September 27, 2015

Newspaper of the Year

Hajj: Ex-INEC boss Jega’s brother among dead Appeal Court judge, Taraba Amirul Hajj and 2 wives also Page 5

Nigerian dead now 40, overall toll hits 769

THE VICTIMS 1. Justice Abdulkadir Jega (Presiding Judge, Court of Appeal, Abuja) 2. Musa Hassan Alkali 3. Dr. Hafsat Shittu 4. Professor Tijani Abubakar El-Miskin

5. Hajiya Bilikisu Yusuf 6. Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim (Panti Zing) 7. Two wives of Panti Zing 8. The Yagwals (2) 9. Three Kwara indigenes who went to through other states.

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Vol.09, No. 3351

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SUNDAY

N200.00

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

SENATE PRESIDENCY

PDP positions Mark, Ekweremadu, Akpabio Pg 4

What would he do next?

Ooni: Lafogido ruling house stakes claim Page 8

5 DEAD, OTHERS MISSING IN LAGOS BOAT MISHAP

Page 6

Pgs 9 & 10

SARAKI

4 killed as Page 6 gunmen attack DSS office

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

PAGE 2

CAPTURED

Seminary puts Pope-inspired beer on tap for Francis' stay

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t started out as a lark inspired by the frenzy over Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia: a limited-run beer for the local bars with a playful name and a label showing the pontiff raising a gold-hued goblet of the stuff.

Holy Wooder, a powerful Belgian-style tripel, was already a hit with the downtown happy hour crowd when the seminary hosting Pope Francis this weekend called to say it wanted some, too.

The Philadelphia Brewing Company gladly obliged, delivering a half-keg to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, just outside the city limits, late last week.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia confirmed the order.

"We don't usually do home deliveries, but we made an exception," brewery co-owner Bill Barton said.

Francis will sleep at the seminary, located on a pastoral 75 acres, and return there to rest between events. On Sunday, he will greet bishops from around the world and pose for a photograph with seminarians, recreating an image featuring Pope John Paul II in 1979.

Archdiocese spokesman Ken Gavin said Thursday that having the beer on tap at St. Charles is a fun way for seminarians to celebrate the pope's visit.

It's unclear if Pope Francis will sample the suds he inspired, or if the former nightclub bouncer even enjoys beer like his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The 88-year-old Benedict lifted a hearty stein to celebrate his birthday in April.

Holy Wooder has a 9.75 percent alcohol by volume, about twice the punch of a Budweiser.

The brewery jokingly says Holy Wooder "guarantees to cleanse your soul and set you on the path to righteousness."

The name, suggested by design intern Katy Loringer, is a play on the way many Philadelphians say "water." She drew the label, framing Francis' head with a stained-glass halo and replacing his cross with the brewery's bright red logo.

It's one of eight beers inspired by the pope's visit. Among the others are YOPO: You Only Pope Once, a pale ale; Papal Pleasure, a Belgian amber brewed in tanks blessed by a Catholic priest; and Jesus Wept, a German-style wheat beer.

History on wheels • The passing of Chief H. I. D. Awolowo has drawn a steady stream of sympathisers to the Awolowo's home in Ikenne, Ogun State.

Recent visitors there could not have missed this remarkable piece of Nigerian political history curated within the premises. The grey eight-seater Mercedes Benz limousine with registration number WR 1455 was bought by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1970. It was a vehicle he would later use in the course of his political campaigns.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

BAROMETER sunday@thenationonlineng.net

APC’s post-war dynamics

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igerians are anxiously waiting for the guns to fall silent on the All Progressives Congress (APC) war front.

Birthed in war, and suckled and weaned on war, the ruling party appears not to know any other way of life.

But it must come out of its eternal war mode if it is to offer the country the leadership Nigerians have craved for since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demolished or desecrated the country's value system.

Not counting its mini wars, the APC has managed to fight many other bitter wars such that no one is evaluating its ability to offer qualitative governance. In a way, however, as this column has repeatedly argued, the party is lucky to be fighting its wars early in life, before it becomes set in its ways. The PDP on the other hand fought its own wars in its maturity, and it fought to the death, to the bitter, remorseless and intransigent end.

The APC was expected to begin fighting itself in its formative years. It forbore, giving the impression that it knew its purpose in life and politics, and that its forebears were united in their shared grief over, and common distaste for, underdevelopment and general bureaucratic mediocrity. It had little problem in finding an

identity and a name, and hammering out a platform and an ideology. It also encountered little difficulty in assembling an interim executive to lead the party in its formative years, though a few testy incidents led to the resignation of one or two interim leaders. Overall, there were no major tremors, let alone aftershocks. And even when the public expected the party to fall apart while selecting its standardbearers, it held together strongly, enviably and sagaciously. Observers and voters alike were awed by the party's fleet-footed progression from anonymity to renown, and by the equanimity and apparent deliberateness of its methods.

But no sooner the APC swept the polls than it began to fray at the edges. Apart from the fact that many of its

governors are proving less effective than first thought, and little different in temperament and innovativeness from some of their predecessors, the party in fact seemed to have launched straight into war as it attempted to enthrone the leadership and principal officers of the National Assembly. It was a war many thought would be concluded in a week or two.

Instead it is proving interminable. Worse, it has grown to become a war with many spinoffs. Every tangential federal establishment or agency is being sucked into its red gullet. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has waded in to the fray to the anguished cries of partisanship and judicial politicisation. The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and

Saraki’s position increasingly untenable

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wo classes of observers are predicting the end of the Saraki regime in the Senate. On one hand are those who feel outraged by the moral contradictions of his leadership, consequent upon his financial and bookkeeping dealings; and on the other are those who, without paying close attention to the whys and wherefores of the case against him, suspect that he could not conceivably survive the intensity of the war levied against him by his increasing number of foes. Between these two

classes, Dr Saraki will come a cropper sooner rather than later. Few will be sorry to see him go. His APC comrades dismiss him as an implacable, unyielding young politician with overrated self-worth and competence. And his Kwara State friends and mentees tantalisingly see him as the only surviving obstacle to their political freedom and expression. It is not certain that his exit will bring about the utopia both groups yearn for, but they are nonetheless still anxious to see him go, at least as a first

step.

It is hard to see Dr Saraki surviving beyond the end of the year. If he does, it will not be because his fencing skill is anything to write home about; it will be because of the hesitations of his enemies, their fractiousness, and their unproductive war strategies. But whether this year or shortly thereafter, Dr Saraki will be unhorsed, if not by his fellow legislators, then by his enemies in and out of the legislature. Political obituarists can then in the comfort of their bedrooms

determine whether the Kwara-born lawmaker came to grief on account of the metaphysical consequence of his quarrel with his father in the Yoruba sense of the word or whether his ambition and poor judgement undid him.

Indeed, even if he had not encountered old warhorses in the party eager to do him i n , n e i t h e r h i s accomplishments nor his endowments would have been sufficient to see him proceed substantially beyond governing a state or being a floor member of the national legislature.

its draconian teeth, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), has also been dragged into the maelstrom to the amusement of mischievous playwrights and anatomists sharpening their pens and scalpels for a crude laparotomy on the beleaguered Senate President, Bukola Saraki. He in turn has assembled a clumsy menagerie of aspiring rebels and jaded iconoclasts eager to overthrow the party's leaders.

Having seethed for months, since June as a matter of fact, the war may be nearing its troubling end.

How that end will be procured is the big, disturbing question. All the APC now seems capable of is war. When the war is over, and peace, no matter how gingerly and tentative, has come, will the party

recognise it? Perhaps.

Meanwhile, it is taking consolation in the supposition that the immunity its wars and disagreements will confer on it will stand it in good stead in its adolescence. It will remember that the PDP had a rosy infancy and boyhood, only to succumb to the first major opportunistic infections of war. If the APC can avoid the infanticide its silly indulgences expose it to, and its internal rebels are incapable of the regicide they hanker after with the support of outsiders, it should look forward with more promise to surviving the inescapable ideological war that will soon follow.

In the coming ideological war, it is not clear whether party purists will take on the party's opportunistic wing. For in the APC, a mixed multitude of followers, supporters and members bandied together to snatch the reins of power from the PDP. In the last elections, those members and followers were driven more by expediency, if not outrightly by the lust for high office, than by ideology. But since they cannot rule by expediency, and must form a coherent and consistent framework of ideas and philosophies to govern, there will come a time when they must shape those ideas and thoughts into one unified and emblematic whole. If they are lucky, the intellectual exertions that that process often elicits may discourage the slothful among them from taking up cudgels. But if they are not lucky, another herculean war will break out soon after Senate President Saraki is unhorsed -- as he will be very soon.

By ADEKUNLE ADE-ADELEYE

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

The end of politics

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COLUMN

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nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu

•Bukola Saraki in the dock S the end of politics as we know it upon us? Put in another way, the question becomes a double-barrel poser. Is the current refugee crisis in Europe and the poor leadership response to it so far a result of the devaluation of politics and the consequent attenuation of leadership?

And is the continent of Africa even more poorly served by this global poverty of leadership?

It is surely a remarkable historical spectacle to find European leadership in the main listlessly fretting over and enormously frightened by the ultimate logic of globalization, a phenomenon which has benefitted their people and western civilization for so long. Could it be that nobody ever foresaw the fact that the abolition of time and space and the consequent hybridization of global populace would one day lead to a human armada which will threaten the very foundation of the nation-state paradigm which western civilization has foisted on global space from Afghanistan to New Zealand?

You cannot eat your cake and have it. Famously described as “the universalization of the particular and the particularization of the universal”, globalization, like the internationalization of slavery in all its dire particularities, has served the metropolitan centre very well. But when the universal decides to converge on the particular that decides to universalize—in this case western modernity and civilization— everybody should be game. By this logic, one cannot and must not be in a position to choose which aspects of globalization to obey or to reject.

Prosperity also has its adversities.

Those who lament the absence of great leadership in the west are not doing the proper analysis. Great leadership does not just emerge out of nowhere and from a great vacuum. It is usually as a response to deep systemic stress and institutional dysfunction. Charles de Gaulle always averred that in her greatest moment of need, France always throws up a great leader. As examples: Joan of Arc, Charlemagne, Napoleon Bonaparte and, by honorable inference, Charles de Gaulle himself.

In the west, the great crisis of nationalism of the first half of the twentieth century which led to two world wars threw up exceptional leaders: Woodrow Wilson, the two Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Mao Tse Tung, Chou en Lai, Ho Chi Minh and a host of others. If we are not to slander ourselves, the corollary decolonizing project also threw up a string of African avatars: Kwame Nkrumah, Leopold Senghor, Ahmed Sekou Toure, Ahmed Ben Bella, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Herbert Macaulay , Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi

I

Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello ,Nelson Mandela and many others.

The paradox of the current leadership paralysis in Europe stems from the fact that it is an end product of exemplary leadership of the past. When a society has solved, in the main, the problems of food, shelter and security for the populace, when the political class, despite wide ideological divergences, converges on certain core principles and a cardinal consensus which drive politics, such societies run on an auto-pilot which does not require great exertion and political imagination.

In Great Britain for example, no

matter how rabidly and radically leftwing a party claims to be, it cannot afford to toy with royalty and constitutional monarchy. By the same token, no rightwing structural reengineering however extreme and daring can do away with the abiding fundament of the welfare state. For the foreseeable future in America, no party in its right sense will dare put up a pure Muslim as its presidential candidate.

Prosperity and the great industrial strides taken by western societies in the last century have led to the industrialization of politics itself or what we propose as political Fordism.

Just as the Fordist factory overcame the

problems of mass consumption through division of labour which turns the factory worker into a robotic cyborg without much initiative, political Fordism turns the laboratory of politics into a circus of mediocrity through the mass production of leadership wannabes.

These are Pavlovian political pigmies, creeps of consensus and minimalist managers who are just there to oversee the odd sneeze and stutter in the production belt and the occasional lubing of the engine. Theirs is simply to maintain the status quo and not to engage in any harebrained scheme which may bring the belt and the illusionist fantasia to a shuddering halt.

Just get on with it and stop whining about paradise on earth. The order of illusion requires the illusion of order.

Yet as prosperity brings about greater inequality and greater inequity of opportunity , as the great tide of globalization brings hordes of the great unwashed to the banquet table, as contradictions open up between actual lived experience and the abracadabra of progress, the veil of illusion is torn off.

Loud murmurings and great tremors rumble through the land.

In America, the contradictions have opened the door for Donald Trump’s extreme rightwing hell-raising and Hitlerite hysterics. In Great Britain, it has led directly to the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn, a classic contrarian and leftwing rabble-rouser, who has no time

for elite consensus or conciliation.

The historic wager is that as the storm breaks in the west and unless there is a dire emergency which puts matters beyond the reach of the populace, the wise and pragmatic voters of Europe and America will choose the golden mean and the middle way out between the xenophobic ranting of Donald Trump and the Communist phantasmagoria of Corbyn. But that may merely be akin to postponing the evil day.

Postponing the evil day is also a strategy of containment, that is until the evil day refuses to be postponed a day longer. The paradox of human endeavours is that the evil day often opens the door to real visionary leadership. It is not by accident that the greatest government thrown up in Britain in the last century, Churchill’s War Cabinet, was a product of intricate elite pacting and consensus beyond popular franchise.

In Nigeria, the absence of the core principles which drives a nation and the lack of elite cardinal consensus which guides the immanent destiny of an organic community of citizens with equal rights have continued to aid the devaluation of politics and the attenuation of sterling leadership. There are encouraging signs of proactive leadership in post-PDP Nigeria. But it is also becoming clearer by the day that unless something is done about the architectural configuration of the nation, we may well be jogging in the jungle.

Leadership devaluation in Nigeria

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HE devaluation of politics and the attenuation of leadership in Nigeria have never been in sharper focus. Just compare the glorious NASS of the Second Republic with the sadly pedestrian and criminal rabble of the contemporary Nigerian senate and you must come to the gloomy conclusion that the Gaullist paradigm of exemplary leadership in moments of acute national crisis does not obtain here. It was meant for more organic nations. Otherwise, why does Nigeria always throw up its worst eleven in moments of great distress?

Like the devaluation of a national currency, the devaluation of politics and the attenuation of leadership stem from many factors including grave external pressures, national profligacy in the management of human resources and sheer elite criminal propensity. This is usually compounded by biological coups, actual military coups, natural atrophy and the manipulations of power cabals and other organized conspiracies for capturing national privileges.

Three significant developments in the Nigerian political firmaments in the past week are sharp pointers to the devaluation of politics and the attenuation of leadership in the country.

They are in no particular order: the arraignment of the Senate President, Olubukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on sundry charges bordering on corruption, the abduction and subsequent release of Afenifere chieftain and former presidential aspirant, Chief Oluyemisi Falae, and the departure to higher glory of the Ikenne matriarch and relic of Obafemi Awolowo, Mama HID Awolowo.

On face value, these events may appear unrelated and unconnected, yet they are profound tropes for the endemic crisis of politics and leadership in post-colonial Nigeria. In a sense, Mama Awolowo’s passing to higher glory represents a kind of closure and the possibility of a new beginning; a

sad primer for a very turbulent period in Nigeria’s history when sterling qualities and exceptional leadership qualities are nearly not enough to politically triumph in the colonial cage called Nigeria. She was the First Mother Nigeria never had.

The death of the redoubtable matriarch is a classic instance of how the most sturdy and valiant of humanity will eventually succumb to death or biological coup. Her life is a great profile in courage and indomitable will and of unconditional fidelity and devotion to a spouse and the cause espoused.

It will be hypocritical to say that one always agreed with positions taken in Ikenne, particularly after the departure of the great sage, but HID was a leader of great endowments in her own right and there can be no discounting the dignity, forbearance and stoicism with which she bore her domestic travails and her husband’s political ordeals.

If her cult of heroic example greatly warms the heart, they also point the way forward for a rejuvenation and redemption of politics and leadership recruitment in Nigeria. This is why the Saraki saga is such a huge dampener. It is a sad day for the Nigerian political elite when the president of the senate and the nation third ranking political officer is hauled before a court on charges bordering on criminal self-enrichment.

In court, Saraki looked flustered and flummoxed with all the bluff and bluster gone. There was a hint of distress and a whiff of disorientation. The superman has finally arrived at the supermall. The hitherto indefatigable and unflappable scion of the Saraki dynasty must be wondering whether he was in another country and whether this was truly happening to him.

This is the moment when the bones of impunity were heard cracking and crumbling to deafening echoes of approval and approbation across the land. It is redolent of historic ironies and momentous contradictions. It sets

in motion a dynamic that may never be rolled back. Nigeria will never be the same again. The genie of impunity has been flung on the wheel track of a moving train.

If this historic arraignment and the unruly rumpus at the Ilorin praying ground on Thursday are anything to go by, we can be sure that a great Shakespearean tragedy is unfolding.

This time around it is not the old shabbily dispatched King Lear that has come to Agbaji but the woods of Birnam passing Dunsinane as they arrived in Oke Suna to settle account with the heir presumptive and heir too presumptuous. The Saraki dynasty and its sense of feudal entitlements have been struck a mortal blow.

There may yet be something to salvage from this great drama of human greed and unworthy political ambition.

If Bukola Saraki and his handlers know how to properly read the rustling tea leaves, this may be the time to dismount the high horse of selfdestruction and throw in the towel in a rare and unaccustomed gesture of political nobility and high-mindedness.

But if the embattled Senate President decides to stall and stonewall thus bringing further devaluation and international odium to Nigerian politics, if he decides to opt for the Samsonine option of bringing the entire roof crashing down with himself, he may be inviting more ruinous possibilities. This is a moment Saraki needs clarity and lucidity as members of Praetorian Guard begin deserting one by one. He that is ethically felled needs not fear being crushed by the wheels of justice.

Yet it is in the nature of historical contradictions that the Saraki saga as well as the abduction and subsequent release of Chief Olu Falae should speak to a pervading national rot and insecurity as well as the possibility of national rebirth. It is heartwarming and a departure from Jonathan’s catatonic slumber that President Buhari gave the

Inspector General a prompt marching order to find Falae’s abductors. It is even more pleasing to see the Akure chief personally rescued by a team led by the nation’s top cop.

There are many who believe that Falae, by virtue of his heroic exertion during the struggle against military tyranny, ought to have won the 1999 presidential election. But the military had other ideas, preferring to hand over to one of their own who they believe had the minatory capacity to rein all centrifugal forces threatening the nation.

In the circumstance, it should have been a retired President Olu Falae relaxing and reflecting in the ambience of his presidential library rather than going to farm on the morning of his birthday however noble a pastime this has become for the retired banker and former Secretary to the Federal Government.

The contribution of protracted military rule to the devaluation of politics and the attenuation of leadership in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized, neither can the shenanigans of an ethnically and ethically disoriented political class, its mode of leadership recruitment and its pattern of preferment. The deleterious combination of these factors has in no small measure contributed to the endemic crisis of nationhood that has hobbled a potentially great country.

Going forward, it is obvious that Nigeria needs a new leadership ethos, a new paradigm of politics as well as a new architecture of the nation itself.

Rather than wasting valuable time and scarce national resources in convoking another national jamboree in the name of a fresh national conference, the president should urgently gather a committee of eminent Nigerians who will look into the recommendations of all earlier conferences and make appropriate recommendations which can then be subjected to a national referendum.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

NEWS

Senate: PDP positions Mark, Ekweremadu, Akpabio for Saraki's job

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S speculations mount over the future of embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki, plots by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to supplant the majority All Progressives Congress (APC) and take over leadership of the senate are intensifying.

The Nation had reported a few days ago the PDP was plotting a sensational take-over of the upper chamber of the National Assembly in the event that Saraki is consumed by his ongoing trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

The party is mobilising its members in the Senate to ensure one of its own replaces Saraki if the presidency of the senate becomes vacant. With that as a goal, it is said to be seriously considering one of the trio of former Senate President David Mark, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, as possible candidates for the position. The Nation also learnt that the three senators are being supported by various groups within the party and the senate.

The opposition party's calculation is that some APC senators, especially those in the proSaraki's Likeminds group, may either defect to the PDP or work with the party to once again produce the president of the senate if Saraki is convicted by the CCT. "The party hopes to win to

By Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor

its side some APC senators to vote for our candidate along with the PDP senators. This is based on our belief that many senators across party lines are unhappy with the ongoing trial of the Senate President and we all know where this is coming from," a PDP senator told The Nation.

Reliable sources said a meeting of PDP senators and members of Saraki's Likeminds has been schedule for tomorrow in Abuja to discuss recent developments within the upper chamber and decide how the proSaraki lawmakers will react.

"While I know we will be discussing how to stall any plan to remove Saraki from office, I am also aware that we will be talking about how to ensure that APC doesn't take over the leadership of the senate even if Saraki has to go. Already we are positioning our men in readiness for another political battle on the floor of the senate. If Saraki is forced out, we will replace him with one of our own," another source said.

The Nation learnt that those pushing the candidacy of Ekweremadu are of the opinion that being the current Deputy Senate President, it is only normal that he be supported by PDP senators and Saraki's loyalists to

emerge as the Senate President should the latter lose the battle to remain in office.

"Ekweremadu is the current Deputy Senate President. He has shown loyalty to his boss and he is a loyal party man too. Many of us are of the opinion that it is natural that he be supported by PDP senators and Saraki's loyalists to emerge as the Senate President should the latter lose his position as a result of his ongoing trial.

"We have made this clear to the caucus and the party leadership and he is seriously being considered by all stakeholders as a good candidate for the job.

Ekweremadu's experience as a Deputy Senate President of many years is also a great advantage. He is well suited for the job and he is well loved by many of his colleagues," our source said.

Another factor working in favour of Ekweremadu, The Nation learnt is the quest by the South East geo-political zone to be represented among the top political office holders in the land. "The fact that he is from the South East is another factor working for him. Many senators will reason with the need to give the zone some sense of representation in the current arrangement," our source added.

For Akpabio, the possibility of replacing Saraki as the next Senate President is being

pushed largely by those opposed to Ekweremadu's emergence. He is also said to be enjoying the backing of former governors now in PDP and Likeminds senators.

"Akpabio is the choice of those opposed to Ekweremadu for one reason or the other. He is also the candidate of his fellow ex-governors who are in Saraki's camp or in PDP senate caucus. Their desire to ensure Ekweremadu is stopped from becoming Senate President may split the camp of proSaraki lawmakers," our source added.

Meanwhile, a third group is said to be rooting for the return of David Mark as the Senate President to forestall further friction between the proEkweremadu and pro-Akpabio camps. According to reports, the former Senate President's status as the unofficial leader of the party in the National Assembly largely informed the decision to draft him into the race.

"Senator Mark is the real leader of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly. So, many of us feel he is the best man to be returned to the position after Saraki. His choice will also end the dangerous rivalry between the other groups and ensure that we do not lose the contest should the need arise," our source added.

•L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd right) with his Osun State counterpart, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, National Publicity Secretarty, All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Afenifere Leader, Pa Olaniwun Ajayi, National Leader, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Vice Chairman, South West APC, Chief Pius Akinyelure during a courtesy visit to Pa Olaniwun at his Ijebu-Ishara residence in Ogun State, recently.

Buhari expresses full commitment to national security, IDPs' welfare P RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday reiterated the full commitment of his administration to the rehabilitation and well-being of all persons who have been displaced or adversely affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

He was reacting to the erroneous impression by reports that the Nigerian delegation to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly missed a meeting on help for displaced persons.

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the president said that the war against terrorism, improved security across Nigeria and additional measures to give succour to internally displaced persons have been central to his discussions with other world leaders since his arrival in

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

New York on Thursday night.

The statement reads: "The issues were dominant in the president's conversations on Friday with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the King of Spain, His Majesty Don Felipe VI and former Prime-Minister Gordon Brown who came with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss the actualisation of the safe schools initiative, which is of special interest in parts of Nigeria most vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

"President Buhari is handling his duty as leader of the Nigerian delegation to this year's General Assembly with the greatest possible diligence and will certainly not tolerate any tardiness on

the part of the delegation in seizing every possible opportunity to advance Nigeria's interests.

"This notwithstanding, it must be realised that it will be near impossible for any national delegation, no matter its size, to participate in all the meetings that are simultaneously happening in and around the General Assembly in New York," it added The statement also pointed out that the meeting, which Nigeria was reportedly absent, was not one the official events of the United Nations for which President Muhammadu Buhari and his delegation are in New York.

While stressing that the meeting referred to in media reports is commendable, the statement said it was not the only one or the most important

of such meetings in New York that are paying attention to the problem of insecurity, migration and violent extremism in the Lake Chad area and the rest of the world.

"Nigeria was represented earlier today at an important side event devoted to the North-East called by the UN Population Fund, UNFPA on 'Building Stability and Resilience in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin Countries.'"

President Buhari, the statement said, is fully conscious of his responsibility to Nigeria and will accept nothing short of the best for Nigerians in the meetings taking place in and around the United Nations.

"Anyone trying to create an impression of dereliction of duty, based on the Nigerian delegation's absence at an unofficial meeting, is only being mischievous and uncharitable," it stated

Saraki’s attackers invaded God’s temple, says Emir

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HE Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim SuluGambari, has described attacks against dignitaries by suspected miscreants at the Iloring prayer ground as an offence against God. He spoke yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, when he paid Eid-El Kabir visit to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed at the Government House.

Sulu-Gambari noted that the efforts of the miscreants to defile the sanctity of the place of worship and deny Muslims their right of worship were condemnable.

The act, he added, was a possible invitation of the wrath of Allah whose abode the miscreants invaded.

He condemned the development as despicable and unfortunate.

The Emir urged par-

From: Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

ents to train their children not to taint the good image of Ilorin Emirate and Kwara State as a peace loving and united entities.

Ahmed said despite the fact that the September federal allocation was pending, his administration had paid civil servants and facilitated loan for local government councils to offset salaries of their workers.

The governor promised that his administration remained committed to completing all projects while new ones would be embarked upon as soon as earnings improve.

He reiterated the resolve of his administration to boost internally generated revenue would not inflict additional burdens on the people of the state.

Rainstorm destroys 200 houses in Zaria, Sabongari

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AINSTORM on yesterday destroyed no fewer than 200 residential houses and shops in Zaria City and parts of Sabon-Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The storm also destroyed electric installations and brought down trees to block some streets.

The areas worse hit are Sabon-gari, Samaru, Danmagaji, Wusasa, Kofar Gayan Low Cost Housing Estate and parts of Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic temporary site, among others.

A NAN correspondent, who visited the affected areas, saw residents trying to salvage some items, while the debris of destroyed structures were being cleared.

Efforts to speak with the Interim Management Committee Chairman of Zaria Local Government Council, Alhaji Ja'afaru Abbas, were not successful but a top official of the council, confirmed the extensive damage by the storm. ``We have been trying

to see how we can assist the victims,'' the official said, pleading anonymity.

A cross-section of victims who were interviewed, expressed shock over the incident, describing it as the worst in the past 10 years.

One of the victims, Malam Sani Aliyu, described the development as ``the will of God Almighty'' that no human could have stopped''.

He appealed to the relevant authorities to come to their aid to cushion the effect of the rainstorm.

Another victim, Alhaji Ilyas Is'haq of Sabongari, said that the disaster came at a time when people had no money at hand, hence the need for the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, to urgently assist the victims.

Malam Mamman Magaji of Wusasa, said that the entire roof of his house was removed, while part of the fence covering the house was also brought down.

Most of the victims are low-income earners, struggling to meet the basic challenges of life.

Most politicians guilty of false declaration of assets - Okunrounmu

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ENATOR Femi Okunrounmu, Chairman of the 2014 National Conference Convocation Committee, said on yesterday said that more than 90 per cent of politicians in the country were guilty of false declaration of assets.

He stated this in Lagos yesterday. He said that if anybody had done anything that was against the law or Constitution, the person should be called to

account.

According to him, it is good and part of the fight against corruption, but that fight should be holistic.

"It should cover all the people who are guilty, not just target a few individuals.

Ninety per cent of politicians declare assets falsely, so the law should go after all the people that are guilty of such false declaration of assets, try them and bring them to justice. They shouldn't just target one or two people."

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

NEWS HAJJ STAMPEDE

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HE death toll in this year’s Hajj stampede has risen to 769 with Nigeria losing over 42 pilgrims.

Those injured were about 934 pilgrims as at the time of filing this report.

For three days, it has been difficult for National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and 37 state pilgrims’ welfare boards to ascertain how many Nigerians died and the number of those injured.

A source in Mecca said about 40 Sokoto pilgrims were being looked for in the last few days.

Official announcement by Saudi Arabia, as the Hajj was brought to a close on Friday, said 52 more pilgrims had died as a result of the stampede.

Saudi health minister Khalid al-Falih said: “The latest statistics up to this hour reveal 769 dead. That is an increase of 52 on the previous figures.

“Those are the ones who died in various hospitals since the event,” he said, adding that 934 people were wounded.”

But collating the number of victims on the part of Nigeria had been difficult.

According to a reliable official source, who spoke in confidence, more than 40 Nigerians might have died in the stampede.

The source said: “We have been compiling figures but we have not been able to arrive at a final figure. We are giving every missing person the ben-

Ex-INEC boss Jega’s brother among dead

• Appeal court judge, Taraba Amirul Hajj and 2 wives also • Nigerian dead now 40, overall toll hits 769 FROM: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation efit of doubt of still being alive.

“So far, we have lost close to 40 but I cannot tell you the number of those injured.

“From a local government in Sokoto State, we are still looking for 40 people, 72 hours after the stampede.

“We have directed State Pilgrims Welfare Boards and tour operators to conduct a census of all their pilgrims and search for the missing ones in order to determine those we have lost.”

Some of those confirmed dead were a traditional ruler in Taraba State, the Panti Zing, Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim ( who was the State Amirul Hajj) and two wives; the presiding judge of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abubakar Abdulkadir Jega (who was a brother to the immediate past INEC Chairman,

Prof. Attahiru Jega); Justice Musa Hassan Alkali of the Ilorin Division of the Court of Appeal, the Deputy Secretary General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Professor Tijani Abubakar El-Miskin; renowned Editor, Hajiya Bilikisu Yusuf; a pharmacist, Dr. Hafsat Shittu; the wife and daughter of Prof. Yaqwal of the Usman Dan Fodiyo University, THE VICTIMS 1. Justice Abdulkadir Jega (Presiding Judge, Court of Appeal, Abuja) 2. Dr. Hafsat Shittu 3. Professor Tijani Abubakar El-Miskin 4. Hajiya Bilikisu Yusuf 5. Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim (Panti Zing) 6. Two wives of Panti Zing 7. The Yagwals (2) 8. Three Kwara indigenes who went to through other states.

Sokoto; three indigenes of Offa from Kwara State who performed the Hajj through some state pilgrims welfare boards.

It was learnt that the Kebbi State Amirul Hajj and Emir of Argungu, Alh. Samaila Mera, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and his deputy, and members of Governor Atiku Bagudu’s family were among the survivors of the stampede.

Other survivors were a former National Chairman of PDP, Alh. Adamu Mu’azu, the PDP Youth Leader, Abdullahi Maibarisa, the Deputy Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr. Muhammed Babandede, and an Assistant Editor with The Sun, Alh. Akeeb Alarape.

Meanwhile, Governor Umaru Tanko Al – Makura of Nasarawa State has sympathized with the families of those that lost their lives in the Hajj stampede.

In a statement through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Ahmed Tukur, the governor said: “As believers, Al-Makura urges the Muslim Ummah worldwide to take heart and seek solace in God Almighty, the knower of all.”

Al - Makura, who said he was deeply touched by the tragic incidence, prayed to God for the avoidance of such tragic occurrence in future.

The governor sent special condolences to the families of Nigerian pilgrims who lost their lives in the stampede especially Professor Tijjani ElMiskin and Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf.

He urged all Nigerians to “join in praying for the quick and full recovery of those who were injured in the unfortunate incidentAl - Makura also prays that Almighty Allah will accept the souls of the departed Nigerians who died a glorious death in the service of God and to grant the families of the victims the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

Taraba Amirul Hajj, two wives, confirmed dead HE Taraba State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has confirmed the death of the state’s Amirul Hajj for the 2015 pilgrimage, Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim.

He is the First Class ruler of Zing.

The chairman of the board, Alhaji Hamman-Adama Tukur, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview from Saudi Arabia.

He explained that the emir died on Thursday during a stampede that claimed the lives of more than 700 pilgrims.

The victims, among others, were at the site of the Jamrat, where they were to fulfill one of the Hajj rites of a symbolic stoning of the devil.

Tukur said that the body of the late traditional ruler had been recovered and buried in Makkah on Friday.

He disclosed that many indigenes of Taraba were still missing, while a few others, whose names he did not mention, but who sustained injuries, were receiving treatment in some Saudi hospitals.

Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa, Chief Press Secretary to Taraba State Governor, also confirmed the death of the monarch.

He, however, said that consultation was still ongoing between the State Government and the Zing Traditional Council, before a formal pronouncement would be made.

Meanwhile, the Zing Traditional Council has also confirmed that the Emir died along with two of his four wives during the stampede.

The Tafidan Zing, Gurama Bawa, who confirmed the death of the wives in an interview with NAN, said the late emir was aged 62 and had been on the throne for 19 years.

He left behind two wives and 13 children.

CJN condoles with Court of Appeal Justices’ families From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

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HE Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed has sent condolence messages to the families of Justices Abdulkadir Abubakar Jega and Musa Hassan Alkali. The two died in the hajj stampede.

Media aide to the CJN, Ahurakah Isah said, in a statement yesterday evening, that the CJN is commiserating on behalf of the nation’s Judiciary, with “the Court of Appeal and the families of two Justices of the Court of Appeal who died during the unfortunate stampede.”

“The Chief Justice of Nigeria said the death of the revered jurists is not just a huge loss to the Judiciary, but Nigeria in entirety, adding that both men of the Bench have contributed immensely to the development of our jurisprudence.”

Gombe declares five missing

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•Vice President & Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (3rd,left) Celebrant, Dr. Muiz Banire and his wife Olufunmilayo with Prof. Esther Aworinde at the reception in honour of Banire held yesterday at Eko Hotel, VI, Lagos. Photo: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE.

Hajj: Sultan asks Saudi authorities to improve safety

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HE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on yesterday in Sokoto, urged Saudi authorities to henceforth provide improved safety measures during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Sultan spoke on the sidelines of the presentation of the report of a technical committee set up by him to look into the state of the education sector in the state.

He regretted that the stam-

pede at Muna on Wednesday led to the death of no fewer than 1,000 pilgrims and injured over 800 others, while many more were still missing. ‘’The tragedy had affected several countries of the world, Nigeria in general and Sokoto state in particular. ‘’Some local governments in Sokoto State like Illela, Binji, Gwadabawa and others were affected by the tragedy, although the actual casualty figures are still being ascertained

by Saudi Arabian and Nigerian authorities, ‘’ he said.

Abubakar, who is the life National Amirul Hajj, described the deaths and injuries caused by the stampede as “collective loss’’.

He said that his committee was assessing the situation and would appropriately advise the federal government on the incident. ‘’We will appropriately advise the Federal Government of Nigeria to partner the

Saudi Government on how to improve safety of pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage. ‘’The tragedy was an act of God but we will render useful advice to the federal government on how to improve the safety of the pilgrims. ‘’This is necessary to ensure the conduct of hitch-free Hajj exercise annually,” he said.

The Sultan condoled with the families and Government of Nigeria as well as other countries affected by the tragedy.

Sokoto confirms nine dead

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O fewer than nine pilgrims from Sokoto State have been confirmed dead in the Thursday stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

However, the state government officials, led by the state Amirul Hajj and Leader of Delegation, the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu, were working round

From: Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto the clock to identify many of the pilgrims who suffered various degrees of injuries and are receiving treatments ýin different hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The confirmation yesterday by the state government was contained in a late

evening statement by Malam Imam Imam, spokesman to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

The statement said, “Sokoto State Government wishes to announce that nine of its pilgrims have so far been confirmed dead in the stampede that occurred on ýEid Day in Mina, Saudi Arabia.”

The state government, according to the statement, “urge all citizens to remain calm and intensify prayers as we await further confirmation from authorities concerned.

“May God bless the souls of those who died and may His healing be visited upon all the injured. May God console us all,” the statement prayed.

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IVE pilgrims from Gombe State have been declared missing in Saudi Arabia.

The Executive Secretary, Gombe State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Usman Gurama, told newsmen in Mina, Saudi Arabia, yesterday that the pilgrims could not be located since Thursday.

He said that members of the medical team had been checking hospitals and mortuaries with a view to locating them or their remains.

He, however, said that for now, it had not been confirmed as to whether they were among those who died as a result of Thursday’s incident at the Jamrat (stone throwing venue) where over 700 pilgrims died.

Gurama confirmed that seven pilgrims from the state were injured at the scene of the incident and were responding to treatment.

Meanwhile, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo yesterday gave the state pilgrims 585,300 riyals (about N32.7 million) as Sallah gift.

According to News Agency of Nigeria, each pilgrim received 300 riyals (N16,800) Addressing the pilgrims shortly after presenting the gift, Dankwambo urged them to pray for President Muhammad Buhari to enable him to deliver the dividends of democracy.

He lauded the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and the Amirul Hajj and his team for doing a good job.

In his remarks, the State Amirul Hajj, Alhaji Abdullahi Mai-Kano, thanked the governor for his commitment toward ensuring the success of the exercise.

He also commended the pilgrims for their cooperation. (NAN)

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

NEWS

Five dead, others missing in Lagos boat mishap

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• Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) officials co-ordinating rescue operations, yesterday.

IVE persons were yesterday confirmed dead with five others missing after a boat accident along LagosIkorodu waterways.

The mishap which occurred around Bayeku- Igbogbo in Ikorodu at about noon was said to have been caused by a steering problem, which the paddler could not control. The boat was said to be coming from Oke Ira Nla jetty at Ajah.

Aside the bad condition of the boat, the crew were said to be inexperienced and were over speeding.

It was gathered that the boat had 20 passengers and two crew members, out of which 17 persons were rescued by local fishermen at Igbogbo jetty and rushed to different hospitals.

The Nation further learnt that the enclosed nature of the boat exacerbated the passengers' survival chances.

Of the 17 rescued from the water, it was gathered that one died at Mica Hospital and four others passed on at Ikorodu General Hospital.

Confirming the development, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Michael Akindele, said the boat captain has been arrested and was being

By Precious Igbonwelundu

questioned by Marine Policemen from Ikoyi.

He said they got the call at about 1:29pm, more than an hour after the mishap.

Akindele confirmed there were 20 passengers and two crew members on the boat, acknowledging that 17 persons have been found, with five confirmed dead.

"Our investigation revealed that 20 passengers were on board and two crew members (the captain and his assistant) before the mishap.

"15 passengers and two crew members were rescued by local fishermen around Bayeku jetty, Igbogbo.

"Four of the people rescued were taken to a hospital at Bayeku. Three of them are presently responding to treatment while one has been confirmed dead.

"Seven others among the rescued passengers were taken to Ikorodu General Hospital where four were confirmed dead, two were treated and discharged and one in critical condition.

"Those who have been confirmed dead include four adult males and a female. In all, 17 persons were recovered from the water."

4 killed as gunmen The Nation's Dada attack Kogi DSS office Aladelokun dies at 48

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N unspecified number of suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Friday night attacked the Lokoja, Kogi State headquarters of the Department of State Security Services (DSS).

The insurgents, according to a reliable source, attacked the facility, close to a number of government offices, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Customs and NIPOST headquarters, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) office and the Federal High Court, the Kogi State House of Assembly complex, around 9pm.

The attack was,

From James Azania, Lokoja

however, repelled by the combined efforts of the DSS operatives and soldiers from the nearby military formation in the area, at the end of which three of the suspected insurgents were killed, while unconfirmed reports had it that two others were arrested.

A mobile police man also lost his life.

It was gathered that the heavily armed Boko Haram members engaged the security operatives in fierce exchange of fire power lasting several hours.

A source told our correspondent that officers from the nearby Zone 8 police barracks were sighted

evacuating their families even while the gun duel lasted.

It was gathered that the combined efforts of a police team and the army later overpowered the insurgents who fled into the surrounding bushes, while some escaped through the Meme River.

The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, who confirmed the incident said detectives have been deployed to the area, and were on the trail of the fleeing terrorists.

"The gunmen numbering about 40 at about 10pm (Friday) launched attack on the DSS

headquarters at Hassan Katsina Road, Lokoja.

"Before the attack they shot and hijacked one heavy duty trailer to block the road.

At the end of the day, three of them were killed, while the rest fled", the CP was quoted as saying.

Our correspondent who visited the Kogi State Police Command headquarters around 9am yesterday met the place near desolate.

One of the three policemen seen around the premises said that the CP just left the premises, along with a (police) cameraman.

He said that they took pictures of "some bodies" which they later took away in a vehicle.

Buhari lauds Nigeria's removal from polio-endemic countries' list

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R E S I D E N T Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed the announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria.

Buhari, who was delighted by the announcement which followed the absence of any case of the wild polio virus in Nigeria since July 24, 2014, applauded the concerted efforts of government officials, health workers, volunteer groups, civil societies, religious leaders, traditional rulers and international partners which resulted in the historic achievement.

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

The president, in a statement yesterday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, urged continued vigilance to ensure that Nigeria maintains the new status.

He also directed all government ministries, departments and agencies involved in the polio eradication effort to remain proactively engaged and on guard against the reemergence of the polio virus in Nigeria.

Buhari assured the WHO and the global community that the federal government will ensure that immunisation and

surveillance activities continue across Nigeria to keep the country polio-free.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the public-private partnership leading the effort to eradicate polio, called this a 'historic achievement' in global health.

As recently as 2012, Nigeria accounted for more than half of all polio cases worldwide. Polio, which can cause lifelong paralysis, has now been stopped nearly everywhere in the world following a 25year concerted international effort. Polio remains endemic in only two countries - Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO said, "The outstanding commitment and efforts that got Nigeria off the endemic list must continue, to keep Africa polio-free. We must now support the efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan so they soon join the poliofree world."

Also, Dr Ado Muhammad, Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said, "We Nigerians are proud today.

With local innovation and national persistence, we have beaten polio. We know our vigilance and efforts must continue in order to keep Nigeria poliofree."

•NUJ, Lagos Speaker, Majority leader, others mourn

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r. Dada Aladelokun, an Assistant Editor with The Nation newspapers, is dead. He died in the early hours of Friday at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) after a protracted illness.

In a statement by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), The Nation chapel, Aladelokun was described as a very industrious journalist who left an indelible mark. Until his death, 'Man of God' (MOG), as he was fondly called, was the head of the City Beat section.

He was born in 1967 in IkereEkiti, in Ekiti State. He attended the then Ondo State University, later Adekunle Ajasin University and now University of Ado-Ekiti, where he obtained a B.Sc Degree in Psychology.

Before joining Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspaper titles, he had worked previously at The Comet, Punch and News Star. He is survived by a wife and three children. His burial arrangements will be announced by the family.

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, and the Majority Leader, SOB Agunbiade, have commiserated

with the management and staff of The Nation newspapers over Aladelokun's death.

Obasa, in his condolence message, described death as a necessary end for every human being, noting that, "we should take solace in the fact that the deceased left an enduring legacy in the journalism profession before answering the final call".

The Speaker described the deceased as a professional journalist to the core, saying "I have known him since his days as a reporter with the defunct Comet newspaper and since then, he had stood to be counted among resourceful and intelligent journalists around. Apart from this, he was also a prolific writer."

Agunbiade, in his own message, stated that the deceased would be missed not only by his colleagues at The Nation but also by members of his family, especially his wife and children, and his friends and associates.

"We will all miss him and while I commiserate with management and staff of TheNation newspapers and condole with his family members, especially his wife and children, I pray to God to give them all the fortitude to bear the huge loss," he said.

• Aladelokun

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

NEWS

Why we want capital punishment for looters, by NLC

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HE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday insisted on capital punishment for corrupt public office holders.

It opposed life imprisonment for treasury looters, saying the country was not ripe for it.

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, spoke with newsmen in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, during a condolence visit to former vice president of the union, Issa Aremu,

From: Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

on the death of his mother, Hafsat.

He said: “We must canvass for capital punishment. It is only people who are stealing that will go against it.

“If we are campaigning for capital punishment and people are kicking against it, we must be consistent because people are reaping from where they have not sown.

“Except we begin to do the needful, it will be difficult to change our society. If you have followed up our argument, we have said clearly that part of why we are in this quagmire of challenges is that a lot of people have appropriated the resources that we need to drive development.”

Wabba went on: “Schools are not developing; there are no drugs in hospitals. People have helped themselves

and Nigerians are suffering.

“So we have the right to demand good governance and accountability. The major problem in Nigeria is corruption.”

He said workers kicked against plea bargaining because “it will be an incentive to encourage treasury looters because the loot will be too much so that during the process of plea bargaining, they may just part with little.”

On factionalisation within the union, he said the rift has been settled.

He explained: “The disagreement has been settled by the grace of God. We have settled and we are pushing ahead with a very strong force that all of us are, workers, citizens of this country will be happy with and you have seen the action we took, the protest which was for good governance and against corruption.”

Appoint incorruptible ministers, says Otubu

By Sunday Oguntola

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HE General Evangelist of Motailatu Church Cherubim & Seraphim Worldwide (MCCSW), Elder Prof.

Joseph Otubu, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint only incorruptible men and women in his soon-to-be constituted cabinet.

He said only the appointment of person above corruption will add impetus to the ongoing anti-graft war.

Otubu, a renowned gynecologist, said: “The president has promised his ministers will be above board. He has to stick to that regardless of the pressure from any quarters.

“The task of changing Nigeria begins from having incorruptible ministers; men and women above pecuniary financial gains.

“I will appeal to him to do us the honour of appointing only such men into his cabinet.”

He tasked Nigerians to support the anti-graft war by refusing to accept handouts from corrupt public officials.

Otubu also frowned against the culture of mounting pressure on government officials for financial inducement, saying such development exposes the officials to graft.

“If you know someone in government, don’t see him or her as a messiah.

“If we keep asking them to bail us out, we are indirectly asking them to steal public funds for us,” Otubu argued.

Forum picks new leader

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SI-UZO elders forum in Enugu State has chosen a retired educationist, Sir Steve Okwor, as its new leader.

The other officers are Chief Charles C.Eze, treasurer; Chief Ezekiel Ejimchukwu, the Public Relations Officer and Chief Obinwa Nnaji as Assistant Secretary, amongst others.

The forum, a non political organisation comprises of distinguished and influential Isi-Uzo indigenes from the ages of 60 and above who have retired from both public and private services.

Buhari greets Fasanmi at 90

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja R E S I D E N T Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with foremost Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Fasanmi, who clocks 90 today.

Buhari, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, applauded Fasanmi’s uncommon and exemplary life of steadfast commitment to progressive ideals.

The President praised the elder statesman for his admirable fidelity to the noble ideals of justice, equity, honesty, patriotism and selflessness as worthy of emulation by younger Nigerians.

He prayed that God will grant Fasanmi, who was first elected into the House of Representatives between 1964 and 1966 and served as a two-term Senator between 1979 and 1983 many more years of good health and happiness.

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St Kitts seeks closer relations with Nigeria • L-R: Prof. Anya Anya, his wife, Inyang; daughter of late HID Awolowo, Mrs Tokunboh Awolowo-Dosunmu, during a condolence visit to Awolowo family house in Ikenne-Remo Ogun State... yesterday.

From: Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

Oshiomhole’s driver held for attempted theft

HE government of St Kitts and Nevis has called for a closer bilateral relationship with Nigeria.

The call came just as the two countries were tinkering with establishing direct flights.

The High Commissioner of St Kitts and Nevis, Barr Tessy Ekpunobi, spoke during the country’s 32nd independence anniversary in Abuja.

She also said St Kitts was working on setting up a trade and investment department in the next few months.

Saint Kitts and Nevis also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis is a twin-island federation whose economy is characterised by dominant tourism, agriculture and light manufacturing industries.

Ekpunobi said Nigerians who are of good conduct and character are welcome to take advantage of the relationship between both countries for tourist visits and educational purposes.

The envoy also stated that a direct flight network with Nigeria will soon be established that will reduce travelling time to about seven and half hours.

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DRIVER attached to the convoy of Governor Adams Oshiomhole has been allegedly arrested for attempting to break into the Account section of the Edo State Government House.

Sources said the driver made the attempt last Friday night but was foiled by security operatives after they saw someone cutting off protectors in the account office.

From: Osagie Otabor, Benin

The source said the driver escaped but was identified by the security men who later apprehended him.

It was learnt the suspect was being questioned at the Aideyan Police Station in Benin.

The source said: ”Policemen were going on routine duty and noticed

somebody attempting to break into the account office and foiled the attempt.

“I am very proud of my men. A discreet investigation will be carried out to ascertain whether the driver acted alone or in concert with others.”

When contacted, Edo State Police Command spokesman, DSP Stephen Onwuchei, confirmed “there was a report of

such nature” which is “at investigation level”.

He added that “the Commissioner of Police has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to take over the investigation.

“As I speak with you, the DC State CID should be in Government House to visit the scene of crime,” Onwuchei said.

Civil society seeks probe of NDDC

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HE Coalition of Civil Society Groups has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC for projects executed in the past five years.

In connivance with members of the National Assembly, the coalition alleged that the NDDC engaged in shady contract deals worth billions.

These, it stated, include outrageous inflation of contracts, contract splitting and non-existence of contracts for which payments have either been fully paid or substantial percentage of the contracts sums released.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, President of the CCSGs, Etuk Bassey, said most contracts awarded by the commission were to unregistered companies.

He alleged that over 67 contracts of such were given to the accused legislators in the space of two years.

“For over ten years, legislators in the National Assembly have turned themselves

‘We have nothing to hide’ From: Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

into legislative contractors because of the volume of contracts given to them by NDDC collocated with unregistered companies to execute the jobs.

“In some cases, the contracts awarded to them are not fully executed because they believe that they are untouchable in the face of law,” he stressed.

Etuk, who described the commission as a pool of cor-

ruption, said: “It is unfortunate that billions could be stolen in the name of contracts while the Niger delta as a region is grossly under developed in the face of billions allocated to the commission.”

He pointed out that the Auditor General of the Federation recently succeeded in revealing the surface of the huge corrupt practices going on in NDDC via the 2013 Audit Report.

When contacted, the Public Affairs Manager of NDDC,

Abosede Ibitoye, described the allegations as lies.

He claimed the commission has put checks and balances in place to ensure project paid for were executed.

According to him: “Some people just sit down and assume that there is corruption in NDDC without knowing the measures and checks and balances we have put in place.

“It is not done because where the particulars of that job are domiciled, the state officers, engineers and directors will have to certify that the jobs have been done.”

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US, Nigeria partner on health emergency response

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HE federal government and the United States of America have agreed on partnership for health security.

The initiative, which is under the Ebola/Global Health Security Programme, is aimed at protecting and strengthening public health security, systems and capacity in emergency response.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, stated this in Abuja when he received a delegation from the United States

From: Vincent Ikuomola and Faith Yahaya, Abuja

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDCs) led by the Country Director, Dr. Hank Tomlinson.

He added that the partnership will be implemented based on strategic health priorities and collective national values.

The Permanent Secretary observed that collaboration of this nature was a panacea to the successful implementation of the second phase of the five-

year Grant and Cooperation Agreement to the call for proposals from eligible countries by the CDC in early 2014.

Awute recalled the roles played by the US-CDC and other partners in the war against Ebola in Nigeria.

The National Coordinator, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi, noted that the US- CDC helped to nurture the Nigerian CDC. He further informed that African Heads of State and Government have mandated

Nigeria’s CDC to serve as the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control.

Tomlinson said that the visit of the team was to technically assess Nigeria’s emergency response preparedness.

He affirmed that he was encouraged by the opportunities in Nigeria and the success stories which gave cause for much optimism.

He assured that the USCDC will continue to contribute and collaborate with the ministry to promote international health security.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

NEWS

Tribunal upholds APC Rep member’s election, dismisses PDP petition

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HE Lagos State National and State Houses of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Ikeja has upheld INEC’s return of Barrister Jimi Benson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as House of Representatives member.

Benson’s victory at the March 28 National Assembly election into Ikorodu Federal Constituency seat in the House of Reps was challenged by Mr. Ola Animashaun of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Respondents in the matter are Jimi Benson, APC and INEC.The petitioner had alleged that INEC was wrong to have returned Benson as the lawful winner of the said poll.

In its judgement, the tribunal held that the petitioner failed to prove his case beyond all reasonable doubt. It said the petitioner made allegations and the onus of proof rested on him but he failed to lead evidence to prove his case. Counsel to the respondent had earlier questioned the basis of the petition.

The legal practitioner cited Sections 47 and 53 of the first schedule to the Electoral Act 2010 in his defence. According to him, the petitioner made allegations on individuals, who are not parties in the matter. He then urged the tribunal to strike out the petition.

Madam Molly Omoseke Onile passes on

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HE death has been announced of Mrs. Molly Omoseke Onile of Isanlu, Yagba East LGA, Kogi State. She was 90 years old. Funeral service and burial take place at Onile’s compound, Okeguru, Itedo & Makutu Cemetery, Kogi State, on Saturday, October 3.

She is survived by many children, grand children and great-grand children, among whom are Mrs. Funmilayo Balogun.

Ooni: Osun, Ife kingmakers unfair to Lafogido

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HE Lafogido Ruling House has described the recognition of the Giesi Royal Family House as the ruling house to produce the next Ooni of Ife, by Osun State Government and Ife kingmakers, as unfair. Insisting that it was its turn to produce the next Ooni, ý the family said it is wrong for the state government and kingmakers to declare Giesi as the only ruling house that is qualified to present candidates for the exalted stool.

Addressing journalists in Ile-Ife, the head of Lafogido Ruling House, Sooko Adeleke Adewoyin, accused the state government and kingmakers of ignoring the report of the 1992 Justice Bolarinwa

Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo Babalakin Panel of Inquiry into the Ife Chieftaincy.

Adewoyin also disclosed that the Lafogido Ruling House has instituted a legal action to stop the selection process pending the determination of the case in the court.

Adewoyin said that Lafogido reigned last as Ooni of Ife in 1930. He lamented that efforts of the Lafogido ruling house in the past to allow the state government and other stakeholders to correct the injustice to the ruling house had been futile.

“In 1992 we made an attempt to call on the government to re-arrange and address

the lopsidedness in the ascendancy to the throne of Ooni.

Justice Babalakin in his recommendations on the review put it down black and white. He noted that there was conflicting information about the historical background of Lajamisan, that the best thing the government should do is to call all the ruling houses together and address the matter,” he said.

Speaking further, he quoted the recommendation which read in part: “In view of all the researches that have been carried out in the Ife history, when the first declaration on the stool of Ooni was made, there would appear to be an urgent need for all the ruling houses in Ife to

meet, discuss and agree on the number of Lajamisan’s children, the outcome of their meeting will dictate weather or not there is a necessity to amend the present Ooni of Ife chieftaincy declaration, the commission therefore recommend to the state government to cause this to be done. That is a document already with the government since 1992, after the 1980 which they are now relying on.

“The Attorney General of the state at that time is still alive and he is Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, now the Asiwaju of Igbajo during the administration of Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke government. He

UI names Danbazzau as board chairman From Sikiru Akinola, Ibadan

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• From left: Former Head of Service, Lagos State, Mrs Oluseyi Williams, husband of the inducted President of Ladies Christian Guild of The African Church Bethlehem Cathedral, Victor Awobiyi, President, Mrs Tutu Awobiyi and the chairman of the occasion, Elder Olajide Sawyer, during the 52nd anniversary thanksgiving of the Church in Lagos yesterday.

PHOTO: MUIYWA HASSAN

Buhari’s anti-corruption effort inspiring, says Alaafin

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HE Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, has called on Nigerians not to be unnecessarily apprehensive about the present administration, saying the era of oligarchy and corruption-ridden governance is gone for good.

Oba Adeyemi made this call after inspecting a mobile hospital van donated by two indegenes of Oyo, Honourable Bode Esuola and his wife, Dr. Anu Esuola, both resident in Maryland, United States of America.

Alaafin said good govern-

From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo. ance and accountability currently being witnessed in Nigeria are beacons of hope for the people. ‘’Until recently, lack of transparency, probity, and accountability in governance were major problems we had. But President Buhari’s victory, which was a victory for the people, brought about change in our government,” he said.

The paramount ruler asserted that changing a government under which the people were unnecessarily

and needlessly burdened over the years, peacefully through the ballot box, is a feat worthy of emulation by other countries in the West African sub-region. ‘’The track record of the president and his commitment to democratic processes give hope that under his leadership, Nigerians will once more feel the impact of good and accountable governance,” he said.

While praying that Allah should guide President Buhari and the people of the country, Oba Adeyemi was of the con-

viction that the integrity and honesty of the president will see him through the task of repositioning the country and ridding the polity of corruption. ‘’May Allah guide the president as he uses his wisdom and diligence to carry along all Nigerians, including those who did not vote for him, in order to achieve the common purpose of rebuilding a strong, motivated and united country that will exemplify leadership on the African continent,” the Monarch said.

Ondo Group praises Buhari, IG over Falae’s rescue

A •Onile

GROUP in the riverine area of Ondo State, Ilaje Solidarity Forum [ISF] yesterday praised President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police [IGP], Mr. Solomon Arase, for ensuring the rescue of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation [SFG], Chief Olu Falae, from his abductors.

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

Falae, who was kidnapped last Monday at his farm in Ilado in Akure North Local Government area of Ondo State, was rescued by a team of police men led by Arase.

In a statement issued and signed by its Chairman, Mr.

Design guru to open showroom in Lagos

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OME 27th September this year, Gail Fajembola, an interior designer, is set to launch a new showroom called cynosure.

Located in Victoria Island, the showroom which will focus on providing a vast array of unique luxury pieces, along with world class interior design services to homes, offices

will answer the question of what we have been doing since 1980 because the 1980 edict was hurriedly carried out after the 1976 when an Oba got to the throne. How then can we now rely on the 1980 declaration that has been discredited in 1992 by Justice Babalakin Commission of Inquiry?”

Adewoyin expressed the fear that Lafogido Ruling House might go into extinction if it allows the injustice against it persist. He said they the Lafogido would continue to sensitise the public about the injustice in the interest of the people of Ife and Yoruba, lamenting that the wrong person should not be allowed to occupy the exalted Ooni stool.

and hotels will be launched at 14b, Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos by 5pm.

In a press release sent to The Nation, Miss Fajembola said cynosure means centre of attraction, adding that it has always been her dream to have a showroom that speaks for itself and seemingly combines unique designs with exquisite bespoke furniture.

“The amazing synergy within our fabulous team has brought together all facets of my vision, and embodies our collective passion for innovative design. We are extremely excited by the opportunities for long term growth and look forward to welcoming everyone through our doors,” she added.

Segun Enikanlogbon, ISF said Falae’s rescue has put to shame those who have politicized the kidnapping case.

“When Falae was kidnapped, we were surprised to see those who claimed to be his friends and political associates, playing politics with the life of Falae rather than join his family and indigines of Akure in prayers for the return of Falae.

“Some of them were already blaming the president as he was the one who ordered for Falae’s kidnap. The directive of Buhari to the I.G has already put those evil wishers to shame and Nigerians are now aware of those who are against the fight of Buhari’s administration on insecurity” the group said.

However, the ISF urged the president to continue on

his mission in reducing crime in the country, particularly in the Niger Delta region. ISF, particularly praised Buhari on the appointment of Brigadier General Paul Boroh [Rtd] as the Coordinator of Amnesty programme, saying his appointment has justified the developmental vision Buhari has for the people of the oil producing communities.

“We are very optimistic that the programme under your supervision would bring the desired development in the region because oil production had wreaked havoc on Niger Delta lands in form of environmental degradation, lost earnings by fishermen and farmers as a result of oil spill on rivers and waterways as well as health hazard on citizens in the region,” the group said.

UTHORITIES of the University of Ibadan (UI) have announced former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Abdurrahman Danbazzau (red), as chairman of its Advancement Centre.

The pro-chancellor, Dr. Umar Musa Mustapha, who made the announcement during the inauguration of the members of the board, said he was happy that the university is making good choices.

According to him, the university recently appointed as its new Vice-chancellor, Prof.

Idowu Olayinka, “and now, we have got another egghead as chairman of the advancement board.”

He said: “The federal government cannot completely shoulder the responsibility of funding universities and we want to be nationally competent and internationally relevant as a university. We are aware of government effort but we as a community should do more. What is available should be put into good use. We believe that the board will not disappoint us,” he said.

An elated Danbazzau said he and his team would work to achieve the dreams of the institution’s founding fathers.

The board is expected to enhance the financial base of the university through philanthropy for the development of the university’s capacity to fulfil its mandate.

According to Danbazzau, “we are not only going to make friends, we will keep old friends. We will not only sustain UI as a leading brand, we are also going to project it into the future. We will use our knowledge and experience to advance the cause of this university. The members of this board are people with great experience and integrity,” he noted Other members of the board include former Nigeria’s ambassador to Zambia and Malawi, Mrs Folake Marcus-Bello, daughter of late former governor of old Oyo State, Chief Bola Ige, Barr.

Funsho Adegbola, Chief Olabisi Ogunjobi, Mr. Hyacinth Kyaagba, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, Dr. Kaine Dosekun, Mr. Babatunde Dabiri and Dr. Yemisi Shyllon.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

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ONDAY, September 21 was a particularly stressful day for embattled President of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

In the early hours of the day, a large number of supporters and close political associates of the nation's number three citizen had thronged his official guest house located in the highbrow Maitama area of Abuja. The sprawling structure shares the same fence with the official residence of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase.

Saraki's supporters were on hand to show solidarity with him over his ongoing travails with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), which slammed a 13-count charge of false declaration of assets on the Senate President. Looking flustered and troubled while the session lasted, the number three citizen was, unarguably, a shadow of himself in spite of the brave face he tried to put up.

About one hour later, the Senate President with his guests in tow, headed straight to the Asokoro residence of Alhaji Kawu Baraje, one of his closest political associates for another round of consultations.

Curiously however, his retinue of security men comprising of operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and policemen, stayed back at the guest house allegedly on Saraki's instruction.

The meeting at Baraje's house was to deliberate on the ruling of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declined Saraki's request to stall his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

Sources disclosed that a top lawyer, who is a member of Saraki's legal team, was on hand to brief the house on the imperative of obeying the ruling of the CCT, which had summoned the Senate President to appear before it unfailingly on September 22.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria hinged his position on the "unfavourable" rulings of the Appellate Court and FHC, which failed to stall Saraki's trial at the CCT. But minutes before the meeting at Baraje's house ended, a signal was dispatched to the security men who arrived well on time and escorted Saraki to the National Assembly complex.

SARAKI What would he do next?

Predictably, the current travails of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has brought to the fore the many undercurrents playing out within and outside the National Assembly, reports Remi Adelowo Arrival of Ekweremadu and other Senators Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, arrived moments later and joined Saraki in his office. And in twos and threes, many senators loyal to the Senate President arrived to consult with him.

Expectedly, the main agenda of the meeting that took place between Saraki and his loyalists centred on the appearance of the former in court the following day for the commencement of his trial at the CCT. Some of the lawmakers include Dino Melaye, Ben Murray-Bruce, Ighoyata Amori, Peter Nwaoboshi, Gilbert Nnaji, Emmanuel Paulker, Samuel Anyanwu, Gershom Bassey, Ibrahim

Dambaba, Rafiu Ibrahim, Shaaba Lafiagi, to mention but a few.

The Nation gathered that all the senators present pledged their unalloyed loyalty to Saraki, and also restated their resolve to stand by him in his ordeal.

Shortly before the meeting drew to a close however, one of those present expressed worry by the relatively small number of senators present.

The import of his statement was not lost on the gathering.

In the last few weeks, particularly after Saraki's asset declaration saga became public knowledge, there have been fears that some lawmakers under the aegis of 'Like Minds' Senators, the group loyal to the Senate President, have become battle weary

and toying with the idea of withdrawing their support.

But the Senate President, a source said, reportedly responded that some of those absent are presently on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, adding confidently that he can still vouch for their loyalty to him.

Saraki reaches out Though the Senate President has kept a stoic face that he is on top of the dire situation he is entangled in, a source disclosed that behind the scene, he has in the last couple of days reached out to three of the nation's former leaders and other influential Nigerians to intercede on his behalf to the President.

While one of the ex-leaders indeed spoke to the President on the issue, the two others allegedly declined and instead asked him to make peace with his party at "whatever cost."

The euphemism for "whatever cost", according to a source is for Saraki to either step down or accede to his party's position on the composition of principal offices in the Senate.

An attempt by Saraki to also co-opt the Emir of Kano, Mohammed Sanusi (an old student of the prestigious Kings College like Saraki) was also futile as the monarch failed to extract any commitment from the President.

Battle on many fronts The next few months will, no doubt, be the most trying period in the political career of the former Kwara State governor.

Right now, he is currently entangled in four complex cases involving himself; his wife, Toyin; his business associate, Kennedy Izuagbe, a former Director of the defunct Societe Generale Bank and Managing Director of one of Saraki's business concerns, Carlisle Properties and Investments Limited and the alleged forgery of the Senate Rules.

Izuagbe was recently declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged discrepancies in Saraki's asset declaration forms.

The development, sources noted, suggest that the EFCC may also reopen the probe on the collapse of SGBN under Saraki's watch.

A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren,

•Contd. on page 9

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 2015

NEWS REVIEW

•Contd. from page 9 said Izuagbe is wanted for alleged laundering of about N3.6 billion. Izuagbe has since got an injunction from a Federal High Court restraining the EFCC from effecting his arrest and interrogation.

The EFCC is also investigating Toyin Saraki over alleged questionable business transactions during her husband's tenure as Kwara State governor from 2003 to 2011 and may likely press charges against her once findings are concluded.

The alleged forgery of Senate Rules, which the Police have reportedly concluded its investigations on, may also resume once the legal obstacle erected by Senator Gil Nnaji, a staunch Saraki loyalist, who some weeks ago, secured an injunction to stop the Police from pressing ahead with the case, is set aside.

Would he fight back?

Within the last four months that Saraki has been at daggers drawn with his party and the Presidency, he has proved that he is not one to be cowed easily.

It would be recalled that after his controversial election as Senate President in June, an opportunity for Saraki to mend fences with the APC leadership soon presented itself on the selection of principal officers of the Senate.

In a 'no victor, no vanquished' compromise that would have resolved the Senate leadership tussle, the APC National Chairman had written a letter to Saraki intimating him on the decision of the party to have Senator Ahmed Lawan (Yobe), Saraki's main rival for the Senate Presidency picked as the Senate leader with Senator George Akume (Benue) as his deputy.

For the position of the Chief Whip, Prof.

Olusola Adeyeye (Osun) was the party's choice, while Senator Abu Ibrahim (Katsina) was to serve as his deputy.

In total defiance of his party, Saraki instead named Senator Ali Ndume and Bala Ibn Na'Allah as the Senate Leader and Deputy Senate Leader respectively, with Senator Francis Alimikhena picked as Deputy Chief Whip.

He was, however, silent on the candidate of the South-West geo-political zone, who was expected to fill the Senate chief whip post. Saraki hinged his decision on the letters he received from the North-East, North-West and the SouthSouth caucuses of APC. Curiously, he was silent on the position of Chief Whip that Senator Olusola Adeyeye was pencilled down to fill.

Like in a movie thriller with several twists and turns, the Saraki saga took another dimension with the quizzing of Saraki's wife, Toyin by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged shady contracts during her husband's tenure as the governor of Kwara State.

EFCC acted on a petition allegedly written by the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But a few days after Toyin Saraki's appearance at the anti-graft office in Abuja came the denial from Kwara PDP that it forwarded any petition against the former Kwara first lady to the EFCC. Insinuations were rife then that the volte face by the Kwara PDP was at the instance of its national headquarters.

Again, Saraki refused to be beaten to submission. On August 25, the Senate Committee on Public Petitions and Ethics summoned the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, to appear before it over allegations of N1trillion fraud.

The invitation was sequel to a petition written by Dr. George Uboh, Chief Executive Officer, Panic Alert Security Services.

Uboh had alleged that the EFCC boss diverted multi-billion naira funds, including the loot recovered from a former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and former Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun.

The petitioner had also alleged that EFCC operates accounts in banks to warehouse recovered funds, which do not reflect in EFCC's audited accounts; doctoring and manipulation of bank accounts to conceal diversion of funds; release of recovered funds to unidentified persons and EFCC officials and movement of funds from its recovery accounts to the agency's operations accounts from where it diverts same.

Other allegations are that over 95 percent of EFCC's recoveries in foreign currencies, other than those from multinational companies have been diverted; trading with recovered funds through bank deposits and placements; colluding with real estate companies in order to grossly undervalue seized assets before they are sold to cronies; non-accountability of offshore recoveries, while over half of the assets seized from suspects are not reflected in EFCC exhibit records.

The petitioner and Lamorde were to appear before the Committee for questioning over the

Saraki's travails and its many undercurrents

•Ekweremadu

•Ndume alleged fraud allegedly committed during Lamorde's tenure as the Director of Operations of the EFCC between 2003 and 2007, as well as the Acting Chairman of the commission between June 2007 and May 2008.

Lamorde failed to turn up at the Senate hearing, even as not a few believed that Uboh may have acted at Saraki's behest to get back at EFCC for "the embarrassment meted to his person by his wife's invitation."

The obstinacy displayed by the Senate President so far in his "war" with his opponents has raised fears that he may have some "jokers" up his sleeves in response to his arraignment at the CCT. Options before Saraki That Saraki is not willing to go down without a fight is becoming clearer every passing day.

And he has loyal comrades in PDP Senators who are said to be absolutely angered by his trial at the CCT, and are poised to go for the broke with the Presidency, which they believe is behind Saraki's travails.

With the commencement of the trial of Saraki fixed for October 21, the Saraki camp, The Nation learnt, has returned to the drawing board to perfect its plot against the Presidency.

One of the options being considered is that in the event that Saraki is convicted by the CCT, a new Senate President from the PDP would be elected to replace him. Security agencies are in the know of the plot, it was gathered. The PDP senators are banking on the support of the APC senators loyal to Saraki to achieve this plan, a source disclosed.

There are also speculations that pro-Saraki lawmakers have "laid an ambush" for President Muhammadu Buhari's ministerial list, which would be made public anytime soon.

"The list may be rejected along with the previous appointments made by the President in

protest against Saraki's trial," The Nation further learnt. Some of these appointments include those of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), among others. The game plan, sources insist, is to frustrate the President.

Though it is not clear yet how the PDP senators intend to frustrate the ministerial screening, but an APC senator who spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity, said they may rely on a Senate rule, which stipulates that any ministerial nominee that fails to secure the endorsement of at least two Senators from his state would be not be cleared.

When reminded that the rule was jettisoned by the 7th Senate in the clearance of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, whose ministerial nomination by exPresident Goodluck Jonathan was vehemently opposed by the three senators from Lagos StateMrs. Oluremi Tinubu, Ganiyu Solomon and Gbenga Ashafa-the PDP Senator replied, "You have forgotten that Obanikoro's nomination scaled through, because the then Senate President, David Mark, was on the same page with the Presidency.

But the scenario we have now is completely different, because Saraki, who is being frustrated by the APC, would remain on his seat when ministerial screening gets under way."

Beside the endorsement of two Senators from the state of origin to clear every ministerial nominee, another Senate rule stipulates that former lawmakers at state and federal levels would only be asked to "take a bow and go," though it is not clear yet if these rules would be strictly enforced this time around.

The powers of the Senate President, it was gathered, may be brought to bear in the clearance or rejection of the nominees. "David Mark could have acceded to the demands of the Lagos Senators

to reject Obanikoro's nomination, but he used his powers as the presiding officer to thwart that move. Trust Saraki to also deploy his powers for maximum effect," said the PDP senator.

Crack in Saraki's camp While the plot to frustrate the Presidency is afoot, a seeming crack has reportedly ensued within the pro-Saraki group known as the 'Like Minds Senators' over the most feasible method to resolve the crisis.

Some weeks ago, Senate Leader, Ali Ndume (a Saraki loyalist) paid separate visits to President Buhari and the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Ndume's visits to the two leaders were to seek for their "understanding and forgiveness" on the role he, in concert with others played in installing Saraki as the Senate President.

But to Ndume's shock, both Buhari and Tinubu reportedly restated their loyalty to the supremacy of the party and that the minimum irreducible condition for peace was for Saraki to obey the party's position on the composition of the leadership of the National Assembly.

Ndume's peace initiative, however, allegedly did not go down well with Saraki, who was quoted to have boasted: "We (Senators) don't need the President; he is the one who needs us." This statement soon got to the ears of some trusted aides of the President and APC leaders, a source disclosed.

Signs that all may not be well in the Saraki camp emerged last week during his appearance at the CCT, as many of his known supporters in the Senate were absent.

Later that evening, Saraki's Media Office issued a statement claiming that about 50 Senators accompanied the Senate President to the Tribunal in solidarity with him. But as it later turned out, only 25 senators were counted as having gone with him to the venue of his trial.

Several excuses have been adduced as reasons for the senators' absence. While some of them like Ndume were away in Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage, a few others particularly Dino Melaye (spokesman of Like Minds Senators), were believed to be battling with their cases at the Election Petition Tribunal, with others also believed to have stayed away in order not to be "caught in the crossfire between Saraki and his opponents."

Other (un)likely options In most political disputes where no idea for settlement is considered impossible or unlikely, a few options are presently being bandied to resolve the Saraki saga once and for all.

The possibility of the "combatants" agreeing on a political solution is being talked about within the APC circles. And that would mean the President intervening to save Saraki from his ordeal.

But sources in the party have dismissed this option, insisting that the President will not under any circumstance influence the wheel of justice in the spirit of his anti-corruption agenda.

Political observers say another likely or unlikely option Saraki is faced with is to eat the humble pie, resign and make peace with his party leaders. That way, his trial at the CCT, which his sympathisers describe as "political," may be thrown out.

But this option has a major challenge. It would make nonsense of the President's anticorruption stance and rubbish his integrity.

The third option is for the Senate President to enter into a plea bargain, and this way, gets a light or no conviction but forfeit his assets to the government. "That is very, very unlikely. The Leader (as Saraki is fondly addressed by his associates) would never agree to that," said one of his loyalists, a former commissioner in Kwara State.

The Nation gathered that none of these latter options sound as sweet music in the ears of both the pro and anti-Saraki camps.

While the Saraki group believe accepting these options is akin to pleading guilty to the charges against him, his opponents are also sufficiently infuriated enough that they are not willing to give him any breather at this stage.

The other option before the two camps is to dig in and allow the judicial process to run its full course.

"He is not shaken," said a source close to him, adding, "With majority of senators solidly behind him, the Senate President will retain his seat come what may."

But can Saraki retain the loyalty of his colleagues (some of whom are battling to save their skins) as his trial gets into full swing next month? Would he survive this battle which has undoubtedly been the most testing in his political career or get consumed in it?

The next few months may well provide answers to the posers.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

INTERVIEW

'Nigeria can earn more from solid H minerals than oil'

ow endowed is Nigeria in terms of solid minerals?

The truth is that Nigeria is highly withoutendowed. reservations. terms of natural I useInthe word 'highly' resources and mineral resources, oil and gas is well known. We know where we are globally.

We have good reserves with almost 40 something billion barrels in reserve. We have billions and billions of cubic feet of gas that could still last for the next 100 years despite constant flaring. For oil, we have enough reserves for the next 40 years even if we don't discover more.

But the problem is that oil and gas is so much exposed to the vagaries and fluctuation of global economy. It is one key area of political maneuvering all over the world. In fact, people say you can trace most political crises to oil and gas.

So, it is dangerous for a country, no matter how endowed you are in that sector, to fix all your hopes in that mono-product. Many countries around are already also discovering oil and gas. In the last ten years, not less than eight African countries have become oil and gas producing to satisfy domestic and public needs.

Globally, Iran will soon start producing after all the embargoes have been lifted by America. A country, like Nigeria, then must develop alternatives. We are endowed in the solid mineral sector. We have well over 44 mineral types both on occurrence and deposit scales.

Could you explain occurrence and deposit scales?

Deposit means you have proven that it is economic. Occurrence means you have discovered but not done further works to prove if it is economic or not. So, we have minerals at both scales in over 800 locations in the country.

But the challenge, according to statistics from Nigeria's Geological Survey, is only ten percent of the country, have been mapped to any scale of about 1-100,000. So, there are still hundreds of places of these minerals that haven't been discovered.

And they are so diverse. They can be found in nearly every corner of the country. Also, each of these mineral deposits is useful including the ones we consider everywhere. For example, the hills and granites that we consider common, when you get to the East or Port-Harcourt, you will know how precious they are.

They need granites to build there but they don't have it. If you come to a place like Ekiti or Iseyin, you see billions of granites and you think it is so common. So, every mineral endowment is useful. Of the 44 types, at least 20 are of economic values.

Have you been able to quantify what the nation should be making if we were exploring all these minerals?

In terms of naira and kobo, I will say as an expert who has been in the mineral exploration for more than 32 years in public, industry and academic sectors, our endowment in the solid mineral sector is much more than what we have in oil and gas.

In terms of the economic values, in terms of the value-chain opportunities, I will say the oil and gas will only employ just one percent of what the solid mineral sector can engage.

There is a place in Ikomu, Oyo State, in the last ten years, not less than five communities and camps have emerged from the mining activities in the town. That is what is possible.

That is what the sector can bring on board.

Unfortunately, most of the raw materials that the minerals can provide for us are being imported. We have most of these things here yet we import them.

Like what and what?

If you look at the barite, you need it a lot for the oil industry. Most of the ceramics, including floor tiles we have in this country.

We have billions and billions of tonnes of clays and shades in Nigeria. In virtually every sedimentary basin, you at least not less than 30 to 40 metres thick of clay shade or stones.

There is a formation that spans almost about 300km from Ekpoma to Imo called the lignite belt. These are clays thicker than the ceramics.

So, Nigeria has no business importing tiles.

You have all the raw materials here too. If you want to gaze the materials, they are all around.

They are within a 400km belt full of not less than 2,000 gazes that have been mapped by various sectors. That is just an example. We

Prof. Olugbengba Okunlola, is President, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society and a lecturer of Applied Geochemistry/ Economic Geology at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. In this interview with Sunday Oguntola, he speaks on the huge untapped potentials in the solid mineral sector as well as how Nigeria can start benefitting from its vast mineral deposits. Excerpts:

“If you look at the barite, you need it a lot for the oil industry. Most of the ceramics, including floor tiles we have in this country. We have billions and billions of tonnes of clays and shades in Nigeria. In virtually every sedimentary basin, you at least not less than 30 to 40 metres thick of clay shade or stones” have begun to utilize our limestone whereas we were importing cement up till four to five years ago.

The limestone deposit we have in this country can still sustain not less than 100 cement companies.

I say this without exaggeration. In the South-West alone, after Abeokuta down to Benin Republic is a belt of continuous occurrence of limestone.

There is an area off Ilaro-Onigbegu area where they just finished exploration of 1km by 1km. We have proven not less than 21 million tonnes of limestone. It is like that in all of the sedimentary basins.

In Sokoto, the Kanabawa formation is about 30km with not less than about 10 metres feet of limestone. In Benue, Gboko, it is the same. And even Cross Rivers where we have one of the purest lime stones in the world stretching towards Uyo. We have the Gombe formation too.

Is it that the government is not aware of these huge deposits?

They do have some of these data. But you see government has no business in mining.

Really?

Yes. When a government mines, you can't get anything out of it. Look at the coal mines. Why

•Okunlola

have they been moribund? The era where you can have nationalisation is gone. Government is never good with business. Mining should be left to the investors.

You might blame government but the truth is our private sector does not yet understand the solid mineral sector too. It is not about importing rice and getting your money tomorrow. It is not about manufacturing biscuits and making profit.

It is not only a long term investment but also a knowledge-industry. You need knowledgeable people to do the exploration and mining. You see we have missed the knowledge gap for over 25 years in this country. There has been no serious exploration and it is a chain.

You cannot do mining without exploration; you cannot do exploration without data. You cannot get data without strengthening the basic institutions for the primary data.

For example, the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency has mapped just ten percent of the nation.

That is just 1 to 100000. It is the smallest scale. I won't even put my money in that kind of deposit.

You must have at least 1 to 25,000 mapped.

Why can't they map more? Is it about funding or capacity?

11

Do you know that in the whole of Mining and Steel Ministry, including MDAs, the number of geologists and mining engineers are less than 300? You have 34 Departments of Geology in this country in public and private universities that churn out up to 1,500 graduates in the market every year.

The Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society has not less than 7,000 Geoscientists on its list. The Council of Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMECH) has up to 2,000 registered. So, we have the capacities that are not properly utilised.

Of the 300 geologists and mining engineers in the ministry, less than 100 of them are on the fields. Some of them are in administration departments or promoted out of the field. That is grossly inadequate for us.

This is a country where every inch should be mapped. Tell us the types of rocks and then you can tell the kinds of minerals. When you know the kinds of minerals, you can begin to quantify and give these data to investors.

The job of MDAs is not to produce or mine.

That is what they have been doing; they should just provide the data for investors. It is important that government hands off mining but strengthen the institutions, empower the people there and fund them heavily.

How can the country deal with incidences of illegal mining in several communities?

It is a very simple problem. It is not about taking soldiers and the security forces there to guard sites. There is a unit called Mining Inspectorate Division that has less than five vehicles across the nation. You have illegal mining activities in over 600 communities. How can they cover them?

How many personnel do they have? Do they have enough mining inspectors? If they have the logistics and personnel, they will curtail illegal mining. In the 1920 and 30s, they were mining activities in this country. Jos and Enugu were built on mining. Did we hear of illegal mining?

That was because there was close supervision. The headquarters of the Mining Division was in Jos. The administrative headquarters was in Lagos. The money you will spend to provide logistics and personnel, you will get it 100 times over within a year of mining activities.

The miners will stop illegal activities because Nigerians are law-abiding when there is enforcement. Two, they don't want to die due to pollution. Three, they want to learn good ways of mining. Four, you will get the revenues you need to run the country from them.

If you know the amounts of gold and gemstones smuggled out of this country, you will marvel. In a year, you can have over three tonnes of gemstones smuggled out. A gramme of good tamarind costs not less than N10, 000. A kilogramme can be about N10million. One tonne amounts to thousands of dollars.

But if you spend N100million or N200million to improve logistics, you will get more. The miners will be happy; the government will be happy and good revenues will come in.

We have a robust licensing process but the point is most people getting mining licenses are speculators who have no business being there. They just get licensed and never get to do anything, shutting out the experts. That is why serious mining nations or companies are coming into the country to mine. So, government should license and monitor.

Where are the over 1,500 Geologists produced every year?

They are not on the fields; they are in the banks and ministry of establishment. They are teaching in secondary schools or riding commercial motorcycles. They are everywhere but nowhere, wasting away.

Imagine if we have just 500 Geologists on the field every year, we will cover this country in just five years. In the next fifteen years, Nigeria will be like the Western nations who are not mapping again but have covered everywhere on the largest scale. When we get the data, investors will come in. We must map the entire country as quickly as possible.

There is a place called Iperindo around Ilesa where they have proved close to 100million ounces of gold in just one km area. To me as a geologist, Iperindo is still one of the smallest deposits of gold in the belts we have. You cannot compare it to the endowment in Zamfara, Kebbi

•Contd. on page 12

12

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

INTERVIEW

•Contd. from page 11 and Kogi.

Where does the financial sector come in?

I believe there should be a synergy between the government, private sector and financial sector. The financial sector does not understand the solid mineral sector yet. The whole nation is focused on oil and gas. In the 1920 and 30s, everybody wanted to be in Jos or Enugu.

The knowledge gap has to be filled first.

Right now, there is no serious mining in Nigeria.

You can have quarrying of limestone or granite.

There is no serious underground mine in Nigeria, not even an open cast.

But the truth is that the sector has potentials.

They have to put money in it to benefit themselves and the nation. You don't have to wait for years to get profits from some of the minerals.

Some people have argued that mining can expose us to destabilisation like we have it in Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone‌ The fact is not all mining countries have been destabilised. The scenario in every country is different. One good thing for us is that we have solid minerals everywhere. If we have visionary State governments, they will develop their communities without wrangling.

I have about three publications on Itu area in Imo State that has massive clay deposits that can fetch the state good revenues. Ibadan and Abeokuta are the hubs of construction in Lagos.

You see trailer loads of granites going to Lagos from these places every day.

Assuming the government opens the Iwere-Ile-Iseyin axis to Lagos, there will be other outlets for materials. It is the same for the Badagry-Sokoto axis. Where there is no gold, there will be something else. In the Niger Delta area, the sand we have there is the best for making glasses. I wonder why Nigerians still import glasses.

The sand deposits in Bayelsa and Delta can serve as glasses for windscreens and windows.

The Igbokoda sand deposit in Ondo State is one of the best in the world. So, every state has something and there won't be that scenario playing out here.

In Plateau, when mining was active, did you

'Nigeria can earn more from solid minerals than oil'

•Mineral resources

hear about cattle rustling? Everybody was rich.

When mining stopped, people returned to farming and rustling.

That is the socio problem that comes with not mining resources. I don't see any resource war in Nigeria because we all have something. With one mineral, you can produce up to five other raw materials.

How do you feel seeing Nigeria doing nothing with its goldmines?

You feel bad and horrible. You feel frustrated.

You wonder why we have to suffer in the midst of many. If government puts just about ten percent of what is in oil and gas into the solid mineral sector, our national income will more than triple.

The MDAs in the Ministry of Steel and Mining

will be richer than the NNPC. We are talking about 44 minerals with many more being added. In 2006, we were talking about 34 mineral. In eight years, we are talking about 44.

Imagine if we have adequate data acquisition, we will have more minerals that will generate more incomes for us. If there is close monitoring, no gold will be smuggled out; investors will come in. So, we are endowed and it is a shame we are not tapping into them.

What about the likely environmental degradation that comes with mining? Won't it expose Nigeria to natural disasters?

That is not possible. No matter what people say, we will always need raw materials. Modern technologies require raw materials. So there will

always be mining. But close monitoring will prevent environmental degradation.

The Directorate determines how mining sites will be closed after they are opened up and all that. Nigeria is not yet a big mining site so we have time to learn and map out strategies.

We need to move fast because mineral resources always outlive their usefulness.

Nigeria was the largest importer of columbite in the world. After sometimes, a new mineral was discovered. So, you could go and drink your columbite.

If you don't use what you have on time, the value will go away. The tin industry collapsed because the world moved on to plastics. If you don't sustainably develop what you have, technology will go past it.

Everybody is using cement but one day, the world may say it is no longer fashionable.

Our large deposits of limestone will just be there. People are looking for alternatives to oil and gas. When you don't use your deposits, they will still be there, but they will just become useless.

Imagine you have a presentation for President Buhari on why Nigeria should invest in the solid mineral sector. What will you tell him?

I will tell him that is the future, apart from agriculture. If you cannot feed yourself, you are doomed. The next thing is the solid mineral sector. He should strengthen the institutions in the industry.

Our policy is good and world-class. The roadmap is there but we need to strengthen the agencies with capacity-building and funding.

I will tell him to showcase just about eight of the minerals we have such as the iron ore, limestone, gold, coal and lignite. Bring them up to pilot stages of exploitation. Show the world what is possible, they will come.

We don't need to pilot the 44 types but just eight of them. There is not yet serious corruption in the industry because it has not fully taken off. Once there is a synergy with the financial sector, the mining sector will literally soar. We have experts here who discovered the 44 minerals we have so far. Once we have credible data, we are good to go.

Ropo Sekoni

13

Page 14

Femi Orebe Page 16

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

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

The import of Saraki's trial It is significant that our Number Three Citizen is undergoing trial

W

HETHER Senate President Bukola Saraki is guilty as charged of any, some, or all of the 13-count charge levelled against him by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) or not is immaterial. To me, the import of his arraignment before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Tuesday is the significant thing at the end of the day. Dr. Saraki is the country's Number Three Citizen. But that should count for nothing when allegations of the type made against him as senate president are concerned. Indeed, it is in our kind of country where such a consideration is an issue. Elsewhere, even sitting presidents could be tried but for the immunity that many of them enjoy.

So, the fact that Nigeria has come to a stage where its Number Three Citizen could be taken to court to account for his past actions, even while in office, is significant.

This is a country that has thrived for too long on impunity and unless this tendency is checked, we can never make progress.

Nobody should have the feeling of being above the law. For me, that is the icing on the cake in the matter.

Senator Saraki has specifically been accused of making anticipatory declaration of House 15A and 15B, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; failure to declare property on Plot 2A, Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; failure to declare property on No. 1, Tagus Street, Maitama, Abuja (Plot 2482, Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja); failure to declare property No.3 Tagus Street, Maitama, Abuja (Plot 2481, Cadastral Properties Ltd) and claiming to own property on No. 42, Gerard Road, Ikoyi and earning N110,000,000.00 per annum on it at a time the property was under construction. Other allegations are: failure to declare N375m GTB loan converted to 1.5m Pound Sterling and used to purchase property in London; operating a foreign bank account; transferring of $3.4m from GTB to foreign bank account during his tenure as governor and failure to declare leasehold interest in No. 42, Remi Fani-Kayode Street, Ikeja, among others.

But rather than face the issues, some Nigerians, as usual, are beginning to read political meaning into the trial. For me, this is neither here nor there. Much as this may just be true, it may also be only perceived to be so.

But again, whatever it is should count for anything. What we should be bothered about is whether Dr. Saraki is in the dock for the appropriate reason/s or not. Unfortunately, Nigeria's elite have a way of hiding under all manner of excuses when they are put on the spot. They are either alleging political persecution or flying the ethnic or religious kite, whichever suits them. Now, how does political victimisation answer the questions posed by Dr. Saraki's arraignment? It is a matter of 'did you' or 'did you not'? That, I think, is the issue and those alleging political victimisation know this too well. But that has always been the way our elite shielded themselves from trial in the past. Rather than address issues, they launch into the realm of irrelevancies.

Indeed, but for the times that are fast changing with the fall of the ancien regime at

otufodunrin@thenationonlineng.net

08050498530(SMS only)

Curbing sexual harassment on campuses

I

•Saraki in the dock

the polls in March, Dr. Saraki had, before finally making up his mind to appear before the CCT, raced to the Federal High Court, Abuja, with an ex-parte application seeking to prevent the CCT from proceeding with his trial, the way the big people in the country used to frustrate the judicial process in the past under the guise of protecting themselves.

We have one of them that has been under the cover of perpetual injunction not to be investigated for years! As usual, the plank of Dr. Saraki's argument was not that he is guilty or not, but that of technicalities. He wants the court to order that the status quo be maintained in the matter. "In the absence of any substantive AGF in the time being, this court (Federal High Court, Abuja) has the jurisdiction to direct parties to maintain status quo, pending the hearing of the motion on notice". His argument is that since there is no subsisting AGF as provided for in Section 24 (1) of the CCB and tribunal, the charge against him by the official of the AGF before the CCT was null and void. Thus, we saw the usual resort to technicalities in the past that has had many cases of fraud and corruption in the country inconclusive, in some cases for years. It is these same technicalities that many people have exploited in the country to shield themselves from trial when their collaborators in other countries have already acclimatised to prison life.

Watchers of our political development must have seen a recurring pattern in the reluctance of our big people to be called to question over the decades, particularly since the beginning of this democratic dispensation in 1999. The argument about persecution is taken to the ridiculous extent of alleging that someone is being tried because someone does not like his face. And I have always argued that we should be less bothered about that. What should concern us is whether the person being accused is guilty or innocent. But our big people want a utopian situation whereby all thieves would be caught at a time; another way of saying

“How does political victimisation answer the questions posed by Dr Saraki's arraignment? It is a matter of 'did you' or 'did you not'? That, I think, is the issue, and those alleging political victimisation know this too well. But that has always been the way our elite shielded themselves from trial in the past. Rather than address issues, they launch into the realm of irrelevancies.�

thieves should never be caught. I do not know any country where all the thieves were simultaneously rounded up. We should deal with situation as they arise. If the then President Olusegun Obasanjo had caught thieves that were his enemies and Umaru Yar'Adua had also caught thieves whose faces he did not like, the number of big thieves would have been drastically reduced in the country because people would be mindful of the possibility of the coming to power of a king that would not know Joseph. Of course no one would have expected former President Goodluck Jonathan to catch any thief because he did not see any. As far as he was concerned, the monumental corruption that went on unabated under his very nose was nothing to worry about; it was mere stealing!

Notwithstanding, we would have fewer big thieves to contend with in the country today if his predecessors had caught the thieves that they could catch in their time, be they friends or foes. Many of the big people would have been serving their jail terms now.

However, whether Dr. Saraki should step down from his exalted office or not is a different question entirely. That is purely a moral decision left to him since our laws presume an accused guilty until when convicted by a competent court. Although in our clime, accused are looked at scornfully; in some other countries, it is not so. One may not have felt comfortable having the country's Number Three Citizen in the dock, with the media making the picture to tell the kind of stories that suited their fancy; some slanted the picture of the senate president in the dock to look like that of a trapped rabbit, etc. I still feel Dr Saraki should be left alone to take the decision as to whether he felt sufficiently embarrassed enough to want to continue in office or whether to see through the trial to the end. But the signal is good for our political and other elites; including bankers who fiddled with their customers' money, that it is no longer business as usual. A man who stole a goat because he is hungry due to the activities of our corrupt rich that have made jobs disappear into the oblivion should not be sent to prison when those responsible for his plight are moving freely, in some cases, with police protection.

CHIBOK GIRLS: STILL ON MY MIND

ONCE asked a female student of a higher institution a question I knew the answer to assure myself my views on the issue is right.

The question was whether it is true that lecturers sexually harass female students in exchange of marks?.

Not only did she confirm that the allegations are true, she cited personal experiences and that of others she knew about.

Contrary to denials, sexual harassment and rape cases are common in virtually all educational institutions, including the primary schools.

Some lecturers are so notorious that female students have to device all manners of tactics to ward off advances or outright demand for what they think is part of their benefits for being lecturers.

I remember a case of a Post Graduate student who was advised to meet her project supervisor in company of her husband who should offer generous financial gift to the lecturer to prevent him from asking the lady for sex.

Those who don't give in to the demands and can't pay in cash sometimes pay dearly for their refusal by being deliberately scored low. There are cases of students who have had to repeat a session just because they refused to subject themselves to the 'evil ' demands of randy lecturers old enough to be their fathers.

The recent case of a part-time lecturer in University of Lagos who raped an admission seeker which is being investigated by the institution is indicative of what some lecturers can do to satisfy their lust.

A lecturer raped the daughter of his neighbour who was entrusted to him to assist in securing admission and shamelessly claims that he had the consent of the girl to sleep with her.

There is another case being investigated in University of Calabar where a Professor of Law raped a student after offering her an opportunity to recopy a class text in his office.

Like in the first case, some friends of the notorious lecturer are not denying that the lecturer had carnal knowledge of the student in his office, their defense is that the lady is morally loose. The Professor also claimed the act was consensual.

What a shame that lecturers have turned their offices to 'slaughter slabs' on the excuse that the students offered themselves to them which is not the case in this two instances.

Even if the students offered themselves, the question for the lecturers is whether it is right for them to have sexual relationships with students? Is it morally justifiable to engage in such unethical conduct when they are married and have their own children.

Thankfully, past students have come out in both cases to confirm that the two lecturers have an history of sexually harassing students.

A top newspaper editor recently wrote put a lie to denial of allegations of sexual harassment by lecturers when she recalled how her project supervisor while she was an undergraduate was interested in sleeping with her and she declined.

Those she sought help from to appeal to the lecturer her to give the lecturer what he wanted told her to give the lecturer what she wanted .

Her punishment for refusal was lack of the necessary supervision by the lecturer.

If incidents of sexual harassment are to be curtailed in institutions, cases like the ones above should be thoroughly investigated and the lecturers severely penalised to serve as a deterrent to others.

14

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

COMMENT

Time to move away from excuses Unlike the optimism of voters for change and enthusiasm of President Buhari to return a sense of order to the polity, civil servants and others in political office do not seem to be in a hurry to change from looking for excuses to mute irresponsible behaviour in government.

O

NE feature of the country's culture of corruption is finding excuses not to do the right thing. This culture of impunity was not created by former President Jonathan; it just reached its pinnacle (or nadir?) under his presidency. Finding excuses not to do the right thing is also part of the culture of all categories of workers-from those in the formal sector to those in the artisanal and informal sector. Unlike the optimism of voters for change and enthusiasm of President Buhari to return a sense of order to the polity, civil servants and others in political office do not seem to be in a hurry to change from looking for excuses to mute irresponsible behaviour in government.

The latest demonstration of excuses in our new government of change pertains to failure of over 300 MDAs to act in compliance with the presidential order that accounts of all government agencies be transferred to the Treasury Single Account in the Central Bank.

Let us hear from the Accountant-General of the Federation who should know about the latest development on the presidential order: "As at today, I can tell you about 600 out of about 900 MDAs have keyed in. For the number of accounts I cannot categorically tell you because even the MDAs and indeed the federal government never knew the number of accounts. However the accounts are going on to the Central Bank of Nigeria and I believe very soon a position will be made available on the number of accounts that have been swept up.''

Is there any better or worse way to illustrate resilience of poor governance than the statement from the Accountant-General? The AGF may have some excuse for not knowing how many MDAs there are in the country, because he is new on the job. But it is absurd that the MDAs and the federal government do not know the number of accounts. What the AccountantGeneral implies is that departments and agencies that keep public funds are not even sure how many accounts they have. The Accountant-General's use of "about 900 MDAs and about 300 MDAs" in the quotation above

indicates, if anything, the lack of seriousness in public service delivery. What does it take for our public servants to be able to talk in exact terms? A similar fear of exactness was displayed during the announcement of the last presidential election when one of the Returning Officers from the Eastern States had to be asked by the former INEC chair, Professor Attahiru Jega, if the man was reading from the text in front of him.

Government officials, especially senior ones, should be able to talk in exact terms when and where figures are involved.

But the uncertainty of the AccountantGeneral about the exact number of MDAs is not the focus of this piece on excuses. Today's interest is about the Accountant-General's need to convince MDAs that the presidential order on closure of multiple accounts is not directed against MDAs but for the purpose of increasing efficiency, days after the deadline to carry out presidential directives had passed. Of course, the order is directed at (and designed against) all government agencies that chose to open deposit accounts that nobody, not even the federal government has been able, according to the AGF, to count or verify.

In normal polities, it should not have been necessary for the Accountant-General to plead with erring MDAs, days after the deadline for closure of multiple accounts: "The policy was never intended to impair the operations of MDAs; rather, it is intended to make them more efficient and to make cash available to government in a very centralised and consolidated manner. So, operations of MDAs are expected to move on as expected but MDAs must come forward in line with the directive and deadline given of Sept. 15 which has already expired. We are expecting them to come and enlist, enrol and identify users that will participate and key into their individual subaccounts so that they can utilise their resources based on their budgets." The president gave reasons for calling for a return to the Treasury Single Account when the directive was first made. It is important for heads of agencies to

note that in a presidential system, the buck stops at the desk of the president. Heads of MDAs that are uncomfortable with the directive or unable to respond to presidential directives on time should be given the choice to resign. Nigerians are ashamed of a system that allows departments and agencies to open bank accounts the number of which may be too numerous for owners of the account to count or know.

The claim that some MDAs are experiencing difficulties in following the presidential order is reminiscent of what many citizens believe is a staple of financial managers in the public sector: the tendency by those in charge of MDAs to keep public funds in many bank accounts, most of which are to yield personal interest for the privileged civil servants. In the era of Sani Abacha, some senior public servants including governors were believed to have put public funds in Finance Houses to produce interest for them. Some governors were even warned by Abacha against joining NADECO on account of having illegally deposited public funds in private bank accounts for personal interest. It is dangerous for the federal government to be shifting deadlines. To instil discipline in governance, the president needs to read the riot act to MDAs that had failed to meet the deadline to move all public funds in their care to the Treasury Single Account.

Still on excuses, citizens are no longer in the loop on whether the police had finally submitted the investigation into the allegation of forgery (in the senate at the first meeting of the current senate) to the Ministry of Justice. A few weeks ago, the media was agog over the play of excuses between the police force and the ministry of justice. The former claimed to have sent to the justice department the full report of the investigation while the latter claimed that the first report sent to it was incomplete and was sent back to the police. The police shouted back that it had sent the final report back to the justice ministry. No reference was made to the mode of sending the report. But in the last three weeks, no information has been made available to the

public about the location of the report of the said police investigation. As no reference has been made in the last three weeks to the existence of the report, the media may need to ask both arms of government about the whereabouts of the report of a very important investigation by the police.

Police men on highways have again started to ask motorists to produce licence for tinted glass on vehicles imported into the country and for which owners had paid customs charges. I was stopped on Sagamu-Ore road last week. I told the policeman that the matter of tinted glass had died a natural death long ago. He told me he was not aware of any change in the position of the police on tinted glass, adding that the new Inspector-General had not made any new pronouncement on tinted glass.

Should the IGP need to reassure his field officers on the highways that most countries imported to the country come with factory-built tinted glass, he should add a sentence on tinted glass to his post-confirmation speech on his policies to turn the police force around for the better.

Voters for change are tired of having to live with the culture of excuses by government agencies.

Even months after the exit of a government that did not care about laws and rules, persons accused of violating the law of the land are eager to accuse the current administration of witch-hunting or political persecution. What has happened in our country to the principle that every action has a consequence and every responsible citizen has to be ready to accept responsibility for his or her action? Individuals accused of unwholesome behaviour are encouraged by their supporters to cry foul, not about the substance of the allegations levelled against them, but solely about the involvement of their political enemies in drawing attention to their unlawful conduct. Mobilising men and women to engage in solidarity visits to courts says as much about the morality of those accused of wrongdoing as it does about supporters who choose to abandon their own jobs to accompany individuals accused of corruption or any other violation of the law to courts.

Citizens who are used to corruption and impunity are likely to always find excuses for whatever they do. It is the levers of power in a paradigm-altering administration that will have to remain firm in their resolve to end impunity by not listening to excuses from citizens who are used to being above the law.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

COMMENT

15

Saraki’s conduct in court Senate President, a layman indeed!

B

UT for the label, the 'accused person' on the box where Senator Bukola Saraki sat, while appearing before the Code of Conduct Tribunal; an observer would think he was on the soapbox, when he launched his political remarks in court, last Tuesday. His reprehensible conduct was the culmination of the shenanigans he had displayed, all in an effort to frustrate his arraignment before the tribunal for alleged false declaration of asset.

In complete disregard for judicial procedure, Senator Saraki, an accused, took the microphone, and cockily sought to teach the court, the prosecutor, and his defence counsel, the law, even when he accepted that he is a layman.

This false wisdom by Senator Saraki was furthered outside the court, when he tried to sell the dummy that he was being persecuted because he is the Senate President. We doubt the authenticity of this claim, considering that the issues before the court were fairly straightforward, and were alleged criminal infractions which preceded his disputed emergence as Senate President. As fellow laymen, like Senator Saraki, our understanding is that when an accused person is charged before a court or a tribunal, he will respectfully appear before the court, and plead his innocence or guilt, as maybe the case, instead of politicising it.

This should even be more evident, when the accused is an elected lawmaker. So, while Senator Saraki must for now be presumed innocent, and given all the lawful opportunity to defend himself, he should not be allowed to denigrate the judicial process, as part of his defence. We therefore identify with the prosecutor's argument that what Senator Saraki and his legal team sought to do, by shopping

T

HIS is to remind you on what Nigeria Police Force has been going through for more than twenty-eight years.

You will recall that prior to the late eighties, the Nigeria Police Force was one of the most cherished and respected institutions due to the dignity and patriotism with which they discharged their onerous duties.

But sadly, the reverse is now the case because successive governments have neglected the welfares of the men of Nigeria Police Force.

Lack of accommodation for rank and files and also for many senior police officers: it is an eyesore that virtually all men of Nigeria Police force are left on their own when it comes to issue of accommodation. This sad development impedes effective functions of the police because

for an interim injunction from other courts, would have ridiculed our country's judicial process if they had succeeded in securing conflicting orders from different courts.

We hope that what has happened, so far, will be a lesson to other accused persons that the era of dubious injunctions, to frustrate criminal trials, is at its twilight. We therefore commend both the federal high court and the court of appeal, for resisting the temptation to hamstring the lawful duties of a constitutional process.

Indeed, we also commend the bold insistence of the tribunal that the law should take its course, despite the unwarranted attempts by the accused person and his rancorous supporters to disrupt the process.

We are particularly appalled that some distinguished senators of the federal republic would lend their influence towards that unfortunate effort to intimidate the court. To the chagrin of many ordinary Nigerians, the accused person and his supporters substantially turned the venue of the tribunal into a political arena, with all manner of persons and groups chanting songs in Saraki's support. We had thought that such antics are reserved for the guilty who merely use such subterfuge to intimidate a tribunal, scurry cheap popularity, and give a

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

•Editor Festus Eriye

•Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh

•Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile

•Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye

•Associate Editor Sam Egburonu

•General Editor Adekunle Ade-Adeleye

LETTERS

Open letter to president on the police most officers have no option than to compromise in the discharge of their duties.

2 Abysmal salary packages: Notwithstanding always putting themselves in harm's way, the Nigeria Police Force remains one of the least paid in the world.

This trend has helped in no little way to dampen their morale, forcing most of the officers to engage in illegal activities in order to sustain themselves and their family.

3. Lack of motivating insurance package: it is always heartbreaking seeing families of slain police officers going

through excruciating hardship because their bread winners were unfortunate to pay the supreme sacrifice in the discharge of their duties. This has in no little way discouraged police officers from giving their best in the discharge of their duties.

4. Lack of policing vehicles and gadgets: In order to fight crime this twenty-first century, the police force needs twentyfirst century equipment. Sadly, our policemen are one of the least equipped in the world. This has hampered the effective discharge of their duties.

5. Lack of funds and logistics: It is inappropriate that an organisation that works everyday lacks funds and logistics that will help in the effective and smooth running of their duties.

Mr. President, we believe that some of the solutions proffer below will go a long way in ameliorating the sufferings of the Nigeria Police Force and gingers them to give their best in the discharge of their duties.

1. The federal government should set up a scheme that will be funded through public and private partnership that will

Saving the future of Nigeria

I

T is a popular saying that "if you educate a woman you have educated the entire generation unborn". This is because the nurturing and caring of the future generation is absolutely in their hands, from pregnancy to when a child separates from the family to build his own, which also passes what he learned from his mother to his own family. This continues as long as life continues.

If the above is correct, which no doubt it is, then the case is the same if a woman is

false sense of persecution of the innocent. In our view, the obviously hired hands that were within and outside the tribunal had no business there, and their efforts should be an embarrassment to the accused person.

As Senator Saraki has rightly observed, he is a layman. That perhaps explains his uninformed diatribe, implying that but for his present status as Senate President, the alleged crime of false declaration of assets, when he was governor of Kwara State, and subsequently as a senator, would not have been unearthed many years after. While admitting at the tribunal that there is a change in national orientation, and urging the prosecutor and the tribunal to adhere to that change in his trial, Senator Saraki, uncharacteristically refused to link the resurgence of all national institutions to their constitutional responsibilities, to that commitment to change.

Having had his day in court, despite his efforts to frustrate same, we expect Senator Saraki, whether as Senate President or an ordinarysenator to henceforth dedicate himself to ensuring that all persons, regardless of their stature, are subjected to the rule of law. That is a fundamental requirement of any modern society. Indeed, it is only when all persons are subjected to the rule of law, regardless of temporal privileges, that such a nation can lay claim to be on the threshold of fairness, equity and good conscience. We also hope that the experience of Senator Saraki would be a lesson to others who are under oath to obey the dictates of the constitution. As we have severally warned on this page, those who abuse their powers should know that the day of reckoning will come, someday.

given otherwise. In this case, women (mothers) becoming drug abusers/addict, which is the situation we have found ourselves. This is a serious challenge posed to the future generation. Unless we find a solution to drug abuse, we will surely find ourselves in the future where every child will be a potential drug abuser/ addict.

The solution to this problem lies with everybody in the community; from government and its regulatory bodies, health professionals

down to the grass roots.

The situation now is alarming, therefore government and its regulatory bodies are the first line of call.

The Nigerian government needs to see open drug market as a potential threat to the future of the nation. It makes drug distribution channel chaotic and not easy to be regulated. In a proper drug distribution channel, abused drugs can easily be tracked down and any diversion can be detected and culprit brought to justice. The federal government and all the

relevant stakeholders should help the Nigerian citizens through ensuring the implementation of the national drug distribution guideline.

The Pharmacist Council of Nigeria needs to do more by standing up to its constitutional responsibility to safeguard the life of Nigerians. The council cannot do it alone. It needs to be supported by the government and other agencies to ensure hospitals (private and public), pharmacy premises and drug stores of any kind are properly registered and regulated. This will go a long way in reducing access to the abused drugs.

ensure that adequate and habitable accommodation are provided for the rank and files and also for senior police force members.

2.

Improved salary packages: we believe that a Nigeria Police Force that is well paid will give their best in the discharge of their duties.

Therefore, we demand that the salary packages of the Nigeria Police Force should be improved.

3. A motivating insurance package that ensures that families of slain police officers are not left to suffer will go a long Pharmacy premises and hospital premises have what is called poison book which is given by the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria as one of its effort to make sure all controlled drugs (abused drugs inclusive) are properly dispensed and documented. If only drug distribution channel can be perfected and the poison book well utilised, the drug addicts cannot lay their hands on drugs, not to talk of abusing them, therefore saving generation of Nigerian youths.

The health care professionals have a lot to contribute in taking care of this menace. If they can abide by the

way to motivate officers into discharging their duties without fears. We demand that an insurance package worth at least ten million naira be made available for families of slain police officers.

4. We demand that security votes collected monthly by governors be channelled directly to the security forces in the country which the police belong to and also that a body be set up to ensure the judicious use of the money.

5. The federal government should provide adequate communication gadgets, arms and other needed gadgets that will help the police in the effective discharge of their duties.

• By Augustin Chukwudum President, Southern Nigeria Peoples Mandate (SNPM) Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF). oath they swore to, greater percentage of drug abuse will stop. The doctors prescribe controlled drugs even if there is no need or there is an alternative. The pharmacist dispensed controlled drugs without proper prescription and without proper documentation. This should be discouraged.

The professionals should use their knowledge in sensitising their local community and their patients on the effect of drug abuse.

• By Mustapha Mustapha Umar, Rigasa, Kaduna.

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16

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

COMMENT

In the beginning I have been privileged to write as a columnist in all manner of newspapers for close on four decades but certainly not in the continuous, unbroken manner I did, first with Comet, and now for a much longer period for The Nation on Sunday, where I have not missed a week in some eight years.

“F

EMI, a special day, a special landmark, all for a very special friend! We give God the glory for the journey so far. With you, what you see is what you get, no airs: uncommon candour, genuineness, consistency, loyalty and an uncompromising embrace of your core values and beliefs, all fusing in the patriotic zeal that burns brightly at the tip of your admirable pen. Your effervescent personality is admiringly infectious. It is a privilege, and honour, to call you my special friend. My darling wife and l wish you happy birthday and the very best for the future in robust health, peace and God's abundant grace.

Pity we are not able to join you in the 'knees up' on Sunday. Do have a blast as we raise a glass or two to the 'baffday boy'. - Dr Biodun Adu, a U.K -based Consultant Gynaecologist, and my very good friend, and classmate, at Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti, obviously writing for all the 59-63 Boys.

I have been privileged to write as a columnist in all manner of newspapers for close on four decades but certainly not in the continuous, unbroken manner I did, first with Comet, and now for a much longer period for The Nation on Sunday, where I have not missed a week in some eight years. My foray into regular columnising had started with Niyi Oniororo's, Akure-based, totally irreverent PEOPLES NEWS which was the only community newspaper in the old Ondo State of the early 80s; a period of great political ferment in our country.

Suffice it to say that the state was volatile enough to have, unarguably, accounted

for the demise of Nigeria's Second Republic. Dare Babarinsa, has since elegantly captured the era in the 'House of War in which this writer got a decent mention. Of course, I had before then written regularly in THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE during the editorship of the erudite journalist, Banji Ogundele, and for the Sunday Sketch, when Uncle Jide Adeleye was editor.

Niyi Oniororo and I had met early in life at the prestigious Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti, where he was a year ahead of me. A scion of the Oniororo family of Otun -Ekiti and younger sibling of Comrade (Dr) Ola Oni of the University of Ibadan, Niyi was simply an enigma, absolutely in a class of his own. Given the thoroughly Christian bend of Christ's School, it was obvious he was not going to complete his studies there.

But Niyi would not be an Oniororo if that little matter of an expulsion, over some boyish frivolities, was to delay him at all. He soon found his way to Eastern Europe and returned a few years later, a fire-eating, Marxist - Leninist and human rights crusader. I knew no door Niyi could not open and before long, he was sucked into the mix of the high and the mighty in government, something am still unable to explain.

Working with the likes of Bayo Kumolu-Johnson, a medical doctor and human rights campaigner too, he soon found the National Council for National Awareness and became the Director of the National Orientation Movement on the brutal murder of General Murtala Mohammed.

A master at pamphleteering, Niyi wrote no less

than fifteen books. Without a scintilla of doubt, however, PEOPLES NEWS was his magnum opus. It was published with hardly any regard for the extant laws of sedition or defamation. He knew neither Jew nor Gentile; nor was anybody too big for him to hammer in his withering column. At varying times, he took on the state governor, the revered Papa Adekunle Ajasin, just like he would later descend heavily on Chief Akin Omoboriowo, the deputy governor. He was as iconoclastic as they come! Indeed, as a prosecution witness in a case instituted by Chief Omoboriowo against Oniororo, Chief Obafemi Awolowo testified that although he believes in freedom of the press, he had doubts as to Niyi's journalistic intelligence. Said Awo: 'I believe you wished me well in my political career, but your newspaper suggested otherwise. Your vicious attacks on the former deputy governor of Ondo State were not the right thing for the UPN.' However, those who accuse Niyi of being motivated by mercenary instincts certainly didn't know him. He thought nothing of money. I knew of days he did not have a dime nor did I benefit a penny writing for his paper.

Indeed, PEOPLES NEWS, published in Ibadan, and ferried weekly to Akure, was run absolutely on a shoe string and many a time, it took Niyi's very doting wife to pay for the printing. Without a doubt, the fear of PEOPLES NEWS was the very beginning of wisdom for public servants in Ondo State simply because its publisher feared nobody, acting purely from inner convictions.

On my part, the paper was very

handy in drawing attention to a series of unethical things going on in some ministries and departments of the state government. There was, in particular, the pharmacy department which gave out outrageous contracts to some friends of some of the officials who usually came in from outside the state. Aside my column in the PEOPLES NEWS, I was a regular face on the state television and had acquired a reputation for saying things exactly as they are. This made me a recipient of several confidential information. Writing about such things, however, carried risks of their own as I was certainly not a Niyi Oniororo who, I sometimes believed, had a death wish.

For instance, I can never forget the day I barely escaped Bode Olowoporoku who came to my house with some people to protest an article I had written against a particular ministry - not his own - where, unknown to the highly regarded commissioner, some clandestine, anti-social activities were going on.

Sadly, Oniororo would die a very painful death at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, Sunday, April 17, 2005, the consequence of a stroke he suffered consequent upon the unresolved, very gruesome death of Yomi, his adorable and brilliant 29-year old son, a doctorate degree holder who was on the staff of the National Intelligence Agency. The manner of Yomi's death killed Niyi long before he joined the saints triumphant but he, no doubt, left his mark as a journalist of conscience. Niyi lives on in the many memorabilia he left behind as well as his sterling contributions to the campaign for human rights in the

country in which he will, with considerable justification, be called a pioneer.

My next major effort at column writing would be in the early 90s when an evening newspaper, floated in Lagos by the Ibadan- born Alhaji Balogun, had as its Managing Editor, my good friend, Banji Ogundele, formerly of Sunday Tribune. This again happened to be at a period of frenetic politicking. It was in the era of the two political parties - SDP and NRC, both the result of General Babangida's harebrained political experimentations. My column here was so well received that a senior journalist, Segun Adelugba, wrote his project, in part fulfilment of his Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos on it. Hard hitting, it was a veritable space for propagating the superiority of the candidature of Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the SDP Presidential candidate, over and above his opposite number, Alhaji Bashir Tofar, of the NRC. One issue which enjoyed considerable mention was who, between Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and Alhaji Babagana Kingibe should be Chief Abiola's running mate.

The column unapologetically rooted for the more cerebral Kingibe to whom I had actually, earlier, been introduced by his friend, and my senior at Christ's School, the Late Leye Adegite, the witheringly brilliant Chemistry professor of the University of Lagos, when the idea of my becoming an aide to Baba, in the manner of Ojo Madueke and the lawyer, Sola Akinyede, was mooted. I, however, demurred because my sympathies were with the Chief Ajasin -led PSP, not the PDM though both would later merge in the IBB abracadabra politics. That little conscientious objection also accounted for my refusal to join in a PDM membership recruitment drive to Ondo State for which those who agreed were generously, financially rewarded, in my presence. • Culled from my forthcoming book: SIMPLY A CITIZEN JOUNALIST, in commemoration of my 70th birthday this past week.

This season of unpaid wages is a little worrisome, no?

Until there is a social security scheme in place, the government must carry its bloated burden and carry it well.

T

HERE are so many things happening all at once that my pen, sorry, my fingers just cannot fly fast enough over the computer keys.

What things? Have you been a stranger in these parts that you do not know these things? Are you like that man who was asked by a traveller how to get to a certain part of the city and he replied that he did not know since he was a stranger in the land and had only lived there for fifteen years or so? Or, are you like me (and I am sure there are legions of us) who hear these things as they whiz past our ears from the men folks as they talk to each other over our heads? Then, you can hear us go, our legion that is, 'Ehn, so, who is facing charges now?' 'They say it's Saraki.' Ehn, so, who is Saraki?'

'The senate president.' 'Ehn, so, where is that senate? Hey, where is that child I sent to go and get me some pepper? Hen, can you believe the price of pepper in the market now...?' Different strokes for different folks, they say.

Well, folks, that is how I got to hear that the senate president is involved in some kind of tangle with the Code of Conduct Bureau and I said, good luck to them all. Me, I am involved in my own tangle with the dog. The blessed thing will just not behave. Someone said he probably does not even know he is a dog. I think I will take him to a psychiatrist.

I also heard that President Buhari had not yet released his ministerial list, what with the promised month of September hurtling to its close;

and I thought, what is he trying to do, draw out every breath from our lungs as we hold it in expectation? I heard too that as many as twenty states are still owing their workers many months of back wages even as we speak, and I thought, now, that is worrisome. Out of all these things I am hearing, the fact that people are not being paid is the one that worries me most.

Let me state right out that I do not know the politics of this salary thing, because it appears to have come along with many considerations or even, I suspect, ideologies. There are rumours that playing helpless was the only way the states could force the federal government to share some money it had insisted on keeping hidden for a rainy day. Obviously, the states were not interested in rainy days; they preferred the raining day of the Naira. Some other rumours have it that the states felt that too much of their subventions were going into their monthly wage bills and were getting tired, and many other rumours. Like I said, I don't know, but let us share a few things related to this problem.

To start with, money is in short supply now in Nigeria. It is also true that Nigeria's civil service is unnecessarily bloated but again, this is owing to the fact that she does not run any other social service scheme by which the government can reach a good number of her people with the country's resources. So, as it is now, there are very few families in the land which

do not have one relative or the other in government employ. Many will also not rest until they do. Until there is a social security scheme in place, the government must carry its bloated burden and carry it well.

Following on the heels of that burden is the fact that the government by its own short-sightedness has nigh killed the private sector. Many have pointed out, including this column, that the greatest employer of labour in any healthy land should be the private sector made up of the large-, small- and medium-scale enterprises. In the absence of a good and independent economic market, most people have been schooled to believe that government employ is the ultimate.

Naturally, under such a large and unnatural weight, the government, both state and federal, appears to be buckling under.

It is this system that has also given rise to and encouraged all the corruption that we are currently battling in the country. The reason is clear I think.

Anyone who can manipulate that system, since it has not been built on profit-making or national benefit, simply does so for ethno-religious benefit.

Unfortunately too, about the time that the international price of oil dipped at the close of the Jonathan administration, the then minister of finance pronounced that the first casualty of that shortfall was likely to be civil servants' wages. Many of us were rather bewildered that staff salaries should be the first target. Now that the state has kept its promise to

target staff salaries, we still are.

However, we are wondering why the atrociously high tastes of political leaders for instance have not been targeted. It is on record that Nigeria is paying nearly the highest wages to its legislature. A lot has been said about that already; I guess more will come another day. Today, however, we must reiterate what many, including this column, have said concerning the rapacious appetites of our elected state executives. We have said before that many of them, with few exceptions, have gone to their states not to build but to acquire things like private jets (I am told many are still on the queue to own one) and London houses. In bewilderment, we have watched our state executives' acquisitive tastes go straight from sub-normal to abnormal without passing through Route Normal.

Seriously, this must be telling us something. First, I believe that our state executives, and indeed, our political leaders must stop behaving like class bullies and hold themselves accountable to the people for their actions. They should please stop swinging their agbadas in our faces and curb their acquisitive appetites. Why should a state executive insist on owning a jet when people are hungry?

A worker controls only the few thousands of Naira s/he is given as his/ her wage. With this, he/she feeds his/ her family, maintains his/her car/ motorcycle/bicycle/feet (yes, everything needs to be oiled, even feet), pays school bills, maintains elderly relatives, pays health bills, builds a

house (neither the state not bank will help), clothes him/herself, etc. When the few thousands do not come, everything suffers.

State executives, on the other hand, control billions of Naira each month, heck some each week. With this, they are expected to take care of their states' needs, pay wages and uplift their environment. From our general knowledge and experiences though, many of them have been content paying wages and upping their tastes; and when there has been a contest between paying wages and massaging their palates, why, many right thinking executives have upheld their private jets. This behaviour closely resembles that of class bullies who beat up the weak ones just because they can.

The fathers of American democracy opted for it because they believed that truth can only be established from many mouths. Many Nigerians are presently not contributing their mouths to its growth in Nigeria because of hunger and ignorance. By not paying salaries as and at when due, our governors appear to be more interested in perpetrating that silence. This is what worries me.

Too much is rotten in the state of Nigeria, and I believe the slowness and silence of the president have been due to this realisation. When the dust is cleared, I pray the president to please enable the private sector once again, not only to provide more credible labour opportunities but to encourage production for export earnings as well.

Then we can call the soul of this country our own.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

COMMENT

17

(135) Alufa n'sonra, ijo n'ru [While the priest grows fat, the congregants grow lean and emaciated with hunger] A popular Yoruba wisecrack against priestly pursuit of riches

Pope Francis, the talakawa Pontiff: a man for our times, a man for all ages

I

T is Wednesday, September 23, 2015. I have just watched the television broadcast of the address of Pope Francis to a joint meeting of both chambers of the United States Congress. The Pope's speech was stunning in the eloquence, wisdom and humility with which he took up the cause of the poor - the talakawas of this world - and the cause of survival of our planet as a common home for all of us, the denizens of planet Earth. The speech is over and I think hard. I think back to the entirety of my life and I conclude that I have never heard a more powerful and moving speech than this speech by Pope Francis. This thought, this realization is why I started writing my column for the week a whole two days before Friday, September 25, 2015, which would have been the deadline for writing and submitting the piece for this week's column to my Editor.

I am writing now because I want what I write to come straight from the powerful emotions stirred in my mind and imagination by Pope Francis' speech to the U.S. Congress.

As I begin to write, I think further: if I wait until Friday morning, what I write may be good and compelling, but it will not have the emotional force of what I am feeling right now, right after listening to the delivery of the speech. For in essence what I am feeling right now is this: this man, Pope Francis, (former Catholic Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglo) comes closer than any man I have ever met or read about to my sense of the spirit, the moral vision and energy that animated that man of Judea who was one of the greatest moral reformers and revolutionary visionaries that ever lived, this being Jesus Christ of Nazareth. As this thought takes hold of my mind with great clarity and conviction, I say to myself that if I don't write what I am feeling about this speech right now, if I wait until Friday morning to write the column, I would perhaps have begun to think, perhaps like the conventional Christian that I am not, that comparing Pope Francis with Jesus is extravagant and hyperbolic, if not even blasphemous. With this particular idea in my mind, I continue to write, thinking that all I will have to do two days from now on Friday morning before sending the piece to my Editor would be to read it over, and make necessary corrections and revisions if any are needed.

To be entirely truthful and perhaps even somewhat confessional here, this comparison of Pope Francis to Jesus Christ comes from a region of my mind that goes all the way back to my youth when I was a Christian who was drawn to the faith by the combined effect on my evolving moral imagination of some of the most vivid, inspirational and transformative stories of Christ's ministry: the story of the preacher who asked his disciples to sell all their worldly goods, give up their monetary possessions and take up the vows of poverty as a non-

•Pope Francis during his address to the U.S. Congress, Wednesday, September 23, 2015"

negotiable condition of their acceptance into his ministry; the narrative of the militant anticapitalist who took up the whip to drive and scatter the profiteering money-changers and usurers from the temple and its precincts; the account of the radical and inventive allegorist who stated that it would be far easier for a whole camel to be threaded through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God; the realistic and compassionate preacher who, before his famous Sermon on the Mount, fed the hungry and the destitute in their thousands, their tens of thousands; and the tale of the man who, in the greatest of his sermons, gave us those eight so-called "beatitudes" that are almost unmatched in the clarity and eloquence with which they articulated ethical and spiritual imperatives for a just, humane, simple but dignified life for each and everyone of us, most especially the poor, the talakawa.

That was the composite image of Christ in my mind in the period of my youth as an activist in the Students' Christian Movement (SCM) when I was the Secretary General of all the secondary schools in Ibadan that had chapters of the SCM. Today, Wednesday, September 23, 2015, nearly fifty years later, that image rose up again in my mind, except that

it was not of Christ himself that I was thinking about but Pope Francis.

It is not necessary for me to itemize the three or four central ideas expressed by the Pope in his speech that conjured this comparison with Christ in my mind. This is because, as important as these ideas are, it is the moral and spiritual framework within which Pope Francis articulated them that made the comparison possible, even compelling. I know no better way of giving the reader an idea of this moral and spiritual framework than by saying emphatically that while ordinarily political imperatives are extremely difficult to align with moral imperatives, the Pope in his speech made this alignment between politics and morality not only easy and logical but vital. And the manner in which he accomplished this task was incredible in its discursive elegance: he talked of politics in the loftiest of spiritual and moral terms.

In other words, in an age in which in nearly every country in the world, nobody in his or her right senses would think of politicians as moral leaders of their communities, Pope Francis asserted, simply but vigorously, that this is what politics is or should be - the moral touchstone of mankind.

The central ideas or themes of the Pope's speech can be briefly

summarized. One: the gap between the rich and the poor is growing wider and wider at the same time in which the ranks of the poor grow bigger and bigger; as a consequence, the poor in their millions or even billions in all the countries of the world are being excluded from all that is vital for life lived in dignity and freedom from want. Two: there is no need to be fearful of the "stranger", the immigrant in our midst for nearly everyone in the Americas at the present time is a descendant of "strangers" and immigrants to the two continents, South and North America. The Pope extended this idea to what is happening in Europe now with the flood of refugees and migrants fleeing from their war-torn or poverty-stricken homelands and he took it upon himself to remind Europeans that they themselves have in the past fled from Europe in times of war or desperation in search of new lives in other parts, other continents of the world. Three: human activities are posing serious and possibly catastrophic dangers to the earth and our natural environment and if urgent and coordinated action is not taken now or soon enough, the very survival of our species will be doomed irreversibly. Four: human life is precious and sacred and should be protected at all stages and all in

circumstances of weakness, impairment and peril. Capital punishment should be abolished in all the countries of the world and to the necessity that often arises to punish criminals in order to protect the society and the innocent from their misdeeds, we must add the recognition that rehabilitation is always possible for even the worst offenders. Five: in the pursuit of wealth and profits, the global trade in arms seems unstoppable; lethal weapons of mass destruction are quite easily acquired by nations, groups and individuals who absolutely make no secret of their intentions to use the weapons they buy either on defenseless populations or in pursuit of criminal activities linked with international drug trafficking.

It will be readily seen that although these are issues and ideas whose moral and practical usefulness to humankind seems indisputable, they are in fact issues and ideas that divide the peoples of the world and all its nations into fiercely and bitterly opposing camps. This is why, on balance, though most commentators on the views of Pope Francis agree that a few of his views are conservative, especially those that pertain to matters of church doctrine, these commentators place the Pope far more solidly on the Left than on the Right. It would be disingenuous of me not only to say that I am in agreement with this assessment of the "politics" of the Pope's views, but that it pleases me enormously that he is more Leftleaning than Right-leaning.

However, the fundamental thing about the Pontiff's "politics", his political views is that they are solidly grounded in a notion and a practice of "politics" which powerfully calls out to the moral being in all of us. In other words, whether you are a woman or man of the Left or the Right, the Pope's political views place your claims to being a moral being on the line. Only the most cynical, the most asinine men and women would abjure or give up their claims to being moral beings. This is the underlying power of the Pope's speech to the U.S. Congress.

That should be my last word in these reflections but there is one more factor to add. Like Jesus of Nazareth, this Pope is also a brilliantly strategic and pragmatic moral philosopher.

Like Jesus, in his speech, Pope Francis grounded the moral framework of his political views on pragmatism and enlightened self-interest.

Throughout the delivery of his speech, he made allusions to the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you are haunted by the specter of poverty for yourself and your offspring, do not impose poverty on other men and women and their progeny. If you turn your back, your compassion on refugees and migrants now, know that you or your children and their children may one day also be refugees and migrants, as indeed your ancestors once were in these Americas, this Europe, this world. • Biodun Jeyifo bjeyifo@fas.harvard.edu

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

COMMENT

18

Mr Lecturer, don’t teach me nonsense!

O

URpolitical landscape has given rise to public opinions on both ordinary and sensitive issues as they occur.

Sometime, there are more opinions than actual issues and occurrences.

The recent views made by Olusola Adegbite, a lecturer in the Faculty of Law of Obafemi Awolowo University on the media assaults on former Governor of Lagos State Mr Babatunde Fashola left a big question mark on the place of knowledge and information.

For those who missed the article as published online, Adegbite spared no words to cast aspersion on the Governor of Lagos State Mr Akinwunmi Ambode. He described the assumed Governor’s involvement in media attack on Babatunde Fashola with most derogatory words not even ideal to be used against a councillor in a Local Government parliament let alone an Executive Governor.

For anyone who failed to explore space for acquiring right information, ignorance can never be an excuse. In the entire article, the Lecturer of Law made budging statements without a single evidencebased justification of the notion for which he nailed his victim severely.

Then I ask what the place of knowledge is?

George Bernard Shaw once said “beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance”.

Adegbite refused to give benefit of doubt in his submission by neutralising his opinion and thus doing justice to literary common sense. The lack of decorum in the entire piece betrayed the author’s emotion while he totally forgot he was a don from a well-respected institution in the country. Well, it is a good choice of word in this scenario

By Segun Olulade

to refer to the author as a qualified lecturer in a Law Faculty of a reputable academic institution in Nigeria.

Even at the instance of a sponsored media service, the author supposed to know that there is no justification to assume and conclude that Governor Ambode was being used by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hitherto described by the author as hidden face, to launch media attack on his predecessor. The law teacher who quoted thousands of proverbial statements to support his position forgot the one that says “get all your findings right and hold unto the one that is the truth”. In the process of unleashing his emotional tsunami, he should have given benefit of doubt since he was not quoting any tangible evidence; and as such, he would be respected for writing from knowledge point of view and not sheer emotions which does not have basis in Law. Foremost, there is no basis for comparing eight years government of Fashola to Ambode’s three months as being placed by the author. When Fashola’s administration began, he was written off that no good thing could come from Asiwaju’s choice of candidature. Today, it was evident that that choice was predominantly good for most Lagosians. If not for the purpose of putting the record straight with Mr Lecturer, there is no reason for anyone to get bothered about Ambode’s performance because he has already started on a good note as a Governor with human face and required prudence. While I believe no one should be too much in a hurry, we need another four years to put Asiwaju’s choice of candidature in the last general

election in Lagos State to test. Ambode is Tinubu’s product as Fashola was, and of course several excellent leaders including the Chief Security Officer in the State where Adegbite teaches Law at a federal University.

In fairness to Bola Tinubu, the standard of governance delivered by Fashola showed the place of vision on the path of the political icon being adjudged as the chief propagator of the media war against Fashola. In politics and school of power, assumption is a weak premise.

Following ignorance like a sinking star, Adegbite didn’t realise that a public commentary that speculates must be deployed as a neutral third party point of view, not like the one expressed by him.

As far as I know, Lagos State needs every fair opinion it can get to sustain peace and tranquillity the people enjoy. Any paid opinion writer will only be doing injustice to wellbeing of over 25 million people already living in peace. Derogatory and uncultured words used by the author to describe the Governor as doing ‘night soil man’s job’ among other insulting languages is not decent of a kindergarten school teacher not to talk of a Lecturer, and one who teaches Law for that matter.

As much as he quoted several Yoruba proverbs to justify his piece, he deviated from the Yoruba norm that teaches politeness, culture and fair hearing.

Today, Ambode is the Governor of a state that has more responsibilities than others. We will be doing better if we deploy energy of criticism on his management abilities but not on political issue he is not liable for. No clear evidence has been traced to him in this complex political friction.

Within the shortest possible time, Ambode has shown the world he is

a good product and another quality choice from the Jagaban institute.

Without wasting time, he has set agenda for good governance, rollingin scores of achievements in a short while.

While restructuring of the civil service to improve performance of government workforce is fast taking place, Ambode has also demonstrated high spirit for prompt response to urgent issues that affect the populace such as removing the Apapa gridlock and taking proactive measure to eradicate avoidable accidents often caused by tanker and container drivers. A listening leader, he has fashioned out ideal engagement of the stakeholders in decision making and creating an environment that promotes accountability and transparency by taking after the President on single account system to avoid leakages. He has reawaken hopes of the youths in job provision and wealth creation by setting up special ministry to solve unemployment problems and ensure wealth creation.

Ambode is laying foundation for good governance by reopening cities and communities through road construction and enhancing the health centres with ambulance services across the state, all these even before appointing his commissioners.

While Ambode is so busy with the business of good governance, Adegbite and his likes are busy looking for how to discredit him, forgetting that attack on the Governor of Lagos State is an attack on entire Lagosians.

The author has failed to dissuade public opinion in favour of his selfcreated motion. Asiwaju and Fashola have come out to inform the public they are in good terms with no brushings, whereby Asiwaju himself

condemned the said attack on Fashola. Ambode on the other hand has squarely faced business of governance with no time for petty political issues. The trio are best of friends that Adegbite cannot define how cordial they are.

While engaging in the dirty job, it is wrong for Adegbite to assume his opinion on this matter is a popular notion with entire Lagosians. The Teacher cannot speak on behalf of Lagosians because he is not one of us; we are proud of all democratic governors God has blessed us with in Lagos.

The same way the author is seeing Ambode as an apprentice was the way the public saw Fashola when he came on board. Thank goodness he became a good student of good governance ofAsiwaju’s leadership institute and became the pride of Nigeria. Fashola himself has always identified with his leader Asiwaju and claimed that they remain inseparable.

Maya Angelou in wisdom once said “my mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors”.

For Adegbite, the academic community will not pardon a teacher of legal studies who blatantly flaunt ignorance by laying knowledge to rest, cracking emotionally like diehard politician. Besides, the spirit of Lagos will not be pleasant with anyone who drums opinions capable of causing outrage among both political class and nominal citizens of the State. Itesiwaju Eko, ohun lo jewalogun!

•Olulade is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Epe Constituency II

New media as platform for terrorism I

T is almost impossible to predict the act of terrorism because it has moved from being carried out in the conventional way of operation to using the new media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, amongst others, to recruit, convince and interact with youths that are mostly glued to social media.

The rapid growth of new media communications technologies is becoming a critical component in the operation and organisation of terrorist networks. While security-based concerns regarding the use of the Internet for cyber-terrorism (disruption of critical networks, etc) have somewhat subsided, there is growing recognition that both the Internet’s mass media function and its decentralised infrastructure play a crucial role in modern terrorist organisations.

Internet technologies are being deployed in innovative ways by terrorist groups, from the creation and maintenance of encrypted traffic over rapid and untraceable networks to transmitting alternative news broadcasts. The Internet is serving both as a forum for the training of subterfuge and as a means of conducting that subterfuge, both as a vehicle for dispensing information about terrorism and for coordinating the logistical and financial resources to conduct that terrorism. Additionally, the Internet provides a valuable space for the location and integration of new recruits. New

By Loveth Esigbemi

communication technologies are presenting violent groups the means to both target particular audiences as well as reframe their messages independent of the mainstream media for a broader audience.

These dynamics together pose new and formidable challenges to domestic and international policy-makers. After a series of properly coordinated Christmas bombing in Kano in 2011, Boko Haran terrorist group released a video statement defending their action to YouTube.

The new media differs from traditional and conventional media in many aspects, such as in interactivity, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy, and permanence. Unlike traditional media that is characterized as “one-to-many,” in which only a small cohort of established institutions disseminates information to an effectively limitless audience, social media enables anyone to publish or access information.

New communication technologies, such as comparatively inexpensive and accessible mobile and web-based networks, create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify content. With social media, information consumers also act as communicators, vastly expanding the number of information transmitters in the communication market. This two-way communication

promotes creation of small, diffused sets of communicators and groups. Virtual communities using social media are increasingly popular all over the world, especially among younger demographics.

Terrorists use social media because they are by far the most popular with their intended audience, which allows terrorist organizations to be part of the mainstream. Social media channels are user-friendly, reliable, and free as well as allow terrorists to reach out to their target audiences, which is in contrast to older models of websites in which terrorists had to wait for visitors to come to them.

Just as marketing companies can view members’ information to find potential customers and select products to promote, terrorist groups can view people’s profiles to decide whom to target and how to approach each individual thereby giving them the opportunities to carry out their purpose of propaganda, radicalization, and recruitment.

Social networking sites allow terrorists to use a targeting strategy known as narrowcasting.

Facebook is the largest online social network. As of January 2014, it had 1.31 billion users, of whom most (54percent) log in on a regular basis and almost half (48 percent) log on in any given day. Their average age is about 30 years. In the Middle East, Facebook has seen a significant membership increase and reached 67 percent penetration in

2010, and in Asia overall, 23 percent. Terrorists, noting the trends, have set up their Facebook presence.

Twitter has recently emerged as terrorists’ favourite Internet service, even more popular than selfdesigned websites or Facebook, to disseminate propaganda and enable internal communication.

Terrorists use of Twitter take advantage of a recent trend in news coverage that often sacrifices validation and in-depth analysis for the sake of almost real-time coverage. Under these conditions, especially when there are few options, mainstream media may take tweets as a legitimate news source. Terrorists repeatedly and methodically exploit this shortcoming for propaganda purposes.

More and more applications interconnect the different services and extend the possibilities of conveniently sharing material.

Lately, Instagram and Flickr, two applications for editing and sharing pictures and videos, have gained great popularity among the mainstream audience. By the end of 2013, Instagram had 150 million active monthly users, more than 60 percent of whom were from outside the United States, who shared 55 million pictures each day on average. Flickr offers a web service which allows users to upload photos and videos to its website, and, if desired, to their social network profiles. By March 2013, Flickr counted 87 million registered users and approximately eight billion photos.

Terrorists have long used the

Internet for purposes that range from recruitment, propaganda, and incitement to data mining and fundraising. They have turned to the new media not only because counterterrorism agencies have disrupted their traditional online presence but also because the new media offers huge audiences and ease of use. Terrorist followers, sympathizers, converts, and newcomers also find in the new media a much lower threshold to access terrorist-produced and terrorism-related content than they faced in discovering and signing up for access to the hardcore forums (those which have not been shut down, at least). This trend is combined with the emergence of lone wolf terrorism: attacks by individual terrorists who are not members of any terrorist organization.

The meteoric rise of social media has let radical groups and terrorists freely disseminate ideas through multiple modalities, including websites, blogs, social networking websites, forums, and video sharing services.

Cyberspace, with its numerous and emerging online platforms, presents new challenges and requires dramatic shifts in strategic thinking regarding national security and countering terrorism.

Despite the growth of internet research in recent years, it has not yet provided efficient strategies or fruitful counter measure devices or tactics such all users of the media need to be careful while making use of it, most especially youths.

•Esigbemi is a student of University of Benin.

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LIFE

SUNDAY

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Taiwo Abiodun, who recently visited Ijero-Ekiti, writes on the illegal mining of the mineral resources and the danger it poses to the community

• Continued on Page 20

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

20 SUNDAY LIFE • Continued from Page 19

A town at the mercy of illegal miners

•Some of the Precious stones

Photos: Taiwo Abiodun

•Tunnel to the Diamond stones

• Alajero of Ijero-Ekiti

•Olukolade

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

SUNDAY LIFE 21

Alhaji Sikiru Adetona Ayedun, immediate past Commissioner of Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism in Osun State, is an Ife Prince from Moniki compound of Giesi ruling house. In this interview with Adesoji Adeniyi, he speaks about issues relating to the race for the Ooni stool

H

•Ayedun

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

SUNDAY LIFE

Emmanuella Chire, 10, has made her mother a millionaire. Adetutu Audu reports.

S

OMEWHERE in Jos, Plateau State, a ten-year-old girl has changed the fortune of her family through the Peak Milk 'Reach for Millions'

promo.

To 10-year-old Emmanuella, it was like a normal game, but with hope of getting something out of it. Not really for herself, but her dear mother.

When she saw the advert of the 60th anniversary Peak 'Reach for Millions' promo on television, her attention was focused on every tin of peak milk purchased by her mum. Like an addicted habit, she kept sending codes on the tins as directed in the advert.

She later informed her mother who is an Immigration officer about the promo, but she never took her daughter seriously because she does not believe in promos.

Emmanuella's mother, Mrs. Franca Chire told reporters at the prize presentation ceremony that she never believed in promos hinging her reasons on lack of trust on past promos she has come across.

According to her, “Actually, I never believed in promos, when my daughter told me about Peak 'reach for millions' promo, I thought it was one of those fake promos where only families of organizers are always the winners.

“So, when my ten-year-old daughter, Emmanuella Chire told me that there is a promo concerning Peak milk going on, I waved it aside.”

Unbelievable luck In defiance to her mother's stance on promos, little Emmanuella who is a JSS 1 student would not relent; she kept sending codes until she got a response.

A response that soon brought fortunes

to the family, she was informed through a text message that she has just won a million naira in the Peak 'Reach for Million' promo!

As expected of a little girl, she ran to her mother to show her what she's got on her phone. Mrs. Chire claimed she did not believe what she saw, and had to read and read again.

“So, when I collected the phone from her and read the message, I read it again and again and still couldn't figure what's in the content. I gave the phone back to her and asked her to go and wait for me till I finish what I was doing.

“So, when I finished what I was I doing, I read the message again and it was clearer. When I started seeing 'you have just won N1 million in the Peak 60th anniversary 'Reach for Millions' promo.

Keep your pack to claim your prize…' and so on. I started thinking how do I tell my girl this thing is real in spite of my discouragement and all that. So my daughter was right all the while, Peak milk promo is real, my daughter has won N1 million in a promo, one amazing million naira!” She added joyfully.

Doubting Mrs. Chire and her 'golden' daughter, Emmanuella were full of Joy at the cheque presentation ceremony. She narrated how she discouraged her little daughter and even told her “she was wasting her time and credits.''

“When my daughter told me that there is a promo going on, I waved it aside. But she would not let me rest; she kept on sending codes on every tin of Peak milk we bought. In fact, I once told her she was wasting her time and credits but she would not listen.

“However, we decided to buy more Peak milk, of course we've been taking

• Chire with her mother

the milk for years even before she was born.

So, I was not buying the brand because of the promo, we bought it for usual consumption.” Mrs. Chire narrated After the cheque presentation, the joyful immigration officer said “it was all like a dream, so my daughter is now a millionaire through Peak amazing millionnaira promo.”

The Jos based Immigration officer however disclosed how what she described as 'a rare gift' will be invested in her little girl's future.

“Well the money will definitely have positive impact in our lives, there will be a huge relieve in the area of her education and other sundries. Of course our plans with the money are obvious as her education will definitely be on top of our

priority and again we will get at least a plot of land and do some other little investments as well.” She explained.

Mrs. Chire however thanked FrieslandCampina WAMCO, makers of Peak for the laudable promo she claimed she never believed in.

In her words, “We give glory to God for this marvelous gift from peak and of course we thank the entire Peak family for this rare reward for patronage.”

Peak 'Reach for Millions' promo is part of 60th anniversary celebration of the Peak brand in Nigeria. The promo is targeted towards rewarding consumers for 60 years of loyalty and patronage and also to build brand love with consumers who have been consistently consuming and are willing to consume more of Peak.

On a recent visit to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Our Reporter writes about the encounter.

•Professor Bode.

•LUTH main gate

Obinna Ohakim throws lavish birthday for son

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

ETCETERA

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi

POLITICKLE

deewalebf@yahoo.com 08060343214 (SMS only)

Maple Leaf journal For the benefit of the adventurous reader follow excerpts from a recent vacation.

Delivered in series, the narration highlights the writer’s brief sojourn in Canada.

June 12, 2015

CHEEK BY JOWL

OH, LIFE!

THE GReggs

ON AN Air France afternoon flight to Montreal, Canada, I contemplate events of the previous day as the parting shot from my loved ones rings in my ears. “We’ve shown understanding. Don’t forget us when you get there.” The goodbyes tear me up as usual and I can barely wait to get the expedition done with. In fact, I was tempted to cancel earlier, as homesickness induced by the granting of my visa left me lethargic and unable to pack for months until departure day caught me napping.

After a subsequent battle with malaria fever that had me postpone departure from Lagos twice in three weeks, I leave on a frenetic Thursday evening via a sweltering MMA departure Hall for Paris en route to Montreal. Partly in favour of an aisle seat and partly to mute a lingering cough, I request and get one. The only thing stuffy about the row of two turns out be the woman by the window. We sail smoothly and I’m soon at Charles de Gaulle International Airport where, between transiting to Terminal K39 via the airport train and catching my breath, the layover gives way to boarding time.

On my right sits a white woman and, to the left, an older white male.

That’s right; I’m in the dreaded middle seat. I count my blessings, though, thinking myself better placed than the fellows in the middle of the row of four in the middle of the airbus’ economy class. The conversation starts then. Marco, a Frenchman, and I quickly engage. Topic for topic, depth for depth and segue for segue, we joust.

Corruption, he fires off once he learns I’m a Nigerian journalist; you have a minister of corruption – ha ha! I raise my eyebrows. Oh? He balances it. Ah well, it’s human nature. It’s everywhere. Even in France.

Hmmph. I should think so.

Victoire, a cute architecture and design student from Belgium, flies to visit her boyfriend studying in Montreal. America gave the world Superman and Belgium Tintin, I say to get her going. What? Tin-tin, you know, the comic book boy reporter created by Herge. Oh, Tan-tan (the correct pronunciation, apparently).

So what did France give the world? For once caught off-guard, Marco stutters and chews the food for thought until food is served. My partners heartily tuck in. Bon appetit! Yes, Bon appetit. But I’m tired of all the mush.

Give me pounded yam, give me amala, or give me nothing! I fuss, taking just enough to fuel my constitution.

Marco dissects the subject of graft further. When I tell him that I plan to take in a 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup match or two in Montreal before going on to cover the art and culture scene in Toronto, he asks if Nigeria pays the girls well. Maybe not as much as the men, I croon, but look, Nigeria is rich enough: in oil, land and manpower. Marco harps: Corruption is the problem. I hope your girls win and you are rewarded for your efforts, he says as we land at Montreal’s Pierre Trudeau International Airport. Yes, may the best man win, er, is that best woman, now?

The luggage comes down. Are these yours, Victoire? Oui, but not the wine bottles. Marco’s hands fly in to guard his treasure. Be careful! You’ll break my precious things, he wails. In retrospect, an endless request for in-flight alcohol betrayed his inclination. I apologise and sit down, oblivious to his package resting in my space. Oh, you’ve broken them at last! (I haven’t, of course). Well, check for anything you may have forgotten, Marco jokes some more; gold, jewellery. What? Okay, my friend, all the best. All the best, man. Au revoire, Victoire. Au revoire, Monsieur. Bon chance!

I breeze through immigration after identifying myself. I’m on working leave, I tell the border officer who does a swift background check on her computer. She stamps my passport. Enjoy your stay. Thank you. After relieving myself at the gents (the washroom, here), I change some U.S. dollars to the Canadian dollar at the rate of 1:1.11 less nearly 15% tax at an airport bureau de change. Welcome to tax country, I say to myself.

As I drop my immigration card at the exit and confirm the expiry date of my visa, the border officer sympathises. Too bad, buddy. You’re gonna miss Christmas here. I smile. A month or so is enough. I’ll be home for Christmas.

Jokes Humour Smart Dog A WEALTHY old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her dog along for company.

One day the dog starts chasing butterflies and before long, discovers that he is lost.

Wandering about, he notices a hungrylooking leopard heading rapidly in his direction.

The dog says, “Oh, I’m done for!”

Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat.

Just as the leopard is about to leap, the dog exclaims loudly. “Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?”

Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack mid-strike. A look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees.

“Whew!” says the leopard. “That was close! That dog nearly had me!”

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good

use and trade it for protection from the leopard.

So off he goes, but the dog sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, “Here, monkey, hop on my back so you can watch me chew that dog to bits!”

Now, the dog sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, “What am I going to do now?” But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn’t seen them yet, and waits until they get just close enough to hear.

“Where’s that damn monkey?” the dog says, “I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!”

Prime Minister Material FATHER: Son at your age, Winston Churchill used be up and out for his morning walk at 5 a.m.

Son: Dad, at your age, he had become the Prime Minister of England.

•Adapted from the Internet

Writer ’s Fountain OP writing a d v i c e : is good at, make things worse for him. Make Writing process — Do you outline or just the dangers greater, let there be different kind write as it comes? Some people like to figure of dangers – that is, threaten not just his life, out everything their character is going to do but his marriage, his status, his dog, his for the whole book. Other people just write collection of classics as well. And then make from day to day, not knowing what would the dangers real – make him actually lose happen next. Most people are a mix of both. the dog, or the marriage, or the best friend, And great writers fall in all categories. just so people know that all the threats are However you write, whatever your hero real. Then make all those things that are threatened to be even more valuable to him.

Foreign celebrity quirks: The classics collection he is going to lose •Isaac Newton, Peter Tchaikovsky and is not just story books to him, it is his last Annie Lennox were all born on Christmas. connection to a father who died tragically •Moon was American Buzz Aldrin’s when he was young. If you keep making mother’s maiden name. (Aldrin was the things worse, and make them matter more second man on the moon). and more, the journey from one point to the •Marilyn Monroe, real name Norma Jean, next will be just as rewarding for you as it is had six toes on one foot. for your readers.

•Marie Curie, the Nobel prize-winning And if it is not fun, that is your fault. scientist (in 1903 for physics and 1911 for Constantly ask yourself: how could this be chemistry) who discovered radium, died on more fun? And then do it. Surprise yourself, July 4, 1934 of radiation poisoning. and you will surprise your readers too. You •Marie and Irene Curie are the only mother might find the book goes in a different and daughter to win Nobel prizes with their direction than you thought it would. That is husbands. Marie and Pierre Curie won the fine. After you get to the end, you will start Physics prize in 1903. Irene and Frederic all the hard work of fixing everything. But Joliot-Curie won in 1935 for chemistry. first, get to the end. Just get there.

T

PAGE 29

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Loans: Ugwuanyi, critics in battle of wits Pages 31 •Lawal

• Ayorinde

•Ambode

Banire: Anti-graft war will aid economic revival Pages 30 • Idris

•Coker

Ambode's emerging cabinet As the Lagos State House of Assembly settles down to consider the list of cabinet members-nominees sent to it by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, examines the list and the reactions trailing it.

• Fayose

N

EARLY four months after he was sworn in to succeed former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola as the Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria's commercial nerve, Akinwunmi Ambode last, Monday forwarded a list of 36 nominees to the State House of Assembly for consideration and confirmation as Commissioners and Special Advisers in his much awaited cabinet. Expectedly, reactions have been trailing Ambode's emerging cabinet.

Opinions, of course are divided, but a

good number of those commenting are of the opinion that the Governor came up with a promising blend of technocrats and politicians.

Reading the list of nominees on the floor of the House, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said the the Governor has made good his promise at the inaugural address to inject new blood on merit and professionalism into the next cabinet of the state. According to Obasa, the list sent to the lawmakers by Ambode for •Contd. on page 32

Kogi needs urgent attention - PPA governorship candidate Pages 34

30

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

POLITICS

OU finally made it to the top of your professional career with the SAN award? How do you feel?

To a certain extent, one feels fulfilled.

I thank God for that privilege. It is not because of hard work that some things in life come our way, but because of divine intervention. So I am grateful to God for the attainment.

I guess this translates to bigger fees for clients wishing to patronise you?

I don't know. I have not done any billing for a client yet. Maybe when I want to do that, it will occur to me. There is one aspect that is more important than money. This aspect is one that enables me to use the attainment to pursue the cause of justice. This is because a society where there is lack of justice and fairness cannot know peace.

Corruption is a big issue in the society and this cuts across all strata. How do you think we can collectively tackle the menace?

It must be a general resolution on the part of all of us that we want to banish corruption, otherwise we are heading nowhere. One of the areas of reckoning is obedience to the rule of law by all individuals and institutions regardless of the position that you occupy. If all of us do this, to a certain extent, we will be able to tame this vice. Corruption is not peculiar to any sector. It is everywhere.

We need general reorientation with a view to pointing out the follies inherent in corruption. This is because once you are ignorant of something, it becomes a vicious cycle. If you come to me for a service and I have cause to deny you of that service because you did not comply with certain corrupt practices, and it happens like that everywhere, then we are doomed. There must be a new orientation pointing out the negative impact of corruption on the society visa-vis each profession. Pertaining to my own profession, for instance, I know that if there is corruption in the judiciary, I am in trouble. It means that no matter the quality of the submissions I make in court, I will not get justice. The same thing will happen to litigants. If at the end of the day people lose confidence in the justice system, the resort will be to self preservation, and that will lead to anarchy in the society. And once there is anarchy in the society, there will be no development.

We have a renewed war on corruption going on in the country. Are we doing the right things to succeed?

Nothing much has been done now.

It is the structures that are still being put in place. When the structures have been put in place, that is when the war itself will start. For instance, I am waiting for the report of the Prof. Sagay committee on the way forward in tackling corruption. Fighting corruption is not all about picking up people and taking them to court. It goes beyond that. The Sagay committee must look at the structure, the legal framework. That is the starting point. In fact, I wrote a paper on it about seven years ago, that we need to look at the legal framework because there are so many of them that are conflicting, some are unintelligible, some are obsolete. Then how many structures do we have fighting corruption all over the place? EFCC, ICPC, Code of Conduct Bureau, Nigeria Police … even SSS, DMI are all fighting corruption. I believe this thing must be structured. We need a format. We may even need protocol so that somebody does not suddenly wake up and say this is the way he wants to do his own (fight corruption). The Sagay committee needs to give us the legal framework; look at all legislations targeted at fighting corruption in Nigeria, analyse them, I think there is a need for realignment, let them do the realignment and give us a proper calibration of the direction to go in terms of the law itself.

Even the procedural law, we need to look at it. This is because if the

‘Anti-corruption war will aid economic’ revival

Dr. Muiz Adeyemi Banire, the National Legal Adviser of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and one time commissioner in Lagos State in the Tinubu Administration,was recently conferred with the prestigious Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).He recently fielded questions in Lagos with newsmen on national issues. Dapo Olufade was there.

•Banire substantive law is okay, but the procedural law is weak, you will still run into systemic crisis. That is why there are undue delays in anti-corruption cases … four years, five years. The general impression is that no high profile anticorruption case in Nigeria ever ends. That borders on the weakness of our procedural laws. So, there is the need for the Sagay committee to evaluate the legal framework properly. Once they get that right, the next thing is to look at the structure with a view to ascertaining which institution does what. The submission I made in the paper I wrote some seven years ago was that all the things we need to fight corruption are already in the EFCC Act. All the things the ICPC, the police do are just to follow up. So there is the need to clearly define the responsibilities of each of these agencies to see if they are still relevant.

So much attention is like being paid to the issue of anti-corruption by the Buhari administration that it would appear that other things are not important, the economy for instance. Should it be so?

There is the risk. But then, the effect of the negative impact of corruption is so devastating that without addressing it, no economic revival will succeed. So you must balance those two aspects of our national life. Any economic policy without addressing corruption will ultimately fail.

That is why the fight against corruption must go alongside our efforts to rejuvenate the economy.

Nigerians subscribed to the `change' mantra on the grounds that it would translate into improved life for them. But three months after the administration, led by your party, came into office, things appear to be in slow motion. As a top member of the APC, are you not concerned?

The problem is that, by our nature, we are impatient. We are always in haste. To

me, there are some areas we need to look at first and foremost in determining whether there is impact or not. For instance, the president said he does not want to make a mistake; he wants to do things meticulously. Everybody has been talking about cabinet. To a certain extent, I believe that is not particularly essential to the development of a nation. This is because there are people in the public service doing the job at present. The issue is that when the ministers are appointed, they essentially will deal with policies.

And once the policies are in place, it is for the public service to implement. So, all these things, according to the president, he needs to look at the depth of what he met, so that he knows how to proceed. This tells me how politicians make electioneering promises without knowing the reality when they get into office. That appears to be the obstacle to the prompt realisation of the promises made by the president. But all the same, if we are able

When I was in government we were paying salaries. But it is like there is a disconnect somewhere and we must address it.

I cannot imagine somebody working for 30 days and going home without pay

to set the right agenda by the end of the year, the people will smile by the beginning of next year. We need to give the president enough time to plan so that the expected dividends can come in the quantum that we desire.

Another thing staring us in the face is the unpaid salaries in the states. How do we get out of it?

Unfortunately, I am a layman. I have never been a governor.

But you have been in government.

When I was in government we were paying salaries. But it is like there is a disconnect somewhere and we must address it. I cannot imagine somebody working for 30 days and going home without pay. How does he feed the family and meet other family responsibilities? That in itself is a source of corruption … because he must find an alternative way to survive. So, I think the federal government and the states, in conjunction with the National Economic Council, must find a sustainable solution to the unpaid salaries issue.

We have been made to understand that some of the policies of the Buhari administration will be implemented from the loot recovered from those who stole from the treasury. But it’s like we still have a long way to go in the loot recovery. How much hope do you have?

Beyond loot recovery, I have said the government has started well by setting up the Sagay committee. That is the foundation. Without it, you can't do anything. What we are doing at the moment is not fighting corruption.

Fighting corruption is a lot more encompassing. You may even need to go to the schools to inculcate the basic •Contd. on page 33

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

POLITICS

A

LTHOUGH the Government of Enugu state has refuted claims by critics of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi that he got the State House of Assembly to secretly approved a loan request of N14.2 Billion recently presented to it by the Enugu State Executive Council, the last may not have been heard of the issue as groups and individuals opposed to the procurement of the loan argued that the move will further plunge the state into indebtedness. This is even as the Governor insists that without the loan, Enugu, like many other states of the federation, will be unable to wriggle out of the financial difficulty caused by the dwindling federal allocations.

Checks by The Nation revealed that as part of the N14.2 Billion loan request, the Enugu State government intends to procure the N4.207 billion bail-out funds designed by the Federal Government to help with the state to offset backlog of salaries and arrears. In addition to this, the administration is seeking another N10billion to be expended on the infrastructural development of the state.

The state executive committee had met and after deliberations on the precarious financial situation of the government, agreed to pass the loan request to the Legislative arm of government. Last week, the House received the loan request and worked on it. It eventually gave its nod to the plan by the Governor to borrow in order to finance its responsibilities to workers and give the people of the state the much craved dividends of democracy.

But hardly was the approval made public before opposition to it mounted, with some keen watchers of the politics of the state accusing the governor of planning to impoverish the state through needless borrowings. They recalled that the immediate past administration of ex-governor Sullivan Chime was alleged to have built for the state an alarming debt profile to the the of N62.8 billion.

Others argue that since the government is not owing worker’s salaries, there is no need for it to procure the bail out fund meant for that purpose.

The Governor was also urges to use the fund available to him, and not loans for infrastructural development of the state pending the time allocations from the federal government will improve.

But Governor Ugwuanyi said his government's plan is to " separately procure the N4.207 billion bailout fund through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for "the liquidation of outstanding salaries, pension and pension arrears and subventions for parastatals, institutions and boards" and N10 billion loan from the apex bank for infrastructural and developmental projects in the state, respectively.

According to explanations by the government following raving debate within and outside the state, the said loans were in response to the negative development in the nation's oil sector which has adversely reduced the state's revenue allocation from federation account to a level that is not encouraging. The Governor and his men insist it is not pout of place for a 'serious administration to seek ways of solving pressing financial problems."

In a reaction to the development, the Enugu Restoration Group (ERG), called on the state lawmakers to ”immediately retrace their steps and withdraw the approval granted Governor Ugwuanyi to borrow more money on behalf of the poor masses of the state. The group strongly condemned what it termed alleged conduct of government business in secrecy, saying that the speed with which the Assembly proceed to approve the loan was very questioning.

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Comrade Sylvester Uwakwe, the group lashed at the State House of

•Ugwuanyi

Loans: Ugwuanyi, critics in battle of wits

As debates continue in Enugu State over the current approval granted Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi by the State House of Assembly to obtain loans to the tune of N14.2b, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, examines the various arguements in this report.

Assembly for approving the loan, insisting that the move would further enslave the current and unborn generations of Enugu State.

“The reason adduced for the loan, which is to pay salaries and develop infrastructure, is untenable and suspicious. This is because Enugu is not owing salaries. The last administration borrowed N11billion in its twilight for these same purposes. What came out of that needless debt is left to be imagined. It is our firm belief that we do not need to go borrowing again," the group said.

“We, therefore, call on the State House of Assembly, the Central Bank of Nigerian and other relevant financial regulatory agencies to stop the loan. We also wish to make it categorically clear that this loan is not in any way in the interest of the people of the state and as such, will be questioned sooner or later by the good people of Enugu State.

The group said there would not have been any need for the House of Assembly to approve the loan in a closed door session if the administration if the loan was for public good.

Also reacting to the loan approval, Coordinator of Sout East Political Forum (SEPF), Dr. Moses Abba, said it was surprising that the Governor who is less than four months old in office, would be seeking to incur such a huge debt, which would definitely add to the much condemned debt profile occasioned by his predecessor.

“Before approving such huge loan, the House of Assembly ought to conduct a

public hearing where details of such needs and expenditure warranting the loan should be made public for the people of the state to know what the fund is meant for because as we speak, it is on record that the immediate past administration borrowed N11billion without telling the people how it was spent till today.

It is also a fact that Enugu is not owing salaries. So, we are at a loss over what the huge loan is needed for. Until such explanations are made, the CBN should halt the release of the fund. Otherwise, they should know that they are giving the money at their own risk. We want to tell you that our people say no to this loan.

They must conduct a public hearing to feel the pulse of the people. We are urging our lawmakers to remain the conscience of the society. They should go and consult their constituents and see if they are in support of this loan. Otherwise, it will be on record that they did things that were against the interest of their people,” he said.

But Louis Amoke, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Enugu State Governor, said the said loans were in response to the negative development in the nation's oil sector which has adversely reduced the state's revenue allocation from federation account to a level that is not encouraging. According to him, it is on record that Enugu state is third from the bottom of the federation account and a civil service state depending on the federal allocation for the execution of most of her capital projects.

"Today, the story is no longer the same, as the revenue of the state like every other

31

states of the federation keeps dwindling to an all-time-low, making it difficult for the state government to fulfill his campaign promises to the people of the state. It is therefore, encouraging to note that the Federal Government through the National Economic Council (NEC) saw the wisdom to offer bailouts to most states to enable them offset workers’ salaries and other entitlements relating to their welfare and assist the states execute some capital projects.

This basically informed the reason why the Enugu State Government recently embarked on the processes for the procurement of the funds to enable it consolidate on the on-going developmental projects in the state and deal with the issues of outstanding salaries for casual workers, pension and pension arrears and subventions for parastatals, institutions and boards in order to alleviate the sufferings of the workers in these government establishments which rely on the subventions to pay salaries. These government establishments include: the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu State Transport Company (ENTRACO), Daily Star, Enugu State Water Corporation, among others," he explained.

Explaining that the loan, as structured, is not likely to create problems for the state in future, Amoke said, "on the uniqueness, safety and convenient of the loans, it is pertinent to note that the said loans which are based on the outcome of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting of June 2015, are to be secured by Excess Crude Account (ECA). Interestingly, the loans carry a single digit interest rate of nine per cent and tenure of 20 years repayment."

Debunking allegation of secrecy over the loan, the Governor's aide said there was no secrecy in the processes of the approval for the procurement of the said loans. According to him, the proceedings for the authorization of the loans by the Enugu State House of Assembly followed due process and was done in the open in the presence of the media and has no secrecy attached to it.

"May I therefore, state that the loans are in the overall interest of the people of the state who will eventually reap the benefits associated with it in the areas of workers’ welfare, infrastructural development, advancement of good governance and other people-oriented programmes of the Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led administration in Enugu State. The Governor by this move has demonstrated once again his unflinching commitment to selfless service and the actualization of his 4point agenda which he holds very dear to his heart.

In spite of the economic challenges, Gov. Ugwuanyi has made tremendous achievements in providing quality leadership and infrastructural development in the state. The governor has also introduced chains of innovations and ideas aimed at boosting the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state and making Enugu State the investment destination of choice in the South East geo political zone. He has equally maintained the tradition of prompt payment of salaries of workers in the Ministries.

The CBN loans will no doubt consolidate on these remarkable achievements and facilitate his administration’s drive to bring good governance to the doorsteps of the people of the state with a firm commitment to their welfare as true heroes of democracy. It is therefore the responsibility of the public especially the people of the state to continue to give the present administration the support and cooperation it deserves to move the state forward.

Amoke is the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Enugu State Governor,' he argued.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

POLITICS

consideration is made up of top technocrats, politicians and strategists.

As the lawmakers settle down to the business of considering and confirming the list sent to them by the governor, many commentators have been talking about the preparedness and otherwise of the people nominated, for the job of moving the state forward. Beyond the persons, issues like the re-nomination of about six former cabinet members, the relatively young age of some of the nominees and the inclusion of former Legislators and Council chairmen in the list, are being discussed.

Promising that the Assembly will promptly and judiciously attend to the business of scrutinizing the list and giving approval where necessary, the majority leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. S.O.B Agunbiade, said it is normal for people to discuss the list of nominees.

Acording to him, the people of Lagos State are very conscious of political happenings around them and as such, will always show interest in how the state is being administered.

"That people are talking about the list simply means Lagosians are our partners in the business of administering this state. It is a sign that they will always show interest in how the state is being administered. And it is for that reason that we as lawmakers are also duty-bound to promptly and judiciously attend to the list," Agunbiade said.

The old and the new The new cabinet, as proposed by the Governor, include six former cabinet members from former Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration: Gbolahon Lawal, Dr. Jide Idris, Folarin Coker, Seye Oladejo, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson and Babatunde Hunpe. Many believe the returning cabinet members are been rewarded with their renomination. But while some say they are returning to the cabinet due to their dedication, commitment and effectiveness while serving under Fashola, some others say their return tickets were secured with their loyalty to the leadership of the ruling party.

"No doubt this s a good development. With the return of these fine gentlemen and public servants to the cabinet, a message is being sent out that if you are given an opportunity to serve and you do it well, you will be repaid in due course. In my opinion, we must discard the attitude of rushing performers out of their job simply because we want to create space for others. If we find people who are good on their job, let us accord them the respect and recognition due for their performance.

Also, we must know that government is a continuous process.

And as such, their is need to keep a part of the outgoing administration in the new system for easy transition and seamless take off. This is another reason why the decision of Governor Ambode to retain some of Fashola's men in the new government should be applauded rather than condemned. I take it that those complaining about this are ignorant of the enormous advantage of retaining them in the new cabinet," Dr. Akeem Dosunmu, Lagos State Co-ordinator of the Voters' Arise Project (VAP).

But Hon. Jide Coker, former scribe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Lagos West senatorial district, disagrees with Dosunmu's position.

According to the PDP stalwart, the habit of perpetuating a few people in government for many years is counter

Ambode's emerging cabinet

•Lawal

• Ayorinde

•Coker

• Idris

productive and undemocratic. He is of the opinion that there are numerous other capable Lagosians who can also be tried in positions of authority by the ruling party.

"It is only when we want to deceive the people that we will find ways of defending this obvious undemocratic development. Why should a few peole be favored to remain in office perpetually?

Are we saying we can no longer find replacement for these six people? Or is there more to their membership of the cabinet? It is my candid opinion that having been in the government for so long, these people should be changed.

There are numerous other capable Lagosians ready and willing to serve the state in various capacities," Coker argued.

However, justifying the return of the six cabinet members of the immediate past administration, an aide of the Governor who sought anonymity 'as he was not mandated tom comment on the matter', said they were simply reappointed to ensure the completion of

most some projects, which many of them had started and supervised.

"I think I need to say this here even though I am not mandated to do so. There is need for people to understand the policy thrust of this administration.

Basically, we see this government as a continuity.If no member of the old cabinet is retained in the new state cabinet, it would be like going back to the drawing board and another time wasted, as most of the projects executed by the old commissioners now coming into the cabinet are already at advanced stage.

So, when I see people complaining about their return as members of the state executive council, I tell them that they are coming back to complete projects they started. Their selection was based purely on merit. Their records spoke for them and the need to ensure the completion of some very important projects or assignments they handled creditably well in the last administration also contributed.

I am in a position to tell you that on no account shall this administration

sacrifice competence and earned gravitas on the altar of needless fear of criticism or parochialism. We have vowed to surround this government with the best people wherever they have come from. We shall always seek for and bring the finest men, even if from the highest mountains, into the task of moving Lagos forward,” the Governor's aide said.

In a related development, a group under the auspices of Eminent Lagosians Forum (ELaF), has commended Ambode for nominating members of the last administration as part of his new cabinet. The group said the return of the former cabinet members is a good omen for the state and the new administration.

ELaF Chairman, Professor Jibola Da'Mazio, who made the commendation during a press briefing on the state of the nation on Wedenesday, urged other state governors in the country to emulate Governor Akinwumi Ambode, by ensuring that they "create avenues for old and new administrations to continue to share notes." The respected University don said with his action, the Governor has told the world that he bears no grudge with his predecessor. Da'Mazio noted that Governor Ambode’s gesture was needed to stop mischief makers who are bent on creating unnecessary tension in the state, in their tracks.

“We look forward to the day when a new Governor will retain all the commissioners in the cabinet of his predecessor on merit. It is gestures like Ambode’s that can truly ensure continuity in governance. We commend Governor Ambode for this uncommon political gesture, and want to assure him that he is on the right track to continuing the good work of his predecessors,” he added.

A young cabinet It is also instructive to note that the governor has named a relatively young cabinet with the inclusion of the likes of Mrs. Yetunde Onabolu, Fela BankOlemoh, Akinyemi Ashade, a partner in KPMG; Steve Ayorinde, Alhaja Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, a pharmacist; Kehinde Joseph, Kehinde Bamigbetan and Prof. Ademola Abass, a professor of Law, whose ages range between 39 and 47 years.

Youthful Bank-Olemoh is the CEO of Media Vision Limited, one of Nigeria's leading sport marketing companies. In his early forties, the Cabinet member nominee and his outfit are project consultants for GTBank, PriceWaterHouse Coopers, Fidelity Bank,SystemSpecs,Petroleum Equalization Fund (mgt) board etc.

Ayorinde, a journalist, author, film critic and media consultant is the CEO of Relentless Media. A multiple-award winning journalist and editor, Steve started his career with Nigeria’s foremost Newspaper The Guardian.

He is a former editor of The PUNCH (Nigeria’s highest selling Newspaper) and is the immediate past Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of National Mirror Newspaper.

Professor Abass joined the UNU Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) as a Research Fellow in Peace and Security on 1 July 2010. He is also the Head of Peace and Security Programme. He was formerly Professor of International

et

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 Law and Organisation at Brunel University, West London and was educated at the Universities of Lagos, Cambridge, and Nottingham. He holds a Ph.D. in International Law and has previously taught in several British universities.

Bamigbetan, renowned journalist and politician, was former Press Secretary to the governor of Lagos State and leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Bamigbetan who was also the chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) was once kidnapped sometimes in 2013. The young politician is regarded as a grass root politician that commands grass root appeal in the state.

With about a third of his cabinet members expected to be below fifty years old, many supporters of the Governor are of the opinion that he has injected vibrancy into his administration. This, they posited, will aid the performance of the new government and bring about speedy implementation of government policies and programs.

Keen observers of the Governor's activities however say the move is also another promise kept by the Ambode.

According to a party source, the Governor had during the campaigns promised youths in Lagos State to include them in the administration of the state at all levels.

"Even recently, the governor had disclosed last month, while commissioning the reconstructed multipurpose Onikan Youth Centre, Lagos Island Local Government, that he will involve youths in his government. That day, he lamented that priority attention had not been given to the nation’s youth over the years. He also stressed that the nation’s youths need the support of both the public and private sectors to excel in different areas of their endeavour.

I want ton believe that his naming a relatively youthful cabinet is the fulfillment of that promise he made because he told the gathering that his government will be introducing new incentives for youths in the politics and businesses of Lagos state to enable them grow, support the society and take more of our youths off the streets. He said he will explore ways to create an enabling environment to make young ones thrive in the state. In my opinion, this is one way to encourage youth to believe in themselves that they too can contribute to the development of the state,” she said.

POLITICS Vast experience The new cabinet is also seen as one with vast experience given the presence of men and women with verifiable records of service to the state in elected executive and legislative capacities.

The likes of Dr. Abdul-Hakeem AbdulLateef, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, Mrs. Lola Akande and Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola are all former lawmakers.

While Adejare served in both the state and federal national assemblies as a legislator, the rest were all at one time or the other, members of the Lagos State House of Asembly.

The duo of Adeyemi Labinjo and Kehinde Bamigbetan were Local Government Chairmen in the last dispensation. While Labinjo was the Council boss at Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Bamigbetan was his counterpart at Ejigbo LCDA. The two are coming to the cabinet with vast experience in public administration and governance.

Other like Dr. Akintola Benson, Dr. Mohammed Akinkunmi, Dr. Femi Onanuga, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, Mr. Ade Akinsanya, Mr. Wasiu Anifowoshe, Agboola Dabiri, Ganiu Okanlomo Sanni, Anofi Elegushi, Rotimi Ogunleye, Femi Odubiyi, Alhaji Musiliu Folami, Adeniji Kazeem, Toyin Suarau, Babatunde Durosinmi- Etti, Deji Tinubu, Mrs. Mudirat Giwanson and Wale Oluwo, drawn from either the public or private sector of the state, are also adequately experienced to impact on the new administration.

Speaking on the list, Hon. Rotimi Olowo, the member representing Somolu constituency 1 in the state assembly, said the governor has worked hard to put together a cabinet that will move the state forward. ”A new government has to be careful; you just don’t employ people whose capacity you don’t know; you have to get security reports on them,” he said.

According to Olowo, the state does not deserve incompetent commissioners who will not know what to do after their appointments.

While soliciting for patience, he stressed that Lagos was known for integrity and hard work, which should be sustained. “It is the same people criticizing the list now that will complain if he employed the wrong hands in his cabinet," he added.

•Ambode

33

‘Anti-corruption war will aid economic revival’ •Contd. from page 30 values. I have been agitating, `return moral education to schools!' I probably would have been something else but for the religious education I had while in school. If you have the fear of God, the tendency to be corrupt will be limited. So, we must go beyond the issue of loot recovery into all aspects of what corruption is doing to us and what even constitutes corruption. Do you know that if you mess up somebody in terms of timekeeping, that is corruption? So, we need to address corruption holistically.

So we may need to bring back the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) that we had under President Buhari as military Head of State.

It may not be in that form. But we need a complete orientation against corruption.

I envisage the MAMSER type of orientation, as spearheaded by Prof.

Gana, that, `If you are a sweeper, sweep well'. That is the type of orientation that must come back. There must be dignity in whatever we do.

Kidnapping is getting worse. Within one week, we have had at least two high profile kidnappings, the latest victim being Chief Olu Falae. How do we stem criminality?

I heard the IG recently talking about community policing. That is the way out.

Policing is not all about carrying guns around. Security is better carried out through intelligence. You must spend more on intelligence, people must be incorporated. We see the (American) FBI, CIA acting like magicians when they resolve puzzles. It is because they have agents everywhere who gather intelligence. If I am in charge of any security agency, I will have my people in every sector assembling intelligence capable of bursting crime. And once you have intelligence, you are on top of the situation. Even among kidnappers, you must have your agents – undercover agents. We need to improve the capacity of intelligence officers.

There are certain things that government does that many people, especially the opposition, take as being against them … even if it is clear that government is sincere. In putting in place the sort of orientation against corruption you spoke about, what guarantee do we have that the opposition will not read meaning into it and say it is targeted at them?

Nigeria is unfortunately one of the countries where we do not distinguish electioneering period from when government has taken office. In other climes, once elections are over, everybody rallies round the government while government treats everybody the same way regardless of political affiliation.

That is the oath of government swore to.

In putting in place national rebirth, government needs everybody's cooperation for it to succeed irrespective of party affiliation.

The PDP led federal government did not get similar cooperation from the APC. They did not ask for it. If they did, certainly we would have obliged them.

In some instances, we even did. On Boko Haram, we suggested the way out. I read a book authored by the prime minister of Dubai, `Flashes of Thought'.

Throughout, the underpinning thing you see in the book is `faith'. He says in the book that every single policy of government is motivated by the happiness of his people. Happiness of the people should be our basic preoccupation, particularly after electioneering campaign. Rebirth is important, fundamental. The 109 senators, all the House of Reps members, all the Houses of Assembly, put together, cannot effect the change that we envisage if the generality of the

people do not buy into it, regardless of party affiliation.

What motivated you into reading law, and how was it at the beginning?

When I was in primary school, I used to prefix my name in my notebooks with chief justice. I think it was Fatai Williams that was the CJN. At that time, I did not know my destination. After leaving secondary school, I wanted to read law but I got admission to read economics at Louisiana State University, US. My uncle immediately paid the fees. But I had a brother here then who was paying part of my school fees. I went to him and he told me about the development. The situation then was that as you left secondary school, you sat for JAMB exam.

I had done JAMB and, when the result came out, I got admission to read law at UNILORIN. My brother convinced me to read law. This was how I started my legal career.

Who is your role model?

Prof. Jelili Omotola (late VC of the University of Lagos). I learnt so many things from him. I was very close to him.

He was my teacher, he was my HoD, he was my Dean, he was my VC. Infact when he was VC, some of us were his special assistants regardless of whether we were lecturers at the UNILAG Faculty of Law. He impacted greatly on us. UNILAG worked under him.

I thought Ashiwaju Tinubu will be your role model?

There is something people don't know about me. I am not a professional politician. I am a professional in politics. I am in politics simply to ensure good governance. You can't fight outside the ring. You have to be inside to make the required impact. That brought me into politics, but people misconstrue my posturing. I have never been out to contest election all my life. Even common political office now, I have said I am not interested.

The reason we have problems in politics today is that we have a huge deficit of good people in politics.

So, how was it serving in Lagos State government, especially under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu?

We struggled towards proving good governance. I will give our efforts a comfortable pass mark. Many eggheads were in the Tinubu administration – VP Osinbajo, Cardoso, Teju Phillips, Dele Alake, Aregbe. These were authorities in the various fields. As Commissioner for Special Duties, I cleared the courts of exhibit congestion.

We have a new regime in which senior lawyers can be appointed into Supreme Court. If you are approached, will you consider the offer?

I am not cut out to be a judge for several reasons. One of it is that the welfare of judges, to me, is not sufficient, it’s not tempting, not inviting.

Is this possibly responsible for the alleged corruption in the judiciary?

It is not impossible. You must run away from temptation. Let me give you a scenario. If I were to be appointed a minister today, maybe the highest pay I would get is N25 million per annum. That cannot solve my problem. Any other thing will come from stealing or bribery. So, if you are not ready to steal or ask for bribe, restrict yourself to a place where you can make good money legitimately. We have to pay our judges well; we need to possibly adopt the Singapore regime or the one in place in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, their police are paid huge allowances such that they don't have to spend their salaries.

So, why would the Saudi police be tempted to take bribe?

If you had not been a lawyer, what would you have been?

I would have possibly been a civil engineer because it is lucrative, ever sought after. I like things that will make me comfortable.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

POLITICS Bayelsa APC Crisis

The sham called APC guber primary

‘How Sylva emerged APC flag bearer’

I

t was an ugly spectacle last Tuesday in Bayelsa State. What was planned and expected to be a beautiful event turned out to be something unpredictable. Events of the day started smoothly as delegates started arriving from all over the states for the re-scheduled All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary eelction. All of a sudden, it was observed that names of illegal delegates had been smuggled into the list of authentic delegates with cloned identity cards. The identity cards were said to bear the names of the authentic delegates but had the pictures of the fake delegates.

When arrested and questioned, the illegal delegates were said to have confessed that they were hired by one of the aspirants who is a front runner to the office.

Other aspirants, on noticing what happened quickly protested to the committee saddled with the conduct of the primary. Their protest was that the primary election was likely to be postponed as a result of complaints by three of the aspirants that there were cloned voter cards carriers impersonating delegates to the election.

Earlier, one of the aspirants had walked up to Governor Adams Oshiomhole who chaired the election committee, accusing him and the national chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, of bias.

As the aspirant protested, the state chairman of the APC, Tiwei Orunimigha, arrived at the spot and tried to calm him down; but the aspirant's protests and accusations against Oshiomhole and Oyegun did not abate.

The state party chairman himself later announced that whether or not the electoral committee wanted it, the primary must hold. ''Whether or not Oshiomhole want it, we must hold our primary, there is a party on ground and no one can chose for us who will be candidate. Some people just joined the party two weeks ago and cannot claim to know who is a delegate or not, we are forging ahead with the primary,'' Orunimigha said through the public address system.

Earlier in the day, one of the complaining aspirants had said: "You have seen the rancourous process leading to the primaries.

The process is being marred by irregularities, violence, intimidation and complete disrespect for aspirants, agents and party officials. This is an enactment of negative history for a party that stands on the mantra of change. I think something is missing somewhere and we need to get it right. We have had delegates perceived to be loyal to us, threatened, beaten wounded since morning "Quite a lot of people you see here are not delegates. Most of the authentic delegates are outside. We need to put a stop to this process. We will meet with the chairman of the committee and ask for the cancellation of the process. Some other times we can get the security dynamics rights so that we can get the methodology of the primaries right.

We cannot continue with this process."

Another aspirant described the process as shameful and that it failed to represent the values and principles of the party. "I am ashamed of this process. I was a member of the Presidential APC in Lagos. It was a successful convention and when the winner emerged, all other aspirants supported the winner. But the process today is flawed. Most of the delegates here are fake. I toiled for this party and sweated for it to be established in Bayelsa and if l am asking for the cancellation of this exercise, they should know how serious l am. I believe we should even move the primary to another state."

After receiving the protest from some of the aspirants, Oshiomhole and other members of the committee went into a long meeting to decide the way forward. It was clear from all indications that the process of electing a candidate to fly the APC flag in the gubernatorial election in the state would be postponed to a further date. However, everybody had to wait for the official position from the committee.

What bothered a lot of people was how Oshiomhole and his team would safely leave the stadium without getting hurt. At the end, it took the swift intervention of the Joint Task Force operating in the area to clear the thugs and ensure a safe exit of the committee

By Kesiye Newman, Yenagoa

Oshiomhole

By Jack Kalio, Yenagoa members after the primary was rescheduled to Monday September 28.

In an interview in an online newspaper, Oshiomhole told the story of what happened in Bayelsa State. “I was appointed with six other members from the APC to conduct the primary election of governorship election in Bayelsa state.

The exercise took place yesterday (Tuesday) but somehow, thugs took over the sports complex where the exercise was to take place. They • Ozigi prevented the actual delegates from practically participating and as a result, we could not proceed with the exercise. The committee was virtually held hostage including my humble self and this time, they were supervised unfortunately by one of the aspirants, who said to my face and to the committee that we cannot leave the venue of the conference unless we conduct the exercise without accreditation as prescribed by the National Secretariat of the (APC).

“It is important that we state clearly that the National Secretariat has adopted a standard guideline for the conduct of gubernatorial primaries and this guideline was used effectively in Kogi state and it produced a candidate in which all the aspirants were quite happy with.

The key issues in this guideline as handed down by the party is that delegates as contained in the list have to be identified either though the Permanent Voters Card, or the National Identity Card or International Passport. This was to ensure that proper accreditation was done because the integrity of an election rests primary on the integrity of the accreditation process, once the accreditation suffers any defect, it affects the entire exercise, as they, you cannot build something on nothing.

“Whereas all the aspirants agreed with this guideline, it is only one that did not agree with it, he rejected this mode of accreditation and chose to accuse the National Secretariat of formulating the guideline to frustrate his ambition. Every effort made to reassure him and direct his attention to the fact that same guidelines have been used and that they are standard guidelines that will be used in future elections, fell on deaf ears. He insisted that we cannot leave the place unless we are ready to conduct the election without recourse to accreditation as stipulated by the party and ofcourse I was not in a position to amend the guideline nor was I ready to submit to his intimidation.

“When it became clear that he has mobilised thugs in connivance with the police, these thugs without accreditation found their way into the stadium and insisted that we must conduct the election based on their own rules, they decided that it is the state executive that must conduct the election and not the national body and that it was wrong for the national body to conduct election without the state secretariat.

“When it became clear that our lives were under threat, I had to call Abuja to prevail on the army, the JTF to provide me with security to enable me leave the venue because the thugs had effectively blocked the gate.” Oshiomhole said he had since forwarded the report to the National Secretariat and believed that the party would fix a new date for proper accreditation and fresh conduct of the primaries. Several people were apprehended with cloned cards, they were handed over to the police but were curiously released by the police and allowed to harass and intimidate members of the committee and other aspirants.

• Sylva

T

he Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary was h held on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. At the end of the exercise, former Bayelsa State Governor and leader of the party in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, was declared winner. A day after, news filtered in that National Chairman of APC, Chief John OdigieOyegun, may have cancelled the primary and rescheduled it for a new date, citing security as the basis for the decision.

However, a National Ex-Officio member of the party, Mr. Yekini Nabena, who is from Bayelsa State and is a member of APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), says, “The National Chairman of the Party has no right to cancel the Bayelsa State Governorship Primary.

He must consult the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party before such a decision can be taken.”

Meanwhile, the Timipre Sylva Campaign for the Bayelsa State 2015 gubernatorial election has described as misleading and completely untrue reports purporting that the APC Governorship Primary held on September 22 in Yenagoa has been cancelled or rescheduled.

A statement signed on behalf of the campaign by Mr. Doifie Buokoribo, said: “We want to state categorically that since the primary election was conducted according to the rules and duly won by Sylva, he remains the candidate of the APC in Bayelsa State and any statement to the contrary is mere rumour.

“The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, does not have the powers to unilaterally annul a state primary election.

We are even shocked that he allowed his name to be used when he has not even received the report from members of the electoral panel.

Beyond the electoral panel’s report, there is also an Appeals Committee, which has the responsibility to examine complaints arising from the primary election. It is only after the Appeals Committee has concluded its job that the National Working Committee (NWC) will meet to consider all reports from the primary, including those of the security agencies”.

The statement from the Sylva Campaign added: “You cannot abort a baby that has already been born. The APC governorship primary has been concluded in Bayelsa State, a winner has emerged, and the winner is Sylva. We therefore ask our teeming supporters to remain calm and ignore the rumour that a new primary is being scheduled for early next week.”

The APC held its rescheduled governorship primary amid tight security to produce its flag bearer for the Bayelsa State governorship election fixed for December 5 by INEC. The exercise was held at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, the state capital. It was conducted and supervised by a seven-member electoral committee headed by the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole.

A total of 1,508 delegates drawn from the 105 wards in the eight local government areas of the state were expected to participate in the exercise. While the committee had the mandate to conduct a transparent primary, the delegates had a responsibility to elect the governorship candidate from amongst the 19 aspirants that were jostling to fly the party's flag.

Upon arrival in Yenagoa on the eve of the primary, Oshiomhole and his panel members held a meeting with the governorship aspirants to brief them on the guidelines to be used for the conduct of the primary. "If anyone is involved in any unwholesome act, we will

ensure they are arrested. Cloning of cards is a criminal offence. The sponsor of such act and those caught with the cloned cards would be arrested", he cautioned.

He equally advised the governorship aspirants to realise that the primary election was a family affair.

Oshiomhole said, "The (APC) family is meeting to deliberate on who can be entrusted with the party's flag to contest the December 5 election. Already, the fact that we can seat together in Bayelsa is a good sign. If we were to have this meeting last year, we have to get bullet proof vest."

As early as 8am, the delegates had queued up to undergo accreditation by the committee ahead of the voting for the candidates of their choice. But no sooner had the accreditation started with only about 80 delegates from Brass and Ekeremor local government areas cleared and seated peacefully under their local council canopies than three of the aspirants started complaining and raising objections.

In their complaints, however, they unanimously alleged that the Oshiomole-led panel had lost control of the process. They claimed that many of the delegates being cleared were in possession of cloned identification papers contrary to the committee’s requirements of an International Passport, National Identification Card and Voters’ Card.

One of the aspirants said, "The rancorous accreditation process leading to the primaries was fraught with irregularities, violence, intimidation and complete disrespect for aspirants, agents and party officials. This is an enactment of negative issues for a party that stands on the mantra of change. I think something is missing somewhere and we need to get it right."

But despite the orchestrated protest of the trio, Sylva remained calm and calculated. He remarked that there was no cause for alarm and that there really was no concrete basis to cancel the exercise, noting that majority of the delegates were hailing him due to his sterling credentials.

“I am not an agent and if there are people with cloned cards, we will make sure they are arrested. I was part of the arrangements put in place. Among all the aspirants, l am the only one with the credentials; someone who has done a term here", Sylva said.

However, on arrival in the middle of the confusion, the electoral committee chairman without delay intervened met with all the aspirants leading to speculations that the primary could be cancelled. News about another postponement of the primary created an interregnum in the process and heightened political brinkmanship and anxiety at the arena.

About 4:45pm, the coast had become clear as all frayed nerves had been calmed. A consensus was achieved. Oshiomhole, therefore, directed that the accreditation process be kick-started afresh. He personally supervised the arrangement of tables and chairs at the arena for the process to start again and the delegates lined up again to get accredited to vote.

The delegates, one after another, cast their ballot in an orderly manner for any aspirant of their choice in the presence of the committee members, accredited observers, monitors and journalists as well as the security personnel deployed to maintain law and order. At the end of the counting of the votes polled by each aspirant, Sylva was declared winner by the party's committee after polling 726 votes of 807 accredited votes. Hon. Warman Ogoriba and Chief Romeo Bekeyei scored 10 votes each to come second with Alaibe trailing with a paltry four votes.

The runners-up in the governorship primary have congratulated the winner, Chief Timipre Sylva. In a statement issued on Wednesday signed by the aspirants, including Ogoriba, Senator Clever Ikisikpo, Chief Romeo Bekeyai, Chief Godknows Powell, Mrs. Charity Vadelago, and Engr. Ebitei Francis, they said they were proud of the good fight they had fought. The aspirants acknowledged that since a winner had emerged through a transparent process, it behoved them and all APC members to rally round the party’s candidate for victory at the governorship election.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

POLITICS

35

Atiku Bagudu's 100 days: The story so far A

FTER taken the oath of office in 29th of May, 2015, after his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won a landslide victory at the polls, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State in his determination to take Kebbi State out of the woods, set up various machineries that will galvanised and transform the state to comply with current trend of civilisation and globalisation.

Consequent upon taking his oath of office, on 29th the following day, Governor Bagudu embarked on visits to some major secondary schools in the state capital to see things for himself the level of decadence in these schools.

He was also at various major secondary schools across the four Emirate Councils in the State. What he saw in these schools made him pity the future of the children, because the immediate past administration claimed to have spent huge sum of money on the education sector.

There were no chairs, no tables in most classrooms, as students were compelled to sit on bare floor during classes. In the hostels, there were no beddings as students spread their mats on the bare floor.

To address this challenge, the governor immediately awarded contracts for the renovation of schools/hostels with the provision of facilities that will make learning conducive for students.

In the power sector, Governor Bagudu is of the strong belief that for any state economy to be develop, there must be steady power supply to propel both the small, medium and large scale businesses, more so, Kebbi being a State where the bulk of power supply to Niger and Benin Republics passes through must not experience power shortages.

With this in mind, the governor visited authorities of the Niger Delta Power Holden (NDPH) Headquarters in Abuja and the Lagos office where he held discussions and reached agreement with the top officials.

In addition, he released money for the purchase of two 11.7kva transformers and 50 units of 7.5kva subtransformers that would transmit power from the 11.7kva to various parts of Birnin Kebbi, the state capital. This is now in force.

The installation of two 11.7kva has been completed, while a scheduled test running is ongoing, an indication that the state capital is now enjoying 24 hours power supply. It is expected that other major towns of Argungu, Yauri and Zuru would be enjoy 20 hours of power supply by the end of October.

Shocked by the meager amount of money he met in government covers on assumption of office, Governor Bagudu set up a 25 man committee headed by his deputy, Sama'ila Dabai Yombe, to look into the finances of the state government under former Governor Saidu Usman Dakingari.

Part of the committee's brief was to investigate the total sum of money committed to the building of the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport by the immediate former governor. The outcome of the report was not shocking to say the least.

It was alleged that the Dakingari government left only N100 million in the government coffers as against the N300 million his deputy, Alh. Ibrahim K. Aliyu announced.

On the airport project, a sum of N7.5 billion was alleged to have been spent on the project as against the N28.5 Billion the Dakingari's administration claimed to have spent.

Also, Governor Atiku Bagudu in his desire to take away the state from being a purely civil servant state and make it more industrialised, within two weeks of his assumption of office, a five-man Iranian Team of industrialists, were in the state with the aim of partnering with the state to set up industries in the areas of manufacturing, mining, installations and agriculture.

This was also followed by the visit of a team of rice milling experts led by a Central Bank official on the directive of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria to ascertain the level of rice growing and production with possible ways of improving their crops for better yield.

Officials of the Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc led by its Managing Director were not left out of this quest of exploring the agriculture potentials of Kebbi State. The giant Flour Mills Plc aim to establish a full fledges Flour Mills Company in the State, because of the abundance rice cultivation and production which cut across 17 out of the 21 local government areas of the State.

To curb and corruption, Governor Atiku Bagudu's administration set up a committee and sub-committee to verify the Local Government finances and also to establish the accurate figure of staffs in each of the local government council areas.

In the area of sanitation, a committee headed by a retired Navy Captain was mandated to clear and get rid of the heaps of refuse that dotted every nook and crannies of the state capital. Furthermore, the clearing of drainages and seaways for easy passage of erosion has drastically prevented flooding which has been the bane of the metropolis in the past.

The Ambode team

lot has been said of expectations from the new Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode he is said to be the best choice for a time like this In the very competitive setting of the state civil service, He distinguished himself such that, at 35, He has become a Permanent Secretary and was in that exalted office for about 15 years. He was the Accountant General during the Tinubu administration that reengineered the state finances.

Mr. Ambode was not known to be a politician but he emerged after a rigorous search for a worthy successor to the successful Fashola Administration. Despite what many now say to the contrary Fashola was seen as the redeeming grace for the governing class in this country.

He is brilliant, hardworking and was regarded as largely incorruptible. A number of things fell in place under his watch. He was indeed a worthy successor to Senator Bola Tinubu.

Now that Ambode is on the saddle we all look up to him to keep the tradition of excellence, he has a number of projects to complete. To take the transport situation in Lagos to the next level, he has to come up with ingenious means of introducing a real integrated transport system. The Light rail project from Lagos to Badagry that has been on for four years gulping money without any benefit so far deserves urgent attention. In the same way that Fashola inherited the BRT project and completed it in no time, We, Residents of the great city of Lagos expect our Governor to deliver the LightRail project in no time. And, to complement this in further opening up the Badagry corridor, the Lagos-Badagry expressway that has equally consumed so much of public resources requires concerted action. Then while the previous administrations where unable to make the desired impact in water transportation, The Ambode Government must pay this greater attention. Water transportation is known to be the cheapest form. A state like Lagos, dubbed the Centre of Excellence but inhabiting some of the most impoverished in the country should be given a first class water transportation system.

For the high-heeled residents of the Lekki-Epe corridor the Fashola administration mooted an effective air transportation system, especially as a link with the ever busy Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Since the rich are able and willing to pay for such

A

• Bagudu

By Khadijat Saidu On the recent flood which submerged farm lands in Makera and Argungu areas of the state, the governor told the people of the affected communities that very soon, they will be rehabilitated to enable them continue with their normal activities. He also promised to provide succour to flood victims by offering them various incentives and improved seeds of various agricultural produce to enable them embark on massive dry season farming to recoup their losses.

Atiku Bagudu further assured that dry season Rice and Wheat farmers will benefit from the assistance of the state government in providing them with high yielding seeds, fertilisers and linkages services.

This year Hajj took a different dimension from the past exercise, as the Bagudu-led administration set up another committee headed by his deputy to review the Hajj operation and eliminate sharp practices occasioned by middle men both at home and in Saudi Arabia.

In addition, the governor took up the responsibility for the feeding of the state pilgrims right from the Hajj Camp in Birnin Kebbi to Jeddah, Medina, Minna Airports and finally to Makka. He also ordered that on getting to Makka, all male pilgrims from the state must be provided with free pairs of harami cloths. He also give money in Saudi currency to women pilgrims as pocket money.

For this year's Sallah to be celebrated with happiness in many homes, for the first time in the history of the State, Governor Bagudu ordered the payment of this month salaries on the 17th and also paid leave grant to all civil servants.

Traditional rulers, Ulamas, politicians, youths, women, as well as the less privileged across the state were not left out as the governor sent Sallah gifts to all of them. To say that every stakeholder in the state was carried along in this year celebration in the state is like stating the obvious.

Kebbi State being one of the States in the NorthWest Zone where the menace of cattle rustling is rampant, the current administration confronted the challenge headlong.

The governor solicited and got permission for the deployment of soldiers to the hot spot of rustlers in Bena and other villages in Danko/Wassagu Local Government Area of the state which yielded positive results.

Also within the first few weeks of his Administration, the action the governor embarked on an international trip to Benin Republic where he met with leaders of that country to work out modalities for bringing an end to the incessant international boundary disputes and communal clashes between the citizens of Benin and Nigeria who live along boundary areas.

The governor also used the opportunity of the visit to advocate for strong economic ties between Kebbi and Benin Republic and to this end a road construction has been flagged off to link Bagudo in Kebbi State and Cotonou, the capital of Benin Republic.

Also, a dry port is to be established by the administration in Lolo village of Bagudo Local Government where agriculture produce and other consumable items can easily be transported freely between the two countries and other countries within the sub region.

- Saidu writes from Birnin Kebbi

advantages and priviledges they should be availed.

These measures will go a long way in decongesting the Lagos roads. The demons that have been released to possess the Lagos roads have to be bound and cast out if life expectancy and quality of living are to be improved in the city. I am impressed by the measures already taken by the government in proposing to build and in seeking supplementary appropriation for the construction of some pedestrian and flyover bridges in parts of the states. I hope he will continue Lagos is known as a Centre of Excellence but is it? By population it is described as a mega city but has 19th century infrastructure.

In the slums, People live in subhuman conditions even in the traditional area of Lagos Island, the area boys are threatening to take over the throne of Olowoeko because they find the environment conducive. This leaves much to be desired.

Mr. Ambode inherited a much-improved security system.

The Lagos State Security Trust Fund, conceived by the Tinubu administration and given effect by the Fashola government is the minimum standard acceptable to Lagosians; The government must find a way of sustaining the partnership with the private sector in this wise.

Mr. Ambode has to put on his gloves to fight the good fight. He was elected on the belief that he has the stamina, the vision and the mission to make Lagos a real model for others. To do this he must realise that modern public administration is run by a solid team. True he is the chief executive and the number 1 citizen but he is not the foreman.

His duty is to lead and this means empanelling men and women of impeccable integrity, sound educational background, and cognate experience. He has come up with the list of those to work with him as commissioners and special advisers. Some are quite well known, Some inherited, Others just been introduced to the scene. All we can do now is wish him well and watch him closely as he runs the race.

These are indeed difficult times. The national economy is in dire straits, the social fabric is torn and unemployment is ravaging. No state is feeling this more than Lagos- The entreport.

Lagos has been spared the experience of other state because of the foresight principally of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu he laid the foundation that Ambode now has to build on. He cannot afford to fail. Despite the importance of teamwork the buck stops on Ambode's desk. In another four years it will be assessment time.

36

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

POLITICS

A Leader's love for sport

Ajimobi, Akala in secret pact?

S

TRONG indications have emerged that Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and his predecessor, have allegedly sealed a deal to work together. In recent times, the relationship between the two politicians has been chummy, fuelling speculations that they have reached an understanding to work together. As part of the deal, an informed source said one of Akala's sons, Olamiju (who presently runs his father's radio station located in Ogbomoso, the ex-governor's hometown), has been penciled down for a cabinet position to be announced by Ajimobi within the next few weeks. Political observers in the state describe the alleged pact as a masterstroke by the governor in his alleged plan to further alienate Senator Rashidi Ladoja, his main challenger in the last governorship elections in the state politics.

• Ladoja

Why Accord Party is challenging Ajimobi's victory HE fear of losing majority of its key members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was the major reason why the leadership of the Accord Party (AP) is challenging the victory of Governor Abiola Ajimobi at the Election Petition Tribunal, it was learnt. Quite a number of prominent AP members are believed to have commenced negotiations with APC leaders in the state, preparatory to the defection. This development, sources revealed, allegedly compelled AP leader, Rashidi Ladoja, to head for the Tribunal in order to keep creating the impression among his supporters that all hope is not lost and that the party is still popular in the state.

• Agunbiade

T

HE Majority Leader of Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA), Rt. Hon. Sanai Agunbiade is indeed a sport enthusiast and a lover of his constituents. First, it was his regular keep fit trak that endeared him to the people, now we have news that he will be holding an Independence Day MiniMarathon for Secondary Schools in his Ikorodu constituency.

The Organising Committee says the objectives of the marathon include to improve extracurricular activities in students in Ikorodu, discovering talents in long distance races among students, while also commemorating Nigeria’s independence. Talks about killing two birds with one stone. Isn't it?

Invitations, we learnt, have been extended to 74 schools expected to present two athletes each for the marathon. Well, Hon. Agunbiade is deserving of kudos here as Ripples gathered that students of all public and private secondary schools as well as a Technical Colleges within his Constituency are now counting days as they await the October 1st, 2015 date of the mini-marathon.

Shelle's opponents not giving up

T

• Ajimobi

Imoke, Bassey versus Duke

• Alao-Akala

T

• Imoke

HEY were once described as the inseparable political troika. But that was then.

Between ex-Governors Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke and Senator Gershom Bassey, it appears the centre could no longer hold.

Duke, it seems, has been sidelined in the scheme of things, with Imoke and Bassey still remaining the best of pals.

While Duke is obviously not pulling much weight in Cross River State politically, Imoke and Bassey are now close more than ever before. But Duke, it was gathered, may soon have his pound of flesh from his two erstwhile friends, as unconfirmed reports claim he is among a group of influential politicians in the state that have almost finalised plans to take control of the political soul of the state from the Imoke group. • Duke

• Shelle

E

MBATTLED Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Tunji Shelle, is still looking over his shoulders, as his opponents who want him removed are not giving up. It would be recalled that shortly after the last general elections, 34 members of the State Working Committee in an early morning meeting, passed a vote of no confidence on Shelle and replaced him with the Vice Chairman of the party in Lagos Central, Kamal Olorunoje. Shelle's crime: the party's "disastrous" outing in the general elections. This is in spite of the party winning eight House of Assembly seats and five seats in the House of Representatives. The loss of the plum prize, the governorship, is however not going down well with majority of the members of the state executive council of the party, who are determined to defy the national leadership of the party, which has restated its support for Shelle. Sources disclosed that the "renegades" have returned to the drawing board to map out new strategies on how to get Shelle out before the end of the year.

49

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

W

HAT have been the most striking moments in your career as a Literature teacher?

The most striking moments in my career as a teacher of literature have been occasions when my students scored highly taken into consideration that many students who come to study literature do not have the capacity to cope with the course especially those who are not specializing in literature. But it is important to state that over the years, many part one Law students have demonstrated competence and have made me proud in their performance in the two literature courses compulsorily taken by them in their first year.

What books are you reading at the present time?

I am reading Adebayo Williams' Bulletin From the Land of the Living Ghosts: Romance in the Reign of King Cobra,Helon Habila's Oil on Water and Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist Who are your favorite novelists of all time?

Fyodor Dostoeyvsky, Thomas Hardy, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Sembene Ousmane, To you, who is the most •Uwasomba outstanding Literature giant of all season and out of season? why?

I like the three genres of literature and as a Dostoyevsky. This is because of the issues his professional critic any critical work is a must read works raise about the human condition and his to sharpen my skills even if I disagree with the capacity to deploy the use of interior monologue writer to the best and further aligns his characters with If you have a task to convince a person to the reader in such a manner the latter is made to love Literature, which ten books will you identify with the former at deeper levels, recommend for him/her?

Back home in Nigeria, which books or novels First of all I will introduce the person to motivated you to take to Literature as a career? religious tracts especially Awake from the stable Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Soyinka's The of the Jehovah Witnesses not because of their Interpreters religious content but for the insights and interest Of all the books you've read which characters they generate in the reader. Ngugi's Devil on the have struck you the most?

Cross and I will Marry When I Want, Eagleton's Oliver Twist in Dickens' Oliver Twist Saints and Scholars, Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, What genres do you love and stick to in and George Eliot's Silas Manner, Cyprian Ekwensi's

T

HE palace of the Ooni of Ife which had always been busy round the clock is now bereft of life and activities. The signs are there for all to see. The evidence showing that the palace was in deep mourning mood was registered in the minds of some prominent culture technocrats who paid a courtesy call on the palace and some top chiefs of the Ife Kingdom last weekend.

Among the visitors were Akin Adejuwon, the Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Yusuf Usman, the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and other top staff of the culture sector. They were in town to commission a new private museum and to also felicitate with the palace on its cordial relationship with the National Museums which has its Ife office located within the precincts of the palace.

Adejuwon, who until his appointment last years as the Artistic Director of the Troupe, had been resident in Ife for ten unbroken years was quick to observe this sudden change of mood in the palace and the sudden quiet that has now become the lot of the palace as the people await the announcement and coronation of a new Ooni.

He said: "Yes, the D.G. of National Museum, had been angling to pay a condolence visit to the Ooni's palace, because the late Ooni and the people of Ife, had been pivotal to issues concerning the museums and artifacts. This is for obvious reasons, for Ife has some of the richest repertoires of artistic and historical elements in Nigeria's history.

They have some of the largest collections of antiquities in Nigeria. And so he thought by being in Ife for the opening of the dental museum, it would be proper also to be at the palace. We got to the palace, we had to be admitted through an alternative entrance.

This was so because the main entrance was under lock and key and that in itself would

ME AND MY BOOKS

Literature has deepened my knowledge Chijioke Uwasomba, a senior lecturer in the Department of English Literature at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, is a literary guru in his field. In this interview with Edozie Udeze he talks about his love for Literature and how it has taken him to the highest height in his career.

Drummer Boy, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Beckett's Wating for Godot and End Game and Niyi Osundare's Village Voices What books are more noticeable in your private library?

I have books in my discipline and books and other materials on politics and political economy Has teaching Literature lifted your status the way you expected, and how and why?

Reading and teaching Literature have given me all I wanted in life. Literature has the capacity to imbue one with great knowledge and satisfaction.

In fact, my involvement in the world of words [belle letting] has opened my eyes to the world in every material particular. It has given me the opportunity to engage other disciplines especially the Social Sciences. I have drunk from the spring

and enjoyed the deep for the deep calls the deep.

To paraphrase Shelly, one other redoubtable Romantic writer, the literati constitutes the legislators of the world and by extension the prophets for they see the now and the present.

Being a functional member of this rare collective is indeed humbling and exciting.

Are you a re-reader - how often?

Yes I am a re-reader. The profession of literature survives on the plank of re-reading texts.

It gives the scholar the advantage of arriving at new meanings. Meanings are dynamic and therefore require serious intellectual negotiations. By re-reading texts new realities and meanings are arrived at and this reinvigorates the discipline and places it at the fore front of other disciplines and engagements. Rereading for me in a quotidian exercise.

As Ile-Ife awaits a new Ooni

By Edozie Udeze

tell you that the old palace is wearing a sombre look."

He went on: "All entrances to palace were sealed at the demise of the Ooni. So we had to go through the other door and the palace secretary and the representatives of the high chiefs were on hand to receive us. After waiting for sometime, it was interesting to note that the whole palace looked like a ghost town. There were no more people milling around the palace with one activity or the other. I had been to the palace hundreds of times in my life and I had never, for once, seen the palace so quiet, so cold, so isolated and so bereft of social and cultural activities. It then dawned on me and others that this is how a palace looks like when a new Oba is being awaited."

Adejuwon's surprise did not end here. He continued: "I have lived in Ife for ten years.

Yes, it is understandable if there is lack of movement, it would look so isolated. Even then we were received in the Ooni's large hall where the D.G. of National Museums thanked the chiefs for the total preservation of some of the national artifacts in Ife Museum."

At that event too, Ife Chiefs reiterated the importance of one of their most revered gods (deities) that would soon appear and no one would be expected to be seen in public. The people particularly identify with this deity, very powerful in its role in the lives of the people. Beyond this, the Ife artifacts have been part of exchange programmes between Nigeria, Spain, and some other European and American nations in the last few years.

Above all, the rich Ife antiquities have shown the whole world that Africa and

•Some Ife high chiefs in a group picture with Usman (middle) at the Ooni Palace, Ile-Ife

Africans had history and culture before the advent of the Europeans. The visit was also topical in order to solicit the support of the incoming Ooni to keep the importance and prominence of Ife heritage ever aglow in national history and documentation. The Ooni's role in this regard can never be thwarted.

The issue of making a bigger request and demand on the intending King was also brought to the fore. It was heartwarming too to hear Ife Chiefs commend the management of the National Museums as they advised them on how to go about asking for more in the

future.

For a long time, the traditional Ife bronze with its remarkable facial marks depicting royalty and dignity has been adorning most art festivals world-over. This symbol, along with others which showcase heroism in warfare, courage in traditional fanfare and lots more are some of the topical issues that the visit harped on. In all, Ife historical and traditional properties in the National Museums and Monuments will continue to dominate the attention of those who love to make history an issue, indeed an enduring legacy.

50

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Counting cost of Treasury Single Account

Page 52

Fashola, Dozie, others suggest framework for effective CSR •Fashola

•CBN Headquarters, Abuja

Page 53

From left: Chief (Mrs.) Nike Akande, Mrs. Ifeoma Utomi, Founder, Centre for Values In Leadership (CVL) Prof. Pat Utomi, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, his wife, Abosede and Mrs. Adetutu Adeleye, during 26th CVL Leaders without Title Tribute Colloquium in honour of Osunkeye at 75 and Adeleye at 78 in Lagos…

Photo: MUYIWA HASSAN

Aftermath of flood to cost Nigeria $225million

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LOODS which ravaged some parts of the country may have destroyed rice plantations that produce about 11 percent of what Africa’s biggest economy needs to meet this year’s consumption.

Above-normal rainfall in the country’s northwest region caused the banks of the Sokoto and Rima rivers to overflow in the Sokoto and Zamfara states, flooding

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf with agency report

rice plantations and destroying about 626,250 metric tons of the staple, Lawal Shehu, Kebbi state’s director of produce.

In the Kebbi and Jigawa states, a combined 635,000 hectares of low-land, rain-fed plantations have been affected.

About 350,000 hectares of

rice plantations spread across 12 local government areas in the state are totally submerged in flood water across Kebbi alone, Shehu said from its capital, Birnin Kebbi.

Africa’s most-populous nation produces less than half of the 6 million tons of rice it consumes annually, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

The losses are equivalent to 1 1/2 months of Nigeria’s

rice consumption, based on data from the United Food & Agriculture Organization.

Imports to make up for the losses would cost $225 million, based on Thai export prices.

Half of Jigawa’s 135,000 hectares under cultivation have been affected, Abdu Auwalu, an officer for the World Bank’s Fadama ruralfarmer project, said by phone from Dutse, the state capital.

Firm invests $20million in luxurious apartment IRST Empire Group has infused $20million into the development of Alan Empire Palms apartment in Isheri Magodo, Lagos. The apartment is a 20unit luxury flat and 20-unit terraces duplex with suspended swimming pool, a central gas system and a club house.

The Group Head Energy, First Empire Group, Dimeji Oganla, told reporters last week that the project was conceived to eradicate inconveniences associated with housing through innovative means.

F

By Sunday Oguntola

Oganla assured that the firm will deliver value-added services that will make housing a pleasurable experience for residents.

He disclosed that the firm will be launching over 10 other projects in the next two years.

According to him: “Basically, we sell ambiance, class, attitude and behaviour; all these put together we call ‘The Empire Homes.”

On affordability, Oganla said the houses are targeted at low income middle class earners.

“Our main objective is basically capturing the poverty and real estate market; we have in our own establishment a moving train; a train that would transport every willing Nigerian and friends to their destination at a very affordable cost,” he stressed.

He said the $20m for the apartment will be sourced through local and international funding.

He added that Isheri, Magodo was chosen based on assurance of security and advocacy for property on the mainland.

A civil engineer from Italy, Mr. Alberto Fatuzzo, said most buildings collapse because contractors fail to properly investigate before execution.

He promised that the partnership will create a good system that will serve the best interests of wouldbe residents.

Fatuzzo said: “With my experience and the willingness of the First Empire Group, we have decided to create a good system and deliver the best project because 80% of the material will be imported.”

51

Loyalty reward for customers

By Ajose Sehindemi

G

RAND Petroleum Limited, makers of hi-speed range of automotive and industrial lubricants, has launched a campaign to reward loyal customers of the lubricant brands.

The campaign tagged: ‘Hi-Speed Loyalty Promo’ is expected to run from September to November 30th and winners will be announced at a ceremony on the 11th of December.

The Chief Operating Officer of Nosak Group, the parent company of Grand Petroleum limited, Mr Joseph Oboko, disclosed this at a media parley held in Lagos to announce the campaign.

Oboko who also doubles as the COO of Grand Petroleum said: “Ranging from the number of gallons purchased, the overall winner will go home with a 6.9kva TEC generator for a cumulative purchase of a minimum of 3,000 cartons, the second winner will go home with a 2.5kva TEC generator on cumulative purchase between 1,500 and 2,999 and the third price, being also upon a cumulative purchase between 1000 to 1,499 cartons, the winner will go home with a 1.5Kva TEC generator, all on purchases made between September to 30tth November.”

Commenting on the brand, Sales and Marketing Analyst Manager, Grand Petroleum, Mr Ebosele Oiku said hi-speed is being sold nationwide through their distributors and not in the open market because of fear of the products being adulterated and it is available at most mechanic shops.

“Our brand can compete with the imported ones that used to enjoy undue advantage then due to payment of same 10 per cent duty rate with us to import base oil, which is the primary product of all lubricants until the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria complained to the government who took up the matter and increases the duty rate to 30 per cent for foreign brands, allowing local brands to compete well.”

NASCO gets Nutrition Society’s endorsement

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ASCO cornflakes has won the endorsement and official approval of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN). The Official Endorsement Certificate was presented to NASCO Group in Lagos last week during the opening ceremony of the 2015 Annual Conference of NSN. The Council also conferred on the Chairman/CEO of NASCO Group, Dr. Attia Nasreddin its prestigious Award of Excellence in recognition of his immense contributions towards advancing the cause of nutrition in Nigeria.

According to the NSN, the endorsement of NASCO range of cornflakes is for a period of three years. Speaking during the conferment, the President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria Prof Ngozi Nnam, said NASCO Cornflakes cereal brand won the endorsement of the Society following the outcome of a professional and rigorous procedure under the NSN guidelines, and administered by the Scientific/ Endorsement Committee of Nutrition Society of Nigeria.”

The Lagos Marketing Manager of NASCO, James Iwunze thanked the Society for the diligence displayed by its Scientific Committee in arriving at the endorsement for NASCO Cornflakes.

He assured that the nourishing quality of the brand will be sustained and improved upon continually.

NASCO Cornflakes range is one of the flagship brands from the stable of Nasco Foods Limited (a subsidiary of NASCO Group). Nasco Cornflakes was launched in 1980 and remains till date the first indigenous Cornflakes brand in Nigeria.

Union petitions EFCC over alleged fraud

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ORKERS under the aegis of the Chemical and Non Metallic Products Senior Staff Association and National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber and Leather and Non Metallic Products Employees have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Com-

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

mission [EFCC] over alleged fraud at the International Glass Industry [IGI] Aba. The union is appointing accusing fingers at a senior management staff of the organisation that is said to be colluding with one of the former general manager of

the IGI, an Indian to defraud the company.

The labour union said that the activities of the duo has made the Abia state government the owners of the industries to lose huge sums of money running into several billions of naira and is therefore asking the EFCC to wade into the matter.

The petition, signed by Bar Eze Obinna Onwuma alleged that the management staff wields so much power.

Also copied in the petition is the state governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who the union also urged to intervene in the matter threatening the peaceful existence of the company.

From left: Mr Idris Nasreddin, Executive Director; Mr James Iwunze, Marketing Manager; Mr. Nasir Khan, Chief Marketing Officer (displaying the NASCO Cornflakes NSN Certificate of Endorsement, together with) Mr. Gbolahan Oyenuga, Brand Manager, Foods, Alhaji Shehu Sule Nyalun, Senior Admin Manager, and Barr Haroun Harry Audu, Marketing Communications Consultant in Lagos.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

52

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

BUSINESS

The implementation of the Treasury Single Account by the federal and some state governments is already having rippled effects on the economy, reports Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

W

HEN President Muhammadu Buhari on August 9 ordered every federal government ministries, departments and agencies to start paying into a Treasury Single Account (TSA) for all government revenues, incomes and other receipts, little did he know that the policy would have some unintended consequences.

But what really is a treasury single account?

A Treasury Single Account is a unified structure of government bank accounts enabling consolidation and optimal utilisation of government cash resources. It is a bank account or a set of linked bank accounts through which the government transacts all its receipts and payments and gets a consolidated view of its cash position at any given time.

A TSA therefore is considered a prerequisite for modern cash management and is an effective tool for the ministry of finance/treasury to establish oversight and centralised control over government’s cash resources.

The TSA provides a number of other benefits and thereby enhances the overall effectiveness of a public financial management (PFM) system. The establishment of a TSA should, therefore, receive priority in any PFM reform agenda.

History of TSA in Nigeria Judging by the provisions of the Financial Regulations (FR) and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, some Ministries/Extra-Ministerial Offices, Agencies and other arms of Government collect revenue such as Value Added Tax (VAT), Withholding Tax (WHT), fees, fines and interest) are expected to remit same into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

According to Section 16 of the Finance (Control and Management) Act, LFN, 1990 and the Financial Regulation N0. 413 (i), all unexpended recurrent votes for a financial year shall lapse at the expiration of the year. Consequently, all unspent balances in the Recurrent Expenditure Cash Books at the end of 2012 financial year must be paid back to the Consolidated Revenue Fund Account N0.

0020054141107 with CBN by issuing mandates in favour of “SubTreasure of the Federation”, Federal Sub-Treasury, Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, Garki II, Abuja latest by the close of work on the last Friday of every December. It should be noted that all MDAs, including universities, polytechnics, federal medical centres, teaching hospitals, research institutes and River Basin Development Authorities and FPO’s were ordered to adhere strictly to this law.

All Accounting Officers are required to make a return of unspent balances on the recurrent expenditure cash books, along with copies of treasury receipts, to reach the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation latest by close of business on Monday, 31st December, 2012. It is obligatory to comply with this regulation in order to avoid the imposition of stiff penalties against defaulters.

The irony, however, is that some parastatals did not remit their

Counting cost of Treasury Single Account

•CBN Headquarters, Abuja operating surpluses into the CRF as provided by the FRA 2007 (S. 22 and 23) while most MDAs engaged in acts that result into loss of government revenue.

Downside of policy Laudable as the TSA policy seems, not a few believe that it has its downsides.

To operators in the banking sector, it is feared that the sector would be losing about N2 trillion deposits to the CBN, with the implementation of the TS A. The report on accounts of banks with CBN shows that as at beginning of this current quarter, banks’ total public sector deposits was N1.3 trillion but additional net flows from Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FACC, as at end of last month (about N240 billion) as well as expected inflows by end of this month may push the figure close to N2.2 trillion by the time the pullout begins next month.

Bankers had pressurised the former government of Goodluck Jonathan, which had initiated the policy in December 2014, to soft pedal on the implementation which was originally scheduled for February 2015, on the reasons of a likely negative impact on the economy.

Bank treasurers had confided in The Nation at the weekend that the implementation would adversely affect liquidity in the banking system and end up putting pressure on interest rates and availability of credit to the economy.

In a statement issued at the weekend, Afrinvest Group, a Lagos-based financial investment house, said: “Whilst the directive issued came as the first official statement by the Presidency on the TSA, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had earlier began withdrawing its funds from banks for retirement into CBN. “This had an impact on liquidity level in the banking system, resulting in a surge in money market rates during the period as banks scrambled for funds to cover their liquidity positions.

“With the TSA implementation now extended to all federal MDAs, the Nigerian banking industry, on an aggregate basis, would be affected in terms of deposits and funding cost structure.”

With the benefit of hindsight, the adverse implication of the TSA is already unfolding.

Investigation by The Nation revealed that already there has been a gale of sack in some banks, especially majority of those banks where public

•Buhari funds are being warehoused.

The Nation gathered that commercial banks in Nigeria have commenced laying off some of their staff, following the federal government directive to ministries and agencies for a Treasury Single Account.

Some of the banks, it was learnt, can no longer afford to keep their staff, as ministries and agencies of government have commenced withdrawal of their deposits in commercial banks, in compliance with the federal government directive.

A highly placed source who is a top management staff of one of the first generation banks confided in The Nation that his bank has since sacked over 1, 000 of its staff nationwide adding that the mostly affected in the downsizing exercise are desk officers.

Pressed further, the source said, this sad development was due in part to closure of government accounts with commercial banks.

The source expressed concerns, that the TSA policy, although designed to ensure accountability and transparency, it is equally going to ground a lot of the commercial banks.

He said, “As I speak with you now, about one thousand of our staff are already on their way out, because we can no longer accommodate them, but what we have done is to lay off more of the desk officers.”

Justifying the retrenchment of the desk officers, the source said, “If you lay off those who go out to look for deposits you will worsen the situation, so we have to look at the survival of the bank first, the consequence of allowing desk officers to stay and sacking those who bring deposits will be higher, so we took the safer option of letting desk officers go.”

“The truth of the matter is that some of these deposits, especially

• Emefiele fixed deposits help the banks a lot, now, there is directive that government funds be withdrawn, on one hand it will ensure accountability, but on the other hand the banks will also have to reduce their staff strength or be ready to recapitalise,” he stressed.

Another source told our correspondent that about 1,500 staff of a new generation bank were also laid off about a fortnight ago for the same reasons.

The source stated further that most of the staff laid off were those on temporary appointments.

He said, “The problem is that, if you lay off permanent staff at once, you also have to pay them all their entitlements otherwise they will take you to court. Yes, majority of the people we truly do not need are unfortunately the permanent staff, but because of the confusion and litigation that will follow, we decided to relief those with temporary appointments. It is a painful decision, but we have to do it in order to save the banks.

“We have prepared their disengagement letters and most of them will be communicated next week. I tell you, not only here, all the banks will follow this line. That is the situation.”

Confirming the sack, a staff of one of the highly rated new generation banks with branches in each state capital and reputable for excellent services, who simply gave his name as Eunice said, “I got my letter of disengagement last week. Naturally, I was devastated, but at the same time I knew it will get to this point, because most of the commercial banks in Nigeria have very fat accounts of government agencies and ministries that runs into billions of naira.

“Some of these funds are not withdrawn for six months or even more

and banks trade with them and make profits. So once you shut that angle of business certainly the banks will bleed, so if, other people did not expect sacks, then they must be day dreaming.”

How CBN reinforced need for TSA It would be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had in November 2013 called for an urgent implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in order to properly manage the country’s revenue.

The CBN stated this in a communiqué at the end of its 235th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting where it noted that “a TSA is an essential tool for consolidating and managing governments’ cash resources. In countries with fragmented government banking arrangement, the establishment of a TSA receives priority in the public financial management reform agenda.”

The CBN lamented that the “erosion of the fiscal buffers through the depletion of the Excess Crude Account (ECA) has further exposed the economy to vulnerabilities while the fall in oil revenue has left capital inflows as the only source of external reserves accretion.”

It also expressed concern that the federal government’s debt had also risen phenomenally along with its deposits at the deposit money banks.

This, it said, showed the federal government as a net creditor to the system. “This underscores the urgent need for the immediate implementation of the Treasury Single Account. The continued delay in returning government accounts to the Central Bank is adding to the huge cost of government debt due to poor cash flow management,” the MPC statement added.

Recently, the Office of the Accountant –General of the Federation (OAGF) directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government yet to comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) regime domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to embrace the policy not later than 28th February, 2015.

By implication, the MDAs were directed to close all the revenue accounts they maintain in different banks in the country and transfer the proceeds to the TSA. This was however reinforced by President Buhari’s directive that all MDAs should key into the TSA arrangement on or before September 15th.

But what really, if anything, does the TSA aims to achieve?

According to the directive, this measure is specifically to promote transparency and facilitate compliance with sections 80 and 162 of the 1999

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 Constitution.

In a statement issued by Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President oný Media and Publicity, all receipts due to the federal government or any of its agencies must be paid into TSA or designated accounts maintained and operated in the CBN, except otherwise expressly approved.

The presidential directive, in the view of analysts, would end the previous public accounting situation of several fragmented accounts for government revenues, incomes and receipts, which in the recent past has meant the loss or leakages of legitimate income meant for the federation account.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier promised state governors at the inaugural meeting of the National Economic Council, NEC, in June, that all revenues prescribed for lodgement into the federation account will be treated as such under his watch and that he will ensure strict compliance with all relevant laws on accounting, allocation and disbursement.

Since then the presidency has worked with relevant agencies of the federal government to evolve this policy directive.

This directive applies to fully funded organs of government like the Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Foreign Missions, as well as the partially funded ones, like teaching hospitals, medical centres, federal tertiary institutions, etc.

Agencies like the Central Bank of Nigeria, Securities and Exchange Commission, Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigeria Communications Commission, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Nigeria Shippers Council, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development, Department of Petroleum Resources are also affected.

For any agency that is fully or partially selffunding, sub-accounts linked to TSA are to be maintained at CBN and the accounting system will be configured to allow them access to funds based on their approved budgetary provisions.

Is the TSA to blame for the parlous state of the economy?

Opinions are still divided as to whether the introduction of the TSA by the government may have led to a chain of reactions as it is being witnessed in key economic sectors In an opinion article titled: ‘Fears about Treasury Single Account’ and published in The Nation, Nwachukwu Ugo acknowledged that the implementation of the TSA by the current administration has generated a lot of worries and anxiety, including the spectre of job losses and squeezing of the credit markets as some of the worries anticipated by this implementation.

While noting that the downside of the TSA is its effects on the financial sector, Ugo however recalled that: “The former CBN governor, now Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II once complained bitterly of a situation in which banks receive government funds at zero percent and lend same to government at 14%, an obvious moral hazard which leads to higher liquidity, higher inflation and interest rate, with negative effects for the economy. The TSA solves the first part of that complaint.”

Expatiating, he said: “The worry about liquidity freeze by banks is overblown and might be withdrawal symptoms of free money. Total bank assets are estimated at N14 trillion with government funds at 10-15 % of that and a credit reserve ratio of 31 percent. The banks thus have N9.6 trillion to lend. If an estimated N2 trillion is transferred to TSA , usable assets not total N7.6 trillion, the gap is an obvious cause of liquidity crunch and difficulties, yet if the CBN reduces the reserve ratio to 10% from 31 percent, an extra N2 trillion is made available for lending, negating the effects of the TSA. Thus worries of job losses, profit evaporation are overblown and can be solved at the next Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.”

“But if such anxiety emanates from the absence of free money, then we need to return our banks to real banking, not the feeding bottle rent system currently being operated. Such profiteering is dangerous to our growth. Nigerian banks claim to be the best on the continent, have received numerous awards and some rank among the top 1000 banks globally. Yet our bankers are worried by the absence of free government funds, which makes them look suspect and overhyped.

“If the banks are complaining of liquidity crunch and a high probability of job losses, is there any need to continue selling treasury bills, which are said to be for excess liquidity management, unless of course the CBN is susceptible to the banks and benefits from the corruption and evils such policies create?”

BUSINESS

53

Fashola, Dozie, others suggest framework for effective CSR

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ONCERTED efforts are required on the part of all stakeholders to make corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives more relevant, effective as well as efficient.

These were the conclusion reached by a cross-section of experts at a public forum in Lagos with the theme: ‘The Role of CSR in Nigeria’s Sustainable Development.’

The event was part of activities to com-

Stories by Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf memorate the 10th anniversary of the MTN Foundation (MTNF).

MTN Foundation is the Corporate Social Investment (CSI) arm of MTN Nigeria a company established in 2001.

Former governor of Lagos state, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who delivered the keynote

President, Forever Living Products International, Mr. Gregg Maughan (3rd right) with Forever Director of Operations, Africa, Mr. Jackson Adagala, (2nd right) dancing to the traditional welcoming parade of the Alajota dance troupe at the event.

How Nigerians transformed Forever Living Products–Maughan

F

OREVER Nigeria is scored high in the books of Forever Living Products International Inc. It is expected to strengthen its performance taking advantage of the Forever brand that is accepted around the world.

Considering the untapped market in the country, Nigeria has the potential to lead the world in Forever marketing and distribution.

Speaking at the prestigious Yard 158, Ikeja, President, Forever Living Products International Inc., Mr. Gregg Maughan, while participating at the fun-filled event, said Forever Business Owners who market Forever products must believe in themselves, utilise the opportunities provided by Forever to improve their health and livelihood.

Also speaking at the event, Forever Director of Operations, Africa, Mr. Jackson Adagala, asked those involved in the business to avoid stereotype and embrace innovation.

“You can transform the way you do your business. Forever is already a brand name accepted around the world, therefore, to succeed you need to create your own personal brand within the Forever brand. You must think beyond yourself and think about the society. That way your business will become distinct and you will prosper beyond your own imagination,” he said.

Speaking to newsmen at the event, Gregg Maughan, said the multi-level marketing company has changed the lives of many who come into the business. That, he said, must explain the reason hundreds of young people and professionals are joining the Forever business on a daily basis. “When you market our aloe-vera based drinks, nutritional supplements, personal care products, you can never go wrong,

because aside benefiting from the healthy habits that is specially packaged to educate you, you make so much money you would never have thought possible in your life”, Gregg Maughan said, adding, “Coming once again to Nigeria, and being part of this event, I feel exceptionally amazed. I’m still trying to listen to what is happening because of the noise, but the excitement is incredible.”

The two visiting executives urged Nigerians to embrace the Forever business that is being offered, adding that nobody could stop them from making the money that was in abundance in the business.

Speaking earlier, Forever Nigeria, Country Sales Manager, Mr. Olusegun IsraelAdegboye, said the company is doing new things and committed to doing its part in reducing the high level of unemployment in the country by encouraging young people and unpaid employees to come forward and benefit from the opportunity that Forever provides.

“Forever provides the opportunity to have a sustainable stream of income which can last a lifetime. There are many people who have been empowered financially while improving their health through Forever. The Forever networking business model is simply based on getting a small bonus when you introduce our products to others and encourage them to buy our products. The more people buy products from you, even though a third party, the more bonuses you get. We have now upped our game by making it easier for our business owners with very busy lifestyles, like housewives, to run their Forever business with great profit,” he said.

•From left: Group Head Energy, First Empire Group, Dimeji Oganla and Mr. Alberto Fatuzzo at a press conference in Lagos.

address, observed that while the ideal and idea of CSR has gained acceptance globally, there is still a lot of misconception about what CSR really is.

While commending the MTN Foundation on its commitment to impacting the lives of Nigerians some of whom hitherto were living without hope, Fashola called on other multinationals to intensify their CSR programmes in Nigeria.

“While in office as the Governor of Lagos, I witnessed MTNF’s special interest and active involvement in tackling issues around health, education, security and economic empowerment. The Foundation equipped laboratories for vocational and technical training; it intervened in collaborating with the state to provide Haemodialysis machines in our general hospital in Igando, Alimosho. Our general hospital in Gbagada now has 24 dialysis machines.

In the area of security, the Foundation has been very supportive,” Fashola said.

Former Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communication Commission, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, in his remarks, said that the MTN’s decision to separate its CSI in MTNF is an affirmation of its genuine desire to touch the lives of Nigerians. MTN since 2005 has dedicated 1% of its profit after tax to the MTN Foundation’s activities.

“Creating a separate entity like MTN Foundation to simply cater for CSI is unique. Engaging a Private-Public-Partnership model simply shows the interest of the Foundation in adding value to the society and such genuine considerations must be commended. While some corporate organisations are yet to understand the core of CSI, it is interesting to note that the MTN Foundation has been consistent in strategically implementing credible projects that are sustainable,” Ndukwe said.

In setting up the MTN Foundation, Dr. Pascal Dozie, a Director with Foundation said “we agreed that we will engage people who had a molecule of virtues, who understood the principles of good governance and what it takes to be responsible.”

In the past ten years, MTNF has spent over N13 billion on 344 projects across the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Firm hosts ‘Value Creation Day’ in Nigeria, Ghana

S

IDEL, the leading global provider of complete PET packaging lines and solutions for liquids, is set to hold a oneday event for its existing and potential customers in Nigeria and Ghana to discuss local trends in the beverage packaging industry, developments and opportunities for growth.

The event will be held on the 29th of September at the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos.

Both Nigeria and Ghana in recent years have proven to be fast-growing markets in the beverage industry. Nigeria’s market today is at 27.2 billion liters with water leading future volume increase, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.1 per cent, and an expected annual growth rate of the beverage industry of 10.8 per cent by 2019. On the other hand, Ghana’s market stands at 675 million liters with CSD and bottled water leading future volume increase.

“With the packaging industry gaining momentum in Nigeria and other neighboring countries, Sub-Saharan market has grown to become a very competitive market place with a strong consumer demand on value-added beverage products. With Nigeria being one of Africa’s most important economies with a huge population that is growing at a tremendous rate, innovation and technology are key to gaining that competitive edge,” said Dominique Martin, Regional Commerical Director for Africa at Sidel.

The Value Creation Day will serve as an opportunity for Sidel to meet and network with approximately 100 of its biggest customers in Nigeria and Ghana about the new technologies and services that the company is offering. Sidel will have different speakers to open discussions on the market trends and the new solutions to help producers adapt to the shifting market.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

BUSINESS

‘Nigeria’s potential remains untapped’ Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, a career diplomat of over three decades experience has served in various missions abroad including Kenya, Republic of Seychelles, Australia New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf he shares reminiscences of his career thus far.

T

O say that Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni has seen it all is clearly an understatement. The career diplomat of over three decades experience has traversed different continents across the globe and thankful for the many choices life bestowed on him.

His career portraiture is as rich as it is varied. He once served as Deputy Permanent Representative/Ag Permanent Representative of Nigeria to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) & United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN HABITAT) and later, Deputy Head of Mission/Acting High Commissioner to Kenya and Republic of Seychelles.

He was also the spokesperson of the Nigerian Foreign Ministry between March 2007 and January 2010, and he moved to Vienna-Austria as Minister/Charge D’Affaires. He was promoted to Ambassador in 2011 and then deployed as Nigeria’s Ambassador in Canberra, Australia, with concurrent accreditation to New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

From being a spokesperson, he proceeded to Vienna, Austria as Minister/ Charge D’affairs.

In 2011, an ambassador, he was deployed to Canberra, Australia. It was in Australia he attained the age of 60, and therefore retired from service.

Going back memory lane, the Ileshaborn diplomat shared wonderful memories of growing up through adult life and then active service both at home and foreign missions abroad.

“Diplomacy is the best of the services; it is the best job. You cannot be rich as a diplomat but you are educated and cosmopolitan,” he said with obvious pride.

But he was however quick to admit that providence had a hand in his career choice.

“My father had a role to play in my career choice,” he began.

As he prepared to go for tertiary education, his father, he recalled, wanted him to be a doctor, but Olukanni wanted to be pilot.

He went on to study political science in Ife from 1975-1979, where due to his love for the arts, he became editor of the campus gossip magazine: The Cobra.

He was also a part of a drama group on campus.

While in school he chose to be on the political left as the university he attended was vibrant with radical ideas. According to him, it was a glorious period of education in Nigeria where companies and government conducted and completed recruitment exercises right in the campuses.

He applied to be External Affairs Officer through the Federal Civil Service Commission and was later posted to serve in Radio Plateau where he got a chance to produce his own programme –Corpers’ Corner.

After NYSC, he returned to Lagos, became a stringer for the NTA while he tried to get a job with broadcasting houses, but because they only wanted newscasters, while he wanted to produce his own programmes, he continued stringing.

“God has a way of

handling our affairs as people since we are in his hands. So I was on my way for rehearsals at NTA for For Better, for Worse soap, and decided to collect my letter on the way at Republic Building, Marina in Lagos.

On July 29, 1980 I signed for my letter and took up a new career.”

He however loved acting so much he continued to act on TV even after he was admitted into diplomacy, until a senior Ambassador chided him over his continued appearance on TV as an actor.

His first stint as a diplomat led him to Brussels, Belgium in 1982 as attaché.

Upon his return in 1983, he went on to the University of Lagos to do a Postgraduate Diploma in International law. After that he went on to the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN from 1986-1989 which is a very rare privilege for any diplomat. He worked on several committees including CEDAW, anti-Apartheid committee, among others.

His period at the UN, he recollected was as one of the best ever because he was being polished like a precious rough stone through exposure to all issues including gender and development, human rights, disarmament, international law, and others.

That same period was when issues on the environment began to take centre stage, and he became interested so much that when he returned to Nigeria in 1989, he went back to Unilag to do a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy with focus on International Environmental Law. Returning to the classroom after New York was like examining what he had done at the UN. While in New York, he was part of the committee that started the preparation for Rio Summit.

•Olukanni

“I was sent to Israel after my Masters – very exciting. Then Ambassador Olisa Emeka was Foreign Minister. These were people who brought us up and taught us this job. As Councillor (Political, Culture and Information) I had to also follow up the Oslo Peace Accord to try and resolve the ageold Israeli-Palestinian crisis, and the Middle-East peace process, after the Gulf war of 1991,” he recalled.

He also had stint at the bilateral air services desk, and later became the Pilgrims Liaison Officer for Christians Pilgrims from Nigeria, but he believes that state should not be so closely involved in religion, arguing that it is a personal issue and funds expended on religious activities by the government would be better channelled towards development.

“The equipment some of these companies use are not correct equipments. We had an incident where someone got a contract to airlift pilgrims in a Boeing 747, it came into Israel, and it could not continue. The Israeli authorities would not let it fly back because they called it a flying coffin. They said, ‘How can you put your people in this?’

“One time I went to the authorities to get landing permit for an aircraft bringing Nigerian pilgrims, they looked at the papers and saw the insurance papers were not okay, the insurance would expire shortly after it lands. They said, ‘How can you fly your people this way?’ I told them that by God’s grace, nothing would happen. Then, they replied, “Look, listen; don’t forget we started the business of God. These are the rules, and you must keep it.”

By far, Olukanni says one of the memories which linger in his mind is Nigeria’s participation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) held in Perth, Australia, in November 2011.

“During the Commonwealth

Photo: MUYIWA HASSAN

Business Forum which is a very important part of the CHOGHOM, the Nigerian delegation was the largest and we made our presence felt and the Australians were very happy with it and they responded in terms of the number of visits and collaboration at all levels.”

On what felt like representing the country in the global stage, he said, it was a rare privilege.

Nigeria, he said, remains the darling of the world.

As a matter of fact, he says Nigerians wherever they are continue to make their impacts felt.

“You have Nigerians all the world doing great exploits. You find medical doctors, nurses, lawyers etc. I can give example in New South Wales of directors in the office of the auditor general. Nigerian medical doctors are all over the place and ironically, and they are very key and very important. A lot of them are holding their own structures, especially the ones in the rural areas because if you come into Australia as a skilled medical practitioner, the first place they will send you to is the rural area. This is because generally their people don’t want to go to rural areas. In the rural areas, Nigerians are the ones holding most of these places.”

Pressed further, he shared fresh anecdotes. “Let me give the example of my experience. At a reception, I came across some people, Australians who run chains of medical clinics and wanted to offer medical care and they got to know that I am the Nigerian High Commissioner.

They introduced themselves and said that they have about 10 Nigerian doctors in their establishment, and they said: can you please help us because we want more Nigerian doctors? And I asked, why do you want more Nigerian doctors? And they responded saying, because the Nigerian doctors have the best bedside manners. I am very proud that my nationals have been described in those glowing terms. There are about 10,000 Nigerians in Australia, but some of them have also become Australians.

“I’m talking about the community generally, and ironically, they not only come from Nigeria. The Nigerian professionals, engineers and others come from different parts of the world and I’m also happy to say that they are also holding their own as far as the mining industry is concerned, helping to maintain those sophisticated equipments. There are mining engineers and also some who are in the field of investments.”

Though he says he deigns to admit that Nigeria remains a giant in clay feet but for a man who is buoyed by a patriotic fervor, he is very optimistic that with focused determination Nigeria can indeed rise from its ashes to reclaim its place in the comity of nation.

“The country has such huge potential. All that is required is for us all to have a unity of purpose and together we can make the country great again. We have the resources, whether human and material. The Nigerian spirit is resilient, bold and courageous. With focus determination on our part, it is just a matter of time before we take our rightful place in the comity of nation.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

55

56

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

INTERVIEW

Fayose, monarch, Commit your govt to God, others hail cleric Adeboye tells Buhari E

P

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to hand over his government to God to guarantee good success.

The general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, stated this last Sunday at the Special monthly prayer and thanksgiving service for first born at the RCCG, National Headquarters, Throne of Grace, Ebute-Metta, Lagos.

The theme of the prophetic service was destined to excel.

Adeboye said as the first citizen, Buhari must commit his administration to the fear of God. He argued that first children are always subjected to attacks by the enemies because if they get things right, others will follow suit.

The cleric pointed out that the devil is always after the destiny of first children except they know how to beat him to his devices.

Adeboye, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Personnel and

•Adeboye

By Adeola Ogunlade Administration, Pastor Johnson Odesola, lauded the efforts of the new administration, especially

in improved power supply and the fight against corruption.

Buhari's administration, he pointed out, has started

on the right path and deserves the support of all and sundry.

He took a swipe at those criticising the administration's slow pace, saying "it will be better to go slow to move Nigeria forward than rush into doing things shabbily because of pressure and criticism."

Appealing for patience, he said: "100 days in office is not enough to judge the performance of the new administration.

"Nigerians gave him four years mandate to deliver on his lofty promise of change.

Let us wait and be patience as better days will come."

Asked to respond to criticisms that Buhari's cabinet was taking too long to come on board, Adeboye argued if the President will have to take more time to get the right people, he should be given that latitude.

He urged other elected public officials to follow the suit of Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in declaring their assets publicly.

Martins applauds Buhari on anti-corruption

T

By Sunday Oguntola language of the present administration shows its determination to tackle graft, saying Nigerians must commend such posture.

According to him: "Corruption is the bane of the society and must be tackled fearlessly. The standard has fallen so low."

He however said the anticorruption battle must be fought legally through due process.

Martin explained: "It must be fought within the ambit of

the law because we have good laws, applying the laws seems to have been the problem."

He pointed out President Buhari needs the wisdom of God to pull through the fight.

Martins, who was also honoured by the Knights of St John, Lagos Grand and the Ladies Auxiliary, initiators of the Alfred Adewale Martins Catholic Faith Competition, on his 32nd anniversary as a priest, said the nation needs family-based moral rejuvenation.

He commended the organisers for initiative,

Gospel music award in Lagos

T

HE 23rd edition of Nigeria gospel artists' music award is scheduled for October 3rd at the TBS Banquet hall, CMS Lagos.

The ceremony

T

HE annual music concert of St Gabriel Ikeja province of The Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim & Seraphim (Citadel of Blessings holds on October 16.

The theme of the concert tagged audacious

organised by Dee- Africa Entertainment Ltd, an entertainment and media company, is geared towards celebrating gospel music artistes who have greatly excelled in the

industry.

The chief host is Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State while Atunyota Alleluya Akporobomerere (Ali Baba) will chair the occasion.

especially when he noted that many Catholics have been led away from the faith by people who quotes the bible often times wrongly.

The Grand President of the Knight of St John, Patrick Igwilo, said the competition was aimed at inculcating teachings into Catholic members through questions drawn from the bible.

He enjoined parishes in the Archdiocese to key into the new initiative so that the current efforts of the Archbishop on the project will bear fruits in families.

Other prominent pastors, respected clerics as well as movers and shakers of the gospel music industry have confirmed their attendance, according to a statement by the Chairman of Dee-Africa Entertainment, Samuel Israel.

ESCOS in audacious praise praise, which takes place at Shepherd Hill field, Obanikoro Lagos, is a foretaste of God's Shekinah Glory.

Ministers expected include ESOCS band from Warri, Onitsha and Lagos, Nathaniel Bassey and Prince Gozie Okeke,

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado Ekiti

graced the occasion include the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe represented by the Odole of Ado Ekiti, Chief Bayo Ogunmodimu; Wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Janet Olusola; Deputy Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University, Prof. Ibiyinka Ogunlade; General Secretary of the state chapter of the PFN, Reverend Tunde Afe and other Christian ministers.

Oba Adejugbe described Salami as a man of substance whose impact has been felt within and outside Ekiti State.

The guest minister, Reverend Sunday Akingbelure, told the congregation that he had known the author since 1982 when they met at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. He described the author as a diligent man of God who has served in the vineyard of God with enthusiasm urging the younger generation to look up to him as a role model.

Akingbelure urged the congregation to avail themselves of the opportunity offered by the books to develop themselves spiritually.

Otubu donates church building

NEWS

HE Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, has given a thumb-up to President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to fighting corruption.

He said most of the problems bedeviling the nation were traceable to corrupt practices.

Martins spoke last week at the unveiling of the Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins Catholic Faith Family Competition at St Leo's Catholic Church, Lagos.

He said the body

NCOMIUMS were showered on the Senior Pastor of Chapel of His Glory, Ado Ekiti, Rev. (Dr) Kunle Salami, during the launch of his three books recently.

The books were titled How to become wiser; Effective Leadership and How to manifest greatness.

Salami, a former Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Ekiti State, had published ten titled before.

Governor Ayo Fayose described Salami as a "man of integrity, humility and a mentor in all ramifications."

The governor who was represented by the Government House Chaplain, who also doubles as Special Adviser on Religious Matters, Pastor Seyi Olusola, also described Salami as "an exceptional minister of the New Testament."

According to him: "Reverend Salami is always available anytime we need his assistance and we pray to God to continue to strengthen him , empower him and energize him, influence him and organize him."

Other dignitaries who

according to a statement from the provincial chairman of Ikeja, Superintendent Senior Charles Omozane.

N ultra-modern multi-million sanctuary has been donated to the Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide (MCCSW) by its General Evangelist, His Eminence Prof (Elder) Joseph Otubu.

The church is located at Coker-Aguda LCDA by A p a p a - O s h o d i Expressway, Surulere Lagos.

The Baba Aladura of the church, His Most Eminence, Elder Dr Israel Akinadewo, promptly named the new branch, Saint Mene Otubu

A

By Sunday Oguntola

Parish.

He said it was named in honour of the late father of the donor, who contributed greatly to the advancement of the Christian faith within and outside the nation.

Akinadewo praised Otubu for having the mind to build for God, saying the feat will not be taken for granted by God and the church.

The inauguration of the church, according to him, will take place at a soon-tobe decided date.

BSN ends marathon reading

T

HE Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has ended this year's Bible Reading Week.

Its General Secretary Rev Richard Ajiboye kicked off the event at the All Saints Anglican Church Oshodi, Lagos.

He said the event held in 42 centres in the state.

The participating churches were Methodist Church Nigeria, The Apostolic Church and Anglican Communion, among others.

He inaugurated the event by reading Genesis chapter 1.

He urged Christians not to treat the Bible not just as an ordinary book but as the living

By Joseph Eshanokpe

word of God. Speaking on the theme drawn from Joshua 1: 8, Ajiboye said those who read the Bible should endeavour to meditate on it and practise it.

Noting that Nigerians are highly religious, he said the problem was that those who read the Bible do not practise it.

"If they do,'' he added, ''Nigeria will be transformed.''

The BSN helmsman said the practice of group Bible reading was not new, noting that Jesus Christ did it the first day he entered the temple.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

WORSHIP

Lagosians defy rain for Deeper Life's crusade

W

ERE William Shakespeare to comment on the Lagos City-wide Crusade last Thursday at Ikeja Grammar School, Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos, he probably would have reiterated: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their lives is bound in shallows and in miseries."

That situation played out at the crusade, organised by Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) in conjunction with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

Participants walked through the pool of flood and mud, just to have an encounter with the God of wonders They stood in the rain, holding on tenaciously to their conviction of maximising the opportunity of the crusade.

Some of them said the rain was divinely engineered to pour extraordinary blessings upon them.

Their resolve might have been bolstered by the choir rendition entitled "Shout, for the victory has been won".

Over one thousand participants trooped out to surrender their lives to Christ during the altar call. They dared the flood; making the day, as Pastor Kumuyi said, "a remarkable day, a day of reference and day they will never forget."

At the Shomolu crusade within the precincts of the Yaba College of Technology, the participants, who included Uduak Inyang-Udoh, director of Academic Planning Unit (APU) and Sola Akeredolu, chairman of Joint Christian Management Committee, both of Yabatech, could not hide their excitement of being present at the programme.

Inyang-Udoh, who represented Mrs. Margaret k Ladipo, the Rector of the institution, noted that he had concluded not to miss out, saying: "Personally, I am excited because I see this opportunity as a lifetime opportunity."

Kumuyi, in his message at Yabtech, titled "Decision that activates supernatural power," hinged the predicament of majority of people on their preference to dwell in the valley of indecision, calling on them to escape from God's wrath through repentance of sins.

While noting that taking a decision should be a personal, practical and purposeful issue, the cleric said: "A man of no decision is a man of no value, no stamina.

"Decision makes or mars a man. It is the decision that makes the man; it is indecision that breaks the man."

In Agege, which witnessed unquantifiable testimonies, Pastor Kumuyi, in his message titled, "The supernatural beginning of a better future," charged Nigerians to shun night clubbing, cultism and other social vices as these could be destructive to their lives.

According to him: "That place where you engage in cultic practices, drunkenness, sucking of blood, adultery, robbing and others is not a place of rest because they will destroy you.

"You must not remain in sin. Awake and put on a new strength. Rise up from that evil and come to the saviour and something good will come to your life The Lagos City-wide crusade, which has spanned three weeks, will be rounded off today at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

A section of worshippers at Ikeja Grammar School ,Bolade Oshodi... last week

Students win big in MFM essay contest

W

INNERS have emerged in the third annual essay competition for the Junior and Senior Secondary School Students of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) in the North-central.

The organised under the auspices of Pastor Lawrence Olasehinde Youths Development Foundation (PLOYDEF), a foundation instituted to appreciate selfless foundational work in fostering character molding.

15 centres in MFM regional branches and a total of 317 students participated in the competition.

For the junior category, the topic was “Discuss how friends can influence your future life” while the senior students wrote on “Discuss the roles of parents in character development of children”.

Akio Godpower from the School for the gifted, Gwagwalada, Abuja was winner at the senior category while Umukoro Oghenetega of Gapville School was second.

Nwambe Joshua and Osidipe Deborah tied in the 3rd position.

Bright Divine of Redeemer Secondary School was first at the secondary

category.

Tamunokuro Triumph was second while Onyenwe Progress and Jegede Mosinmiloluwa tied in the third position.

A cash prize of N30, 000, laptop and a plaque were given to the overall winners at both categories while Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, a plaque and a cash prize of N20, 000 went to runners up.

A 3D DVD, a plaque and cash prize of N10, 000 were awarded to the third place winners while consolation prizes were given to those whose essays met examiners’ standard.

57

COLUMN

Living Faith

By Dr. David Oyedepo

Experiencing Heaven's Order of Financial Fortune! (2)

I

N last week's teaching, we discovered that heaven is the citadel of wealth and every believer is seated with Jesus Christ in heavenly places. That means every redeemed child of God is ordained to live a superwealthy life. However, it is important to know that the law of love is what launches us into that realm as we saw in the life of Solomon and Abraham. This week, we shall explore how we can express our love for God in order to access heaven's order of financial fortune.

First, it is important for us to know that God's love is not theoretical, it is practical.

Therefore, how do we proof of our love for God. • If we love God, we will serve Him: If we love God, serving His interests and that of His Kingdom will be a delight. God speaking to satan concerning Job said: Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8) It is important to note that 'the fear of God' in scriptures also means to serve God. Job was referred to as one who served God and he also loved God. His love for God was as strong as death. No wonder he said: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him (Job 13:15; see also Song of Solomon 8:6).

Love is a motivation for service. It is impossible to love God and not serve Him. David, a man after God's own heart, served the interests of the Kingdom all through his life. Before Solomon, he was the wealthiest king and he had unusual affection for God which he demonstrated by serving His interests. The Bible says: For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption (Acts 13:36).

When we serve God, we are "engraced" to spend our days in prosperity and our years in pleasures. As it is

written: If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures (Job 36:11).

Thus, serving God empowers us to live a pressure-free life.

• If we love God, we will obey Him: We must recognise that every act of obedience is an investment into posterity, which leads to supernatural blessings upon our generations yet unborn.

It is written: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever (Psalms 112:1-3). There are things we do that only bring us rewards in the now. However, there are other things we do that guarantee returns long after we are gone.

Serving God today is an investment into posterity, after the order of Abraham. He secured the destiny of Israel through his love for God, which was evident in his obedience to every instruction from Him. God said to Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:16-18).

For instance, 41 per cent of all Nobel Laureate winners since inception in 1901 are Jews. It simply means that the Jewish nation, which is 0.2 per cent of the world population, has the largest share. Out of 44 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, 26 are Jews.

By redemption, every child of God is a bona fide spiritual seed of Abraham, who has loaded treasures into our destinies by loving and serving God. That means we are global citizens.

Thus, if the natural seed is making such impact, imagine the impact that we, the spiritual seeds, will make. Therefore, we are not wasting our time by loving and obeying God, but investing into posterity and securing it (Galatians 3:29).

Furthermore, we discover from scripture that soul-winning is one of God's commandments that guarantee generational blessings. As it is written: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your

fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you (John 15:16).

It is also written: And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).

When we obey the commandment of soul-winning with delight and joy, we secure generational blessings on our lives. Therefore, soul-winning does not only procure blessings in the now but also secures results for posterity. We must understand that a covenant to serve God and the interests of His Kingdom is key to flowing in financial fortune. As it is written: Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.

For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory (Psalms 102:1315).

In conclusion, God will be visiting the earth with heaven's order of wealth before Christ returns. Moreover, the end-time Church is ordained a ruling and super wealthy Church, and God's plan for the saints is to manifest in financial fortune after the order of heaven. We must note that the church is not a building but a people and it is God's will for His people on the earth to flow in financial fortune that will humble the pride of the world.

Friend, loving God with passion is the trade secret for accessing that heaven's order of financial fortune. Therefore, I decree that your love for God and the affairs of His Kingdom be rekindled today in Jesus' name! Remain ever blessed!

Are you born again? Is Jesus Christ your Saviour and Lord? If not, you can become redeemed now as you say this prayer: "Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the Living God. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!" For further reading, please get my books: Breaking Financial Hardship, Understanding Financial Prosperity, Financial Prosperity, Covenant Wealth and The Hidden Covenant of Blessings.

I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners.

We have five services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. respectively.

I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

NEWS

Be patient, cleric pleads with Nigerians

T ••Rev (Dr) Stephen Bolarinwa and his wife Temitope (middle); Deacon Vincent Johnson, his wife, Grace (from left), Mrs. Grace Oboh, Deacon Adelani Akinola; Pastor Toye Afolabi; his wife, Eunice; Deaconess Elizabeth Adetiba with Deaconess Adeduntan Adegoke at the presentation of the book, Supreme Blood for Supreme Sacrifice by Bolarinwa, the under shepherd of The New Covenant Baptist Church, Ojokoro Lagos, at the church auditorium… recently

HE founder and General Overseer of Christ Family International Christian Centre, Pastor Solomon Oziegbe, has urged Nigerians to exercise patience with President Muhammadu Buhari.

He assured he will deliver because he was sent by God to bring positive changes to the nation.

Oziegbe gave this charge at a parley with newsmen in his church at Promise Land, Chemlap Avenue, Beside Nipco Filling Station, Meiran,

Ojokoro, Lagos.

Fielding questions from journalists on his forthcoming crusade all- night miracle with the prophet with the theme: The captivity is over, scheduled for Friday, the cleric said: "Nigerians will see shocking and accelerated developmental strides within the next few months which already is manifesting in his 100 days in office, even though, it is too short a time to access the performance of an administration."

He also decried the rising level of partisan politics by a section of Christian leaders, saying this had led to spiritual and political

polarisation of the country.

"The ugly situation should not be so. Religious bodies in Nigeria and beyond suppose to speak with one voice irrespective of their different denomination."

• Oziegbe

58

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

NEWS

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE CHANGE OF OF NAME NAME

AKANDE Formerly addressed as Miss Adebisi Abimbola Akande, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Adebisi Abimbola Akande-Jimo.

Former documents remain valid.General public take note.

ABIJO Formerly addressed as Mrs. Aminat Abiola Omirinde, now wish to be addressed as Miss Abijo, Abiola Aminat. Former documents remain valid.General public take note.

UDEH Formerly addressed as Miss Udeh, Ukamaka Ogechukwu, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ezuzobi, Ukamaka Ogechukwu. Former documents remain valid.General public take note.

AKINRINADE Formerly addressed as Akinrinade Olufunmilayo Ruth, now wish to be addressed as Adeosun, Olufunmilayo Ruth. Former documents remain valid.General public take note.

ILORI Formerly addressed as Miss Ilori, Oyindamola Omolara, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Sulaiman, Oyindamola Omolara. Former documents remain valid. Ogun State Teaching Service Commission and general public take note.

EBA Formerly addressed as Miss Eba, Margaret Omari, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Margaret Chris Ishiekwene. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ISHIALI Formerly addressed as Miss Ishiali, Chinwe Agatha, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ogba, Chinwe Agatha.

Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ALESHIMLOYE Formerly addressed as Miss Aleshinloye, Kikelomo Temitope, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Orenuga, Kikelomo Temitope.

Former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Adeshola Daniels Fatuberu is the same person as Enitan Aduraleke Adeshola Daniels St. Joseph.

Former documents bearing the above names remain valid. General public take note.

OGUNJOBI Formerly addressed as Ogunjobi Joseph Oluwafemi, now wish to be addressed as Olorunfemi Joseph Oluwafemi. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME AbdulslamAbdulafise O, OjolowoAbdulafeez is the same person as Ojolowo Olatunji Abdulafeez. Former documents bearing the above name remain valid. General public take note.

ASAMA Formerly addressed as Mrs. Ajeduyen Asama, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ogwozu, Ajedoye Ruth Isegba. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OMOTOSO Formerly addressed as Miss Omotoso, Omolara Grace, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Olaogun, Omolara Grace. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

IGWEMADU Formerly addressed as Miss Igwemadu Chinenye Ogochuckwu, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Uba, Chinenye Ogochuckwu.

Former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OGIDANA Formerly addressed as Miss Ogidana, Folake Helen, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Onayinka, Afolake Helen. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

IGINI Formerly addressed as Miss Igini, Eseoghene Grace, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Mgbataogu, Eseoghene Grace.

Former documents remain valid. Delta State University and general public take note.

SANUSI Formerly addressed as Miss Sanusi, Adijat Oluwatosin, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Awaye, Adijat Oluwatosin. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OBI Formerly addressed as Miss Ndidiamaka Naomy OBI, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ndidiamaka Naomy MBAH. Former documents remain valid. Heritage Bank and general public take note.

ANOCHILI Formerly addressed as Miss Faith Feniffer Chineye Anochili, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Faith Chineye Ishang. Former documents remain valid.General public take note.

AMARACHUKWU Formerly addressed as Amarachukwu Ernest Onwuahadike, now wish to be addressed as Amarachukwu Ernest Sunday. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ALAJO Formerly addressed as ALAJO FOLAKE ADEYINKA, now wish to be addressed as ADEGUN FOLAKE ADEYINKA. Former documents remain valid.General public take note.

EKELEONU Formerly addressed as Mr. EkeleonuEmenikeKingsley, now wish to be addressed as Mr. Ekeleonu Kingsley Lucky. ormer documents remain valid.

Government of Abia State of Nigeria Hospital Management board (HMS) and the general public should please take note.

ONYEUKWU Formerly addressed as Miss Onyeukwu, Chidinma Angela, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Eze, ChidinmaAngela. Former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should please take note.

EMERUEM Formerly addressed as Miss Emeruem, Adaku Ijeoma, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ohazuruike, Adaku Ijeoma. Former documents remain valid. Imo State Polytechnic and general public should please take note.

EKE Formerly addressed as Miss Eke OnyeforoEzinne, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Nnaji Ernest Ezinne. Former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ELEKWANYA Formerly addressed as Miss Elekwanya, Blessing Chiamaka, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Chukwuemeka, Blessing Chiamaka.

Former documents remain valid.

NYSC and general public please take note.

OGUNSAKIN Formerly addressed as Miss OGUNSAKIN, ODUNAYO ESTHER , now wish to be known as Mrs. ADEBAYO ODUNAYO ESTHER. Former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

ONYEAZOR Formerly addressed as Miss Onyeazor, Blessing , now wish to be known as Mrs. Ossai, Blessing.

Former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

ONI Formerly addressed as Deborah Blessing Oni now, wish to be addressed as Deborah Blessing Adeyemo. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

SHEKONI Formerly addressed as SHEKONI HALEEMAT MOJISOLA, now, wish to be addressed as SHEKONIADEYEMO HALEEMAT MOJISOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

MONEBI Formerly addressed as Miss Monebi, OmonikeChristianah, now wish to be known as Mrs. Bakare, OmonikeChristianah. Former documents remain valid. University of Ibadan and general public take note.

OYINLADE Formerly addressed as Miss Oyinlade, Christianah, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Christianah Oluwabunmi Alewi. Former documents remain valid. The Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, NYSC and general public please take note.

AJALA Formerly addressed as Ajala, Olufunmilayo Abosede, now wish to be addressed as Omitogun, Olufunmilayo Abosede. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AYODELE Formerly addressed as Ayodele, Ayodeji Funmilayo, now wish to be addressed as Oguntoyinbo, Ayodeji Funmilayo. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AMAKIRI Formerly addressed as Miss Salome Amakiri, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Salome Owufamaka.

Former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OKONKWO Formerly addressed as Miss Okonkwo, Ogochukwu Assumpta, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Elobisi Ogochukwu Assumpta.

Former documents remain valid.

Cutix Plc., Nnewi and general public take note.

CHUKWU Formerly addressed as Miss Ifeyinwa Junis Chukwu, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ifeyinwa Junis Uzochukwu Nnabugwu. Former documents remain valid. Cutix Plc., Nnewi and general public take note.

NZEH Formerly addressed as Nzeh Elizabeth Onyinyechi, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Mose, Elizabeth Onyinyechi. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ABAH Formerly addressed as Miss Abah, Florence Ngozi, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Florence Chukwubuike. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ALATE I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Alate Sherifat Idowu now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Aruna Sherifat Idowu . All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Miss Odiete Linda and Odiete Akpoviroro are the same. Now wish to be known as Mrs. Biosah Akpoviroro. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

SHASORE Formerly addressed as Miss Shasore Kareemat Oluwaseun, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ilori, Kareemat Oluwaseun. Former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

ALADEJUYIGBE Formerly addressed as Miss Aladejuyigbe, Olajumoke Betty, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ayo-Idowu, Olajumoke Betty.

Former documents remain valid.

O.O.U, Ago-Iwoye and general public take note.

ELEOJO Formerly addressed as Miss Mary Eleojo Agada, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Mary Eleojo Haruna. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

DAVID Formerly addressed as DAVID KEHINDE HENRY KENNETH, now wish to be addressed as DAVID HENRY KENNETH. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

FATOBA Formerly addressed as Miss Fatoba, Modupe, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Awosemo, Modupe Mabel.

Former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

IGBO Formerly addressed as Chinwekele Nancy Igbo, now wish to be addressed as Chinwekele Nancy Onyekachi Anunobi. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ADESANMI Formerly addressed as Adesanmi Fadekemi Rosemary, now wish to be addressed as Johnson Fadekemi Rosemary. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ONOJAH Formerly addressed as Mercy Onojah, now wish to be addressed as Mercy Peter. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OGBUOWARA Formerly addressed as Ogbuowara Kenneth, now wish to be addressed as Ifeanyichukwu Obinna Kenneth.

Former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

AFINNI Formerly addressed as Afinni, Tosin Abiodun, now wish to be addressed as Yusuf Tosin Abiodun. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

EZEKIEL Formerly addressed as Miss Ezekiel, Patience Ofuame, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Agbeniyi, Ofuame Patience. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OKECHUKWU Formerly addressed as Umeh Christopher Okechukwu, now wish to be addressed as Omile Christopher Okechukwu. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

GAZALI Formerly addressed as Miss Gazali, Saadat, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Fatai, Saadat. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OLUSANYA

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I Obera Baba John and Obera Baba Sunday refers to same and one person. Now wish to be addressed as Obera Baba John. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OYEBODE Formerly addressed as Miss Oyebode, Suzanah Modupelola, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Adebayo, Suzanah Modupelola.

Former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

MUKAILA Formerly addressed as Miss Mukaila, Jelilat Yetunde, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. OyeniyiMukaila, Jelilat. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AYANGUNA Formerly addressed as Miss Ayanguna, Bola Janet, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Bejide, Bola Janet. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ADELEKE Formerly addressed as Adeleke, Kehinde, now wish to be addressed as Adijatu K. Ayandokun. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

SUNDAY Formerly addressed as Miss Sunday, Aina Faith, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ahmed, Aina Fatimah. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

EBOSE Formerly addressed as Ebose Feyisola Susan, now wish to be addressed as Adebowale, Feyisola Susan. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OLUFIADE Formerly addressed as Miss Shade Sarah Olufiade, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Shade Sarah Saromi. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ABILAWON Formerly addressed as Abilawon Sunday Adegbenjo, now wish to be addressed as Ganiyu-Abilawon, Adegbenjo Oluwasijibomi.

Former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OKOLOH

Formerly addressed as Miss Olusanya, Afolasade Abimbola, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Olodun, Afolasade Abimbola. Former documents remain valid. Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Ondo State Health Management Board and general public take note.

PAUL Formerly addressed as Paul Mary Jane Preye Ifeoma, now wish to be addressed as Ogbe Preye Mary Jane Ifeoma. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AKANBI Formerly addressed as Miss Akanbi, Jolade Mary, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Oladimeji Jolade Mary. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AJAYI Formerly addressed as Miss Ajayi, Christianah Funke, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Asaolu Christianah Funke. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

LINUS Formerly addressed as MISS IFEDAYO REGINA LINUS, now wish to be addressed as MRS. IFEDAYO REGINA OLUSEGUN OMOKHUNU. Former documents remain valid. First Bank, ASEIA NIGERIA and general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I Mr. Eugene Ozuome and Mr. Eugene White refers to same and one person. Now wish to be addressed as Mr. Eugene Ozuome. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to confirm that JACKSON JUDITH NIMI and JACKSON JUDITH refers to one and the same person ,that the name NIMI is omitted in her WAEC May /June 2012 result, and now wish to be known and addressed as JACKSON JUDITH NIMI .All former document remain valid .General public should please take note .

Formerly addressed as Okolo, Lucina Onyezuluoke, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Anukwuoji, Lucina Onyezuluoke. Former documents remain valid. Ministry of Health, Enugu, LGA Service Commission, Enugu, Awgu LGA, Mbanabo South LGDC, Owelli and general public take note.

ONYIA Formerly addressed as Miss Onyia, Chioma Mirian, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Chioma Chibueze Omasu.

Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OBADUEMU Formerly addressed as Miss Obaduemu, Joy, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Joy Chikezie Ononigwe. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ORJI Formerly addressed as Miss Orji Nancy Oroma, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Promise Nancy Oroma. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OYEM Formerly addressed as Miss Juliet Oyem, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Juliet Bunmi. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Annie John Brendan Odiong and Anni Auakanam Odiong refers to same and one person. Former documents bearing the above names remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

DUROJAIYE Formerly addressed as MISS DUROJAIYE TOLULOPE KEMI DEBORAH , now wish to be addressed as MRS. OLAYEMI TOLULOPE DEBORAH. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

NWONAH Formerly addressed as MISS NWONAH, JOY IFEOMA, now wish to be addressed as MRS. OKORO, JOY IJEOMA. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

BABA Formerly addressed as MISS ZAINAB MOHAMMED BABA, now wish to be addressed as MRS. ZAINAB TSAV. Former documents remain valid. Centre For Integrated Programs and general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I Ada Valentina Amauchechukwu Maduabuchi, Adanna Valentina Maduabuchi and Ada Valentina Maduabuchi refers to one and the same person. Now Mrs. Ada Valentina Nnaji.

Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ADVERT: Simply produce your marriage certificate or sworn affidavit for a change of name publication, with just N4,500. The payment can be made through - FIRST BANK of Nigeria Plc. Account number - 2017220392 Account Name VINTAGE PRESS LIMITED Scan the details of your advert and teller to - gbengaodejide @yahoo.com or thenation_advert @yahoo.com.

For enquiry please contact: Gbenga on 08052720421, 08161675390, Email- gbengaodejide@ yahoo.com or our offices nationwide.

Note this! Change of name is now published every Sundays, all materials should reach us two days before publication.

Aregbesola: I remain focused on developing Osun • Bags award of excellence

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SUN State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has declared the many awards and accolades that Osun has received under his watch will continue to be a motivation for him.

He vowed to leave behind a legacy of modern, developed and prosperous state.

Aregbesola, according to a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon, spoke while receiving an award from the Law Society of the University of Lagos at the weekend.

In his speech titled “Strictly for those that can see,” Aregbesola stated that he will be focused and determined at all times.

He said he would not mind detractors to leave behind a far better state than what he inherited.

He pointed out that he is encouraged with the various laurels that had come to the state in recent past recognising the developmental projects his administration has brought to Osun.

Recounting the various developmental projects he initiated, the governor said his administration commenced the building of new state-of-the art 100 elementary schools, 50 middles schools and 20 high schools.

He added that his administration introduced the revolutionary Opon Imo, which contains all the recommended textbooks for all subjects examined by WAEC, NECO and JAMB. Aregbesola noted the present administration has rehabilitated all the hospitals in the state, stocked them with drugs and made the provision of qualitative healthcare free in the state, as part of the human development programme.

According to him: “Before our coming, Osun could be rightly described as backward.

“Development is often measured by the quality of human development in terms of education, health, standard of living of the people and the built environment, among others.”

He pointed out that a total of 21 township roads were constructed and rehabilitated in Osogbo, 13 township roads in Ede and 15 inner township roads constructed and commissioned in Ilesa.

The governor added that 79km of intra-city roads were constructed and rehabilitated in addition to 20 other roads traversing the cities and covering a total of 294.27 km in the different Federal Constituencies among other several kilometres of roads in the state

Pharmacists urge Buhari to reconstitute PCN board HE Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Oyo State branch, has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to reconstitute the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) which was recently dissolved alongside the boards of other parastatals. The chairman of the society, Pharm Ishola Adeyinka, spoke yesterday in Ibadan on the occasion of the 2015 World pharmacist Day with the theme” Pharmacist: Your Partners in Health”.

According to him, practice in the sector has gotten to a most wretched level which logically cannot afford another vacuum in terms of regulatory control.

Adeyinka said disciplinary procedures must be a continuous phenomenon on erring Pharmacists or pharmaceutical companies.

“The absence of PCN governing council in a strategic profession like ours boosts the fake drug

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From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan syndrome, albeit tragically.

The situation in our profession is replicated in some other healthcare professions which are now justifiably issuing ultimatums.

“Other issues like the accreditation of training facilities for pharmacists and support staff in the pharmacy are almost jeopardised. The routine practice in the area of monitoring and control are not in the best of health as it has also been impossible to get council to strategise to boost efforts of the registry of PCN,” he said Adeyinka implored federal government to halt the drift in the operational efficiency of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria by reconstituting its board now and subsequently invoking the spirit of the law that provides for perpetual succession in the enabling act.

CCC parish clocks 35

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HE Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) OkoOba III parish, District Headquarters will host a three-day revival to commemorate its 35th adult harvest thanksgiving anniversary.

Tagged “Restoration of Glory 2015”, the revival holds from September 28-30.

The grand finale holds next Sunday by 10am.

The guest minister is Superior Evangelist Prophet Amin Jesu Akinleye Gbenga.

The parish Shepherd, Venerable Most Senior Evangelist Gbiri, said the anniversary will enable the youth fellowship embark on youth empowerment in the community.

He assured that participants will witness restoration of lost glory in all ramifications of life.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

EBERE WABARA

NEWS

WORDSWORTH A 08055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

Buhari's marching orders

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POLOGIES for my two-week absence because of advertsThe PUNCH editorial headline of September 22 leads the way today: "Need for forensic and investigation audit on (in) power sector" "Falae: Buhari reads riot acts to IGP, others" Voice of The Nation of September 24: the riot act (not acts!)

"Falae: Buhari gives Police, security agencies marching order (orders) "Military Intelligence Chief assures of December deadline" Who did he assure?

"Experts say family planning reduces the risk of unwanted pregnancy among women living with HIV, resulting to (in) fewer infected babies…."

"US naked loggers charged for (with) leaving child on beach" "ICPC partner (partners) NYSC to fight corrupttion in MDAs" "Basic education, being the foundation and the chief determinant of the quality of the entire educational system of Nigeria require (requires) greater attention."

"The Parents/Teachers Association of the Federal Government College…."

Get it right: Parent-Teacher Association Finally, from the back page of NATIONAL MIRROR under review: "The governor's action has surely birthed a new information day in Adamawa with Sajoh on (in) the saddle."

THISDAY front and inside pages of Seeptembr 12 take over from National Mirror: "…would soon be made available to all interested parties and the general public." 'Interested parties' are members of the public."

What is the function of 'general' here?

"The bombs 'at about'not 'at around' "I don't know any country in the world (where else?) that has attained development with the aide (aid) of the 'body language' of its leader."

"From dip dyed (dipdyed) hair, to colour fade (colour-fade) dresses, the current vogue for…."

From the interiority of my library, 'vogue' implies currency.

Therefore, 'current vogue'-instead of just 'vogue'-smacks of halfliteracy.

"The reason is because I do not want the Egyptians to retain it

again." A rewrite: The reason is I do not want the Egyptians to retain it.

"Group urge (urges) SMEs to seek micro finance (micro-finance) support" "Nigeria (Nigerian) Stock Exchange-A case for share buy back for Nigerian banks" Still from THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER: "…between 300 to (and) 400 by the year 2025, from the present figure of 149."

"Echocho on mission to wreck PDP's chances, says (say) Kogi Elders", but says Kogi Elders' Council "Frequent crisis (crises) in Africa, embarrassingBuhari" "Cameroon vigilante (Cameroonian vigilance) groups halt Boko Haram attacks" "Buhari flags off (inaugurates) highway project in Cross River…condoles (condoles with or consoles) Mecca crane crash victims' families" THISDAY, THE S A T U R D A Y NEWSPAPER, of September 19 fumbled copiously: "Good songs, to me, needs (need) no publicity…."

"So I hooked-up (hooked up) with her in my church."

"It is the dream of every Igbo man to have an (a) heir." "…asks if Iheanacho can really take his chance in the star studded (starstudded) City side."

"Bank manager arrested over (for) foiled bank robbery" FEEDBACK EBERE, it is time you stopped any form of derision on your page. It is nauseating reading the closing remarks of Mr. Bayo Oguntunase. The joy of life is love sharing. Yes, we can get into frenzy when perspectives differ, but respect is the key.

Thanks. Do have a beautiful week.

(CHARLES IYOHA/09099879033) "ME, I no sabi book!"

You obviously shouted wow, Holy Moses on reading that Black English or Broken English. Yes, you think it is classical Gringory (alias 4.30) speaking. No! this time round, it is essential Kola Danisa, a pseudo-grammarian, a conservative intellectual, who sadly added, Ebere, "keep the flag hoisted", which is unidiomatic instead of "keep the flag flying", which is idiomatic English.

Danisa's intellectual vacuity, active ignorance and linguistic rascality show clearly when he cannot distinguish between "to keep the flag flying" and "to hoist the white flag". It is provocative, nauseating and insulting.

I believe in rigorous intellectual discourse and brain storming. Kola Danisa and his cousin, G.O. Komolafe, are depraved, yes, even diminished. They are neither bilingual nor trilingual. They are just monolingual, local champions! Pidgin is not allowed in a formal forum or context. That is immutable.

The current intellectual altercations and friendly rivalries between us are healthy, educative and well informed, although their shenanigans are aimed at bringing me down. They have failed successfully. I was not born yesterday.

They are tilting, really at windmills.

Ebere, I say, keep up the good work. All is well.

(BAYO OGUNTUNASE/ 0 8 0 5 6 1 8 0 0 4 6 / soloade12@gmail.com) THE NATION, September 6, Page 9, stated that "The FIVE states where the new governors have appointed all or significant (a significant) number of commissioners and special advisers INCLUDE Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Kano and Kaduna." The word "include" (meaning "as part of a whole") should have read "the five states are/ consist of/or comprise...since all the five states were listed. Second, in "Wanted: incorruptible judges", (THE NATION, August 30, Page 13), "a squirrel with a hunchback" ought to have read "a squirrel with a hunch (noun)" or "with a hunched (adjective) back". A man or an animal that carries a hunch (a curved back) is a hunchback himself or itself, but definitely not carrying a hunchback as some Nigerians often say.

For Prince Audu Abubakar to "wrest" power from Gov. Idris Wada of Kogi State is "to take something away from him, especially after a violent struggle", but to "wrestle" is to engage in a fight to throw an opponent to the ground. So, definitely the phrase on Page 33, THE NATION, September 6, should have been "wrest (not wrestle) power from the PDP".

(KOLA DANISA/07068074257)

Ajayi Crowther varsity unveils Asaju as new VC

51-year old Professor of Christian Studies, Dapo Asaju, has been unveiled as the new Vice Chancellor (VC) of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo. While unveiling the new helmsman for the faith-based private university yesterday, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), described him as a round peg in a round hole, adding that he was the very best among all the applicants for the post.

Olanipekun said his choice

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From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

was a unanimous decision after he came first in the interview conducted for shortlisted candidates yesterday morning.

According to him, Asaju scored 88 per cent in the interview to beat four other shortlisted candidates to emerge the new VC. Eight persons applied for the job out of which five were shortlisted for interview, according to Olanipekun.

He listed the outstanding factors that earned Asaju the job

as merit, performance, antecedent and record, stressing that the interview was thorough, painstaking and rigorous. Asaju studied up to PhD at the University of Ilorin. He became a Professor in 2004.

He teaches at the Lagos State University (LASU). He was Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts, Member of Council, Lagos State University (LASU) and a visiting associate Professor, Bayreuth University, Germany, among others.

Bayelsa guber race: How I was disqualified, by Paulker

ENATOR Paulker Emmanuel (Bayelsa Central) at the weekend relieved how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disqualified him from the governorship primary election in the state.

He alleged he was stopped from the contest to allow Governor Seriake Dickson emerge the sole candidate of the party for the December 5 election.

The Senator, who spoke in Yenagoa at a forum with members of his campaign organisation, described the action of the PDP Screening Committee in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as shocking and incredible.

He accused the party of lacking internal democracy.

Paulker, a three-time senator, said: “For our democracy to thrive, there must be internal democracy.

Without internal democracy, it is difficult for a party to reflect democracy on the playground.

“It is better to quarrel in the process of internal democracy than to shut out internal democracy out of our democratic experience.

“Regarding our disqualification, up till now, the appeal panel has yet to come out with the

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

result of the screening.

“Power comes from God. Irrespective of parties, Bayelsa belongs to all of us.

“If a government is formed tomorrow, all of us will benefit from it. Any government in power owes all of us a duty of service.

“Like I told them at the screening panel, when they criticised me that members of the All Progressives Congress attended my ceremonies, I said the party required more Paulkers now than ever because we require ambassadors to go out of this party to canvass for votes in order for us to win.”

Saying that democracy had come to stay in the country, he warned against any attempt to make mockery of it by unjustly stopping people from contesting political offices.

A member of his campaign organisation, Dr Ayakeme Whisky, said the disqualification was a rape on democracy.

He said: “Paulker, as a loyal party member and our principal, has given up on his disqualification.

What else do you want him to do?

“If the party he aspired for its flag, till this minute

as we speak, has not released the outcome of their appeal screening, what do expect him to do but to defer to God? “At the lower screening committee, they said he was not cleared.

Suspectingly, six months ago, they cleared the same man to fly the flag of the party to contest for Senate.

“He contested and won the Senate for the PDP, he is a serving member of the Senate, the same man you did not clear today, on what grounds?

“It is quite inexplicable.

The same man appealed the disqualification.

“Expectedly, the appeal committee should have come out with the result, either upholding his disqualification or nonclearance or giving him clearance to contest.

“But even as we speak, the timetable for the PDP primary is over. As we speak, the outcome of the appeal panel has not been released.

“So, what do you expect him to do? If he runs from the party and says he wants to fly another party’s flag, what will happen to his senatorial seat?

“It is a very complex matter and as a loyal party member, he has decided to allow the will of God prevail.”

•Children at a Zoo in Magicland during Eid-el-Kabir holiday in Abuja yesterday Photo: NAN

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Somalia's speaker to drop impeachment against president

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M O HA MED Sheikh Osman, Somalia's parliamentary speaker has made known his intentions to drop an impeachment motion against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud saying he will instead have talks to end the country's political crisis.

Osman said he reached the decision after meeting with some of the legislators who started impeachment proceedings over treason allegations against President Mohamud.

Osman said in a statement late Friday that some of the "clauses in the impeachment motion might have been erroneously filed and we can rectify them through talks."

The development follows calls by the U.N. to resolve the crisis through political dialogue.

Mohamud had earlier warned the impeachment motion threatens the political and security gains in Somalia made by his government, which faces a deadly rebellion by the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab.

Local hunter linked to killing Cecil the lion faces trial

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HEO Bronkhorst, a Zimbabwean hunter will appear in court on 28 September charged with failing to prevent an American from unlawfully killing Cecil, the southern African country's best-known lion, in a case that has triggered widespread revulsion at trophy hunting.

Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist who paid $50,000 (ÂŁ32,938) to kill the lion, left Zimbabwe saying he did kill the animal but believed the hunt was legal. Local hunter Bronkhorst is charged with "failing to supervise, control and take reasonable steps to prevent an unlawful hunt".

While Bronkhorst appears in court in Zimbabwe, Palmer, who is accused of killing Cecil with a bow and arrow, has been pilloried on the internet, with many people wishing him dead.

In July, Zimbabwe's environment minister said the country was seeking Palmer's extradition as a "foreign poacher". But Palmer would have to be charged before he could be extradited and Zimbabwe has not done this. Zimbabwean police arrested Bronkhorst on 15 September, on new charges of transporting 29 sable antelopes without a permit and as an accomplice to smuggling the animals.

Hajj stampede beyond human control, says Saudi cleric R S

Russia, Estonia exchange prisoners

AUDI Arabia's grand mufti has said that the stampede at the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca which killed more than 700 people was beyond human control.

According to the Saudi

Press Agency the senior cleric told the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef that he was not to blame for the tragedy as "fate and destiny are inevitable".

He said: "You are not

responsible for what happened because you exerted beneficial reasons in your hands and your ability. As for the things that humans cannot control, you are not blamed for them. Fate and destiny

are inevitable."

The comments came following criticism by Iran this week that Saudi authorities were responsible for a lack of crowd management at the event.

USSIA has exchanged an Estonian who had been convicted of espionage last month for a former Estonian policeman convicted of treason for passing state secrets to Moscow.

The two men were exchanged Saturday on a bridge crossing a river on the countries' border, according to a statement from Russia's Federal Security Service cited by state news agencies.

Estonian Interior Ministry spokesman Tex Vertmann confirmed that security officer Eston Kohver had been returned. He was sentenced last month in Russia to 15 years for spying. Estonia claims he had been kidnapped and spirited across the border.

Alexei Dressen, the other man in the exchange, is a former police official who was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Smuggler who 'transferred thousands to Europe killed in shootout'

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• Emergency aid workers at the scene of the disaster

'Saudi border officers killed in attack from Yemen'

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HE Saudi interior ministry yesterday announced the killing of a district commander and a sergeant in Saudi Arabia's border guard during an attack launched from across the frontier with Yemen.

The men were killed by heavy gunfire from the Yemen side of the border on Friday after their patrol vehicle was hit by a mine ex-

plosion, the ministry said.

Saudi Arabia has been fighting Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen for six months and has led a coalition of Arab states on a military campaign to eject the group from the capital Sanaa and restore the government from its exile in Riyadh.

Several dozen soldiers from the kingdom have been killed in clashes along

the country's long, rugged border with Yemen, including a general last month.

Coalition air strikes and ground fighting have killed over 4,500 people in Yemen since the foreign intervention began on March 26.

U.N.-backed efforts for a compromise faced long odds as combat ramped up on Saturday.

Clashes between Houthi forces and those

loyal to the exiled administration raged in the central desert province of Marib and the southwestern city of Taiz, where residents reported that the two sides duelled with heavy artillery in civilian areas.

Meanwhile, the Saudiled alliance launched air attacks on suspected Houthi positions on at least five provinces throughout the country and on Sanaa.

Federal agency carries out first ever investigation on MEMBER of board of the National Transpor- deadly duck boat crash in Seattle tom" of the crash, he said.

Tracey said the captains

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tation Safety Board (NTSB), Earl Weener has said that investigation into the deadly crash of a duck boat and charter bus is the first time the agency has looked into a land crash of the amphibious vehicles critics say are too dangerous for city streets.

He said at a news conference that the agency has scrutinized the military-style vehicles several times when they've been in accidents on water.

Four international students died in the crash on Thursday after witnesses said the duck boat veered into the oncoming bus on a Seattle bridge. A team of investigators arrived on Friday and would spend a week or more on site. A typical investigation lasts a year, Weener said.

Even before the crash, calls had emerged for greater oversight and even an outright ban

on the military-style vehicles that allow tourists to see cities by road and water. Critics say the large amphibious vehicles are built for war, not for ferrying people on narrow city streets.

Also speaking on the issue, Robert Mongeluzzi, a Philadelphia attorney said duck boats are dangerous on the land and on the water and shouldn't be allowed to be used.

Renewing his call for a moratorium on their operation nationwide, Mongeluzzi whose firm represented the families of victims in a deadly 2010 crash near Philadelphia when a tugboat-guided barge plowed into a duck boat packed with tourists that had stalled in the Delaware River, sinking the boat and killing two Hungarian students said they were created to invade a country from the water, not to

carry tourists.

Mongeluzzi's firm is also representing the family of a woman killed in May by an amphibious vehicle in Philadelphia.

Some attorneys also question the focus of the drivers.

In Seattle, tours are complete with exuberant operators who play loud music and quack through speakers.

"This is a business model that requires the driver to be a driver, tour guide and entertainer at the same time," said Steve Bulzomi, the attorney for a motorcyclist who was run over and dragged by a duck boat that came up behind him at a stoplight in Seattle in 2011.

Brian Tracey, president of Ride the Ducks Seattle, which is independently owned and operated said it was too early to speculate about what happened. "We will get to the bot-

are certified by the US Coast Guard and licensed as commercial drivers, and they are required to take continuing education once a month.

State regulators last conducted a comprehensive safety inspection of the Ride the Ducks fleet, including driver qualifications, employee drug and alcohol testing, in 2012. They issued a satisfactory rating. The company operates 17 amphibious vehicles and employs 35 drivers, according to the state review.

Seattle mayor Ed Murray said Ride the Ducks Seattle has voluntarily sidelined its vehicles for the time being.

The amphibious boats are remnants from when the US army deployed thousands of amphibious landing craft during the second world war.

Once the war was over, some were converted to sightseeing vehicles in US cities.

N alleged ringleader behind the smuggling of thousands of people from Libya to Europe has been targeted in a shootout, with speculation in Tripoli that foreign agents were behind the attack.

Salah al-Maskhout was attacked at the weekend alongside eight other men in the Tripoli suburb of Furnaj by a fourstrong hit squad. The Italian government said he died in the attack, while a relative reportedly insisted he is still alive.

Maskhout is from Zuwara, a coastal city in north-west Libya which has become a hub for the smuggling of tens of thousands of refugees and migrants. He was visiting relatives in the capital during Eid. A Fornaj resident said the attack took place at 7am, with the attackers arriving in a land cruiser and rapidly departing after a short blaze of gunfire.

According to local media reports, Maskhout was leaving his relatives' home with his security detail when the attack happened.

European countries at heart of refugee crisis seek to ease tensions Media reports say several men were killed in the attack, and bullets recovered by a pathologist are hydra-shock, a specialised round providing deeper penetration, used by western special forces units but not commonly available elsewhere.

Italy's defence ministry on Saturday denied allegations of involvement, confirming Maskhout's death but stating Italian agents were not involved. A Nato official said the military alliance was not behind the killings, telling the Guardian it had not carried out any military action in Libya since 2011.

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WITH JILL OKEKE jillokeke@yahoo.com, 07069429757, 08158610847 THE NATION ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Is government losing war against imported frozen poultry?

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HE answer to the above question is not farfetched when you look around you. The cold stores that sell imported frozen poultry in your neighbourhood, are they still in business?

Those known warehouses that house cold rooms where both market women/men and other people make bulk purchases of imported poultry, have they been shut down or run out of business?

Do you encounter queues in front of cold stores selling locally processed poultry and for those who eat out, what kind of poultry meat are you served, not just in fast food joints but in restaurants?

Exactly on the 15th of June this year, we were invited to the National Agency for Food Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC), Lagos for a press conference/presentation of the study on prevalence, quality and acceptance of frozen poultry meat in major cities in Nigeria.

According to the study conducted by Professor OlumideTewe and his colleagues, consumption of smuggled frozen poultry meat, spells doom for the health of consumers.

Consequently, the NAFDAC Director General, Dr. Paul Orhii, vowed to deter consumers from the unhealthy meat by enforcing the already placed ban on the importation of frozen poultry.

Less than a week after the press conference in Lagos, a workshop on the same matter was held in Abuja where all the stakeholders spoke at length, sensitising the public on the attendant dangers of the

•Imported frozen poultry

consumption and the negative effects on the economy, etcetera.

The media was awash with the news as poultry, especially the imported frozen one, is about the second largest consumed meat in the country.

However at the press conference in Lagos, I recall that though we appreciated government’s efforts in trying to shield consumers from dangers, we still expressed fears that the fight may not succeed if there are no alternatives, no serious efforts to increase local production. Some of the journalists pointed out that the fight to enforce the ban without enough indigenous poultry meat will only, more or less, increase the price of the imported poultry, thereby placing more demands on the average consumer who is already weighed down with financial pressure.

Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, the President, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), had disclosed in an interview that while the local demand for poultry is about two million metric tons annually, Nigerian farmers, though with the capacity of producing 7001million, metric tons, were only producing 300,000 metric tons leaving a wide gap of more than 1.7million metric tons.

“Out of this figure, smuggled poultry accounts for 1.2 million metric tons annually,’’ noted Dr. Oduntan.

Already the NAFDAC DG had said the agency was going to work closely with the Nigerian Customs to enforce the ban on imported and smuggled poultry. As part of efforts to ensure that the ban is enforced, a special antismuggling operation, ‘Operation Hawk Descend’ was launched in Seme precisely on

L-R: Group Service Delivery, Interswitch, Wale Olayisade, Group CFO, Interswitch, Peter O’Toole, Head, Financial Control, Interswitch, ChinomsoNwachukwu, Group Managing Director, Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe, Divisional CEO, Switching and Processing, Interswitch, Akeem Lawal and Divisional CEO, Financial Inclusions Services, Interswitch, Mike Ogbalu at the launch of the new Interswitch Corporate Identity in Lagos on Tuesday.

July 7th by the former Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji, Abdullahi Dikko.

During the launch, the former Customs helmsman assured Nigerians that within three months of the campaign, which would target the south western axis, importation of smuggled poultry would be curtailed.

“I can assure you that with this operation, smuggled poultry products will be stopped within the next few weeks but we are giving it three months so that we can sustain it on regular basis,” said Abdullahi who was represented by Deputy Comptroller General, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Musa Tahir.

No doubt like the former Comptroller General promised, in the first week of the operation, NCS seized a total of 1,803 cartoons of banned poultry products estimated to be worth over N12million.

This, according to NCS, was seized mainly in the south western axis of the NigerianBenin border.

Most of the seizures were made when the commercial vehicles conveying them into the country were apprehended by customs officers.

By the second week of the onslaught against the smugglers, 6,206 cartoons of poultry valued at N21.8 million was seized and destroyed. In the 3rd week, 5,915 cartoons worth N28.6million were de-

stroyed and by the 4th week, the NCS again seized up to 5,472 cartoons of poultry. By now the smugglers of the poultry have begun to count their losses as millions of naira worth of smuggled imported frozen poultry were repeatedly being seized.

In the fifth week of the operation, the NCS recorded another seizure of 13,960 cartoons of frozen imported poultry valued at N45.5million. All of these seizures were made by customs officers at Badagry Creeks, Seme axis, Idiroko axis of Ogun State, Agbeji/Ife axis of Osun State.

The seemingly successful exercise even provoked commendations from PAN. The Director General of the Association, Onallo Akpan, said that the leadership appreciates the excellent performance through various acts of onslaught, arrests and confiscation of smuggled poultry products into the country.

“This is very unprecedented, we can boldly say that Operation Hawk Descend is a highly successful exercise,” he, however, added albeit prematurely.

At this period, the prices of the product went sharply up. Not only did it go up, some retailers of the locally produced ones also decided to take advantage of the situation to increase their own price. A cartoon of 10kg of the imported frozen chicken and turkey previously sold for N5,500/N6,000 went up to N9,000/N10,000. A kg of the locally processed one sold for N700 went up to N1,200. The live fowls also attracted appreciable increase in price.

However, all these only lasted for a short while. The little head way being made by NCS could not be sustained.

What is the reality on ground now? Instead of curbing the activities of the smugglers, it seems that they only succeeded in driving the price of both the imported and locally produced poultry up from what it was before the launch of Operation Hawk Descend.

Barely three months after the launch of Operation Hawk Descend with all the media hype and noise, investigation

by Consumer Watch has revealed that the smugglers are no longer encountering resistance from government officials and as such retailers are buying the smuggled poultry just like they were doing before the onslaught.

The price has gone back to the normal price. As at the time of filing this report, importers or should we say smugglers were selling a cartoon of 10kg chicken for between N5,800-N6,300 while retailers then sell at N700 per kilo. The price of turkey which went viral at the early days of the onslaught has also come down to N6500 per a cartoon of 10kg. The price of the locally processed ones which also went up because of the increased demand has also come down from N1200 per kg to N800-N850 per kg.

Investigations by Consumer Watch showed that the markets are filled again with the smuggled poultry which of course is being served in restaurants.

Interview with some consumers revealed that a majority of them preferred the locally grown free range and semi free range poultry which they said is more succulent and tasty but far more expensive.

Even the locally processed broilers, old layers are more expensive than the smuggled ones. Besides, while the smuggled ones are retailed almost everywhere, the locally processed ones are not too easy to come by. In some cases consumers will have to take transport to buy it, making the cost even more expensive.

The way forward? For government to successfully wage this way against the smuggling of poultry, like the Chairman, Agriculture and Non- Oil Group, Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Wale Oyekoya, said, “federal government has to enhance the development of the poultry sub-sector to meet the nation’s consumption needs.”

According to him, government should do more to encourage the local farmers than just enforce ban on poultry products.

Interswitch unveils new corporate identity

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NTERSWITCH, a leading digital payments and commerce provider focused on Africa, has announced the launch of its new brand identity.

The refreshed corporate identity was officially announced at an unveil event in Lagos on Tuesday. Giving an insight into the need for a new logo and brand position, CEO Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe, had this to say: “The new Interswitch logo and brand position is a confident statement of our leading position in the market and our vision to

continue to push the boundaries of digital payments in Africa.

We acknowledge that the penetration of electronic payments in Africa is relatively low. We see this as an opportunity to create platforms that will drive commerce and improve the quality of life on the continent.”

Since launching in 2002, Interswitch has grown rapidly and consistently, resulting in a current transaction volume of 350 million transactions per month and more than NGN6.4 trillion a year across its platforms such as Nigeria’s leading payment card brand,

‘Verve’ and Nigeria’s largest online payment portal ‘Quickteller’.

Interswitch is now Nigeria’s e-commerce industry market leader, and with revenue growth of 1226% in the last five years, Interswitch is the fastest growing tech company in Africa according to Deloitte and the first company in West Africa to attain CMMI level 3 ratings.

Interswitch’s flagship brands: Verve and Quickteller, have also unveiled simplified, modernised new identities that are globally competitive.

Guest Performer and Dancehall Crooner, Patoranking (middle); flanked by Senior Brand Manager, Flavors, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Toyin Nnodi (left); and Assistant Brand Manager, Flavors, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Jumoke Oyewole (right); with winners from the Basketball Competition during the 2015 Sprite Triple Slam Event, which took place at the University of Calabar, Cross-River State, recently.

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SPORTS THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Emenike scores third league goal

EXTRA

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Rangers stop fumbling Agbim

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UPER Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike has continued his goal scoring form for Al Ain as he scores his third league goal in three matches.

Emenike scored Al Ain's consolation goal in 65th minute as Al Wahda beat the Arabian Gulf champions on Saturday night. Argentine forward Sebastian Tagliabue scored twice to seal victory.

This is the first time Al Ain is losing this season.

Emenike has been invited by the Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh for friendly matches against Cameroon and Congo next month in Belgium.

Moses stars as West Ham escape home defeat

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n injury-time equaliser from Cheikhou Kouyate spared West Ham another home defeat as they laboured to a 2-2 draw with Norwich City.

Slaven Bilic's men have established themselves as the Premier League's most accomplished away side in the early weeks of the new season, reeling off wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.

But it has been a different story at Upton Park, and they were fortunate to escape with a point after a lacklustre display on Saturday.

Nathan Redmond appeared to have claimed all three points for Norwich with a superb goal seven minutes from time, but Kouyate was on hand to snatch a draw when he slammed home from close range after John Ruddy failed to deal with a deep free-kick from the right.

Robbie Brady had given Norwich an early lead with his first goal for the club, before Diafra Sakho equalised in the 33rd minute.

More dropped points at home mean West Ham missed the chance to move into second in the Premier League, while Norwich remain in mid-table.

Pirates edge Ahly in Confed Cup semi

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n early goal from Thamsanqa Gabuza saw Orlando Pirates claim a narrow 1-0 win over Al Ahly in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup semifinal in Soweto on Saturday evening.

After a subdued opening, Ahly's Abdallah El Said had the first shot in anger but he scuffed his effort wide of the target in the sixth minute.

Emenike (r) celebrates with team mate

Babatunde dedicates goal to baby girl

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IGERIA and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk winger Michael Babatunde has dedicated his goal against Olimpia Donetsk to his newly born baby girl.

The Super Eagles winger scored his first goal for the Ukrainian outfit after three games in a cup match on Wednesday evening and dedicated the goal to the baby named as Angel.

Babatunde who came on as a substitute scored the last

goal of the game on 90th min to give his side a comfortable 2-0 win over Olimpia Donetsk in Wednesday's Ukrainian Cup. The 22-year old Babatunde fired Dnipro's 22nd goal on 19 minutes into the far post from 15 metres after coming on as a substitute on 45 minutes.

The Nigeria World Cup star signed a three-year deal with last season's Europa League finalists Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk after

cancelling his contract with Volyn.

“The goal was for my baby, it came at the right time and I was glad to be lucky enough to show the baby girl a lot of love with my goal,” said Babatunde.

“I believe her arrival will do a lot in my career, I am flattered and glad to be a father. It is a new challenge being a father, and a blessing to be counted as part of my football career. I think more goals are coming to give her

and I can't wait to see my angel.”

“Why I named her Angel was simply because I have had it in my mind that my first daughter will be named Angel so as to go with my name Michael, so she's Angel Michael.”

Interestingly, his Super Eagles teammate Mikel Obi last week also welcomed the birth of a set of twins with his Russian girlfriend Olga Diyachenko whom he's been engaged to for a long time.

Salami, 17 others for Eagles CHAN camp

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ARRI Wolves star Gbolahan Salami will head an 18squad to a training camp for home-based players in Port Harcourt ahead of a CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso next month.

AfricanFootball.com scooped again coach Sunday Oliseh will stick with the players he worked with prior to the AFCON qualifier in Tanzania last month.

“The home-based Eagles for the CHAN qualifier will be the same players who trained for the AFCON qualifier in Tanzania,” a top official informed AfricanFootball.com “This means that the six players from the league who have been picked for the friendlies against DR Congo and Cameroon in Belgium will join up with the rest of the players in Port Harcourt

after those matches.”

Last month, Salami was dropped from the Eagles squad on account of his international passport being held up in the Norwegian embassy.

Others invited to this camp include Ifeanyi Matthew (El Kanemi Warriors), Tunde Adetunji (Sunshine Stars), Usman Mohammed (FC Taraba), Godwin Obaje (Wikki) and

Ezekiel Bassey, Kingsley Sokari, Idris Aloma (Enyimba) The CHAN Eagles training camp in Port Harcourt will now open on October 4.

Nigeria host Burkina Faso in Port Harcourt on October 18 with the return leg in Ouagadougou a week later.

The overall winners will qualify for the 2016 CHAN in Rwanda.

Chelsea rescue a point against Newcastle

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EVER mind the Newcastle crisis, the Chelsea one was nearly back on again here.

Steve McClaren started this game as arguably the Premier League manager under most pressure following the reaction of Newcastle supporters to the tamest of exits from the first cup of the season.

He came within 10 minutes of passing much of that burden on to José Mourinho, whose Chelsea side once again looked pallid and likely to slump to a fourth league defeat before

the end of September, before a remarkable late recovery left the home side hanging on just to earn a point.

Mourinho deserves some credit for his substitutions, for Ramires came on to pull the first goal back and was crucially involved in the equaliser, even if he failed to get anything on a Willian free kick that ended up in the back of Tim Krul's net.

Eden Hazard, who had been on the pitch all along, was the real spark of Chelsea's fightback, however, and the travelling fans must have made their

way home wondering why he, and their team in general, only showed any spark in the final few minutes.

Perhaps it was the shock of finding themselves two goals down to Newcastle that spurred Chelsea into action, and the slightly depressing news for the home side was that once the visitors began to mean business they could not live with them. A draw was a fair result in the end, and if Newcastle were left deflated at the final whistle at least they showed some of the fight and application their

manager had asked for. If they can keep playing like this, they should be climbing the table before long.

McClaren made five changes to the side beaten by Sheffield Wednesday's reserves in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday and asked the inexperienced Kevin Mbabu, a right footed central defender, to play at left-back against the defending champions.

Mbabu only made his Newcastle debut in the cup game in midweek and on his first Premier League start he found himself marking Pedro.

OALKEEPER Chigozie Agbim has remained frozen out at Enugu Rangers since his fumbles cost the Enugu club a home game against FC IfeanyiUbah in August.

Rangers lost 3-2 to IfeanyiUbah and Agbim was widely blamed for the home loss and even needed police escort to escape the wrath of angry fans.

Rangers have picked goalkeepers Akor Itodo and Uche Okafor for Sunday's gome game against struggling Kwara United.

Others named on the match day squad include Pape Sane, skipper Okey Odita, Nnamdi Anyasado, Chinedu Justice, Etim Matthew, Hope Fibersima, Christian Madu, Osas Okoro, Bobby Clement, Godwin Aguda, Kola Anubi and Chinedu Udeagha.

Oak Pensions wins Ikeja Corporate Challenge Cup

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he 2015 edition of the annual Ikeja Golf Club Corporate Challenge Cup came to a thrilling end on Saturday with Oak Pensions emerging winners of the competition.

To come top in the keenly contested event, Oak Pensions shoot a total of 197-stableford points to beat the other 15-teams that took part in the competition.

Led by high flying golfers like Chris Obije, Yomi Egbe, Alaba Adetunji and Abdul Mojeed Agberuagba, the team shot an opening score of 99stableford points and closed with 98-stableford points for 197-points to seal their victory.

For their efforts, Oak Pensions Limited's advert will adorn one of the strategic billboards on the Ikeja golf course for the next twelve months.

Also to enjoy the privilege is Prime Metro Properties Limited, which came second and ICMA Services, which came in the third position.

Parading players like Rasheed Adebisi, Austin Aigbotsua, Bidemi Ojo and Biodun Oyewoga, Prime Metro Properties, grossed a total of 188-stableford points, while ICMA Services, represented by Muyideen Olaitan, Jimoh Ogundare, Rasak Murtala and Kehinde Afolayan came in the third position after recording 185stabledofrd points.

Sterling Bank's team of Milo Ajah, Guy Omene, Tolu Adesemowo and Adedayo Kayode, duck in the fourth position while 7UP Bottling Company's team of Sade Opawumi, Adashe, Kazeem Olaitan and Frank Ogbe, completed the top five teams in the competition.

SPORT EXTRA

THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Messi out for two months with knee injury

Sanchez rises highest to beat Foxes goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (right) to the ball and score Arsenal's third goal on Saturday

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A R C E L O N A forward Lionel Messi has been ruled out for 7-8 weeks after injuring his left knee in Saturday's win over Las Palmas.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will miss the next 7-8 weeks after sustaining a knee injury in Saturday's 2-1 win over Las Palmas at Camp Nou. The Argentina international sustained the injury three minutes into the game when visiting defender Pedro Bigas put in a last-ditch challenge to block a shot.

Messi left the pitch to undergo treatment and initially seemed to be ready to continue after rejoining the action, but he sat down once more minutes later and was unable to carry on.

Having visited a local clinic for tests, the club confirmed his period of absence, stating: "Messi has a tear in the internal collateral ligament of his left knee. He will be out for around 7-8 weeks.�

Tax evasion: Brazil court freezes Neymah assets

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Brazilian court has frozen assets of Barcelona star Neymar, his family and related businesses valued at 188.8 million Brazilian reals ($48 million).

The Sao Paulo federal court said Friday that the 23-year-old is alleged to have evaded 63 million reals in Brazil taxes (almost US$ 16 million) between 2011 and 2013. He moved in 2013 from Brazilian club Santos to Spain's Barcelona.

In a statement, Judge Carlos Muta said Neymar only declared assets worth 19.6 million reals (a little less than US$ 5 million).

However, Iagaro Jung Martins, an auditor with Brazil's federal tax agency, said that Neymar isn't likely to go to jail if he pays what he owes.

"He will be able to discuss the frozen assets in a civil court," Martins told The Associated Press. "But legislation in Brazil isn't too harsh. If Neymar pays what he owes, he is very likely to be free from any other punishment."

Contacted by AP, Neymar's father Neymar da Silva Santos, who serves as the player's business manager, called the charges "unjust."

"Neymar Jr. is not a partner in any of those companies and, therefore, he cannot declare something he does not own,' he told AP. The elder Neymar said that Brazil's tax agency "doesn't understand" his son's tax obligations.

EPL RESULTS Tottenham 4 - 1 Man City Leicester 2 - 5 Arsenal Liverpool 3 - 2 Aston Villa Man Utd 3 - 0 Sunderland Southampton 3 - 1 Swansea Stoke 2 - 1 Bournemouth West Ham 2 - 2 Norwich Newcastle 2 - 2 Chelsea

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Goal drought had left me moody, admits Kane

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Spurs comeback stuns Man City

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O T T E N H A M Hotspur beat Manchester City 4-1 at White Hart Lane on Saturday courtesy of a stunning comeback.

City lead through Kevin De Bruyne's strike but right on half time Eric Dier equalized in controversial fashion, then two goals in the next 15 minutes from Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane turned the game on its head. Erik Lamela added more gloss to the scoreline, as City struggled with the injured duo of Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany on the bench.

With the win Spurs move

up to fifth in the table with 12 points from seven games, while City remain top but could be usurped by their crosstown rivals Manchester United.

Early on both teams looked tight at the back but there was a great tempo to the match. In the 17th minute Lloris was forced into a good save down low as Aguero wriggled free from his marker and sent in an effort on goal. Spurs grew into the game as the first half played out but then a misplaced pass from a short corner let City launch a blistering counter attack and after 25 minutes the away side were

ahead. Yaya Toure ran over 50-yard with the ball before slotting in De Bruyne and the Belgian winger scored his second goal in as many PL starts. 1-0 to the Citizens.

City were rampant before half time as Sterling forced Lloris into a magnificent save at full-stretch down low, while at the other end Kane dragged an effort wide and had another saved by Willy Caballero as Spurs went in search of an equalizer.

Controversy arrived right on half time as Walker sent in a cross, despite being in an offside position, and although Caballero initially

made a superb stop to deny Spurs an equalizer, De Bruyne gave the ball away cheaply on the edge of the box and Dier drilled in a beauty from distance to make it 1-1.

In the second half City started brightly as both Toure and Aguero had chances but in the 50th minute Spurs took the lead after Kane won a free kick for chasing down a lost cause and forcing Otamendi into a foul. Lamela whipped in the free kick and Alderweireld flicked home a header at the near post past the stranded Caballero. 2-1 to Tottenham.

Man United go top after Sunderland win

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ANCHESTER United beat Sunderland 3-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday as Louis Van Gaal's side went top of the Premier League.

Memphis scored right on half time to put United ahead, then Wayne Rooney (his first goal in 11 PL games) made it 2-0 and Juan Mata polished things off to down a sorry Sunderland outfit.

With the victory United are in first place with 16

points, while Sunderland remain bottom with just two points from their opening seven matches.

United looked dangerous in and around the box and caused plenty of problems for Sunderland in the early stages. Black Cats goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon gave away a free kick after handling right on the edge of his box following a defensive mix-up with his own defenders. Juan Mata

didn't make the most of that free kick and as the first half wore on Sunderland continued to look dangerous on the break. Jeremain Lens forced David De Gea into a good stop down low with his legs after 24 minutes and that helped Advocaat's side settle down. There was an injury scare to Anthony Martial after he looked to have twisted his knee but the in-form French striker recovered and in first half

stoppage time United were ahead. Daley Blind pinged a beautiful ball into Mata at the back post and he teed up Memphis to tap home from two yards out. 1-0 to the Red Devils right on half time.

Within a minute of the second half United were 2-0 up as Martial drove past Younes Kaboul in the box and played the ball to Rooney at the near post him as he bundled it past Pantilimon. 2-0 to United.

Sanchez hits hat trick to end Leicester unbeaten run

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HE last unbeaten record of the Premier League season fell on Saturday as Arsenal came away from the King Power Stadium with a 5-2 victory over Leicester City, as Alexis Sanchez roared back into form with a hat trick.

Claudio Ranieri's side took the lead early in the game when Jamie Vardy was released down the left and fired home from a narrow angle but Theo Walcott exploited his pace to equalize just five minutes later, the England man's 12th goal in his last 13 Premier

League starts.

Alexis finally scored his first goal of the season to see the Gunners through to halftime with an advantage and the Chilean followed up just short of the hour when he headed in from Mesut Ozil's cross.

The Arsenal forward then sealed his hat trick in the 81st minute, skipping inside a defender to shoot long and low into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

There was a consolation for Leicester late in the day when Vardy scored his second of the match, a

curling finish after Arsenal failed to properly clear the ball, but there was no question that the Alexisinspired visitors were going to lose control of the result.

That much was confirmed when Olivier Giroud swept in a fifth for Arsene Wenger's men at the death.

Leicester would have been behind early on if not for a goal-line clearance from Ritchie De Laet but responded well and could have gone ahead itself as Jeffrey Schlupp drew a fine save from Petr Cech.

Moments after hitting the post with a scuffed effort, Vardy lit up the game as he latched onto Danny Drinkwater's raking pass and drifted in from the left to curl a superb finish beyond Cech. The England international was just inches away from second five minutes later, with his header clipping the top of the crossbar, and Arsenal hurled itself level from the resulting counterattack, Santi Cazorla sliding through to Walcott, who raced in behind Robert Huth to squeeze home a finish off the left-hand upright.

ARRY Kane ended his goal drought for Tottenham against Manchester City and confessed he had been "moody" with his form..Harry Kane admits his long goal drought for Tottenham had left him "a bit moody" - but he was delighted to end it in the 4-1 Premier League win against Manchester City.

T h e E n g l a n d international had gone 748 minutes without a goal for Spurs before he fired home after Christian Eriksen's free-kick had struck the crossbar during the second half of Saturday's clash.

Kane - who netted 31 goals in all competitions last season - was relieved get back on the scoresheet but believes the emphatic victory proves that the performance of the team always takes precedent over personal form.

"There's been a lot of talk that I haven't scored yet but I'm a confident young man," he told BT Sport after the match. "But what a performance by us. I thought we stuck at it, it was a great goal by Eric [Dier] just before the break.

"You need a bit of luck, I had one cleared off the line midweek [against Arsenal].

I'm really delighted to get on the scoresheet but more importantly it was a great win against a team top of the table.

Ronaldo: I miss playing with Rooney

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EAL Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo reveals he misses playing alongside Wayne Rooney and hopes to line up beside him again..Cristiano Ronaldo harbours hopes of again playing alongside former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, labelling him a "fantastic player".

The Real Madrid star, who recently became the Spanish giants' all-time top scorer in La Liga, made his name at United before leaving Old Trafford in 2009.

Speaking in a new BBC documentary about England captain Rooney, Ronaldo admitted that he would love to line-up once more beside the 29year-old, who he claims was known as "pitbull".

He added: "I miss playing with Rooney.

Maybe we can play again together some day.

"He was the kid of England. Everybody loved him. He was so powerful I was calling him pitbull. The power of Wayne Rooney is his mentality and strength and he never stops.

"He's a fantastic team player and he scores! He's a fantastic boy and he helped me a lot when he came to join us in Manchester.�

QUOTABLE

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 9, NO. 3351

“Personally, I will have chosen to sell the refineries, but President Buhari has instructed that they should be fixed.

“After they are fixed, if they still operate below 60 per cent, then we will know what to do.

—Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, speaking on the state of refineries.

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ANY Kogites and non-Kogites who reacted to this column’s conclusions on the November governorship poll in Kogi State are in a quandary whom to support. While they admit that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor Idris Wada is less than effective as the state’s chief executive, they also acknowledge that the All Progressives Congress (APC) standardbearer, Abubakar Audu, has been unable to make more friends on account of what they describe as his stuffiness and arrogance. Some rejoinders say it is difficult, if not impossible, to pick either of the two candidates in the poll. But neutrality is not an option. If a part of the electorate refuses to vote, another part will vote, and one way or the other, a choice will be made, and one of the two leading candidates will win.

Even if it is acknowledged that the two standard-bearers are uninspiring, a careful consideration of their weaknesses and strengths should still help voters determine whom to back. Mr Wada may not be abrasive and impatient, or fiery and uncouth, but few dispute his lethargy and general lack of innovativeness. He is sensitive and won’t make you feel bad in his presence, but he is almost wholly unable to make you feel good by reason of the state’s collapsed infrastructure and hopelessness about the future. The abrasive and financially finicky Prince Audu, on the other hand, is believed to be unable to make the Kogi electorate feel good in his presence, though his supporters argue he has changed, but he makes the ordinary Kogite feel good about the state on account of his passion for development and modernisation.

In short, in November, the Kogi voter will have to make a choice between pleasant personality and its concomitant underdevelopment on one hand, and unpleasant personality and development on the other hand. The choice is grim and vexing, but it is unavoidable and must be made. In making the choice, however, the state must determine whether in the case of Mr Wada they can keep his pleasantness beyond the next four years and profit from it if he wins, an unlikely proposition, or whether they can limit the underdevelopment certain to accompany his victory to only his four years in office should he win. And in the case of Prince Audu, the voter must ask what economic and social value his pleasantness confer on the state in four years should he win, as opposed to what his developmental drive would bring not only for four irreplaceable years but also far beyond, especially given the fact that even today, more than any of his successors, his imprint is still solidly embossed on the state’s development.

There is no ambiguity in the choice before Kogi. This column finds bad manners offensive, but it is not confused as to how to proceed in the face of the two choices facing Kogi. Prince Audu will woefully fail a pleasantness contest with Mr Wada; but it is hard to see the latter winning the more crucial and impactful developmental test with the former. Kogi will in November decide whether they want development or they want their ego massaged. If they choose ego over development in the face of the appalling realities of poverty and infrastructural collapse of the state, they will find it difficult to tell Nigerians they are not gluttons for punishment or that the shame of underdevelopment and poverty has not afflicted them enough. In four years, Kogi will be rid of both Mr Wada and Prince Audu, whoever wins between the two. But in four years, they will either be better for their choice or worse for it.

A few rejoinders to this column also argue that Kogi West senatorial district peopled mainly by the Okun Yoruba will at best split their vote for the APC candidate.

The reasons, they say, are that Prince Audu, in his customary brashness, once insulted the people and chiefs of the area, and that the politics of running mate and zoning of senatorial positions have pitted the Yagba side against their Okun brothers in Kabba/

Still on Kogi election Bunu/Ijumu side. The rejoinders, however, admitted that of all the three men who have governed the state since 1999, Prince Audu’s government was the most impactful in Okunland.

Indeed, they admit that while former governor Ibrahim Idris managed to establish a little presence in Okunland, Mr Wada has done nothing anyone taking the trouble of remembering. If in about four years Mr Wada did nothing for the Okun people, when he knew he would be needing their votes for another four years, what are the guarantees he would do something major and significant in the next four years when he would not be needing them thereafter?

Notwithstanding the lack of sophistication of Okunland politics, it is still unlikely they will be confused as to whom to vote for. They will be reluctant to compound the historic error they made in campaigning for the new state of Kogi (created 1991), in which they found themselves unexpectedly outmanoeuvered and outgunned by the Igala from the Kogi East senatorial district. They will recognise that notwithstanding the uninspiring choices they face between Mr Wada and Prince Audu, their best bet is to throw in their lot with the man who spread development to their area, who had a great developmental track record, and who in 2011, had he been governor, would probably have supported the federal government in siting the only federal university

in the state (Federal University Lokoja) in Kabba, the u n o f f i c i a l headquarters of Okunland. Prince Audu is still the Okun people’s best bet for power rotation and fairness. Mr wada is of no value to Kogi West.

The Okun people will likely settle their differences over the zoning of the senatorial position, and will overcome their misgivings over the running mate issue, especially the false and misleading dichotomy over native and foreign Okun sons and daughters. They will know which side their bread is buttered, and they will reach deep into their souls and their illustrious past and do what is right. If they fail, as their contemporary fractiousness suggests, they will be compounding the error of Kogi State creation, and foreclosing a bright future for coming generations. Already, present day Okun people blame their fathers for the lopsidedness of state creation, dismayed by their forebears’ lack of foresight; it is important that a historic redress should take place now to correct a previous historic error.

A few rejoinders also suggest that President Muhammadu Buhari would be contradicting his anti-corruption agenda by visiting Kogi to campaign for the APC candidate, Prince Audu.

This is sheer piffle. President Buhari is not the law courts. Not only has Prince Audu not been found guilty of wrongdoing, the case, which has been on since 2013,, is a testament to the government’s prosecutorial mystery than Prince Audu’s adeptness at undermining or frustrating the law. President Buhari will put in context the more than N10bn alleged to have been stolen by Prince Audu at a time when the state’s annual budget under his tenure was considerably less than N30bn. In addition, Prince Audu was validly selected by the party to be its standard-bearer. The president will not fight that outcome, nor turn his back on his party’s ambitions.

This column argues that based on Mr Wada’s poor performance and Prince Audu’s substantial developmental projects, the contest is unlikely to be indecisive. If the contest is based on whether Mr Wada is polite or Prince Audu is uncouth, then, of course, Kogi may be too far gone in errant politics than outsiders imagine. The state should keep its eye on the ball and vote sensibly for the sake of future generations.

Kogi West, it seems, may finally do what is right. Kogi Central also has the capacity to disentangle the twisted skein with which Wada’s supporters seek to hamstring the state. And Kogi East, where Mr Wada hails from, is reportedly miffed by the governors inattentiveness to their pains. Mr Wada may get plenty of votes from people impressed by the comely and inviting visage of politicians, and from voters who can’t seem to appreciate the fundamentals of politics and balloting, but the votes will likely only be sufficient to spare him humiliation, not give him victory.

Both the APC and Prince Audu should go out and reassure the electorate of his bona fides, of his newfound delicate manners, of his readiness to work and to respect the people’s rights, for the country and the state have changed so radically that former methods will get him into trouble, and of the long list of substantial work he did both in 1992 and 1999. He must resist provocations, and he must understand that if anyone is supporting him today despite his bad press, that support is based on nothing else than his developmental and financial management records. Mr Wada is not an option, and neutrality is a sterile and foolish exercise. Kogi should vote right in November and save themselves the humiliating embarrassment of being counted as one of Nigeria’s leading laggards.

If Arase won’t do something about the police...

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IGERIA is daily inundated with stories of police malfeasance, of so-called accidental discharge, extrajudicial murder, trigger-happy shootings and attendant cover-ups, torture, human rights abuse, and on top of these, ineffective policing. The police, it is clear, are a poorly equipped and poorly incentivised federal establishment. Indeed if states, which exercise little or no control over the security organisation, were not subsidising the operations of the police, it would in all likelihood have collapsed. But poor funding does not justify a large part of police malfeasance. Within the constraints of their operations, it is still possible to run a fairly humanised and fairly responsive police. They may not respond promptly to crime emergencies such as kidnapping and armed robbery because of infrastructural shortcomings, but they can at least control what happens at their stations where distressed citizens present their challenges.

There are three ways to handle the declining efficiency and poor image of the police. First, the federal government must declare an emergency in policing to stem the infrastructural decay and operational and attitudinal rot in the Police Force.

The government cannot pretend not to appreciate the abysmal level to which the police have sunk.

The police need to be restructured, adequately funded and properly equipped — just as efforts are being made to retrain and equip the military — and a firm and organised system of accountability must be instituted. It is not enough for offending policemen to shoot and kill

•Buhari •Arase indiscriminately, sometimes for as little as N100, and be dismissed and prosecuted. What of the dead, and the many who may yet die if the malady is not checked? Have dismissal and prosecution of errant policemen deterred other officers from committing casual murder in the name of the state?

Clearly the problem is more fundamental than the pirouette of malfeasance, dismissal and prosecution. Senior police officers must be made accountable for the behaviour of their men.

Second, the police leadership must find innovative ways of running the law enforcement organisation and enforcing discipline, including reliving officers of their jobs if they cannot control their men, to prevent the kind of appalling behaviour and impunity now rampant in the Force. The federal government may be reluctant to impose innovation on the police. That is why the police have an Inspector-General. Mr Solomon Arase should sit down with his men and other

brilliant and knowledgeable experts to fashion out a way of funding, reorienting and rebuilding the police. The present system is absolutely untenable. Mr Arase must of course understand that if the continuous bad press the police are receiving does not change, it makes his leadership equally untenable. But he must not resign himself to the present situation.

Where others have failed, let him prove he can be a success. Despite the handicaps, let him be determined to leave a great and enduring legacy commensurate with his high educational attainments.

Third, the most practical option — and sooner rather than later, the country will come round to this — is to decentralise the police away from federal to state control, and also rejig the revenue allocation formula to reflect the new reality until such a time that economic federalism will be instituted. The fact is that in the past few decades, both the police leadership and the federal government have appeared to lack the will and ingenuity to run the police. It is perhaps time the Buhari administration summoned the courage to join hands with the National Assembly to recast the police as a state institution. The federal government can no longer fund the institution, and obviously cannot even think for it. It is time others attempted a more imaginative approach. The country is already witnessing paralysis in the police. But paralysis is simply not feasible in the present circumstances of deteriorating security situation and police impunity.

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Website: www.thenationonlineng.net ISSN: 115-5302 E-mail: sunday@thenationonlineng.net Editor: FESTUS ERIYE