not be cash in Lagos again, but it is an industry collaborative effort aimed at executing the payment transformation plan of the state.

He explained that the choice of Lagos as a pilot point in the country is because over 50 per cent of the money supply in the country ends up in this state. “If it works here, then it can work in any other part of the country. The market is in Lagos and Lagos is mini-Nigeria,” Ikmseedun said.

Echoing similar views, the CBN Head Shared Services, Eyitope Mathew Daniel at a public sensitisation forum in Lagos recently said that achieving an effective and successful cashless Lagos will require collective efforts from all stakeholders.

Public enlightenment campaigns Ahead of the planned implementation of the policy, the apex bank, in collaboration with the Electronic Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-EPAN) has since begun intensive face-to-face awareness campaign for residents of Lagos State at the grassroots.

E-PPAN, acting on behalf of the CBN, has been going round major market clusters in Lagos metropolis to educate market women and men on the new policy on ‘Cashless Lagos.’

Already, E-PPAN has carried out intensive awareness campaign at Ile Epo Market, Jakande Market, and Ojuwoye Market at Mushin. This month, E-PPAN is taking the cashless campaign to Agege Market at Oju Irin in Agege Pen Cinema and Katangora Market, along LagosAbeokuta Express Way. Speaking with newsmen during E-PPAN campaign at Jakande Market, Ketu recently, Onajite Regha, Executive Secretary/CEO, E-PPAN, said the objective of the campaign was to make the people at the grassroots

abreast of how the cashless Lagos scheme would affect their business activities.

While addressing the large gathering of merchants in the market Regha said: “We are educating the market people on the cashless Lagos which is coming up next January. We want to educate them that there are better alternatives to cash which many people are not aware of. That these alternatives bring convenience to users and that they help users to have a relationship with the financial institutions, giving them more opportunities to financial products.”

Expectedly, the newly licensed Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs) are working assiduously to mitigate the infrastructure bottlenecks likely to threaten the smooth take-off of the proposed cashless policy regime.

Among other things, the PTSPs plan to deploy 150, 000 Point of Sale (PoS) terminals in Nigeria by the end of 2012.The six successful firms are ITEX, Paymaster, Etop, Citiserve, ValuCard and EasyFuel.

CBN’s blessed assurance At one of the engagement session in Lagos recently, Tunde Lemo, Deputy Governor, Operation, CBN, said that the apex bank was working closely with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that connectivity issues are addressed.

“For example, dedicated connectivity will be provided by MTN and Globacom for all point of sale traffic going forward. This should greatly increase the terminal uptime. Also, most terminals will be dual-SIM or roaming SIM, which will ensure failover options and guarantee a higher uptime. Power issues are also being addressed with relevant stakeholders”, Lemo stressed.

GUN State Government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Longman Nigeria Plc ((now Learn Africa Plc), in the provision of instructional materials to public schools.

This MOU become possible following the contract awarded by the state ministry of education recently to the company for the supply of various books to public primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools in the state.

A release from Longman stated that the company welcomed the partnership with the Ogun State Government, especially at a time the education sector was in dire need of massive investments to restore it to its pre-eminent position and shore up the quality of education students receive.

While congratulating the Ogun State Government on the bold move, the company reaffirmed its commitment to support other states not only in supplying instructional materials but also in planning and executing teacher development programmes. “We applaud this clear signal from Ogun State that education should take centre stage. Investing in education is one of the wisest decisions any government can make because an enlightened citizenry is the greatest asset of any state,” the statement added.

Longman Nigeria Plc, whose shareholders recently voted to change its name to Learn Africa Plc, has been producing educational resources in Nigeria for 50 years.

STOCK MARKET REVIEW

L

AST week ended with a 177 cumulative drop in the Nigeria Stock Exchange All-Share Index.

Just like the previous week, many stocks in the banking sector continued to hover around current levels, with marginal gains recorded by First Bank, Stanbic IBTC and Skye Bank. GTBank and UBA recorded no price change and, with fairly matched offers and bids, this trend is likely to continue in coming sessions.

First Bank, GTBank, Skye Bank and FCMB however closed the week with cumulative gains of 3.3%, 2.5% , 2.0% and 0.3% respectively. On the other hand, Zenith Bank lost 1.2% at the close of the week, while Access Bank and Stanbic IBTC shed 9.9% and 13.0% respectively.

In the building materials sector, Dangote Cement lost 3.7%. However, a dearth of offers in the market is likely to lead to a reversal next week. Lafarge Wapco also suffered an 8.3% loss, while Ashaka Cement recorded a 2.0% markup.

Besides, sustained demand led to cumulative gains of 4.0% for Guinness and though demand for NB was steady as it only inched up marginally, appearing to have hit a current peak.

The food and beverages sector was skewed to the sell side, In line with the market trend. Last minute trades firmed up the price of Nascon, inching up with a 2.8% mark-up; a dearth of offers in coming sessions could lead to further appreciation in the stock. Nestle and Dangote Flour also recorded marginal gains.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Business

‘Nigeria has a huge skills gap in marketing’ Nigeria is a major hub of Promasidor Group- a pan-African food and beverages company that covers 30 African countries. In this interview with Taofik Salako, the General Manager, Marketing, Mr. Kachi Onubogu, speaks on the group's brand differentiation, marketing and promotional strategies as well as operating challenges in the sector

W

HAT are the peculiar challenges of marketing in Nigeria?

The biggest challenge we have in marketing is something I think all of us in the industry should work at.

I had a chat with someone and was asking why we have very few people practicing marketing and few ones who are running businesses at the top. But in between you really have very few people. What really affected it was the boom in the banking sector which lured a lot of smart people out of the industry. A lot of people went into banking because there was a lot of money there unlike in marketing.

If you look at bulk of marketing directors of companies in Nigeria today, they have all been moving around. Then you have the young people who are just coming up and there is a big gap in between with those big directors.

The biggest challenge in marketing as far as I am concerned, is that everybody is looking for new managers in marketing that are rare to get. You keep getting the same set of people moving around from one company to another. There is a gap that has been created by the banking world unfortunately for them and to us in the profession also.

Besides, there are lots of challenges in marketing in Nigeria.

We have the infrastructural challenges, we have the cost of doing business and there are some places

INTERVIEW in Nigeria where one cannot do anything except it is required by the law.

How would you assess the outcome of the promo undertaken by your company for one of your branded products recently?

Our assessment and opinion is that the promo has been quite successful. The promo delivered its set objectives in terms of driving awareness for the brand, encouraging Nigerians to try the brand and also it has set the brand as an establishing brand that will keep growing in the portfolio of the Nigerian consumers. In the African culture, you don’t praise yourself, so my own take is to find out what you and other consumers feel about the brand. The other side is that it has been successful we delivered its set objectives of the promotion and we hope that long term it will continue to grow up as one of the top brands in Nigeria. We also had a feedback from consumers about the brand and they said the brand was fantastic and is the best sold brand in the market and consumers who have tried it commended it in terms of quality and I mean a lot of people are taking it now. It is successful and has fulfilled its set objectives.

Did it impact on the corporate brand?

•Onubogu

The promotion itself is not an objective it is an end to a means. The aim of the promotion is to ensure that the brand gets to the Nigerian consumers and also that the consumers try and sample the brand and the consumers will get to like the brand because of its quality. That is the essence of the promo and I think it has done its job. The product quality and affordability are what will carry the brand into the future.

If you view the draws on television when the winners were emerging things that work the general audience the people that watch the show are all Nigerians so when you improve the lives of consumers giving them huge amount of money that they did not

think they will get it is a huge plus for those who won. You will hear the excitement but more especially it gives them a platform to do whatever they intend to do. Some have said they will use it to go into trading others have said they will use it to pay the fees of their kids and yet some others said they will use it to improve the quality of their lives and at the end of the day that is what we want.

Our company and our brand consistently build and improve the quality of lives of Nigerians consumer and that is what we win from the promotion. For those who have won, we are excited with what some of them are saying, but more importantly, our pride is that the consumers become the best they

could become.

Yes I think there is couple of things that set us apart from all other businesses in Nigeria. Consistently, innovation has been our watchword.

Innovation has defined us as a business from the launch of our brand and all our other consuming brands.

This promo is unique because it is the first time in Nigeria history that a brand has commenced a promo like this and people can win instant cash from it. It shows our company as an innovative company and one that understands the needs and challenges of the Nigerian society.

More importantly it gives us another platform to tell Nigerians that we are the best at what we do. We understand you and also we know what you need and we will give you promos that will excite you. I think it shows everybody clearly who we are and what we stand for.

Given the incessant complaints from regulators on erring companies which flout laid down regulations regarding promos, were the regulators receptive to the idea behind the promo?

The promo got the endorsement of all the regulators including the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and all the others. Every regulatory body that is mandated by law to approve product promotions in the country, approved the promotion and even those for lotto. We ensured that all of them were represented at every draw.

So it is not just about getting approval but we ensured that they were here to drive the credibility of the promo and to show that we are very competent at what we do.

From the start of the promotion, it was in two phases. One was about the instant cash win which people have been redeeming at branches of Zenith Bank and the other was about the draw through which people won N100, 000, N150, 000 and N250, 000 respectively.

We contacted the winners on the spot using their phone numbers and their names and phone numbers were also published in the newspapers and media reports so that they could redeem their prizes at locations nearest to them. So people were told the closest locations where they could pick up their prizes in cheques and everybody who participated have collected their prizes.

Experts’ scorecard on HIV/AIDS workplace policy

E

MPLOYERS of labour across the country have been urged to consider workers welfare a top priority as far as the implementation of the workplace policy on HIV/AIDS is concerned.

This was the resolution of stakeholders at a public forum to mark the final project dissemination of the USAID/NigeriaSMARTWork Program, in Lagos recently.

The forum attracted Nigerians from all walks of life including workers’ representatives, members of the civil society, public and organised private sector, the academia, media, among others.

Among the roll-call of guests at the event include Dr. Abiodun Adetoro, Country Director, FHI360, USAID/NigeriaSMARTWork Program, Dr. Kalada Green, Senior HIV Prevention Advisor, USAID/ Nigeria, Dr. Dayo Lajide, Senior Project Officer, Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, Mr. Olusina Olulana, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS, Dr. Godwin Mpi, Alhaji K.L.Obisesan, NATA, Bello Ismail, NLC, Comrade Ladi Salami, 1st Vice-President, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Boniface Esong, President of NUCAMPEN, Also in attendance include Dr. Salome Nnabuife of Total Health Trust Limited and representatives of the following bodies such as the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Federal Ministry of Labour and

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

Productivity, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Nigeria Labour Congress and Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

In his keynote address, Green said it was worthy of note that the workplace policy on HIV/AIDS was already being put in place but cautioned that there was no room for complacency as there were still grey areas to be addressed.

While giving an overview of the USAID/ Nigeria project, Adetoro said the forum was aimed at keeping the stakeholders abreast of development on the implementation of the workplace policy on HIV/AIDS over the last 45.

Going down memory lane, Adetoro recalled that: “The SMARTWork Program started as a five-year global workplace HIV/ AIDS intervention supported by the US Dept of Labour (USDOL) in 2001 covering six countries namely Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nigeria, Vietnam, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

At the end of the USDOL funding in 2006, only Nigeria and Vietnam were able to get new funding sources to move the intervention forward. While Haiti was able to access PEPFAR funding for a year after which it was phased out, Nigeria initially got an extension and later a 3-year contract from PEPFAR through the USAID/Nigeria.”

Expatiating, he said: “The initial organisation that got the contract, Academy for Educational Development (AED) was acquired by the Family Health International to become FHI Development 360 LLC’, adding: “The overriding goal of USAID/Nigeria SMARTWork program was to expand access to comprehensive high-quality prevention, care and support services to the working population by increasing local indigenous groups’ capacity to implement services in Nigeria. So, the overarching aim of the project was to build local capacity to be able to respond to HIV/AIDS issues in the workplace environment.”

The FHI360, he recalled, worked in partnership with the Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCAA) and eight labour unions namely: the Nigeria Automobile Technician Association (NATA), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), National Union of Chemical Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the National Union of Textile Garment & Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).

Justifying the need for the workplace policy, Adesoro said: “The impact of HIV & AIDS in

the workplace in several countries has made it imperative that workers should be reached with detailed and correct information on HIV & AIDS. In countries with a long history of the epidemic, some patterns are emerging: increased absenteeism and morbidity, increased early retirement and mortality, low staff morale, increased medical bills, reduced productivity and profit, and so on.

“It then becomes imperative that every organisation should address the issue of HIV & AIDS directly and not waiting for the effects of other people’s activities out there. Government, management and labour unions will have to come together to agree on how to move forward and tackle the problem. That is the process driven by SMARTWork Program since inception”, he maintained.

Echoing similar views, Olulana, the NIBUCCA boss said it was heartening to note that: “Thanks to the workplace policy, HIV/ AIDS is fast losing its exceptionalism in the private sector as many organizations out there are beginning to realize the necessity to address health concerns of workers.”

The benefits of HIV/AIDS workplace policy notwithstanding, all the participants were agreed on the fact that there was need for concerted effort on the part of everybody to ensure full scale implementation of HIV/AIDS programme.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Business

VOL 1 NO. 032

T

HIS article is focused on putting in the right perspective, the person and role of an advertising model, and their importance as agents of brand establishment, building and growth, from the perspective of advertising. We also like to bring to focus, that advertising is all about adding to the bottom-line: positive Return on Investment ROI. This article is also meant to be a reference material for students in advertising and prospective practitioners who may have need for a proper understanding of the role of models in brands management.

Models and modeling is not frontally considered very important element in brands management among many practitioners in our local environment. At best it comes as a creative necessity (if the creative concept or designs requires), in creating advertising material. So we often see the creative personnel choose from available options to determine who comes on set as the model for the assignment at hand. Very little is considered of the appropriateness of such chosen model to the over-all person of the brand, the competition and the underlining marketing objective.

Top of mind, the ideal creative process for developing campaign materials starts with the client's identification of a marketing problem or need to achieve set-marketing objective. This is closely followed by the need to know; what should be done for or with the brand in question, to either solve the identified problem or achieve set-marketing objective.

Then the client's brief to the advertising agency.

The Agency's challenge then becomes meeting the client's needs. Ideally, answers are provided to every question relevant to the assignment at hand at this point. It is at this stage all strategic options are considered in charting the way forward for the brand/client, in relation to the assignment at hand. Questions to include the brand/client's present market performance, competitive analysis versus competition, the trade and consumer traits and habit, prevalent market variables such as activities of completion, price movement and even efficiency of brand's shelf presence are all thrown up at this stage.

Then-on, scientific interpretation is put to findings following from the question and answers, preparatory to developing creative materials for client's consideration. Production of creative materials follows the client's approval swiftly, thenon.

From experience, the issues considered most important within the creative team in the most professional agency setting in this market are figures pertaining to the brand's market performance in volume and value terms, consumer engagement and shelf off-take. The issue concerning PERCEPTION in relation to brand's market performance hardly comes to consideration among the strategic and creative workers. It is often times left at the whims of the visual artist to create an idea of the ideal model for the assignment and the traffic or creative services team takes it on from there, in search of the person so-envisioned by the visual artist.

Now, the above is the grade 'A' performance of the top-end creative teams I have witnessed in this market. Over 78% of advertising agencies in this

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Models and brands management market do not think so deep in their creative process. So as we go forward in this consideration we are looking at the ideal creative process.

In most cases, the issue of PERCEPTION is left out in the consideration of those variables crucial to the helping a brand succeed. It is considered so insignificant, after those very demanding analysis of research figures. Each time research figures are thrown at me for interpretation, it's always war. So one can understand why issues of perception measurement are often less considered at

strategic sessions.

But there-in lays the problem. Because not sufficient attention is paid to PERCEPTION, the issue of models and modeling is not treated rightly, to sufficiently benefit the brand. We mentioned in our article on ADVERTISING: A PARADIGM SHIFT last week that no element worthy of consideration in brand building is of less importance to another. If the act as seemingly negligible as scenting the aircraft cabin is a strong branding tool, then we must be careful how we consider all other such important strategic input.

So, the question is how many of us really pay attention to the importance of models as brand building tools? We must put models and modeling in the right perspective if the brand must earn its take of the contribution of models for market gains. To begin with, modeling is a profession, modeling is perception.

Moving forward on this, let us look at perception as a performance driver for brands growth. It is common saying that perception is key whether in the mind's eye, touch or feel, and that is what

sells the brand. That which is perceived of the brand on offer by the target consumer determines the target audience's ACTION. Often times, that which is called value-essence is all about perception. It is perception in terms of cost benefit that will guide the prudent consumer in deciding for a choice among competing brands in terms of pricing. In same manner, it is perception in terms of smell appeal that will form the basis of a given consumer's choice of perfume brand among competition.

It is the effective deployment of this all-important element of perception that models and modeling is all about. A model is seen as somebody with a particular set of attributes that will perfectly connect with the given brand in making the desired statement towards achieving the desired brand image; the image that should sell the brand. A model is that face representing the brand (the face of the brand), the one -person, character that represents the brand in a very distinct way, with direct implication on the bottom line in volume and value terms. The model must complement every other of the brand's offer components to drive target market engagement. It must sell the brand, big idea or opinion.

Perhaps we should recall the issue of a brand's equity at this point. If a brand's equity is the total sum of the brand's associates that makes up its person, then we must appreciate the place of models in the vanguard of perception. The model is the true ambassador of the brand. We must therefore be clear on who is a model, from the perspective of the attributes tied to a model.

There are two broad classes of models the Runway model (fashion models) and models for advertising. For the purpose here, we shall concern ourselves with models for advertising. The ideal models are not defined primarily by beauty as manifest to the ordinary eye, but by character. It is so functional that an advertising message may require the use of a 'not too beautiful' person to pass its message across. The emerging trend among some brands is engaging popular actors as brand ambassadors. However, to the extent that this does not sell the brand in actual sense, it is a clear misplacement of functions and a nottoo smart strategic move. A brand ambassador is that character that actually sells the brand in quantifiable terms. That is why you often hear of some brands sacking their ambassadors without care. It is because the engagement of such people as brand ambassadors is more of social engagement rather than a profitable business decision.

The true brand ambassadors are the models.

Brand managers and the agency's creative process must begin to take a proper look at the use of models in brand building and market success. To the extent that the role of models are yet to be optimally considered, advertising creative process must be challenged in the direction of proper handling. Strategic planners must begin to pay attention to use of models, for the good of all. Finally, brands owners must also begin to listen more to the professionals in the use of models.

The brand is the ultimate winner in it all.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Business Insight

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How fraudsters hamper foreign direct investment

A

LTHOUGH it is the desire of the Federal Government to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country, the irony, however, is that the activities of fraudsters masquerading as genuine businessmen is beginning to have a serious toll on the nation’s investment drive.

For the fraudsters and their ilk, the motive behind many of the scams they perpetrate is usually for selfish gains. The rapidity of the assaults by these conmen is such that it has further placed Nigeria on the watch list of countries not only considered overtly corrupt by the international community but the citizens of these countries have also went as far as launching orchestrated calls aimed at preventing investment inflows into the country.

The experience of Mr. Henry Ojogho, an international businessman with investments in Asia, Africa and Europe in recent times, becomes apposite in describing the rising level of mistrust by high net worth individuals and multilateral agencies abroad, many of who have had the misfortune of being duped by so-called Nigerian businessmen using the old tricks in the book— ”sending 419 letters.”

Ojogho who sits atop as Vice Chairman, Broron Group, a conglomerate with interest in oil and gas, energy, telecoms among others, while addressing journalists at his corporate headquarters at Lekki, Lagos, last week, painted a horrific picture of

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

Nigeria’s growing credibility crisis in the eyes of the globe.

A visibly angry Ojogho said: “These so-called 419 fraudsters live in our communities, they live in our states, every other person knows them and they know what they do. It is so bad that everywhere you go to negotiate business outside this country before you say “jack”, these expatriates will bring out more than 46 different scam letters from Nigeria and they will just tell you no, we can’t do business with you because you guys are plain criminals.”

One way to address this hydra-headed monster, he said, is for the anti-graft agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to publish the names of individuals and organisations already on its dragnet as proven “fraudsters.”

“The authority knows these people and it has come to a stage where the EFCC has to do something. It’s high time all their names are screened by the EFCC and circulated at all the embassies across the world. So that if you go over there and your name is on that list the people over there will not do business with that kind of person instead of generalising Nigerians to be 419ers and rogues. It is really alarming”, he stressed.

Ojogho, who has controlling shares at Procomtel, one of the subsidiary companies in Broron Group, recalled his ordeal in a recent trip to China

•Farida Waziri, EFCC Chair

•Henry Ojogho, Vice-Chairman, Broron Group

for a business meeting, where according to him, he experienced the greatest humiliation of his life.

Seething with rage, he said the Nigerian passport has not only become a symbol of shame but is the butt of derisive jokes abroad.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria will have to do something with immediate effect before they will turn our national passport to a tissue paper. It is going to that gradually. As such, the Federal Government has to do something pretty fast, I’m saying this with a lot of pain in my heart”, he lamented.

Expatiating, he said: “When you walk into a meeting room anywhere abroad, they see you and they ask you where are you from and you say “Nigeria”, everybody close their books

and leave the room, it has gotten to that. In Singapore nobody wants to talk to you.

You go to Europe and you bring out your passport and say you’re a Nigerian, they will say Nigerian businessmen do business like touts and rogues and anything that has to do with shortcut, as such they will not take you serious. When you go to negotiate oil and gas transaction because you are from Nigeria something that they can do for x dollar they will increase the cost over seven times because they see us as a high risk country any day.

“From my experience, I can

Lagos Trade Fair kicks off •FirstBank named official banker

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IRSTBANK has been named the official banker for the Lagos International Trade Fair by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, organisers of the 10-day fair.

A statement by the bank’s Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Folake AniMumuney said the choice of FirstBank “is predicated on its time tested financial muscle, innovative pedigree in product offerings and an array of services that seek to serve different

segments of the market.”

The trade fair which is on “Increasing the Competitiveness of Nigerian Products in the Global Market” is expected to be declared open

by President Goodluck Jonathan, while other special guests include Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga.

During the 10-day fair, the bank’s broad clientele and

prospective ones will benefit from its famous financial advisory services, on-line-realtime banking, internet banking, Automated Teller Machine (ATM), cards products, consumer finance products and Western Union/MoneyGram services. Over the years, the bank has broadened its product and services offerings to include agricultural finance, bills discounting, equipment leasing and mortgage finance.

tell you the international community has totally lost respect for anything that has to do with Nigerian passport or any Nigerian person.”

“Of course, I’ve been embarrassed in many occasions. When I mean it is bad, it is very bad. In America, in Asia, Europe, nobody wants to see the Nigerian passport because they see us as fraudsters, they believe there is no good single person from Nigeria and this is not helping matters at all. It is something that we have to address and very quickly too”, he maintained.

Concerned about the countries dwindling misfortunes on account of the activities of fraudsters, Ojogho reiterated the need for the Federal Government to publish the names of individuals and organisations suspected to have enrich themselves through advanced fee fraud with their names and photographs published and circulated across the embassies in the world to serve as deterrent for others.

Specifically, he said, “the chairman of the EFFC, Mrs. Farida Waziri will have to come up with a programme where she will compile all the lists of advanced fee fraudsters in the country and if possible get the necessary approvals from the right channels within the arm of government so that

they will be able to profile these people because there are many Nigerians out there who go about their businesses sincerely by looking for opportunities.”

On why he singled out the EFCC, the Niger Delta-born business magnet said: “The EFCC is responsible for anything that has to do with financial crimes, which includes obtaining funds from people by trick. So, it is the responsibility of EFCC to fish out these criminally-minded people. The EFCC already has a list of these people, so they should publish it.”

It is instructive to note that Nigeria recorded about $2 billion deficit in its foreign direct investment ratings in the past year, according to Mustafa Bello, executive secretary of Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission.

He made this remark last July in Abuja at the launch of World Investment Report 2011 produced by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

“The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) capital to Nigeria declines to $6.1 billion dollars in 2010 as against $8.28 billion in 2009,” he said. “So the profile is that we recorded $8 billion last year, $6 billion this year, it shows a decline of two which shows we are not unaffected by the global recess.”

WIMBIZ marks 10 years

W

OMEN in Management and B u s i n e s s (WIMBIZ) has concluded arrangement to mark her 10th anniversary between Wednesday and Friday this week.

The anniversary, themed: “The Catalyst”, will hold during the 2011 annual conference at the Harbour Point in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Speaking to newsmen at

Stories by Ola Ojelade

a press conference in Terrakulture on Thursday, the Chairperson, Mrs Yewande Zaccheus urged all women, including WIMBIZ members to attend the conference as the three days event is packed with activities to aid them in their chosen career.

Among those expected at the event include Vice Chairman, World Bank, African Region, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, the Minister of

Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson; the First Lady of Ekiti State, Mrs Bisi Fayemi; Joke Silva, among others.

Chairperson fundraising committee, Mrs Adeola Azeez in a brief remark said: “We want to ensure women in organisations rise to the positions of responsibilities in their chosen career”, adding: “WIMBIZisbasicallyforwomen who want to pursue their career, excel in it as well as network.”

Prizes galore at Omo Independence promo

T

O reward customer loyalty to its popular brand, Omo detergent, Unilever PLC has unveiled “Omo Best Ever Independence Promo” backed up with prizes worth millions of naira.

According to a statement by the company, the promo which commenced last Tuesday is expected to end by December 31st.

Justifying the need for the promo, the Brand Building Director, Mr. David Okeme said came up with the idea in its quest “to build brand loyalty

and reward our consumers who have been loyal to our brand from its introduction to the market.”

Echoing similar views, the Category Manager, Mrs. Nnnenna Osi-Anugwa said Omo has functional benefits which the company wishes to always extend to its loyal consumers and they are removal of tough stains, keeping whites really white and promoting the philosophy of child development.

Expatiating, Osi-Anugwa said: “To participate in the

promo, consumers should look out for pack that has the ‘win a prize label’ and carries an unfinished puzzle with the number 51. To get the prize won, consumers will have to pour the detergent to find the missing piece of the puzzle printed inside the wrapper.”

Among the star prize up for grabs are two KIA Picanto cars and cash prizes for over 1,000 customers as well as different consolation prizes which include bicycles, jerseys, special designed footballs, washing machines, etc.

Bakers seek law on bread packaging

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•L-R: Registrar Chartered Institute of Taxation, Mr. Abayomi Jayeoba, President/Chairman of Council, Mr. John Femi Jegede and Vice-President of the Institute, Mr. Mark Anthony Dike during the 2011 Lagos Zonal Mandatory Professional Training Programme organised by the Institute in Lagos recently.

PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA

SSOCIATION of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (Lagos State Chapter) has called on members of the state House of Assembly to look into the issue of packaging of bread being sold the state.

The Association made the call when its executive committee

members led by its state Chairman, Prince Jacob Adejorin, visited the Lagos State House of Assembly last week.

Adejorin pointed out that : “We observed that majority of breads brought into the state were not properly packed and labeled as being directed by bakeries authorities, hence bread

vendors exposed and sell such bread, which is not hygienic for people’s consumption.”

He said the Association will be glad if there could be legislation against such act, making it unlawful for any bread vendor to sell bread without nylon and label indicating where such bread was baked.

Foreign

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Millions of Muslims start annual hajj W

EARING white robes to symbolize purity and equality under God, millions of Muslims began their annual hajj pilgrimage yesterday by climbing a rocky desert hill outside Mecca.

Vast crowds of pilgrims started at dawn to ascend the Mountain of Mercy at Arafat, 12 miles (19 kilometers) outside Mecca, where Islam’s Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his farewell sermon.

The ascent of Arafat is the first event associated with the five-day hajj, a time to seek forgiveness for one’s sins and for individual meditation on the faith. Saudi authorities say that an estimated 2.5 million pilgrims are expected to participate.

Many prayed for peace at home as the Middle East faces an unprecedented wave of anti-government protests that has toppled autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and shaken regimes in Yemen, Bahrain and Syria.

“I wish for security to be maintained in my country. I pray to God that we in Syria

be unified and stand shoulder to shoulder,” said sheik Ahmed Garman, 37, who led a group of Syrian pilgrims from Aleppo.

Syria since mid-March has witnessed a bloody crackdown on protesters in which the U.N. estimates some 3,000 people have been killed.

Saudi Arabia’s top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheik AbdulAziz Al Sheik, said in his sermon that Islam “is facing challenges and divisions” and urged Muslims to “solve the problems only through peaceful means away from bloodshed.”

“To the people I say: solve your problems by dialogue not through blood,” Al Sheik told worshippers, who created a sea of white robes covering the streets and the mountain. “And to the leaders I say: you must consider God’s dictation when you deal with your people.”

The deadliest uprising was in Libya which started in February and led to a civil war that ended last month with the capture and death of longtime dictator

UZOMBA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Uzomba Rose, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Idika Egbuta Rose.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

MORGAN I formerly known and addressed as Miss Mercy Opiribo Morgan, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Mercy Opiribo Nwofor.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

FALOLA

Former football star and current vice presidential candidate George Weah of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change party waves yesterday at supporters at party headquarters in Monrovia. Liberian opposition presidential candidate Winston Tubman yesterday accused incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of "trying to intimidate" him as she slammed his boycott calls as a constitutional violation.

AFP PHOTO / GLENNA GORDON

Moammar Gadhafi.

At the Libyan tent camp, three balloons decorated with the revolutionary red, green and black flag hovered overhead with colorful lights flashing on the camp fences and tents. A red carpet cov-

I

SRAEL has begun deportation procedures for a group of pro-Palestinian activists who tried to breach its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s navy intercepted two small boats carrying around two dozen international activists on Friday and towed the vessels to a port north of Gaza. No one was hurt.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said 22 activists are being processed and

ered the ground instead the signature green one that used to be imposed every year by Gadhafi’s regime.

“Our revolution was watered with blood so we are using this color,” said AbdulHamid Kashlaf, a 45-year old engineer from Tripoli.

Kashlaf and his wife were among around 7,000 Libyan pilgrims who lost loved ones in the conflict and were granted a free hajj trip by the National Transitional Council, which led the revolution and is now ruling the country.

His son, Abdul-Bari, was killed in Tripoli in August by pro-Gadhafi forces.

“I pray to God to grant us security and to put our country in the hands of good people,” he said.

Since late Friday, pilgrims assembled around

the mountain have been praying and reading Islam’s holy book, the Quran. While many slept in tent compounds, others set up their small tents on sidewalks and streets. Charities and vendors along the way handed out food and umbrellas to shield the climbers from the harsh sun.

Muslims from around the world wait a lifetime for a chance to make the pious journey in the footsteps of the Prophet Mohammed and Abraham, whom Muslims view as a forefather of Islam.

“I’m very happy today. I can’t express my feelings,” said Badr Olgach, a 41-year old construction contractor from Turkey. “I wish and pray for the best, for all the Prophet Muhammad’s followers in the world,” said the father of two.

US general in Afghanistan sacked for Karzai remarks •Rescued miners are helped to walk out of a coal mine after being trapped underground for more than 30 hours at the Qianqiu Coal Mine in Sanmenxia City, Henan province, yesterday

Israel to deport Gaza flotilla activists should be sent home within 72 hours.

Two Greek crew members were flown home yesterday. Three journalists from the U.S., Spain and Egypt were released and told to leave by today.

Israel says its naval blockade is vital to stop weapons from reaching Palestinian militant groups like Hamas, which rules Gaza.

Last year, Israeli forces killed nine Turks in a botched raid to halt a larger protest flotilla.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Nwankwo Nnaemeka Callistus and Chris Oluebube refers to one and the same person. I now wish to be known as Chris Oluebube. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

BAKOR-EVEE

F

ers were pulled out alive after being trapped for eight days in a mine in northern China.

Luo Lin, head of the State Administration for Work Safety, praised the rescue after the last miner was rushed away in an ambulance, but said more work needed to be done to promote safety.

Luo said a magnitude-

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Bakor-Evee Patience Barituka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nenage Patience Barituka.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

Last 45 Chinese miners in cave-in pulled out alive ORTY-FIVE grimy, exhausted Chinese coal miners trapped by a cave-in were rescued yesterday, ending a 36hour ordeal in the world’s most dangerous country for the industry. Eight miners were killed in the accident.

After Thursday’s cavein, at least 200 workers dug a small rescue tunnel about 1,650 feet (500 meters) deep to reach the trapped miners, the People’s Daily newspaper said. Seven trapped miners were pulled out alive Friday from the mine in the city of Samenxia in Henan province, in central China.

Yesterday, state broadcaster CCTV showed rescuers with helmets and oxygen tanks carrying the workers out of the mine shaft to ambulances. The miners lay on stretchers, wrapped with blankets and with towels shielding their eyes from damaging exposure to light.

The rescue was the biggest in the country since April 2010, when 115 min-

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2.9 earthquake had occurred Thursday near the mine shortly before a “rock burst” was reported. The phenomenon occurs when settling earth bears down on mine walls and causes a sudden release of stored energy. The exploding chunks of coal and rock, or the shock waves alone, can be lethal.

China’s coal mines are the deadliest in the world, although the industry’s safety record has improved in recent years as smaller, illegal mines have been closed. Annual fatalities are now about one-third of the high of nearly 7,000 in 2002.

On Oct. 30, a gas explosion at a coal mine in central China’s Hunan province killed 29 workers, the worst accident in recent months.

The mine that caved in Thursday belongs to Yima Coal Group, a large stateowned coal company in Henan, the State Administration of Work Safety said on its website. Fourteen miners managed to escape when the accident happened, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

A

US general in Afghanistan has been sacked after accusing leaders including President Hamid Karzai of being out of touch and ungrateful for American support, officials said.

Major General Peter Fuller, who was deputy commander of NATO’s mission to train and equip Afghan forces, had been dismissed after making “inappropriate public comments”, the NATO-led international force said late Friday.

In an interview pub-

lished by news website Politico Thursday, Fuller said Afghan leaders did not fully recognise the human and financial cost borne by the United States in Afghanistan and were “isolated from reality”.

He also directly criticised Karzai after the president said last month that Afghanistan would support Pakistan if Islamabad ever went to war with the United States.

“Why don’t you just poke me in the eye with a needle?” Fuller said of Karzai’s comments.

Premature blast kills suicide bomber in Pakistan

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OLICE say a suicide bomber targeting the country’s Shiite minority has killed himself in a premature explosion in southwestern Pakistan.

Hamid Shakeel, deputy inspector general in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, says the incident took place on the outskirts of the city yesterday.

He says a man in his twenties was heading toward a Shiite mosque

when his explosiverigged suicide vest went off prematurely, a little short of his apparent target.

In recent years, alQaida-linked Sunni militant groups have targeted the country’s Shiite minority in suicide bombings and in shootings.

Baluchistan has recently been a centre of this violence, with at least four major attacks against Shiites since May.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Falola Temitope Oluwaseun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Akinyemi Temitope Oluwaseun.All former documents remain valid. Yewa South Education Authority and general public should take note.

AZOZIE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adobi Chinenye Azozie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adaobi Chinenye Okekeogbu.All former documents remain valid. UNTH and general public should take note.

OLUWOLE-IDOWU

Mrs. Adobi Chinenye Azozie is the same person as Mrs Iris Aanuoluwapo Oluwole-Idowu now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Iris Aanuoluwapo Olukemi OluwoleIdowu. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AKINYEMI I formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinyemi Christianah Oluwaseun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Alake Christianah Oluwaseun.All former documents remain valid.General public should take note.

ADEWOLE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adewole Arinola Olayemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Isedowo Arinola Olayemi.All former documents remain valid.General public should take note.

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AKINTOLA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Akintola Kemisola Ruth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Emilola Kemisola Ruth.All former documents remain valid.

Poly Nursery and Primary School, Ilaro, NECO and general public should take note.

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General public should take note.

OLAYINKA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nofisat Olayinka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nofisat Ayandokun.All former documents remain valid. SUBEB Yewa South Education Authority and general public should take note.

OYINLOLA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oriyomi Ajoke Oyinlola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Oriyomi Abayomi Aduroja.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

EZE I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Onwuka Emeka Eze, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Marcus Emeka Micheal.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

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UDENSI

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WORSHIP THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Living H Faith

By David Oyedepo

Wonders in God’s word!

H

AVE you been under hardship, frustration and stagnation in your career and business? Have you been struggling to make ends meet, yet, there is nothing to show

for it?

What you don’t want, you don’t watch! What you don’t confront, you don’t conquer! What you don’t resist has a right to remain! Remember that everything working is made to work by someone! Considering your predicament, there is something you need to key into, in order to excel in the affairs of life.

The Bible says: I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word…that I may live, and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Psalms 119:16-18).

From this scripture, it becomes very vivid that the Word of God is the antidote to hardship, frustration and stagnation. God’s Word is full of wonders! That is what you need to be a wonder on the earth!

If you are a child of God, you are ordained for signs and wonders (Isaiah 8:18). So, the Word of God is what you need to enjoy unlimited breakthroughs in your career, pursuit, endeavour, business and your family.

God’s power always accompanies His Word. God’s Word is pregnant with God’s power. His Word says: And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching…and the power of the Lord was present to heal them…(Luke 5:17). Also, Romans 1:16 says: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.

God’s Word is converted to power at the instance of your faith. We are born again for signs and for wonders. Every child of God is ordained to be a wonder to his world (Isaiah 8:18).

How Do You Become A Wonder?

You Are Born Of The Spirit: The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (John 3:8).

It’s new birth that launches you into a wonder world.

The sound is the switch for the signs. Therefore, open your mouth wide, on any truth (God’s Word) you believe, and you have turned on the signs. Whether you find it in the written Word or it came to you as revealed Word, if you believe it, then sound it and God will sign it. Every sign is God’s signature.

The Master Tool For The Working of Signs: The Rod: And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs (Exodus 4:17). Who is this Rod? This Rod is Jesus (Isaiah 11:1-2). So, every Word that is at work in your life, makes you a living wonder to your world. So, you are to live a marvellous life.

1 Peter 2:9 says: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. You are created to live a marvellous life — a life to be marvelled at.

You are not to live a ridiculous life.

Every move of the Spirit of God moves in form of of waves.

Every wave carries its own treasures. There is no waves without treasures to th eshore! Let smart people cash in on it.

By next week, I will be showing you these wonder genes in the Word of God. Don’t miss the teaching for anything!

Friend, the power to engage in the wonder contained in the Word of God, is the exclusive privilege of those who are saved.

The questions now are: Are you saved? Are you born again? Are you redeemed? Are you a bona fide child of God? You are saved by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your family.

You can do so now if you haven’t been, as you say this prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself.

Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan, to serve the Living God. From today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know I am a child of God. Thank You Father, in Jesus’ name!

Next week, I will be showing you the wonder genes in the Word God. May God bless you!

I am glad to inform you that from December 6-10, 2011 at Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Idiroko Road, Ota, many destinies will be transformed to higher levels of greatness at SHILOH 2011 tagged, Waves Of Glory! SHILOH is the annual prophetic gathering of the Winners’ family worldwide. Don’t miss this special event for anything. Be there!

Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, please get my books — The Force Of Freedom, Walking In Dominion and Exploring The Riches Of Redemption.

I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO, Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; Or call 7747546-8; Or E-mail: bishop@davidoyedepoministries.org

OW many books have you published now?

I have over 20 titles. I intend to publish one or two other books before the year runs out.

When will you ever stop writing?

By the grace of God, I can’t stop writing. I enjoy and love writing. It’s part of me and my ministry. I am trusting God that He’d give me more strength to write.

Sometimes, I find myself writing up to four books at a time… …And you don’t get distracted and confused?

I don’t at all. It cannot happen because I know what I am trying to get across with each book.

Where does the inspiration come from?

Well, without beating about the bush, I’d say the inspiration comes from God. It’s not about me at all. Sometimes, I am surprised myself with what I read. I go through the books when I am free and get touched by the depth of what has been written. At such times, I just say to myself ‘this couldn’t have been you. This is about God’.

I don’t write based on what people share with me during counselling or the secrets they tell me. The inspiration simply comes from God. When I see that people need enlightenment on anything, I just go ahead to write on it.

Your last romance story, what changed you? was on David’s marital life. How did you come about such revelation on that part of David’s life?

I am even writing another book on David. I am not through with him yet. It is about his marriage to Bathsheba. There are so many things people don’t know about David and Bathsheba.

She was Ahithopel’s granddaughter and that was why he turned against David later in life. So, it is really a story people should read. Also, I have a

INTERVIEW

‘Nigeria will work when marriages work’ Associate pastor of The Still Waters Church, Ikorodu Lagos, Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi, is arguably Nigeria’s leading Christian romance novelist. The marriage counsellor spoke with Sunday Oguntola on how homes can fix Nigeria and her works

•Odubiyi,

work on Abraham and Sarah. By the time we read about them in the Bible, they were already old. But they too have an interesting romance story to tell. This too will make an interesting reading, I am sure. The truth is I didn’t plan to write on Bible characters but as I read my Bible, these plots just come alive and I couldn’t help writing on them. And I try to relate their stories to contemporary world so that people can learn from them.

Did you know your were going to come this far with your books?

Not at all. I was just willing to do whatever God would have me do. But I am a very determined person.

When I want to do something, I set my heart on it. I go all out. So, God’s grace and personal determination

have brought me this far. My best days are when people say they read something in my books that changed them and their relationships. I feel so humbled and happy that these books are touching lives and changing destinies.

It’s just God because He could have chosen somebody else but chose me without my prompting.

Do you believe every troubled marriage can be saved?

I believe it with all my heart. In Love Fever, Tears on my pillow, we see couples whose marriages were strained but they saved them with determination. There is no marriage that cannot be saved as long as both parties are determined to make it work. Unfortunately, people turn to the

arms of other women or men when they have challenges in their marriages. This will never solve but aggravate the problems. People should make their marriages work and seek help.

You realise that if marriages work, Nigeria will work. Whoever cannot succeed in marriage cannot succeed living with others.

Our leaders are somebody’s fathers, husbands or even wives. If they have strained marriages, it will affect their concentration, productivity and mindset. That will what they take to public life, messing things up in the process. The criminals, street urchins and thugs we see are from one home or the other. If they were well brought up, they won’t be the nuisance they are today.

So, we all should make marriages work so that Nigeria will work.

NEWS Be godly, Christians charged

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RCHBISHOP of the Niger province, Most Rev. Dr. Christian Efobi, has urged Christians to strive to lead exemplary lives.

This, he said, will grant them rest in eternity.

Efobi spoke at the funeral service of Venerable Barrister Alex Adichie, who was Nnewi Diocesan synod secretary.

He described the late cleric as a man of God with burning zest and zeal for

From Nwanosike Onu, Akwa God’s vineyard.

He cautioned against reckless living, saying Christians must bother over the legacy they live behind.

Chairman of the Diocesan Church Committee (DCC), Saint Andrew’s Archdeaconry, Evangelist Sir Godson Ezeugo, described the late cleric as a father and friend of everybody.

WHAT AND WHERE?

T

HE Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has been chosen to host a meeting of ten selected large Bible societies in the world.

The meeting, which holds from 8th -10th November, 2011 in Lagos, will be chaired by the General Secretary of the United Bible Societies [UBS], Mr. Michael Perreau from England.

It is aimed at charting a Strategic Direction for the UBS Fellowship for the next 5-10 years.

Expected at the meeting are: the General Secretary/ CEO of The Bible Society of Brazil who is also the Chairman of United Bible Societies, Harsiatmo Pranowo;

BSN hosts global meeting General Secretary/CEO of The Bible Society of Indonesia, Rev Dr Mani Chako; General Secretary of The Bible Society of India and Kwon Hyun, General Secretary of The Bible Society of Korea.

Others are: Chief Executive Officer of The Bible Society of Philippines, Nora Lucero; Chief Executive Officer of The Bible Society of South Africa, Rev. Gerrit Kritzinger; Ramaz Atallah, General Secretary of The Bi-

ble Society of Egypt, Ramaz Atallah and host, General Secretary/CEO of The Bible Society of Nigeria, Rev. Dr Fred Odutola, who is also the United Bible Societies, Chairman for Africa Area.

Gospel Baptist holds harvest

G

OSPEL Baptist Church (GBC), Ogba, Lagos, holds its annual thanksgiving and fund raising service today.

The theme of the celebration is ‘harvest to build’.

The minister-in-charge, Gospel Baptist Church, Rev. Adekunle Michael, said the ultra modern cathedral of the church will be the focal point during the service.

Dignitaries expected include Archbishop/President Gospel Baptist Confer-

ence of Nigeria & Overseas (GBCN), Most High Revd. Magnus Atilade; Bishop of Lagos, Rt. Revd.

Benedict Odekunle; Evangelist (Justice) Paul Atilade, Revd.

S.I. Ogunjumo (J.P), among others.

Worship

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Christianity has been bastardised - Edukugho S OMETHING is fundamentally wrong with Christianity in Nigeria, renowned evangelist, John Edukugho, has declared.

He bemoaned the inability of churches to change lives and the nation.

Christianity, he lamented, has become a mere religion devoid of transparency and truth.

The President of Jesus Christ Power World Evangelism spoke during the maiden Arise and Work Conference in Lagos.

Visibly unhappy, Edukugho said, “Our Christianity has become so ordinary and has become mere religious ob-

By Sunday Oguntola

servances, devoid of sound doctrine and Christ-likeness. ‘’The church is nothing but a social gathering that helps placate people’s conscience. We are now best seen as a religion that says to the world ‘things are not that bad as long as you can say I am born again’ and everything goes as far as they can be concluded or wrapped up in Jesus name.”

He also scored the church low on selflessness and passion.

“Our love and fear of God has waxed cold. Our love for our neighbours especially members of the household of God is vis-

ibly non-existent; we are mostly congregation of hypocrites and pretenders.”

He blamed the parlous state of affairs on church leaders.

Many church leaders, Edukugho said, only preach materialism and humanism.

“We have a generation of Christians who have classified truth, holiness, righteousness, walking in love as old fashion. ‘’Yet there is a standard of lifestyle that God demands of His believers yesterday, today and forever--it is holiness; holiness is God’s standard.”

He called on churches and Christians to return to

God. Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs. Dere Awosika, commended the courage of the evangelist for hosting the conference.

She admitted the church was lagging behind but called for renewed commitment to God and evangelism.

According to her, “I am hesitant because the Word of God says we should not judge and I believe that the totality of the Word of God is to be obeyed. ‘’I am not judging but like every one of us there is room for improvement.”

69

Northern CAN denies ‘faceless’ group POKESMAN of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states, Rev. Sunday Oibe, has described a group, the Concerned Christians in the North, which passed a vote of no confidence on the body’s national leadership, as faceless.

The group had carpeted CAN National President, Pastor Oritsejafor, for allegedly supporting the planned removal of fuel subsidy.

It said in a statement signed

by Yahuda Marsa, that Oritsejafor had lost the confidence of Northern Christians for backing the proposal.

But Oibe said no such group exists within the body in the North.

S

By Sunday Oguntola

He said the vote-of-no confidence was a grand ploy by certain unnamed elements in the North to discredit Oritsejafor for his courage and boldness.

Oibe told our correspondent, ‘’I can tell you categorically that we do not know the group and it does not exist. ‘’We, the leaders of CAN in the North, totally identify with the leadership of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor because for the first time in the history of Nigeria Christians in the North now have a voice. ‘’What other Christian leaders have not been able to accomplish since independence in 1960, Pastor Oritsejafor has achieved for Northern Christians.’’

North Central CAN Chairman, Rev. Yakubu Pam, also dismissed the group.

He said it is an association of persons with unclear mission.

Pam said attempts to discredit the current CAN leadership will not succeed.

Northern Christians, he disclosed, have never had it this good ‘’since the emergence of Pastor Oritsejafor’’.

Leave subsidy on fuel, cleric tells Jonathan

By Kunle Akinrinade

G

ENERAL Overseer of Rhema Christian Church, Ota, Ogun State, Bishop Taiwo Akinola, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to shelve the proposed removal of fuel subsidy.

He said it will have ripple economic effects and further aggravate the suffering of Nigerians.

Akinola spoke last week at a news conference ahead of the annual convention of the church with the theme ‘’Amazing grace’’.

The convention begins today at the Ota International headquarters of the church.

According to the cleric, ‘’President Goodluck Jonathan should consider the ripple effect of fuel subsidy removal on the economy and the people. ‘’I want to advise Jonathan not to do anything or implement policy that would aggravate the sufferings of the people. ‘’This country has no basis for being poor. So Jonathan should redefine his policy and make the refineries to work to capacity so that no burden would be added to the yoke of the masses who are already suffering from the battered economy of the nation.”

On the convention expected to attract participants from within and outside the country, he said it promises to be uplifting and resourceful.

70

THE NATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Sport Extra

Wigan manager Martinez backs Moses for Nigeria

Agbonlahor scores as Villa W beats Norwich 3-2 N

IGERIA born E n g l a n d international, Gabriel Agbonlahor netted home the second goal for Aston Villa in an encounter against Norwich City which ended 32.

Agbonlahor scored in the 48th minute, to put Villa ahead after a mix-up between Kyle Naughton and Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.

England striker Darren Bent, however, scored twice as Villa claimed the maximum points..

Agbonlahor set up both of Bent’s goals before scoring one himself.

Norwich took the lead at Villa Park through a powerful free kick from Anthony

Pilkington in the 26th minute after defender Alan Hutton brought down Grant Holt.

After half an hour Bent brought Villa level, forcing the ball over the line after a pass from Agbonlahor.

Naughton’s back pass was slightly short but Ruddy still looked favorite to get the ball only for Agbonlahor to win the challenge and slip the ball into an empty net for his fifth goal of the season.

Bent increased Villa’s lead to 3-1 in the 62nd with a closerange strike after being picked out by Agbonlahor’s low cross.

The Canaries refused to give up and Steve Morison got a second goal for Norwich in the 78th.

Ujah fires Mainz past Stuttgart

N

IGERIA Olympic international Anthony Ujah blasted his first two goals in the German Bundesliga to help his struggling German club beat VfB Stuttgart 3-1 in a game that saw two red cards.

Mainz, without a victory in nine outings, turned the form book inside out to defeat sixth-placed Stuttgart, who were unbeaten in five games.

Cacau put visiting Stuttgart in front six minutes after the break but two minutes later 21-year-old Ujah, signed from Norway’s Lillestrom in the close season and who has before now played only bit roles for Mainz, headed the equaliser.

Mainz went ahead on the hour following a harshlyawarded penalty for hand ball by Maza that was converted by midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz.

Four minutes later the Austrian set up striker Ujah for his second goal.

The home team had Eugen Polanski sent off in the 83rd minute and Stuttgart defender Maza was also dismissed in stoppage time.

Mainz are 15th in the table with 12 points from as many games, while Stuttgart have 18, two behind Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

There were also two Nigerian goals in Turkey on Friday.

Former U17 star Simon Zenke scored after just two minutes as his club Samsunspor drew 2-2 at home with Ankaragucu, while Eagles striker Michael Eneramo was on the mark as Sivasspor recorded a big 2-0 win over Fenerbache, who lined up Eagles

Holt had time on the left to deliver a far post center and Morison headed past Villa

goalkeeper Shay Given to give the home side a anxious finale.

•Ujah celebrates after scoring for Mainz

S

OsazemissinginWestBrom’s0-3losstoArsenal

N

Arsenal.

West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has had doubts about the fitness level of his Nigeria import, but was

Pillars’ ace for Norway trials

K

ANO Pillars midfielder John Huan is undergoing trials at Norwegian club Valerenga, officials have informed MTNFootball.com “We have given Huan a two-week leave, from November 1 to November 16, to attend trials with Valerenga in Norway,” disclosed Pillars spokesman Idris Malikawa.

The 21-year old left-sided midfielder or winger, who has impressed in his first season at Pillars, missed his team’s crunch top-of-thetable clash at Warri Wolves and will miss the final weeks of the NPL as well.

Nigeria international Fengor Ogude is already in the books of Valerenga.

In the meantime, Malikawa has berated Nigeria Olympic team coach Austin Eguavoen for destabilising midfielder Shehu Shagari ahead of their crucial NPL tie at Warri Wolves.

“Eguavoen called the player just hours to our match against Warri Wolves to tell him not to bother to return to his training camp in Ibadan after the match.

This really affected Shagari and he had a very poor

‘I just want the player to be happy,’ he said. ‘If it is in Victor’s head to play for Nigeria, I will support him 100 per cent.

‘He is a player who has improved massively over the last 12 months but he has another level to go.

‘You don’t get players like Victor in modern football.

He relies on his individual talent, is exciting to watch and phenomenal in one-onone situations. That is good for any team.

‘As long as he is happy, I will be happy.’

One plus point for Wigan is that Nigeria failed to qualify for the African Nations Cup for the first time since 1998, so he will not be spending two months away from the club in mid-season, as looks likely to be the case with Mohamed Diame, who is expected to be picked for Senegal.

Top scorer’s race not do-or-die —Ajani

skipper Joseph Yobo for the full duration.

IGERIAN striker Osaze Odemwingie was conspicuously missing as West Brom went down at Emirates against

IGAN manager Roberto Martinez is happy to back Victor Moses 100 per cent if he takes up an offer to play for Nigeria.

Moses, who has represented England at Under-21 level, has received clearance from FIFA to represent the country of his birth and was selected for this month’s friendlies against Botswana and Zambia.

Although the 20-year-old has not told Martinez whether he will fulfil the obligation, having gone through the administrative process, it would seem strange if the former Crystal Palace man declined.

And, despite the obvious travelling issues representing Nigeria would bring for one of his key men, Martinez would endorse such a move.

game,” Malikawa told MTNFootball.com “At best he could have waited to tell the player this after the match.”

The Pillars official also advised national team coaches to know what exactly they wish to do with players in the NPL rather than call them up, deprive their clubs of their services only to later dump them.

confident he would have recovered before the encounter but to no avail.

Robin van Persie scored his 11th league goal of the season and set up two others to help Arsenal beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 for a fourth straight win in the Premier League.

The Dutch striker opened the scoring from close range in the 22nd minute after Theo Walcott’s shot had been parried by goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Van Persie cut the ball back for defender Thomas Vermaelen to score the second goal in the 39th and then provided the pass for Mikel Arteta to complete the scoring in the 74th.

UNSHINE Stars attacking midfielder,

Ibrahim Ajani has said the race for the NPL top scorer is not a do-or-die affair.

Ajani has notched up 18 goals in the 2010/2011 season, one goal short of the current leader, Plateau United’s Jude Aneke’s 20 goals with two matches to end the season.

The petite lethal finisher told SuperSport.com that much as he wants to finish top scorer he is not desperate about it.

“I am happy to have equalled Ahmed Musa’s 18 goals record, next thing is to strive to emerge top scorer.

“I believe Allah will do it for me, that is why I’m not neither desperate or see it as a do or die affair.

“I know Jude Aneke has scored more goals than me, we have two more matches to end the season anything can still happen.”

Sunshine Stars are the domestic league leaders at the moment with 70 points but with two tough away matches to Ocean Boys and Kano Pillars, the former Gateway player insists that their dream remains to win the league.

“Yes, our focus is to win the league crown.

“We’re going to Ocean Boys to get point.

“After that we can focus on Kano Pillars, we are taking it easy, step by step.

“But I know we will emerge champions at the end of the day,” he said.

RESULTS NOVEMBER 5 Newcastle U. 2 - 1 Everton Arsenal 3 - 0 West Bromwich A. Aston Villa 3 - 2 Norwich C. Blackburn R. 0 - 1 Chelsea Liverpool 0 - 0 Swansea C. Manchester U. 1 - 0 Sunderland Queens P. R. 2-3 Manchester C.

Yakubu flops with Blackburn in home loss

O

UT of favour Nigerian striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni could not save his England Premier League (EPL) side Blackburn Rovers as they went down 0-1 at home to Chelsea yesterday.

The former Everton man did well to latch on to a hopeful clearance but, after beating Terry and Alex, could only hit a tame shot at Cech.

Blackburn continued to pile the pressure on under fire boss Steve Kean as their side slipped to Chelsea after losing lots of scoring chances.

On an afternoon when the

•Mikel on for 90 minutes supporters paid for a plane displaying the banner “Steve Kean out” during the first half of the day’s visit of Chelsea, before some protested against him after the final whistle.

Frank Lampard’s second half header was enough to keep Rovers in the Premier League relegation zone, although Steve Kean’s men squandered numerous chances to get something from the game.

Rovers also suffered the blow of losing skipper Chris Samba before the break with

a hamstring injury.

While it was Chelsea who started the game the brighter of the two sides, it was Rovers who should have been ahead on nine minutes from their first real attack of the game.

Junior Hoilett’s through ball caught Chelsea’s defence flat footed as Mauro Formica raced onto the ball down the left hand channel.

His intelligent squared pass across goal looked certain to be tapped home from the inrushing Yakubu but, just yards out, the striker

somehow scuffed the ball wide.

Rovers were growing into the game although the Ewood faithful had to hold their breath on 20 minutes when Daniel Sturridge went down in the penalty area under Chris Samba’s challenge.

•Mikel

Comment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011 Continued from page 11

When Papandreou turned to the Greek people, he did so not to save them but to save himself. While calling for a referendum, the Prime Minister never presented a viable alternative to the flagrant deal. He had squandered that opportunity. By this time, the only other alternative would be chaotic default amidst sudden exit from the eurozone.

In reality, the referendum would have forced Greeks to decide between the certainty of the slow death presented by the deal or the uncertainty of reclaiming the nation’s financial sovereignty at the least auspicious moment imaginable. Having to select between sure, slow death and a sheer uncertainty that might entail a much faster demise does not make for a delectable menu. A reasonable person would cry foul and abstain from this bleakest of Hobson’s Choices.

Still, Papandreou’s decision unnerved global leaders and global financial markets.

They knew the pill being forced down the Grecian throat was bitter yet not at all curative. At the end of ten years of ascetic recession, the nation’s debt-to-GDP ratio would barely improve from 150 percent to roughly 125percent. The benefit is underwhelming when measured against the hardship endured. It is like an indentured servant agreeing to take forty lashes to reduce his

How to ruin an economy workday from 16 hours to 15 hours and 45minutes. Consequently, these other leaders feared the proud and bullied Greeks might pull “a Samson” by repudiating the agreement, thus pulling the entire edifice down upon themselves and the rest of the eurozone. These leaders put the squeeze on Papandreou to retreat from the referendum.

Lost on the leaders of the major western democracies was the irony of their visible dread at the exercise of popular direct democracy, i.e. the referendum, in the nation that is the cradle of western democracy and civilization. Choosing between money and people presents no acute dilemma for these craven leaders. They may not abhor the people but they certainly adore money. World leaders definitely made clear their preference between money and democracy.

Faced with this opposition, Papandreou would learn that the success of an act of inspired cowardice would require subsequent acts of a bravery of which he was in short supply. Pressured from all quarters, Papandreou collapsed like an old accordion in a pawnshop. In one of history’s most blatant spectacles of public humiliation of a national leader in peacetime, Papandreou retracted his referendum decision. In a series of speeches over two days,

• Angela Markel

Papandreou explained that since he had faith in the wisdom of the Greek people he did not need to implement the referendum because he knew they would vote to remain in the eurozone. This made no sense; yet it was perhaps the most coherent thing he said.

The problem was not that the man spoke for over an hour but that his outbursts contained barely one minute of logic. There was nothing he said that he did not unsay.

At the time of this writing, the Prime Minister is on the eve of a confidence vote that might bring down his government. If ousted, he will be secretly relieved. Although he negotiated the accursed deal,

he would not have to affix his name thereto, thus escaping an ugly legacy. While the Greek spectacle is dramatic, it is essentially a laboratory for the major nations. Greece is small and what transpires there is no importance of itself, save for the Greeks.

Merkel and Sarkozy care little for Greece’s welfare or its continued membership in the eurozone. For them, Greece’s main utility is that of a circuitbreaker. They want to ensure the pestilence consuming Greece would not spread like contagion to more strategic economies like Italy and Spain. The eurozone can survive Grecian insolvency or its ouster from the monetary union. The same cannot be said if Italy or Spain slump into bankruptcy or sought exit from the euro family. Once more, the major economies might have overplayed their hand. Spending so much time repeatedly lancing the Grecian boil, they allowed Italy and other nations to weaken to where danger is now acute. Also the rough treatment handed to Greece will become the modus operandi for eurozone private creditors. Bullying Greece has little downside. The same tactics might backfire in other countries, sparking social unrest and falling parliaments. None of this augurs well for an enlightened resolution of the debt crisis in a

way that places both creditor and debtor on solid new footing.

As long as France and German seek to impose punitive austerity against debtor countries, the eurozone family will be a dysfunctional one. The crisis will cause debt deflation to linger, spreading high anxiety and low growth throughout the region. These could well be the eurozone’s darkest years.

Moral of the story: Beating large debtors to a pulp is bad economics. The debtor becomes dysfunctional and the creditor loses his chance for payment because an increasingly pauperized debtor cannot repay much of anything. All wisdom is not new wisdom. In the Old Testament, the law required the cancellation of debts on the Sabbath year (every seven years). Similar practices were followed by many societies. The ancients realized something modern man has forgotten. The rich cannot long be rich if the poor become too poor. If many people are too poor and too indebted to buy goods, to whom does the rich merchant sell his wares and thus increase his coffers?

European leaders, particularly Merkel and Sarkozy, have made a mess of things.

Time is running out on them to fix it. This duo believes they can dawdle, that things will work themselves out without

71

the need for imaginative or bold strokes. They velocity of the downturn outstrips the pace of their decision-making.

They seek to be leaders of momentous nations but seek not the risk of making momentous decisions. The eyes of their ambitions are much bigger than the hearts of their courage. Even worse, their knowledge of economics is philistine and narrow-minded. They view their economic advantage as evidence of a moral superiority that is does not exist.

Thus, they bother not with circumspection or balance. They act on sentiment and prurient stirrings. Against this reality, the aura of European solidarity is a façade that stayed intact as long as the European economy blossomed. Now that it has entered recessionary mode, the fissures are apparent. Once courtly leaders now snap testily at each other.

These false paragons of democratic virtue are willing to toss democracy out the window of a speedy vehicle when the matter of money is at hand.

This is how brusquely European nations treat each other when the money becomes tight. One shudders to think what would lie in store for African countries that bind themselves too closely in financial or economic pacts with the bullies of the eurozone. The being of such an arrangement would be much better than its end.

Placing one’s hand in the tiger’s gullet is an easy task. The difficulty comes in the extraction of the thing.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net

QUOTABLE “Honestly, I’m happy with his employment. Really, the senior national team need a coach with qualities that can blend stars together as well as groom them to stardom. ”

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 6, NO. 1935

— Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai (Dodo Mayana), commenting on the appointment of Stephen Keshi as Super Eagle’s coach

E

XCEPT I err gravely, I think regular Nigerian newspapers contain some of the most salacious essays and provocative photographs of women in various stages of undress than any other country’s in the world. I do not know where we got the culture from, but it is certainly not from media practice of a few decades ago; not in the 1950s, 60s, 70s or even early 80s. Sometime in our recent past, the dam burst and our papers went full throttle purveying torrid stories on copulation and horrifying, explicit photographs mimicking Western haute couture.

I once drew attention to this subtle pornography and wondered whether the objective was profit or whether, if newspapers can indeed take the liberty, it emanated from the bohemian creed of art for art’s sake. This second objective is a little complicated. L’art pour l’art, the French rendition of art for art’s sake, by definition indicates a separation between any work of art and its moral, didactic or utilitarian function. Could newspapers therefore publish highly suggestive photographs simply because they represent the reality of our existence and society?

Today, as the melange of newspaper front pages published below shows, I am even angrier at what threatens to become a worrisome subculture of newspaper journalism in Nigeria. The electronic media unabashedly purvey violence, but are slow to embrace the sort of open practice of suggestive nudity their print counterparts celebrate.

In fact, newspapers, particularly weekend editions, promote both photographic and written pornography with an assiduity that is baffling and unprecedented. Why editors are not uncomfortable publishing indecent photos both young and old have unrestricted access to is hard to explain. I myself can only hazard two guesses: economic reasons and art for art’s sake.

First, the photographs. It is said that a man is wired to be stimulated by what he sees in a woman. Therefore, women seem endlessly afflicted by concerns of how they look, how they can preen before men, and perhaps too, for the gifted among them, how they can seduce with fluttering eyelashes and lascivious looks, and striking poses revealing thighs, cleavages, and sculpted derrieres. A whole range of fashion repertoire is dedicated worldwide to profiting from this state of affairs. But such crass commercialisation is often limited to select and special publications, not regular newspapers. It has, however, become standard fare for weekend newspapers here to flaunt such seductive photographs on their front pages, more or less to lure readers rather than promote art for art’s sake.

The inside pages, supposedly dedicated to haute couture, are even more provocative and ingenious.

Some newspapers pretending to draw censorious attention to dowdiness have perfected the art of publishing photos of women in near nudity. I have repeatedly spied my sons dwelling a little bit longer on those photos, as they warily watch out for my withering, disapproving gaze.

Worse, perhaps unconsciously, they seem, like other young boys, unerringly drawn to newspapers that entertain such atrociousness. Even the silly photographs of WAGs (wives and girlfriends of highprofile British footballers) find routine expression in our newspapers, and they are often very scandalously over-exposed.

I squirm today when impressionable minds lay hold of our newspapers. In the distant past, young people used to learn the mechanics of grammar from newspapers, and were taught great lessons in morality and exemplary behaviour. Now, they acquire unadulterated filth, and dispense it with equal relish.

Yes, men are wired by sight, but must serious newspapers, as opposed to junk

Subtle obsession with journalistic prurience papers, help the devil in them? There are a host of other media dedicated to spreading the enervating malaise of pornography, but, unlike newspapers, these are not readily available. Unfortunately, even these explicit photographs cheapening and debasing women and making them susceptible to attacks and abuse are the least of the irreverences of our newspapers. Today’s newspapers match the photos with abhorrent essays purportedly designed to help relationships last longer and be more fulfilling.

I do not want to go into the background of the permissiveness that is undermining families and societal fabric. It is unnecessary to describe what Europe went through after Freud and other psychoanalysts tried to establish a connection between sexual repression and psychological illness; or how the untrammelled spinoffs from centuries of sexual liberty has culminated in more bizarre forms of sexual preferences and expressions. Even the socalled atheistic societies of the East, which sanctimoniously condemn the decadence of the West, are not spared the full blast of the degradation to which women are subjected, and of which everyone is now a

victim.

Instead, I am directing my unhappy focus at the many quacks specialising in relationship issues, who preface their impassioned essays with caveats warning the young away from their unrestrained articles on sex. How they expect the young and unmarried to skip those pages is beyond me. How they expect the young, after learning about sensual spots in the female body, spots named after alphabets such as ‘g’, not to experiment is also beyond me. The purpose of those appalling essays, their authors suggest, is to encourage first sexual satisfaction among couples, and second to establish an atmosphere where relationships can last.

We are all now victims of marital and relationship philosophies that predicate satisfaction on how well a man pleases his woman, and vice versa.

The effect of this promotional photo and written pornography is to both induct the unwary into the culture of hankering after flesh, and the mature into seeing himself or herself and relationships purely as one in which the one gives pleasure to the other.

As a consequence of what newspapers now reinforce – to be sure, these things already

“As a consequence of what newspapers now reinforce – to be sure, these things already exist in one form or the other in the society – men are now primed to boast of possessing the faculty of a jackass, and women to glory in their ability to take any man captive with a seductive glance, an inviting wink and fiery cleavages. Around their distorted sociology has grown a cornucopia of sex bibliography, chemical and pharmaceutical substances to aid performance, and relationship experts whose existentialist teachings encourage men and women to abjure any moral core in their beings”

exist in one form or the other in the society – men are now primed to boast of possessing the faculty of a jackass, and women to glory in their ability to take any man captive with a seductive glance, an inviting wink and fiery cleavages. Around their distorted sociology has grown a cornucopia of sex bibliography, chemical and pharmaceutical substances to aid performance, and relationship experts whose existentialist teachings encourage men and women to abjure any moral core in their beings.

It is time a firm demarcation existed between serious newspapers and junk media. Let the serious recognise their important role as agenda setters; and let the unserious pander to the base emotions of the rabble. The media has a responsibility to defeat the stereotyping of women as items existing for the pleasure of men, items to be taken at will, as South African President Jacob Zuma once notoriously said, or as materials with no right over themselves.

Sadly, because this lie about women has gone on for too long, most women themselves have surrendered to that demeaning profiling and have become victims of all sorts of sexual violence. Importantly too, it is time men began to see themselves not as inanimate creations designed to give soulless pleasure to the other sex, but as living beings with a purpose in life far greater than actuating their libidinous passion and giving it free rein.

Newspapers should clean up their act.

If they won’t, they should be compelled by newspaper proprietors. But if neither group is amenable to rectification, the readers, particularly those with impressionable young by their sides, should insist there must be an end to the dispensation of trash, the depressing victimisation of women, and the sickening and chimerical promotion of man as the ultimate Casanova and Adonis.

To my expanding list of critics

I

T is intriguing that many of my critics see themselves as more than critics; they see themselves as my enemies. The feeling, I assure them, is not mutual. From the rejoinders my editor passed on to me, some of them so scurrilous that no paper should try to publish them, I wonder whether I had done more than dismiss the behaviour of some of the people I criticised.

On Libya, I insisted the people of that country were right to overthrow the Gaddafi yoke, and were righter still to seek help from anywhere, notwithstanding whether my critics smelled imperialism. Rather than lambast me on point of facts and ideas, critics went at my person with all the venom they could muster.

They do wondrous things in Kogi State, I wrote, starting from their Neanderthal rulers, whose ideas were beginning to be redacted and given expression by their imperious and self-satisfied police commissioner. The paper had hardly reached the newsstands when my editor was inundated with calls and texts accusing this column of brazen partisanship.

In other words, when I denounced the police for undermining the constitution, my critics saw an Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) agenda. I’ll be damned. Let me here warn revolutionaries who want to save this country: the so-called oppressed are not even angry at their humiliating circumstances, let alone be in need of freedom. They are gluttons for punishment and will tirelessly stomach every indignity thrown at them.

I respect the right of my critics to ladle out bucketful of venom upon my head instead of tackling issues; but it would help a lot if they ignore my person and let me know where I should see imperialism instead of freedom, and where blighted Kogi had begun to enjoy ‘renaissance’ under their ‘modernising’ rulers.

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