The Nation, September 20, 2014

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-Survivor

THE NATION,

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Power: FG bails out private companies with N213bn

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HE Federal Government yesterday approved N213 billion lifeline for private operators in the electricity market towards boosting electricity supply in the country.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani AlisonMadueke, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday.

She was accompanied to the briefing on ‘Electricity market stabilization facility and the bankability of the power sector’ by the Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo; Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefuele, and Chairman Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi.

The Petroleum Minister noted that Nigeria’s electric-

•NERC to review electricity tariff

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja

ity supply has been bedeviled by inadequate gas for power supply, misalignment between the tariff and the true cost of running electricity businesses, and the inability of generation companies to reliably produce the electricity that is possible with reduced volumes of gas.

According to her, the problems have resulted in revenue shortfalls for the new private companies and slowed down improvement in electricity supply.

She said: “The CBN in collaboration with the deposit money banks will provide a total facility of N213 billion to settle both the legacy gas debts

as announced on August 2nd and also the shortfall in revenues to the sector since the handover of PHCN companies on November 1st, 2013.”

The sum of N36 billion, she said, would be tied to commitments to supply specific volumes of gas-for-power and to negotiate and execute bankable gas supply agreements with power plants.

She said: “NERC will publish a reset tariff order (MYTO 2.1).

This tariff order will take into account the CBN provided facility, current levels of energy output, the new baseline gas price and other variables that more closely reflect the true cost of running electricity businesses.”

According to her, the electric-

ity market, mainly consisting of private operators, will repay the facility with a first-line charge on their revenues over a 10-year period.

She also said that there will be a moratorium on repayment of the credit facility by the distribution companies until electricity supply improves across the country.

This, she said, will ensure that the cost of electricity for ordinary consumers continues to be at affordable levels.

The Minister added: “The CBN will, on a case by case basis, be working with the deposit money banks on some of the prudential guidelines associated with acquisition loans for electricity assets through extended restructure of the debts repayment during the moratorium period.

From left: National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; widow of the late Vice Chairman of The Sun newspaper, Dimgba Igwe, Mrs Obioma Igwe; former Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande; Igwe’s daughter, Miss Victory Igwe; former MD of The Sun, Mr Mike Awoyinfa, and Senator Oluremi Tinubu during their condolence visit to the family of late Igwe at his residence in Okota, Lagos yesterday.

Re-election: Jonathan acknowledges donation from youth corps member P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that he will continue to count on the support, goodwill and prayers of patriotic Nigerians as he strives to give the best possible leadership towards positive transformation of the country.

In a letter to a young Nigerian who sent a donation of N10,000 as a his contribution to the President’s re-election bid, President Jonathan said that he was deeply touched

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja

and encouraged by the immense support his administration continues to receive from young Nigerians from all parts of the country.

Jonathan, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said: “Your gracious gesture is

particularly gratifying, coming as it does from one of our nation’s vibrant and gifted youth who are our successor generation and for whom our administration is unequivocally committed to providing the requisite environment to optimally realise their tremendous creative and productive potential.

“As I carry on with the task

of positively transforming our country for its God-ordained greatness and prosperity, I will continue to count on the goodwill as well as the practical and prayerful support of committed patriots like you,” President Jonathan wrote to the young Nigerian, Ezemagu Sunday Nnamdi, who is currently serving in the National Youth Service Corps.

Ebola: Lagos distributes thermoscans to schools

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S Lagos schools prepare for resumption, the state government has distributed thermoscans, a scientific instrument used to measure body temperature, to its 1007 Ebola Focal Officers (EFOs) in public primary schools and 668 others in its public secondary schools.

Special Adviser to the State Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, who disclosed this at a sensitization and enlightenment seminar for the EFOs yesterday, explained that they will be responsible for surveillance and health monitoring of the disease in each school and interface between schools and primary healthcare centres if the need to refer students arises.

Adeshina noted that the thermoscans were procured by the state government for

the use of schools in order to check vital signs of students, especially body temperature, which can signal the commencement of fever.

She added that government also planned to provide public schools which are not connected to the state water supply with water, stressing that gloves and liquid soaps for hand washing had also been procured to aid personal and environmental hygiene.

Adeshina noted that mass fear about the disease is harmful, stressing that only visibly ill or sick patients can spread the disease via direct contact with the broken skin, mucous membranes and secretions of an infected person or through direct contact with materials and surfaces that have been contaminated by an infected person.

She said: “Lagosians, please remain calm. There is no reason to panic as your government, in partnership with the federal government and development partners, is resolved and committed to contain the disease.”

While noting that the containment of Ebola is a shared responsibility of all citizens, the Special Adviser implored Ebola focal officers to take the issue of personal and environmental hygiene with utmost importance and report any suspicious case of the disease to the appropriate quarters or call the Ebola help line.

Adeshina said the EFOs have also been provided with guidelines on how to prevent the spread of the disease, stressing that one of the goals of the seminar was to enlighten them on what they need to know about Ebola and what should be done upon

suspecting the disease.

She reiterated that Ebola infection is not a death sentence as evidenced by the recovery of nine confirmed cases in Lagos, who have now been discharged with five of them meeting the state governor on Thursday to recount their ordeal with the disease.

The Special Adviser noted that the common thread amongst the recovered cases remains their early presentation for supportive treatment, adding that there is the need to report any suspected case since the earlier they are brought for screening and surveillance, the better the outcome.

She opined that all hands must be on deck in order to get to the home stretch after the last curve is achieved in a very timely fashion, having gone this far with the containment measures.

“This will only apply where it is clear that strains on loans are a direct result of recent, unforseen adjustments in the policies that guide the electricity market.

“The credit facility will be disbursed via commercial banks and a special purpose vehicle, which will be managed by a dedicated fund manager. This structure will ensure that the funds are repaid in full, within the time frame of the reset tariff order.”

Speaking on the fuel scarcity in the country, she said: “I

have just come out from meetings with the unions and I do believe that we have come to a fruitful conclusion. The lockdown will no longer exist after this time.”

Nebo said that the government is not just doing the bailout but doing what is expected of it to stabilise the market.

“By the end of the year, we should be doing 5,000 megawatts,” he added According to him, Nigeria is fighting a real war concerning vandalization of pipelines in the country.

CBN plans 10-year bailout facility for GENCOs, DISCOs •Gas debts to hit N36b by October

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has planned a 10-year bailout facility for the electricity distribution and generation companies otherwise known as GENCOs and DISCOs. According to the Chairman, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, who broke this news to energy correspondents in a capacity building workshop at Abuja yesterday, the commission was to work out the amount of the facility later yesterday.

He explained that the essence of the plan is to create a fund in place of the present revenue shortfall in the companies’ operations without inconveniences for the consumers.

The chairman stressed that “the CBN fund gives an opportunity for the Discos and Gencos to have this money on time right now and then for it to be repaid over 10 years.

They are giving us 10 years

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instead of five, which reduces the amount that the consumers will pay. They have given us a 10 -year facility, so to say.”

Amadi also said that NERC will use the fund to benchmark the DISCOs revenue neutrality for them to ensure that they meet their commitments to consumers.

Following the provision of the fund, the chairman said that “we will say we have reset their investment and monitor them.”

His words: “But the key issue is the revenue shortfall in the market.

“We are arranging with the Central Bank of Nigeria to create a fund to cover the shortfalls without necessarily inconveniencing the consumers.

“It will be spread over 10 years. It gives the operators the opportunity to make quick investments and quick returns in terms of services.”

Ebola: Ogun shift schools resumption date to Oct 8

HE Ogun State Government has postponed the resumption date for primary and secondary schools in the state to October 8 to allow adequate measures to be put in place against the spread of Ebola virus disease(EVD) among pupils and teachers.

Addressing reporters in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa, said the decision was arrived at after a meeting of stakeholders– the state government, the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and the parents of pupils, among others.

According to Adeoluwa, it is better to err on the side of “caution and safety” instead of gambling with the health of the school children, teachers and the general public or put them in grave danger.

At the press briefing where the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Segun Odubela, his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, and heads of teachers’ unions were present, the SSG said the state had received neither fund

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John OFIKHENUA, Abuja

Ernest NWOKOLO, Abeokuta nor gadgets from the Federal Government in respect of EVD. He noted that at the stakeholders’ meeting, the state government had expressed readiness to resume school on Monday, September 22, as directed by the Federal Government, but changed the date as not all the schools, particularly the privately owned ones, had complied with safety measures on EVD. Adeoluwa said: “The state government on its part has taken necessary steps to curtail the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease(EVD) as it has trained over 12,000 teachers, both private and public schools, on preventive measures against it.”

According to him. a number of gadgets like infrared thermometer, hand gloves, sanitizers, water, among others, were also procured while government was compelled to shift the resumption date in the interest of pupils, teachers, parents and other stakeholders.

Oyo schools to resume October 6

CHOOLS in Oyo State will resume on October 6, 2014.

According to a statement issued by the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Olalekan Alli, the resumption date affects all public and private schools in the state.

According to him, government had made adequate preparations for the resumption of schools.

The statement urged parents and guardians to instill the need for environmental and personal hygiene into their wards as the schools resume.

THE NATION,

NEWS 3

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Ebola: Fashola visits First Consultant Hospital, pledges support

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AGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has assured First Consultant Medical Centre of the support of his government towards mitigating the impact of the losses it recorded while attending to the index case of the Ebola virus disease and the attendant crisis that followed.

The governor made the pledge when he led top officials of the state government on a visit to the hospital in Obalende where the index case, Mr Patrick Sawyer, was admitted before he died.

Fashola said the government would help in the replacement of equipment discarded in the process of decontamination and would provide other forms of support to help the hospital get fully back on its feet.

He commended the hospital for its sacrifice in the fight to

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Miriam EKENE-OKORO contain the virus, saying the government was proposing a law designed to boost the capacity of health professionals and guarantee their safety at work.

Four health workers who had contact with him in the hospital died while four others tested positive to the virus but were successfully treated in quarantine.

Consequently, the hospital was shut and decontaminated, leading to the discarding of equipment worth millions of naira.

Fashola said: “You need to let us know how we will help and, certainly, we will help.

“One of the ways the state government will be assisting the hospital is to replace all the equipment discarded during

going forward.”

Fashola said he visited the hospital as part of the process to fix post-Ebola damage and making things that had been affected by the crisis begin to run back.

He added that his visit was to pass a message that people should not live endlessly in fear over problems but they should always confront them and move on with their lives afterwards.

The governor commended all those who helped in the containment of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the state,

saying their support helped to avert what could have been a tragedy.

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Mr Benjamin Ohaeri, thanked the governor for the visit, saying it had helped to enliven the atmosphere at the hospital and boost the morale of the personnel.

He said the hospital paid a big price in containing the virus as it lost four workers, including Mrs Stella Adadevoh.

Ohaeri said some other workers tested positive to the

virus while caring for the index case but were subsequently sent to quarantine and treated.

While saying the hospital had learnt a big lesson from the experience, he said the institution would be more than willing to share such to better what had happened.

“The state government and the hospital must share the experience so that we can better what has happened.

“A lot of things happened and the most important thing now is to go back to the basics,” he said.

Ebonyi trains 5,000 teachers

ORE than 5,000 teachers have been trained by the Ebonyi State Government on early detection and management of the Ebola virus disease (EVD).

The Commissioner for Education, Mr Ndubuisi ChibuezeAgbo, said this in Abakaliki, the state capital.

He said the training was part of the measures taken to enhance teachers’ capacity to handle any suspected case of Ebola in their schools.

He, however, indicated that schools in the state would resume on September 22 for the 2014/2015 academic year as directed by the Federal Government.

“The training coordinated by the Ministry of Education took place across the three senatorial districts- Ebonyi North, South and Central- and two teachers were selected from each school.

“The training was meant to equip them with relevant knowledge on how to detect suspected Ebola case and what

Ogochukwu ANIOKE, Abakaliki

to do when such happens.

“We trained no fewer than 5,000 teachers drawn from both public and private primary and secondary schools in the state,” Chibueze-Agbo said.

He said that the state government was determined to sustain the fight to stop the infectious disease from entering the state and to complement Federal Government’s efforts.

“Steps have been taken to ensure that functional water system is installed in all our schools while private schools that have none will be made to provide for their schools.

“Sanitisers and other necessary personal protective kits to guarantee protection of our teachers will be provided.

“One of the most effective ways to prevent this disease is through maintenance of proper personal and environmental hygiene,” ChibuezeAgbo added.

Ondo distributes preventive materials to schools ...as special hospital takes off

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LTHOUGH no case of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) has been recorded in Ondo State, the state government has announced the take off of an infectious disease hospital in the capital, Akure.

The development coincided with the commencement of distribution of EVD prevention materials to public and private schools to allay the fears of parents ahead of the resumption of schools in the state on Monday.

The materials being distributed include auto-dispense sanitizer and inferred thermometer.

Fielding questions from newsmen in his office on government’s efforts to prevent Ebola virus in schools preparatory to resumption for the 2014/2015 academic year on Monday, the Commissioner for Information, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, said an infectious disease hospital located on Igbatoro Road, Akure was now operational.

PENGASSAN, NUPENG call off strike

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the decontamination process.

“This is the first thing we will be doing to replace the tools, but, most importantly, we will also be supporting the personnel, because they are the most important tools.

“On law, there is the Public Health Law and you were right to have acted the way you did.

We are also considering the amendment to that law.

“And when the executive bill goes to the parliament in a couple of weeks, I have asked them to list it for consideration to see what we can do in the law to strengthen capacity

HE Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPENG), yesterday called off its strike action.

The decision followed a meeting between the unions and the leadership of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Abuja.

The unions, in a statement made available to The Nation, said they decided to call off the strike after reaching reso-

Akinola AJIBADE

lutions on the issues.

Part of the resolutions, they said, include the setting up of an ad hoc committee comprising members of NNPC, PENGASSAN, nupeng, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to work out modalities and framework for sustaining the NNPC pension scheme, along oil and gas private sector lines, and the decision of the NNPC management to handle the issues relating to turn around maintenance (TAM) of refineries internally.

•Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, (right) being conducted round by the Chief Executive Officer/Chief Medical Director, First Consultants Hospital Obalende, Dr Benjamin Ohiaeri during his visit to the hospital, which has been certified ready for operation in the aftermath of the decontaminations done on it after the treatment of the index Ebola virus disease Liberian patient, Patrick Sawyer... yesterday.

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Rivers schools to resume Oct 6

UBLIC and private schools in Rivers State will resume for the 2014/ 2015 academic year on October 6, said the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, yesterday.

Highly contagious Ebola virus disease (EVD) broke out in Lagos and Rivers states in July and August respectively, after it was brought into Lagos by a Liberian-American citizen, Patrick Sawyer.

It later spread to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, through an ECOWAS diplomat, Oluibukun Koye, who had primary contact with late Sawyer at the Lagos international airport and was treated in a hotel in Port Harcourt by Dr. Iyke Enemuo, who also got infected and died of the disease.

To control further spread of the virus, the Federal Government announced the delay of schools’ resumption till October 13, only to bring it forward to September 22 at a meeting at a meeting the Federal Ministry of Education held with commissioners of education on September 6.

But the Rivers State Government has rejected the new resumption date announced by

•UNICEF calls for vigilance Rosemary NWISI, Port Harcourt the Federal Government, saying that it was still trying to trace some people who had contact with the late Enemuo and a woman who became the second victim in the state.

Briefing journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, Parker announced that primary and secondary schools in the state would resume on October 6 in the hope that before then, the number of contacts being traced and those under surveillance would have reduced.

He threatened to shut down any school that falls short of the state government’s health regulations before opening for the session and warned parents to stop any sick child from going to school while he or she is being treated.

Parker said: “We currently have 253 contacts under surveillance, and we hope that by weekend, the number would have come down significantly.

“We expect that quite a number of those under surveillance would have been discharged in batches. We had a

suspected case at the isolation unit, but the result of the test proved negative.

“By October 2, we can say with a measure of confidence that the outbreak of Ebola is over in Rivers State.

“We can say that the spread of Ebola is over in Nigeria from the results that have come out of our collective efforts. Our challenge will remain Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

“Primary and secondary schools, in concert with the federal system of government that we operate in Nigeria, are actually within the jurisdiction of the state ministry of education. Our decision to resume on October 6 does not in any way contradict the position of the Federal Government.

“Please remember that the condition of Rivers State is peculiar, considering the fact that the outbreak of Ebola in our state is the most recent.

“Rivers is the state that is currently hard hit by the Ebola disease in Nigeria. Remember, the minister said that schools can resume as from September 22.

We have to take into consideration our local concerns.

“Any school in Rivers State that does not meet the standard of our health regulations will be closed down.

“We will not accept anything below the required health standard that we have stipulated. Whatever is needful for the schools to meet up with environmental and health requirements will be provided by the state government.

“Parents should not send their sick children to school. The regulation of schools will be more rigorous this time around. We acknowledge the reality that we are in an emergency situation right now. But we will do all that is needful to contain the spread of Ebola in Rivers State.”

The visiting Nigeria Representative of United Nations International Cultural Education Fund (UNICEF), Jean Gough, praised the state for the ability to contain the spread of the virus, but warned the Nigerian government and its citizens to be watchful to avoid a relapse of what had been achieved.

“We have come to Rivers State to support its efforts to contain the spread of Ebola. The state government has done well. I ask Nigerians to remain vigilant because the disease is still around us,” he said.

Kwara teachers shun Sept 22 resumption date

The Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has directed its members not heed the state government’s September 22, 2014 resumption date directive until all amenities to prevent the spread of Ebola virus disease (EVD) are provided in schools.

The state government had directed both public and private schools in the state to resume on Monday, September 22, 2014.

The state also asked all schools to provide basic hy-

Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin giene materials including washing bowls, soap and towels, just as the government directed two teachers from each school in the state to undergo training on Ebola prevention, as soon as the federal ministries of health and education provide the necessary facilities.

But a statement signed by the state’s NUT Chairman, Secretary and Publicity Secretary,

Comrades Musa Abubakar, Ola Idris, and W. A. Jogbojogbo respectively said the union had noted the inadequate measures taken by the government so far in schools and was of the opinion that schools could not resume on September 22.

The union, which called on all stakeholders in the education sector to be proactive in tackling the Ebola scourge, appealed to government at all levels to use qualified health personnel to train teachers to forestall the spread of EVD.

The union also said that hand sanitizers and infra-red thermometers should be provided in schools, adding that there was need for proactive measures in schools to safeguard the health of teachers and pupils/students.

“Stakeholders should focus more on preventive measures so that there would be no epidemic in our state. Therefore, teachers shall not resume until all these provisions are made in our schools,” the statement reads.

THE NATION

4 NEWS

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ISHOP David Oyedepo of Faith Tabernacle Min istries, popularly known as ‘Winners Chapel,’ has tasked Nigerian Christians to participate fully in next year’s forthcoming elections, by voting en masse to choose worthy leaders for the country.

The Bishop, who spoke during a press conference yesterday at the Covenant University, over his forthcoming 60th birthday, urged Christians to decide their leaders through the good use of the ballot box in 2015. ‘’I believe that the church should impact on the society.

We Christians should impact on the world. Joseph in the Bible participated in politics.

And so did several other bib-

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

2015: Oyedepo urges Christians to vote en masse Paul UKPABIO lical figures. The church and its members have a right to participate in politics! Christians have a right to be involved in voting. We as Christians have the scriptural right to choose our leaders and get involved in politics. So, I call upon all Christians to take part in voting come 2015 elections.”

Oyedepo used the opportunity to thank God for a robust life that he has enjoyed so far, counting the several blessings that he has enjoyed from God. Particularly is the recognition of his Christian

ministry and the popular acknowledgement of the church auditorium in the Guinness Book of World Records.

“We do not owe any bank or individual. We are not under any financial pressure.

Our accomplishment with Covenant University and Landmark University has been all of grace, all of work, and to God we owe it all.

Covenant University has been acknowledged as the best private university in Nigeria, and Landmark University is closely behind it. “ For those who criticise the expensive fees considered to

be paid at CU and Landmark, Oyedepo had a message for them: “I can tell you that the owners of the universities have not been benefiting in any way from the universities in terms of profit.

We cannot even depend on the fees. We are more concerned about the core values and the quality of education that is being impacted here.

We are concerned about the wellbeing of the church members.

“Education is expensive everywhere. I can tell you of four other institutions here in Nigeria that receive fees more that our universities.

And all that goes back into re-development. Last year alone, we spent N174 million on bursary to students. The church has also been involved in scholarship programmes. The problem with some Nigerians is that they do not prioritise. Some Nigerians actually spend millions to host parties. And when it is time to pay school fees of N200, 000, they shout.

“Nigerians spend N1.5 trillion on overseas education, and N463 billion on telephone recharge cards, with some un-employed among us having as many as three phones. That is why Nigeria remains the largest market for telephone in the world.

Nigerians should prioritise.”

Nonetheless, Oyedepo urged Christians to aspire to riches, that it is God who owns the silver and the gold.

He cited biblical figures such as Abraham and Lot who were custodians of wealth.

According to him, “God as our Father does not wish we His children to be poor. He doesn’t even want some to

be rich and others not to have. God wants all His children to do well.” Bishop Oyedepo added that, “gold, wealth and righteousness go together;” and that Christians should aspire to be rich as well as be righteous.

Oyedepo, who is Africa’s richest pastor, as rated by Forbes, said he is happy, and feels good to turn 60. That though, he has passed through several challenges in life, he has always believed that challenges are meant to be conquered.

He enjoined Nigerians to be positive about Nigeria.

“There are so many negative things that happen in the United States, of which we do not see leading the headlines of newspapers! We should start being like the Americans, who are positive about America. Nigerians should be positive about Nigeria. Let us not dwell on the negative. Let us rise up to the positive and conquer the challenges.”

Bishop David Oyedepo will turn 60 next Saturday.

CBN to move against banks holding large excess reserves of N300bn

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•Bishop David Oyedepo (middle) speaking during the medial chat. With him is his wife, Pastor Faith Oyedepo (right) and Vice-Chancellor Covenant University, Professor Charles Korede Ayo at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State ...yesterday.

PHOTO: Niyi ADENIRAN

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cross section of Nigeri ans yesterday deplored the decision of the Federal Government to honour the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the service chiefs and the acting Inspector General of Police with National Awards.

ACM Badeh, Chief of Army Staff,Major General Kenneth Minimah,Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin,Chief of Air Staff,Air Vice Marshall Adesola Amosu and the Acting IGP,Mr.Sulaiman Abba are to be conferred with the nation’s second highest ranking award of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in Abuja on Monday.

Also on the list of the awardees which was released on Thursday are Justices of the Supreme Court, Ministers, Governors and top civil servants, key players from the private sector and the President’s cook.

Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi, evaluating the list yesterday queried the inclusion of the names of Badeh and the service chiefs in the awardees list.

He said the only reason could be that they are being rewarded for supporting Boko Haram.

Kaduna based human right activist, Comrade Shehu Sani, also described the decision as shameless in view of the massive security challenge in the country.

Professor Abdullahi, a one time Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and former Presidential Adviser on Agriculture, said sarcastically:"well, the service

Jonathan under fire...over honours for for service chiefs •Ango Abdullahi: it’s reward for aiding Boko Haram •It’s absurb, shameless— Opadokun, Shehu Sani Okorie UGURU/ Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Kaduna chiefs are doing very well for supporting Boko Haram. So why can't they be given honours?"

Asked whether their choice could have anything to do with their efforts in ending the Boko Haram insurgency,he said: "I doubt so much if they have been trying to end the insurgency. If they had been trying, the insurgency should have been over by now.

"Already it has been revealed that there has been suspicion of complicity on the part of the military. Mr. Davis said so and then what else do you want?

Chief of Army Staff connected to Boko Haram; so if a Chief of Army Staff is connected, so who else out of the rest would be out of it.

"We don't know who is who now, we don't know who is Boko Haram and who is Nigerian military. So, the award is uncalled for."

Shehu Sani was no less critical.

Reacting on his Facebook wall, the human rights activist said the conferment of national awards at this time is uncalled for.

"The nation bleeds, innocent people are being killed daily, millions displaced, Chibok girls

still in captivity, soldiers on the frontlines and the hearts of their families beats; yet some Nigerians will dress gorgeously, step into the glitz of the Banquet Hall in Abuja on Monday and without shame or sympathy receive 'the national award" for their 'service to Nigeria," he said.

But is in a contrary view, former governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Abdullkadir Balarabe Musa said the decision to honour the service chiefs is an attempt to spur them to do more to end the insurgency in the country.

Balarabe Musa in a telephone interview said, the award committee might have considered the personalities of the service chiefs, not minding their positions occupy and the challenges therein.

Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Fred Agbaje, said the award does not inspire confidence. He said going by the list it is obvious that government places no value on those who have contributed to the socio-political development of the country.

He said: “It is laughable, short of mentioning names; it is like those who compiled the list have not done their homework.

“Some actors and actresses made the list but the professors who taught people like us, they

don’t deserve it. No country develops under such atmosphere. The government did not do its home work. The list does not inspire confidence.”

The Co-ordinator, Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), Chief Ayo Opadokun , described the list as absurd.

“They (government) have given the award to people who have served in government, who took over government violently and who are beneficiaries of coups. It is mostly the military and their surrogate sympathizers who are the greatest beneficiaries.”

On the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in the last Osun State election, Chief Iyiola Omisore and the President’s chief cook making the list, Opadokun said: “It is a manifest admission of the indecency that has taken over Nigeria.”

A former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Tsav, said the National Merit award has lost its meaning in Nigeria.

He said: “It is worthless.

They no longer give people who deserve it. It is not somebody who is working and is paid very well…Somebody is cooking food for the President and he is enjoying it, and because he is enjoying it, he should given a special honour.”

HE Central Bank of Nige ria (CBN) is set to move against banks holding large excess reserves of over N330 billion in their vaults.

Addressing journalists at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, the CBN governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele stated that the apex bank was concerned "that banks were holding large excess reserves averaging over N300 billion even when there were ample opportunities for productive and profitable lending to the real sector of the economy."

This concern he said was "further strengthened by the reality of injecting an additional N866 billion into the system through the redemption of maturing AMCON bonds in October."

To check this ugly development, the MPC, Emefiele said has directed the CBN "to explore ways of encouraging banks to lend such excess reserves to the real sector" because "given the apathy to lending, banks may be inclined more to placing these new funds in the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) or use it to increase pressure on the exchange rate."

The Committee also expressed concern about high banking system liquidity and its potential effects on inflation and the exchange rate. According to Emefiele, "the policy challenges would include sustaining the stability of the naira exchange rate, managing the vulnerability to capital flow reversal, building fiscal buffers to ensure against global shocks, managing inflation and exchange rate expectations and safeguarding the financial system stability, as well as a buildup in election related spending."

The MPC noted that the restrictive stance of monetary policy, has provided important defenses against "structural liquidity in the banking system and also reaffirmed the willingness to play a key role in managing expectations around exchange rate and inflation vul-

Nduka CHIEJINA (Assistant Editor) nerabilities."

As a result of all these concerns, Emefiele disclosed that "adequate consideration would need to be accorded the goal of reining-in banking system liquidity to safeguard the objective of price stability."

Consequently, the MPC decided by a majority vote to: retain the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) or interest rate at 12 per cent with a corridor of +/- 200 basis points around the midpoint; retain the public sector Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) at 75.0 per cent; and retain the private sector Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) at 15.0 per cent.

The decision to retain the rate figures or bring down interest rate as desired, Emefiele said "depends on the size of liquidity and all economic parameters in the Nigerian economy, particularly as we move towards election. The MPC thinks that although the natural direction is to tighten, we still felt that if we cannot reduce interest rates we should just leave it alone rather than taking it up."

This he said is "primarily because we think that increasing interest rate will hurt our people, it will lead to some of the companies complaining that the high interest rate will hurt their business and for that reason, we decided to leave interest rate stable."

"Ordinarily because of the size of liquidity that we see in the system today, what we should have done actually is to tighten further. But we will continue to monitor the liquidity system and I can assure you that what we have in our agenda that says that interest rates will gradually come down, is an objective that we will eventually pursue. But we'll continue to monitor what is happening in the Nigerian economy and all the parameters to be able to determine whether or not we have attained the righ time to move in that direction" he stated.

THE NATION,

News 5

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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Three die as another church building collapses

FRESH tragedy hit the nation’s Christian community yesterday.

A one-storey building belonging to Christ Chosen Church of God, Uzama Street, Uzebu in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, collapsed, killing three persons.

This came exactly a week after a six-storey building of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Ikotun, Lagos gave way.

•Irate youths attack church, set bus ablaze

Tony AKOWE, Abuja The death toll in the SCOAN tragedy rose to 86 yesterday, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The collapse of the Uzebu church provoked anger across the neighbourhood with youths attacking the property

of the church.

One of its buses was set ablaze.

Their grouse was that the church authorities refused to call for assistance to rescue trapped workers hours after the building came down.

Leaders and officials of the church took to their heels on sighting the rampaging youth.

The building was, until now, used as office and residence by church officials.

However, the authorities decided to pull it down and erect a new structure.

Labourers were thus engaged to do the job. Their pay was N3000 per day.

They were said to be chiselling the pillars of the building when the unexpected happened.

Nine men resumed for work in the morning, according to sources.

As they got hungry, three took time off at about 1.30 pm to have lunch, leaving six behind.

Moments afterwards, the building crashed.

Three of the remaining six workers were rescued alive but with bruises and broken limbs while one was brought out dead two hours after the collapse.

Two were still trapped in the debris at press time.

One of those feared dead is named Eghosa, a welder said to have been hired for a job at the ill–fated structure.

His brother, Osasu, said their father died only last December.

Elvis Egbe, an auto-mechanic said one of his apprentices was among the survivors.

He said: “I heard my boy, Victor, was among those in the building. I rushed down and

joined in the rescue operation.

One had a broken leg.”

A rescuer who gave his name as Okunbor said: ”I heard people shouting that there was a collapsed building. We rescued three and three are still inside. It was nine of them but three left.”

One of the lucky survivors who refused to give his name said: “They asked us to demolish the building. We didn’t have money to eat and a boy later requested to take us out for lunch. “ The church asked us to bring down the building. We were done with the upper part. We were removing the blocks but we came and saw the building on them. This is my first day.

We did not see the pastor and others again. They were here when the building collapsed.”

Policemen prevented the mob from setting the main church building ablaze.

The General Overseer of the Church, Apostle Joshua Osasuyi, is yet to comment on the incident.

Presidency demands full disclosure on Synagogue tragedy •Death toll rises to 86

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•From left: Assistant Zonal Coordinator NEMA Southwest, Adebiyi Babatunde; Air Commodore Charles Otegbade and Ibrahim Farinloye, Principal Information Officer NEMA Southwest, at the site of the collapsed Synagogue Church building PHOTO: Solomon ADEOLA

‘How I survived 28 hours in collapsed building’s rubble’ Taiwo Temitope, a survivor of the collapsed Synagogue Church building, has recounted how he survived the incident that claimed 86 lives and left several others seriously wounded.

The 28-year-old and graduate of Business Studies from the University of West London, said he was at the ground floor of the collapsed building when the incident occurred. But in spite of the magnitude of the incident, he came out with only an injury to one of his fingers.

Recalling that he was rescued from the rubble 28 hours after the incident, Temitope said it was his faith that saved his life.

He said: “I have always worked in the department that attends to foreigners in the church. I was at the canteen, which was on the ground

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Innocent Duru and Precious Igbonwelundu floor, attending to the visitors because it was lunch time.

“After announcing to the people that they had the option of eating semovita with egusi soup or fried rice and fish, I went to get some plastic cups for them. “ As I was placing the cup on a dispenser and talking to one of the visitors, I just heard a sound on the wall. The sound was like using a saw to cut through an object. I shouted Jesus! immediately the sound boomed. That was the last of day light that I saw until I was rescued.”

Continuing, he said: “ I was not the only one trapped around the area at that moment. There were other peo-

•Temitope ple too around me. We were lying down because there was little head room there. The whole place was dark and air

was not coming in. As someone who has been taught to pray, I started praying in my heart. I asked God to forgive me and began to plead the blood of Jesus.

“The human senses ordinarily would tell you that you will not survive, but I had faith in God and that saved me.”

Asked how he managed to come out of the rubble on Saturday when evacuation on the ground floor where he was trapped was just on Thursday, he said: “ That is best known to the rescue team. I am sure I was at a good position where my rescue was made possible.

“I came out at exactly 5: 05 pm on Saturday. I was taken to Unita Hospital at Governors Road after my rescue. I didn’t go for any trauma management but I now appreciate life more.”

HE Presidency wants full details of the casualties of last week’s collapsed building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Ikotun, Lagos.

It has asked the church to make available the actual number of those who died in the incident, their names and their nationalities to enable it take the next appropriate step.

The church said yesterday that it was still compiling the data although the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said the death toll now stands at 86.

One hundred and thirty one people were rescued.

This was based on figures submitted by the various agencies involved in the rescue operation, NEMA’s Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Charles Otegbade, said yesterday.

Otegbade, emerging from a meeting with the General Overseer of the church, Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, told reporters that forensic investigation was on to determine the identities of the victims.

Why Synagogue raised collapsed building

HE quest to corner a larger percentage of visitors to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has been identified as the reason for raising the collapsed building to six storeys, The Nation has learnt.

The collapsed building, it was gathered, was a two-storey building that had been completed and roofed before it was raised to six storeys.

Aside the collapsed building, additional floors were still being added to the main church building at the time the incident occurred.

The additional floors, it was learnt, were meant to serve as guest house for the exploding number of visitors to the church.

The Nation investigation revealed that the explosion in the number of visitors who throng the church on weekly basis had made many landlords in the neighbourhood to convert their houses to accommodation and lodging

•Untold story of cut throat competition with neighbours over accommodation Innocent DURU places over the years.

Most of the landlords, it was gathered, went to the extent of ejecting their tenants to enable them meet up with the competition that the thriving business had brought to the area.

Aside from the landlords, checks around the neighbourhood also showed that many businessmen had latched onto the opportunity and had started building big hotels around the area in order to have a piece of the action.

One of such magnificent hotels is situated on a sprawling expanse of land right behind the church’s premises.

Findings revealed that the challenge posed by the development resulted in the church’s quest to expand its

facilities to accommodate more visitors and consequently reduce the number of its visitors who patronise the lodges that are springing up around it.

A top member of the church who did not want his name in print said the church was forced to raise the two-storey structure to a six storeys to achieve this purpose because it did not have vacant space to build new facilities.

The church member said: “It can’t be true that the foundation was meant for two storeys and was later raised to six. I don’t believe that. The man of God has been involved in several building projects not to know the danger in embarking on such a perilous task.

“He has the resources to pay for a foundation that can conveniently carry a 25-sto-

rey building. He must have considered the foundation before raising the building beyond the level it was.

“There is more to the collapse than the issue of foundation. The church has been experiencing an explosion in the number of its worshippers in recent times, and it would be better if they are accommodated within the church premises where their security can be guaranteed. This may be the simple reason the man of God decided to raise the collapsed building from two storeys to six.

“If you look at the main church building, you will see that it has been expanded to accommodate more guests.

Why has that not collapsed too?”

A resident, who identified himself as Sam Okoh, expressed fears about the additional structures currently being added to the main church building. He warned that an-

other calamity might soon befall the community if urgent steps were not taken stop the construction.

He said: “ I am surprised that the attachments to the main church building is still there till today. The government must take a decisive step to stop them from continuing the construction. They must not stop at that.

“They should go ahead to check the foundation to know if it is strong enough to accommodate the extra load being placed on it. If it cannot carry the extra load, it should be removed. If this is not done, another calamity would soon occur in the church. “ The fact that the church did not limit its expansion of guest houses to the collapsed building lends credence to the allegation that it was a ploy to monopolise the lodging business because the visitors are their members.”

Innocent DURU and Precious IGBONWELUNDU He said: “Because the wing of the building that collapsed was allocated to Southern Africa, majority of the people that passed on there are most likely South Africans.

“You know you cannot bring out a victim and determine his nationality just by looking.

There is need for us to carryout forensic investigation to determine the true identity and nationalities of the victims “We have experts from Nigeria and South Africa identifying the victims, and when it is fully done, the world will be briefed and everyone will know the nationalities of the people involved.

“It is not strange to hear that some of the people rescued may die in the hospital. But we do not want to be brandishing different figures. Once there is any need to review the figures, we will be told at the end of the forensic investigation.”

Continuing, he said: ”I am here on the directive of Mr President which was passed to me through my director general.

The President considered it very important to come and commiserate with the man of God and members of the church and extend a hand of fellowship and assistance to them.

“Considering the fact that many of the victims were foreigners, the incident has gone beyond the the church alone; it has become an international affair.

“The President has given his word that the families of the victims would not be abandoned.”

He however declined comments on the cause of the collapse, saying: “We have not come here to apportion blame or judge anybody. Neither have we come to do any verification.

“The primary work of NEMA is basically humanitarian. Our job is to bring succour to anyone in distress in any part of the country. We are here to coordinate the rescue operations.”

Prophet Joshua has alleged that the collapse of the building could have been caused by an aircraft that flew low over the premises shortly before last week’s incident.

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NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

•R-L Mr. Paschal Dozie; former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi; Chief Olusegun Osunkeye; Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; Mr. Dipo Fatogun and Prof. Juan Elegid at the 2014 Annual Conference on Corporate Governance, organized by Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria, at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, yesterday.

Prof. Ade-Ajayi laid to rest amid tributes n Sulaiman SALAWUDEEN, Ado-Ekiti n HE remains of foremost scholar and historian, Prof.

Ade-Ajayi were interred yesterday in Ikole-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, amid tributes by family, friends and associates.

Ade-Ajayi, who died on 9 August, 2014, at 85, was a former Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos.

In attendance at the church service were the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; former Governor of old western region, Major Gen Adeyinka Adebayo; former Governor Segun Oni; ex-Minister of Education, Prof Tunde Adeniran and ex-Special Adviser in Ekiti, Mr Ben Oguntuase.

Others were the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof Abdurahman Adisa Bello; VC, Ekiti State University, Prof Oladipo Aina; Ex-Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof Peter Adeniyi and former VC, University of Ado Ekiti, Prof Akin Oyebode among other eminent Nigerians.

Urging Nigerian leaders to be selfless and incorruptible in order to attain glorious ends, Archbishop of Ondo/Ekiti, Most Reverend Latunji Olaosebikan, in his sermon at the well-attended funeral service at Saint Paul’s Anglican Church, Ikolle Ekiti, said late Prof. Ade-Ajayi lived a life worthy of emulation, adding that his contributions to academia would remain indelible in the country.

Archbishop Olaosebikan said: “Late Ade-Ajayi had written his name in gold. He did not only do brilliantly well in developing humanity, he also lived a selfless life. He did not accumulate wealth and this is how our leaders should behave in order not to send wrong signals to the coming generations.

“The emergence of people like the deceased scholar and academician in Nigeria was an indication that this country had built so many great people. But what we need to do is to keep the flag flying so that many Ade-Ajayis can come out of the present and future generations”.

Dr Fayemi, who described the late former VC as a patriot who enhanced and did Nigeria and Africa proud in his chosen field, noted that Ekiti needed to accord him honour to spur coming generations to strive for greatness.

It will be recalled that the governor had on Thursday organised a commendation service at Adetiloye Hall in AdoEkiti, capital of the state, in honour of the former VC. Fayemi said: “When you talk of intellect, principle and brilliance, you are referring to Ade-Ajayi. He did Ekiti proud in all facets. He strived hard to protect the values of honour and integrity which our dear state is widely known for. He brought fame to Ekiti and Africa in general and I can boldly say that we are proud of him.

“What we need to do is to follow his footsteps. If we can do this, Ekiti will have no problem and many of his kind will be generated from our land.”

The deceased's wife, Mrs Christie Ade-Ajayi, said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of honour and emotions for her late husband, and maintained that, "the country had respects for its citizens who had done creditably well in their chosen careers".

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RCCG Jehovah’s chapel marks 7th anniversary HE Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Jehovah’s Chapel, Shagari Estate, Mosan-Ipaja, Lagos, is set to roll out the drums in celebration of its seventh year anniversary.

Besides the dedication of the church’s new building, a statement by the Parish Pastor, Mr. Moses Abimbola, said a variety of activities have been lined up to mark the anniversary, themed the “Excellent Spirit”.

The activities, which will run from the 22nd to 28th of September, 2014, will feature Revival Hour, Special Digging Deep, Singles’ Night/Career Plus, Encounter with the Excellent Child/Film Show, High Praise, Dinner with the Holy Spirit and Free Medical Services, among others.

There will be guest ministrations by the Zonal and Area Pastors, Messrs Bode Oyediran and Wale Odeyale respectively, as well as other anointed men and women of God. Various individuals and groups will also minister in songs.

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HE General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Christian Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi , has assured that Nigeria would soon overcome its challenges.

Speaking with reporters on arrival in Osun State for a three-day crusade, tagged ‘Explosion of Supernatural Miracle’, Kumuyi said what Nigeria needs is prayer to overcome her challenges.� The cleric urged Nigerians to vote wisely whenever it is time to elect leaders at all levels of government, saying that every Nigerian has a role to play towards achieving the desired growth and development.

While thanking God for the successful conduct of the August 9, 2014, governorship election in Osun State, Pastor

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•Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (2nd left); Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraj Ishola Adekunbi (left); Head of Service, Mrs Modupe Adekunle (right) and the Chairman, Remo North Local Government Area, Chief Abayomi Shoyemi (2nd right) at Isara, Remo North Local Government Area, when the governor visited Isara, in continuation of his assessment tour of local government areas in the state, yesterday.

Nigeria will soon overcome challenges, says Kumuyi ...‘Aregbesola exhibits exemplary leadership’ n Adesoji ADENIYI, n Osogbo Kumuyi expressed satisfaction with the achievements of the Governor Aregbesola-led administration in the state.

He said: "it has been quite a long time since I visited here.

But I must say that I am impressed with the obvious change in infrastructural development as observed on my way to this place."

During his visit to Governor Aregbesola at the Government House on Friday, Kumuyi said the governor has demonstrated exemplary leadership with his disposition to all religions and massive infrastructural development in the state.

Kumuyi said the attitude of the governor has not suggested the promotion of one religion above others in his policies and programmes.

Fashola, Obi call for return of values among leaders HE Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Raji Fashola and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, have narrowed down the problem of Nigeria to failure of leadership.

They both spoke yesterday at the Oriental Hotel, during the 2014 Annual Conference on Corporate Governance organized by Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria, with the theme: ‘Leadership and Governance in the Public Sector’.

Speaking at the event, Governor Fashola, who said that the question of leadership was the question of values, described public sector leadership as the management of public trust.

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Analyzing the qualities a leader should have , he said: "A leader must have the strength to bear the burdens of the led; the wisdom to represent us; the patience to listen to the people even when he has no solution; he must be fair to all even when he has his favorites."

In his own contribution, the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, said that part of the problem with governance in Nigeria was the misplacement of values and priorities.

"Sometimes, I wonder what has happened to the values of our people. A bank wants to have their meeting in Dubai, even when the problem they want to discuss is in Nigeria.

Such wastefulness is even witnessed more in public service, where a lot of money is wasted because of mounting cost of governance. I saved money for the state because I cut the cost of governance."

Using Singapore as an example, Obi said it moved from third World to first World because its leadership focused on the right things by absorbing their best in academics into the civil service.

He said that the idea of most Nigerians about public and corporate service was a platform to amass wealth and engage in Epicurean indulgence, and called on Nigerians to start asking questions about the life and conduct of their leaders.

Speaking on rumours that the governor was working to Islamize the state, Kumuyi said: “For those who are saying that, I'm not living in Osun State, I don't know what they have observed or what they have seen. But what I have observed is that Aregbesola is a governor for everybody. He is a man for everyone, he wants the progress and development of individuals and the state, not minding if you are Muslim, Christian,� non-Muslim or non-Christian."

"I have moved around and seen what you have done in the first term. But there is still more to do, there is no way people will not point out deficiencies in government. But you must not be distracted, you must be focused and move close to God. We are looking for a better and more successful second term.

Responding, Governor Aregbesola appreciated Pastor Kumuyi for bringing the crusade to Osun State, saying the crusade will definitely manifest spiritually in his administration and the life of the people of the state.

The governor said Osun is blessed with the leading lights in Christendom, with Pastor Kumuyi as one of them.

Four feared dead in Kwara cult clashes OUR persons were feared dead in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, during street brawls among suspected cult members.

The two-day long clashes sent panic down the spines of residents of Post- Office, Opo Malu, Agbo Oba and Taiwo Isale areas of the metropolis.

The first victim, it was gathered was hacked to death at a spot behind a popular bank in

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•We’re not aware of deaths –police n Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin n the Post Office area where his attackers had laid ambush for him.

He was said to have been dragged along the railway line and shot before his assailants ran away.

According to sources, colleagues of the dead allegedly

mobilized and launched an attack on those they suspected were responsible for killing their friend.

The fighting was said to have disrupted activities around Agbo Oba area. About three persons were feared killed in the melee that followed the attack.

The state police command’s

spokesman, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the clashes, however said there was no official report of the dead, saying the police have, however, been inundated with such claims.

He added: "I can confirm one person suffered serious injury and is being treated at the hospital, but I am not yet in position to confirm deaths, although we have been hearing such stories.”

Reps member files appeal at Supreme Court over vacation order HE lawmaker representing Akure North/South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr Ifedayo Abegunde, has filed a notice of appeal and stay of execution at the Supreme Court over the vacation order placed on him by the Court of Appeal, Akure.

The court, on Monday upheld the decision of the lower court ordering Abegunde to vacate his seat.

Abegunde had approached the Appellate Court to set aside the verdict of Justice G.0 Okeke of the Federal High Court, which earlier declared his seat vacant in May 2012.

The lawmaker, who is a former member of the Labour Party(LP) defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), claiming that his former party was em-

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n Damisi OJO, Akure n broiled in crisis which eventually led to divisions.

However, the Appellate Court presided over by Justice A.G Mishella, said Abegunde's appeal lacked merit and as such should vacate his seat.

But in the grounds of appeal, the lawmaker maintained that the lower court erred in law by affirming the wrongful interpretation of the proviso to section 68(1)of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria(as amended) by the Federal High Court, Akure, to the effect that the provison is not applicable to the appellant's case.

Abegunde also claimed that the lower

court erred in law when it misinterpreted and misapplied section 222 of the 1999 constitution as amended.

This, he said came to a wrong conclusion that the section anticipates only the national level in justifying a defection under the proviso to section 68(1)of the constitution.

Abegunde therefore sought an order of the Supreme Court allowing the appeal and setting aside the judgment of the Appeal Court.

He also prayed the court to grant the reliefs sought in his originating summons, dated January 25,2012, and any orders as the court may deem fit in the circumstance of the appeal.

COMMENTARY 7

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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We have to end on the situation of our tight corner over the abducted and yet to be found Chibok 200 girls as well as the performance of our armed forces in the bloody fight against Boko Haram

Lamentations, exhortations and emergent global order N Nigeria this week the Arewa Consultative Council a leading socio – cultural caucus startled all of us when its leader, former Police Inspector General and lately a law maker, Senator Abidina Coomasie lamented that Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan had literally abandoned the Northern part of Nigeria in terms of his government’s economic development wlfare and security programme. Indeed, he literally accused our president of fuelling anarchy in the North and turning a blind eye to the atrocities of Boko Haram which he said had laid the North prostrate in terms of peace, security and the quality of human life. Indeed the former IG painted such a grim picture of the powerlessness and suffering of the North that was as laughable as it was sickening such that it was difficult to know whether to cry or to laugh.

This is because if one did not know the history of Nigeria in the last 100 years one would think that he was talking of the pollution ridden Creeks of the Niger Delta from where the oil money that developed the vast North had come from. And not the North of Nigeria where most Nigerian leaders and heads of states had come from , and where the motto for grooming people like him for power had been - ‘born to rule.’ Indeed one can say wonders will never end on the Coomasie Arewa outburst.

But then, we go on from there, in spite of the condemnation of Arewa’s lamentations by the Northern Elders Forum through its leader Alhaji Tanko Yakassai who took Coomasie and the leadership of Arewa to the Cleaners by saying that Arewa’s leadership had lost touch with ordinary Northerners and is no longer relevant. The NEL leader, an older and more polemic politician on controversies than the former IG Senator, accused the leadership of Arewa of being infiltrated by opposition politicians.

But he said this in such vitriolic language that made it sound as if he had never been in opposition, when his pedigree as a well known Northern leader was that of someone perpetually anti government and anti establishment. That was until quite recently. In addition he made the work or the reaction of the opposition he lambasted so easy, in that he has killed all the birds with one stone where two would have sufficed for the opposition to respond to Arewa’s lamentations if, and, as necessary.

All the same, the mood in the Arewa camp was

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not reflective of the mood elsewhere in other parts of the world this week. In the US I listened to a brilliant and vibrant President Barak Obama exhorting American troops at the US Army Central Command on the need for the air strikes against ISIS and telling them that the world respects the quality of their service, contribution and sacrifice because as Americans they are the best in the world to rescue the world from the bestiality of ISIS. President Obama harangued US troops this week like a Senator in the Senate of the Ancient Roman Empire with all the dignity, pomp and oratory of that ancient office, the only difference being that he was not wearing the purple toga of the senators of ancient Rome. But the spirit was there and his audience appreciated the respect and recognition of their Commander In Chief, which was the essence of his address and visit any way. In short the US president’s praise and thanks to US troops and their families, equalled that of British Second War PM Winston Churchill to the British Airforce when he famously said - Never in the history of human struggle have so many owed so much to so few.

Yet if one was thinking that given the high sense of patriotism and sacrifice that the US pres, ident had engendered in his troops, the world was awash or pervaded mainly with such preparations and expectations to degrade or annihilate ISIS, that would be a serious mistake. This is because while the US was clearing the mess of its piece meal response to barbaric religious militancy in the Middle East and Nigeria, a new civilisation was appearing like a star from the east in terms of world economic leadership, cooperation and development.

While President Obama was indulging in the braggadocio that the present world usually looked to America to solve its problems including that of Ebola in West Africa, the two most populous nations on earth were far away and unmoved by such sentiments or emotion, no matter how well meaning and how relieving it was to the rest of the world.

On a visit to India, China’s President Xi Jinping and India’s PM Nasreda Morde signed 12 major economic agreements that would see China spending $20bn to improve India’s infrastructure over the next five years. Hitherto such agreements were a monopoly of the US, EU nations and India’s former colonial master, the UK. But this week these Western nations had other things on their mind while the Indian Tiger and Chinese Dragon forgot their traditional border wars and clinked glasses over what the Indian PM called Borders of Peace. The agreements would cover costs of

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modernising India’s ageing Railways, create industrial plantations in parts of India and make India’s pharmaceutical, software, communications and Information Technology Industries have more access to China’s vast population and high demand market. Surely this rapproachment between China and India, whose combined population dwarfs that of the rest of the world, is as important as the US led Coalition against ISIS because the poverty level in the world would be greatly improved by the provision and exchange of jobs and skills between the two most populous nations on earth. Surely the balance of power is shifting east as these two huge nations seek to fend for themselves and contribute so positively to global economic equilibrium.

And the US Commander in Chief has to acknowledge that, just as he faces the huge and laudable task of saving us from ourselves and Ebola, in our own little corner in the world.

Indeed, we have to end on the situation of our tight corner over the abducted and yet to be found Chibok 200 girls as well as the performance of our armed forces in the bloody fight against Boko Haram. Of course I refuse to believe the media reports that Boko Haram has appointed two Emirs in two captured towns in our besieged North East. Also while I am a stickler for discipline I nevertheless find it horrendous that so many soldiers can be sentenced to death for mutiny in the middle of this Boko Haram war. Such sentence if carried out will diminish morale rather than deter which could have been its controversial rationale. The sentence is just too harsh and could have a polarising effect on the military. Similarly the retirement of the general involved creates a double jeorpady for someone who escaped death only to have his career truncated. Did the army wish him dead in the first instance? Surely the army leadership should temper justice with mercy and make a sense of belonging of its troops the priority policy in prosecuting this war for which it has the support and prayers of all Nigerians to bring to a victorious conclusion urgently. What Nigerians want and urgently too, is the sort of scenes in the newspapers this week in which jubilant Nigerians happily escorted Nigerian troops into towns they took back from Boko Haram in the North East. Not pictures of able bodied Nigerian soldiers bring tried for mutiny in the middle of a crippling religious insurgency. Surely something is very bothersome and worrying about such spectacles and trials and we should be spared such in this unusual war in this equally volatile election period.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

COMMENTARY

Of laughable escapism in tragic moments RAWN into our leaders’ world of fantasy on a daily basis, the episodic rendering of quotidian living here has always read like an absurdist’s text. Yet as it has always done over the years, Nigeria has managed to trudge on, seemingly unsurprised by whatever happens, sometimes laughing off grave follies and unforgettable foibles. It is a country of a thousand surprises where tragic moments are captured with reeling laughter and silly jokes. Somehow, we’ve become inured to the pain and anguish that surround us that we conveniently lie through the teeth to save our fingers from being burnt. We are accustomed to living in a fools’ paradise so much that we care less about the huge joke we have become to the outside world.

Honestly, if we care a hoot about the deadly blows inflicted on our national psyche and the negative perception of the international community, we wouldn’t be the butt of every sickening joke in serious places. But then, how do you expect anyone to take us seriously when we seem satisfied with the lethargic impotence of the leadership?

Yes, even as it prepares for another hollow official ritual of Independence Day on October 1, Nigeria presently waddles in self-inflicted crises of stunted development in practically all sectors. However, that does not justify the jejune illogic that Pastor T.B. Joshua attempted to foist on our collective intelligence following the collapse of one of the buildings in his Synagogue Church of All Nations located in Ikotun, Lagos. At least, in matters like religion and faith, there should be an irreducible minimum where truth is not sacrificed on the altar of dangerous gullibility. The over 80 persons who died in that unfortunate incident and more than 150 rescued from the debris deserve better than a trite reference to a chopper hovering above the collapsed building and an unfounded allegation of ‘chemicalised demolition’ through the evil machination of the Boko Haram sect. It beggars belief that the highly revered priest could be spewing such inchoate sound bites to justify the unjustifiable at a period when the church should be grieving over the loss of innocent lives in the worship place. And if we were to believe his declaration that he was the object of the ‘attack’, why would the bio-terrorists waste precious time demolishing a guest house when they could have carried out the operation at any of the worship hours when they are sure a Joshua must be at the helm of affairs?

As it is, the sordid escapism has been faulted by some Nigerians. Of course, concerned citizens have started asking the hard questions, listing certain indubitable facts regarding the collapsed building. Aside the known fact that airplanes generally hover around the area in question due to its proximity to the Lagos Airport, is there anything in the video footage to suggest that the ‘strange flying object' sprinkled chemicals or dropped any missile on the affected building? And if we were to believe the fable that a chemical was unleashed on the structurally defective guesthouse, how come the building, which was under construction, caved in from the foundation level instead of shattering or melting from the top? Could it be true that the collapsed building was originally approved as a two-storey complex until the usual Nigerian mercantilist mentality crept in, thereby igniting the passion to ‘upgrade’ to a six-storey structure? Did the church seek an approval for additional floors and was such an approval granted by the relevant agencies in the Lagos State Government?

Let’s face it: this is not the time to stutter through that biblical passage that warns against touching His anointed and doing the chosen one no harm. In these days when men of God go for two a penny, common sense dictates utmost caution to avoid falling into the traps of those purportedly doing His works while grab-

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Knucklehead With

Yomi Odunuga E-mail:yomi.odunuga @thenationonlineng.net SMS only: 07028006913

bing fortunes on earth! We should have gone past that bigotry by now. While this writer is the least qualified to point fingers at anyone, it is my belief that modern practical Christianity requires more than a fatalistic fixation to the dogma of 'my pastor has said it and so shall it be.’ Even the Holy Book cautions against fakery in worship places. In this particular case, truth, which ordinarily should have been the irreducible minimum, appears to be the casualty in this delicate game of infusing the supernatural into a natural cause of events. It may well justify why some persons may get off the hook regardless of the number of souls they have sent to untimely deaths through errors of commission or omission. It is, to say the least, disturbing that truth now takes different shades and forms in the temple of the clergy.

It is reasonable to assume that many out of the over 80 people that perished in the Synagogue Church of All Nations’ building collapse, including the 67 South Africans, had come in search of truth, salvation and miracles. In these perilous times, they had longed for succour in His sanctuary. And so, these ones would have died in vain if nothing concrete is done to unravel the mystery behind the collapse and appropriate sanctions taken against whoever is responsible for this avoidable tragedy. It’s simply not enough to blame it on extraterrestrial agents of doom when all available facts on the ground point closer home to a suicidal neglect of best practices and extant laws on building! We just need to put an end to this sickening madness if we must regain our sanity.

It is for the same reason that I find it irritatingly difficult to decode the tendentious excuse being tendered by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria and friend of the Nigerian President, to justify the use of his personal jet in the illegal transfer of $9.3m cash for an alleged arms purchase in South Africa.

For obvious reasons, I am less concerned about how those who ferried the raw cash in the seized plane came about the money in a supposedly cashless economy. After all, the money is about five million dollars shy of what was packed in a Ghana-Must-Go bag and handed over to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as bribes some years back by the then Governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori, who is currently serving prison terms in the United Kingdom. What rankles is the shameless resort to laughable escapism by the religious leader in a desperate attempt to wash his hands clean of yet another deadly blow to our dangling scrotum as a nation. So, Oritsejafor or whoever leased out a private jet bought for him by church members to propagate the gospel of Christ did not ask questions on what the jet would be used for? Commercial evangelism? So, in this business of leasing out a pastoral jet, all is good as long as the lease money is placed on the table? How come the illegal freighting of raw cash was not discovered in Nigeria where money laundering laws are supposed to be respected, until the eventual disgrace in South Africa?

Or could it be that the jet was specially picked for the assignment due to the 'papal' clearance usually extended to it as a key affiliate of

the Presidential Fleet? And did Oritsejafor, in his defence, condemn the under-the-table dealings by the Federal Government in the purchase of arms when there are several legitimate avenues to do same? Was that the first time the evangelist's jet was being used for such covert operations without the involvement of relevant government officials such as Nigeria’s Defence Attaché in South Africa?

As for the government, which has been busy flexing its muscles to put a stamp of legitimacy on the cash-for-arms deal, it would be nice if its officials can convincingly address posers raised by human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo, in a piece titled "The cock and bull story of the FG over the smuggled $9.3m cash." He described the government's position as "ludicrous, laughable, untenable and a story fit to be told to the marines".

Keyamo, among many other posers, asked: Is it really faster and safer to do an international transaction of such magnitude by ferrying cash across the continent or by a simple wire transfer that can go through in a matter of few minutes or few hours? If, indeed, the matter involves security issues like the purchase of arms by a foreign government like Nigeria, why was the South African Government not brought into the picture beforehand? If indeed the manufacturer(s) of such equipment was/were expecting such large amount by cash, why did they not make adequate arrangements with the authorities in South Africa to declare and clear the cash on arrival? Since the South African Government has said the amount is above the limit of cash allowed into that country, why would a whole government like Nigeria not know the simple immigration laws of a sister and friendly country before allowing that type of amount of cash to be taken to that country? Why would the Nigerian government seek to smuggle cash into a country without disclosure if it was, indeed, for a legitimate transaction? From where did the Federal Government source that amount in Nigeria? Was it from the Central Bank of Nigeria or from the black market? Is it just a wicked coincidence that it is the aircraft belonging to a personal friend and unapologetic ally of the President in the person of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor that was used to smuggle the cash? If, contrary to the above posers, the transaction was contracted out to a private company in Nigeria, does it not amount to the offence of money laundering under our laws for the Federal Government to have allowed that company to attempt to pay for the equipment by cash to the tune of that amount without passing through a financial institution?”

Questions, questions and more questions. For now, the answers seem to be hanging in the cloud. And, if precedents are anything to go by, there is a possibility that this matter may fizzle out of public discourse in a matter of weeks as we move to other businesses. Be that as it may, I just hope that those offering President Goodluck Jonathan a ticket to be the unopposed candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 general elections; those threatening to commit suicide or make the country ungovernable should he refuse to accept their plea for him to go for another four years of 'unprecedented transformation of Nigeria' and the elder statesmen who have placed a no-vacancy signpost at the gates of Aso Villa while labelling every other opposition politician eyeing the high office as corrosively corrupt would give Jonathan the needed space to attend to other matters of urgent national importance including how best to tackle the continuous killing of innocent citizens by the Boko Haram insurgents. Or would they rather wait until such a time when our proclivity to offering laughable excuses to cloak sheer incompetence positions Nigeria not just as the convenient referral for all manners of rude jokes in the comity of nations but the joke in itself? So much for cock and bull stories in high places!

2015 battle for Benue Reps Constituency: How contenders stand

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to permit political campaigns for the 2015 polls. But, aspirants for various elective positions across the country have started underground lobbying, consultations and subtle campaigns to actualise their dreams. The Federal Constituency of Ado, Ogbadibo and Okpokwu of Benue State, has caught the bug, with so many aspirants warming up. While many nurse the ambition, only very few may eventually declare their ambition.

Hon. Saleh Hassan Anthony, the member representing Ado/Ogadibo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, has a tough battle on his hands. The smooth-talking Saleh wants a return ticket to the hallowed Green Chamber of the National Assembly, a move, being hotly resisted by his constituents.

The mountain on his way to a possible stay in the House beyond 2015 is a 2010 power-sharing agreement by stakeholders in his constituency, making representation at the House rotational among the three local government areas in the constituency, with each local government limited to doing a single term.

Another major obstacle is the array of formidable and tested political gladiators battle ready to oust him, if he fails to leave at the end of his four- year tenure.

Harried by the unusual tension, acrimony and bitterness associated with the election of the candidate of the federal constituency and the damage it is doing to the unity of the people, elders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party from the three local government areas had met in 2010 at Okpoga, the zonal headquarters, to work out an acceptable, fair, just, and less rancourous method for choosing the candidate.

At the meeting which was attended by the Benue State PDP chairman, Dr. Agbo Emmanuel, former Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute, the Hon. Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, the then incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Hon David Idoko who was aspiring for an unprecedented third term from Okpokwu, Chief Obande Obeya, Chief John Ochoga, Chief Ekpe Ogbu, Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo, Hon. Bernard Ochepa, Hon. Chris Adaba Aba, Hon. Hassan Saleh, Hon. Innocent Agasi, Elder Oche Onazi, Barr. Jacob Ogwuche and others, it was decided that

In this piece, WALE AJETUNMOBI examines the chances of the House of Representatives’ aspirants for the Ado, Ogbadibo and Okpokwu Federal Constituency of Benue State for 2015.

• Agbo

• Saleh

beginning from 2011, each local government area shall be entitled to a single term. And since Ado had had it between 1999 and 2003, Okpokwu 2003 and 2011, from 2011 to 2014, the position of House of Representatives would go to Ogbadibo which had not enjoyed it since the inception of PDP. Hassan Saleh, who was present at the meeting, is the first beneficiary of the agreement. He hails from Ogbadibo while his predecessor, David Idoko, is from Okpokwu Local Government Area.

The decisions which were applauded by all the critical stakeholders in the constituency further gave Ado local government area the right to produce the 2015-representative for the constituency.

This, Hon. Saleh is determined to set aside. He wants a second tenure and he believes, he can clinch it with the support of the

Senate President David Mark and Minister for Interior Abba Moro who are his principal backers.

Ordinarily, the support of these two political heavyweights could have guaranteed him victory in any contest. However, a number of equally important factors are stalked against his emergence as the party’s candidate.

Not all the elders are in a hurry to breach an agreement they were all party to simply because of the personal interest of the Senate President who hails from another federal constituency.

Another factor stalked against Hon. Saleh is his alleged appalling personal relationship with his constituents which he is making no effort to rectify. Many of his constituents accuse him of alienating himself from them, of been too elitist and concentrating only on building a good relationship with the Senate President, believing that the latter is all he needs to secure a second term. They point to the stoppage of the constituency briefing which he did just once, his dour attitude and poor response to their plight and his inability to connect with their true feelings and aspirations. And above all, he has not been able to sponsor any bill that has been passed into law just as there is no federal project in old Okpoga attributed to him.

Hon. Saleh who is the vice-chairman Aids, Loans and Debt Management Committee of the House would have to contend with Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo, a media consultant and honourary Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State governor on Media and Strategy; Chief Ekpe Ogbu, Special Adviser to the Benue state governor on Public Utilities; Hon. Chris Adaba Aba, a business mogul and original winner of the party 2011 primaries and a new man on the block, Matthew Atu, a former banker.

Of the four contestants, two; Agbo and Ogbu are from Ado local government area while Aba and Atu are from Ogbadibo.

Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo, a writer, former editor and media consultant, is a brilliant, well-connected and intrepid young man who

• Continued on page 9

COMMENTARY 9

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Broken heart for Liberia

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LTHOUGH I was one of the harshest critics of the handling of the Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia, watching how the out of control the spread of it has become and the fear and confusion of innocent people in Liberia, my heart breaks. Seeing victims and sufferers being turned back from Quarantine centers due to over capacity, and hearing that its out of control spread Liberia poses a threat to the country’s national and corporate existence, is so overwhelmingly sad.

There were so many other issues which I had wanted to write on today; the spread of those lunatic insurgents, their declaration of a caliphate, the kidnap of more children, the upcoming APC presidential primaries. But I am so devastated about the situation in Liberia, I felt it was only proper to support Liberians and explore ways we can contribute in helping them through such a dark period.

It is with profound lugubriousness, melancholy and heavyheartedness that I am penning down this piece, in an attempt to evoke national and international awareness, sympathy, and assistance, for the plight of our fellow West-African brothers and sisters.

As Africans, as humans, we should all feel a reflective responsibility and a great burden to show love, support care and assistance towards this unprecedented quandary Liberians are currently facing.

The time for unfavorable sentiments and blame game has got to be over, as it’s now about the a people and humanity. It’s about the survival of a nation and society. It’s about the survival of a culture and a community.

Watching Ebola ravage out of control in Liberia, in the news, it is so sad and pathetic watching our brothers and sisters in their country scurrying around for food and better health-care facilities, and the governments’ heartfelt appeal to the internal community for food supplies to at least be brought in for their sustenance and survival.

This horrible, horrible disease is poses a grave threat to the existence of Liberia. That country has truly been through the gutter and now is facing its greatest threat since its years-long conflict. The severity of the deadly Ebola virus is so harsh that it can cause disruption of the normal functioning of any country. That’s what it’s done to Liberia.

Since Ebola made its debut in Liberia, it has been relentless; spreading like wild fire, devouring everything in its path. The speed and scale of the loss of lives, and the economic, social, political and security reverberations of the crisis have done great damage to Liberia. The epidemic has further overwhelmed the normal functioning of the already weak health-care system in Liberia, as the World Health Organization (WHO) have stated that Liberia is suffering from Ebola more than any other African country, and scores are dying as a result of the virus.

On 16 August 2014, a quarantine center in Monrovia was attacked by protesters causing a number of patients being monitored for Ebola to flee, while blood-soaked bedding and other infected items were removed. This incident was seen by health officials as a disaster, as it has accelerated the spread of the disease within the country. Evidently, Liberia is bearing the full brunt of the Ebola scourge, which has also hit some West African countries, including Nigeria. Cases of infection have already been registered in Sierra Leone, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal.

The Ebola virus mortality rate is 53 percent and there is no officially approved medication for the disease. Experts claim prevention is the only cure, and isolation is the only way to stop its spread.

Available data shows that Liberia alone has seen more than 3,000 cases of infection and almost 2,000 deaths. Also, Ebola has been exacting a heavy toll on West African medical personnel. Doctors, nurses, and other health-care workers currently represent about 15% of deaths from the virus in Liberia. Sadly, each death of an African doctor, researcher or nurse represents a loss of human knowledge that the world needs to help prevent and treat future outbreaks.

While one must commend the efforts of individuals, countries, and international organizations that have been donating funds, supplies, transport, logistics, and personnel to Liberia, I feel more needs to be done to help and support the countries affected, especially Ebola.

Every African country must know that this not just a Liberian, Guinean or Sierra Leonean catastrophe; the world needs to appreciate that this is not just an African catastrophe, but a disaster for global public health.

While, more than anyone I subscribe to the imposition of travel bans and the closure of borders, I vehemently am sickened by the discrimination and stigmatization of citizens and countries currently besieged with the Ebola scourge. In one piece of news that was broadcast, a restaurant somewhere in the Far East pasted a sign outside its premises with a bold message which said; ‘NO AFRICANS ALLOWED INTO THE RESTAURANT.’ The trend witnessed from the International community, particularly from Western countries since the outbreak of Ebola earlier this year is an insensitive outbreak of complacency, half-measures, sensationalism and stigmatization toward Africa. This attitude has only exacerbated the problem.

While global celebrities are currently in frenzy over the “ALS ice bucket challenge” (an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and to encourage donations to go into research), a similar campaign should be brought to fore, “positively” promoting awareness for the plight of individuals and countries currently battling the Ebola scourge and encouraging donations for research and assistance from the international community in finding a lasting vaccine for the virus. But instead, our African celebrities feel compelled to ‘belong’ and ‘follow thy leader,’ (AKA AMERICAN celebrities) by pouring buckets of cold water on their heads with the likelihood that are totally unaware of what amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is and probably not even making the necessary donation that forms the basis of the ALS challenge.

Thinking of Liberia, one can only envision the extent of Hunger and strife in that country at this very minute. One can only imagine the amount of suffering and hardship Liberians would be made to endure due to the closure of its borders and that of other countries; no people or goods going in nor out.

Everyone is at risk as Ebola is no respecter of person, regardless of status, age, or gender. There are valid reports that clumps of whole families are completely being wiped out. I mean, the situation is so bad people are being rejected from Ebola treatment centers due to the record-amount of infected people. The minimal health facilities are currently full and an increasing number of infected people are left to fend for themselves with they few days they probably have before certain death.

Further reports states that the sick arrive each day, at the few under-funded and ill-equipped Ebola treatment centers, hopeful that their timing and symptoms will get them past the gate. Even so, 7 in 10 will die inside; slightly better odds than the 9 in 10, who are

dying in the community.

At one particular Ebola treatment center in Paynesville, on the outskirts of Monrovia, there are a mere 160 beds. On a particular day, about 23 people were admitted with Ebola-like symptoms in that facility and 25 had to be turned away. Nine died and seven had to be released after showing signs of recovery to create more space for other infected people.

I wish to use this medium to call on all well-meaning Nigerians and Africans; leaders, celebrities, philanthropist and humanitarians; non-governmental organizations, international aid agencies and the international community, to have a “listening ear”, a compassionate heart and lend a “helping hand” to the plight of Liberians and countries currently besieged by the Ebola epidemic.

Let each and every one of us donate judiciously to Liberia in an attempt to alleviate their suffering, as they are all at risk of contracting the deadly Ebola virus.

Let each and every one of us donate judiciously to Liberia in an attempt to alleviate their suffering, as they are all at risk of contracting the deadly Ebola virus. I am all for closing the borders so nobody can leave Liberia for now, until the situation has been contained, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with officials wearing the full protective gear delivering good to Liberia and the other two infected countries.

Financial contributions, food supplies, health-care facilities, protective gear, and equipment should be donated and given to Liberia in helping them fight the Ebola epidemic that has crippled and brought to a halt every facet of their social, political, economic and communal life.

In addition, the Liberian government, via their embassies worldwide should open up a trust-fund, where financial donations, equipment's and supplies could be made by concerned individuals, organizations and countries. I will be donating the small sum of one hundred thousand naira (N100,000:00) to the plight of Liberians by delivering a cheque to the Liberian Embassy in the hope that the fund could be used in some way to help those in Liberia who are suffering. I urge the Liberian, Guinean and Sierra Leonean embassy to open a roster, where they can keep track of funds donated and periodically make accounts to the public on how the contributions are being used to help in this dreadful war with Ebola.

I am hoping and praying as many Nigerians as possible can donate the amount they can afford to help our fellow African Sisters and brothers. Ebola Virus Disease doesn’t discriminate…, it could have happened in any one of our countries. May God watch over all the sufferers of this disease and may God continue to protect and eventually end Ebola in all the countries affected.

2015: How contenders for Benue constituency stand • Continued from page 8 prides himself as a progressive politician of conviction. Agbo is a popular grassroots politician, a flamboyant philanthropist who had positively touched the lives of many people especially indigent students, orphans and widows through his NGO: Enayi Ottah Foundation. He is also a community leader and National Leader of Ari People’s Congress, the umbrella socio-cultural organization for the people of Ijigban, Ekile and Ulayi: the clear front-runner in the race to the Green Chamber. Dr. Agbo in the last two years, has helped to build the party so much that he has distributed over 300 motorcycles to the people; majority of whom are PDP members, and donated a four-runner Jeep to the PDP chairman of Ado Local Government. In spite of his fame and connection, observers say Agbo remains humble and accessible to the people at the bottom of the pyramid, a virtue his admirers believe is his major strength.

Another unique selling point for Agbo is his closeness to the powers that be in Benue State. He is also believed to have the deep wallet to prosecute the election. His weakness, according to political watchers, could be his politics of service delivery which many politicians in Ado believe could send them to Siberia and expose them to the anger of the electorate.

Recently, a group, “Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Critical Stakeholders, comprising party elders, past and serving elected and appointed political office holders, party officials and youth activists from the three local government areas formally asked Dr. Agbo to vie for the seat, promising to mobilize popular support for him.

The people who affirmed the sanctity of the 2010 zoning resolution of elders and leaders of the party from the federal constituency which zoned the seat to the people of Ado stated that given his pedigree and history of accomplishments and commitment to the cause of the down-trodden, Agbo who was the image maker of the erstwhile Minister for Information and Communications, late Dr. Dora Akunyili, is most eminently qualified to represent them.

Aside this, Agbo hails from zone B part of Ado that is supposed to produce the next House of Reps.

After consulting with party elders, youth and women groups in the federal constituency, Dr. Agbo more popularly called “moving train” by his admirers finally accepted to throw his hat into the ring and couched his campaign as Liberation 2015. He said he has the character, capacity/competence and connection required to provide a purposeful leadership that would liberate his people from the shackles of ignorance and affliction, usher in concrete develop-

mental deliverables, and with the collaboration of compatriots, make the federal constituency the centre of gravity in the politics of Benue state and deepen democracy and social justice if elected.

Already, the media strategist has formally inaugurated his 35man campaign directorate headed by a seasoned politician, former Commissioner in the George Akume administration and Okpokwu Council Chairman, Barr, Jacob Ogwuche. At press time Agbo was the first aspirant to constitute his campaign team as well as the first to notify the party leadership in his local government of his intention.

Chief Ekpe Ogbu Though many PDP critical stakeholders and analysts see Chief Ekpe Ogbu as a spoiler in the race, he is a grassroots politician. The three time chairman of Ado local government council, Chief Ogbu is a close ally of the state deputy governor, Chief Steven Lawani and owes his present position as Special Adviser to the Governor to the man popularly called Ochagwu K’ Idoma.

After upstaging and driving his erstwhile political master, Chief John Ochoga into exile and after joining forces with Hon. Bernard Ochepa, Dr. Francis Agbo and others to install the present Council chairman of the local government, Hon. Alex Ogaba, he now prides himself as leader of Ado politics. This does not go down well with the people who see him as a politician that is too desperate for power.

Though, he is yet to officially declare his intention to contest the House of Representatives seat to the PDP but he recently declared his intention to a select politician of Ado extraction in Makurdi.

What is not clear is whether he will go into a contest that also has Hon. Chris Adaba Aba as a contestant. When Aba contested the 2011 party primaries, he, (Ogbu) was the Director-General of his campaign organisation. In fact it is believed that it was Aba who facilitated his appointment through Lawani.

His major problem in Ado might be the break-up of the once powerful coalition which he led and which brought in the current council chairman. Dr. Agbo who was once a member of that coalition has since pulled out of the group with many influential power brokers. Ado people also believe Chief Ogbu had dominated the scene for too long and cornered all major positions in the council to his siblings and relatives. Apart from having his god son, Alex Ogaba as chairman, for example, Ekpe Ogbu’s brother is Council secretary, his cousin is Deputy Leader of the House, another cousin of his SA to Governor, the PDP ward chairman of Ukwonyo since inception is his uncle and many more. Many people from the sister local governments still see him as local man who will be buried in

the crowd at the National Assembly ostensibly because of his lack of exposure. And above all, Ekpe Ogbu is from zone A in Ado, an axis which had tasted the seat through Hon. Sam Obande. The singular reason that he has not resigned a month to the PDP primaries shows that he may not run afterall. But his major asset is experience and political trick!

Hon. Chris Adaba Aba Chris Adaba Aba is a philantropist and businessman. Like Dr. Agbo he is the people’s man any time any day. Mr. Aba is a friend of the two top-most men in the state, Aba had the foresight of keeping and maintaining the campaign structure even after the 2011 primaries which he won but was forced to surrender to the second placed Hassan Saleh over the controversy of his academic qualifications.

If financial muscle is the only factor in determining who emerges the winner, no one would withstand the ebullient politician popularly called “mad lion” by friends and foes. However, there are other factors that are giving the lion goose pimples.

For now, he is still consulting and has not yet formally declared his interest. Political watchers of the federal constituency ascribe this to his unwillingness to breach the 2010 agreement which they say is sacrosanct.

If and when the Otukpa born politician decides to run again, it would be in response to the intense pressure being brought to bear on him by people from his Ward who are not happy with the manner Hon. Saleh upstaged him in 2011.

His major obstacle is the Okpoga agreement which bares Ogbadibo from the contest and the determination of the Ado people not to concede the chance to any person from another local government area. Indeed, it was in the spirit of the zoning arrangement that Mad lion nicked all Ado votes in 2011 primaries without a single Ado person contesting. The thinking of Ado power brokers is that no Ogbadibo person should stand election because according to Elder James Onazi, what is good for the goose is good for the gander!

Mr. Matthew Atu Mr. Atu also comes from Ogbadibo Local Government Area.

Though, of all the aspirants, he has the least experience on the political turf, the former banker is going round key political figures in the constituency and gradually building up a support base for his aspiration.

He hails from Owukpa district while Aba and Saleh are from Otukpa.

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THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 PEOPLE SOCIETY ROMANCE ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS

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NEMA officials at the camp

PEOPLE SOCIETY ROMANCE ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS

THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

PEOPLE SOCIETY ROMANCE ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS

•A street in Idi-Araba community

Some others of the victims

Wisu

A Red Cross official conducting IDPs around the camp

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Nyanya bomb blast: Neglected female victim searches for lifeline five months after ‘

I want my wife to live; I appeal to the government to assist my family.

Ordinarily, as a civil servant, I have no reason to beg to take care of my wife.

But I have sold all we acquired as a family to take care of her. I have sold our two cars at give away prices; I have disposed off household items; and I have taken soft loans just for her to live

About five months after surviving a bomb explosion in Nyanya, an Abuja suburb, a mother of three, Monica Solomon, is still writhing in pains at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital without much help. She has been left to her fate as all the promises by the government to assist the blast victims have gone to the wind. In this encounter with our Managing Editor Northern Operation, YUSUF ALLI and Correspondent, TONY AKOWE, the victim and her husband tell a chilling story of abandonment, which has exposed the rot in the Nigerian system.

‘

M

ONICA Solomon did not anticipate what befell her in the evening of May 1, 2014. It was a day Nigerian workers joined their counterparts world wide to celebrate workers’ day. But when she left home that evening, it was to go and earn a living at Domo Casino in the highbrow Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja where she works. Unfortunately, she never got there. She was caught in the explosion, which hit the Nyanya Bus Stop for the second time in less than 30 days.

Unlike many other victims, she came out alive with severe burns and she has spent four and a half months on hospital bed. Her nearly five-month hospitalisation began first at the Wuse General hospital, where she spent two weeks before she was relocated to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital for referral service. Monica said though her pains had been much, she does not wish that even members of the dreaded Boko Haram, who were responsible for her predicament, to experience the anguish which had been her lot.

Narrating her ordeal amidst pain at the Female Surgical Ward, Monica said only 10 minutes at a bus stop changed her story from a beautiful damsel to a bedridden burns patient.

She said: "On the 1st of May, I was going to work in the evening. I went to Nyanya bus stop to enter a cab to the office. I was not up to 10 minutes there when the bomb blast occurred. I was in front of the car and it was by the grace of God that I came out of the place alive. Since that day, I have been in the hospital".

Even though the government promised to take care of the medical bill of all the victims of the explosion, the help was not forthcoming.

Only Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi Central) and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf, have come to her rescue and the Solomon's family from Ayetoro-Gbedde. And the most outstanding is the hospital management, which is striving with lean purse to stabilise the victim. Monica has not been able to undergo surgery, which is needed to overcome the pains. She has not been able to sleep for more than two hours daily since the incident happened.

She said: "I spent the first two weeks in Wuse with the hospital providing almost everything for us, including feeding. There was a promise that government was going to take care of our treatment. After those two weeks, we were brought here. When we came here, it was a battle before we were even given dressing materials for our wounds.

Sometimes, when they prescribe drugs for us, we will go to the Pharmacy and they will tell us that they don't have the drugs. We will have to use our money to source the drugs outside. We have also been responsible for our own feeding.

“Initially when I came, I was not able to move or get up from the bed. Two of my sisters were here with me. They used to lift me up always and when I wanted to go the convenience, they were the ones

• Monica Solomon on hospital bed

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who will help me. One of them left after time. They also said that because of the two months. Feeding has been very diffipains, if they keep opening the wounds, it I appeal to the government and other good-spirited Nigerians to come cult and even buying the drugs too has will not help me. been difficult because most times, they “In fact, if they open this hand now, you to my aid so that I can get good treatment because I am going through will not have the drugs here. Right now, I will think that the incident just happened. serious pains. I will not pray for members of the Boko Haram to go am not comfortable at all. I go through a The doctor came and said that I will underlot of pains, especially on a day when go surgery. But before then, I am supposed through the pains that I am going through right now.

I pray to God they dress the wounds. to undergo some tests. They said they were everyday for them not to go through what I am going through now. I “Like yesterday (Tuesday) when they going to ask the doctor but since then, I dressed the wounds at about 10 pm, I did have not seen them. I don't know if it is can't sleep.

May be in a whole day, I will only manage to sleep for two not close my eyes until 3.00am. I was just money that is delaying the surgery. Even thinking of how to lay my hand down. before the doctors went on strike, she wanthours only. The only thing I do every night is to sing and manage to For that period of time, I was sitting and ed the surgery done to go back to her famiwalk around even at night not lying down. At 3am, I managed to ly. She said: “When the other doctors came, close my eyes and before 4.00am, I was they said they will go and consult the docbut my back is also affected". But managing the pains is like a trip to up again because of the pains I go through; even if they give me pain tor treating me. Since then, I have not seen them". hell. She said: "They said that the wounds will be dressed twice a reliever, it will not work".

The mother of three is concerned that despite the promise by the week. Before each dressing, the place would have been wet. I have Monica said that apart from severe burns all over her body, she was government to pay the blast victims' bills, no help has come her way complained to them, but they said that is the best way to carry out the since the incident. She said she was surprised when the second blast lucky not to have sustained any broken bone. She added:"What you treatment and that if they keep opening it everyday, it will not heal on patient, admitted in the same hospital, got help from government, are seeing are the only injuries I have. I do t have any broken bones,

‘

without anybody remembering her.

In an emotional-laden voice on Bed 14 at the teaching hospital in Gwagwalada, she asked Nigerians to save her life. She said: "I appeal to the government and other good-spirited Nigerians to come to my aid so that I can get good treatment because I am going through serious pains. I will not pray for members of the Boko Haram to go through the pains that I am going through right now. I pray to God everyday for them not to go through what I am going through now. I can't sleep. May be in a whole day, I will only manage to sleep for two hours only. The only thing I do every night is to sing and manage to walk around even at night".

Monica's psychological trauma was compounded by the fact that a group which came, on behalf of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, to the hospital to assist the blast victims omitted her on the list of beneficiaries. She could not do any other thing than to be thinking whether her case was irredeemable or she has been destined to die.

The sight of Monica's husband, Solomon, drew more tears from everyone in and around the family. A civil servant with the National Poverty Eradication Agency(NAPEP), Mr. Adebosin Solomon has not only turned into an emergency nurse and cook at home, he has sold the two cars of the family to save the life of her troubled Jewel. But he is overstretched emotionally and financially now because her spouse is glued helplessly to hospital bed; he has no farthing to bear the increasing cost of keeping her wife alive; he is indebted to many creditors in order to pay hospital bills or buy drugs; he cannot feed well with three children; and the resumption of schools has added to his woes. He has a difficult choice to make: the three children will have to drop out of school for their mother to live.

Upon meeting one of our correspondents, he displayed a rare courage when he blurted out: "My wife was a victim of Nyanya bomb blast. I need help from you, not financially but morally. I want the government and Nigerians to hear the story of my wife and come to our rescue. I have faith in this nation; I believe there are still good people around.

"I want my wife to live; I appeal to the government to assist my family. Ordinarily, as a civil servant, I have no reason to beg to take care of my wife. But I have sold all we acquired as a family to take care of her.

I have sold our two cars at give away prices; I have disposed off household items; and I have taken soft loans just for her to live."

Responding to a question, the sombre Solomon said: "Even when a government delegation came to the hospital from the First Lady, it left out my wife from the list of beneficiaries of assistance. But the visit has added to my burden because immediately all our creditors heard the news on radio and television, they bombarded my residence to prevail on me to refund the soft loans advanced to us. I told them that we have not received any financial assistance from the government, yet some of them disbelieved and insisted on the refund of their loans."

It could not be immediately ascertained why assistance had not come to Monica. The Chief Medical Director of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Dr. Peter Alabi, said since Monica and the second victim were admitted, the hospital had done its best to take care of them. He said even when doctors were on strike, the hospital did not send them away, but kept attending to them. Dr. Alabi said although no help has come from anywhere in the last four months when she was admitted, the hospital had tried to source for drugs to take care of her.

He said: "She is not alone. Two of them were admitted here and we cannot send them away because it is our responsibility as a social sector institution and especially because of the circumstance of their admission. We have spent a lot on them, hoping that one day, help will come our way and from there, we will be able to recover what we have spent. Don't forget that we don't manufacture these drugs and other consumables. We have to buy them. We have the expertise to take care of them until they are better. But we need help to do this successfully."

For now, Monica is undergoing an unending episode. Since in Greek, the name Monica comes from monos (alone), will this survivor get a second chance to live or be left alone for divine manna? Time will tell.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

17

COCOA: Inside the abandoned goldmine called ‘food for the gods’

In the 60s, cocoa, which is called ‘food for the gods’ in Indonesia, was Nigeria’s gold mine and the economic mainstay of the old Western Region. However, poor implementation of policies has, over the years, relegated the once booming sector to a mere relic. But, there is still a ray of hope that if all the potentials of cocoa are tapped, the country stands to gain a lot, reports Asst Editor, SINA FADARE Story on pages 18,47&48

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

18

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

47

•Sayina Riman, President Cocoa Association of Nigeria, CAN

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CCUPYING the fourth position in the world does not seem a bad thing, especially given the fact that there are some 200 countries recognised by the United Nations (UN). But Sayina Riman is sad that Nigeria occupies this position among cocoa-producing nations. He believes all things being equal, there is nothing stopping the country from taking the number one slot from Cote d’Ivoire, which, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), leads the world with output of 1.3 million metric tonnes or 29.3 per cent of world output; it is followed by Indonesia with a production of 810,100 metric tonnes or 19.1 per cent of world’s output. Ghana is the third largest producer of cocoa in the world with 632,037 metric tonnes. Nigeria’s output of some 427,800 metric tonnes puts it in the fourth position, ahead of Cameroun, which produced 264,077 metric tonnes in 2010.

Riman, who is the President of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN), believes that if the country taps cocoa’s full potentials, the benefits will reflect in more jobs and provide answers to some of the health challenges confronting Nigerians daily.

The cocoa expert is not alone. Processors, farmers, food technologists, nutritionists and consumers, who spoke with this reporter, agree with Riman.

Evidence from the past lends credence to what fortunes cocoa can bring.

In the early 60s, agriculture was the main focus of the economy and cocoa that was in abundant in the Western Region was one of the main foreign exchange earners for the country. At the best of time, when the country could have consolidated on this God-given opportunity, suddenly oil surfaced and the country derailed and up till today, it is still battling to regain the lost glory in agriculture.

The then Western Region, which was the center attraction of the cash crop, was able to have a solid economy base that was a cynosure of all eyes. All the economic monuments which the South West inherited from the old Western Region, such as the Cocoa House, Liberty Stadium and Oodua Investment Companies are testimonies of the fortunes derived from cocoa, which is referred to

•Engr. Oyewale

If 20 per cent of the Nigerian population consumes cocoa powder a month, apart from its health benefit, it will reduce importation and the price of cocoa will go high in international market and the farmers will live like kings, yet it will generate a lot of employment

,

The cocoa beans itself has health benefits before it is roasted. The cocoa nymphs have a lot of health value in its raw form. When you keep chewing it, it has a lot of anti-oxidant, which can assist in dousing diseases like insomnia, hypertension and diabetes

,

•Beverages made from raw cocoa powder

Inside the abandoned goldmine called ‘food for the gods’

in Indonesia as the “food for the gods”.

As the Premier of the Old Western Region, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s economic wizardry from cocoa revenue provided the bulk of the funds deployed for the many landmark projects, infrastructural developments and funding of free education, among other many regional investments in the region.

Riman told The Nation that cocoa industry can provide about five million job opportunities within a short period of time if well-harnessed.

He said: “With good enlightenment programmes from government, we can consume more of cocoa within because of its health benefits and this will translate to less importation, which will be to the advantage of the cocoa farmers in country at the long run.

“If 20 per cent of the Nigerian population consumes cocoa powder a month,

apart from its health benefit, it will reduce importation and the price of cocoa will go high in international market and the farmers will live like kings, yet it will generate a lot of employment.

“If 29 per cent consumes it a month, they might have taken about 900 tonnes a month. Globally, there will be a shortage in the international market and the price will surge up and it will increase the farmer’s economy. That is the way forward.”

All government’s efforts to regain cocoa’s lost glory have met with a brick wall, which are man–made. Riman said the good intention of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, to boost cocoa production in the country has been sabotaged.

“As determined as the Minister of Agriculture is as regards cocoa, the implementation of the programme is where there is always the problem. As

well-intentioned and pragmatic as he is, the implementation is far below expectation.

“When you are talking about accessibility of fund for cocoa farmers, the policy is not farmer-friendly. Most of the banks that are saddled with this responsibility are far away from the farmers, the Bank of Industry, Agric Bank and a host of others. They put a cumbersome operational policy that is difficult for most of the illiterate cocoa farmers to understand. That is why the farmers have put their fate into their hands.”

Riman regretted that all the incentives and soft loans that were said to have been given to cocoa farmers to revolutionise the sector were hijacked by political farmers who have nothing to do with cocoa rural farmers.

His words: “Ironically, the N540million that was said to have been given to cocoa farmers went to different hands.

Go and ask them to produce the list of those that collected the money, they are politicians instead of farmers.

“Most of the agric incentives went to the civil servants and their cronies. If you go to them, they will tell you that the farmers have accessed so much. If as the President of CAN, l own about 200 hectares of cocoa, yet l cannot benefit from ordinary chemical incentive from the Federal Government, what do you think other cocoa farmers will benefit?”

As a processor, the General Manager of Cocoa Products (Ile-Oluji) Limited, Ondo State, Timothy Oyewale, said all hope is not lost.

Oyewale, who spoke to The Nation in his office at Ile-Oluji, argued that “most of the countries that are producing cocoa, majority are being exported because it is not our food. But because of the population of those that have it, we can go ahead to promote the consump-

tion because of the derivable nutrient in it.”

The General Manager, who blamed the dwindling fortune of cocoa on the discovery of oil, noted that the cocoa industry can solve the problem of unemployment in the country.

“In Nigeria, out of about 400,000 metric tonnes that we are producing, how many are we consuming at home? If the Western Region of the old could make something from cocoa, what about now? The land is still there, likewise the cocoa; unfortunately the discovery of oil shifted attention on the cash crop.

“The government has to be blamed for leaving agro-allied sector for oil, now we are facing the challenges. We could have used the oil money to develop cocoa and all the spate of unemployment in the country could have been a thing of the past,” he said.

Aside the profitability and employ-

ment generation potentials of the cocoa industry, Oyewale said: “Cocoa is a good fruit that has wider usage. Immediately you harvest it, the substance you get can be converted to liquor. The pod also has economic usage; it is used for local soap. When you peel cocoa beans, the shell is also useful; it could be used for particle board. It is also rich in animal feeds.

“The cocoa beans itself has health benefits before it is roasted. The cocoa nymphs have a lot of health value in its raw form. When you keep chewing it, it has a lot of anti-oxidant, which can assist in dousing diseases like insomnia, hypertension and diabetes.

“Our cocoa also is good in making chocolate because of its flavour and good taste. That is why those countries that are buying it are doing so.”

He added: “Government should promote the heavy consumption of cocoa in

the country. We can introduce drinking of cocoa at the primary school level. If the children can develop the taste at that younger age, it will be better for us.

Let it become a school meal; give freely at school and let effective media campaign be done so that at that tender age, they can imbibe the spirit and develop the taste to consume it.

“Government should encourage chocolate factories so that the younger ones can take it every day while going to school; it is good for their health. The Federal Government may not be able to go to such a venture but it will be profitable at the local government level where cottage industries can strive.

“If each local government goes into cottage chocolate industry, we would have about 774 industries. If all these could produce chocolate, apart from the employment advantage, the health benefit will go a long way to reduce drastically all these ailments that elderly people are battling to control.”

As far back as 1960, the Federal Government established the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIN), in Ibadan, Oyo State, to assist in nurturing cocoa to greater heights. Today, the institute has done a lot of notable researches on cocoa and other crops that are waiting for investors to tap.

Speaking to The Nation in his office at Idi-Ayunre, Ibadan, Dr Samuel Orisajofor of the Department of Research and Extension, said the cocoa industry has the potential to solve the problem of unemployment in the country aside the nutrients value, adding that until the country sees cocoa as a business, “we may not get our bearing right”.

He went on: “The problem with us in this country is that we have never taken cocoa as a business. If we take it as a business, we would have a lot of resources coming from cocoa. Take for instance, you can have cocoa bread; it is a new form of bread that you add cocoa to it. The bread has a lot of nutritional properties. You have what you call antioxidant in cocoa, which if you add to your bread, it is not ordinary bread again.”

Orisajofor argued that if all the cocoa processing industries in the country were working in full capacity, and more Continued on page 48

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

‘How I diverted my caring MD’s N7.2m worth of fertiliser and sold it for N1.2m’

PERATIVES of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 30-year-old man suspected to have diverted a truckload of fertiliser.

Azubuike Nwafor was arrested from his Dunukofia village in Dunukofia Local Government Area, Anambra State and taken to Lagos for allegedly diverting the truckload of fertiliser worth about N8 million belonging an Alhaji from Jos, Plateau State. The consignment was being transported by a truck belonging to Proxy Investment whose head office is located at Ago Palace area, Okota, a suburb of Lagos.

According to police sources, the hijacked trailer was loaded at Apapa, Lagos on September 13, 2013 and was billed to go to Jos, Plateau State.

On getting to Okene, Kogi State, Nwafor parked the truck, pretending that it had broken down and needed to be repaired. He claimed that it was in the course of looking for a mechanic to repair the truck that he met one Alhaji Mohammed who advised him to sell the fertiliser in order to get enough money to repair the truck.

But rather than sell the quantity that would be enough to repair the vehicle, he sold the entire consignment.

Azubuike also allegedly lied to his company’s manager and the managing director that the truck had broken down and that he needed N150,000 to repair it. While they promised to send him the said sum, he went to his village in Anambra State and started spending the proceeds from the sales of the consignment.

The company wrote a petition to

O

•Nwafor

the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, who promptly referred the case to SARS. The officer in charge of SARS, Mr. Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police, immediately detailed some investigating police officers, namely Alaku Anjugu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP); Sergeant Julius Ishaya and the Team Six of SARS to go to Dunukofia as guests who were there to commiserate with the family over the death of their mother.

On getting there, the team was said to have played Kyari’s script so well that even the burial ceremony was not disrupted when they were taking away the suspect from the huge crowd at the burial ceremony. In fact, the SARS detectives were said to have cried and danced as the case might be, such that the host family did not know when Azubuike was arrested and whisked away from the very canopy the children of the late woman were seated under until Azubuike’s attention was needed but he was nowhere to be found. It was his elder brother that later told the people that policemen from the dreaded SARS had come to whisk Azubuike away to Lagos for diverting and selling a truck load of fertiliser.

Confessing to the crime in a chat with our correspondent, Azubuike said: “I live at Nnobi Street, Surulere area of Lagos State. I was arrested on June 8 this year during my mother’s burial. My late mother’s name is Mrs. Augustine Nwafor Akairu. We are a

family of seven boys and four girls.

My mother fell sick and died on June 3 after all the efforts we made to give her good medical treatment did not yield the expected result.

“When the SARS operatives came, they were with my picture. They looked in the direction where I was seated with my elder brother and walked towards us. They flashed their identity cards and told us that they were operatives of SARS, Lagos State Police Command. They asked which of us was Azubuike Nwafor, and said it is me. They then told me that I was under arrest. They did it so quietly that it never disrupted the burial ceremony.

“I have stayed up to four months in the cell already. They asked if I was the one who worked with the company in Ago Okota near Ago Palace, Lagos. I had been a driver with the company. I was the head driver of Proxy Investment and my monthly salary was N30,000.

“Apart from the monthly salary, the woman boss, who I called my sister, was always doing things to keep me comfortable. I mean the managing director. Her name is Mrs Augustina Nwafor.

“At times, I lied to her that I was married with children. That made her to want to help me, At times, she would give me big money to buy diapers for my non-existent fourmonth-old baby or pay the school fees of the ones in primary or daycare. In fact, she treated me like her brother and made me the chief driver in Proxy Investment.

Continued on page 45

Duped, killed in cold blood

popular Kaduna-based forex trader, Ibrahim Abdullahi, has met his untimely death in the hand of suspected assailants, who allegedly killed him shortly after duping him penultimate week.

The deceased business man popularly called Ba yawa (no problem), according to sources, was lured to a hotel in the heart of Kaduna metropolis, where he was duped and subsequently murdered.

The Nation gathered that the incident happened when the assailants who had earlier lodged in the hotel put a call to Abdullahi on phone asking him to meet them up for a mouth-watering transaction.

His wife, who overheard the conversation, was said to have cautioned him against visiting the suspicious callers but he told his wife there was nothing strange about such transaction.

His visit to his assailants in their hotel room, according to investigation, violated a breach of standing order by the Forex Traders Association, to which he was a member. It was learnt that members of the association are forbidden from transacting business or meeting

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n Ebele BONIFACE n

•Sad tale of Kaduna forex trader

n Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Kaduna n

clients in their hotel rooms, banks, houses or public places.

Abdullahi was said to have shunned all entreaties from his colleagues and rode on his motorcycle to the hotel where he met his untimely death.

Sources who asked not to be named even said Abdullahi borrowed some money from his colleagues to raise the N3million demanded by the killerfraudsters before he left for the hotel.

The spokesman of the Forex Traders Association, Kaduna State, Abduljalal Usman,said: "What happened is that about 2pm, we received a call from the Police Headquarters that there was a lodgement of one of the corpse of a person which was identified as a member of the Kaduna State Forex Traders Association.

The Police just told us they received a call from the guest inn (name withheld) informing them of the incident. And as

we rushed there, we looked at his ID card where we identified him to be Abdullahi Ibrahim, popularly known as Ba'ayawa.

"The incident happened when the assailants lodged in the guest inn and left one after the other after killing Abdullahi. Two hours later, the security men at the hotel rushed to the room after they noticed that Abdullahi had not come out of the room. They forcibly opened the door and found him in his pool of blood. ‘’He was stabbed four times on the left side of his chest and the room was scattered, which possibly indicates there was a serious struggle between Abdullahi and his assailants when they tried to forcibly collect the money from him.

Yes, he went with some money. ‘’Though I was not around but those who were around when he was leaving said they heard his conversation with some people that he should come and meet them in a hotel, which we nor-

•The late Abdullahi

mally warn our members against. But you know, what is destined to happen will happen. We do caution our members against following customers to hotels, banks and their houses. He was married with three children and 35

Continued on page 20

CRIME

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•Commander of the STF, Maj Gen. David Enetie

Court clears three siblings of assault n Rukayat JIMOH n

HREE siblings standing trial over assault have been freed by the presiding magistrate of an Ebute Metta Chief Magistrate’s, .E.D Daodu.

The accused persons, Ola Oshodi, 25, Abiodun Oshodi, 25, and Mistura Oshodi, 30, were arraigned for allegedly stabbing one Yakubu Sodiq on September 17, 2014.

They allegedly conspired with others at large to stab Sodiq on the chest causing him bodily harm about 11.30pm at No 93,Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

The charge reads in part: “That you Ola Oshodi 'm'; Abiodun Oshodi 'm' and Mistura Oshodi 'f', on the 17th day of September 2014 at about 2330 at No.93, Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos magisterial district did conspire with others at large to commit felony to wit assault occasioning harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of, 2011.

“That you Ola Oshodi , Oshodi Abiodun and Mistura Oshodi on the same date, time and place did unlawfully assault one Sodiq Yakubu 'm' by beating him up, stabbing him on his chest, causing him bodily harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 711 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.’’

But they were cleared of the charges.

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50-yr-old arraigned over N2.5m fraud n Rukayat JIMOH n

50-year- old woman, Fausat Arikowe, has been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate's Court in Ebute Metta, Lagos, over a N2.5 million fraud.

She was said to have unlawfully obtained N2.5 m from one Onyemeka Chijioke under the pretence of having a half plot of land for sale in Ipaja, a suburb of Lagos.

She was said to have committed the offence April 4, 2014 at Peace Estate, Ipaja , Lagos .

The charge reads in part: “That you Fausat Arikowe and others at large sometime in April , 2014 at Peace Estate , Ipaja Lagos in the Lagos magisterial district did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit, stealing and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 323 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.”

“That you Fausat Arikowe and others now at large on the same date, time and day did conspire among yourselves to obtain the sum of N2.5m from one Onyemeka Chijioke , under the pretence that you have a half plot of land for sale at Ipaja knowing same to be false, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 312 of the criminal law of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2011.

“That you Fausat Arikowe, and others at large on the same date time and place did steal the sum of N2.5 million belonging to one Onyemeka Chijioke and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011."

She pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraud.

The Police prosecutor, Inspector Frank Odigie, told the court that the defendant has committed an act punishable under section323,312 and 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The presiding magistrate, Mr. Nurudeen Ajayi, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500, 000 and one surety in like sum. The case was adjourned till October 29.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

OTHER STORIES

olukunle87@yahoo.com

Missing rifle in Plateau: Controversy C over suspects’ fate n Yusufu AMINU IDEGU, Jos n

ONTROVERSY is currently trailing the detention of two men by soldiers attached to the Special Task Force (STF) in Jos, Plateau

State.

The two men were among the three suspects arrested over a missing AK 47 belonging to the soldiers.

One of the three suspects,Solomon Gyang, who supposedly escaped death in the hands of the soldiers, is alleging that the other two may have been tortured to death by the soldiers who held them captive for three weeks. The lucky boy appeared with various degrees of injuries all over his body.

Curiously, a member of the Riyom community, Mr. Bulus Dalyop, claimed that one of the soldiers got drunk and misplaced his gun somewhere. When the soldier recovered from his stupor and discovered that he cannot locate his gun, he, Dalyop claimed, lied to his colleagues that some youths attacked him and dispossessed him of his gun. ‘’This prompted his colleagues to arrest the three boys and tortured them," he said.

Recalling his ordeal, Gyang said: "I am a panel beater and my workshop is located on Bukuru Express Way, Jos. I just escaped being killed by some soldiers who are serving with the Special Task Force in the state. I had just returned from a church service and was about to have my launch when men of the STF picked me up from my house. They alleged that I was in possession of their ‘missing’ gun.

"I was detained for four days without water or food to eat. At a point, I was hanged upside down for hours. In that position, they were flogging me with electric cable and horse whip. As they were flogging me, they were asking me to disclose where I hid the gun, but I kept telling them I knew nothing about their missing gun. ‘’While they were beating me, I went into coma twice and later recovered.

How can I confess that I stole a gun, while I knew nothing about it? The soldiers took the other two guys to another location; we never saw each other for four weeks while in their captivity. I believed the soldiers must have killed them.’’

The village head of Rarumg, Markus Da Pam, explained that ‘’Solomon and two other boys were arrested on August 10, 2014, and brought to Barkin Ladi by men of STF. The soldiers hanged this boy like a rat and they flogged him severely.

They wanted the boys to confess stealing their gun, but the boys said they are innocent. If they suspected the boys, they should have handed them over to police, but torturing them for weeks is callous.

This is man’s inhumanity to man, this is pure wickedness, what will these boys do with the soldier’s gun?

"We found out from the community that the soldier had misplaced his gun because he was dead drunk that very day.Nobody knew where he left his gun.

He must have sold it to some gunmen and he is punishing the innocent boys for nothing. We had done everything possible to ensure that the boys were released to us, yet, they are being tortured almost to the point of death for an offence they

•STF, kinsmen trade words

•Solomon after his alleged torture knew nothing about.”

Pam disclosed that the soldiers only released Solomon to them thinking that he

was dead. He said Solomom was taken to a hospital for treatment, adding that the two other boys arrested along with

The soldiers told us they have released the two boys but no one can see them; these soldiers must have killed them, hence, we need justice here. In fact, one of the soldiers told me that Solomon was lucky to have escaped death –Village head

The boys were not tortured and none of them is missing, while Solomon was not released on time because nobody came to pick him. We were told the boy is an ophan; in fact, before somebody came for him, we had already taken him to the hospital –STF

Solomon are still missing.

“The soldiers told us they have released the two boys but no one can see them; these soldiers must have killed them, hence, we need justice here. In fact, one of the soldiers told me that Solomon was lucky to have escaped death.”

Solomon is appealing to civil society groups to come to his aid with a view to getting justice for his unlawful detention and torture by men of STF. The spokesman of STF, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, however, said the parents of the boys exaggerated the incident.

According to Capt. Iweha, "The three boys suspected to be in possession of the missing gun had been on the run for over two weeks, but they were eventually arrested. When a search was conducted in their house, some weapons were discovered in their home. But in the case of Solomon, nothing like a weapon was found in his house. He was, however, held by the soldiers for proper investigation. So, the boys were not tortured and none of them is missing, while Solomon was not released on time because nobody came to pick him. We were told the boy is an ophan; in fact, before somebody came

for him, we had already taken him to the hospital for proper treatment because he sustained some bruises in the hands of soldiers.

"The STF headquarters actually frowned at the soldiers that manhandled the boy. The soldiers have already been arrested and are being subjected to our internal disciplinary action. The other two boys are still being held for interrogation because we believe they knew the whereabouts of the missing gun,” he added.

‘I regret diverting my caring MD’s N7.2m worth of fertiliser’ “When they called me on the ‘’I have been a driver at phone, I the company. They manuswitched off. facture gas cookers, When they could fridge, tiles and tyres. I not reach me have stayed up to four after one week, years at the company. they suspected They also give their foul play and trucks for hire. I used to started searching drive one of their trucks for me. They to different places. I had could not get me, driven it to Jos, Kano, hence they reOnitsha, Enugu, Port ported the matHarcourt and so on. ter to the police “The issue of theft and it was started last year. The handed over to I regret diverting and selltruck had been loaded SARS to investiing the fertiliser; something with 600 bags of fertiliser gate. worth N7.2 million. A bag “I did not even a stranger would not do of fertilizer is about know the buyer to her.

She is my sister and N8,000 but I sold it at of the diverted boss. I am supposed to be N2,000. I was the one in fertiliser before. I protecting her business as charge of the warehouse. only knew him I took off with one Alhaji the day they my own business. I am Suleiman.” brought him to ashamed of my action. I inExplaining how the inme in Okene and tend to go back to her if she cident happened, he said: as I was diswould accept me “When I got to Okene, cussing the deal Kogi State, my truck had with him, he told engine fault along Abujame that he had Okene Road. I looked been in the busiaround and saw a Mallam ness of buying selling suya and went to ask him where I stolen goods for over 20 years. could get an experienced mechanic. He “I promise to be paying the money called a mechanic named Ibrahim to back installments if my boss accepts me come and check the engine. I did not back. It was hardship that made me to do know him before that time. what I did. I needed money to assist in “Ibrahim told me that it would cost me paying my mother’s hospital bill. Now it between N120,000 and N150,000 to repair will be difficult for the police to recover the truck. I told him that I did not have the fertiliser because I do not know the such money. He then suggested that I buyer except that they he bought the fercould sell the fertiliser and get the money tiliser. to repair the truck. He said he would call “I really offended my boss, Mrs Nkechi one Alhaji Sanni to buy the fertiliser.

Okonkwo, the Managing Director of “When Alhaji Sanni came, I sold each Proxxy Investment. She made me the bag for N2,000. There were 600 bags. I chief driver in her company. She used to sold the whole and collected N1.2 million give me N5,000 as pocket money every cash. I abandoned the truck there and week. Anytime I complained to her, she boarded another vehicle back to Lagos. I took care of my financial problems. even called my boss, Nkechi, to inform “She trusted me 100 per cent. There her about the broken down truck and she were times she would give me N500,000 asked me to see the manager. I told the cash to pay into her account in the bank manager that it would cost about and there were times she asked me to go N150,000 to repair the truck. He relayed to the bank and withdraw N500,000 or the message to madam and she said the more. money would be sent to me to repair the “Even while I was in the cell, she used truck and proceed to Jos. to give my investigating police office “I lied to the management that the (IPO) N5,000 every week to see that I ate truck could not be repaired and had been good food. abandoned. I then went to my house in “I regret diverting and selling the ferAgo Okota, Lagos. After staying in my tiliser; something even a stranger would house for three days without seeing the not do to her. She is my sister and boss. I N150,000 they promised to give me to go am supposed to be protecting her busiback to Okene to repair the truck, I went ness as my own business. I am ashamed to my village, Dunukofia in Anambra of my action. I intend to go back to her if state. she would accept me.”

Continued from page 19

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Sad tale of Kaduna forex trader Continued from page 19 years of age. He lived at Ungwar Rimi, Shehu Lamino Close. ‘’Though this is not the first time; we had a similar case some two to three years back when a similar thing happened to one of our members. The issue is with the police but what we were first concerned with was to secure the release of his corpse so that we could bury him according to the Islamic injunction. The issue is presently with the police, and as an association, we will continue to follow the case to ensure that justice is done by bringing the perpetrators to book,” Usman said.

The Police Command spokesman, Mr. Aminu Lawan, said: “Information available to us was that a man lodged in the said hotel, and the deceased came with a big polythene bag and requested to see the guest and a call was put through to the guest intercom who asked that the

deceased be allowed to see him.

“The guest was later joined by other two persons but the three of them left one after the other leaving the deceased in the hotel room, and because it was not time to check out, the receptionist did not bother to question them. But out of curiosity, he had to check the room when he realised the deceased did not come out even after the check out time had passed. He forcibly opened the door only to find Abdullahi in a pool of his blood before our attention was drawn to it.”

He said the deceased was taken to a hospital where he was medically confirmed dead following several stabbings he received on his chest.

Lawan said preliminary investigation into the matter has started and some people are already being interrogated, adding that a manhunt for the killers has already begun.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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Impact Journalism Day:

40 newspapers share stories about initiatives for positive change

AY after day, the news confronts us with the world’s troubles. This constant reminder can make us anxious, afraid—or even worse, anesthetized.

But now more than ever, citizens, companies, universities, and organizations are developing new ways to solve humanity’s problems. We are witnessing an outpouring of social innovation and social businesses around the planet.

The job of the press is to keep us informed. And yet the time has passed when the media’s greatest impact came essentially from « turning the pen in the wound, » as the great French journalist Albert Londres once wrote. Increasingly, reporters want to contribute to the common good by writing about solutions, thereby amplifying their effects and creating a sense of hope.

Nearly 40 leading newspapers from all over the world— including (your newspaper’s name here)— joined our effort and are publishing supplements dedicated to innovative solutions. Each paper contributed one or more original articles, then chose what to publish from the 100 or so stories we assembled. In a few days their editors in chief will gather in Paris to discuss ways to take this project even further.

Last year on Impact Journalism Day, a woman in Singapore read an article about adjustable eyeglasses that could correct more than half of the world’s vision problems for only US $4 a pair. She showed the article to her husband, an executive at a multinational lens manufacturer. He contacted the inventors, and now they are collaborating on a pilot project in India that could improve the lives of millions.

This is the kind of impact we set out to achieve.

Today, you are one of 100 million readers discovering our stories of hope. Imagine if every reader shared these stories with those around them. Choose one and tell it to your children, your colleagues, your friends.

Become a part of the movement by motivating others.

There is more you can do to promote solution-based journalism. Take part in our « selfie » contest by posting a photo of yourself and this newspaper via Twitter (#ImpactJournalism and add the # of your newspaper) or the Facebook page of our founding partner, AXA (facebook.com/AXAPeopleProtectors).

Help the innovators and entrepreneurs in these stories to overcome the challenges they face by joining a brainstorming session (www.sparknews.com/ijd/makesense).

And feel free to suggest projects we might consider for next year’s Impact Journalism Day (http://www.sparknews.com/ijd).

We hope you enjoy today’s edition!

Christian de Boisredon, founder of Sparknews / Impact Journalism Day impact@sparknews.com

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•Christian Boisreden

•Some of the schoolgirls in India who now make pads with a machine invented by Muragarantham

From rags to riches

By Sujata Anandan (for Sparknews) ACED with ridicule and ostracization by his community and his family (even his mother), one man in rural India persevered until he found a solution for producing affordable sanitary napkins. His invention provides employment while allowing millions of women around the world to stay hygienic and live normal lives 52 weeks of the year.

Imagine a mother walks into a room she thinks is full of chicken feathers and discovers they are really hundreds of bloodied sanitary napkins. Would she not think that the devil had gotten into her son and want to have him certified as mad?

Imagine a woman catches her husband hanging outside the girls’ dormitory of the local medical college. Would she not think he is having an affair and ask for a divorce?

Imagine a man who wears a sanitary napkin and uses an artificial bladder full of animal blood to replicate the messiness and discomfort of a woman during her period.

What you have is a portrait of Arunchalam Muruganantham, a resident of Coimbatore in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Though he describes himself as little-educated he has gone big with his innovative low-cost machine to manufacture inexpensive sanitary pads for rural women. He thinks of his project as a movement rather than a corporate enterprise, and it has caught on across India and in several other countries.

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The story began in 1998, after Muruganantham discovered his wife was hiding some filthy rags that she had used to manage her period. When he asked her why she was using rags, she replied, “Even I know about sanitary napkins.

But if I and your sisters begin to use these, we will have to cut the family milk budget every month!”

In India and other developing countries, menstrual periods can be disempowering or even deadly, as girls and women without access to affordable sanitary napkins must choose between staying at home or using old rags or leaves that can lead to reproductive diseases. According to a government survey, only 12 percent of Indian women use sanitary napkins. Muruganantham believes the figure among rural populations might be just 2 percent.

A school dropout, he began his career as a welder in a small factory that he later bought from his employer. Now he made it his mission to find a solution for his wife and other women. He trotted out to the store to buy himself dozens of sanitary napkins. “I don’t think any man in the world had touched a sanitary napkin before, for it is none of men’s business. But I made it my business,” he said.

He ripped one apart to see what made it work. Then he needed a volunteer. Of course he thought of his wife, but one woman was not enough. “It would have taken me decades to get it right,” he said. When Muruganantham asked his sisters to help they threw him out of their homes. He then steeled his nerves to hang outside the local medical col-

lege, as girls preparing to be doctors were likely to be more amenable to his “indecent” proposition. But he soon discovered that even these medical students shied away from the experiment.

So he began to wear a sanitary napkin himself. He wondered why the animal blood that he used leaked all over the place and the napkin did not absorb the fluids. That is when he discovered he must use a particular cellulose made from pine wood.

“The wood cost just pennies but was selling for pounds,” he said. The price difference came about because an industrial-grade machine producing branded sanitary napkins cost around US $575,000. Muruganantham set about making a smaller, cheaper machine that would grind, defibrate, press, and sterilize the pads before packaging them for sale. His mini-machine sells for less than US $2,000, meaning the pads can be priced at about one-tenth the cost of their branded equivalents. Operable from a living room table top, the machines eliminate the need for a factory to manufacture the pads.

Muruganantham called his company Jayaashree Industries in honor of his sister who surreptitiously dropped him food packets from her window during the period he was ostracized by the community. At around the same time she gave birth to a daughter, Jayashree, meaning “victory.”

When it came to manufacturing and marketing his invention, the Indian government proved unhelpful and Muru-

Continued on page 44

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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My parents can’t afford to buy me a computer. With what I learned through the JerryClan, I can build one myself

•The newly invented Jerrycan computer

•A prototype of the new computer

Turning water containers into computers

By Valentine Pasquesoone French startup and some industrial design students found a way to recycle old computers into “new” ones using plastic jerrycans. Since then, the association “Jerry Do It Together” has spread throughout West Africa and beyond, sharing knowledge and offering basic computers to villagers who couldn’t otherwise afford them.

It takes a simple plastic fuel container and material from an old computer—its motherboard and hard drive—to build a Jerry, a rudimentary computer named for the jerrycan at its heart. Jerry looks less like a computer than a can for carrying water, and is often customized with stickers and paint to resemble characters such as Darth Vader or Pikachu.

But behind those faces, an open-source operating system, Linux, allows users to create and install practically any software they want.

By connecting Jerry to a screen, keyboard, and network, they can share documents, send text messages, or surf the Internet. For example, in Bouaké, Ivory Coast, a Jerry server dispatches text messages to tuberculosis patients reminding them to take their medicine.

Most of a computer’s ecological impact takes place during production. According to a publication by the United Nations University, building a typical desktop computer requires 240 kg of fossil fuels, 22 kg of chemicals, and 1,500 kg of water. In 2010, Hedera Technology, a French startup, asked students from the ENSCI, an industrial design school in Paris, to help create something that could reduce that environmental impact and be used in remote areas and developing countries. By the following year, students had come up with more than a dozen prototypes. One was developed: Jerry.

The team wanted to build light, portable servers with easily available material that would resist rain and mud. “That’s how we thought of a [plastic] container,” said Jérémie Bourdoncle, CEO of Hedera. “With material you can find everywhere, you can actually make a computer.”

Romain Chanut, a co-founder of the project, created the association “Jerry Do It Together” and started a blog to share Jerry’s user manual. The association aimed to reach people living far from urban centers who don’t have easy access to computers or Internet.

Since then, 10 countries have joined the movement, seven in the past year alone. Members, from computer geeks to complete beginners, call themselves the “JerryClan.”

Jerry isn’t just a do-it-yourself project, but a do-it-together idea. “We want our computers to all be different, according to the needs of the communities that build them,” said Chanut. “What matters is that they come from the people, not from mass production.”

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Two months after Chanut launched the blog, Florent Youzan, a computer engineer and free-software activist in Ivory Coast, created the first Jerry in Africa. By holding workshops and organizing an African JerryClan, Youzan taught people in remote villages how to build computers and create software for their communities.

They used the Jerry hardware to launch MPregnancy, software that allows women to receive medical advice on their cell phones during pregnancy, along with reminders of their prenatal visits. People suffering from tuberculosis and diabetes can receive reminders to take their medication. Other messages inform rural residents about the location of the nearest late-night pharmacy or recycling lo-

cation.

Yeo Soungari, a computer science student in Ivory Coast, helped create the software for patients with diabetes. “It showed us that you don’t need a lot of money to innovate,” he said. “My parents can’t afford to buy me a computer. With what I learned through the JerryClan, I can build one myself.”

Several local developers and villagers who took part in the Ivory Coast project then traveled to Togo to spread the JerryClan idea.

From there to Mali, Senegal, and Chad, members’ travels and social media helped build a West African community of Jerry aficionados.

Between 80 and 90 Jerrys now exist, mostly across West Africa but also in Detroit, Paris, and Dallas, recycled from the parts of more

than 150 old computers. And they keep getting better. “Users’ innovations in places like Ivory Coast and Algeria have helped us to improve the product,” Chanut said. “They made the locking system easier, helped us come up with new tools and materials.”

Serge Sonfack, a free-software activist based in Cameroon, wants to build Jerrys and give them to schools, orphanages, and hospitals.

But, he said, “In order to do that, we need more material and support.” In Ivory Coast, Yeo Soungari has had similar difficulties obtaining used computer parts. “Sometimes, the recycled material we get is quite old, so it’s hard to find all the pieces we need,” he said.

“But each new challenge leads us to new ideas.”

Information Technology Without Borders: Changing the world, bit by bit A group of Italian IT managers develops projects all around the world to overcome the “digital divide.” From Scampia to Madagascar, the key words are development and participation Giuseppe Bottero – La Stampa HE international community should take the necessary steps to ensure that the poorest countries of the world have full access to information and communication technologies. Only this way will we have a digital democracy.”

So did then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launch his recipe for global growth in 2005.

Ten years later, many have embraced this idea. Mark Zuckerberg –having secured a close alliance with Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm and Samsung to accelerate the diffusion of the web in Africa– has made a $60 million investment to connect the heart-shaped continent by using drones. Moves toward the digital turning point will not be made by giants alone, however– quite the contrary.

For years, a group of entrepreneurs from the Veneto region has been working to overcome the “digital divide.” At the beginning of 2006 it gave life to a project called Informatici senza frontiere (IT Without Borders), a nonprofit organization whose primary objective is to use information technology knowledge and tools “to provide practical help to those who live in a situa-

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•The ISF staff on IT in training classroom with an Italian instructor, Vica Tordini tion of poverty and marginalization,” in the words of its president Dino Maurizio.

The association, which has now reached 300 members, works on several fronts: projects in developing countries, initiatives organized in prisons throughout Italy, and laboratories in the crime-ridden Neapolitan neighbourhood of Scampia.

The key words are inclusion and development. ISF’s crown jewel is a project implemented in Madagascar, in the village of Bemaneviky, where the Salesian community, a religious charitable organization, is active, led by missionary priest Don Giovanni Corselli. Electricity is spotty, internet connectivity is a pipe dream and the streets are a ticking time bomb. But now, thanks to ISF, a computer classroom has

been born: fifteen laptops, a projector, a multifunction printer and an Italian teacher, Nico Tordini, who spent nine days training his staff.

To raise funds, the group allied itself with Monclick, an ecommerce company specializing in the sale of computer products and electronics. “A collaboration of great symbolic, as well as practical value,” says the association, which has recently been creating more and more collaborations. Together with the nonprofit organization Futuro Down of Benevento, ISF volunteers lead courses to teach children with disabilities how to best use computers: from email to applications, everything is explained live on a blog. Thanks to another project, Bambini al PC (Children on PCs), young hospi-

tal patients in long-stay wards are able to continue to communicate with family and friends, as well as play games and keep up with lessons at school.

“Very often ISF works in areas where other organizations are already present, so it often happens that other nonprofit organizations contact us about collaboration,” says Maurizio.

He is convinced that ISF's activities could be successfully replicated abroad. The first step was taken in March 2013, when the UN invited representatives from the nonprofit to present its projects in Geneva. Then, three months ago, the app Paperboy/Strillone, created by ISF to help the blind and visually impaired in the audio-reading of newspapers, was a finalist at the World Summit on the Information Society-ITU of the United Nations.

“Today the Internet is a privileged portal to civic and social engagement,” says Joseph Kahne, head of the research team of the US MacArthur Foundation. Informatici senza frontiere took him on his word.

Its last idea, Open Hospital, was developed together with University of Bari students to allow African hospitals to manage patient records electronically. The program, which would have been too expensive had it not come into the hands of cyber-activists, is now shared freely between facilities in Kenya, Congo and Benin.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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Scrubbing out diseases in South Africa IDS might not think that hygiene is a good enough reason for washing their hands—but the prospect of receiving a toy can sweeten the deal. In South Africa, rated by the World Health Organization as one of the worst countries for personal hygiene, thousands of people die each year from preventable diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Many are children, and teaching them to habitually wash their hands could stave off these illnesses. To encourage children to automatically reach for a bar of soap whenever their hands are dirty, the agency Y&R Zambia (working with organizations The Safety Lab, Dare to Share, and Blikkiesdorp4Hope) invented the “Hope Soap.” It’s a see-through bar of soap with a small toy inside—a tiny car, a Hello Kitty figure—that kids can only get at by washing their hands repeatedly. Launched in 2013 in Blikkiesdorp, a poor settlement outside Capetown, the Hope Soap has already shown considerable results. According to Y&R Zambia, it has reduced illnesses in the community by 70 percent.

Valentine Pasquesoone

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Miracle feet: Making major strides for clubfoot treatment

By Laura Shin (for Sparknews) LUBFOOT is the world’s most common congenital birth defect, and often condemns those with the condition to lives of neglect and humiliation. In recent years, a safe, noninvasive treatment has largely replaced the traditional surgical approach. However, the treatment requires a brace that can be prohibitively expensive in developing countries. The organization MiracleFeet now offers an alternative.

In October 2012, Katherine Gonzalez gave birth to a beautiful boy who was healthy in every way—except that he had clubfoot, a condition that causes feet to point inwards and downwards, making it difficult to walk. “I was surprised when I saw him because never in my life had I seen a baby with this deformity,” the 23-year-old, who lives in Nicaragua, said.

Clubfoot afflicts one out of every 750 newborns, and in developed countries is usually treated at birth, enabling children to live healthy, productive lives. For instance, Mia Hamm and Kristi Yamaguchi were both born with clubfoot but grew up to become world-class athletes. In developing countries, however, about 160,000 children are born with clubfoot each year and few are likely to be treated.

MiracleFeet is a four-year-old organization based in North Carolina that aims to make treatment for clubfoot in developing countries available and free for patients. “If you can’t walk in a country like Liberia, you’re likely not to go to school, you’re likely to be hidden away because people are embarrassed about you,” said Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld, MiracleFeet’s executive director. “So those kids are neglected, isolated, left at home, and as a result, are at high risk for physical and sexual abuse. And if they don’t go to school, they are illiterate, so they have little opportunity to participate in their families and communities.”

MiracleFeet works with partners to treat a child with clubfoot in a developing country for about US $250—an excellent investment, considering that the organization estimates that correcting the condition for a black child in South Africa has a net positive impact of US $23,000.

So far, the organization has enrolled 6,000 children in treatment using the Ponseti Method. The method was developed more than 50 years ago but doctors only began switching to it over the last decade; it now accounts for 90 percent of treatments in the United States. It is much less invasive than the old approach, which required multiple surgeries, causing scar tissue and pain.

The Ponseti Method involves putting the feet into a progression of plaster casts over six to eight weeks to reshape the tendons and ligaments in the foot.

At the end, an outpatient procedure called a tenotomy is performed to

A ball gives hope s Tim Jahnigen was watching a news report in 2006, about Darfur children playing soccer with a ball made of trash, he realized he had to do something about it. For these youths living in low-income communities, in refugee camps and disaster areas, he knew there was a need for a ball that would never go flat. Jahnigen, also a lyricist and event producer, started designing a fully classic soccer ball, except one that would be built to never be replaced. The idea remained a concept until the singer Sting, a friend of Jahnigen, funded the initial research and development phase.

Four years after Jahnigen saw this footage of children in Darfur, the “One World Futbol” project was ready.

Jahnigen chose to use PopFoam, a material similar to the one used in Crocs shoes, to design the shatterproof ball. Four years later, the company built by Jahnigen and his wife, Lisa Tarver, has just sent its one millionth indestructible ball. “One World Futbol” balls are now present in more than 160 countries, thanks to a buy-onedonate-one system — anytime one of these $39.5 balls is bought, another goes to a charity organization working with underserved children around the world. The next goal for the project is to build an indestructible ball for the world’s second most popular sport — cricket.

Valentine Pasquesoone

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All abuzz in Wallonia

By Didier Dillens and René Sépul EES are having a hard time. For nearly the last 20 years, these charming insects have been beset by serious dangers like the loss of floral biodiversity, pesticides, diseases and parasites.

And we must remember that without bees, the fertilisation of 80% of all plant species is at risk. In Wallonia however, bees may be making a comeback, and nature along with them.

Through the “Maya Plan”, the Walloon Region has implemented a series of measures to curb the loss of domestic and wild hymenoptera (with more than 350 species in Belgium).

The aim is to increase bees’ food supply, provide support to beekeepers, particularly in terms of training (apiary schools) and provide research funding in the aim to improve understanding of the decline in colonies. The communes and provinces of Wallonia have also been invited to do their part.

Thus, more than 200 of them are committed to eliminating the use of pesticides or products harmful to the health of bees, to make arrangements for them and to take action to raise awareness among their fellow citizens. http://biodiversite.wallonie.be

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•Pretesting in Nicaragua lengthen the Achilles tendon.

After the feet are corrected, the child has to wear a brace nearly full-time for about three months, and then only at night, keeping the feet at a 60-degree angle for five years.

In developed countries like the United States, a brace generally costs between US $350 and $1,000, allows shoes to be put on independently (making it easier for parents to take the brace on and off), and is relatively comfortable.

The braces being used in developing countries were less expensive, but also a lot more difficult to put on the child.

And not wearing the brace properly negated the beneficial effect.

“The brace was a major problem.

Nobody had access to low-cost but high-quality, easy-to-use braces,” said Colloredo-Mansfeld. “So we were patching it together. We were recycling braces from the US, we were trying to get people in workshops to make them, we were shipping them into India from Brazil, which was a major hassle.”

MiracleFeet asked students of Stanford University's graduate class Design for Extreme Affordability to make an inexpensive brace as functional as its high-end counterpart. Together with the help of Clarks Shoes and Suncast (a plastics injection molding company), they designed a new brace that

costs under US $20 to produce and is as comfortable and easy to use as the US $350 version. The children can stand in it, the parents can put it on more easily, and it looks like a toy, making it feel less medical and more appealing.

The brace performed well in tests this past summer in Brazil, Nicaragua, India, and South Africa. By the end of the year, MiracleFeet expects to be in full production and to have the braces in all of its clinics.

Its functionality and price could attract interest in all markets. “We’re looking at this brace as something we can sell in the developed world, as a source of revenue for MiracleFeet, so we’re not as dependent on donations,” Colloredo-Mansfed said.

For her son, Gonzalez went to a Ponseti clinic and met a MiracleFeet worker who taught her how to use the brace and explained the consequences of not following the treatment. She herself now works at the MiracleFeetsupported clinic in Managua as the point person for families whose children are undergoing treatment.

“If MiracleFeet didn’t exist my husband and I would have to save money from our jobs to buy the brace,” she said. “This NGO is doing very important work, helping the children of Nicaragua get their treatment for free and live normal lives.”

For fruit and veggies, beauty is only skin deep HE Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations notes that a third of the food produced for human consumption goes to waste. Every year, developed countries throw away more than 220 million tons of food, which is close to the annual production of sub-Saharan Africa.

Produce makes up a considerable percentage of that waste. Often there’s nothing wrong with these rejected fruits and vegetables, aside from the fact that they aren’t attractive enough for supermarket shelves.

Now a French supermarket chain, Intermarché, is attempting to fight food waste by selling “Fruits et Légumes Moches,” or ugly fruit and vegetables, at a 30 percent discount. Last spring it created a specially marked stand for unsightly carrots, apples, and oranges at a test store in the city of Provins.

It gave out juice samples made from misshapen oranges and soup from deformed carrots to demonstrate their excellent flavor. The company says it sold 1.2 tons of ugly produce in two days, proof that customers ate up the idea. This fall it will take root in all the Intermarché stores throughout the country.

Valentine Pasquesoone

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My father had only a bungalow and N13,000 when he died

Risqua Murtala Muhammed is a son of former Head of State, the late Gen. Murtala Ramat Mohammed. A Banking and Finance graduate of the University of Lagos, Risqua holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the prestigious Cardiff Business School of the University of Wales. He worked with former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 2000 and 2007 as the Special Assistant on International Relations and later as the Special Assistant on Privatisation. Mohammed, who is currently the Group Managing Director of AMG Petroenergy Limited, is touted as a possible governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State for the 2015 general election. He spoke with TONY AKOWE in Abuja.

H

ow has life been since your father died about 40 years ago? My life has been the way I knew it to be, because I don’t know otherwise. I don’t know what it means to have a father who will be there to support you as you grow into a man. I also don’t know how it feels to have a father whose shoes you have to work hard to fill. Obviously, if one’s father is alive, I won’t say that life would be easier, but you will have somebody to guide and advise you. If my late father were to be alive today, I will probably be much wiser than I am.

How has been the son of late Murtala Mohammed influenced your life?

It has influenced my life significantly. My father passed away in 1976, which is a long time ago. Today, when I introduce myself to people as his son, they remember him with fond memories. They pray for him and in some instances, there are people who shed tears when they hear his name. That has impacted on me significantly because when he passed away, he did not leave much in terms of material wealth. He left N13,000 and just one bungalow in Kano. But people remember him and they pray for him.

What that does to me is that it inspires me to also try my best to leave a legacy in order to be remembered fondly by people when I am no longer alive.

Your father fought hard to stamp out corruption before he died. Looking back now, would you say that was an effort in futility?

I think that we have been able to make progress over the years. We have also stumbled and made mistakes as a nation and retrogressed in some aspects.

Nation building is something that is continuous and something that should be all inclusive. That means that all those who make up the citizens of the nation should join hands to move the nation forward. My late father played his part in trying to move the nation forward. So many people after him also played their parts. I am hoping that we and our children will also play our parts in moving the nation forward.

What memory of your late father do you hold dear?

I was just six years old when he passed away. Even at six, I remember that he was very disciplined. We used to go to school at 7 am, and before we left for school, he would have gone to work. I also remember that he was very religious.

I remember that any time I returned from school, we went for our Quranic lessons, and each time we returned, we would meet him reading the Quran in front of the house. I also know that he was somebody who people could rely on.

He made and kept good friends. Even as head of state, every night, his friends would come to the house and they would all eat together as a group, after which they would sit and discuss.

Among the things I can remember as a small boy then is that he was very simple. I never saw a motorcade any time he was driving out. I always saw his car only. He was also a giving person. Any time he travelled and returned from his trips, especially from hajj, he would sit in the middle of the compound and share gifts to all the soldiers who worked in the house.

Looking back at what your father left behind, how would you feel seeing leaders owning choice properties and fat bank accounts today?

I don’t know really know how much it was that he left behind, but I was told it was N13,000. The truth is that times have changed, people have changed and

countries are changing on a daily basis. We live in much faster world and a world where things move faster than they used to. But my main concern is equity. I believe that wealth should spread more evenly so that everybody can have better life.

Your father was a soldier and it is usual for children to take after their father. Surprisingly, you did not take after him?

My late brother and I had always wanted to join the army. I believe that every child wants to be like his father.

If we had our way, we would have joined the army.

Unfortunately, there were others around us, like our mother and other relatives, who felt that having lost our father while in military service, it was not wise to join the army.

Of what assistance were your father’s friends and colleagues to your family while you were growing up?

Some of his friends have been very

‘

Today, when I introduce myself to people as his son, they remember him with fond memories. They pray for him and in some instances, there are people who shed tears when they hear his name. That has impacted on me significantly because when he passed away, he did not leave much in terms of material wealth. He left N13,000 and just one bungalow in Kano. But people remember him and they pray for him

‘

• Risqua Murtala

—Murtala Mumammed’s son Risqua supportive and have always been with us. They have always supported the family and reached out to us when things were not going the way they should to make sure that the family members are fine. I will always remain grateful to them for always being there.

Despite the commanding influence of your late father, you have chosen to remain out of limelight. Why is this so?

I guess it is my upbringing, which is very important. I had a strict upbringing from my mother who always told us to celebrate what we are and not what somebody else is. I guess my father, in spite of who he became in Nigeria, was who he was, and I thank God for the opportunity He gave him to be who he was and to get to where he got to. I think that I also need to be able to contribute something that will justify me, claiming a name. I have to also create my own name.

I am sure that when you were in school, there were moments you cherished so much that if you have the opportunity, you would want to live them over again.

Can you share some of those moments with us?

Well, the most interesting period in my life was the time I went to secondary school.

I went to a Federal Government College.

We had everything we

wanted at that time. We had good teachers who taught us very well. We had good facilities to learn what we were being taught. We had good facilities for sports. We had water, electricity and other facilities. It was the most interesting period for me because we came from different backgrounds, different societies and different parts of Nigeria. We even had people who came from Namibia and were in the school.

The good thing was that you could not tell the difference between student A and student B, because all of us were equal in the school. For me, I think that is the best period in my life, because I was able to appreciate life better. I was able to get different perspectives from different people on how they see life. It was a period when all of us who came from different backgrounds were all put on the same level. For me, that was the most memorable part of my life.

Compared to what obtains today, where there are different schools for the children of the rich and those of the poor, how do you feel?

I think that we should have a situation where we have the same type of schools we had in the past; schools that were being managed by the government for the benefit of all. Both the rich and the poor should be able to take their children to such schools.

We are in a political era, but you have been quiet...

I would say that we are all playing politics in life. I worked with President Obasanjo as his Special Assistant on International Relations for seven years.

While working with him, I contested for the House of Representatives in Kano Municipal. After working with Obasanjo, I came back to work for my private interest in a private company that I am part of. I think that with time, I will go back into public service.

For some time now, your name is being mentioned as an interested party in the governorship of Kano State. Will you be contesting the governorship elections?

As I have said several times, I am being asked by many people and many groups to come out and run for an office in Kano State. They want me to run for the office of the governor. I have been consulting with my family and friends and also putting it in prayers. At the appropriate time, I will make my decision known. I have been under pressure for some time. Since 2007, my constituency has always wanted me to participate politically in one form or the other.

However, having worked with the President for seven years, I felt that it was appropriate for me to work in a private concern so that I can have something I can depend on.

In the event that I want to run for an office, I have the support of my private company and also have a private venture that will cater for my private needs and those of my family. I don’t want a situation where I will be in government for seven years and then I will be a politician who will be in office for another 12 years and after that, you look back and there is nothing to show for it.

Then, there will be no difference between me and those that are always looking for public office to enrich themselves because they don’t have anything to fall back on. Today, I am part of a very good story: a company that has developed over the years. I know that I can always rely on this company to take care of my immediate needs.

In Kano, you can only make headway politically if you have a godfather or if you are a money bag. Do you have a godfather?

Yes I do. God Almighty is my godfather.

How do you hope to cope with the moneybags out there?

I believe that money is not everything. I believe that Nigerians have the flare for progress and development. I believe that our democracy, which is still very young compared to matured democracies, is getting better on a daily basis. I believe that people are making better choices as time goes by, and I think that people will choose better leaders who will serve them, keep the pace and the promise.

I think money is not really everything and I believe that what God has ordained, nobody can put asunder. There are people who have contested elections in the past who had no money and at the end of the day, they triumphed. I believe that God will choose the best for me and for our country in terms of leaders.

Out there in Kano are different strata of people. What value do you think you can add to the lives of the people you seek to govern?

‘

Among the things I can remember as a small boy then is that he was very simple. I never saw a motorcade any time he was driving out. I always saw his car only. He was also a giving person. Any time he travelled and returned from his trips, especially from hajj, he would sit in the middle of the compound and share gifts to all the soldiers who worked in the house

‘

By virtue of my background, considering the fact that I am educated, I am exposed and come from a good background, I feel that I can offer a lot. I can combine my experience in the public and private sectors to contribute immensely to Kano and the nation at large.

You are a member of the PDP. How do you rate the chances of the party against the APC in Kano State in the next election?

Kano is a very peculiar place. You cannot predict how things will go. Kano people vote based on parties and sometimes, based on individuals. I think a lot will depend on the individuals that will be presented as candidates in the election by both the APC and the PDP. It is a fact that both parties are quite strong and have good followership in the state. But I believe that the PDP would win the next elections in Kano. The candidates that are chosen to represent the parties will also be a very important factor.

If you have an opportunity to change just two things in Kano and Nigeria, what would they be?

The first thing will be equity. We must allow more people to have access to the wealth that God has given us as a country. In Kano State, we have the largest population in Nigeria and yet the level of unemployment is high. We need to create an environment where wealth is being created. I think majority of the people in Kano need to be gainfully employed.

One of the things I will do is to bring energy to Kano. We need to have an industrial revolution in Kano. People must have jobs so that they wake up in the morning looking up to a good day at work. People need to have jobs so that at the end of the month, they can have wages. People need to have jobs so that with the wages they earn, they can go to the bank and get a loan for mortgage to build a house, no matter how small. They need to have jobs so that with the money they earn, they can get a mortgage to buy a car, no matter how small.

People must have good schools they can take their children to. People also need to have jobs so that they will have a good hospital where they can take their children to with a good doctor who know what he is doing and also have the equipment to properly diagnose the ailment and give good medicine that can address your ailment. I think that these are the basic things that people need in life, and I think these are the things we need to give to them. You would allow people to have access to these things if wealth is created through industrialisation. I think that is one important issue that will solve a lot of problems, including insecurity.

I think the second thing is agriculture. Kano has the capacity to feed Africa.

What we need to do is to create the enabling environment, and the only way to do this is to create the infrastructure. The produce that is being produced should be effectively delivered to the market, and you need infrastructure for this. You need infrastructure to harvest and process whatever is being produced and transport them to the market and get them to people’s table whether in Nigeria or outside. So, to answer your question directly, the two things that will be topmost on my agenda will be energy and agriculture. Other things will naturally fall in line as you create wealth.

The almajiri syndrome is a major problem in the North and in your state.

How do you intend to address it?

The truth is that different people have different interpretations. The truth of the matter is that once people are gainfully employed, once you are creating value and people are gainfully employed, people can go to school, get jobs and houses.

You don’t even need to tell them that almajiri is something they should not be.

Every human being wants to get a better life and I can assure you that the people we call almajirai today won’t be on the street if they have an option. Nobody wants to beg.

We have the wealth and can create the empowerment and the environment for people to achieve their best in life. This is what I have in my mind as to what we should do. I also think that nation building is not a one day affair and is not a one man affair. It is a continuous process and everyone comes and contributes.

Even the world is changing on a daily basis and everyone still needs to adapt to the changes in the world. What we need is to do our part and hope that those behind us can also do their parts. Positively, I look at ourselves 30 years from now, we should be more proud than what we are now.

Security consultant Olumide Araoyinbo Innocent DURU

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with KAYODE ALFRED E-mail:kayflex2@yahoo.com

Tel:08035733605 08116759807

THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

43 with KAYODE ALFRED

E-mail:kayflex2@yahoo.com

TEL:08116759807 08035733605

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•Pesut, (left) and Weinholtz during an individual coaching session

Digital bridge between young and old

Young folks helping older folks find their way in the digital world. Many elderly people have never used the Internet, because it just seemed too complicated to them. Young people by contrast use digital devices more frequently than their toothbrushes. What happens when you bring together these two groups? In this Austrian “qualtitätszeit” (quality time) project, young persons looking for a job assume the role of trainers who open up the digital world to their grandparents’ generation.

Author: Karin Tzschentke IENNA – Mrs. T. sounds a bit desperate on the phone.

“Listen, I was just looking in my thingamajig for the pictures you sent me yesterday – now all of a sudden they’re gone! Did I break something?” The “thingamajig” is a tablet that her daughter gave to her some time ago – to make the possibilities of digital communication enticing and to also keep her mentally fit.

In the meantime, the 79-year-old woman is busy writing emails to her grandchildren and other relatives, she occasion-

V

ally googles and is able to store photos that have been sent to her device. Everything else, though, seems rather overwhelming – and makes her nervous. The instructions she receives from her daughter in long-distance conversations don’t really help her and it’s impossible to overhear the somewhat irritated tone of her voice.

Many senior citizens share Mrs. T.’s fate – people who until now have not had much to do with digital technology in their life. The path into the digital world is like climbing the Gross-

Online special www.thenationonlineng.net

glocker (Austria’s highest mountain) in felt slippers.

“Often these are just little things which people who didn’t grow up with are unable to grasp when using the computer and the Internet,” as Daniela Weinholtz and Kornelius Pešut from the Verein für Medienarbeit und Generationen (MuG) observe. An experience that they have had in the course of their many years of working as trainers at “Internet-for-allcampus”, a training service for users of all age groups that is offered by the Austrian Mobile Phone Provider A1.

Such workshops find wide acceptance. But there is even greater demand for affordable one-on-one coaching sessions.

In order to support people who have no or just limited access to digital media and their use for socio-economic reasons, because of their age or language, the 34-year-old media educator and the 31-year-old media designer have launched the “qualitätszeit” project.

This way two things can be accomplished in one go. It would be possible to reduce the digital divide in the population, while, at the same time, creating a bridge between the generations. Interested young persons are to be trained as “digital coaches” and to be able to gain professional experience through the project.

“Young people often come with an almost natural understanding for electronic media,” says Weinholtz. “They have a knack for these things.” Their feeling competent here and being able to make a valuable contribution for others is supposed to strengthen their self-confidence and to help them find a way into the professional world.

In one- to two-day workshops the contents of which are to be developed together with the saferinternet.at initiative backed by the EU, interested young people are supposed to receive the necessary understanding for the generation of their grandparents. For instance, that older people do not learn less well, but at a slower pace. Today many children only rarely have a chance to experience this – grandparents live too far away or still work.

By the same token, the project is supposed to give older persons a different view of “young people today” – one in stark contrast to the one depicting them as often lacking respect and interest, something that Socrates is supposed to have already complained about.

But do older people simply accept that younger people could be competent purveyors of knowledge? “The conclusion that can be drawn from many professional discussions and meetings is that the new media are one of the few areas in which the older generation accepts young people as experts,” as Pešut says.

As a win-win situation the “qualitätszeit” project would like to open up for both groups a low-threshold meeting venue for technical issues. And what motivates the entrepreneurs?

“Even if it sounds a bit kitschy, the Internet is a window to the world, which we would like to help as many people as possible to open,” says Weinholtz. The digital divide is not a myth, even in a country like Austria, as she stresses. A look at the statistics shows that nearly 61 per cent of Austrians between 65 and 74 have never used the Internet.

The two persons responsible for the project see a nice, barrier-free shop in which people can learn – and laugh – in a coffee house atmosphere as a suitable setting. Each technical amateur should be able to come by whenever he/she has special questions regarding laptops, smartphones, digital cameras and other electronic devices or wants to get tips on putting together a photo book or Skype with relatives and friends who live far away. Weinholtz and Pešut hope to be able to get their learning workshop up and running at the beginning of next year. Short consulting sessions based on the principle of “pay as you wish” should be covered. For individual coaching sessions and house visits that are already being offered now, 25 or 35 euro per hours are being charged. People with small pensions, minimum insurance or asylum seekers should be able to have access to these courses by just paying a nominal fee.

It’s a price that the team of “qualitätstzeit” can only offer with the help of funding and sponsors. Funding promised by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Family and Youth in July has made Weinholtz and Pešut confident that the project will be able to be launched on time. As they calculated, the startup costs amount to about 120,000 Euro a year. What for some company is a walk in the park can mean “top” or “flop” for a project that seeks to counteract the digital divide and bring together the generations.

From rags to riches Continued from page 25

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ganantham couldn’t compete with the advertising budgets of multinational brands. But he got lucky when in 2006 the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras (Chennai) registered his machine with the National Innovation Foundation for its Grassroots Innovation award. He won.

Suddenly, the world took an interest in his product and he received some serious capital.

The machines can now be found across rural India, producing regional brands of sanitary napkins with names like Relax or Be Cool. Not only have they helped to bring millions of women out of messy periods to cleaner, more hygienic menstrual days but they have also generated employment and income for the rural women who operate them.

All is right with Muruganantham’s world again. His estranged wife called him soon after she discovered he had not really been running after the medical students.

His mother moved back in with him. And he has overcome one major stigma in rural India—the belief that women who use napkins are devils’ brides. Teenage girls can now go to school every day and nobody has to know when they are having their periods.

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‘

My lovely child, I should be thanking you!

Your arrival has brought so much joy to me and our family. There's nothing I, your uncles or other family members can do that will compensate for all you went through

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‘Harnessing cocoa’s potentials is the answer to unemployment’ Continued from page 47 of raw cocoa is consumed locally, unemployment would be a thing of the past.

“Just go to Multi Trex, a cocoa outfit in Lagos, you will be able to appreciate what I am saying. A lot of job opportunities are created there effortlessly.

Aside this, they have those that are on the farm that are supplying the raw materials. There is no magic about it, cocoa industry alone can solve the problem of unemployment.

“If before the advent of oil, cocoa was the only economic nerve centre of the Western Region, then you will see what we could have turned it into by now.

The implication of exporting between 70-80 per cent of our cocoa is that we are impoverishing ourselves There is need to add value to our cocoa. If we import it raw, those who buy it and add value to it will still come back to sell it to us at higher price. The best way we can do is to add value to it,” he said.

The researcher lamented that despite a lot of researches, which CRIN has carried out on the opportunities that are inherent in cocoa, like cocoa bread, liquor, gari, powder, cake and a host of others, investors are still timid to tap from these opportunities.

Orisajofor explained: “That is a challenge to us in the cocoa industry; go to Cote D’ Voire, they have advanced. The Federal Government needs to pump more money to research institutes so that they can do more to assist the industrial sector. There are a lot of products that can still be discovered. There was a time that the cocoa we have will take three years to fruit, but the one we have today is about 18 months. Until we do quality research, there will not be development. If you look at other countries, they fund research and that is why they can achieve a lot, especially in agriculture.

“Cocoa business can still boom like in the 60s, if we create an enabling environment. It will be better for us to look beyond oil because either we like it or not, oil will dry one day. In those good old days, the major foreign earning of Nigeria was cocoa. We can still regain the lost glory, if we create the interest.”

Corroborating Orisajofor’s view, Dr. Olayinka Jayeola of the Department of Crop Processing and Utilisation Unit at CRIN, said cocoa has a lot of tremendous use that can be exploited and harnessed for the betterment of the country.

Jayeola said: “In CRIN, we have done a lot of researches in adding value to cocoa. We have the cocoa bread, wine, beverages, powder, chocolates and liquid washing soap. We have chocolate gari, cocoa custard and drinks. All these products are researched and developed in CRIN and available for any investor(s) to pick it up for further multiplication.

“It is very painful that investors are not picking up this research work. That is why we are contemplating to have a small cottage industry where all these products can be rolled out from our little allocation. We want to showcase that

•Dr (Mrs) Jayeola

•Dr Oyebade

•Dr Oyebade

•Locally made cocoa dryer at Cocoa Revolution Centre, Akure we have a lot we can do with our cocoa.

“It is very sad to see that graduates are roaming the streets and with just little fund, we can get them engaged. We can engage as many graduates that are willing. Come to CRIN, we give you two to three weeks’ training and you can pick any of these products and with time, you become an employer of labour.”

She added: “There is a bit of communication gap between us and the society because our mandate is to do research, but now we are trying to do a lot of awareness and see how we can use cocoa to get a lot of people gainfully engaged.”

The food technologist said that if a cup of cocoa is taken every day, it can

,

Most of the agric incentives went to the civil servants and their cronies. If you go to them, they will tell you that the farmers have accessed so much. If as the President of CAN, l own about 200 hectares of cocoa, yet l cannot benefit from ordinary chemical incentive from the Federal Government, what do you think other cocoa farmers will benefit?

,

prevent heart disease, fight fatigue, prevent diabetes, hypertension, breast cancer, reduce the risk of blood clot and increase men’s libido.

Perhaps, aware of the enormous potentials of cocoa and very sad how the cash crop was relegated, the Ondo State, which produced about 50 per cent of the product in the 60s, decided to establish the Cocoa Revolution Project to reclaim the lost glory of cocoa.

Speaking to The Nation in his office in Akure, the state capital, the chairman of the project, Dr Jibayo Oyebade, explained that “the revolution is targeted towards revamping the cocoa estate at Oda planted by Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1954.

“The Oda cocoa plantation was the hub of the Western Region economy in those days. It is close to 2,000 hectares.

We want to revamp, replant and bring back the old glorious cocoa era. We want to engage in good fermentation in order to improve our beans. From there we have premium beans which we are processing specifically for chocolate.”

According to him, the state was forced to take this route since the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation was a mere window dressing.

“The agricultural transformation by the Federal Government is a ruse. There is nothing about it, and it has no substance. The National Council on Agriculture is a mere talk shop; it has no

relevance to the individual state’s peculiarity in agriculture. There must be grassroots agricultural development, which will have bearing to the people in that environment,” he said.

Oyebade spoke of the jobs the state intends to create with the revolution: “The revolution is purely on employment generation; now, we want to plant 100 hectares of cocoa, we need labour. As at now, just one year old, l have about 350 such workers, apart from the allotees working on Oda Cocoa plantation.

Shooting must change after prunning and that is what we are doing in the farm now.”

He advised that a commodity board should be set up to control cocoa’s market operation. “A commodity board should take the place of the old marketing board to link the farmers to the world. The Produce and Allied Matters Law of 2006 is now our weapon in Ondo State. ‘’It will give us the opportunity in producing, marketing, processing and importing of cocoa. It is a costly venture but highly yielding at the long run “In a matter of few years, we shall be richer than Lagos. The cocoa revolution will be a jump in revenue for the state and the monthly allocation in Abuja will be a mere peanut. To plant our 100 hectares of cocoa, we planted about 200,000 stand of plantain as a shield that also will generate fund later.”

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

I miss the good times I had with friends before I became an Oba On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his coronation, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka, the traditional ruler of Isolo and Secretaryof the Lagos State Council of Obas, speaks with OKORIE UGURU about the challenges he has faced as the Oba of the Lagos community, his plans and other issues. Excerpts:

W

HAT would you say have been your major challenges in the 10 years you have been in the saddle as the traditional ruler of Isolo?

I still remember July 11, 2003 when I was finally chosen as the Osolo of Isolo. Some members of this family, who were among the eight contestants for the throne, got angry and decided to challenge my nomination at the High Court. We went to court and the Lagos State Government was stopped from installing me as the Osolo of Isolo. That remained the situation for a whole year before the court injunction was lifted and the court said the government should go ahead and install me. So, I was installed as the next king of Isolo on July 11, 2004.

After that, another group of people still went to court to challenge my installation.

We fought for good seven years and three months.

Eventually, I won.

They went on appeal and I also won before they resolved to settle the whole issue amicably.

What were the issues?

They issues were that they didn’t believe in the traditional means of choosing me by consulting the Ifa oracle and that we all have equal rights to the throne.

And because they were my senior in age, they believed that they were supposed to be chosen ahead of me. That was the basis for their going to court. After the judgment, they discovered that the issue was not supposed to be so. We came back to the family and sat down and resolved the whole issue amicably. Some of them were given chieftaincy titles while some are working with me as a family in the palace.

So, that was a particular issue that I found difficult.

You know what could have happened in terms of expenses, time and so on. But I

• Oba Agbabiaka

—Osolo of Isolo thank God that He is in control. Today, here I am as the Osolo of Isolo. That is why we all believe that we have to celebrate this 10th anniversary to show to the whole world that we are one and that we are all working together and there is no more problem between us. Everything is going smoothly.

What would you say has changed about your life since you were crowned the Osolo in 2004?

A lot of things have changed. Before I became an Oba, I used to go out to enjoy myself, and there were lots of things that I could do. I could stay outside discussing with my friends or enjoying ourselves. But there is a limit to what I can do now. Things have changed. And it was a challenge because it took me time to adjust. Some of these things have had to go.

As a committed Muslim then, I used to find it difficult to relate with traditional believers. But as an Oba now, I have to play my roles according to the tradition of Yoruba land. Now, I have to go and listen to them for any assistance or for anything they think they too should do for the progress and stability of the community. It was a very big challenge that I had to accept because I ought to have taken that into consideration before I decided to contest. Before I became an Oba, I didn’t normally stay at home. I used to travel a lot because of the nature of my business.

What business was that?

I am an engineer but I ventured into travelling out of the country to buy spare parts for refrigerators and air conditioners in the Arab countries. I found that they were sold at very low prices.

For a week or two, I might not be around. It all depended on what I wanted to do then.

Now the time is not there anymore. It is not that I don’t travel, but it is not for business. I can no longer return from the airport with big luggage, some of which I put on my head. Things have changed completely. I can no longer show up as an air conditioner and refrigerator spare parts seller.

You were known as a top socialite before you became an Oba, sharing relationship with top musicians like KWAM 1.What has become of all that now?

It is not all parties that I can attend. The urge of going to club houses to enjoy ourselves is no more there. It is only a few parties which I believe an Oba can be seen there that I attend. I have also have to stop drinking, smoking and other things we considered as part of enjoyment. I cannot go to a party and start drinking or eating anyhow like I used to do as a free man. So, the positions have changed.

What has been your achievement in the 10 years that you have been in the saddle?

Well, I thank God that a lot of things have been done through my efforts and the efforts of my chiefs and some stakeholders in the community. I remember that we did not have any major hospital in Isolo but some small ones. When I became the Oba, I wrote a lot of letters to the government of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu then. He started the whole issue before Governor Raji Fashola took over. You can see that we now have a very big general hospital;

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 one of the biggest in the state. This happened during my reign.

Also, if you came to Isolo before I became the Oba, you would see that you would waste two to three hours on the road to get to Isolo from Mushin or Oshodi. But through my efforts and the efforts of the local government, we were able to let the state government know our views and also explain to them the plight of the people in my area. The government has tried to open up the place and link a lot of other places to Isolo by linking Isolo to Amuwo Odofin. This has been partially done, but the work is still going on.

Ajao Estate, which is also part of my domain, has been linked directly to Ejigbo. So, it is another easy access for people going to Ejigbo to spend not up to five minutes before getting there.

Many other roads have been expanded and retarred. It is only the ones that belong to the local government that we are still suffering a little from. We are still crying to the state government to carry out other projects, but what they told me was that I should remember I am one out of 57 local government development areas and that they have to listen to other areas also. I thanked them that they listened to us and have carried out a lot of infrastructural development.

Some of the stakeholders in Isolo, that is some of the private companies we have in Isolo area, are also doing a lot. They have given a lot of scholarships to students; about 100 every year. Those who want to sit for WAEC, they give out free forms. They have also given a lot of assistance to widows and so on. I am particularly grateful to Promasidor Nigeria; they are doing a lot. Nearly everywhere in Isolo, before you move up to half of a kilometre, you would see a public borehole sunk by Promasidor Nigeria Limited. So, they assist us in many areas and they are trying their best. All this happens through my contact with them; reminding them of their corporate social responsibilities and telling them what they should do for the progress of the community.

You can see ultra-modern palace we are building through self help. This has also been done through communal efforts. But we are still expecting the Lagos State Government to come to our aid. The state government has assured me that it will intervene to help finish the palace. If not, I would have celebrated my 10 years in that palace. Since it was not possible, that was the reason I decided to renovate this place before the main palace will be completed.

What are your views on the current disagreements among some Yoruba Obas?

You see, we have a lot of challenges. Everybody wants to be seen as the most important. It also happens in government. It happens also in the northern and eastern parts of the country. We have history and heritage in Yorubaland. Who does not know the history of the Yoruba among the Yoruba people? But the political class has interfered with the traditional institutions in this country. Everybody wants his own traditional ruler to be seen as the most powerful, once that traditional ruler is supporting a political party.

Who does not know the Alaafin of Oyo in the history of the Yoruba? We had the Oyo Empire which was the most powerful institution in Yoruba land. The majority of us, who are now kings, derived directly from this power. The only thing that has happened to the Yoruba race is that I don’t want to accept that you are my leader and you don’t want to accept that I am your leader. That is what is worrying us. There is also ego within the hierarchy of the Yoruba, especially those who have gone into politics.

Let me tell you, there is no way an Oba would not play politics. Go to the northern states; they do play politics. They tell their people what they should do and they are in control of them. If you go to the northern state, where many of us who are Yoruba have visited, the whole President, Vice President or whoever has to sit on the floor when they enter the palace of an emir. They have to sit on a mat.

But here in Yorubaland, our children, because they are commissioners or whatever, they want to show ego. They want us to know that they are Lagosians and that the blood of British training is in their body, which is not normal. When you are trying to control them, they believe you are not with them.

That is why we find it difficult telling you people

• Oba Agbabiaka

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Before I became an Oba, I used to go out to enjoy myself, and there were lots of things that I could do. I could stay outside discussing with my friends or enjoying ourselves. But there is a limit to what I can do now. Things have changed. And it was a challenge because it took me time to adjust.

Some of these things have had to go

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that a particular government is not doing well. Once you say so, within five minutes, if it is read in the papers, the government will call you and say that you are not supporting their party or you are with the opposition. In view of that, whatever you are asking for from them, they will not do it in time. So, everybody wants his own community to rapidly develop

•The Oloris of Oba Agbabiaka

and once you are not supporting or you are saying the truth, for the government to be able to check themselves, you will lack a lot of things. So, nobody is ready to correct this issue.

So what is your advice to the government?

That the government should give the traditional institution their own separate power so that they can even overrule the statements of the government. Let me tell you something: when you say government, in the olden days, before the British came in, the Obas were the rulers. They ruled their own communities and everything was done successfully. The government ought to come to us for advice and ask what we need. We should not be the ones going to tell them what they should do. And when even at that, there is a limit to what we can say. Every one of you knows this.

For the Obas, there should be unity among us. We should accept the history of Yoruba. It doesn’t matter if I happen to become the Alaafin or somebody that is the custodian of the whole history and I am not rich; that does not mean they should snatch my position from me. Ile Ife and Oyo are where everybody comes from, and the ability to prove it is there. Read about the Oyo Empire; Alaafin was the last son of O’odua, but he took over the whole power and he is in control, and that respect has been given to him for a very long time. The history is there to tell; it doesn’t matter whether you are small or big. It is written and that is what we read. Everybody has his own power. An Oba is an Oba, no matter what. It all depends on how you carry yourself.

What are some of the dreams you would like to see come true during your reign?

The community should be crime-free.

Educationally, we have a polytechnic here in Isolo. We have been crying to the government to give it a lift.

These are the things we are asking for. Recently, with the help of God, the students and the Lagos State Traditional Council, the Lagos State Government has completely reduced the school fees of the Lagos State University students.

How would like to be remembered by your people?

I will try my best so that they can remember me positively.

How should an Oba be buried, traditionally or according to the Oba’s wish?

Traditionally or religiously, burial is burial. Some people tell lies that when an Oba dies, some parts of his body would be separated. That is a capital lie; there is nothing like that. In Yoruba land, you don’t say that an Oba is dead; he has only gone to rest. That is why they won’t allow you to see that he is being buried. Only some certain people should know that the Oba is going to be buried, and they will never remove anything.

On a lighter note, why are there so many fuji musicians in your domain?

It is because we are socialites and they gain a lot of things from this family. The musicians came to those who were in control of the land as at then. For example, what was supposed to be sold to them at the rate of N1,000, they would say ‘you want to build here?

Go and bring two naira.’ We have people like King Wasiu Ayinde, Obesere, the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. Pasuma once lived here. He has other properties elsewhere. And the other one that lives in Abeokuta, all of them have houses here. And some of these people you are talking about schooled within this community and they thought it was good for them to have property around here. That is why they are here.

THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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Accepting marital responsibilities (3) Email: counselling@faithoyedepo.org

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ear Reader, Calvary greetings to you, in the name of Christ Jesus! I have shared with you for the past weeks, your responsibilities of building your home and the man's leadership position. This week, I want to teach on the tool for effective leadership.

Man, I want to say here that your placement in the Kingdom of God, is determined by how well you rule your home. If you cannot rule your house well, God will not allow you to rule His church, because He knows that you will not succeed there Are you a leader? Men who are "natural" leaders have no trouble answering this question in the affirmative. They know how to take over, control, guide, and get things done.

Some men are not strong or natural leaders in the home?

The Word of God says: One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (Timothy 3:4-5). If you cannot rule your house well, there is a limit to how far you can go in the things of God. To rule the home well, therefore, love is a necessary ingredient that a man must possess for effective leadership.

Christ rules the Church with the rod of love also, for the man to succeed, he must rule his home with the same rod. It is a scriptural commandment for the man to love his wife,

as Christ loves the church. The Word of God says: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25). Your unconditional acceptance of your wife is not based upon her performance, but on her worth as God's gift to you. If you want to love your wife unconditionally, always be sure her emotional tank is full. One of the best ways to do that is to love her constantly.

Let her know verbally that you value her, respect her and love her.

There is no question that words and actions communicate love. You need to do both. As Apostle John wrote in one of his letters: Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18). One of the missing ingredients in male leadership in homes, is sacrificial action.

"Head" does not mean male dominance, where a man lords it over a woman and demands her total obedience to his every wish and command. God never viewed women as secondclass citizens. His Word clearly states that we are all equally His children and are of equal value and worth before Him. As Galatians 3:28 tells us: There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

The husband, however, is to exercise his leadership role under the authority of Christ, who is his head and the example he should follow in exercising his role. As the leader, he has a responsibility to provide for and protect his wife and children, and is responsible, together with his wife, for the moral wellbeing of his family. God has established a structure in which “the head of the woman is man”. This is evident from creation, witnessed to by “nature” and supported by universal Christian practice.

The welfare of the home has been committed into the

hands of the man. He has to make provisions for his household. The Word of God says: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (I Timothy 5:8).

It is the responsibility of the man to provide specially for his own house both spiritually, materially and financially. He must ensure that his family member have what to eat and wear. Some men make provision for their village meetings, relations and friends at the expense of their immediate family members. This is contrary to scriptures!

To have access to this tool of love to rule your family, you must first of all accept the love that Christ offered on the cross, by giving your life to Him. Giving your life entails confessing your sins, forsaking them and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are ready for this experience, please say this prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and Satan, to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.

Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

Congratulations! You are now born again! Till I come your way next time, please call or write, and share your testimonies with me through: E-mail: counselling@faithoyedepo.org, Contact@faithoyedepo.org; Tel. No: 08141320204; 07026385437.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all the Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Making Marriage Work, Marriage Covenant, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

About lives without rests, breaks, relaxations, and vacations

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INTERVIEW

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Captain Femi Olugbode (rtd) was a member of the Third Marine Commando, led by late Benjamin Adekunle during the Nigeria Civil war. In this interview with OSAGIE OTABOR, Captain Femi shares his experience fighting under Adekunle. Excerpts:

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HAT can you say about the late Adekunle?

He was a strict disciplinarian because of his stature. He was not a very tall person. There was a time he referred to himself as Napolean Bonaparte. He was a very good fighter and abhorred indiscipline. There was a time soldiers were deserting the war, just like what is happening in the Boko Haram war now. If you deserted then and you are caught, you were severely punished. Late Adekunle did a lot of things and fought very well before he left the Marine Commando in 1969.

Obasanjo took over from him.

What distinguished Adekunle from others?

I remember that during the capture of Owerri, he was always in the battle field. He was always at the forefront. When you have a leader at the front, soldiers will follow you.

Adekunle was tough when it came to fighting. He led the soldiers that were just recruited. Only a few of the soldiers under him were welltrained. Others joined during the war. The bulk of them had a crash training programme. He led soldiers that were not properly trained. He had a lot of problem trying to get them to fight. During the recapture of Umuakpo, he was there. There was a cassava plantation there which was the only source of food for civilians and Biafra soldiers, but he made sure his troops took control.

Was there any error made by Adekunle during the war?

Like any human, there is bound to be error. An example was when Biafra soldiers surrounded Owerri • Capt Olugbode (rtd) and there was no means of getting food to the soldiers, planes were then used to drop foods. A bag of stockfish would be dropped from the plane and most of these things landed on soldiers.

That was an error. There was perhaps no choice because there was no way food could get to the soldiers except through the air. You know how it is for a bag of stockfish to land on somebody's head.

In terms of welfare, we were paid the old ten pounds. There was no fixed salary.

Soldiers were paid a flat rate, except the officers who earned 30 pounds. The impression was that the salary was being kept in Lagos for us to collect after the war, but a lot of people did not survive the war. They died and did not collect the money. When Obasanjo came, he restored full salary and told us not to worry about what was kept in Lagos, as only those who survived would go back and collect the salary arrears.

Was it Adekunle’s decision to keep the money in Lagos?

He was the GOC. He said salary should not be paid because the soldiers didn’t need it. Anyway, food was available and because of the fear that soldiers were not sure of surviving the war.

Can you recall any situation when Adekunle expressed fears of losing the war?

I was in the College of Army Artillery and not very close to the front. At a place after Calabar, we did not know that Biafran snippers were stationed somewhere. And while we were firing, the snippers hit us hard and wounded 17 officers. Adekunle came to the hospital to visit the soldiers and it was very demoralising. That day, Adekunle almost wept. He was always sad any- went to study journalism. I was a pioneer member of the Army Public Relations Department. That was how I time there was casualty on the side of Nigeria. crossed to the media.

When did you join the Army?

How did you feel when you were first asked to go to I joined in December 1966. I was young and was 21. I had not worked anywhere. I left school and joined the Army. I was in the war front?

The first time somebody was killed in my presence was Ibadan then. One of my playmates called Chukwuma used to hit me and I would not strike back because he was a soldier. I at Koko in Delta State. We captured a Biafran soldier and then decided to join the Army. Luckily, my uncle, Ariyo, was we questioned him, but he did not respond. They decided the Commander of the 12 Battalion, Ibadan. I was trained in to kill him and he said he was prepared to die. We were on a ship because the Third Marine Commando operated Zaria. That was the only approved depot in the country.

Later on, I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in with the Nigerian Navy. We were on the NNS Lokoja and 1969. I was trained in Port Harcourt. A lot of us were commis- the soldier was taken somewhere and killed. I was sad to sioned then. After the war, we were told that if we did not see somebody killed and I did not eat for three days. One improve ourself academically, we would not be commis- Sergeant started counselling me that I should not worry sioned. I started reading on my own, I did my O-level and that somebody was killed. He said the person was an enemy and that he should be killed. That was the baptism

‘

When Biafra soldiers surrounded Owerri and there was no means of getting food to the soldiers, planes were then used to drop foods. A bag of stockfish would be dropped from the plane and most of these things landed on soldiers. That was an error.

There was perhaps no choice because there was no way food could get to the soldiers except through the air. You know how it is for a bag of stockfish to land on somebody's head

‘

of fire for me. After that, I didn’t feel anything killing the enemy. We took oath at our training that we were prepared to die in defence of our nation.

What do you think has happened to make Nigerian soldiers want to desert in the war against insurgency?

The Nigerian Army is a conventional army. They carry one rifle at a time. But the Boko Haram fighters are unconventional and can carry many weapons at a time. The Boko Haram woud do anything to achieve their aim. The Nigerian Army is welltrained now, but whether they are as committed as we were is another thing.

Do you think the war against insurgency can be won?

Yes. But there are many things involved.

The government did not take it seriously at the beginning. Take the case of the Chibok girls as an example. Some people believed it was political.

They were demanding for the pictures.

Chieftains of the PDP said it was a lie. If the government were serious, the girls should have been rescued before they were taken far.

What happened after the war, especially the coups?

I was in Zaria undergoing training when Dimka overthrew Murtala.

Our Commander from Kogi State assembled us and told us there was a change of government in Lagos. He said he would keep us posted. He later asked us to drop our weapons at the armoury.

He knew the implications of people having weapons when there was a coup. As we were about doing that, students from the Ahmadu Bello University came to take permission that they wanted to demonstrate in support of Dimka. The man asked them to put themselves in his position. The students said they would wait till the next day. The man would have been arrested if he had allowed the students because the coup failed. Nobody came to tell me about the coup.

Tell us about your growing up?

I was born in Benin, but I hail from Ondo State. I grew up in Benin. My maternal grandfather was the Iyase of Benin to Oba Eweka the second. I speak Bini, Hausa and Yoruba.

I schooled in Benin and Ondo State. It was in the Army that I did my O-level and attended the NIJ. It was a smooth transition for me when I left the Army. I was a correspondent for the Nigerian Observer in Ekiti State. I also worked with the National Commentator. I am on my own now. I publish a community newspaper in Ondo State.

How did your parents take your joining the Army?

I am the only son of my mother. We were three and I am the eldest. I was already doing my training in Zaria before I wrote a letter to tell them that I had joined the Army. I did not tell them before a I joined.

An error Benjamin Adekunle committed in the war front —Civil war veteran who fought under Third Marine Commando

NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Uduaghan urges NBA to reduce frivolous electoral petitions Okungbowa AIWERIE, Asaba ELTA State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to assist in reducing frivolous petitions in the 2015 general elections.

He said frivolous petitions distract winners of elections from concentrating on governance.

The governor made this call while receiving the President of the NBA, Barrister Austin Alegeh (SAN), during a courtesy call in Asaba.

Dr. Uduaghan said there were a total of 19 cases presided over by 77 judges/justices were instituted against him by his political opponents since May 29, 2007 when he assumed office.

He lamented the trend where some politicians, rather than preparing for election, only specialize in petitions aimed at distracting the winner and wasting the time of the courts.

The governor, who disclosed that his administration had embarked on massive voter education towards the forthcoming local government and 2015 polls in the state, challenged the NBA to device means of discouraging its members from encouraging lawyers to be preparing briefs for candidates wishing to go to tribunals rather than concentrate on winning in the elections.

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2015: Rivers PDP will not give ticket to criminals n Innocent DURU n HE Rivers State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has said the party will not will not identify with criminals who are desperate to get party ticket.

A chieftain of the party, Chief Captain Sunday Nwankwo, who is also a governorship aspirant, spoke yesterday while addressing a crowd of youths who joined his campaign train in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

The measure, he said is the only way to deny them access to the state’s wealth and to give way for serious-minded politicians whose interest is for economic and political development of the state.

Chief Nwankwo, an oil and gas expert, said most of those jostling for PDP ticket in the state are only interested in what they will gain and not for the general interest of the people of the state.

He noted that he joined the race to economically develop the state, create job and to ensure that experts take over oil and gas in the state.

“If the wrong people are allowed to take the PDP ticket and they eventually win, the people will suffer; the wealth of the people will be looted.

They have nothing to offer, that is why we are doing our best to ensure that the party does not make a costly mistake.

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Group protests Wike’s renovation of Rivers schools group, Rivers Youths Solidarity Vanguard (RYSV), yesterday protested the constitutional right of the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesome Wike, to renovate primary schools in Rivers State without the consent of the state government.

The group, which barricaded the Ada-George and Location roads in Rumueme community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, while protesting, said it is an unwise decision to undertake the renovation of pri-

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… Demands probe of NTI, UBEC funds n Precious DIKEWOHA, Port Harcourt n personal projects in the state, adding that if they were Federal mary schools in the state without Government projects, the funds due process. should be channeled through its esSpeaking during the protest that tablishments in the state. lasted for about three hours, the He noted that if Wike had enough President of the group, Rev. Fred money to execute projects in Rivers Woke, said Wike’s desperation on State he should remember that his his 2015 ambition is causing unnec- ward is the only community in the essary tension in the state. state that has no primary school, He called on the minister to ex- urging him not to distract the peoplain to the people of the state ple of the state over renovation of where he got the funds to execute schools.

Rev. Woke, who said his group has written a letter to the National Assembly to probe the National Teachers Institute (NTI) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), said he wants the lawmakers to act now.

“If the present administration is talking about transparency and due process, then where did Wike advertise the project he is executing in Rivers State? And if he understands the constitution very well, is it right to renovate a primary schools without the consent of the state?”

Ijaw indigenes score Dickson high on projects • Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Mr. Peter Bolf, inspecting the cassava processing plant at Tai LGA, Rivers State... yesterday.

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Stop Boko Haram now, Catholic Bishops tell Fed Govt ATHOLIC bishops in the country are asking the federal government to double its effort in the fight against terrorism in the country.

The bishops say it is time to stop “these actual destroyers of Nigerians and Nigeria.”

“Our government must do more than it is currently doing to safeguard our lives and defend our nation. It must do more than it is currently doing to fight off and disarm these actual destroyers of Nigerians and Nigeria. It must do more than it is currently doing to prevent segments of our nation from drifting, anarchy and mutual self-destruction and bring criminals to justice,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) said as it rose from its Second Annual Plenary meeting in Warri,Delta State.

Lamenting what they called the mass slaughter in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Kano and Kaduna states and the burning and

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sacking of whole villages and churches and rectories by terrorists,the Catholic bishops said that “the situation right now, in the North East, Nigeria only confirms further killings, burnings and fleeing of defenceless Nigerians creating a heightened sense of unrest and siege for the whole nation.”

They added: “As Nigeria tragically bleeds and burns, we Bishops are really alarmed at the scale of human, material destruction, and the disruption of village and community life with increased levels of hatred and potentials for more conflicts in the nation. While Muslims are sometimes targets of these destructive attacks, Christians Churches and non- Muslims in general are the principal targets for extermination, expropriation and expulsion by the Boko Haram insurgents, the perpetrators of all these destructions.

“We believe that we still have governments- at Federal and State- levels whose primary duty it is to preserve

and protect the life, of every Nigerian irrespective of tribe, religion, social class or tradition.”

They warned all communities across the country to “be alert to the grave danger facing all of us and our nation from within and from without.

“The issue is not about who becomes president or governor or senator after the 2015 General Elections.

The issue is about the life and security of every one of us who loves his or her life and really cares about our living together in peace as noble Nigerians.”

The CBCN mandated its CARITAS (charity/emergency) office to immediately provide funds and succour to victims of terrorism, and urged government to “reach out in charity and solidarity to rehabilitate and support our displaced brothers and sisters wherever they are and so sustain our God-given human dignity.”

They resolved to organize a national all night prayer scheduled for 13 and 14 November, 2014 in Abuja.

Amaechi assures on completion of road projects S construction work continues at the Odili-Woji-Akpajo link road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has assured the people of the state that the N52 billion project will be completed before the end of his administration.

Amaechi stated this Thursday during an inspection tour of some ongoing projects in the state, including the Odili-Woji-Akpajo link road and the state-owned syringe manufacturing company in Port Harcourt.

He said the 10-kilometre road, with two bridges, will help decongest traffic at Aba road and other major roads in Port Harcourt when completed.

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n Mike ODIEGWU, Yenagoa n JAW indigenes have scored the administration of Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State high on projects execution, following an assessment tour of projects sites across the state.

It was gathered that the indigenes, under the auspices of Ijaw Nation Forum (INF), embarked on the assessment tour following claims in some quarters that the governor had failed to justify allocations he received from the Federal Government.

Members of the team include the state Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Tonye Okio; State Chairman, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Chief Nengi James; Dr. Felix Tuodolo and the leader of the forum, Mr. Fred Brisibe among others.

The INF is made up of Ijaw indigenes from across the country.

The members visited some parts of the state and assessed projects so far executed by the Dickson-led administration since he became governor two and a half years ago.

In his assessment of Dickson's projects, Okio, who is a known critic of the governor, said Dickson had tried his best, just like the former Governor, Mr. Timipre Sylva.

He said: "I am not impressed with the houses that are there, but the roads. It is the most important thing and it is a good development.

Houses are toy toy things.

The main thing is the roads.

"Just like former Governor Timipre Sylva who came and also tried his best, Governor Dickson is playing his part in the development of Bayelsa State.

"No one person can develop this state. And that is the spirit. Any person that comes in must try his best and then leave the rest for God. At the moment, Dickson is trying.”

Okio claimed that between January and July this year, the state had received about N145bn.

He said: "I am more impressed with the Governor's village. I want President Goodluck Jonathan to also imitate that. He should realise that he has his people. In Ogbia, there is nothing to show for them at home."

… To commission cassava factory in December “The Odili-Woji-Akpajo road will be ready soon. The road is over 10 kilometres with two bridges, and when completed, it will help decongest traffic at Aba road and other major roads in Port Harcourt. We did a lot of sand filling. The toll gate on the road will generate revenue for the state,” Amaechi said.

At the Pan-African Health Foundation, the state-owned syringe manufacturing company, Amaechi said his administration has so far disbursed N29 billion for the completion of four new factories under construction.

He noted that the syringe factory o

would manufacture over one billion syringes annually and would employ over 2,000 workers.

“Work is in progress as you can see.

Two of the factories will be completed before the end of my tenure in 2015.”

In a similar development, Governor Amaechi has said that he has completed a cassava processing plant in Tai Local Government Area of the state to boost cassava production and processing, adding that the cassava processing plant would not only provide employment for the people, but also positively influence the micro and macro economy.

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NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Okorocha slams Kalu over comments on APC MO State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has chided the former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, for calling the All Progressives Congress (APC), a wrong political party and threatening to support the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to win the governorship election in Imo state in 2015.

Okorocha also slammed the former Abia Governor for dabbling into Imo politics without enough information on the current political situation in the state.

It will be recalled that Orji had in an interview published in a national daily, said that the Imo Governor made a mistake by joining the APC, which he termed a "wrong party" and predicted that the PDP will have landslide victory

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...says Orji lacks information on Imo politics n Okodili NDIDI, Owerri n in Imo state in 2015.

But Okorocha, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, stated that the former Abia Governor did not have any information, talk more the correct one, on the political situation in Imo state at the moment, adding that his comments were provoking and unwarranted.

The statement said that Orji has no reason to predict political misfortune for the Imo governor, stressing that "as a two-term former Governor of a state and a vi-

brant political player like Kalu to describe a legally registered political party like the APC with prominent Nigerians of all shades as members, as a wrong party calls for deep concern.

"With the level of his political exposure, the former Abia governor would have known that no duly registered political party is a wrong party. And for the former governor to threaten that the PDP would win landslide in Imo state in 2015 and that people like him would lead the campaign, without correct information on what the political scenario in the state at the moment is laughable."

The Governor's aide also added that "Okorocha is in tune with the electorate in the state through his monumental projects including the free education at all levels, infrastructural development and so on.

And we are talking about projects that are on ground and can be verified. So when the time comes, Governor Okorocha would show Imo people what he has achieved for them in four years, and the PDP in the state will also be asked to do the same for the 12 years they held sway in the state. And alarm will definitely bow.

"That is where men like the former Abia governor would meet the

brick wall, because victory in an election must be occasioned by something. It does not happen in vacuum.

"The former Abia governor should go back to those working with him over their political project in Imo state and ask them to be honest with him by telling him whether the PDP has any good story for Imo people arising from the 12 years the party governed the state. If they tell him the truth, he would know that the victory of the governorship election in the state in 2015 is in the custody of Imo people and they would hand it over to the man who has proved to them that leadership is all about service to God and humanity, and not all about pleasure.”

Pharmacists vow to drag C/River govt to court over concession of public hospitals HE Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) in Cross River State has threatened to drag the state government to court over the concession of public hospitals in the state.

The government had last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with four concessionaires for the management of three general hospitals and the provision and management of outdoor signage services.

The health facilities involved were the General Hospital, Bekwarra, which is to be run by Bakor Hospital Limited; General Hospital, Obudu, taken over by Saint Luke Hospital Consortium; while Meditron-Loba Healthcare Ltd takes over the pharmacies and clinical diagnostic centres at the General Hospitals in Igoli, Yahe, Okpoma and Sankwala.

A statement made available to reporters by the chairman of the state chapter of PSN, Mr. Paul Agbulu, said the concession of public hospital pharmacies was unethical, illegal and a denial of the people to get quality pharmaceutical

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n Nicholas KALU, Calabar n services.

While noting that PSN is not against public-privatepartnership, they viewed the concession of government hospital pharmacies as a step in the wrong direction.

He said: "The laws establishing government hospital pharmacies are quite different community pharmacies, private hospitals and marketing companies. It is also illegal for any of the licenses of these companies to be super imposed on the other.

"The bedrock of setting up government hospital is to render healthcare services, train hospital staff and provide medicare to all, especially the downtrodden.

"The following questions posits: Who takes responsibility when fake and counterfeit drugs get into the system? What is the legal framework within the pharmacy and drug laws of the federation these concessionaires hope to operate? What ethical pharmaceutical platform will these companies operate?

•L-R: Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu; Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; Vice President Namadi Sambo (representing President Goodluck Jonathan); Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime and prominent businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, commissioning a project during the graduation ceremony of the First Integrated Helicopter Pilot Course at the International Helicopter Flying School, Enugu, yesterday.

Rights groups condemn alleged impunity in Enugu coalition of Human Rights groups under the aegis of Human Rights Writers' Association of Nigeria has decried what it termed as declining democratic space in Enugu State, just as it called for the immediate conduct of local government elections in the state.

Speaking in Abuja at a press briefing, the Head of the coalition, Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated that the groups have for some time watched with consternation the steady decent of the state to a state of anarchy.

He said: "we have watched with considerable consternation the rapidly declining state of democracy and respect for the fundamental human

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n Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Abuja n rights of Nigerians in Enugu State, and hereby call on the Enugu State government and also to call on stakeholders from that part of the country to intervene and save the state from becoming a full blown dictatorship.

"Few weeks back, our team embarked on a tour of the South East and we took time to conduct thorough opinion poll on all the South East States. In Enugu State, just like in other South East States, we examined the levels of respects for fundamental principles and practice of human rights by that state govt vis-à-vis democracy.”

On the state of human rights in the

state, Onwubiko noted: "Enugu is the only state in southern Nigeria that is yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act. No local government is chaired by any woman. The people interviewed are demanding the immediate domestication of this important bill of right to promote the well being of Nigerian children.

"The Enugu State government does not believe in due process in procurement. Most projects in the state are allegedly executed with what they call "Direct Labour" through the Project Development Inspection. Big time projects like the N13 billion new state secretariat under construction were just given to Arab contractors.”

Collapsed buildings: Lagos declares zero tolerance on building collapse ORRIED by the spate of incessant collapse of buildings in the state, the Lagos State Government has read the riot act to house owners, declaring zero tolerance for any violation of the building codes and the unwarranted loss of human lives usually recorded.

Speaking at a media interactive session, the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, (LASBCA), Dr. Abimbola Animashaun, said the target of the agency is to achieve a zero incident of building collapse in the state every month through strict monitoring and enforcement of the appropriate building codes.

In apparent reference to the rising death toll that followed the collapse of a six-storey building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in

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Ikotun, where over 80 persons have been confirmed dead and several injured, she vowed that government would be stricter in ensuring that property owners and developers adhere to global best practices across all the phases of building construction.

She said, “We’ll seal any construction site where the work is not being done properly. We’ll seal any defaulting structure where the builder has no approval. We will seal any site whenever we see a dangerous structure being constructed, and we can seal for a lot of reasons. ‘‘Even if you have approval and you are not complying, we will shut your site. For example, if someone was granted the approval to build a bungalow and now has a storey building, we will not hesitate to take action; we

will seal it immediately.”

Animashaun further berated builders and developers who are in the habit of short-circuiting laid down procedure, warning them to desist from such conduct as government would no longer tolerate them.

“People don’t like to abide by the rules, they like to deviate from the approval and this is where we stand that no one can do that. When you are caught, you will be penalised and it can also lead to the removal of your structure. If a foundation has been designed to carry a specific weight and now you are overloading it, definitely there will be a collapse. We are here to ensure that there is no collapse and no loss of life. This is something that we are strictly going to enforce,” she said.

NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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Buhari inaugurates distribution of 223 PHC ambulances in Sokoto Adamu SULEIMAN, Sokoto ORMER Nigeria's Military leader, General Muhammadu Buhari(rtd) yesterday concluded a two day official visit to Sokoto with the flagging off of the distribution of 225 ultra-modern ambulances purchased for Primary health centres across the 23 local governments of the state.

The distribution is aimed at enhancing efficiency and effective healthcare service delivery to people of the state, particularly those at the grassroots.

Speaking at the distribution venue of the ambulances, the former Military Head of State who acknowledged the strides by governor Wamakko, also remarked that he was elated, saying " I am happy to be part of the success story of Wamakko in the last seven years."

Buhari, an APC Chieftain had commissioned and inspected several projects executed by the state government.

According to him, "the facts and figures have spoken for themselves. This came out of a clear and sound mind. " This is very well thought of, practical, and the application is practicable," he added.

However, the former Presidential candidate added that Wamakko deserved praise for the gesture. He also noted that the people of Sokoto would realise what he(Wamakko) has done after he has gone to the Senate.

In his speech, Governor Aliyu Wamakko said the ambulances were fully equipped and staffed with facilities, Medical Doctors, Nurses and other related personnel.

He explained that the ambulances were equipped to serve as mobile clinics and to provide emergency healthcare services to the people of the state, before seeking for referral services. " A committee of retired civil and public servants had been established for each of the 225 benefiting Primary health centres. " Theses committees will work together with the various ward development committees to ensure that the centres, the ambulances and other health facilities are properly and judiciously used," he added.

Earlier at the distribution venue, the state Commissioner for Local Governments, Alhaji Faruk Malami said that 1,700 health personnel from different cadres had been recruited and deployed to man the health centres under the consolidated health salary structure.

He said the gesture was part of Wamakko's comprehensive and integrated development strategy intended to cover every sector and section of the society. " These ambulances will serve as referral service vans, at the same time provide outreach services to areas that are hard-toreach in terms of conveying patients who require urgent medical attention," he added.

Malami further disclosed that the state government had subscribed to the National Midwifery scheme which had increased the health workers' ratio. "2 nos, 3 bedroom houses had been constructed by the administration in each of these 225 health centres to accommodate the health personnel operating these clinics, which has further positioned Sokoto state to become the first to have fulfilled the National Ward Minimum Health Package," Malami stated.

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Group drums support for Kwankwaso

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HEAD of All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, which is billed to hold next month, a group of Nigerian professionals in the United Kingdom, The Kwankwasiya Ambassadors of Nigeria (KAN Diaspora), has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to support the presidential ambition of the current governor of Kano State, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

According to a statement signed by the coordinator of the group, Dr. Ibrahim Emokpaire and its Media Director, Ladi Vera-Cruz, it regretted that Nigeria has not been fortunate to have had good leaders since independence.

The group therefore said the current governor of Kano State, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has all it takes to bring Nigeria out of the doldrums.

“The KAN (Diaspora) believes that of all our new generation leaders, His Excellency, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Executive Governor of Kano State stands out as an avant-garde progressive leader with deep understanding of our national mood and the uncommon courage and vision to halt the national decay that is plaguing Nigeria currently.”

The group called on Nigerians to support Kwankwaso’s quest to bring change to Nigeria, adding, that “he has the pedigree, the experience, proven track records of service delivery, and above all, a fearless advocate of change. His agenda of sustainable and positive change in Nigeria remains the best alternative to the state of helplessness Nigerians have been subjected to, by the PDP led federal government.”

KAN Diaspora condemned the present situation the country has found itself, due to bad leadership. “There is no coherent national policy or strategic vision to build and maintain our basic national physical and social infrastructures. The decay in our national educational system has reached a new low that our graduates cannot compete with graduates from other emerging or medium economy. Life expectancy has plummeted due to abysmal and pathetic healthcare.

“There is no political will on the part of PDP federal government to seriously address the depraved and perennial scourge of corruption in high places that has plagued the country unchecked for decades.

• Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in a handshake with Mr. Paul Edwards of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria during a courtesy call on the former Vice President at his residence in Abuja... yesterday

Gov. Al-Makura sacks 8 commissioners, 5 aides

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ov. Umaru AlMakura of Nasarawa State on Friday dropped eight commissioners and other aides, including his Director of Press.

A statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Hajiya Zainab Abdulmumin, and made available to newsmen in Lafia said the removal took immediate effect.

The affected commissioners were Mr Angama Weibey, Rural and Community Development;

Mr Sani Yakubun-Hauwa, Education, Science and Technology, and Mr Innocent Lagi, AttorneyGeneral/Commissioner for Justice.

Others were Mr Danladi Madaki, Agriculture and Water Resources; Mr Adamu Adogi, Environment and Natural Resources; Mr Godwin Mbatsav, Sports and Youth Development, and Mr Samuel Meshi, Culture and Tourism.

Mr Amos Akawu, the state Commissioner for

Planning and Deputy Chairman, Nasarawa State Planning Commission, was also dropped.

Similarly, the Director of Press, Iliyasu Yakubu; Executive Secretary, Nasarawa State Scholarship Board, Malam Sulaiman Abdul-Wahab, and Dr Idris Abdullahi, Executive Secretary, Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, were affected by the exercise.

Also affected were Mr Daniel Ajegina, the Managing Director,

Nasarawa Investment and Property Development Company, and Mr Murtala Adogi, Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Empowerment.

According to the statement, the affected officials had been directed to handover to their Permanent Secretaries or their immediate subordinates on or before Sept. 23.

It however also expressed Al-Makura’s appreciation of the affected persons, for their contributions to his administration.

(NAN)

Soldiers uncover hideout of gunmen in Jos HE Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crisis code named "Operation Safe Heaven" has said it has discovered the hideout of gunmen who invaded Mbar village of Bokkos local government of Plateau State.

Four of the suspected gunmen were arrested when the special task force stormed their hideout.

The task force confirmed that the suspected gunmen were those who attacked Mbar community last Sunday where they killed 5 members of the community and set over 20 residential houses ablaze.

Among victims of the gunmen attack on Mbar community included a 40 year old woman and her two children.

In a press statement by the task force, signed by its media officer Captain Ikedichi Iweha, the STF said it traced the gunmen to their hideout and over powered them after a gun battle with the gunmen.

The statement said, "In keeping with the tradition of the STF of updating the general public with developments as they occur, the STF hereby states that following the Commander STF’s visit to Mbar, his deployment of additional personnel to comb the entire hills and surrounding bushes and resources to

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Yusufu Aminu IDEGU, Jos complement troops search, head way is gradually being made.

It said, "A middle aged man has been arrested in connection with the attack on Mbar community. He was arrested in the hills surrounding mbar community, following troops tracking of the trail of the attackers. Twenty three rounds of 5.65mm and 5 cartridges of ammunition were recovered from him. Search of the general area is in progress and investigation is ongoing.

"Similarly, a middle aged man has been arrested for illegally being in possession of a

fire arm. He was arrested at Kugot in Barkin Ladi Local Government Council. He claimed the riffle belonged to his community as he was part of the community vigilante group. No member of the community corroborated his story or came forward with prove of ownership of the riffle. An AK 47 riffle and 30 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were recovered from him. All four suspects have been handed over to the Police for prosecution" The Special Task Force reiterates its readiness to respond to any act of criminality and all forms of threat reported to it promptly. Residents within its area of operational respon-

sibility are equally assured of their safety always.

STF said, "It took a lot of efforts to restore the prevailing peace to the state and would not fold its arm to allow all the efforts wasted through the activities of unknown gunmen" The STF therefore solicits for timely information from members of the community.

It reassures members of the general public of its determination to protect lives of law abiding citizens. We also continue to thank the good people of Plateau State for their co-operation in providing prompt information to security agencies on issues bordering on public safety.

Stanbic IBTC bank donates bus to Benue varsity commercial bank, Stanbic IBTC, on Friday donated a 30seater bus to the Benue State University (BSU) to ease its transportation challenges.

The Regional Manager, Mr Alex Ayabam, who made the donation on behalf of the bank, said the bank appreciates the state government for its patronage.

Ayabam restate the commitment of the bank to continue its support to the state towards uplifting the

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living standard of the people.

Receiving the bus on behalf of the university, Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue commended the bank for the gesture.

He said the bus would assist the university in tackling some of its transportation challenges.

The governor urged the university management to put it to proper use.

Suswam said the university was a special project to him and promised that he

would continue to support its programmes even after his tenure as governor.

Responding, the ViceChancellor, Prof. Charity Angya, thanked the management of the bank for living up to its corporate social responsibilities.

She also commended the governor for his efforts towards the growth of the university and assured that the institution would continue to contribute its quota to the development of the society. (NAN)

THE NATION

60 NEWS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

APC alleges plot to assassinate Rivers gov Amaechi

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HE National Vice Chairman, SouthSouth of the All Progressive Congress(APC), Prince Hilliard Etagbo Eta has alleged plans to assassinate Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, warning that such action will give rise to a major unrest in the south-south region of the country.

Prince Eta also asked the federal government to immediately arrest and interrogate Dr. Abiye Sekibo who was fingered in the murder of Harry Marshal by the Australian, Stephen Davis allegedly contracted by the government to negotiate the release of the Kidnapped Boko Haram girls.

Speaking in an interview that the recent assassination of the Uncle of the Rivers state governor was carried out by those who are aiming for the life of the governor.

He said that the APC will not accept nag attempt on the life of the governor.

He said: "Last week, we lost the uncle of our gover-

nor in Rivers state and in our place, there is a saying that if you see fire on the beard of a goat, it is aiming for its fore head. Over the period of altercation between our governor and the PDP, we Are aware that the killing of Amaechi is a priority for the PDP and because they have failed, they have tended to go for the soft belly of the man.

"If gives us an impression that the PDP is not yet resigned with regards to its intention to eliminate Amaechi. Let me therefore serve a note of warning that when they killed Ken Saro Wiwa, we kept quite; they killed Harry Marshal, we kept quite. They killed Dokubo, we kept quite.

"We will sound it to the hearing of the Federal Government and it's hirings in the south south that should anything happen to Amaechi, the south south and indeed Nigeria shall see no rest.

"If the PDP is intending to take over the reign of River State, we happily advised

Boko Haram attacks Borno market, kills scores

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AINOK market, 56 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital came under Boko Haram attack on Thursday, leaving scores of buyers and sellers dead.

The insurgents robbed their victims of money and foodstuff, military sources said yesterday.

Mainok is located on the Kano/Damaturu/ Maiduguri highway.

Witnesses said the terrorists struck at about 1.30pm when business was in full swing.

A traveller, Hassan Maina who was on his way to Damaturu said he and his fellow travellers were almost caught in the firing spree of the insurgents.

He said it was the heavy sounds of the gun shots that alerted them to the danger

Duku JOEL, ahead .

He said: "Hundreds of traders and residents fled the market in confusion, running to cross the highway to the other side while vehicles passing through the town were also making attempts to escape. It was such confusion."

"Many people may have been killed judging from the way the insurgents were shooting at the crowd. Vehicles were hitting one another and the Boko Haram kept shooting," he added.

Another source said that the attackers first fired a Rapid Propelled Grenade (RPG) into the market before they started shooting.

"The death toll may be high because there were many people in the market," the source said.

them to do so democratically and not through the coercion of the instrument of state and the hiring of assassins all over the south south. Let me say if clearly. If anything happen too Amaechi, there will not be moment peace; not even for a second in the whole of the south south, our position is that nothing must happen to Amaechi".

Speaking on the revelation by Stephen Davis accusing former minister of Transport as being responsible for the killing of Chief Harry Marshal, he said "We had expected that the authority would take up some of the silent issues as disclosed by the Austrelian, Stephen Davis.

But unfortunately no action has followed those revela-

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a lot in the last 20 years.

They are in a post-conflict behaviour, there is lack of trust obviously between these populations and the different governments for the three countries," Formenty told a news briefing in Geneva upon return from Liberia.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are reeling from the Ebola epidemic that has killed at least 2,630 since March, including eight in Nigeria, according to WHO figures.

"We need to continue the combat against Ebola, we need to investigate these murders, but it should not stop us. We should continue the dialogue with the community, we should continue to explain our work, continue to show our empathy with the victims, with the families, with the communities," Formenty said.

"Without that we will not be able to make our messages understood by the population. And we will not be able to control it (the outbreak),"

death of that very important personality.

"According to what Davis recounted, I read that information sad passed to our former President that the former Minister of Transport, Chief Abiye Sekibe was linked to the death of Harry Marshal.

"I think that it is important that Sekibo be interrogated so that the police can now give us the answers to the many questions that has not been answered over the years. We have a name now and I think that the police can start from there. We have not heard that he has been invited by the police in connection with this crime. We need to see such actions.

"If somebody has been ac-

cused or named as a mastermind in a crime of this nature, the least anyone would expect in a civilized society is that he will be invited by the police to answer certain questions. Except if the police are saying that the arrest or invitation of politically exposed persons in Nigeria is not one of the methods used for investigations.

"It is almost one month now and we have not read anywhere that Abiye Sekibo has been invited to answer to the allegations of his culpability in the heinous crime of the murder of Harry Marshal.

Except if the Nigeria police has a different method from other police formations in the world in unravelling crimes of this nature".

Scots spurn independence in historic vote but demand new powers

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COTLAND is to remain part of the United King dom after spurning independence in Wednesday’s historic referendum.

The referendum had threatened to rip the UK apart, sow financial turmoil and diminish Britain’s remaining global clout.

A vote for the 307-year union came as a relief for millions of Britons including Prime Minister David Cameron, whose job was on the line, as well as allies across the world who were horrified at the prospect of the United Kingdom's separation.

A delighted Cameron said yesterday that the victory margin of around 55%-45% had settled the issue "for a generation... perhaps for a lifetime".

Speaking outside Downing Street, Mr Cameron said he would ensure that commitments to further devolution to Scotland made during the campaign would be "honoured in full".

Earlier, Scottish National Party First Minister Alex Salmond acknowledged that his dream of leading his nation to independence was over, telling supporters in Edinburgh: "Scotland has by

Killings in Guinea show mistrust in Africa Ebola fight – WHO HE killing in Guinea of eight people trying to educate locals about Ebola showed how much rural populations in West Africa mistrust authorities after years of instability and conflict, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.

Eight bodies were found after an attack on a team visiting remote southeastern Guinea, a government spokesman said on Thursday, showing the dangers faced by health workers fighting the deadly virus that is surrounded by suspicion and stigma.

Guinea was crippled by decades of corruption and political instability, and the other countries worst hit by the outbreak, Sierra Leone and Liberia, suffered civil wars in the 1990s. The legacy of these traumas now poses a risk to health workers battling Ebola, WHO expert Pierre Formenty said.

"This population in the forested area has really suffered

tions by the authority. This to my mind is what should be addressed.

"If at the time of his killing, the police and other security agencies involved in the investigations put their hands down in frustration as to who was behind his killing, I think a clue has been given to us by Stephen Davis and that clue should be pursued with all seriousness, that is absent as we speak.

"If is not right that the killing of Harry Marshal should be left unattended to when new facts have emerged. I have the responsibility of reminding government that this was an illustrious son of my zone and his murder should be unravelled so that we will bring to closure the

he said.

Asked whether the WHO epidemiologists and other aid workers would take extra security measures, he said: "Vis-a-vis the additional precautions, the zero risk does not exist.

"We have of course security training, a battery of security measures. But things like that can happen.We all know that and we still want to continue to fight and stop this outbreak."

The virus is spreading in the Liberian capital Monrovia, where there is a high number of cases and a "vacuum" of authority in many areas of the city of around one million, Formenty said.

"We are trying to help also some communities who have started to develop home care interventions," he said "Because at the moment the number of beds available in Monrovia are not enough to cope with the number of probable cases that have been detected," he said.

a majority decided not at this stage to become an independent country.

"I accept that verdict of the people and I call on all of Scotland to follow suit in accepting the democratic verdict of the people of Scotland."

US President Barack Obama welcomed the referendum result, congratulating the Scottish people for a "full and energetic exercise of democracy".

"We have no closer ally than the United Kingdom, and we look forward to continuing our strong and special relationship with all the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as we address the challenges facing the world today," he said in a statement.

Opponents of independence won 55 percent of the vote while separatists won 45

percent with all 3.6 million votes - a record 85 percent turnout - counted. But leaders from across the United Kingdom said the union must change if it is to endure.

Unionists cheered, kissed and drank wine and beer in Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city where secessionists won, while nationalist leader Alex Salmond conceded defeat in Edinburgh, which supported the United Kingdom.

Cameron said the question of Scottish independence had been settled for a generation.

"There can be no disputes, no re-runs, we have heard the settled will of the Scottish people," he said outside his official London residence in Downing Street.

The campaign for independence had electrified this country of 5.3 million but also divided the passions of friends and families from the

remote Scottish islands of the Atlantic to the tough city estates of Glasgow.

Sterling strengthened sharply against the dollar and the euro on the result. British bonds and shares rose while major British companies with Scottish exposure welcomed the decision.

Royal Bank of Scotland said it had scrapped plans to move its registered office to England.

Speaking in front of an image of a giant white on blue Scottish flag, Salmond laced his admission of defeat with a warning to British politicians in London that they must respect their last minute promise of more powers for Scotland.

"Scotland will expect these to be honored in rapid course," said Scotland's first minister before walking off the stage, his head bowed.

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THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 19-09-14

Stock closes on positive note

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HE equities market closed yesterday on a positive note, as NSE ASI appreciated by +0.90% to close at 41,049.27 basis points, compared with the -0.11% depreciation recorded previously. Its Year-to-Date (YTD) returns currently stands at 0.68%.

Forte Oil, Conoil and Cadbury among others led to 0.30 per cent loss in the stock market.

The NSE All-Share Index depreciated by 120.85 points or 0.30 percent to close at 40,648.15 as against the 40,769.00 achieved all through the week. Similarly, the market capitalisation went down by N40 billion to close at N13.422 trillion from the N13.462 trillion posted on Monday.

Forte Oil led the losers’ chart

By Taofik Salako, Capital Market Editor

by N2.82 to close at N221 per share. Conoil lost N2.65 to close at N50.51 while Cadbury shed N2.51 to close at N52.50 per share.

Flourmill lost N1.70 to close at N62.0, while Nigerian Breweries dropped by N1.13 to close at N175 per share.

Conversely, Okomu Oil recorded the highest price gain of 73 kobo to close at N33.98 per share. It was trailed by Julius Berger gaining 55 kobo to close at N19.40, while Champion appreciated by 41 kobo to close at N8.70 per share.

International Breweries and Portland Paints chalked up 25 kobo each to close at N28.41 and N5.34 per share respectively.

In all, investors bought

519.12 million shares valued at N4.21 billion in 4,573 deals as against 47.74 billion shares valued at N2.8 billion traded in 4,084 deals.

Diamond Bank emerged the most traded equity, accounted for 293.96 million shares valued at N1.91 billion.

Aiico Insurance came second with 71.22 million shares worth N63.25 million, while Transcorp accounted for 28.19 million shares valued N165.84 million.

FBN Holdings traded 14.4 million shares worth 209.44 million, while Zenith Bank exchanged 11.07 million shares valued at N268.48 million.

The NSE has announced that its 53rd Annual General Meeting will be holding on September 24, 2014 on the stock exchange building, Lagos.

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 19-09-14

THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

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SPORT EXTRA

Keshi ranked as best African coach

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UPER Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has been ranked as the best national team coach in Africa in the latest ranking released by a leading coaching statistics agency for national team coaches.

Keshi continues to top the poll for coaches on the continent, despite Nigeria’s unimpressive start to the 2015 AFCON qualifiers.

Coaching rating agency, Football Coach World Ranking, named the Big Boss in the 14th position with former Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah a distant second in the 32nd position.

The ranking of the top 50 coaches is dominated by managers who coached at the

World Cup, with the top 15 almost exclusively for those who excelled at the World Cup with the exception of Spain’s Vicente Del Bosque who is placed second even though his side crashed in the group stage.

World Cup-winning coach, Joachim Low of Germany, tops the ranking with Oscar Tabarez of Uruguay in third position.

TOP TEN 1. Joachim Low 2. Vincente Del Bosque 3. Cesare Prandelli 4. Paolo Jorge Gomes Bento 5. Jurgen Klinsmann 6. Louis Van Gaal 7. Fernando Santos 8. Jose Pekerman 10. Jose Manuel de la Torre

• Keshi

Abuja could host Eagles AFCON qualifiers ITH all the national teams playing their home games predominantly in Calabar and Kaduna, General Secretary of the Nigeria football federation, Musa Amadu has hinted that national team home games could be returned to the Abuja National Stadium.

The national teams have rarely played in Abuja over the last couple of years, due the poor state of the pitch at some point, choosing to either play at the UJ Esuene Sta-

W

dium in Calabar, or the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.

The Falconets were the last national team to play at the Abuja National Stadium, during their qualifiers for the FIFA U20 Women World Cup in Canada.

And Amadu has served the biggest hint yet that national team games, could return to the 60,000 capacity stadium.

“The National Sports Commission has worked tirelessly to ensure that it (stadium) is pristine and ready for inter-

national matches. If there is a need for all national team matches to be played in Abuja, we will look at all the logistics surrounding such proposals,” he began.

“We will definitely give it a serious thought and see if such can happen again,” he said.

Amadu however posited that the conditions have to be right for the national team games to be returned to Abuja.

“The most important thing is for us to play our matches in an atmosphere where se-

curity is guaranteed, both for the visiting team and for us and for us to play those matches without any hitches whatsoever,” he added.

The Golden Eaglets will play the return leg of the CAF U17 qualifier against Gabon next weekend but that game will not be played in Abuja. The earliest Abuja can get a game, it would seem, will be in October when the Super Eagles host their Sudanese counterparts in a 2015 AFCON qualifier, and that is subject to confirmation from the NFF.

Ike Uche injury not serious, says coach

V

ILLARREAL manager Marcelino Garcia has stated that the injury sustained by Ikechukwu Uche in the build-up to the equalizer against Borussia Mönchengladbach in their Europa League tie is not serious.

With the Yellow Submarine trailing their German opponents 1-0, the Nigeria international, who just returned from injury, was introduced in the 67th minute.

And he only needed a minute to score his first goal in Europe after receiving a pass from Manu Trigueros.

Uche clashed with Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Sommer, and had to be replaced five minutes after he came on to the pitch.

It was thought the Super Eagles forward sustained a knee injury, but coach Marcelino has calmed the nerves of the Villarreal faith-

ful, saying he only suffered a dead leg. ‘’After getting the equalizer, the injury for Uche hurt our chances, but he’s suffered nothing serious,’’ Marcelino told reporters at a press conference.

Thursday night’s tie at the Stadion in Borussia-Park was Ikechukwu Uche’s first game for club and country in more than three weeks, after spending time on the sidelines as a result of a sore muscle.

The 30-year-old has scored four goals in his last five matches for Villarreal in all competitions, dating back to his 22nd minute strike against Rayo Vallecano on May 10, 2014.

New NFF to decide on Keshi

I

T is now clear that the new executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will decide on Stephen Keshi’s future as the Super Eagles head coach.

Supersport.com has been informed by NFF administrative sources that the future of Keshi has been kept in view pending when a new football federation board is elected into office.

The NFF extraordinary general assembly is expected to take place this Saturday in Warri to decide

on the date and venue of the elections into the football federation.

Supersport.com sources stated that the new Nigerian FA executives are expected to tie up a deal with Keshi if they agree on terms ahead of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Sudan in Omdurman and in Abuja or Calabar.

The sources claim that the NFF has assured Keshi that it will have a contract in place for him before the double-header against

• Ikechukwu Uche lying on the pitch on Thursday night injured

Sudan once terms are agreed upon.

“Right now nothing has been agreed with Keshi or his representatives. But he still remains the man in the driving seat irrespective of the Super Eagles’ poor start to their title defence in the qualifiers of the Africa Cup of Nations. The NFF has made it clear that the Super Eagles will have a coach in place before the matches against Sudan if his terms are met financially.

“And yes, Keshi is still in talks with the NFF and it is very likely now that the new NFF board will be the one to conclude an agreement with him. So it is a waiting process till the new NFF board is elected,” supersport.com was told.

Talks between Keshi and the NFF had been ongoing before the infraction over the governance of the country’s football federation meant discussions were put on hold.

Keshi, in spite of being out of contract with Nigeria after the 2014 Fifa World Cup, accepted to manage the African champions through two of their Afcon qualifiers against Congo and South Africa on the sports ministry’s agreement.

Eagles’ fall guy • Continued from back page to have used that squad as the pivot of their subsequent matches. Instead, they got excited and almost changed the squad members wholesale in the next game after the Africa Nations Cup conquest. I had thought that the Eagles’ disappointing 1-1 draw against Kenya in Calabar should have served as a warning to the coaches to retain the cupwinning squad. It didn’t; they continued under the guise of rebuilding. It also became impossible to correct them, since they were enjoying rave reviews from the public, following their Cup of Nations feat.

Our reluctance to call these coaches to order is chiefly responsible for the slide in our fortunes. If we think that we can beat Sudan at home, we must be joking. The Sudanese are worried about their team’s dwindling fortunes and would want to stop the rot either by beating Nigeria or playing for a draw. Besides, the deplorable pitch and inclement weather conditions could give them the fillip to beat us since our players would be grappling with the aforementioned conditions. We can overcome the Sudanese if we storm Omdurman with our armada of fit stars most of who would be challenged to give their best.

Emmanuel Emenike’s goal drought can be traced to the midfield formation that the Eagles play. At the Africa Cup of Nations, he enjoyed a telepathic understanding with Brown Ideye and Sunday Mba. This has been broken by the coaches’ mindless tinkering of the squad using all manner of players.

Rather than replace the noticeable ageing players with emerging stars from our age grade national teams, our coaches invited wastepipes from novelty leagues in Europe, the Americas and the Diaspora. The coaches refused to subject their lists to scrutiny. It got so bad that we invited ineligible players such as Efe Ambrose for one of such matches. We were saved the embarrassment by one NFF chief, who checked the books and found that the Celtic of Scotland star had bagged the maximum number of yellow cards.

Elsewhere, when players are picked for games, ardent followers of the beautiful game understand the reasons for such choices. Those coaches pick players doing well for their European and local teams. What this guarantees is the fitness of their players, their mental alertness and zeal to win matches which they would have acquired playing for their clubs.

Our coaches must learn how to see the Eagles as our team not their property. They must change their style of dropping players that they don’t like. They must learn from managers like Mourinho, who was criticised by

Eden Hazard, yet recommended a bumper wage increase for the Chelsea star for the next five years at Stamford Bridge.

There are several ways of enforcing discipline. It should never be to the detriment of the Eagles which is what we are faced with. If the team had been doing well, no one would be advocating for their return. Our coaches can redeem themselves by picking our best always.

Weekly, we see other national teams’ managers watch their wards in big European clubs. These technical men use the opportunity to meet with such clubs chiefs to find out how their boys are faring. Those who don’t play due to injury get consoled by their coaches just as the cause of their injuries are established. Nothing is left to chance. There are no cases of inviting injury-hit players for international assignments.

The advantage of such visits is that they help the managers see the specific positions in which their wards perform best. Perhaps, if our coaches toed this path, they would have asked Mourinho what informed his decision to field Mikel in defensive midfield role than his traditional offensive position. Mourinho would allay their fears about the bench role to which the Nigerian has found himself. This could also be the platform to exchange numbers, and routinely rub minds with the Special One on tactics and players’ management.

A coaching relationship with Mourinho is worth all the money and time that our coaches spend sleeping at home or being guests of television stations during European league games. Recall that the ‘White witch doctor’ Phillipe Troussier got the Nigerian job courtesy a recommendation from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Our coaches must accept that they have failed us with their choice of players. Indeed, Nigeria’s number football supporter, Dr. Raufu Ladipo, on Thursday lampooned them insisting they should forgive players who have offended them by picking them for Nigeria’s next matches. Ladipo admonished the coaches further when he said: “We in Nigeria know that football is one thing that keeps us united. It is one thing that gives us joy. So, I’m using this opportunity to tell Keshi and his technical crew that they need to open up the space for other players to come in because presently, more than 30 per cent of the players that we are parading have no business in the national team.”

One sincerely hopes that the coaches will heed Ladipo’s warning. Only the best is good enough for Nigeria. There can’t have be a better time for this advice than now when Nigeria is rated sixth in Africa at a time we are the continental champions Oba Khato Okpere, Ise!

THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

63

SPORT EXTRA

Van Gaal keen on Ronaldo return

• Ronaldo

L

OUIS van Gaal would be interested in bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, but the Manchester United manager does not think Real Madrid are willing to sell him.

Speculation that Ronaldo is interested in a return to United increased this week when former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claimed the Portuguese super star was “fed up” at the club’s decision to sell a number of players, including Angel di Maria, who is now playing under Van Gaal at Old Trafford.

The United manager did little to quash those rumours at his pre-match press conference on

Friday.

When asked whether he could bring Ronaldo back to United, where he enjoyed six successful years, Van Gaal said: “Yes, but it’s always a discussion in the papers, and I don’t think the media shall buy Ronaldo.”

When pushed on the matter again, the United manager said: “It is possible.

“That’s what I have said with Falcao. Players like Ronaldo give a lot of extra to a team, but I don’t think Real Madrid shall sell him.”

Ronaldo won eight major trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson before moving to the Bernabeu five years ago in a then worldrecord £80million transfer.

The current world player of the year, now 29, hinted last month he would be interested in moving back to his former club.

“I love Manchester and you never know in football. Of course I’m happy at Real Madrid; it’s my home, it’s my club, but United treated me unbelievably, so you never know,” Ronaldo told MUTV before United played Real Madrid during their tour of the United States of America.

“I am still in contact with some people there because I had a good relationship with everybody - it was like my second family.”

Mourinho confirms Costa will start against Man City

J

OSE Mourinho has confirmed Diego Costa will start against Manchester City this weekend as Chelsea continue to manage his injury problems.

Costa has consistently struggled with his hamstrings in recent months, and the issue flared up again during Spain’s international friendly against France earlier this month.

The Brazil-born striker has been in scintillating form since moving to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in the closeseason, with his seven goals in four Premier League outings helping Mourinho’s side to a maximum haul of 12 points.

Costa was surprisingly left on the bench for Chelsea’s 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw with Schalke in midweek, and Mourinho revealed after that game that the 25year-old is unable to start sev-

• Costa

eral matches in quick succession due to his troublesome hamstring.

“Everybody is ready to play,” the Portuguese said at a news conference on Friday. “Diego is not in the best condition but he will start the game.”

Pellegrini rejects Toure criticism

M

ANUEL Pellegrini has dismissed criticism of midfielder Yaya Toure’s performances ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Chelsea on Sunday.

The Ivory Coast international was instrumental in City’s

• Toure

2013-14 title-winning campaign, scoring 20 Premier League goals in 35 appearances as Pellegrini’s men clinched the crown by two points ahead of Liverpool.

After representing his country at the World Cup in Brazil, Toure has featured in three of City’s four top-flight matches so far this term.

The 31-year-old missed last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal, and was far from his best in City’s last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Toure’s lethargic performance at the Allianz Arena has drawn widespread criticism in the media but, speaking on Friday, Pellegrini jumped to the defence of the former Barcelona man.

“I don’t agree that Yaya has all the responsibility for the games,” he said. “He always has commitment.”

Apam to join Martins at Seattle Sounders F

ORMER Super Eagle Onyekachi Apam is set to sign for MLS side Seattle Sounders.

The twenty-seven-year-old defender is set to be announced by the American club in the next twenty-four hours.

He will join fellow Nigerian Obafemi Martins at the Seattle side.

Sounderatheart.com reports that Apam, who previously played in France at Rennes

and Nice, joined prior to the transfer deadline, but will only be announced at a later time.

Apam, who had previously been linked to a number of English clubs, has had an injury-ridden career, however he was captain of the Nice side for a while.

He has been inactive for a while now since leaving Rennes at the beginning of the year, and will be looking to revive his career at Sounders.

MVP Oshoala delighted with national honour

F

IFA U-20 Women’s World Cup MVP Asisat Oshoala has said she is delighted to be presented with a national award by the

• Apam

LATEST FIFA RANKINGS

Chukwu blames Eagles slump on AFCON qualifiers

F

ORMER Nigerian manager, Christian Chukwu has attributed the Super Eagles’ unimpressive performances in the last two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa for their slide in the latest Fifa ranking released on Thursday.

The African champions dropped four places to the 37th in the world and are now sixth in Africa behind Algeria, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal.

The 2013 AFCON champions started the defence of their Afcon title early in the month with a 2-3 home loss to Congo in Calabar, and followed up with an uninspiring goalless draw against South Africa in Cape Town.

Chukwu said if the Nigerian squad organise themselves well by playing more quality friendlies as well as excel in the remaining Afcon qualifying matches, then their rating is certain to improve greatly.

“Fifa has their criteria for the monthly rankings which include the number of quality international matches played by each country among other graded matches.

“Of course,the last two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa didn’t help our course at all.

“The defeat at home to lowly-rated Congolese side was a huge setback even the

• Chukwu

barren draw against South Africa didn’t help the damage.

“I know for sure that whenever we organise ourselves well,win friendly matches as well as the remainders of the Afcon

matches we’re certain to come up again.

“So I don’t think there is any cause for alarm or worry but for us to do things right,” said the former Nigerian captain to supersport.com.

Falcons whitewash Yahya Umaru Boys Academy 5-1

N

IGERIA Senior Women’s team, Super Falcons recorded a 5-1 win against Yahya Umaru Boys academy,Abuja in a hard fought game played on Friday evening at the FIFA Goal Project pitch,Abuja.

Halimat Ayinde opened scoring in the 16th minute via a penalty when Asisat Oshoala was brought down in the box. Gloria Oroka scored the second goal when Asisat Oshoala turned provider for the second goal in the 35th minute.

Second half resumed with continuos pressure from Falcons as Asisat got a pass from defender Osinachi Ohale and she beautifully chipped the goal keeper for her own goal and the third for Falcons in the 50th minute.

Yet the Falcons mounted further pressure and the measure of their spirited effort was there for all to see when hardworking Asisat Oshoala gave a through pass to Iroka who scored her second and Falcons fourth goal in the 58th minute.

Falcons continued their impressive display as second half substitute Uchechi Sunday got the fifth goal in the 68th minute to seal their impressive performance.

Head coach Edwin Okon said he is happy with the result adding that he and his assistants will not be deceived by the result as there is still more work to be done on the team.

Super Falcons Vs Yahya Umaru Boys Academy Juliet Obi (Christy Oheriaku 60') ,Ugo Njoku (Sarah Nnodim 55') ,Osinachi Ohale,Josephine Chukwunonye (Blessing Edoho 73') ,Gloria Ofegbu (Ngozi Ebere 5 5 ' ) , O n y i n y e c h i Ohagugha (Evelyn Nwabuoku) ,Halimat Ayinde,Gloria Iroka (Chiwendu Ihezuo 73') ,Ngozi Okobi (Cecilia Nku 15'),Loveth Ayila (Stella Mbachu 56') ,Asisat Oshoala (Uchechi Sunday 56')

country’s President Goodluck Jonathan on September 29 in Abuja.

Asisat was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Golden Boot winner at the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.

“Well, I am really happy about it and I feel appreciated because it’s a good thing for one to be appreciated by her own nation” Asisat said.

The Rivers Angels player is currently in Super Falcons camp in preparation for the Africa Women Championship (AWC).

Also included in the list is captain of the U-20 silverwinning side, Patience Okaeme.

Other recipients of the national award are members of the conquering Golden Eaglets class of 2013, as well as coaches and backroom staff of the team.

• Oshoala

Mandzukic out for two weeks

A

TLETICO Madrid could be without Mario Mandzukic for up to two weeks as he recovers from having surgery on a broken nose.

The Croatia international striker suffered the injury after being elbowed in the faced by Olympiacos’ Pajtim Kasami in the opening stages of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League contest.

Mandzukic was able to play on for the entire match and found the net as Atletico were beaten 3-2 in their Group A opener.

Atletico announced on Wednesday that the forward was to have surgery, and an update was provided by club doctor Pedro Luis Llopis on Friday.

“He’s hoping to return to training on Sunday or Mon-

day,” the doctor explained in quotes reported by AS. “He trained the other day, before undergoing surgery which suggests how keen he is to get back with the squad.

“Under normal circumstances, a player with an injury like this would hope to be back playing in 15 days but if he wears a protective mask, he should be able to play within 10 days.

“He will be issued a personalised mask, the smallest and most comfortable one possible, although it’s always a little complicated to play whilst wearing one.”

Mandzukic’s estimated period of absence means he is scheduled to miss three La Liga games, with the Champions League match at home to Juventus on October 1 earmarked as a possible return date.

TOMORROWPUNCHLINE IN THE NATION

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.9, NO. 2975

While those doing petty trading are crying out loud against multiple taxation and levies, the Chime government went a step further to impoverish Enugu people by engaging in demolition of shops under the guise of recovering the original master plan of Enugu capital city

T

HE prime lesson of the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum is that centrifugal pulls are as powerful as centripetal forces in multinational states.

Fifty-five percent of voters opted for Scotland to remain in the United Kingdom while 45% wanted an independent Scotland. In a fundamental sense, it is a win-win situation. Yes, the UK remains intact but governance in that jurisdiction will never be the same again. As Alistair Darling, leader of the pro-union side aptly puts it, the Scottish people voted for positive change without needless separation.

British Prime Minister, Donald Cameron, has spoken of specific steps to be taken to strengthen regional autonomy not only for Scotland but also for England, Wales and Ireland within a given time frame. At the end of the day these reforms can only strengthen the UK. This column has always been reluctant to identify with those who sentimentally seek ethno-regional autonomy or separatism simply for the sake of it. Yes, it is imperative that powers, responsibilities and resources be considerably decentralised to strengthen Nigeria’s component units, reinforce our federal constitution and enhance the quality as well as efficiency of governance. Equally vital is the need for greater economic integration of the various geographically contiguous regions as a basis for accelerated national development. But none of this is incompatible with the existence of a strong and vibrant centre. A strong federal government and states that are substantially strengthened fiscally and statutorily are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, it can be a mutually reinforcing relationship as demonstrated by the commendable cooperation between the federal and state governments in combating the Ebola virus scourge.

It is unfortunate that the advocacy for regional integration in Nigeria has focussed more on political than the more critical economic integration. I have argued, for instance, that the call in some quarters for the creation of another layer of government at regional level is an unnecessary and wasteful duplication of bureaucracy that can only increase the cost of governance to the detriment of development. In the South-West, considerable time, energy and funds have been expended in the pursuit of regional integration. However, the ultimate futility of regional integration at the political level was demonstrated by the discordant tunes among South-West states’ delegates at the Jonathan National Conference. The focus must be on regional economic integration, which is less problematic to actualize and will be far more beneficial. Indeed, a key factor that influenced the outcome of the Scottish referendum was the strong economic ties that bind the various nations that comprise the United Kingdom together.

The visionary Chief Obafemi Awolowo had laid the foundation for the economic integration of the South-West with the estab-

Odu’a Investment and South West integration lishment of such viable mega public corporations as the Western Nigeria Development Corporation (WNDC), the Finance Corporation and the Western Nigeria Housing Corporation to facilitate the aggressive economic and commercial development of the region in the first republic. In his book on the life and times of Awolowo titled, ‘Unfinished Greatness’, Olufemi Ogunsanwo writes that

“WNDC spread its tentacles to manufacturing, banking, insurance, hotels and catering, property development and real estate. It floated a large number of companies and industries wholly owned by government or held in partnership with several foreign investors…More than half of these companies are still viable today and have been consolidated in the Odu’a Group of companies,

Re - Osoba, Amosun and the Lagos model •“We have overflogged this issue of Amosun/Osoba. I watched on a TV station when Aremo said nobody should beg him and if they beg him he will not accept Amosun. Aremo is playing God. What is his gain to destroy the house he built? Aremo does not like Amosun and he wants to destroy Amosun NOT APC.Amosun will win in 2015”, 08035313169 •“Osoba versus Amosun. Resolution of Ogun crisis could have been better handled before the congress but now it is too late with elected executives on ground”, 07057631041 •“Osoba is acting God by his actions and words. He wants to be the one yesterday, today and eternity. A maa n’loyunegbon si inu ti omodeammarinnile. That is, age has no corollary with wisdom. Amosun must act elderly now by allowing Osoba and his ilk to destroy all they want. Suffice to say history will remember them. Their type is not new in Yoruba history”, 08055679465 •“What actually is the problem in Ogun that Asiwaju and others can’t find solution to?

Apart from his sterling performance, civil servants in Ogun are about the best paid in Nigeria.

We civil servants in other states envy them but Amosun will win in 2015", 08035836859 •“Read your piece this morning in The Nation. I am 54 years old, not a politician, don’t live in Ogun state but from Ogun state. I visited Abeokuta last about 10 years ago, had cause to pass through sometime last month and I missed my way. I can’t believe what I saw in terms of development at least in Abeokuta. Please tell the Osobas of this world and his likes that dot the South-West it’s time they quit politics and allow these boys to perform. They have had their time and should let those of them performing to be and stop distracting them unnecessarily with sharing of party spoils”, 08033105727 •“As you write you also teach. Your degree of fairness is superbly high. May God continue to guide you”, 08037090389 •“The sins of Amosun cannot be forgiven by Osoba and his supporters for his efforts at defeating him in 2003. Senator Tinubu made Amosun ticket possible. Till date Amosun and his group is still regarded as alien in the party. Why? Let them stop saying ‘Se titi la ma je ni’. For eight years of OGD what were they eating? And the hawks are waiting. If they fail, they will all be losers but Amosun will be the hero of the electorate and respected in any party”, 08026537722 " Greetings. Like your piece on Amosun and Osoba. It is unfortunate Nigerians do not appreciate Shakespear's memorable words on actors. We,have our entrances and exits when on stage.

Nigerian politicians like Osoba do not think so. Osoba should be off the stage now. We do forget that he caused the loss of ACN to Daniel out of his inordinate ambition. He needs to be reminded how he will be remembered when the history of Ogun is written", 08037040688.

—Nnaji Nwobodo the largest conglomerate in the history of Nigeria with total assets in excess of 10 trillion Naira in 2004”.

There is no doubt that if the quality of governance achieved by Awolowo in the region had been sustained over the years, the Odu’a Investment Company would today be a major economic force to reckon with in Africa and even globally. It would be a major catalyst of the economic growth and integration of the region. Unfortunately, the company was also a victim of the visionless and criminally corrupt years of military misrule. But there is no use crying over spilt milk. The present crop of South-West governors has a historic responsibility to help restore the glory of the company and actualize its potentials as a potent vehicle for the economic transformation and integration of the region. To his credit, the immediate past Group Managing Director of the conglomerate, Alhaji Adebayo Jimoh, at least succeeded in stabilising the company and stemming its decline.

In May this year, Mr Adewale Raji was appointed as the new GMD/CEO of the Odu’a group. I reliably gathered that he was picked through a competitive selection process supervised by the internationally renowned KPMG advisory services. With a working experience that spans over 28 years, he rose to become Managing Director, Distribution Services, of PZ Cussons Nigeria Group in June 2005 and was appointed into the multinational’s executive board in 2006. Expectations are thus high that he has what it takes to take the Odu’a group to the next level. His predecessor had the luck of spending nine unprecedented years in office. Raji must not presume he will enjoy such luxury.

He thus has no choice but to think outside the box and hit the ground running in order to make an enduring impact in the shortest possible time.

For starters, I think the new GMD should consider such low hanging fruits as the company’s potentials in the hospitality industry. I am told that the Lagos Airport Hotel Limited is one of the financial pillars of the group. If that is true, the credit goes to a tenacious and ingenious management that is able to bring out the best in its workforce in difficult conditions. Massive investment to upgrade facilities, staff welfare and services in such subsidiaries as Lagos Airport Hotel as well as both Premier and Lafia Hotels in Ibadan can make them more competitive and turn them into veritable goldmines for the group.

And the South-West governors should work hard towards bringing in Lagos into the Odu’a group. It is unthinkable that the region’s strongest economy is not part of Odu’a Investment Company. Governors will come and go. Power will continuously change hands among different political parties. But Odu’a group will always remain. That is the beauty of economic integration.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

Eagles’ fall guy I

N times past, it was said that Nigerian coaches exhibited inferiority complex to wards our big stars from Europe such that they were not respected. Nigerian coaches who handled the Eagles were bereft of the modern day tactics to which most of our Europe-based stars were exposed. So, the trend of recruiting foreign coaches for the Eagles reigned just as it produced the results that we craved for. In fact, most Nigerian coaches who worked under foreign coaches in the Super Eagles were naïve with a few stooping to the extent of carrying the foreign coaches’ briefcases in public places such as the airport, in a bid to curry favour.

The general belief was that the appointment of some of our retired Europe-based stars would bridge the gap, just as it would finally throw into the dust bin our penchant for hiring foreign coaches, especially journeymen in the trade.

Indeed, many Nigerians celebrated the

decision to empower ex-internationals to train the national teams. They argued that current stars won’t dare underrate them, having watched them as kids play for the country and their European clubs. Indeed, the choice of the last two Eagles’ technical crew raised hope that Nigeria could realise the dream being among the league of countries whose coaches played and coached the national teams at the senior World Cup. I didn’t share in this sentiment because these ex-internationals haven’t been able to transit from being players to managers. Their coaching methods put a lie to the fact that they worked under great coaches. Most times, I’m not shocked by the flawed tactics which I reckon would haunt them while trying to instill discipline in those current stars who play under renowned coaches.

I was therefore not shocked to read Samson Siasia’s revelation that Chelsea star John Mikel Obi hates being rebuked. “Someone would have to talk to him. But to talk to Mikel,

you have to be ready for your own beating,’’ he said.

“From what we have seen and what people are talking about, they don’t think he is giving his best. But he should be able to criticise himself; he should do a self-critique. If he believes he is not doing well, he should to try and up his game.”

My heart sank reading this statement for the fact that Siasia nurtured Mikel to stardom. Besides, it is common knowledge that Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho chastised Mikel over the flaws in his game, yet the Nigerian has not beaten the Special One. Indeed, Mikel has granted interviews where he revealed his fear of Mourinho.

The truth is Mikel doesn’t reckon with our coaches simply because of their inability to improve on his game with their tactics and philosophy. His seemingly recalcitrant attitude rests with the fact that our coaches kowtow to him and make him feel indispensable.

Besides, our national team’s coaches’ mor-

bid fixation with where he played in the past has made the Chelsea star play the way he has been doing, knowing he cannot be substituted. Perhaps, if our coaches shocked him by dropping him from the list of invited players for some matches, he would sit up.

One cannot understand how Mikel is being made to play in the offensive midfield position in the Eagles, in spite of the fact that he has been playing in the defensive midfield position for Chelsea. At Chelsea, he distinguishes himself, so why can’t our coaches do the same. Why is Siasia trying to make Mikel the fall guy of the Eagles’ recent slide when he doesn’t pick himself for the coaches? I challenge the coaches to drop Mikel for the next two games and see if he won’t improve, especially if we beat Sudan handsomely in the two-legged ties in Omdurman and Abuja, like we are being told by the National Sports Commission (NSC).

The current Eagles’ slide can be traced to the coaches’ tin god status. Having groomed the Eagles to lift the Africa Cup of Nations diadem in South Africa last year, they ought

•Continued on Page 62

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