The Nation, May 26, 2012

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The leader North wants in 2015 Jigawa Governor 2

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As a people, what we want is how to develop the country where we feel happy and contented. Nigerians don't really care about who the President or governor or the Council chairman is, as long as their basic needs are met

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Okogie retires as Archbishop of Lagos Adewale-Martins replaces him

62-yr-old PDP stalwart docked for voters’ card fraud in Edo

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From left: Deputy Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Tola Banjo; Speaker, Hon. Suraj Adekunbi; Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun; Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; his wife, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun; Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Adeniyi Sonariwo; and Director of Power (Representing the Minister of Power), Mr. Sanusi Garuba during the official flag-off of the distribution of 500 transformers to communities in Ogun State...yesterday

2 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Junaid Mohammed to Jonathan: Don’t touch Buhari •Says: ‘2015 will determine Nigeria’s fate’ Augustine AVWODE

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• President Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Peter Esele and Honourable Minister of Labour Mr. Emeka Wogu cutting the tape to commission the buses during the official roll-out of TUC T and I Buses in Lagos

The President North wants -Lamido

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ORTHERN governors have opted for a development-oriented president to run the nation’s affairs from 2015.

His characteristics should include ability to make the generality of Nigerians happy and contended,according to Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State.

The northern governors, at their last meeting in Kaduna,said the Presidency should return to that region in the next election.

Although, Governor Lamido, speaking against the backdrop of the meeting in an interview, did not say the governors have ditched or will ditch President Goodluck Jonathan,he said if the same governors who went against the interest of their own region in 2011 are now going in a different direction, then something fundamental must be wrong.

“The governors who made the comments were also the governors who made Jonathan their candidate in 2011. Now, if they are talking this way, then something is wrong because all the northern governors supported Jonathan in 2011 and by implication they went against the northern interest in 2015 because of Jonathan, didn’t they? If today they are singing a different tune, I want to believe that it was just because they were concerned about Nigeria,” he said. “ I guess what we should be asking is: what is wrong? As a people, what we want is how to develop the country where we feel happy and contented. Nige-

Why Jonathan will run again -Clark

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JAW leader,Chief Edwin Clark, has declared that President Goodluck Jonathan will not be doing anything unusual by seeking a second term in office in 2015.

He said in Abuja on Thursday that the President, by contesting that election, would only be taking a cue from his predecessors in office all of whom sought and got a second chance.

Chief Clark said: “Former President Shehu Shagari contested the presidential election in 1979 and won and in 1983,he contested for a second term in office and won before he was ousted by the military, led by Maj-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). “ Also,former President Olusegun Obasanjo contested the presidential election in 1999 and won and later contested for a second term in office in 2003 which he also won.

“Why should it be different in the case of President Jonathan?

“Jonathan is a Nigerian. Nigerians voted for him beyond religious and cultural differences. What we should be asking is that he should perform in office. If he performs, and the same Nigerians vote for him,he will have another term.”

He denied knowledge of any promise by the president to do only one term in office, saying:” I am not aware whether he made any commitment to contest for only one term to Nigerians which is irrelevant at the moment. Personal promises cannot override the constitution of Nigeria.”

Dele ANOFI, Abuja rians don’t really care about who the President or governor or the Council chairman is, as long as their basic needs are met,”he added.

But he was quick to add that the North or indeed any part of the country could not go it alone in picking the nation’s president.

“What are we talking about?

Is it a southern Nigeria President, northern Nigeria President or is it about a Nigerian President? If it is about Nigerian President, then all forces must sit down and discuss it because there is no way one bloc would say ‘I must have it.’ The north

tried it last time but failed when Atiku, Gen. Babangida, Gen Aliyu, Bukola all contested and lost the PDP primaries. Then, Gen. Buhari a northerner from CPC contested in the main election, and what happened was history. So this is to prove that the North cannot give us a President all alone and so it is with the South. In other words, it must be a Nigerian consensus.”

He did not take kindly to the comment made by former military ruler, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, that there would be bloodshed should the 2015 elections be rigged.

His words: “We have to be

cautious and stop talking bad about ourselves and that if something does not happen, heaven will fall. Heaven will not fall and if it falls, it will fall on Nigeria, not on another country. “ If you say there is going to be war in Nigeria because you lost an election, it will only affect Nigerians who will be killing themselves. Whatever we say about ourselves, whether on election or whatever, we must think about our culture and discipline and think about how to support it but if you don’t, fair enough. “ If Buhari says there would be war in 2015 because of one thing or the other, fair enough, because to me, the war can only affect Nigerians who will be killing themselves and northerners in particular. “ I know there is no way people from the other regions will be killing each other because of Buhari, it is only the Hausaman who will be killing one another because of him.

“Why all this talk about war, bloodbath? We have to be cautious because I get worried when people who were honoured by God to lead us as Head of State begin to make grave statements that can adversely affect the greater majority of this country. “ When we think of it, at one time, we were all Buhari’s citizens because he was privileged

by God to lead us at one time.

So, no matter how pained he is, being one time leader of this country, he must be worried that majority of us are going to die.”

ONVENER of Concerned Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen (CPAPM), Dr. Junaid Mohammed , has warned that no harm should befall Gen. Muhammadu Buhari following his recent statement about rigging in the 2015 election.

Dr.Junaid believes the polls will be crucial for the country and indeed determine its continued corporate existence.

Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) had alleged plan by security agencies to arrest him after suggesting that any attempt to rig the election would be bloody.

But speaking in an interview with The Nation, Dr.Junaid said: “Listen, I have news for the government and PDP: If they try anything funny with Buhari, they will find themselves in stormy waters because I think that some of them are determined to tempt the anger of Nigerians.”

Dr. Junaid, a Second Republic PRP member of the House of Representatives, said while he does not share the same political views with Buhari, they are one on stopping rigging in 2015.

“I am not Gen. Buhari’s spokesman, neither is he mine. We have never belonged to the same party. I am the chairman of the Peoples Salvation Party (PSP), he was formerly of All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and lately the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). But it is coincidental that we share the same passion about free and fair election.”

“As for a possible backlash, I am not bothered as it is a legitimate thing in politics to challenge anything you feel is not in the interest of the system. Even in a one party state, people retain the right to criticize the government or the ruling party.

“Those who criticised Buhari got it wrong; criticising him was irresponsible. Yes, he needed a reply to what he said, but such a reply should be after or follow a rational analysis. It is only through a rational analysis of whatever he said that anybody can conclude whether he was right or wrong. “ The days of using colonial terminology to muzzle the opposition are gone. If anybody feels that my warning is inciting, he is free to go to court”.

He said if what happened in the 2011 general elections is repeated in 2015,the people would feel obliged to say no.

“I can tell you that 2015 will ultimately decide the fate of Nigeria as a single country and the reason is because if PDP wants to repeat its 2011 game by repudiating its constitution and a gentleman’s agreement among its members and then proceed to rig the election like it did in 2011 and indeed earlier elections, Nigerians will resist and confront it.

“And the confrontation will not come from the North alone, it will come from the South West, and it will come from the South East, where people believe that votes should count and that where an individual or a party has lost and election, he should go back and prepare for the next election.

“If it decides to impose itself on the Nigerian people through rigging, Nigerians will confront it.”

Junaid claimed that the PDP has never won any election since 1999, and accused it of nursing contempt for democratic rules, principles and procedure.

“I personally believe that the PDP has never won any election since 1999 and that every election it claimed to have won was bastardised by the lack of internal democracy and their contempt for democratic rules, principles and procedure to the extent that when a party rigs an election, it disenfranchises not only the opposition parties but poses a serious threat to peace, security and development of the entire country.

“Therefore, those people who want, and everybody who loves to see security, peace and development in Nigeria will stand and must stand to confront the PDP otherwise the entire country and not just the political class, is doomed.”

He denounced the mantra which emphasizes winning elections and retaining power at all cost, saying it was driven by the desire to perpetually control the destiny of Nigerians.

“For the PDP, winning an election and retaining power at all cost is their mantra and beyond getting power to abuse, they have nothing to offer Nigeria and Nigerians. And so long as PDP remains in power by rigging elections, so long will they continue to take diabolical liberties with the destiny of our people.”

Oil subsidy report: We will only probe criminal allegations, says EFCC

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NLY criminal allegations contained in the report of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy will be probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The report is now with the commission having been forwarded to it by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The President wants everyone indicted in the report prosecuted.

The commission has constituted a panel to investigate the allegations.

The panel, headed by the EFCC Director of Organisation ,it was gathered yesterday,is already quizzing some oil marketers in respect of the allegations against them.

President Jonathan referred the report to the EFCC through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), last Monday.

Investigation showed that issues in the report bordering on matters relating to conduct of civil servants are within the purview of the Code of Conduct Bureau and the ICPC. The House Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy had recommended that some oil marketers and top officials of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) be investigated and prosecuted by anti-graft agencies.

Those to be probed by anti-graft agencies (now only EFCC) are 121 oil marketers as follows: •17 marketers that did not obtain FOREX but claimed to have imported petroleum products.

•Anti-graft agency gets House Ad Hoc Committee’s Report from presidency Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation •15 marketers who obtained FOREX but did not import petroleum products.

•71 oil marketers to face probe and refund N230.1billion •18 oil marketers committed other infractions.

Other issues for probe by the EFCC are: •How 3.171billion litres of PMS got missing. The 3.171 litres of PMS allegedly subsidized were not supplied to the Nigerian market.

•Ex-PPPRA Executive Secretaries, Mr. A. Ibikunle (August 2009 to February 2011) and Mr. Goddy Egbuji(February to August 2011) for further probe and trial by the EFCC, ICPC •Others are PPPRA’s GM Field Services, ACDO/Supervisor-Ullage Team 1 and ACDO/Supervisor-Ullage Team 2 •All staff in Procurement Unit of PPPRA between 2009 and 2011 to be punished according to civil service rules.

•Ex-PPPRA Chairman, Ahmadu Ali and board members reprimanded •NNPC should be probed to determine solvency.

•Those indicted in NNPC management and board between 2009 and 2011 should be prosecuted.

On the bazaar in the PPPRA, the report said: “The Committee identified that the marketers were often awarded superfluous quan-

tities of products to supply but often did not meet the target.

“In 2009, PPPRA approved a supply of 11,341,507,500 litres of PMS for the marketers. However PPPRA confirmed the marketers discharged only 5,085, 206, 983 litres or 55.16% under-discharge.

“Despite being aware of the under-performance by the marketers in 2009 or the defect in its procurement process and management, PPPRA increased the 2010 Approved Deliverables to 12,410,955, 000 litres. The marketers delivered only 6,226,586,543 that is 49.8% under performance. In spite of the under performance, there were no crises of product availability throughout 2011.

“This same ugly trend was maintained by PPPRA in 2011 during which it increased its approved quantity to 13,589,510,000 litres but however confirmed a delivery of 9,317,145,231 litres, an under performance by 31.4%. “(i) By PPPRA’s representation, the marketers received N680.982billion as subsidy for supplying 9,317,145,275 litres of PMS in 2011. (ii)Curiously, PPPRA made another presentation that the marketers were paid N975.896billion for supplying 12,488,789,611 litres of PMS in 2011.

“Between (i) and (ii) above, PPPRA has confirmed that the sum of N294, 914billion was paid on 3,171,644,336 litres of PMS that might not have been supplied to the Nigerian market.

“The anomaly is hereby referred to the relevant anti-corruption agencies for further investigation.”

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

NEWS 3

Only steady electricity can heal nation’s economy, say Amosun, Nnaji Ernest NWOKOLO, Abeokuta

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GUN State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, yesterday said the nation’s desire for economic growth and development may not be accomplished until her energy need is addressed.

They believe that steady electricity supply is a necessary condition for the nation’s economy to thrive and attract investments, hence the resolve by state and federal governments to take energy issue more seriously in recent times.

The duo spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, during the commissioning and distribution of 500 pieces of transformers to Ogun communities as part of the activities to mark Governor Amosun’s one year in office.

The Minister of Power, who was represented by the Director of Power at the ministry, Engr. Sanusi Garba, noted that there is a strong correlation between availability of electricity and nation’s economic growth, noting that the government at the centre has now placed “high priority status” on the power sector.

He said the new electricity tariff which will take effect on June 1, will ensure fairness to all.

“It is very important to inform the public that the new tariff will result in lower rates for rural dwellers and the urban less well-to-do. “ Consumers with relatively higher levels of consumption will pay appropriate rates which are significantly lower than the cost of self-generation,” Nnaji said.

For Governor Amosun, aside the crucial role electricity plays in powering different domestic devices, it is also the driving force behind medicine, engineering, information communication technology, commerce and industry.

He said given the experience of countries like Japan, China and other Asian countries, Nigerians can be mobilised into productive ventures that could stimulate rapid national growth and industrial development if the electricity challenge the nation contends with is fixed. “ It (electricity) has become the major catalyst for industrialisation, after considering availability of raw materials and needed manpower.

“In fact, the examples of Japan, China, Korea and some other nations of Asia have shown that given a well-mobilised citizenry and availability of conducive environment, nations are capable of industrial development, even in the face of non-availability of raw materials,” he said.

ACN in Canada thanks host govt for $18m donation to Nigeria Olukayode THOMAS

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HE co-coordinator of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Canada, Alhaji Alade Fatai Adeshina, has applauded the Canadian government for donating $18 million to Nigeria to boost research in health, environment and agriculture.

The donation was made by the President of Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Mr. David Malore Rent. Adeshina advised that the money should be used judiciously so that Nigeria can get more assistance from Canada.

Adeshina also thanked the Canadian government for the registration of ACN in Canada. He argued that the registration of ACN in Canada would go a long way in harmonising relation with the parent body in Nigeria.

He also praised the leader of the party, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Alhaji Lai Muhammed and the entire leadership of the party for the progress and development achieved in recent years.

Adeshina also commended the ACN governors, especially the executive Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, for his giant strides in Lagos; Adams Oshiomole for the turnaround in Edo State and Kayode Fayemi for his exploits in Ekiti State.

The Co-coordinator of ACN in Canada believe that early signs from Abiola Ajimobi in Oyo State; Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State and Ibikunle Amosun in Ogun State show they will emulate their progressive colleagues who have done well in their states.

For Adeshina the achievements of ACN governors gives a clear signal of what ACN will do if given the mandate at the federal level in 2015.

Highlighting the programmes of ACN Canada in Nigeria, he stated that the organisation would soon be out with its programmes in support of the party in Ondo and Edo states for the upcoming governorship elections.

From left: Wife of the Senate President, Helen Mark; Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu; Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Zainab Maina and the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT),Olajumoke Akinjide during the flag-off ceremony of Maternal, New Born and Child Health Week in Abuja Yesterday.

Photo Abayomi FAYESE

62-year-old PDP stalwart docked for voters’ card fraud A 62-year-old woman, Felicia Enegbeta, has been arraigned before the Evboriara Magistrate Court, Benin for procuring and dealing in INEC voters’ cards.

The alleged offence is contrary to Section 124(5) and punishable under Section 120(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

Enegbeta is the Secretary and Public Relations Officer of the Peoples Democratic Party in Unit 5 Ward 6, in Ubiaja, Esan South East LGA, Edo State.

She was charged on three counts under suit no MEV/ 82C/2012.

The charge reads in part: "That you, Felicia Enegbeta 'F' on the 17th May, 2012 in the Ubiaja Magistrate Court Jurisdiction did conspire with others now at large to commit an offence to wit: procurement and dealing in INEC Voters' Cards contrary to Section 124(5) and punishable under Section 120(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended."

The case was adjourned till June 19, 2012.

Three other PDP members had earlier on Tuesday been charged before the Afuze Magistrate Court for allegedly conspiring to procurement and deal in INEC voters’ cards, contrary to section 124(5) and punishable under section 120 (!) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

The three accused persons have four counts listed against them. They include: “That you,

•Edo ACN writes IG over political killings Emmanuel OLADESU Deputy Political Editor

Richard Usikhifo 'M', Segun Omoarebu 'M' and Ajayi Ohikhuemi 'M' sometime in the month of May 2012 at Imafun Quaters in Otuo, in the Afuze Magisterial District, did unlawfully conspire to commit an offence, to wit: procurement and dealing in INEC Voters Cards contrary to Section 124(5) and punishable under Section 120(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

“That you, Richard Usikhifo 'M' sometime in the month of May 2012 at Imafun Quarters in Otuo, in the Afuze Magisterial District, did unlawfully procure and deal in INEC Voters' Cards belonging to persons other than as provided in the Act, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 120 (1)(d) of the Electoral Act 2012 as amended.

“That you, Segun Omoarebu 'M' on or about the 13th day of May, 2012, at Imafun Quarters, Otuo, in the Afuze Magisterial District, did have in your possession without lawful excuse, Seventy (70) INEC Voters' Cards belonging to other persons, and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 120(1)(c) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

That you, Ajayi Ohikhuemi 'M' sometime in the month of May 2012 at Imafun Quarters

Otuo, in the Afuze Magisterial District, being a person entitled to a Voter’s Card, gave it to one Mr Richard Usikhifo, who is not an officer appointed and acting in the course of his duty under the Electoral Act, for use at an election, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 120(1) (a) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.”

Meanwhile, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Edo State has urged the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to investigate the murder, assassination attempts and violence being perpetrated by unpatriotic elements ahead of the governorship election in the state.

The Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dan Owegie, lamented that desperate Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in the state perceived the forthcoming poll as a do-or-die affair, thereby heating up the state.

The ruling party in Edo State also urged the police boss to investigate the extent of PDP’s culpability in the failed registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), especially the attempt by PDP agents to cart away data capturing machines.

Owegie complained that the PDP chairman, Mr. Dan Orbih, had embarked on virulent and provocative media attacks on Governor Adams Oshiomhole

at a time the people are rooting for his second term ambition, alerting that PDP was bent on promoting violence before and during the election.

He alleged that the investigation of the slain governor’s private secretary, Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde, the attack on the governor’s convoy, and other forms of political violence in the state followed the meeting convened by some PDP stalwarts, where the controversial decision to unleash mayhem on the state was taken without sparing thoughts for the future.

The Publicity Secretary said the attack on the governor and ACN in the state had been accompanied with moves by the PDP to rig the poll, as revealed by opposition party’s desperation to register non-residents, under-aged and thugs in areas where they lack electoral strength.

He said: “It is disheartening that a politically spent force, who cannot win a polling booth in Yorubaland, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, had boasted that Edo State is crucial to the PDP and that its national leadership will relocate to the state to ensure that they win the state at all cost.”

Owegie implored the IG to thoroughly investigate the assassinations and manipulation of INEC by the PDP and make the report of the findings public. He said Oshiomole’s promise of N10 million to any person who can assist in unraveling his private secretary’s murder should not cause panic in the PDP, if its members were innocent.

Salami denied fair hearing, says US report

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HE United States of America (USA) has tagged the ongoing ordeal of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, as denial of fair public trial.

The US State Department in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011 just released in Washinton DC, spoke of pressure on the judiciary by the executive and legislative arms as well as the business sector.

It was particularly scathing in its review of the Justice Salami saga.

It said: “Although the con-

stitution and law provide for an independent judiciary, the judicial branch remained susceptible to pressure from the executive and legislative branches and the business sector.

“Political leaders influenced the judiciary, particularly at the state and local levels.

Understaffing, underfunding, inefficiency, and corruption continued to prevent the judiciary from functioning adequately.

Judges frequently failed to appear for trials, often because they were pursuing other sources of income and some-

times because of threats against them. In addition, court officials often lacked the proper equipment, training, and motivation to perform their duties, with lack of motivation primarily due to inadequate compensation.

During the year, Supreme Court judges called for a more independent judiciary.

“On August 18, the National Judicial Council (NJC) suspended the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Isa Salami, after he refused the NJC’s directive to apologise to the NJC and the chief justice of Nigeria, Justice

Aloysius Katsina-Alu. Salami had accused Katsina-Alu of interfering in the proceedings of the 2007 Sokoto State gubernatorial court case.

“In an attempt to settle the dispute, the NJC set up three panels to investigate the disagreement. The panels declared neither justice was at fault, declared the issue resolved, and requested that Salami apologise to the NJC and Katsina-Alu. The Nigerian Bar Association reached contrary findings, and Salami refused to apologise.

“After the NJC suspended Salami, President Jonathan

used his constitutional authority to recommend the compulsory retirement of Salami and appointed Justice Dalhatu Adamu as acting president of the Court of Appeals. The case raised questions regarding the partisan nature and level of independence within the judiciary. Salami appealed the ruling, and the court case continued at year’s end.

“The Ministry of Justice implemented strict requirements for the education and the length of service for judges at the federal and state level; however, no requirements or

monitoring bodies existed for judges at the local level, which resulted in corruption and miscarriages of justice in those courts.”

President Goodluck Jonathan has refused to reinstate Justice Salami despite the positive recommendation made by the National Judicial Council (NJC) because as the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Mr.Mohammed Adoke said, recalling him (Salami) now would be subjudice in view of the cases on the matter that are in court.

4 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

How governors prevented NASS from imposing PDP constitution on Nigerians -Amaechi T HE Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), yesterday revealed how NGF members prevented the PDP constitution from being forced on Nigerians.

He also declared support for state police, canvassed punishment for election riggers and posited that the Boko Haram problem was caused by the failure of leadership.

Amaechi stated these at the retreat of the House of Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the Le Meridien Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Amaechi, in his extempore speech, said: “Do we need true federalism or not? If we do not address the issues, constitution amendment will continue to reoccur in the National Assembly. Constitution is not a document you write every day.

“For the first time, I will have to make a comment about the National Assembly.

•Says failure of governace produced Boko Haram

Bisi OLANIYI, Port Harcourt I have never criticised the National Assembly. As a former member of the legislature, I have never, in any forum, criticised the National Assembly.

“If not for the NGF, the kind of constitution that would have come out of the National Assembly in 2010, Nigerians would have been shocked, including the fact that the National Assembly merely transposed the PDP Constitution into the Federal Constitution.

“It was a national issue and we (NGF members) had to hold meetings and we resolved that we should have a federal constitution and not a constitution in form of PDP’s constitution.

“National issues by far, are more important than individuals’ interests. Nobody should sit here and say I am

from the North, South, West or East. We are Nigerians. If you are not ready to be Nigerians, you are not ready to be Nigerians. If you are ready to be Nigerians, you must be Nigerians.

“As you are seated here, history is in the making. History is watching you and history will then be told. Nobody writes history by himself. You must not protect the interests of any of the six zones. When you go (die), your children will make the history of the constitution amendment and they will even include the fact that one of the sessions was held in Port Harcourt, and they will study it.

“So, if you want to be on the right side of history, you must therefore give to us what we refer to as a historical document. A document that will solve the problems of Nigerians.”

The Chairman of the con-

ference of speakers (Garba Inuwa) earlier called for the autonomy of state legislatures, but Amaechi said it was the least of the problems facing the country.

Amaechi asked Inuwa to meet with him, for them to see how the issue could be resolved in conjunction with other governors, thereby dealing with more important issues that affect the nation.

Commenting on the suicide bombings in the country, the NGF chairman said: “Boko Haram is the inability of the leadership of Nigeria to govern properly. Children between 18 and 21 years are the ones that are into Boko Haram.

“These are children. Since they were born 18 years ago, they never saw light, no school, no water, no education.

Absolutely nothing. They were driven by social, economic and political violence.

When they begin to react to

critical violence, you call them Boko Haram.

“If you do not want them to react to critical violence, you must provide for them good education, water, roads, light.

If you are busy in your school, you will not have time for Boko Haram.

“What is OPC (Oodua Peoples Congress)? The same failure of governance in the past 18 to 20 years. What is Niger Delta militancy? The same.

The elite of Nigeria are yet to rise above board. Nigeria is a nation.

“What is more important to Nigeria is the interest of Nigerians; not the interest of individuals who make money to the detriment of Nigeria.

“I am saying these to my own detriment. I know how I have been under pressure.

They are planning to do one thing or the other against me.

I have been facing all sorts of harassment because of my position as a Nigerian. I will con-

tinue to say it until I leave office as governor.

Senator Ita Enang, who represented the Senate President, Senator David Mark, however disagreed with Amaechi while making his remarks, stressing that in 2010, the nation’s constitution was not amended, only the Electoral Act was deliberated upon.

Mark also assured that the senators would work with members of the House of Representatives to have a constitution that would be acceptable to Nigerians.

The retreat was attended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, who is also the Chairman of the House’s committee on the review of the constitution, and a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, MohammedUwais.

Other dignitaries included a former Justice of the Supreme Court, Adolphus KaribiWhyte; Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, Garba Inuwa and the Head of Department For International Development (DFID) in Nigeria, Mr. Richard Montgomery.

Okogie retires as Archbishop of Lagos •Alfred Adewale-Martins replaces him Nneka NWANERI NEW Archbishop has been named for the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos. He is the former bishop of the Diocese of Abeokuta, Alfred Adewale-Martins.

Adewale-Martins is taking over from Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, who is retiring.

The elevation of Rev. Bishop Adewale-Martins was announced by Pope Benedict (XVI) in Rome yesterday.

A statement by the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBN) said: “His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has today, Friday 25th May, 2012, appointed as Archbishop of Lagos, His Lordship, Most Rev Alfred Adewale Martins. He replaces His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okogie who retired, having attained the canonical age of 75. Until his appointment, Bishop Alfred Martins was the Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese.

“At the same time, the Pope appointed His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie as the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Lagos until the installation of the newly appointed Archbishop.”

Bishop Adewale-Martins was born in Abeokuta on January 1, 1959. He was ordained Priest in September 1983. In October 1997, he was appointed Bishop of Abeokuta and was ordained on January 24, 1998.

The date for the installation of the Archbishop is yet to be announced.

Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (born 16 June 1936) is a Nigerian Cardinal Priest and formerly Archbishop of Lagos in the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal Okogie on the other hand was born in Lagos to a royal family of Uromi in Edo State on June 16, 1936. He holds a licentiate in sacred theology and had planned to study in Rome but was called to Nigeria where he was a pastoral assistant at the Holy Cross Cathedral. He was drafted into the Nigerian Army and served there as a chaplain. After another period of service at Holy Cross Cathedral, he was an instructor at King’s College.

In 1971, he was ordained titular Bishop of Mascula and Auxiliary of Oyo and was named an Archbishop in 1973. As Archbishop, Okogie was the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, and from 1994 to 2000, headed the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

He was proclaimed Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in the consistory of 21 October 2003, and holds the title of Cardinal Priest of Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo a Mostacciano (or in English, Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel of Mostacciano).

During his cardinalate, Okogie was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.

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•From left: The Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Peter Obi; the Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu; the Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN at the Federal Ministry of Power Town Hall Meeting on Attaining Sustainable and Reliable Power Supply, held at Landtana Hall, Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos yesterday.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

N155bn Malabu oil scandal: Umar demands open probe from Senate

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FORMER Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, yesterday asked the Senate to conduct an open enquiry into the alleged N155 billion deal on oil block OPL 245.

He also asked the government to review the policy of granting oil blocks to indigenous oil firms without technical competence.

Umar, who is also the chairman of the Movement for Unity and Progress (MUP), made his views known in a statement in Abuja.

He said: "We commend the decision of the Senate to investigate the OPL 245 transactions between the Federal Government and Malabu Oil Company on the one hand and the Federal Government and Shell Nigeria on the other.

"We cannot, however, understand the rationale behind the decision of the Senate to conduct the investigation in camera.

Only an open investigation can satisfy the need for transparency and accountability.

"The crucial element in this investigation is to determine the ownership structure of Malabu Oil Company.

Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation "If as it is being rumoured Malabu was linked to top serving public office holders when the allocation was made, then not only should the allocation be declared illegal, the Senate must ensure that the officers involved are prosecuted.

"Once again, we advise the Federal Government to review the policy of granting oil blocs to indigenous oil companies that do not possess the technical competence to engage in this venture.

"This policy has only resulted in making a few influential Nigerians stupendously rich without contributing to the growth of the nation's economy.

"If we truly want to empower Nigerians, then the most deserving are the original owners of the land where the acreages are being carved out."

But a top source, who was involved in the sale of the oil block, said: "Let those of us involved be invited and I will open up to Nigerians.

"In fact, I want the Senate to go the whole hog to review the decision of the Federal Government on the oil block. But I won't talk until the Senate deems it fit to invite us."

New governing board for Legal Aid Council THE Federal Government has approved a new governing board for Legal Aid Council (LAC). The 16-member committee is chaired by Mr. Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN).

Members include Mrs. Fatunde, representing the Attorney General of the Federation; Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, representing NYSC; Adebayo Ajileye, a commissioner of police who is representing the Inspector General of Police; Olumuyiwa Akinboro (NBA); Hajiya Fatima Okugade (NBA), Adebayo Adelodun, SAN, (NBA), Okay Akobudu (NBA) and Hajiya Hadijat Usman, representing Kogi State office of LAC. Others are Iyabode Ogunseye (FIDA); Usmantu Ami (NLC); Jibrin Gimba (Taraba); Dapak L.L, representing Prison Service; Mrs. Bob-Manuel (Director General, LAC), as well as representatives of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Finance Ministry.

Jonathan renews appointment of medical RESIDENT Goodluck director of FMC Abeokuta Jonathan has approved

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the renewal of the appointment of Dr. Oladapo Sunday Sotiloye for a second term of four years as the Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, in a letter dated May 18, 2012, with reference number HMSH/

FMH/23 conveyed President Jonathan’s endorsement to Dr Sotiloye.

The letter reads in part: “I write to inform you that Mr. President and Commander-inChief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR has approved the renewal of your appointment as the Medical Director of

Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State for a second and final term of four (4) years with effect from June 20, 2012 to June 20, 2016.

“While congratulating you on your reappointment, I urge you to endeavour to keep up and improve upon the achievements already accomplished at the FMC.”

NEWS 5 Oyo begins construction of 150-room five-star hotel

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Three policemen, four others killed in Ekiti bank robbery

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RMED robbers on Thursday attacked the branch of a first generation bank in IlasaEkiti, Ekiti State, killing three policemen and four others.

The robbers, who gained access into the banking hall by blowing off the entrance of the bank using a dynamite, carted away an undisclosed amount of money.

They were said to have used AK47 and Kalashnikov rifles, shooting sporadically into the air for about 45 minutes.

It would be recalled that robbers had attacked the Ado-Ekiti branch of the bank early last year, also using a dynamite to pull down the entrance, killing about 10 people.

Two of the policemen were reportedly shot dead at Ilasa Police Station, while the third, who was guarding the bank, was said to have been killed at the entrance of the bank.

Four others, said to be indigenes of the town and Omuo-Ekiti, were killed by stray bullets from the sporadic shootings of the robbers.

As a result of this development, commercial activities were badly affected, especially the movement of

Sulaiman SALAWUDEEN, Ado Ekiti traders from the town to other praces.

According to an eyewitness, eight robbers invaded the bank at about 1.30pm and

launched an attack on the bank.

They were said to have also launched an attack at the same time on a nearby police station.

Residents reportedly ran

into the bush with many sustaining injuries in the process.

The spokeman for the Police in the state, Victor Babayemi, confirmed the incident.

He said the state Commissioner of Police will give further details on the incident.

A •From left: Director, Eko Atlantic, Dirk Heijboer Royal Hashkoning, Prince Adesegun Oniru, Lagos State Commissioner for Water Front and Infrastructure; David Frame, Managing Director, South Energyx in Nigeria; and Brent Sadler at a press conference on Eko Atlantic Development Rising Confidence in New Lagos City at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

PHOTO: Omosehin MOSES

Damisi OJO, Akure

mental agenda, here is a haven of peace devoid of deceit”.

Ilori donated a sum of N1 million to the Ondo West ACN as part of his contribution to the growth of the party.

Folajimi further said: “We

have moved from a political party of darkness to that of light. We are happy to leave the company of the ungodly called the LP, a party where deceit, rumour mongering, betrayal and corruption are celebrated. The Mimiko-led government has failed people with his cosmetic projects”.

He told the new members

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to work very hard for the party and ensure that the ACN candidate emerge as governor in the October 2012 election in Ondo State.

Also speaking, the ACN Contact and Mobilisation Committee Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, told the members to be up and doing to ensure the victory of the ACN in the election.

CNPP lauds Amosun over development

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HE Conference of Ni geria Political Parties (CNPP), Ogun State chapter, has commended Governor IbikunleAmosun over his laudable infrastructural development of Ogun State within his first year in office.

In a communiqué issued after its emergency meeting held in Abeokuta jointly signed by its chairman Otunba Owolabi Odebudo

and Secretary-General Mr. AbiolaLawal, the group commended the state government’s efforts on security matters for providing armoured tanks and security vehicles for the police to strengthen the security apparatus.

The group also praise the government for providing vigilante groups to complement security agents’ efforts in combating crimes and other social vices in Ogun

Group provides 1,116 free health care facilities ONCERNED about the plight of patients occasioned by the current crisis in Lagos State health sector, the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Lagos State Chapter, has provided additional 1,116 free health facilities to ameliorate the sufferings of patients.

This is in addition to the 84 facilities earlier provided by the association which brings the number 1,200.

The group also advised the governments to convene a National Health Summit where all stakeholders will be involved.

HE Oyo State Government yesterday formally commenced the construction of a 150-room five-star hotel in the heart of Ibadan, the state capital.

The hotel, which is under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, will be built at a cost N6 billion.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi, while turning the sod of the hotel situated a few metres away from the popular Premier Hotel and Cultural Centre, Mokola, said that it was a key prong of his administration’s restoration and developmental initiatives.

“If Chief Obafemi Awolowo constructed Premier Hotel many decades ago, a government patterned after his like ours, should also seek to equal, if not better, this laudable and evergreen initiative,’’ he said.

According to the governor, the state government will provide cash injection of 10 per cent of the total project cost, in addition to value of the site.

He said the hotel would provide an international conference centre and banquet facility for a projected 400–750 guests, adding that all its facilities would be of international standard and with a touch of class that his administration had been known with in the last one year.

“We have chosen this site as a result of the tripartite value addition we want the people of Oyo State and the guests from all over the world whom we expect in our state as a result of our aggressive developmental drives to benefit from it.

“Indeed, this hotel is formulated to key into a triangular developmental corridor that we expect of this area.

“Already, the Cultural Centre, which we are going to develop to international standard, is sited in this corridor; so also is the legendary Premier Hotel, jointly owned by Oyo and other Oodua states,” Governor Ajimobi said.

Multi-links gives Osun N100 million worth of modems

2,000 LP members from Mimiko's ward defect to ACN O VER 2000 members of the ruling Labour Party (LP) in the Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The defectors were from the same ward with Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

They were led by a notable politician, Hon. Akintunde John Folajimi.

Receiving the new members, an ACN leader in the state, Hon. Bola Ilori, said the defectors were moving from darkness to light, stressing that they had joined the rescue team.

Ilori, who is a Special Adviser to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Environment and Sanitation, assured them that the ACN would never disappoint the masses.

He said: “I salute your determination for moving from a sinking rudderless boat of the LP voyage to Eldorado with a party better known for its pedigree of performance and develop-

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Wale ADEPOJU The state Chairman, AGPMPN, Dr Olayinka Oladosu, who briefed the press in Lagos yesterday on the performance of the earlier 84 hospitals designated to offer free services, said the rationale behind the establishment of the centres was to ameliorate the situation not to substitute government hospitals.

He said the centres could only help. “We are trying to ameliorate; we cannot solve all the problems,” he said.

Oladosu said the services of the 1,200 facilities were actually free but beneficia-

ries must be card-carrying patients of the state hospitals.

“Right now, we have some hospitals that are still functional. They are the General Hospital, Igando, Mainland General Hospital, Harvey Road Hospital, Yaba, among others. In case of a serious emergency, we can always refer to these hospitals spread across the state,” he added.

Oladosu, however, said not all the government hospitals were closed down, saying patients had been referred from the private hospitals to these government hospitals.

State.

The group called on the government to hasten the repairs and reconstruction of all dilapidated roads, as well as intervene and fast track the transformation of Ogun State to a model state.

On the 2012 local government election in the state, the CNPP expressed the willingness to challenge the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) on its recent issuance of electoral guidelines for the forthcoming local government election in the state scheduled for July 21, alleging disobedience of a court judgment which forbids the electoral body from issuing any electoral guidelines.

The group recalled a judgement on Suit No AB/ 66/2004 instituted at the state High Court Abeokuta by late Chief GaniFawehinmi (SAN) in 2004 in which the court ruled in a clear and unambiguous terms that Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), Ogun State House of Assembly and Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice have no power to issue guidelines or make laws for the conduct of local government elections.

Nigerian telecommunication company, Multi-links Telecommunication Ltd., has donated 1,000 new browsing modems worth N100 million to the Osun State government.

The Director of Sales of the company, Mr. Suru Afose, presented the modems to the Director, Bureau of Online and Mobile Technology (BOMT), Osun State, Mr. Adeniran Ojikutu, in Osogbo.

Afose commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola for creating and funding an establishment that deals with Information Communication Technology (ICT).

He said the gesture from Multi-links was in line with the recognition of the governor’s effort to digitalize the state.

Noting that Multi-links acknowledged the commitment of the governor to promoting ICT in the state, he said they were partnering the state government “to ensure that the civil servants, students and other residents of the state are ICT compliance.”

Also, the Director of Enterprises of the company, Mr. Sola Oyefeso, at the programme said the donation was to empower the workforce and enhance the output of the state civil servants.

He noted that the gesture was also aimed at transforming the state to digitalization.

Responding, the Director, Bureau of Online and Mobile Technology (BOMT) in Osun State, disclosed that the state government is prepared to develop the state with new innovation and people friendly programme.

Ojikutu said Osun would soon be one of the leading states “that is ICT compliant in the country”.

Clark, Sambo’s wife, Ekere win Leadtimes’ awards

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HE wife of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo; Deputy Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Obong Nsima Ekere; and the Niger Delta Leader and nationalist, Chief (Dr.) Edwin K. Clark are among the eminent persons that will bag this year’s edition of Leadtimes Magazine’s award for their contributions to peace and national development.

Others are Katsina State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema, and his Imo State counterpart, Chief Rochas Okorocha, who are also listed for the award. The programme, which is titled African Leadership and the War Against Corruption, is billed for June in Abuja.

A statement credited to the board chairman of the Leadtimes Africa Magazine, Prof. Buba S. Mshelia, said: “These governors have done extremely well for the people of their respective states, hence the magazine will confer on them the prestigious Leadtimes Africa Grand Star Award for Excellence in Quality Service Delivery in recognition of their selfless services”.

The programme will also host the former Executive Secretary, Borno State Education Endowment Fund, Hajiya Aishatu Ngulde. His Royal Highness, Alhaji Audu Nizazo III, Etsu of Kwali, FCT, will serve as fathers of the day at the event.

WAEC: Merit award for RCCG girl

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HE candidate with the best overall national result in the June 2011 WAEC is from The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 16.

The province is organising a National Distinction Merit Award to appreciate her and reward other youths who have done well in their studies and other endeavours.

The event holds today at 12noon at RCCG Lagos Province 16 Headquarters, Plot 19, Water Corporation Road, off Ligali Ayorinde, Victoria Island, Lagos, according to a statement issued by Pastorl Olaitan Olubiyi.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Imoke leads raid on illegal oil bunkering haven

EN hand dug boats, two barges and several hundreds of containers used in illegal lifting of petroleum products in Akpabuyo and Bakassi local government areas of Cross River State were set ablaze on Thursday during a raid by security personnel led by Governor Liyel Imoke.

About 107 tankers laden with petroleum products and pumping machines were seized during the six-hour raid.

Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Christian Ita listed the localities raided during the operation ias Esuk Mba beach, Akpabuyo and Ikang Primary Health Care Centre, Esuk Ekonke Beach, Shell Road, Ikang and Edik Idim.

Imoke, who was accompanied by service commanders and operatives of the state’s Quick Intervention Squad, said it was unfortunate that illegal lifting of petroleum prod-

•107 tankers seized, barges set ablaze Augustine AVWODE ucts and blood-money making business was thriving in those communities.

He said these activities were not only illegal but also destructive to the environment and social settings of those areas.

Imoke pledged to extend the raid to every nook and cranny of the state where such illegal activities are being carried out.

Addressing residents of the raided communities Imoke said the roads which were used as access to the beaches for the illegal activities were built for genuine businesses to boost legitimate economic activities of the people.

Imoke remarked that the roads were constructed to promote trade and tour-

ism and said perpetrators of such illegal activities, who are none indigenes of the state, would leave

after despoiling the environment.

He, therefore, urged the people to join hands with

his administration to rid the state of negative elements.

Illegal lifting of petroleum products along Marina, Calabar, was banned by the governor last year.

Following the ban, those engaged in the activities simply relocated to Akpabuyo and Bakassi axis, which until Thursday were safe havens for them.

•Imoke flanked by security operatives during the raid ...on Thursday.

Democracy Day: Boko Haram plans to attack Borno, says JTF

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HE Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Restore Order in Borno yesterday in Maiduguri said the dreaded Boko Haram sect had concluded plans to distrupt peace in the state on May 29, Democracy Day. The task force, in a press statement by its spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said the plot to cause mayhem in the state was uncovered by members of the JTF through information gathered from their investigations.

He said: “Members of the group intend to attack identified locations in Maiduguri metropolis and environs.”

He, therefore, warned

Joseph ABIODUN, Maiduguri

members of the sect and others planning to breach

security to have a rethink, as the JTF would deal ruthlessly with any one or group trying to jeopardize the prevailing

peace and security achieved in the state so far.

Musa said the task force was determined to protect

lives and property of all law-abiding citizens in the state.

He advised members of the public to go about

their lawful activities without panic as “the JTF is up to the task of warding off any threat to peace and security.

Abia PDP: Supreme Court dismisses suit against Orji

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HE Supreme Court yesterday dismissed the appeal by a top notcher of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia state, Chief Ikechi Emenike against Governor Theodore Orji.

The court upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which affirmed the decision of an Abuja Federal High Court.

The appellant had asked the apex court to declare him as the party’s candidate in the 2011 governor-

Kamarudeen OGUNDELE, Abuja ship election.

The Respondents were the PDP, its then Acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Mohammed; the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Orji.

In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice John Fabiyi, the apex court said the issues raised by the Appellant showed that the

nomination and selection of candidates are purely domestic affairs of a party.

Although the court agreed that it has jurisdiction to look into how a political party conducts its affairs, it maintained that it has no power to compel a party to sponsor a particular candidate.

Justice Fabiyi said courts can only intervene in a selection exercise if it was not conducted in line with the Electoral Act as amended, after the litigant must have

shown that he participated in the primaries.

Besides, the court said only the primaries approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of a party would be recognized in adjudication and not the one organized by the State Executive Committee (SEC).

“The State Executive Committee did not state where it derived its powers to modify the provisions guiding the nomination of

candidate.

It noted inconsistencies in the claims of the appellant and held that it was obvious that: “The Appellant was not cleared for participation in the primaries authorized by the NEC. It was clear that the fourth Respondent (Orji) was duly cleared for the primaries.

The claims of the Appellant did not raise any question mark about the membership of the fourth respondent in his reliefs”, the Court held.

Unending twists in Suswam’s certificate forgery case

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HE case of alleged certificate forgery involving Benue State Governor, Gabriel Torwua Suswam has taken yet another twist. This time, the Magistrate handling one of the numerous cases in the saga, Hajia Hafsat Soso Sadiq of Chief Magistrate Court 2, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja has been placed under investigation and ordered to hands off the case by the Chief Justice of the Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdafer.

The CJN acted on a petition, written against the Magistrate by Barrister Alexander Oketa. In the April 23, 2012 petition, and addressed to the Chairman, National Judicial Council, Barrister Oketa accused Hajia Hafsat of professional misconduct Specifically,Barrister Oketa who is a solicitor for Chidozie Ukpabi alleged that Hajia Hafsat Soso Sadiq had formed the unusual habit of phoning his

Our REPORTER client at odd hours, urging him to accept a job and a N20 million bribe from Suswam so that the charges against him would be dropped. Chidozie Ukpabi was also allegedly urged to issue a press statement to the effect that his allegations of certificate forgery against Suswam were prompted by Senator George Akume to blackmail Suswam as part of a deal to get him out of trouble.

“She told our client that the money was to be paid to him through her and that our client needed not worry about being doublecrossed. She assured our client that she would hand over the money which she claimed was already in her possession as soon as our client appends his signature to the affidavit and makes the aforesaid press statement”, Barrister Oketa al-

leged.

The petition mentioned the role allegedly played by one Jonah Onche, said to be a close associate of Gabriel Suswam. Onche is said to be a frequent visitor to Magistrate Hafsat’s chambers and had been seen driving out of the Court’s complex with her in convivial mood. He is alleged to have also phoned Chidozie with the same message as that given

by Magistrate Hafsat, between May, June and July 2011.

“The said Jonah Onche sent N100,000 to our client’s United Bank for Africa bank account no: 03920520017593 on the 12th day of July 2011 and instructed him to meet with him in Abuja but our client sensed danger and refused to meet him”, the petitioner alleged.

Barrister Oketa cited a press interview granted two journalists of the National Mail by the Magistrate in which she allegedly admitted calling Chidozie.

She, however, denied ever making an offer of N20 million to the accused person.

“Because our client refused to comply, the Chief Magistrate is at the verge of sending him to prison by every conceivable means.

The Chief magistrate has engaged herself in several irregularities and arbitrary, prejudicial and unconstitutional conducts aimed at jailing the accused persons”, Oketa added.

Attached to the petition was an affidavit in support of a motion exparte sworn to by Chidozie. In the affidavit, Chidozie alleged among other things that the Magistrate refused to release to him records of proceedings in her court to enable him challenge her grotesque rulings in the case at a superior court.

“Since January 2011, we applied for records of proceedings and paid the sum of N15,000 to enable us process our said appeal and to furnish His Lordship Justice O.O Goodluck (Mrs) who

had requested for it to enable him decide on our application for the stay of proceeding….Our counsel had complained severally in open court and pleaded with His Worship to enhance the release of the records but she refused to do so”, Chidozie swore.

He said one of the issues they had hoped to appeal against was the unilateral decision by the Magistrate to create anomalies in the case, by changing the position of the parties in the case. “The name and position of the parties in the case was changed from Rt. Hon Gabriel Suswam v Power Steering and three others to COP V Chodozie Ukpabi and three others, and later to IGP V Chidozie Ukpabi and three others by the learned Chief Magistrate without an application from anybody.”

The affidavit also contains a complaint over the role of a police officer, Mr Simon Lough in the case. He is alleged to have been engaged

by Mr. Suswam to prosecute the case. The role of this police officer was challenged by the defense counsel since he is a serving officer. Chidozie averred in his affidavit that the unilateral decision of the Magistrate to change the particulars of the case was as a result of this challenge.

He further swore that a letter from The West African Examinations Council dated 9th June 2011 in response to a police investigation letter confirmed his allegations of forgery against Suswam. As a result of this confirmation, he said: “Gabriel Suswam devised several means to perpetually silence and or kill me and prevent me from disclosing the secret that he never passed his English and Mathematics and did not secure his LLB and BL with any genuine result.”

Justice Dahiru Musdafer demanded an immediate investigation of the allegations raised against the magistrate.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

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ODAY I start on the premise that Nigeria and its Northern African counterpart Egypt are birds of the same feather in the context of today's topic. I follow that up with the assertion that when former Nigerian head of state retired General Olusegun Obasanjo said reportedly that Governor's mansions all over Nigeria are inhabited by rogues and that our judiciary and police are corrupt, he not only spoke the truth but he did so like the proverbial ostrich with its head buried in the sand.

Thirdly, when as reported on the internet some irate pro coup demonstrators in Bamako, Mali entered the Presidential palace and beat up their Interim President leaving him with a head injury, then the issue of masses disenchantment and frustration with elections and democracy cannot but be discussed here and now.

Let us go back to the Egypt and Nigeria analogy. The Egyptians went to the polls this week to elect a new president while Nigerians are agitating and fighting over if and when their incumbent president can contest the 2015 election.

The first similarity is that both Nigeria and Egypt are democracies in that elections have been held several times in both nation.

In Egypt before the overthrow of the 42- year Housni Mubarak dictatorship in the recent Cairo street protests that ravaged N Africa, elections were a one party state affair and the government party usually won with over 90% of the votes cast.

There was always a certainty that the government party in power would win massively even though the banned Islamic Brotherhood would be allowed a seat or two.

Now for the first time ever in their new democracy Egyptians were voting and they were not sure who would emerge from the elections as their president and some are bothered by the development and its uncertainty. But really they should not be as what is at stake is a new matter of choice of a leader in a vibrant democracy. As distinct from the fake elections of the Mubarak

Elections, corruption and politics

era where suspense was lacking as the choice of the winner was predetermined and a fait accompli making a mockery of the concept and process of elections and democracy.

Another point of similarity in the political development of both nations is the issue of military intervention and the attraction or prospect of diarchy as a form of government. Egypt since Gamal Abdel Nasser's time had been a diarchy with a socialist bent during the Cold War between the US and the former Soviet Union when Egypt was with latter to get ammunition and fighter planes from the Soviets in its war with the Israelis.

Late Anwar Sadat continued in that fashion till he was assassinated by the Muslim Brotherhood and was replaced by the Air Force general he picked to wait in on meetings he had with visiting heads of states - Housni Mubarak. Mubarak went on with Egypt's fake democracy and predictable elections for 42 years until the street protests turned him into Egypt's first president to be carried on his sick bed to face trial for corruption and abuse of office, together with his two sons who were ministers in his regime.

Mubarak ruled Egypt with an iron fist and had millions of dollars stacked away in Swiss banks which he cannot access from his sick bed in Egypt's maximum security prisons.

Nigeria never had a diarchy like Egypt but it had an arrangement that was a make shift diarchy of sorts . Former military officers who struck gold as it were while in political office simply bought influence and power in subsequent political and democratic dispensations. In Nigeria's highly money powered politics, retired military leaders had a head start in terms of visibility and exposure over their professional politicians counterparts, who felt at ease to hide under the umbrella of funds and protection offered by former military top brass to make a living from politics.

This made politics unattractive or unproductive for Nigeria's professional or career seeking working class as the financial clout of the military moneyed politicians made political competition and reward a hugely one sided affair, tilted mightily in favor of the military politicians. The result is an influx of former military leaders into Nigeria's legislature and governor's mansions all over Nigeria.

It is in that light that one should look at the reported speech of former head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo that there is no hope for Nigeria because of rogues in high places including the Nigeria legislature, judiciary and police. In reality Obasanjo has done his duty and blown the whistle on lack of

public morality in governance in Nigeria but he has not cried wolf where there was none .My concern however is that he cannot like Pontius Pilate wash his hands off the matter.

He was head of state for two terms and was around when governors were being elected by his party which is the ruling party in Nigeria. Did he not scan his party representatives, legislators and governors carefully enough then ?

He was Chairman board of trustees and he knew the modus operandi of the ruling party. Did he stop any election to the executive arm of government on account of lack of integrity or probity?

Indeed after Obasanjo's third term bid had been truncated he took it upon himself to campaign for his successor all over the country and he went round too campaigning for his party's gubernatorial candidates. Did he know he was campaigning for the sort of people that he said now live in government mansions and make laws in Nigeria? Obasanjo has cried foul alright but he has done it after the horses have bolted from the stables. It is like getting wise after an event. No one can successfully dodge culpability on that account and the bold, former head of state must take some responsibility for the rot he has highlighted as rampant in the high places of governance and the temples of justice of our nation.

Lastly the Malian mob action of beating up a president albeit an interim one is a classic example of democratic frustration. It may look barbaric but it is not peculiar to Mali and I am sure but for the massive security around many of the officials Obasanjo highlighted earlier most would have been given the Malian treatment either in or outside their lavish surroundings.

The Malian frustration reminds me of an incident in Afghanistan when Afghan pilgrims to Mecca

who missed their flight beat to death the minister in charge of pilgrimage as the minister was waiting for another flight. According to reports then no one at the airport raised a finger to protect the poor minister at the airport. That really was mob justice a la Afghnistan.

But then Afghanistan is rated as the most dangerous place to live on this planet.

While the same cannot be said of Mali it is necessary to say why a handful of Malians took the law into their hands. They were protesting ECOWAS decision to sack the coup that ousted the former Malian president whose term had expired and elections were due last month anyway. The violent president beaters in Bamako were saying that the interim government put in place by ECOWAS was impotent to drive away the Tuareg rebels who have taken over the Northern part of Mali. ECOWAS has condemned the act of beating up a president in his mansion and the Malian army, especially the coup plotters, have disassociated themselves from such a repugnant action. But then in ECOWAS governance system of government by remote control who is going to bell the cat and give the interim president the courage that he will not receive another beating once the invading Tuaregs seize another northern Malian city.

Especially as the Interim government fumbles along on ECOWAS mandate that is being daily eroded by the coupists in the same government as a matter of necessity ?Surely the Interim government in Mali needs a very long spoon to dine with the devil in terms of security, as it tries to arrange an election in 12 months according to ECOWAS' Malian mandate .Which is really is tall order for an interim president who could not guarantee his personal safety or security in the presidential mansion.

10 COMMENTARY

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

New rates for darkness

vincentakanmode@yahoo.com

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IGERIANS who thought the Jonathan administration had reached the peak of insensitivity with the hike of the pump price of fuel from N65 per litre to N97 on January 1 woke up last week to the shocking news that a new regime of electricity tariff will commence on June 1. The announcement of new electricity rates came less than a year after a similar hike in the rates payable by consumers by about 30 per cent in July last year.

According to a new tariff regime announced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) last year, the rural customer, who was paying N1.30 per kilowatt hour (kwh) ,would begin to pay N1.80 per kwh (an increase of 38 per cent). A single phase residential customer started paying N5.90 instead of the previous N4.40 per kwh (an increase of 34 per cent) ,while the highest paying residential customer would pay N12.50 per kwh (an increase of 33 per cent from the N9.40 paid previously).

The lowest paying commercial customer, who used to pay N7.40 per kwh, started paying N9.40 (an increase of 27 per cent), while the highest paying commercial customer started paying N12.30 (a 27 per cent increase from the previous N9.70). Industrial customers were not exempted, as the lowest category of them started paying N9.80 per kwh (up by 27 per cent from N7.90), while the highest category paid N12.90 per kwh, a 25 per cent increase in the sum of N12.30 they paid previously.

Not a few Nigerians had cried blue murder when the new tariffs were announced last year.

But if what they saw last year was the noose, the hangman surfaced on May 12 with the announcement of new crippling rates the electricity regulation body said would commence on June 1. Although at a meeting with electricity generation companies in Abuja, NERC Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi ,said the new tariff, tagged “Multi-Year-Tariff-Order” would not affect low income earners and will attract more investors because it will lead to increase in power generation, Nigerians have had empty promises in profuse excess to fall for yet another.

Like others before him, the election of President Goodluck Jonathan last year was based on the high hopes Nigerian had in his promise to declare an emergency in the power sector and turn the economic fortune of the country around. The nocturnal hike in the pump price of petrol in January was premised on the government’s promise to channel the funds from the hike into rebuilding the network of decrepit roads that criss-cross the country with a time frame of six months. Five months after, there is no sign that any of the tantalising promises on which the partial removal of subsidy was based would be fulfilled.

Realising that ours is a country that thrives on empty promises, the NERC is making the most of it, increasing the rates for the supply of darkness twice in one year with a promise of improved supply of electricity. It is like a father telling his famished son not to cry because a cow is already tied to a stake. The question is how soon it will take to slaughter, season and prepare the cow for meal? And with the NERC, the situation is even more hopeless because the cow has not even been bought.

Founded as the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria during the colonial administration in 1950 and later renamed the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), the company has remained for decades the nation’s greatest burden. It holds the record of being the most inefficient public utility company in the world

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Realising that ours is a country that thrives on empty promises, the NERC is making the most of it, increasing the rates for the supply of darkness twice in one year with a promise of improved supply of electricity.

It is like a father telling his famished son not to cry because a cow is already tied to a stake

Playing monkey games over Salami’s reinstatement

C

ANDIDLY speaking, President Goodluck Jonathan needs to be told that the scandalous dithering and the un imaginative excuses given by his administration for its refusal to reinstate Justice Ayo Salami as President of the Court of Appeal are reflective of the general feeling tha he has not been able to rise above the petty internal shenanigans that uniquely set the ruling Peoples Democratic Party brand apart.

It is, indeed, pathetic that at this critical period in the life of a nation that is forever contending with other serious matters of state, our President has allowed himself to be dragged into what ordinarily should be seen as part of the usual internal bureaucratic wrangling in the top echelon of the judiciary.

For sure, the interventionist role which the Constitution empowers the President to play does not give him the liberty to transform into the jury, the judge and the hangman in the Salami saga even if we must admit that the National Judicial Council, for some strange reasons, played into the hands of the Executive in the way and manner it handled the reconciliatory effort.

The facts of the case are in the public domain. Salami had accused the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Alloysius Katsina-Alu, of trying to illegally influence the decision of the Sokoto Court of Appeal hearing the matter between the Democratic Peoples Party and Governor Aliyu Wamako’s PDP. The former CJN bluntly denied ever seeking a compromise in favour of Wamako. Salami had raised the alarm when, against common sense and logic, it was confirmed that he had been pencilled down for ‘promotion’ to the Supreme Court.

Of course, Salami was not the kind of person some hawks in the PDP would like on that seat following the removal of some of its illegal occupants of government houses in Osun, Edo, Ondo and Osun states. It was, therefore, not unexpected that Operation-Remove-Salami-By-All-Means became the swan song of these powerful leeches in government circles.

The unfortunate development between Katsina-Alu and Salami provided a perfect platform for these whingeing coup plotters. A committee was set up by the NJC to ‘investigate’ Salami’s allegations and he was suspended on August 18, 2011 after his refusal to tender unreserved apologies to KatisnaAlu. When attempts to reconcile the two legal luminaries failed, the NJC, followed due process by recommending Salami’s suspension and subsequent retirement should the Presidency deem it fit to forward the recommendations to the National Assembly. That letter was received on August 20, 2011 and, in a very unusual lightning speed, an Acting President of the Court of Appeal was named while Salami’s official residence was cordoned off by armed guards from the Force Headquarters despite the fact that Salami had an ongoing case at the court challenging the planned removal.

That was the situation until the committees set up by the appropriate institutions within the judiciary to look into the matter unanimously recommended Salami’s reinstatement.

They include the 29-member Stakeholders’ Judicial Reform

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and yet the most ravenous when it comes to gulping tax payers’ money. In living up to its reputation as the biggest drain on the nation’s exchequer, it was reckoned to have swallowed $16 billion during the Obasanjo administration between 1999 and 2007. Yet, the best it has offered the nation is abundant supply of darkness.

Billions of naira is budgeted for the electricity company every year, but its performance dwindles proportionately with the sum invested. From the market woman to the corporate executive, it has been tales of woe. A pharmacy operator, who has just a refrigerator and a ceiling fan in her shop, lamented that even before the hike in tariff, she got a monthly bill of about N4,000 from the officials of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in the area in spite of the erratic nature of power supply to her modest shop.

Another victim of the PHCN’s inefficiency, who is in the business of recycling nylon materials, lamented that it had been difficult remaining in business because of the erratic nature of power supply to his factory. Yet he pays as much as N100,000 in a month. Hear him: “There was a time they gave us a bill of

Committee set up by the incumbent CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, on October 14, 2011 and headed by no less a personality than Justice Muhammadu Uwais (also a former CJN) to review the crises in the judiciary. Salami’s reinstatement was also sanctioned by a sub-committee of the panel which membership include Justice Mamman Nasir, Justice U. Kalgo and Justice Bola Ajibola. While seeking reconciliation, it equally ‘advised’ Salami to withdraw all the cases he instituted on the matter.

It was in this spirit that the NJC, which had earlier recommended the suspension, despatched a letter to Jonathan on Friday, May 18, 2012, asking him to reinstate Salami who should retire, officially, sometime in 2013. It was a very simple memo with a straight forward request. The NJC, in its learned wisdom, could not have imagined that it would attract the kind of needless extrapolations and befuddled interpretations being woven around it by the President’s men.

I want to imagine that the NJC’s letter was written in simple English. If that was the case, then I need to be lectured on why anyone should be confused about what to do. Why, for example, was it easy for Mr President to swiftly act on the letter that sought salami’s suspension and his men now struggle to manufacture all the silly lies in the world to stop him from going back to his seat? Who is afraid of Salami, really?

In more than a year since the Katsina-Alu/Salami saga became a subject of public ridicule, Knucklehead had refused to comment on the issue.

For me, it was a record low for the judiciary that two of its leading lights would be barracking over a matter which ‘unlearned’ persons like us had expected them to be transparently unbiased and far removed from the sickening madness. I knew none of them would come out smelling like sweet roses. Their noses were bound to be rubbed on the hard floor by the hands of time.. It was a prize they had to pay for lacking the discretion to apply wise counsel in the court of justice no matter how little.

With politicians from both sides of the divide seizing the moment to play their dirty game, I knew it was going to take some time for the judiciary to get its rhythm back.

What I never bargained for was the silly antics being played by the government on the Salami case. Speaking on why Jonathan could not act on the NJC’s letter to recall Salami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), said it was an impossible mission until such a time when “the judiciary puts its house in order, the government will not obey any recommendation.”

After going through a maze of conflicting expositions, Adoke whined: “It was just this Friday that the FG received the latter from the NJC, notifying it that Justice Salami was being recalled and on that day, the FG was also in receipt of litigation by way of

N150,000, and we had to sell some of our belongings to pay them or they would disconnect us completely. Interestingly, the machine we use here needs to stay on for four continuous hours before we commence production.

But what we experience often is that on the few occasions the PHCN supplies electricity, they cut it even before the machine gets set.”

In the part of the country where I live, the standard practice at the initial stage was for electricity to be restored in the odd hours between 1 am and 3 am when everyone was deeply asleep. It was so bad I had to ask the officials of the PHCN in the area if they thought we were witches. But we have had our real undoing since the entire estate changed to pre-paid metres. We could go for six weeks without enjoying electricity for a second. I complained to a friend and he told me that PHCN officials might not be disposed to giving us electricity because with pre-paid metres, it would be difficult to issue crazy bills and extort money for electricity we did not consume Faced with the grim prospects of hunger and starvation, many artisans who trained as welders, barbers, tailors or hairdressers have been frustrated out of their vocations. Many of them have turned into touts and okada (commercial motorcycle) riders. They have turned into political thugs, armed robbers, hired assassins and prostitutes. A friend told me that only some imaginative drycleaners are contemplating using the electricity cables in their neighbourhoods to dry their clothes.

Besides rendering millions of artisans jobless, the PHCN has wittingly or unwittingly helped the vices that threaten our social well being to flourish. The blackout they unleash on the land provides cover for bandits. Their weak cables and poles snap and fall at the slightest provocation, dispatching innocent souls into early graves. Rather than do a penance and consider compensation for the millions of families they have ruined with their ineptitude, the PHCN is demanding more money for services they may never render.

Advanced fee fraud will merit no place in our criminal code until the EFCC probes the PHCN for demanding payments for services not rendered.

Knucklehead With

Yomi Odunuga E-mail:yomi.odunuga @thenationonlineng.net SMS only: 07028006913 originating summons and processes challenging the powers of the NJC and seeking an order restraining the President from giving effect to that resolution of the NJC. So as it is today, the matter is subjudice. No responsible government, I repeat with emphasis, will try to over reach the court.

This government is prepared to do the right thing and will do the right thing as soon as the judiciary puts its house in order and the matter is resolved expeditiously. I think that settles the matter.”

In all this, Adoke has failed to tell us where the Presidency gets its power to determine when, where and how the judiciary, an independent body, should be adjudged to have put its house in order. He spoke of pending cases in court barring the President to act on the matter. However, can someone ask Adoke why Jonathan acted, with jet speed, on the letter recommending the removal of Salami despite the cases in court then? Is it not curious that the FG got the so-called “originating summons and processes challenging” the NJC’s powers to reinstate Salami on the same day Adoke claimed the letter was submitted to the government? It would be interesting to unveil the names of the sponsors of the originating summons, where the meetings to file the suit were held and how the papers were discreetly circulated to some newsrooms.

Whose interests were these persons trying to protect—that of Nigerians or some fat cats in the system who simply cannot understand why they were kicked out of government houses?

Who, really, is afraid of Salami? Who is getting jittery over the plan for his return by a judiciary that keen on weaning itself off the stranglehold of politicians and reclaim its independence?

On this matter, why has the executive chosen to cry more than the bereaved?

Well, Jonathan may have found a consolatory excuse in his claim that Nigeria’s woes did not start with him and may likely not end with him in power. What he cannot claim ignorance of is the fact that, under his nose, he, in total violation of his oath of office, appropriated and reprobated the rights of an independent body to tread the path of sanity by correcting itself. It is, indeed, irresponsible of any government in a democratic setting to wilfully kidnap justice and hold it to ransom.

Will the executive unshackle the chains? Or is someone afraid of a unified, stronger judiciary as we inch towards 2015?

Michael O’

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

How God saved me, by pastor kidnapped for 53 days The General Overseer of Mountain of Liberation and Miracles, Ojudu, Lagos, Prophet Chris Okafor, was kidnapped on March 11 on his way to Lagos a few hours after holding a prophetic conference in Akwa, Anambra State. He spoke with SUNDAY OGUNTOLA on the abduction and the many controversies surrounding it

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•Prophet Okafor

HERE have been many versions of how you were abducted. How did it all

happen?

First, let me say I am full of thanks and praise to God for sparing my life because if I had been killed, you will not be interviewing me. You don’t interview the dead. So, I ascribe the glory to God because He is faithful. It is like someone going to the land of the dead and coming back alive. It can’t be anything but the hands of God. Every man that God calls and has no enemy is probably not called. Don’t be deceived that everyone likes you, especially if you have distinguished yourself in your field. I have heard many versions too. But how many people were there?

So, what actually happened?

Good. By the mandate God gave me, we have been travelling to different parts of the world for crusade. We have almost gone to all the states in the nation. We have been to Europe and other continents. So, this time around it was in Nnewi and Akwa in fulfillment of the mandate to add one billion souls to the Kingdom of God. So, we went to Nnewi the previous week and thousands gave their lives to Christ.

It coincided with the burial of the late Ojukwu. Then, we proceeded to Akwa and rounded off the crusade on Saturday.

The previous four Sundays, I had not been in the Lagos headquarters and was rushing to meet the Sunday service. You know there is no airport in Anambra and Enugu, which has an airport, does not run morning flights to Lagos. So, we decided to come by road and sleep over in Benin for the first flight on Sunday morning to meet the service. We already had flight tickets from Benin to Lagos.

So, we left for Benin on road. There was an escort vehicle ahead while I was in a jeep with my PA, security detail and driver. We started hearing gunshots not up to 30 minutes after we left. Initially, I did not know they were targeted at us. It was my driver who said: ‘’They are shooting at us o’’. So, I told them not to panic because God told me there would be no loss. God told me to look out and I saw cloud covering the vehicle, signifying the presence of God. I said nobody should jump out and instructed my driver to keep driving. But they kept shelling us. Everyone in all the parts of Awka heard the gunshots. It was like we were in a civil war. They were shooting at all parts of the vehicles. The windscreen was shattered and the vehicle riddled with bullets until my driver lost control and the vehicle ran into a ditch.

But what happened to the escort vehicle at the point of shooting?

My escort vehicle was already ahead. But the orderly with me was responding to the gunshots. He is trained to defend. But at a time, he jumped down from the vehicle because of his training. That was when he was felled.

Was he shot or did he die?

Actually at the time it happened, I didn’t know what happened to me. I did not even see his body. So, those guys shooting kept at it even after the vehicle ran into the ditch.

They came around, thinking everybody was dead. One of them shouted in Igbo that we were still alive o. So, the three of us came out. Then, they took my PA and I. Contrary to reports that he was dead, he is alive. They aimed over 300 bullets at us but none hit us.

Only the MOPOL officer died because he jumped down contrary to the spiritual instruction I gave. They took us to an unknown destination blindfolded.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

13

•The SUV in which he was abducted

•Prophet Okafor

How many were these guys because it was reported that they were five?

Who was there to count them? How could I have counted them when we were being faced with guns? Was that the time to start counting your attackers? Well, they came in two vehicles. One was an SUV and the other a Camry. They took us to their vehicles. On the way, they stopped and shot the man in our presence. They poured fuel on him and put tyre on him. The blood flowing from him splashed. They said they killed him because his family said he was not useful. He had been in their custody for days. I believe they were not kidnappers because they are known not to kill but keep their captives to get ransom. So, they took us to a block industry and asked us to call our relations that we had been abducted.

They moved us again and kept harassing us. I saw death and life but God preserved me.

How much ransom were they asking for?

We gathered they asked for N25 million and then N50 million?

That report is false. It is fabricated fallacy.

They only put on our phones for few minutes to talk to our relations. For the most parts, the phones were off, so it was difficult to trace our location. They wanted N150 million on me and N150 million on my PA. I said we were men of God and did not have that kind of money. Eventually, they asked us to bring whatever we had. They brought it and I was not aware how much they gave them.

But I understand you were calling people, soliciting for funds to pay the kidnappers.

Is that true?

When you are in distress, is it wrong to call your relations? I only called my family, friends and people who believe in the ministry. I mean, I was there for 53 days and God saved me.

Can you recall the ordeal you went through?

It is terrible and horrible. It is better not to even recount that.

What were you fed during those days?

I am a man of fasting and prayer. I say to you that for most of those days, I was fasting and praying. If you know my stature, you will realise I am just recovering.

Were you ever afraid?

At no time was I afraid throughout those

days. God told me there would be no loss and that sustained me. He told me no man born of a woman can kill me. That was not the first time. About two years ago, we had our anniversary. I left the service but just Grammar School here, some men doublecrossed my vehicle. I asked what the problem was and they said I should say my last prayers that my life had been paid for. I asked who paid for my life and they said it was pointless to say. They shot but the guns did not respond.

They shot again and the same thing happened. Then they said: ‘Pastor, you think you have juju?’ They bought out assorted charms and started making incantations. They put the cowries on the guns and shot again.

The Holy Spirit told me to start speaking in tongues and I did. They pointed the guns to the sky and it responded. Then, they became afraid and wanted to run away. This was very close to Ojodu Police Station. You can even go over to confirm there. This was around 6pm. As they were entering their vehicle, they attempted to shoot a policeman who dodged. Then the police went after them.

They shot three of them and the policemen came to report the case to our members in the church.

So, why would anyone want you dead since you are a man of God? It depends on the person involved. Jesus was more innocent than me. He never had a wife or was in any business. You can’t say I want to kill him because he married a lady I was after or took my business. He did not encroach on anybody’s land. Yet, people wanted him dead.

So, if they wanted Jesus dead, why not me?

So, you have not wronged anyone to be killed?

Let me tell you: You don’t need to offend anybody for people to be after you. You only need to fulfill destiny for people to be after you. Any man born of a woman has an enemy.

As a journalist, you can’t claim every journalist is happy with you.

But as a man of God, one expects only spiritual attacks and not physical confrontations against you But when they fail spiritually, they can get physical. There was a time about nine pastors came to my office, begging me to pray for them. They said they were many that took my name to the mountain to pray against me. But when they returned, God visited them. Some

Actually at the time it happened, I didn’t know what happened to me. I did not even see his body. So, those guys shooting kept at it even after the vehicle ran into the ditch. They came around, thinking everybody was dead. One of them shouted in Igbo that we were still alive o. So, the three of us came out.

Then, they took my PA and I...

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of their children stated dying and mysterious things happened to them. It was then they ran to me.

So, do you suspect fellow ministers envious of you being behind all of these?

I don’t want to know who is behind it. God is in heaven. Whoever is involved does not matter. God has proven nobody has powers over my life.

Then, why did you check in to Sheraton Hotels immediately after your return? (laughs) You see my people, my family and members deemed it fit to hold a reception for me after myarrival. And that was what happened.

But you were there for one week… …Who paid for me? Who was monitoring me anyway?

So, how were you released?

It was just divine intervention. I wouldn’t know how much money my people gave them. They came one day and said angels were disturbing them on my account. They said they were asked to go and drop me in my compound. Within 24 hours, they took me to my village. They asked me to direct and I did.

We got there and my parents were holding vigil with some people, mostly widows. I knocked at the gate and our last born heard it was my voice. Just like the case of Peter, she ran back and told them it was me. So, they came and saw hefty men with ammunition.

They were afraid and wanted to run back. I calmed them down and the abductors said: ‘This man is not an ordinary man’, that an angel was disturbing them and asked me to pray for them. You know kidnappers always drop people off but they took me to my village.

My parents saw them.

Have this convinced you to slow down?

Not at all. I am not under pressure or tension.

I am ever bold like my Father. I am a lion like Him. Maybe you need to increase security around you then?

I told you that they attacked us despite the security details around me. I have realised only God can protect. I would have been dead but for God. So, if my orderly was killed, you know no one can protect but God. Your fellow man cannot protect you. You pray, do your own and God will do His own.

Your critics alleged that you arranged the kidnap to get money out of people (Laughs) But I am not hungry. How can I risk my life to this extent? A life was lost in the process and how could I have been responsible for all of these? This is completely absurd.

Then, there are talks that you were not looking emanciated or frail when you arrived at the airport after days of abduction?

Would I be wearing the same cloth? Okay, did you hear of the kidnap of the former Imo Speaker? We were in the same camp. The man that died, John Nsewi, we were in the same camp. Okay, let me put a call across to the former speaker for his reactions. I can even give you his mobile for clarification.

Have you forgiven the kidnappers?

Vengeance is of the Lord. The battle belongs to Him. I have handed them over and forgiven them. I know my enemies are not God and cannot determine my future. I am moved only by what He says.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Dwarfs are better marketers than normal people S t a t e , typical about “I’m n i c k

revealed what a dwarf thinks himself.

Tony Hilton; my name is Ogbu,” he introduced himself with pride. Tony has been living in Osogbo, Osun State, for the past 20 years. Hilton does not see anything bad with his physique.

“I appreciate the way God created me. So, I don’t blame Him for making me a dwarf”, he said with a note of seriousness in his voice.

Hilton, who lost his father 20 years ago and his mother 10 years after, was brought to Osogbo by one Alhaji Tijani Adebisi. He has been a lucky, he is married. What he lost in height, he has gained in marriage and family. He has done what many ‘normal men’ find very difficult to achieve. “God has been so good to me and I’m grateful to Him. I have two wives, Medinat and Kemi. I have three children, Margret, Mathew and Samson.

Medinat is my first wife and she is the mother of Margret, my 19-year-old daughter.”

He may not be rich in the real sense of it.

Because of his financial status, one of his wives left him. “I don’t have money, my brother has been taking care of Margret since Medinat left me. Okiki is the Yoruba name we gave Magret and my girl is with my brother in my town now. Mathew is my second child and first son,” Hilton said with pride.

Medically, dwarfism is inherited, but Hilton has proved everybody wrong, he has not produced any dwarf child. “The boy is about 16-years old now and Samson, my third child, is about six years old now. None of my three children is a dwarf as all of them are very tall. Of course, there are tall people in my family just as there are dwarfs like me,” Hilton said.

The 56-year-old dwarf though bubbling with life, has his own problem to contend with . His health is not very sound. “The

•Tony Hilton

VEN with his short legs, his strides were quicker than those of any other person. He was full of energy. As if he was oblivious of others, he carried himself with an arrogance of a blue blood. “Why are you looking at me? You think say abi spirit?”

The short man shouted at this reporter.

Before the reporter could come out of his jolt, “You think because I dey short, I no be human being? I’m a man like you, I do what you do even better,” he said with annoyance.

Whenever dwarfs appear, there is no way one would not look twice,

E

Gbenga ADERANTI

irrespective of the fact that they are everywhere. Many see dwarfs as inferior beings, but they have contrary view about themselves.

Like they say, if life gives you lemon, make lemonade out of it. That is exactly what many of them have done. If they are not into entertainment, they are into marketing; if they are not into marketing, they will be doing menial jobs.

An encounter with Tony Hilton, a 56year- old dwarf from Itamonte in Oki Local Government Area of Cross River

major difficult I’m facing is my inability to walk well because of my legs that are not in a very good condition. I’m supporting myself with walking stick. I’m suffering from rheumatism and arthritis.

Apart from those two, I don’t have any other problem. I have good health and I’m a ‘complete’ man,” he said smiling.

Getting a wife was one of the easiest things for him. According to him, the families of his two wives were receptive to him when he showed his intention to marry their daughters. “Medinat is a Muslim, while Kemi is a Christian and the families of both of them are great people who are happy that I married their children.”

Apart from Medinat and Kemi, his wives, he also has an array of women in his life. He said: “I cannot call those ones my wives because there are no children in such relationships. It is just chop and go. So, people have no problem seeing me with their daughters and there have never been any form of stigmatisation.

My neighbours at Gbaemu in Osogbo are good people and they have been so good to me”.

Hilton does not suffer any form of segregation as he lived in one of the compounds among the indigenes of Osogbo. “The people here are good and there is safety of lives. No intimidation or any form of harassment.”

While he appreciates the good gesture he gets from his neighbours, he is sometimes scared of those who use dwarfs for money rituals. Irrespective of his trepidation, he says: “I’m sure there is security because there are policemen here, and they will protect me.”

Like his mates, he is into entertainment.

“My desire is to become an Imam very soon and I will be leading prayers in the mosque. I like to be addressed as Hakeem,” he said with humility.

Hilton is, therefore, appealing to governments at all levels and publicspirited individuals to assist him so that he can also live a better life. “I need money to treat my legs and I need money to invest and be able to sponsor the

There is nothing wrong with them. If you want to talk about sex, their men have normal sex with women and the libido of their women is fantastic. I know one of them, when she has an urge, she would tell me to bring her back to Osogbo to ‘meet’ with her partner. Hilton’s sister is as short as a keg and she has five children...

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

•Fasilat Adebisi

•Alhaji Tijani

•Midget Mac

education of my children,” he said.

Alhaji Tijani Adebisi, who deals in herbal medicine, has contempt for those who look down on dwarfs. He said contrary to what many people think about dwarfs, there is nothing wrong with the ‘short people’. According to him, most of them are good marketers. They perform better than normal people when it comes to marketing.

At 74, he does not go out to market his herbal drugs, the job is left to the dwarfs who go to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to market these herbal products.

His first encounter with a dwarf was in a town in Cross River. From there, he invited Hilton to Osogbo. He later brought two other male and female dwarfs.

Adebisi is in a better position to tell the story of dwarfs because they have lived with him for the past 20 years.

Asking Adebisi to explain why some people are dwarfs is like committing sacrilege. “If you want to do research about it, you will offend God. God has created everybody the way He is so pleased. Don’t bother to go there”.

He added: “Though there are many short people, these ones are different because they are shorter than those ones you see hawking things in Lagos. There is nothing wrong with them. If you want to talk about sex, their men have normal sex with women and the libido of their women is fantastic. I know one of them, when she has an urge, she would tell me

They supported me because they were convinced that it was my wish and that I was not forced to marry him. He was my choice and my family members respected my desire to spend the rest of my life with the man I admired...

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to bring her back to Osogbo to ‘meet’ with her partner. They are not spirits. Hilton’s sister is as short as a keg and she has five children. Funny enough, Hilton’s mum is not short. The offspring of these dwarfs are not short.”

Corroborating the fear expressed by Hilton, Adebsisi disclosed that he decided to disallow the dwarfs from venturing outside his compound because of the fear of money ritual killers.

It was a tug of war when he brought the dwarfs to live his family. “They said I had brought a spirit into the house and there was the fear that any baby born after then would be a dwarf. My wife, who was pregnant with twins, expressed the fear that the babies would come out to be dwarfs. I allayed her fear. And since they

’

been living with me these past 20 years, my wives have never given birth to dwarfs. Even if I have dwarfs, that means I’m lucky, they would be useful for my kind of business”.

Fasilat Adebisi, widow of late artiste, Idowu-Ogbo, also known as Baba Giga, was married to a dwarf. According to her, there was no resentment when she told her parents that she was going to marry a dwarf. “They supported me because they were convinced that it was my wish and that I was not forced to marry him. He was my choice and my family members respected my desire to spend the rest of my life with the man I admired”.

According to Fasilat, there was nothing wrong with her late husband. “He was like every other man and he was not a

dwarf ‘down there’. He did ‘the thing’ perfectly and he satisfied me,” he said in an interview.

Fasilat is not as lucky as Hilton, one of the children is a dwarf.

When probed further to explain the reason why one of her his children is a dwarf, she replied: “That is God for you and you don’t expect me to be able to explain that. It is beyond human comprehension. Only my last born is a dwarf, while others are normal human beings like you and I,” she said.

Explaining why some people are dwarfs, a pediatrician, who chose to be anonymous, explained that what people call dwarf is what they in medicine call short stature. According to him, the condition of short stature could be caused by different factors from genetic composition to organic problem. He explained that a child with defective growth hormones could be a dwarf.

There is another condition in medicine which is referred to as achondroplasia.

People with achondroplasia have a problem converting cartilage to bone while growing, especially in the long bones of the arms and legs.

People with achondroplasia have an average-size torso (the upper body) but noticeably shorter arms and legs. Their heads are usually larger than average, with a prominent forehead. Their fingers are typically short. Adults with achondroplasia can develop a sway of the lower back, and some have bowed legs. The average height for an adult with achondroplasia is a little over four feet.

So how do you prevent dwarfism?

According to the medical doctor, “The ones that are genetic, there is nothing anybody can do about it. “ The medical doctor said it is not in all cases that dwarfism is hopeless.

According to him, “A child with growth hormone problem, if it is a tumour in the brain that is interfering with the growth hormones, we have to do a surgery here by removing the tumour. But when you see a child that is short, it could be Vitamin D; a lot of other things. It could also be malnutrition. If you look at average Nigerian that is 12 years old, and an average Amerian who is 12, the difference in heights is visible. This is because of the difference in diet. Majority of Nigerian children are malnourished; they are being underfed, while there, their problem is over feeding. If the malnutrition continues till they are over 18, they will still maintain that height. If it is hormonal problem, it is corrected. If it is nutritional problem, it is corrected,” he said.

He said a child could be detected early in life if he or she will be a dwarf through growth monitoring.

“Growth monitoring involves assessing the height and the waist and other parameters.” He decried a situation where tools needed for growth monitoring of the babies are not in the hospitals.

According to kidshealth.org, an online site that treats issues affecting children’s health, “doctors are able to diagnose most cases of achondroplasia even before birth by doing an ultrasound in the later stages of pregnancy. The ultrasound shows doctors if a baby’s arms and legs are shorter than average or if the baby’s head is larger. Some other types of dwarfism cannot be diagnosed until after a baby is born. The doctor can use X-rays to see if the bones are growing at an abnormal rate, or if they are shaped differently.”

Many people have the wrong notion, especially in Nigeria, that dwarfs are intellectually inferior. Little wonder, only few of them are seen in schools. But research has proved that many dwarfs have normal intelligence and lead a long, fulfilling and normal life like any other person. They are as much part of the social setup as any other average individual.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

•From left: Oladipupo, Timi and Macauley

How SARS dashed our hope to enjoy abroad — Officials who allegedly planned ‘ to rob their bank

•Two revolver guns recovered from the suspects

•Some international passports recovered from the suspects

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CRACK team of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, has killed the dream of members of a 12-man bank robbery gang who had planned to enjoy their loot abroad after what they thought would be a successful robbery operation at a Gbagada, Lagos branch of a commercial bank. The gang was said to have been led by a man named Davidson Eboigbe aka De Tiger.

According to SARS’ investigation, the gang had also engaged in looting people’s savings by issuing cheques with forged signatures, which they cashed effortlessly with the assistance of four of their members who work with the affected bank. The police said it was also discovered that the four officials of the bank in question had been the brains behind the robbery attacks suffered by customers who had gone to that bank to deposit or withdraw huge sums of money.

Worried by the rampant attacks on its customers, the management of the bank were said to have approached the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umaru Manko, who directed the officer in charge of

Ebele BONIFACE SARS, Mr. Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police (SP), to handle the matter. Kyari was said to have promptly directed the Team Six leader of SARS, Mr. Adetarami Adegbehin, a Superintendent of Police, to plant a spy in the new generation bank to monitor the activities of its employees.

At about 4 pm on May 10, 2012, the day the gang had planned to rob the bank, they concealed their guns in a computer Central Processing Unit (CPU) brought in by one of their members and walked into the banking hall corporately dressed. Moments after the unsuspecting policemen on guard duty at another bank opposite this particular bank they wanted to rob left, one of them met the Commander of Police Mobile Force 2, Mr. Patrick Ejedawe, a Superintendent of Police (SP), who ordered him to return to the bank.

The ignorant policeman called one Alex, a security man in the bank they intended to rob and told him that Ejedawe had ordered him to return to the bank and that he (Ejedawe)

was coming to the bank with many policemen. Alex became jittery and alerted the other members of the gang about the presence of policemen around the bank’s premises.

This made the gang’s members to panic and they began to run in different directions. Ejedawe then ordered the arrest of Sodiq, a member of the gang found within the bank’s premises, before proceeding into the banking hall to arrest the four bank officials - Davidson, George, Akintoye and Alex, who were said to double as members of the robbery gang. The five suspects were handed over to SARS and, with their help, SARS was able to track down the remaining members of the gang except one named Bamidele, who was said to be at large.

Thirty-year-old Eboigbe, a native of Benin, Edo State and an official of the bank, who holds an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Marketing, said the members of the gang had planned to travel abroad to enjoy their loot once they succeeded in robbing the bank. He said: “To tell you the truth, 12 of us wanted to carry out the operation. It was my oga in the bank who supported us when we

We were relaxing together at a restaurant when he said this and we initially thought he was joking. But we later found out that he was serious about it, so we became interested. I told the other members that there was about N120 million in the vault...

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approached him with the plan to rob the bank. He was formerly working at the Ijebu Ode branch of the bank.

He said there were incessant robbery attacks on the Ijebu Ode branch of the bank and that the same thing could happen at the Gbagada branch.

“We were relaxing together at a restaurant when he said this and we initially thought he was joking. But we later found out that he was serious about it, so we became interested. I told the other members that there was about N120 million in the vault.

“We later introduced Toye and deliberated on the day we would carry out the operation and the number of people required, especially outsiders who had been involved in robbery. Unfortunately, the day we planned to carry out the operation, Alex came and told us that policemen had cordoned off the bank premises, while one of the mobile policemen who had closed was ordered

by their commander to go back to duty.

“We later called Sodiq, Bamidele, Sunny and Anold on the phone and told them not to come into the bank premises because policemen had surrounded the place. I was later arrested in the office by a Superintendent of Police in mufti, named Ade, and was taken to SARS’ office with Toye, Alex, Sodiq. They later arrested Anold and Sunny while Bamidele escaped. Kehinde did not participate in the plan to rob the bank. He had objected to it, saying he intended to travel abroad and would not like any distraction.

Macaulay also objected to it, saying he was afraid of Kyari and Manko.

“I regret being involved in the plan because I had been getting big big money through bank fraud. From the last deal I was involved in, I got N1.8 million. If I had been patient enough, I would have made good money through fraud.”

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

•From left: Davidson, George and Akitoye

•From left: Alex, Sodiq and Kehinde

The second suspect, George Alabi (37), a holder of Higher National Diploma (HND) in Banking and Finance and indigene of Ilorin, Kwara State, said: “I am an employee of the bank. I am a marketer and I am married with a child. On the fateful day, I was not within the bank premises.

I went to Bariga for marketing. I called the office from Bariga and Davidson and Toye told me that they had called off the operation due to some hitches and I told them there was no problem. I was arrested on my way to the office the following day. I had planned to travel abroad with my girlfriend after the operation.”

The third suspect, Akintoye Oke aka Toye (29), a native of Igede-Ekiti, Ekiti State with Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Banking and Finance, said: “I am an employee of the bank. I work as a taller. I am still single. I intended to get married abroad after the operation. I heard about the planned robbery. I did not report them to the police because I was interested in the deal. I was working on the plan before SARS operatives destroyed it and I was arrested right inside the office.”

Alex Sule, the 37-year-old security guard of the town and native of Adoku, Adoku Local Government Area, Benue State, said: “I was employed by LEGION Security Company to work in the bank. I was later trained by the bank. I am married

with a child. To tell you the truth, I was not an armed robber before; I was into bank fraud with Davidson, George and Oke. We used to forge customers’ signatures in order to withdraw money from their accounts. What really happened was that Davidson (Eboigbe) told me he would like us to operate at so and so time. I asked my oga, and he said he had also heard about it. The second day, I reminded him again.

“On Thursday afternoon, some policemen in mufti came around and said: ‘Who is my oga?’ I went and called him. One of the policemen then entered the bank and others followed him in. They also asked who is Alex and my oga pointed at me.

“They also asked of Davidson and Toye and they were shown where they were. All of us were then arrested. It was Davidson that recruited me into the gang because four of us, namely Davidson, Alabi, Akintoye and I were engaged in bank fraud

before they brought the idea of robbery, which would bring bigger money. If they had sought my opinion, I would have advised them to concentrate on the fraud due to the ease with which we used to do it.

There used to be no much risk or stress and the money we used to get from it used to be reasonable. I regret joining them.”

The fifth suspect, Sodiq Yunisa, (30) said he is from Abeokuta, Ogun State.

A computer engineer by training, he said: “Davidson contacted Dipo while Dipo introduced Sodiq and I. He later contacted Bamidele who is still at large. Davidson also contacted Timi and Macaulay to drive and provide security for the gang against policemen. I later contacted Bamidele to bring other members of the gang, namely Sunny and one Anold who was based in Benin, Edo State, to supply the arms and ammunition for the operation. When policemen stormed the bank, I did not know on

time. Hence, I was arrested while others scaled the fence. But I thank God that I am alive to explain my role and plead for leniency. I hope to marry after the case in order to become more responsible.”

The sixth suspect, Kehinde Adeshida (29), a native of Akure, Ondo State, said: “I am a businessman. I sell clothes and reside at Alagbado, near Moshalashi Bus Stop. Oladipupo called me and said I should come with Sodiq to see Davidson. The next day, we went to see Davidson in his house at Alagbado. There we held a meeting on how to execute the robbery operation perfectly. There and then, I told Davidson that I was not interested, as I would be travelling back to United Kingdom (UK) the following week.”

The seventh suspect, Oladipupo Majekodunmi (29), an accountant with a Lagos-based ompany, holds a B Sc in Accounting. Explaining his

‘

I am still single. I intended to get married abroad after the operation. I heard about the planned robbery. I did not report them to the police because I was interested in the deal. I was working on the plan before SARS operatives destroyed it and I was arrested right inside the office...

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role in the robbery plot, the native of Abeokuta, Ogun State, said: “I introduced Kehinde and Sodiq to Davidson on a day we were drinking at the bar. The operation failed because of poor handling.”

The eightieth suspect Timi Bonizo (37), claimed to be an independent oil marketer from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The resident of No. 9, Sodipo Street, Shasha, who is married with three children, said: “Davidson (Eboigbe) called for a meeting at an eatery, which we thought was meant for a fraudulent deal as usual. But it turned out to be a different thing altogether. I was interested in a fraudulent deal we had earlier planned. I did not have the liver to rob. So, I was happy when Davidson, our leader, called and told us that the robbery thing had been postponed due to the invasion of the bank by policemen. The next thing I saw was that I was being arrested in my car in the traffic and later brought to SARS’ building.”

The ninth suspect, Macauley Odibo (39), a native of Ekpoma, Edo State resides at No. 5, Solomon Street, Egbeda, Lagos and claims to be a businessman and an importer of tyres and phones. He is married with three children. He said: “Timi and I used to do fraud in the bank. As an insider, Davidson would give us information, including the photocopy of any cheque whose owner’s signature we intended to forge. We would then go and prepare an original one with one Mr. Roland from Edo State, who is still at large. He was the one who prepared the original cheque for us. We would then enter the bank and withdraw the stated amount. He can forge any signature. On the day we planned to carry out the robbery operation, Davidson called Timi and said there was a bigger business that would yield better money. He said we should try and meet at an eatery in Ogba, Lagos. There we met him with others and we were seven in number.

“We asked him what kind of business he was talking about but he said it was a good business. My friend asked him about the security men and he said they would be around at the next meeting. We then told him that with four of us, namely Sodiq, Kehinde, Timi and I, there would not be any problem. I then told Timi that the business was armed robbery but I was not interested. I had no liver for armed robbery. But the next thing I saw was a plain-clothe policeman who arrested me in my house at Egbeda. It was Timi who brought SARS operatives to my house to arrest me between 10pm and 1pm. When I told them that I was not interested, I went my way. I could not report them to the police because they would kill me if they found out later. They are heartless and desperate to get money.”

Anold Dokpe, the tenth suspect, was arrested at the Ikeja Cantonment with the assistance of the Military Police at the cantonment. He had been declared wanted for car snatching and bank robbery for a long time.

He revealed that some of his gang members reside in Owo in Ondo State while others reside in Warri and Benin in Delta and Edo states.

The 11th suspect, Sunny, had been a jail bird. He was in prison for more than two years and had been released for only two weeks before the planned bank robbery. He was arrested by the Area F Command for allegedly snatching bags on okada along Ikeja-Abeokuta Expressway and sent to jail. Unfortunately for Anold and Sunny, both of them were shot dead at their hideout at Alakuko, Lagos, when they attempted to escape. One of their members, Bamidele aka Bames, who had allegedly been terrorising Alagbado residents, is still at large. Two locally made revolvers, each with six rounds of ammunition, were recovered by SARS operatives from the two dead young members of the gang, while efforts were being made to track down Bamidele as well as Roland, who was allegedly forging signatures for the gang.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

How my greatest Muslim foe became my best friend — Movel Wuye, Kaduna pastor who lost a hand to religious violence Pastor James Movel Wuye is the Co-director of the Interfaith Mediation Centre. He was a former leader of a Christian militant group in Kaduna and was involved in militant activities during the Christian-Moslem religious conflicts in Kaduna. In one of the conflicts, he lost one of his hands. However, fortuitously, he was to later form a partnership with Imam Mohammed Ashafa, who used to be his foe, to form Interfaith Mediation Centre. Together with the government, the centre worked to restore peace in the state. The peace efforts with his colleague have seen him travel to more than 54 countries. In this interview with OKORIE UGURU, he speaks about his experience and challenges in tackling the problem of conflict the world over and how to achieve peace in Nigeria.

Excerpts:

•Pastor Wuye

H

OW did it all start?

It was a chance meeting, it was purely chance meeting. We never thought at any time that one day we (Imam Mohammed Ashafa and I) would come together. I was leading the Christian Youths Association of Nigeria called CAN Youths in those days. I was highly programmed to hate the Moslems.

Why did I hate the Moslems?

There were certain instances in the early part of my life when at the slightest provocation, they would begin to attack churches and kill Christians. So, as a member of the CAN youths, I then developed a group of youths working with me in order to checkmate our Moslem friends whenever they came to attack. That was how I became a militant.

You were a miltant?

Very well, within the context because we were trained to protect the church by any means neces-

sary. We also trained ourselves on self-defence. The fear of this thing is that you don’t know when defence becomes an offensive. There was a thin line. Some go beyond the defence, even among my group to become offensive. When I stopped being violent, I went back to those my colleagues and told them look, the only way to change this people was to show them excessive love.

It took one year for me to convince them to meet with the Moslem youths (2005 to May, 2006).

They agreed to meet with the Moslems. The meeting was held at the British Council, which was in Kaduna then.

You know, the issue of child immunisation in the North is misconstrued as a deliberate quest by the West to sterilise children, a kind of birth control measure. The wife of the then Military Governor the state, then Colonel Ja’afaru

Isah, was collaborating with UNICEF. They invited the CAN secretary, Elder Saidu Dogo. I was assisting him and doubling as the secretary of the Youth Wing. So, Dogo sent me. Imam was also sent by the National Council of Moslem Youth Organisation to represent the Kaduna State chapter’s secretary to go and listen to what the government had to say. A journalist with the Kaduna State Media Corporation, Mallam Idris Musa, during tea break, held me by the hand and drew me towards Imam.

Then, Imam was an Ustaz, he was selling books and doing comparative religion. He placed my hands on Imam’s and said: ‘James and Mohammed, you people should fix this state together. I know you people can do it.’ He had known Imam’s potential as a motivational speaker among youths; he had known me also. That was the

started what was called Moslems-Christians Youth Dialogue Forum. The choice of the name was a problem. Some asked: why Moslem before Christians? So why not ‘C’ before ‘M?’ We struggled with that until we summoned our people and said the intention was religious unity. After a few years, we went to Belfast to attend a programme. We were 30 something years old. They said no, we were not youths, we were men. So, they eventually took us to were elderly people were. When we came back, we said: ‘Does it mean we will not be youths again?’ Then the name of the office changed to Moslems-Christians Dialogue Forum. Then an opening came when we had to go to India.

We said if this peacemaking effort is just between Moslems and Chrisbeginning of this journey of 17 tians, then we are not making any years. I was feeling terrible. I was headway. We sat again as a manfeeling, ‘Why was I trying to be agement and said let’s change to equally yoked with an unbe- Interfaith Mediation Centre, not reliever?’ He was more pushy to get stricted to any particular religion more appointment. He traced me but every faith should be into CAN’s office and said how cluded; even if people are tradiabout organising a meeting for the tional religious worshippers and youths? Let’s do a debate. I opted we need to broker peace among for dialogue because I was a nov- them, we should be able to do that ice in the Islamic religion. I said let . Our name should not be a road us dialogue. We had the first shot block. We are registered with the corporate affairs as Interfaith Meat the British Council.

The then Director of the British diation Centre. This is a journey Council, the late Philip Adegbile, as it has happened and by God’s came to me and said: ‘I can see a grace, it has taken me to about 54 future in what you are doing. I will countries. And look, after taking put my job on the line. Just prom- peace to the world, a part of our ise me that you will not destroy country, Northern Nigeria, is at the British Council hall.’ We said ‘war’.

We have offered severally to help we would try. And without experience, by inspiration, we said all the Federal Government with the questions must be written and not challenge that is on ground. This verbalised. That way, we were has been off and on; probably they able to censor questions that were didn’t understand. The conflict explosive. That was how we has escalated in dimensions and

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

•Greatest foes-turned best friends: Pastor Wuye (right) and Imam Ashafa

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will take the strength of the Almighty to reduce the violence.

When you started, did it occur to you that it will become a global thing?

In our imagination, we thought it was something to do with our work in Kaduna. Our first international exposure was when trainers came to train people on conflict resolution and by coincidence again, I was asked to represent the CAN, Northern chapter.

Frank Olizeh then of NTA and other prominent names like General Ishola Williams, I can’t remember all the names. We were

gathered together to be trained in conflict resolution by some experts from within and outside the country. They brought us together to be trained at National Teachers Institute (NTI), and behold, my Imam friend was looking for me and he was told I was in training at the NTI and he came to join me.

Then I was sharing our story of what we were beginning to do.

One of the facilitators urged me to invite my friend to come and join me, even if it was for the last two days. One of the international facilitators said: ‘Gentlemen, I think we should organise a bigger one so that you can have two weeks of

training in conflict resolution. I see a future in what you are doing.’

Then, we were brought to the University of Lagos to be trained for two weeks in conflict resolution. The gentleman who came from the United Kingdom said: Ah! These guys can help the world if they can expand this their initiative.’ So, we went to Birmingham with him. That was when we began to gather international exposure. While in Birmingham, a South African expert in trauma healing and reconciliation came and said: ‘Look gentlemen, I want to pay for your tickets and travel expenditure to come to South Africa on how to do counselling because most of the people in these crises are traumatised, how do you detraumatise a traumatised person?’

Then we headed for South Africa.

That was how everywhere, people want us to come to share our model.

Our success story in Kaduna was the signing of what they called Kaduna Peace Declaration for Religious Leaders. We brought that model from Alexandria in Egypt when the Christians, the Jews and Moslems met to dialogue over the state of Israel. We took that model, customised it and rephrased it. We needed four months of dialoguing with eminent Christians and Moslems to sign a peace pact. That was two months after we had the Miss World crisis. The magnitude of the pact was reduced because during the Sharia crisis, we lost 2,500 people in two days. Then during the Miss World crisis, we lost 200 people in three days.

Religious leaders, 22 of them, who signed the religious pact, went in one bus to trouble zones asking young people to drop their weapons and they did. Since after the Miss World, we enjoyed nine years of peace until the unfortunate incident recently. I want to assure you that we saw it coming. We tried to intervene; we sent a proposal to the government of the day to look into it, but the government did not seem to know the problem in the land. So, they ignored the issue until it escalated.

In your peace efforts round the world, what is the common thing in all these flash points?

Resources. It is all about power, access to power and resources. It is all about resources. There are three types of conflicts: we have the psychological one, we have the value one. The value ones are conflicts that are irresolvable, and that is what we are having in this country. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said if you have valuebased crises, massage them because nobody will move an inch.

They are values that we hold tenaciously and we cannot compromise. It is like for you to ask me as a pastor or a clergy that I should deny the son-ship of Jesus Christ.

That is the last thing I will do, that is value based.

Some are cultural, those values are cultural values that they cannot compromise. They will rather

‘

When I stopped being violent, I went back to those my colleagues and told them look, the only way to change this people was to show them excessive love...A journalist... held me by the hand and drew me towards Imam. Then, Imam was an Ustaz, he was selling books and doing comparative religion.

He placed my hands on Imam’s and said: ‘James and Mohammed, you people should fix this state together...’

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die than to allow those things to be taken. We find that in conflict analysis, these are the most difficult to handle. Now, if these values are superimposed with resources, it becomes more difficult because power in our country Nigeria is about access to resources.

Those on top can dispense resources the way they want. They choose who gets what political appointment and these appointments go with resources. So, in all the troubles, the bottomline is resources, even churches when there are troubles between pastors about who will be the senior and who will be the junior and so on.

All these lead to the proliferation of churches. It is all about resources. People leave one church to start another because they also want to control, it is all about resources. Similarly in the Islamic world, we have these challenges.

What I am saying is that most conflicts are resolvable, but they can create other dimensions; they can have other colorations but the bottom line at the end is the sign of a Naira, Dollar, Euro or whatever currency that is in the mind of those who are fighting. They are not really fighting for the people per se but to control power and to control the resources of the land.

As we can see in South Sudan now, they are fighting. I was privileged to be there prior to their referendum and we spoke to them and they agreed. Now, they go it.

We said to them that they should not fall into the problems of Nigeria that one person, one community, one religion should not control the wealth, they should share it. Let everybody have a bite of the national cake, otherwise they can go back to war. We were with the Vice President talking to him. It was on their television live. We spoke and they were so happy. To answer you in another way, most conflict issues are resource-based; they can take religious or other forms but they are all boiling down to resources.

Even the conflict in the North?

This is very important in the sense that I see this as a transition, an expression of grievance by some people who felt aggrieved but are using this method to express themselves, the method of destroying things, attacking places to express their feelings. Many may read different meanings to their actions. Somewhere in the grassroots some are hailing them while others are cursing them. You find out that among the very young people who want excitement, they are hailing them and they are saying, among other things, that they are fighting corruption. I think the government

should look into it.

Can I, for instance, say that if my salary is too much, that the gap between me and ordinary Nigerians is so high, can I give some back? Can I look at other things: my travel, expenses, and so on, can I begin to invest back in the country rather than go outside?

Can I reduce my luxurious taste and begin to invest back resources locally? Can we do that generally?

Can we begin to be transparent?

Can we begin also to pay our light bills? Can we also begin to queue up? The people are saying that there injustice and I also feel that even if there is injustice at the top, we at the bottom also have to do something with ourselves.

With your total efforts on conflict resolution, some may wonder whether you have not been forced to compromise your faith?

I am a Bible believing Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, no one goes to God except though Him. But I also feel strongly that people have their belief system and should be allowed to practise their faith without molestation of any kind. When we get to the Ultimate truth owner, He will vindicate who is on the right track.

When we started. I didn’t quite know where I was going. I wa not sure whether I should continue because we were birds of different feathers; we were trying to put a square peg in a round hole and work together. It took quite some time for me to fully accept what I was doing, develop trust and be able to work with my Moslem friend. At some instances, I felt like backing out of it, but some people said to me: ‘James Movel, this is a cross that you must carry. Since you came out for this, some of us are beginning to have confidence that we can live; that it was possible to have peace in the North, particularly in Kaduna.’

That kept me going, but the greatest impetus for me is the inspiration that I get from the Bible in Hebrew 12:14 which says we should follow peace and righteousness with all men... From time, I have been mentored to believe that the ultimate desire of a man was to go to heaven. I believe in that and I abide by it. And if anything will stop me from going to heaven, that is to say, if I will not talk to the Moslems, if I will not follow peace with the Moslems and other people, it means heaven will elude me; I don’t want that. I have so much invested a part of my life in the pursuit of Christian principles and standard that I wouldn’t want for any reason to miss heaven.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

20

•IDPs' luggage

•SEMA officials assisting IDPs in camp

•A cross section of their herd of cattle

•A cross section of IDPs in camp

How Cross River dealt refugees’ invasion I

T must have been a troubling sight for the people of Obanliku Local Government Area in northern Cross River State seeing truckloads of strangers arrive their land without any warning on March 22, this year. It was a situation that brought a lot of apprehension – the sudden and unexpected influx of over 3, 000 Fulani herdsmen that eventually got to settle in the communities of Bebi, Becheve, Bendi and Utanga in Obanliku. The strangers also brought with them thousands of their livestock, mostly cattle.

Beyond the worry of overstretched facilities was the fear that Fulani herdsmen carry with them trouble to wherever they go, as they are believed to have a frontier mentality of trying to take over wherever they have come to settle. The fact that their unexpected arrival was necessitated following inter-tribal clashes only seemed to make the feeling worse.

The spokesman for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Alhaji Wakili Shede Abdullahi, who spoke through an interpreter, Alhaji Yusu Usman, Chief Imam of Obudu Central Mosque, said they fled their home land in Takum, Taraba State, because of inter-tribal war between Fulani and Tiv and that they initially moved to Katsina Ala, Benue State, from where they were forcefully moved to Obanliku amidst threats to their lives.

He said they sought refuge in Cross River State because of the peaceful and hospitable nature of the people and assured that the gesture would not be abused. He had assured that as soon as the situation normalised, they would happily return to their home in Katsina Alla in Benue State.

Nicholas KALU, Calabar But this did this little to allay mounting fears of insecurity and undue pressure on the communities that were taken over by the IDPs. Obanliku council chairman, Mr Benjamin Ambe, described it as alarming. He said the agrarian communities were gripped with fear as cattle numbering over 200 ranges have taken over their lands. According to him, a range which comprises about 500 cattle has invaded all the arable lands leaving the indigenes with little or nowhere to carry out their farming activities. The chairman had said that unless prompt and practical interventions were made to resolve the crisis and return the Fulanis and their cattle back to their original abode, there would be further humanitarian challenges such as starvation.

Vice Chairman of the Obanliku council, Deaconess Margaret Achunekang, said the arrival of the IDPs to the local government area was surprising and worrisome as substantial arable land of the local government area was under very serious socio-economic pressure from the influx of the people and thousands of cattle.

She had expressed fears that the local government areas do not have a grazing land to accommodate the large number of herd of cattle.

The clan Head of Utanga, Chief Joseph Suhumba, also expressed fears of insecurity and health-related problems that could emanate from the unexpected increase in population of both man and animals and urged the state government to urgently increase security by establishing a health post to attend to the IDPs as well as veterinary per-

‘

Although the Fulani settlers stayed for over a month, there were no reports of skirmishes or friction between them and the landowners.

Ironically, it was a tearful farewell of sorts when it was time for them go back, as they had become friendly with their hosts...

sonnel to see to the well-being of the cattle and other animals. He had lamented that their streams and other water sources had been invaded by the cattle, leaving the people in serious want.

Councillors representing Ukanga and Bebi Wards, Hon. Robert Uningle and Hon. Mathew Ikah, expressed fear that the arrival of the Fulanis, who came unexpectedly with their whole families and cattle, was an issue that posed a very serious security risk to the communities they are representing, the local government area and the entire Cross River State, especially when the country is still facing a security challenge by the insurgence of the Boko Haram sect. They could not understand what prompted the attention

’

of the Fulanis to Obanliku council, which they have now made their preferred destination.

By all indications, it seemed to be a situation that might have degenerated into a crisis but for the prompt response of the state government to manage it. It appeared the spirit of tolerance, good neighbourliness, and a spirit of hospitality saved the situation.

Immediately the IDPs arrived, the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, immediately directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to intervene in the situation. Heavy security personnel were drafted to the area.

Despite his initial apprehension, chair-

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

•Relief distribution excercise at the IDP camp

•NEMA DG Rep presenting the list of relief materials to the SEMA DG Rep

•Govt officials addressing IDPs in Obanliku

•Children in fornt of a camp house in Utangha

with Fulani man of Obanliku, Mr. Benjamin Ambe, also assured the people of the area of the protection of their lives and property. While addressing the elders and youths of the communities on the situation, Ambe appealed to the youths of the communities not to be violent and not to react against the Fulanis.

He stressed that they needed to be treated as Nigerians and as people who needed refuge without regard to the problem that drove them away from their homes. Mr. Ambe vowed to enforce absolute security within the length and breadth of the council to checkmate any unfortunate occurrence.

Governor Imoke himself also visited the camps to talk to the people on the need to be calm while the matter was being sorted out.

The IDPs settled in four camps using grasses and tree shades for their shelter.

Many of the women and children were scantily clad. Also a substantial number of the children had no clothes at all.

Exposed to the scorching heat in the day and extremely cold weather at night, most of the children had weather-related diseases such as cold and catarrh. The settlers had hundreds of little piles of their belongings such as clothes, mats and cooking utensils scattered all over the place. They were not finding it easy, especially as they lacked basic necessities of life such as food, clothing and shelter.

Despite the worry the uninvited visitors created, the state took up the responsibility of making sure they were comfortable and at the same time working out modalities for their return.

Hence, following the governor’s directive, the Director Agency of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) immediately moved to present relief materials to the people, sympathise with them on their plight and assure them of their safety in the state. The materials distributed to the IDPs included bags of rice, beans, kegs of palm

‘

Chief Paulinus, however, described the departure as a relief to them as their stay had hindered their farming activities as cattle grazed everywhere, including their farmlands.

He said: “Now that they are gone, we will fully resume our farming activities...”

’

oil and groundnut oil, cartons of tomatoes and food seasoning as well as mattresses, mats, blankets and regular supply of water.

He said the hospitality of the people of the state would be extended to them and advised them to be law-abiding and go about their duties without fear.

The DG said inter-state contact and discussions between Cross River and Benue states

were on the way to normalise the crisis situations and return them to their home as soon as possible.

He also addressed the host communities and advised them to continue to display the humanitarian spirit for which Cross Riverians are renowned by accommodating the IDPs for the short period that they were likely to stay. The DG pointed out that, the state government was putting modalities in place to ensure that undue economic and social pressure was not put on the host communities.

He indicated that a health post would be established with a team of qualified medical personnel and veterinary doctors to provide health needs of the people as well as ascertain the health status of the livestock such as food, fowls and cows that came with the IDPs. Soon after, the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA) also intervened in the upkeep of the displaced persons, following appeals by the state government for assistance as the care for the displaced was a big task for the state.

On one occasion while presenting relief materials at the Utanga camps in Obanliku, the Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammed Sami Sidi, described the scenario as pathetic. The DG, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Relief, Mr. Michael Adeyanju, said it was worrisome to have such a massive movement of Nigerians under an unpalatable condition.

The NEMA DG assured that the prompt humanitarian gesture of the state government, which had reduced tension, would be sustained while efforts were being made to urgently resolve the crisis and return the IDPs back to their home in Katsina-Alla in Benue State.

He lauded Governor Imoke for his dexterity in crisis management. The DG also applauded the host communities for their receptive and hospitable dispositions.

Aquah had pointed out to the NEMA DG that the facilities of the host communities had been stressed beyond the coping capacity of the indigenes who are about 90 per cent agrarians, taking cognizance of the fact that almost all the arable land were being grazed by cattle, thereby hindering farmers from cultivating their crops. He said the farmers were under the circumstance displaced. He then appealed for the urgent resolution of the crisis in Benue State so as to enable the herdsmen return in harmony and peace.

Aquah, however, pointed out that the state governor had remained very passionate and astute in managerial acumen, especially in the handling of the exodus of the Fulani herdsmen into the communities without prior notice.

Although, the Fulani settlers stayed for over a month, there were no reports of skirmishes or friction between them and the landowners. Ironically, it was a tearful farewell of sorts when it was time for them go back, as they had become friendly with their hosts.

Their departure on April 19 and 20 was informed by the return to normalcy of the situation in their communities.

They left singing songs of gratitude to the Cross River government NEMA and the host communities of Utanga, Bebi, Becheeve and Bendi for the care and love showered upon them during their stay in the land.

Even as they left in about 25 buses and two trucks under heavy security presence for Benue and Taraba State, the Cross River State government, through SEMA, still provided relief materials for their journey.

Top Cross River State government officials, including the Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Health, Doctor Iyam Ugot; the DG of SEMA ,Mr. Vincent Aquah and the Obanliku council chair, Hon. Benjamin Ambe alongside his council staff were on hand to bid them farewell.

The IDP’s spokesman expressed gratitude to the Cross River state government and their host communities for the shower of love on them right from the first day they arrived the state.

He said while there, they did not lack anything as they had enough food, water, beverages, beds and beddings, blankets, medical attention, security and lots of other goodies, which gave them comfort.

The spokesman also commended NEMA for collaborating with the state government to care for them through the provision of relief materials. According to him, they have tasted the widely acclaimed hospitality of the people of Cross River State. His words: “No wonder, tourism thrives in Cross River State, we are already missing Obanliku and its people”.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Health, Dr. Iyam Ugot, said the state government tried in ensuring that the health care needs of the IDPs were provided.

He said the health facilities in and around Obanliku were at their disposal and their children and women were immunised against the six killer diseases.

Mr. Aquah said right from the first day of their arrival, the governor had activated the state machinery for the mass care by providing food, shelter, water, security and everything else to ensure that the unfortunate Nigerians had the best of life as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He expressed joy that throughout the period of their stay, there were no records of death, molestation or any negative reaction by the people of the state towards them. According to him, the sick were promptly attended to by a team of medical personnel while few referrals were made.

Ambe said the IDPs had felt the hospitality of the people of the state, adding that though the facilities of the council had been stretched to their limits, they were able to contain it with the assistance from the state government through SEMA and the Federal Government through NEMA. Chief Paulinus, however, described the departure as a relief to them as their stay had hindered their farming activities as cattle grazed everywhere, including their farmlands. He said: “Now that they are gone, we will fully resume our farming activities, even though belated”.

The leader of the Obanliku Legislative Council, Mr Iyo David, expressed gratitude to the state government for responding swiftly to the situation, considering the prevalent peace and order that was observed throughout the period. He further said that the successful return of the refugees to their homes had allayed the fears that initially brought panic in the minds of everybody.

Iyo equally commended the chairman of Obanliku council, Mr. Ambe, for keeping the peace in the area.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

23

Grandeur of ‘World Cup’ of Film Festivals •Brad Pit… Killing them Softly in Cannes 2012 •NEXIM, FIRS, NFC hoist Nigeria's flag •Kunle Afolayan, Mahmood Ali-Balogun in touch!

LOCATION

BACKSTAGE

SNAPSHOT

REEL NEWS

MUSIC

SCREEN

Edited by: VICTOR AKANDE

Tel: 08077408676

E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com

ntertainment

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012, 2012

SEE PAGES 28 - 37

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

STANDh BY! Wit

VICTOR AKANDE E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com Tel: 08077408676 (SMS only)

THINK

SNAPSHOTS

nt part of An importa s of any the succes is its civilisation late the mu ability to e t led to the a th factors ther success of o Eric .— s civilisation rt Reine

Cannes-Nigeria: Seven years after L

AST year on this platform, I talked about 'Our big empty shop being empty again'. Like providence, NEXIM Bank came in to fill the hollowness that has characterised Nigeria's purpose of participation at the Cannes Film Festival since the Nigerian Film Corporation initiated the idea of a pavilion in 2007.

When last week, I spoke from a cynic's point of view about the shoddy preparations of Nigeria towards platforms of global repositioning, it was the candid view of someone who has a grip of happenings in the affairs of Nollywood. And I am just going to relay that the inventory captured of this year's outing, to some extent, appears to meet our wishful thinking of the previous years.

From 2007 when the pavilion was first acquired, following moves by then Minister of Information, Frank Nweke Jnr., who in 2006 saw the need for Nigeria's participation at that level, had come and gone, also Information Ministers like, John Odey, Dora Akunyili and now, Labaran Maku. But perhaps none of them understand well enough what it means to have Nigeria make a consistent and progressive representation, even in the spirit of African Heart or Rebranding project which they preached.

Apologies to Maku, who at the last ZUMA film festival in Abuja promised to see to the actualisation of the MOPPICON bill in the next three months.

We are still waiting…

But no doubt, if other government parastatals with mandate robbing off on the film industry could follow suit with the Co-Financing/CoProduction deal which NEXIM Bank officials at the festival are promoting, then we may be heading in the direction of a purposeful film industry.

Something is terribly wrong with our policy and there is a constant disconnect that makes it very frightening and difficult to tell if we will ever get it right as a country.

I see countries here bringing 'cheap' heritage for 'sale' and you need to see how others buy into them; because our shop is empty. I see dances and drumming that some visitors choose to describe as African

NEXIM Bank with its readiness to support coproduction of films with export potential, and FIRS with their tax incentive lecture may be a little disappointed by the low turn-out of Nigerian filmmakers and I imagine what crowd the Igunu Masquerade, the Eyo, Egungun, and countless others from the North, South-South and South East of Nigeria could have pooled.

These are some of the attractions for co-productions because the world hungers for new cultures in telling a global story. I wonder why there cannot be collaboration between the Information and Culture ministries on matters of global repositioning. I wonder why Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) and the Nigerian Film Corporation cannot work hand in hand to bring the Best Nigerian Films at the AMAAs to subsequent film festivals.

Let us understand the importance of a film festival for the umpteenth time; a forum for networking, a platform for marketing, and showroom for ones country's potentials for the world to see. We didn't see all

I see dances and drumming that some visitors choose to describe as African and I imagine what crowd the Igunu Masquerade, the Eyo, Egungun, and countless others from the North, South-South and South East of Nigeria could have pooled

WRITE TO US!

of these happening in the past because; indeed the shop was there, but there were no wares to display. NEXIM Bank with its readiness to support coproduction of films with export potential, and FIRS with their tax incentive lecture may be a little disappointed by the low turn-out of Nigerian filmmakers, but they are already part of the industry and together, we can effect a change with quality assurance that says 'it is no longer business as usual'.

What Cannes does to the filmmaker is such that, you don't have to visit the countries you want your films to be. The countries come to you, through their various film festivals being represented in Cannes. It's the world's largest convergence of filmmakers and film activities.

In a bid to enrich Nigeria's participation at Cannes 2012, the NFC is partnering with NEXIM to host interactive sessions on Co-financing and Co-production opportunities in the Nigerian Motion Picture Industry. Good step and more of that. This takes us once again to the issue of MOPPICON. Like I said a few weeks back, the Minister of Information must let the industry people take their fate in their hands by helping them to pass the MOPPICON bill and see how it plays out. He should constantly create an enabling environment like this year's outing that brings government closer to the filmmakers. I am sure if the news of what happens this year in Cannes gets to other filmmakers, those who had given up on attending the festival will renew their strength.

Maku should also remember that apart from the MOPPICON bill, the world also took note of his comment on the much anticipated National Film Fund.

It was heart-warming to hear Maku say that he was pushed to ensure a quick consideration of the Film Fund policy by the Federal Executive Council. This further underscores President Goodluck Jonathan's administration as being proactive to the issue of the film industry.

Adieu - With love from Cannes

Do you watch Nollywood movies? What do you think of the Nigerian motion picture industry? Send your review of any movie or short essay on any topic of your choice about the film industry in not more than 200 words. Send entries by e-mail to: victor_akande@yahoo.com or SMS your short comments to 08077408676

Halima Abubakar’s bold step with Mistress

H

ALIMA Abubakar says all is set for the release of her movie entitled 'Mistress'. The film features one of Ghanaians finest actresses, Yvonne Nelson, and fast-rising Nollywood actress, Mary Uranta among others.

“I don't want to blow my trumpet yet, but be ready to be thrilled,” she said.

Produced by Modehouz Entertainment, the theme of 'Mistresses' is on infidelity, misconception about men, and relationships in general.

Tonto Dikeh quits smoking?

C

ONTROVERSIAL actress, Tonto Dikeh may have finally quit smoking.

The actress who has constantly been under attack by her fans over her smoking habit says smoking is now a thing of the past. She said recently on tweeters; "I have a good news for those who wish me well.

"Hehehehheheehehehe, it's a silly good news, but you all are going to love this. I QUIT SMOKING. Puppyface.”

Almost immediately, in that early hours of May 21, responses began to pour in. Most of them, words of encouragement.

However, some of her critics were quick to dismiss the actress' claim saying she was merely seeking attention.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

RE ELNEW S

EKOIFF to honour Nollywood divas

O

RGANIZERS of the annual Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) say they are set to honour Nollywood divas with the launch of the annual Nollywood Divas Awards to be unveiled at the 3rd edition of the festival which opens on November 5, 2012, in the coastal mega city of Lagos, Nigeria.

According to Hope Opara, President of Eko International Film Festival and CEO of Nollywood Divas Awards, “the Nollywood Divas Awards is a celebration of the accomplished actresses in Nollywood”.

Releasing the maiden Nollywood Divas Awards Magazine, Opara announced 20 nominees for the inaugural Awards in Lagos. The top nominees include the most popular Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji, multiple awards winning actresses Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw, Stephanie Okereke-Idahosa, Omoni Oboli, Monilisa Chinda, Funke Akindele, Stella Damasus, Ini Edo, Mercy Johnson, Bimbo Akintola, Nse Etim Ekpe, Uche Jumbo, Tonto

Dike, Lillian Bach, Fathia Balogun, Ngozi Ezeonu, Joke Silva-Jacobs and Clarion Chukwurah who are the most accomplished Nigerian Nollywood divas to date.

Opara said the maiden Nollywood Divas Awards Magazine will be publicized at local and international film festivals and copies have been distributed gratis to the public and are available at selected locations. The digital edition, he said, is also available on the Internet for free download.

T

on the mic. There was no dull moment as two of Nigeria's finest hype-men, Shody and Coded duly assisted DJ Atte charged the atmosphere all through the night.

There was also heavy media presence in the house as crews from TRACE Urban TV and Naija FM 102.7 who are the official media partners of the event were on hand to capture the excitement.

According to St.Remy Brand & Markets Manager, Antoine Couvreur, this month's event is just a tip of the iceberg as the brand is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that it rewards its loyal consumers who over the years have stayed true to it. The next St.Remy Gbedu Slam Jam, he revealed, is scheduled to hold on the 22nd June, 2012, at Vegas Club, Ikeja, Lagos, and it promises to be even bigger and better.

•Tamara, Vivian , Aisha

F •Omoni Oboli

St. Remy fetes consumers with Gbedu Slam Jam

RUE to the billing of its organizers, French brandy, St. Remy treated its loyal consumers to the first edition of its monthly party tagged St. Remy Gbedu Slam Jam in an unforgettable night of unparalleled entertainment and excitement.

Held on Friday, 18th May, 2012, at Rita Lori Hotel, Surulere, Lagos, the event which had a massively impressive turnout on the night started by 10pm prompt and DJ Atte of Naija FM 102.3 had the crowd rocking and partying hard till the early hours of Saturday morning.

The night featured a starstudded lineup of artistes including Skillz of JJC, Phenom, Orezi, D'Pzle, Flowssick, and a host of others. The brand also introduced a fast-rising and hugely talented diva named, Kiss who also gave the people a taste of her undeniable prowess

•Tamara with her car

OR coming out tops in the 2011 edition of reality television show, Next Movie Star (NMS), Tamara Eteimo, was recently presented her winning prizes; a brand new SUV and cash prize.

In a star-studded presentation ceremony held at the head office of Digital Interactive Media, organizers of the show, fans, friends and followers of the show converged to celebrate the winners.

Third runner up, Vivian Egbon, was the first to receive her cash prize and LCD TV. Next came Aisha Alli-Balogun and diminutive Tomiwa Kukoyi who were second and

NMS winners receive prizes first runners up respectively.

They also got mouthwatering cash prizes and LCD TVs each.

Thereafter, all the guests moved outside where a brand new SUV had been parked and decorated.

A Theater Arts graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Eteimo who radiated immeasurable joy as she was presented with the keys to her car admitted to being short of words, a fact she hinged on her not expecting a topnotch SUV as the organizers had promised.

In her words, it was a dream come true. “I am extremely happy today because truth be

told; I wasn't expecting this kind of beautiful car. I thought they (organizers) would just give me any car that caught their fancy. Now, it would be easier for me to navigate Lagos in comfort and style and with the knowledge that the car is a product of my sweat and talent.

God bless Next Movie Star. God bless Sola Fajobi. He is indeed a star maker,” she says.

Hitherto, winners had always got a brand new Kia Rio car.

But the organizers of the show upped the stakes with the presentation of a Nissan X-Trail SUV to the 2010 winner, Akio Precious Ilami. Eteimo got a gleaming Kia Sportage.

Upville housemates up for eviction

•Maneta

F

INALLY, a dose of reality hits the Housemates of the Big Brother StarGame Upville house on Monday, May 21, as they had their first nomination session. At the end

of the day, Mampi, DKB and former Downville Housemate Maneta found themselves up for eviction this week.

DKB however used his power as Head of House to save himself and put Lady May up for eviction in his place. That means that viewers must vote to keep one of Mampi (Zambia), Maneta (Zimbabwe) and Lady May (Namibia) in the House this week.

When Big Brother revealed the results of the nomination process on Monday night, the housemates sat in stunned silence for a moment as reality sets in. Big Brother had to call

DKB to the Diary Room a number of times to make his 'Save and Replace' decision.

After pondering his choice, DKB revealed that he would be saving himself and putting Lady May up for eviction in his place.

Earlier in the day, Mampi had received the most nominations from her Upville Housemates, picking up six everyone else except Maneta, nominated her.

Maneta and DKB picked up three nominations each, putting them in the eviction firing line.

Mampi nominated Goldie and DKB, the former because “I believe she's too plastic, she's a pretender.

Isidingo makes debut on Africamagic

B •Flowssick

•Orezi

•Skillz

EGINNING from May 28, DStv audiences will be able to watch two more popular daily series as the sensational soap operas Generations and Isidingo debut on the channel.

M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi says that they have been able to conclude agreement with the

South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for the rights to screen the two dramatic shows.

Along with the established M-Net series Tinsel, Jacob's Cross and Changes, Generations and Isidingo, she said, will offer high quality African drama, beautifully

filmed with storylines that are both relevant to African audiences and, in many ways, reflective of their own hopes, ambitions and desires. With stellar casts and world-class productions, both shows are already famous for delivering must-watch, jam-packed plots with intrigue, secrets, romance and more.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

y m t u p I y Wh political ambition on e e D a b a B hold—

W

HEN should we expect a new album from you?

Right now I just finished working on a new album and it is in the production stages. You will recall I dropped an album last year and the song titled 'Gum Body' was one of the most popular songs on the collection. There is a single off the new album which is currently having a good rotation on air. The song is titled 'Park Well' and it features Vector the Viper. It is also getting a lot of downloads and the new album will be out by July; preparations for the album are currently at top gear as I am leaving no stone unturned as I have been in and out of the country to ensure that I get the very best out of it.

Considering the time between the release of your last album and current preparations for the next one; do you not think it is too soon to release another one?

I don't think it is too soon to release another album because the last one was liked by many but the marketing and distribution was not good enough. I was not impressed by the returns that I had and I am putting things in place to ensure that my next album is properly marketed and distributed. For me, it is all about the fans at the moment‌ What plans have you put in place to ensure that your next album does not suffer the circumstances of the last one?

What we plan to do now is to increase the platform with which people can access my songs especially online. We all know the power of the internet and I will be promoting my songs more on the internet this time. Gone are the days when we release an album and the only platform you have to promote your songs is through Alaba marketers. There are quite a number of useful platforms to promote your songs on; my last album was not entirely a let-down in terms of promotion but I think there still much to be done. I want to ensure that the album is accessible enough for it to get the reach that we expect.

Was the video for the song 'Gum Body' shot in Nigeria?

It was done partly in Nigeria and partly outside Nigeria.

Is there any particular reason why you like shooting most of your video abroad?

I wish I could say no to that assertion; it is something I want to say no to but the fact of the matter is that I am planning to shoot my next video abroad (General laughter). But truly we have a production outfit here in Nigeria that makes videos for me and a whole lot of other artistes.

What should your fans expect from your next album texture wise?

It will have the usual Dancehall feel and I thank God that ever since I returned to the country my songs have been well accepted and for me is about understanding the vibe of the Nigerian music scene. I have come to terms with that fact and we intend to get more creative and think more out for the box while not forgetting to add the usual

Nigerian element blended with Dancehall.

Is there any particular reason for settling for Vector to feature on your new single 'Park Well'?

Vector is one of the young rapper who is really doing well at the moment. He knows his onions and I think he is one of the most talented rappers that we have on the scene at the moment. He is quite different and he has a fresh approach; I didn't understand him initially because he was sounding like Jay Z but after a while I discovered that he has powerful wordplay and punch-lines. His delivery pattern is also on-point too so I decided to have him on that single and so far so good the song is enjoying major downloads on the internet.

Would you be collaborating with other artistes on the album?

I am looking at wrapping-up production for my forthcoming album and I am considering having collaborations with other popular artistes. But I want to wait till the collaborations are done before going public on that.

How is the winner of the Bashment 101 contest faring? Has he or she been involved in any useful venture lately?

What we have done in recent times is that we've been around the country to screen and eventually scout for a female contestant that will participate in the Dancehall Queen finals which will be staged in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We have a franchise to fish out then sole contestant for Nigeria and Africa; we've done the regional finals and we've been to Calabar, Abuja, Benin and in Lagos.

The two winners from the regions are now waiting for the grand finale and we are working with major partners who are collaborating with us to be able to stage the final before November this year.

That's one of the things that Dancehall 101 is about; we have the Bashment, the DJ Sound Clash, Nextrated and a host of other entertainment activities. What we are trying to do is to promote Dancehall.

What are the challenges encountered in trying to get the Dancehall 101concept to where it is today?

I decided to run for the House of Assembly under ACN but the party politics didn't favor my candidacy at the time. But I am still a card carrying member of ACN and I am still very much involved in the politics of Nigeria

With close to two decades of experience on the music scene Baba Dee can be described as one of the pioneers of Dancehall music in Nigeria. The well travelled artiste opened up on his political ambition and the fact that he is nearing the completion of his next album among others issues in this interview with AHMED BOULOR. Nigerians can be stereotypical and narrow in thinking sometimes especially brand managers who do not know what dynamism is all about. Aside people like the former first lady of Cross River State, Mrs Onari Duke who has supported the cause. She ensured the show was held in Calabar; we are also finding it hard to tie down a major sponsor for the project.

The contestant would be flying over to Jamaica, she would need accommodation and feeding and someone has to take care of all of that. The last edition was won by a white lady and the previous one before was won by a Japanese. That is surprising to me because Dancehall music is originally done by blacks.

How did you come about the Dancehall 101 concept?

When I was outside the country, I was working with an event company that promoted Dancehall and reggae music.

Even when I left school, I was still working with them and I picked up a whole lot of idea while still working with the event company. So when I got to Nigeria I got in contact with the franchise owners of Dancehall Queen and they gave us the rights to bring on a Nigerian contestant. Ever since then, we've been trying to build the brand.

We've also been trying to get sponsors to support the project and find a way that their products can plug into the benefits provided by the Dancehall Queen platform.

Your numerous trips abroad must have presented you with many experience s. Could you share with us that occurre nce that you wil l

never forget?

I have many memorable experiences performing with those that matter in the world of Dancehall. I have performed with the likes of T.O.K, Mr. Vegas and Beenie Man. My meeting with Mr. Vegas was really memorable; when he heard my work he dropped his comments and I was sitting in the studio but he didn't know I was the one whose song was being played. From then on, I believed I could succeed doing Dancehall music because Vegas is one of the best in the business of Dancehall music.

What happened to your interest in running for a political office?

In order for you to make a change I Nigeria, you have to be among the policy makers. That's one of the things I discovered when I came back to Nigeria some few years back. It doesn't work being a pressure group; you need to be among policy makers to make real change happen. Hence, I decided to run for the House of Assembly under ACN but the party politics didn't favor my candidacy at the time. But I am still a card carrying member of ACN and I am still very much involved in the politics of Nigeria. On the lighter note, I was elected as one of the Directors of COSON and I am serving there while trying to make a difference to copyright laws in Nigeria. I'll definitely be more involved in politics in the future, in fact, I am still involved; but there are a lot of things taking my time now.

How do you alongside your brother continue to keep the fire of music burning in your family?

Naija Ninja is the unifying factor and we've had a lot of younger artistes coming together to do their works.

Young Race is one of the young female artistes that we signed this year; we also signed Blakka from Jos. If you take a close look at the artistes just mentioned you will notice that they have their individual videos and they've had their own gigs in recent times. It has been quite encouraging; as I speak with you, Sound Sultan is in New York. He is th going to play in Manhattan on the 27 of this month with a live band. We are also working on having the 'Naija Ninja World Tour'. That would be this summer and we will be touring with a live band.

•Baba Dee

27

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

MTV Base showcases TI in reality series

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Wizkid notches BET nomination

T.I and Tiny

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ME's cash cow Wizkid has been nominated for the 2012 BET Awards. The pop prince was nominated in the Best International African Act category alongside Ice Prince, Sarkodie from Ghana, Camp Mulla from Kenya, Lira from South Africa and Makobe from Mali.

“When I heard the news, I was more than happy, I was ecstatic. For me to be nominated for BET Awards tells me that my music is beginning to make an impact in places, far places,” Wizkid told journalists in Lagos.

He continues “I would like to thank EME for supporting me. I would also like to thank all the DJs and the OAPs who have had my back all this while. Most importantly, I would also like to thank my fans; this wouldn't have been possible without them” Last year, Wizkid shocked many pundits by winning the Best African Act at the 2011 edition of the MOBO Awards. He beat seasoned artistes like Seun Kuti and D'Banj to the international prize.

The BET Awards will take place on July 1, 2012 at the Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. International pop stars, Beyonce and Kanye West lead the BET 2012 Awards nominations with Kanye having seven nominations and Beyonce having six.

Meanwhile, it's a few days to the hugely anticipated EME tour, and there is no doubt that the unbeatable team is not about slowing down any time soon!

Just before heading to the UK, Wizkid, Skales and DJ Xclusives will be performing in Lusaka, Zambia on May 25, 2012 at the Barclays Sports Center.

“We have spent huge resources planning to make sure this tour is not like anything our fans have seen before; this is very big for us, we believe with God and the fans on our side, we will make Nigeria and Africa proud' says EME director Banky W. The tour is expected to include big venue concerts, select club gigs, road stops, TV and radio performances as well as extended media visits.

Seun Kuti Timaya becomes father returns from tour WARD-WINNING musician, Enetimi Odom aka Timaya has achieved another feat as he is currently the latest father in of America town.

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The artiste broke the news via his twitter page early Tuesday morning, that he has been blessed with a baby girl. "Wow, I'm now a father, thank you Jehova for the birth of my cute daughter," he tweeted.

It will be recalled that two years after the media was AYS after returning from a twomonth musical tour of the U.S and awash with the messy breakup between former lovebirdsEurope promoting his second album “From Africa with Fury: Rise” Seun Timaya and Nollywood actress Empress Njamah, the singer Anikulapo Kuti and Fela's Egypt 80 Bank will be performing at the New Africa did give love a second Shrine today. chance when he Seun and the Egypt 80-Band had met his Baby performed at the New Orleans Jazz mama, simply Festival, Los Angeles, Centre for Arts, identified as California, House of Blues, Chicago, Barbara.

Highline Ballroom, New York among other major concert and festival venues in Barbara who Europe. was reported The show promises to be very exciting to have been with heavy dose of Afro Beat vibes from pregnant for Seun Kuti's second album and Fela's the Bayelsa repertoires amid lots of political Indigene has commentaries on the state of the nation. finally been delivered of a bouncing baby girl. admits.

All things He says that he can be seen as a being equal, the Northern ambassador for peace to bridge singer will soon be some of the tension in ethnic relations playing host to a currently being felt in the country.

With the strong support of Mr NAWTi, number of guests which will include Bondo Krazzy, the young and good music heads, looking new musical ambassador for fellow artistes, unity, raps and sings in his indigenous friends and dialect helping to soothe and entertain family at his troubled Nigerian minds.

Maruwa The first single from the album is a Garden dance track produced by young talented producer, Dj Fame and then re-worked by Residence for the christening of the the magnificent hands of Puffy Tee, the •Timaya producer of the monster hit song, Yahooze. daughter.

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Bondo Krazzy steps out with Son of the Soil

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•Bondo Krazzy

ONDO Krazzy, a protégé of NAWTi and Yahoozee crooner, Olu Maintain says he is set to spread his wings with the release of his upcoming album, Son of the Soil.

Born, Nathan Bondo David, a native of Kaduna, Krazzy says he will explode into the Nigerian music scene with his first smash hit single to rave reviews, featuring none other than Mr Olu Maintain, popularly known as Mr NAWTi. The release of Bondo Krazzy's new music is perfectly timed due to the ethno-religious crises and tension in the country at the moment, the artiste

USIC channel, MTV Base, is set to give Africa a fascinating look into the world of multiplatinum rapper T.I. in the new reality series T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.

The new series follows the selfproclaimed “King of the South" at his most vulnerable, as he re-acclimatizes back into his life as a father, husband, son, musician, apparel magnate, businessman, actor, author and founder and co-Chief Executive Officer of Grand Hustle Records.

The series gives the rapper's fans behind-the-scenes glimpse into the most private moments of the Grammywinning artiste as he is reunited with his wife, Tameka (a.k.a Tiny), and his children following his release from a 12month prison sentence for probation violations.

Speaking of his involvement in the programme, T.I. revealed that he had opened up his home and family life to the public because he didn't want to be defined by “small moments” in his life, and that he and wife Tiny had chosen to show off their family and their parenting skills.

"Tameka and I have a strong, loving family," said T.I. "In this family documentary, you will see the challenges of raising children while balancing a career. It's like a lot of families, only our home is in the spotlight."

Viewers will also gain an insight into the loving relationship between T.I. and his wife Tameka, who has faithfully stood by T.I.'s side through his highs and lows and who herself was a former member of the '90s Grammywinning pop group, Xscape.

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 26,2012

By

Harry Iwuala

Inside The

Glass House WITH AMINU MAIGARI

AKINLOYE

AT LARGE

08050246155 atlarge84@yahoo.com

38

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

HO LLYWOOD

Luckie Lawson escapes air disaster

Usher accused of affair with Ex's bridesmaid

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SHER'S bitter custody battle has taken a dramatic turn after the singer was accused of sleeping with one of his ex-wife's bridesmaids during their two year marriage. Tameka Foster's lawyer dropped the bombshell during a hearing in Fulton County Court, Atlanta, during a crossexamination of the star.

Usher, full name Usher Terry Raymond IV, pulled a contorted face as the questions was asked while his lawyer immediately objected.

Foster's attorney was HEY'VE been inseparable since they quizzing Usher about started dating just a few weeks ago. his claims that his ex And if these latest pictures are anything to go by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are wife would bring a series of nannies in head over heels for each other. and out of their two The super couple have spent the last few children's lives, Usher days in France at the Cannes Film Festival.

Raymond V, aged They embarked on a very public display of affection as Kim passionately kissed her man four, three-year-old Naviyd Ely in full view of the cameras at a party held at Raymond. the Gotha Club.

Kardashian turned up to support the rapper at the premiere of his new film Cruel Summer. And they were unable to keep their hands off of each other as they spent most of their time kissing and wrapping their arms around each other.

Kim gazed lovingly at Kanye before she planted a kiss on his lips. And the hip-hop E may be Hollywood's star looked equally as smitten as he placed nice guy but Will Smith his hands on his girlfriend's famous derriere. showed that it is not a good idea to cross him last week when he slapped a TV prankster who tried to kiss him on the red carpet. However the actor, 43, was back to his smiling self when he spoke out about the situation during an interview on the Late Show with David Letterman.

He kept a good sense of humour as he told the talk show host of the ordeal: 'It was just awkward.'

Meanwhile, the Ukranian reporter who planted the kiss has also come forward to apologise.

Letterman grilled the star over

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OPULAR Ghanaian actress and movie producer Luckie Lawson and her movie crew were on board the Accra-bound Antrak airplane that nearly caught fire while airborne Tuesday morning.

Other passengers aboard the flight included Dr. Abu Sakara, the flagbearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the Majority Leader, Hon Cletus Avoka. The 40 or so passengers were quickly evacuated and the airline has since not

Kim and Kanye share a passionate kiss in Cannes

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Yvonne Nelson, Chris Attoh in secret wedding

Will Smith speaks out over slapping TV prankster

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…as reporter apologises the incident, which took place at the Moscow premiere of Men In Black 3, as he said: 'You beat up a guy who was trying to hug you.'

Laughing, Will exclaimed, 'I didn't beat up a guy.' He then gave the host and the audience a run-down of the situation.

The man in question is Vitalii Sediuk, a prankster for a Ukrainian TV show. In a new video, he apologises for the random emotional outburst, saying: 'I apologise for my behaviour... I think it was too much.

Crane over Ghollywood

Why Sarkodie wears shades

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012 Ghana Music Awards Artiste of the Year, Sarkodie says he wears shades to hide something - Tears.

“Whenever I'm on stage and the crowd yells my name ecstatically during my performance, I often get emotional and I shed tears”, the Obidiponbidi rapper revealed.

“I get emotional because my audience always reminds me of where I've come from. I have always wanted to be big and even though the journey has not been easy, I have made it and now I can confidently say I am one of the biggest artistes in Ghana, thanks to God, and thanks to my fans. I have promised not to let my fans down but to always give them the best in me”, Sarkodie said.

Coincidentally, Sarkodie is not the first successful Ghanaian artiste who has confessed that he gets emotional on stage to the point of shedding tears.

Ghana Police in court

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commented on the incident.

Speaking after the accident, the actress vented her spleen on officials of Antrak Air in Tamale following what she described as an unfair clientele treatment meted out to her.

Luckie was so vexed she threatened to vandalise a few things just to catch the attention of the airline's management. She also took to some social networks to complain vehemently about services by the aircraft management and the way they treated her.

N Accra-based suspected movie pirate, Fatau Dauda, has appeared before an Accra High Court for pirating the newly released Ghana Police movie and illegally showing the home video in commercial cinemas barely 24 hours after the movie was released.

The suspect was arrested in a massive police operation while he was showing the movie in a network of commercial cinemas around Sodom and Gomora and Agbogbloshi, both Accra suburbs.

Though the suspect was operating in a densely populated slum noted for habouring hardened criminals, the police operation was successfully done by men from the Greater Accra Regional Police Headquarters.

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CTRESS Yvonne Nelson is staging a comeback this month in a role with ladies' man Chris Attoh and a host of others in an upcoming movie titled 'Single & Married' by Media GH. The two are working together for the first time and reports from the movie's set assured Ghanaian movie enthusiasts to brace up for a thrilling

experience when the movie finally hits the big screens.

Pictures from the set are interesting, with one capturing Yvonne and Chris in a wedding scene. Anita Erskine and songstresses Efya and Tiffany are some of the stars on the set and sources say there is a more interesting cast list to be made public soon. Nadia Buari is also on the set of the movie.

A-list actresses Nadia and Yvonne last starred together in 2009 when they appeared in 'Heart of Men'.

It's being four years since then and their new movie is expected to clear the air on rumours that they don't see eye to eye.

39

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

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ELLO! I do hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend. Well, I am having a ball and that’s nice considering the fact that I had a lot of fears and anxiety during the week concerning the public presentation of my film, which is coming up on June 12, 2012. I’m learning to relax but I need your prayers and support. The number to call is still 08023162609.

One thing I really would want us to talk about is the need for us all to be united. I am Yoruba. You may be Ibo or Hausa or Nupe or Fulani. One thing that binds us together is love.

A lot of you call me and send text messages to me telling me your most intimate secrets. I come out here and offer solutions, yet you wouldn’t care whether I’m black or cream and the same thing here. Have you ever sat down to wonder why you would call and sound familiar with somebody whose language you do not even speak? It is love and it cuts across language and tribe.

It is that love you give to me that I also share with you.

Why then do we go out there and fight each other on the altar of tribal sentiments? To make it worse, we kill in the name of religion. Let us all stop it starting from what we say about the other person’s religion and tribe in our homes.

On Tuesday this week, I had

Hearts With Adeola Agoro

E-mail: libranadeola@yahoo.co.uk

Biko! Let us be united for God’s sake my hands so full yet I had invited a few people over for dinner. Getting away from work to go to the market to buy things was way out of it, and then I remembered I had the telephone number of my chicken customer. Pronto, I called him and asked him to slaughter the number of chicken and I wanted. I then asked him to go into the market and buy some other stuff for me. I gave him a list of what I wanted and how I wanted it. He bought my ugu and waterleaf vegetables, the ingredients for my edika-ikong soup, goat-meat, smoked fish, fruits and even ground my peeper for me. Here he was not knowing my house and not caring if my call was a mock call. When I went to the market to pick up the stuff, everything was ready the way I specified and he was waiting patiently for me by the market

gate where I picked everything from.

I got home and started cooking.

I served the food and my guests and family all ate and retired for the night. It wasn’t until I woke up in the morning that I realized that the man could have poisoned, for instance the ground pepper before giving it to me. But he didn’t. He didn’t also doubt me for once as he went doing what I telephoned him to do. That is trust. That is love. The man is Hausa, I’m sure he doesn’t even know my tribe because I speak pigin English to him each time I patronize him.

The lesson in it is that we all can love each other unconditionally. And we can all try a little kindness to our brothers and sisters in Nigeria because we are one. Common, let is all be united for the sake of God. Biko!

She wants us to get married immediately I graduate Hi, I’m in my 30s and a Year 2 student. I’m dating a girl of the same age and we love each other greatly. She promised to wait for me till I graduate but the problem now is that she wants us to get married immediately I finish service. Please what do I do?

Dear brother, to answer your question, I need to ask you a question: do kids get married? Anybody without a job is like a kid no matter how old you are because just as kids rely on people to provide for them, so is the adult who doesn’t have a job. He has to continuously look for help from people to survive. No sir, I wouldn’t want that for you.

Sue, a woman has this to say, “So many people jump into marriage with-

out ever having to deal with life first and this can lead to people ending up in bad marriages or divorce because they have no idea what they are getting themselves into...and they wonder why the divorce rate is rising!!

While marriage doesn’t make your living expenses go up, life does and this is the time when you start learning what life actually takes - the average student studying in an institution doesn’t really know yet what it takes to really live”.

I wonder if you know that you would not be going for youth service by the time you graduate because you said you’re already in your 30s, so you would be exempted. Having said that, except a job or a trade is waiting for you, I don’t see any reason why you should rush into marriage because a

What are the food supplements for weak erection?

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LEASE some of the food supplements to aid my weak erection. I’m a fifty-year-old man. Thanks.

Hi, I have tried many products for erection and found out there is nothing like natural supplements (Viagra was a big disappointment).

I am talking about natural supplements that can enhance a normal sex life for men and women - they really exist!

One should be careful of libido killers too, such as stress and depression, alcohol and drugs. But, I wanna say that L-arginine is the best. It‘s a non essential amino acid which improves circulation.

L-Argenine increases blood flow to the penis (like Viagra should).

Hello sir, I have been careful not to treat this issue of weak erection since I did last year. I got too many messages than I could handle and I needed to be careful not to contravene NAFDAC policies on drug administration since I’m not a medical person.

However, here we go again and I’ll like to say that the only food supplement I have given to people

and I have received clear and positive rsponce to is one product that contains arginine.

Talk to your doctor and share the information I’m giving on arginine and if he recommends it, ask from pharmacies for it. I really do have information on how to get it, but it is a little expensive (about N15, 000 per pack depending on exchange rate).

But if there are locally produced supplements with arginine in them, I will vote one hundred percent that you should get it.

I got this from a man about your age who said something about your question, “Hi, I have tried many products for erection and found out there is nothing like natural supplements (Viagra was a big disappointment).

I am talking about natural supplements that can enhance a normal sex life for men and women - they really exist! One should be careful of libido killers too, such as stress and depression, alcohol and drugs. But, I wanna say that Larginine is the best. It`s a non-essential amino acid which improves circulation. L-Argenine increases blood flow to the penis.”

woman thinks marriage is the next thing.

One of the major killers of love and romance is poverty. If you go ahead and marry without stabilizing financially, the kind of fights you and your wife would be having would make people ask if you loved each other at all before you got married.

After marriage, there would be bills to pay, provisions to make for visiting friends and family members, social functions to attend and so on. Except her father is one big man who is ready to house and feed both of you till you get a job, I’d advise you never to fall into that kind of trap.

Yes, she’s in her 30s and she’s probably getting bashed right, left and center by her family and friends that she’s getting too old to be single, but that’s her problem, not yours. She should be able to wait until you get a job or a business to finance your wedding and life together after that.

Let me tell you, a man is not a man until he’s able to put food on the table and make his wife proud. Think well about this.

Let’s talk about rape!

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EAR ma, you published a story on the 4th day of Feb ruary, 2012 about a girl living with a man who is not her relative and they had been going out and doing everything together yet she claimed that the guy raped her after six years of living together under the same roof. How do you define rape?

It amazes me that Nigeria is one of the countries where rape is treated with levity. Even worse than levity. Rape is often treated in such a raw sense that the victim is often the one scorned while the offender is hailed. Yet, both the Criminal Code and Criminal Law both define rape as the forceful sexual relationship between a man and a woman.

Rape, sometimes also called sexual assault, can happen to both men and women of any age. Rape is the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.

The keyword to know when rape has taken place is lack of consent. Once it can be established that one of the parties keeps refusing until the act takes place, then it is rape. You can actually rape your wife! Yes, it is the woman’s duty to grant her husband’s sexual demands, but if you want her and she says no and you go ahead to force her, then you have raped her. It is hard to go to the public and say your husband has raped you, so it is always kept within the walls of the bedroom. One thing is however important to note, a woman’s reasons for refusing sex may be on health or religious grounds, so men should always respect that. So to answer your question more directly, if the law protects even wives against rape by their husbands, who then is a boyfriend that he cannot be punished for taking a woman by force? IT just doesn’t matter how many times you have had sex or how many years you have lived together. What matters is when she says no. Her no should be respected because she deserves to be treated with respect.

Abroad, young girls and women (and also boys and men) of every age know their rights and they know immediately when they are being assaulted and they call for help. Offenders would rather commit suicide than admit to have raped. It is defilement of the other person’s pride and dignity.

Rape is forced and unwanted. It’s about power, not sex. A rapist uses actual force or violence — or the threat of it — to take control over another human being. Some rapists use drugs to take away a person’s ability to fight back. Rape is a crime, whether the person committing it is a stranger, a date, an acquaintance, or a family member.

No matter how it happened, rape is frightening and traumatizing. People

who have been raped need care, comfort, and a way to heal.

What’s the right thing to do if you’ve been raped? Take care of yourself in the best way for you. For some people, that means reporting the crime immediately and fighting to see the rapist brought to justice. For others it means seeking medical or emotional care without reporting the rape as a crime. Every person is different. There are three things that everyone who has been raped should do, though: Know that the rape wasn’t your fault.

Seek medical care. Deal with your feelings.

Dear Ad. Ag, happy day. I just want to thank you for the reply you gave concerning my hearing problem. There is still another thing I want to discuss with you – there is someone I like but I don’t know how to go about it because I have hearing problems and I’m shy. I don’t want to meet anybody through social networking. I also want you to tell me what to do with my education and which course to choose. – Fab. Dear Fad, let’s start by answering your question from the back.

Career choices are personal decisions, so I can’t help you there. You should know what you want out of life and pursue it. I’m not psychic enough to know your directions your life should take, so I’m not of any use in this. If for instance you had told me your ambition and what you desire out of life, I may be able to guide you.

Now, on dating with your little disability and shyness let me give you a few tips: Information: Let people you meet know immediately that you have hearing problems. If for instance you hear better with a particular ear, let them know which one. That way, they won’t be frustrated that you’re not following what they’re saying.

Building Confidence: Learning how to talk with others often requires a certain amount of confidence. If you are unhappy with your life it may be too difficult to find ways to reach out and expect others reassure you. In many cases, people are harder on themselves than need be, making too much of problems that many people share. It’s important to remember that nobody’s perfect and they shouldn’t expect you to be either. At the same time if you feel that certain changes would improve your life, with or without including the effect of such changes in the romance department, it may be time to take some proactive steps in your life.

Safe Places: When heading out on a date you may want to select your location more carefully because of the difficulty you experience. The best places to go on a date will often include those which are familiar to you and allow you to feel at ease. Adding in the tension of unfamiliar surroundings along with the stress of trying to impress someone will often create unnecessary problems. In your comfortable surroundings it may be easier to •The new wedded couple, Mr. and Mrs Adelugbin posing wuth their parents after their focus on the date wedding recently itself.

Mr. Adelugbin Yinka Adewale and fomer Miss Bodunrin Ibironke Temitope

40

I

kissed her luscious lips, draw ing deeply from her sweet ness. She didn’t move for a while then gently slipped out of my grasp.

She looked up at me in amazement then exclaimed: “Brother Archie! Why did you do that?”

“I’m sorry, Zahra. I guess I got carried away.” I sounded contrite and I meant it.

“We can’t do such things. We are...”

“Not related!” I quickly said, feeling it was time to clear up a few things.

“I know. But...”

“But what, Zahra? Look, I think we need to talk,” I said firmly, and taking her by the hand, led her to the living room.

We talked for some time at the end of which she became fully aware of the way I felt about her, that I was in love with her.

“I tried controlling my feelings for you but it’s been difficult. I know this must have come to you as a surprise but that’s just the way I feel.”

“Well, it wasn’t really a surprise,” she stated with a light gleam in her eyes. I looked at her with raised brows.

Before I could speak, she continued: “I’ve suspected it for some time. I’m a lady, remember. We feel such things. Besides, my step-mum had mentioned it some time ago but I had dismissed her words.”

“What did she say?” I asked, looking intently at her.

“She said you were acting more like a boyfriend towards me than a brother -that you must be in love with me!”

I laughed.

“Well, she wasn’t wrong then. I really love you, Zahra,” I said. “I know you might find it difficult but I want you to create a little space in your heart for me, to love me a little.”

“I already love you,” she said, smiling coolly.

“Like a man? Not like a brother?” I queried.

She nodded.

“Ah, my darling!” I said, holding her close to me. I was about to kiss her again when the front door opened. Tina bustled in carrying several shopping bags.

“And what are you two lovebirds up to now?” she asked, dropping the bags on the rug.

“Whatever it is, don’t do it on my sofa. You guys should get a room!”

“Why do you always come in at the wrong time, Tina?” I asked grumpily.

“Because you are always up to no good!” she fired back.

I laughed again.

“Welcome, Aunty Tina,” Zahra greeted. She got up to pick up the bags from the floor.

“Thanks, Zahra,” said Tina.

She kicked off the high-heeled sandals on her feet and collapsed on a chair.

“My feet are killing me!” she complained, wriggling her toes.

Then she sat up and sniffed the air.

“What’s that smell?” she asked.

“Did you leave anything on the cooker?” she asked Zahra who was taking the bags to her room.

“Oh, my God! The rice!”

Zahra exclaimed, dropping the bags and running towards the kitchen.

“You people should not burn this house down with all this love wantintin you are playing here o!” she said crossly. But I could detect a little smile playing around her lips.

After we had eaten, I went home while Zahra spent the night in Tina’s house as it was too late for her to go home.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012 * * * Our relationship took a new turn from that day. Zahra and I grew closer and I grew to love her even more if that was possible. She was like an obsession.There was only one problem. She constantly worried about my parents’ reaction when they found out about us. I reassured her all would be well, that she should not let the matter bother her.

“Remember that they took you like their own daughter,” I said, one evening at Tina’s apartment. We had been watching a movie until NEPA struck. I lit the rechargeable lamp and placing it on the dining-table returned to sit beside her on the settee. I drew her to me and she placed her head on my shoulder.

“But that was before the incident that made me leave the house,” she pointed out.

“I know. But I will tell them the truth about what really happened when the time comes. And they will learn to love you again.”

She looked up at me.

“Are you sure?” she asked, a bit anxiously.

“Don’t worry, my baby.

Everything will be fine,” I said, cradling her face in my arms. I kissed her; first on the lips, then down her neck, my lips trailing down towards her ample bosom.

“The light’s back,” she whispered.

“Good. Though we won’t need it for what I have in mind.”

“And what’s that?” she asked softly.

“Be patient and you will soon find out,” I said huskily, unbuttoning her blouse, before burying my face in her warm body...

Vicious attack Zahra and I saw regularly for the next couple of months.

Then, I had to travel to the United States on a business trip. I had been away for about two weeks and was rounding up the business when I received a frantic call from home.

It was Tina. She informed me that Zahra had been in an accident and I had to come home quickly. My heart froze with fear at the news.

“She’s in the hospital right now. But you need to come home. She’s asking for you.”

God, please let her be alright, I prayed silently after I hung up. I immediately made arrangements to return to Nigeria.

On my arrival, my driver picked me up and we went straight to the hospital. I was shocked when I saw Zahra. She looked like someone that had been run over by a truck. Her face was swollen, her left hand was broken and in a POP, there were bruises all over her body with a deep cut on her leg that had been bandaged.

I stared speechless at her sleeping form for a few seconds then turned to Tina.

“What happened?” I asked in a shocked voice.

Tina sighed.

“I was in the office when someone called me on Zahra’s phone,” she explained. The man, she added, had found her by the side of the road, wounded, very weak and unable to walk. He had taken her to a clinic nearby and Zahra had told him to call her.

“I brought her to this hospital as I didn’t like that clinic.”

“Did she tell you what really happened? Was she hit by a car or something?” I enquired.

Tina shook her head.

“She has not spoken much.

She only said she was beaten

Zahra stole my heart but my parents want her dead (3) by some men.

“What,” I exclaimed. “What men? Who would dare do this to her?”

“I don’t know,” she stated glumly. “We just have to wait until she’s stronger.”

It was a long wait.

I sat by her bedside watching her sleep. It broke my heart to see her in this state. I also felt guilty. Perhaps, if I hadn’t left her alone, this wouldn’t have happened. I vowed to get the men who dared lay their hands on my girl.

Later, Tina begged me to go home, that she would stay with Zahra. My parents were home when I got there. They were curious about where I had been all day since my arrival in town from my trip. I was not in the mood for any small talk so I gave a vague answer and went to my room.

The following days were very tense ones as Zahra battled for her life. She drifted in and out of consciousness and was delirious most of the time. We feared for her life and I prayed as I had never done in my life before.

I had not told my parents about what had happened to her. But the strain and stress I was going through because of her condition must have shown on my face, for my dad asked me one evening if I was having any problem.

I was on my way to the hospital to see Zahra and I was in a hurry.

I told him I was ok, that there was no problem. But he persisted.

“You look worried and tensed most of the time. What’s going on, son?”

“Nothing, dad. I’m fine.” I said and went out.

At the hospital, I was glad to see that Zahra had recovered a bit. She was even sitting up and being fed by her stepmother whom we all called Mummy.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me.

She looked much better too.

The bruises were healing and her face was not so swollen

anymore. We chatted for a while then after Mummy had left the room, I asked the question that had been burning in my mind all this while.

Did she know the men that had attacked her?

“I’ve never seen them before,” she said. Then as the mention of the men brought back painful memories of the horrendous attack on her, she broke down and sobbed as she told me the sordid story: “There were three of them; big, heavily built men with bulging muscles. They came into the restaurant while I was discussing with a co-worker and took me away. They dragged me into their car parked outside and sped away quickly before my madam and the others around then could do anything.

“They took me to an empty warehouse where they beat and tortured me for a long time. They finally let me go with the threat: ‘Stay away from Archie or the next time we come, you will be having a sweet reunion with your ancestors!”

I was shocked at her words; I held her gingerly and consoled her, mindful of her inju-

‘

“They took me to an empty warehouse where they beat and tortured me for a long time. They finally let me go with the threat: ‘Stay away from Archie or the next time we come, you will be having a sweet reunion with your ancestors!”

’

ries.

“Don’t worry, my darling.

I’m here now. Nobody would dare hurt you again,” I vowed.

That night, I lay on my bed mulling over what Zahra had told me. Whoever had sent those thugs to beat her up obviously wanted to separate us.

Who could it be, I thought.

Was it Roni? I had broken up with her after Zahra and I started dating. She had been begging me to take her back but I wasn’t keen.

My heart belonged to Zahra and I didn’t want anyone else.

Roni didn’t look as if she was capable of such an act, though.

But who could tell what was on a lady’s mind especially one that had been dumped? She could do anything out of anger and desperation. I thought of reporting the incident to the police. But I changed my mind as I didn’t have much faith in them.

I decided to do my own quiet investigation and get at the root of the matter... * * * A few days later, I was in my office when Angie a young girl of about 18, one of my mum’s maids came to see me.

Thinking she had a message from my mother, I told my secretary to let her in.

By the time she left some time later, I was no longer in a frame of mind to do any reasonable work. I sat for a long time, staring at the computer screen, Angie’s words swirling round my head. Could she be speaking the truth? If she was to be believed, then my parents were behind the vicious attack on Zahra. How could that be? When did they find out about our relationship?

Even if they wanted to break us up, why use such crude methods? I knew my father was ruthless when it came to business but to use such violence on a poor, defenceless girl was inexcusable. What was her crime? She didn’t chase after me; I was the one who fell in love with her.

I recalled Angie’s words clearly.

She said, a few days before at home, she had entered the living-room upstairs to pick something when she heard my parents talking outside on the balcony.

“I heard Auntie Zahra’s name and that’s what drew my attention,” she explained.

She said my father had been asking my mum about Zahra’s condition.

“I heard she’s in a bad state.”

“Yes,” my mum replied.

“She’s still at the hospital.”

“Those guys must have really dealt with her.”

“Serve her right. That will teach her a lesson for daring to lay her filthy hands on my son.

Little gold-digger!” my mum said.

“I feel sorry for Archie though. He looks so worried.

He must really love the girl,” said my father.

“Love? Does the fool know what love means? He’s just infatuated! Maybe she charmed him. You can’t tell with these people. But by the time she leaves him, he will recover himself. And we will get a suitable girl for him to marry.”

“Are you sure she will leave him?” my father said.

“After that beating, she has no choice. If she doesn’t, we might have to take a more drastic action next time,” my mum stated ominously.

Angie said she had decided to tell him because of the way Zahra had treated her in the past. “She was very nice to me when she was still working for your mum. She took me like her younger sister.” As she got up to leave, she added, smiling shyly at me. “And Oga Archie, I’m glad you are there for her. Please take care of her.”

On closing from work that evening, I didn’t go home but spent the night at Tina’s house.

When I recounted to her what Angie had told me, she too was shocked. She stated she could not believe my parents would do such a thing to Zahra, a girl they had practically brought up like a daughter.

“So, what do you plan to do now?” she asked.

I sat staring gloomily into space. I had no plans yet. The only thing that was clear in my mind was that I had to protect Zahra at all cost. I had to take her away to a place where she would be safe. But where, I wondered. And what should I do about my parents?

To be continued Don’t miss the final instalment of Archie’s gripping tale in your favourite Nation on Saturday next week!

Send comments/suggestions/ advice to 08023201831 (sms only) or e-mail psaduwa@yahoo.com

&

LIFE

Society Profile

THE NATION, Saturday, MAY 26, 2012

STYLE Gossip Interviews

I went to AIT studio with a girlfriend the day I met Seun, my wife

-FRSC chief

Kayode Olagunju

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LIFE

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Society Profile

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

Fifi Ejindu's star-studded birthday party Aisha Babangida in her mother's shoes

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T

o relieve the wretched was his pride, and even his failings leaned to virtue's side”.

Those were the comments of Oliver Goldsmith, Irish-born British novelist, playwright and poet, about his village preacher. Such was the tribute paid to Erelu Aisha Babangida Shinkafi at the graduation ceremony of the skill acquisition and adult literacy training programme for rural women in Minna, Niger State last Saturday.

The event was organised by the Better Life Programme for the African Rural Women. At the occasion, the women entertained the guests, who included royal fathers and bigwigs, with educative songs, drama presentations, teachings and descriptive scenes about how the skill acquisition programme of the NGO had impacted positively on their lives and social well-being.

Certificates, gift bags and money were given to all the 250 women that graduated from its skill acquisition and adult literacy programme. The star prizes went to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd winners in each group, in addition to their gifts and monetary packages. Widows were not excluded as they went away with lump sums.

In her speech at the occasion, Hajiya Aisha Babangida-Shinkafi cited one of the favourite sayings of her mother, the late Dr. Maryam Babangida: “To uplift a nation, uplift the woman, the one you find in your domain, the one you find in the corner of every street, the one you find on the farmland and in the offices; the highly placed and the downtrodden. As long as you find a woman and empower her, you build the future that stands secure for that nation.”

If Maryam Babangida were in a position to look back and sees what her daughter is doing, she will most likely pray for her and bless her for projecting the good works she did while alive. The Better Life for Rural Women project was the brain-child of Maryam Babangida before her death.

S

he is one of the intellectual socialites whose names readily ring a bell. She is blessed with a sense of style that never fails to wow even fashion icons.

Many would remember her sudden disappearance from the social scene a while back. At the time, it was rumoured that her absence from high society was meant to secure quality time for her wellgrounded architecture business. She moved from Lagos to Abuja to ensure her cerebral competence was channelled into nothing more than business.

She staged a massive comeback to the social scene in no time. Those in the know say the gorgeous Cross River-born architect and business woman who knows the winning ways when it comes to staying relevant.

Now the time has come for lovely Fifi to join the club of golden age, and she did so in a tasteful way. For her 50th birthday, an age her exquisite face and stature belies, Fifi took high society on a breathtaking mission to Dubai. She celebrated on Monday, May 21, 2012 at the Al Falak Ballroom of the Prestigious Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

For those in attendance, it was an outof-this-world experience. The guests were given a royal treatment that would have made any king green with envy.

Many who did not attend the truly august occasion could curse their luck for missing in action, even though it was easier to get water out of a rock than secure an invitation to Fifi's exclusive party.

TEL:08035733605

Celebrities set to honour Osaze

T

alented Nigerian and West Brom striker, Osaze Odemwingie, who earlier fixed his wedding for May 19 and later postponed it to June 2, is gearing up to be celebrated by top celebrities, sport personalities, politicians, corporate players and socialites.

It will be recalled that Odemwingie and his fiancée, Sarah, had initially fixed the wedding for May 19, the date of the Champions League final and a week after the close of the Premier League, but his would-be father-in-law insisted he would not attend the wedding if Manchester City emerged the winners of the Premier League.

Osaze, the fifth highest scorer in the premier league last year with 15 goals, is a ladies' man. Many ladies had hoped to win the young soccer star's heart, but he has finally made his choice, making lovely Sarah the envy of many ladies.

The wedding promises to be all there is, as Happenstances gathered that friends, family, soccer stars, football fans, socialites and top celebrities are gearing up to celebrate one of their own as he abandons bachelorhood and joins the league of married men.

Moyosore Makanjuola expects baby

w o l s e i l n o i d e n i b g I Omosede C P

harming daughter of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Omosede Igbinedion, seems to have abandoned the social scene. Late last year when the story made the rounds that her marriage to Prince Aven Akenzua was troubled, she was downcast.

While many found it difficult to believe the story, her gloomy face gave the truth away.

The lovebirds were so attached to each other that they reportedly went against the wish of the Benin palace to solemnise their relationship. It therefore came as a surprise when the two-year-old marriage, which had produced a baby boy, crashed like a pack of cards.

The end of the union had hit her so much that she withdrew into her shell. At a time, she seemed to have braced up to the saying that what will be, will be.

Although the crashed marriage, celebrated on the pages of societal journals, dragged her into her cocoon, Omosede did her best to hold on to her place in high society.

But for a while now, nothing seems to have been heard of the fair-skinned daughter of the Esama of Benin. She seems to have beaten a retreat from the glare of society's floodlights, going deep into hibernation.

Gossip Interviews

olo buff son of Chief Remi Makanjuola, owner of Caverton Helicopters and some other A-class companies, Bode Makanjuola, is currently exuding joy. His wife, Moyo, is heavy with a baby and may put to bed any time from now.

Happenstances gathered that the motherto-be will soon be travelling to the U.S to have the bundle of joy. This would be the couple's first baby after their superlative wedding about six years ago.

Moyo is Moji Onabanjo-Akinkunmi's (formerly Moji Obasanjo) younger sister, and is the Creative Director of an upcoming fashion label, Kareema Mak, a Lagos-based ready-to-wear women's fashion label. Her husband, Bode, on the other hand, is Niyi Makanjuola's brother and a top executive at Caverton.

The expectant family is currently over the moon.

Faysal Harb maintains low profile

A

lthough his wife, Jumoke Harb, is doing well in Ilorin, Kwara State, where she runs the elitist Roemichs International School and JMK beauty spot, her husband, Chief Faysal Harb, Chairman Bulletin Construction Company, has decided to maintain low profile. He was allegedly under the weather some months back but has since then not been a regular face in the social space.

A big player in the Nigerian construction industry, Faysal Harb is one of those who used to rule the Ilorin social scene. He and his educationist wife were known to mix with the affluent and famous and life was indeed good.

At a time, he had the ears of those at the pinnacle of authority. His construction company is known to have spear-headed many construction contracts in Kwara State and the environs, some of which would make many foreign construction companies green with envy.

Right now, he seems to have taken the back seat, leaving many to wonder what could be responsible for his sudden retreat from the glare of society's floodlights.

Society

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LIFE

Profile

Gossip Interviews

THE NATION SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

S

aver Q boss and princess of high society, Marifa Whyte, is currently regaining her groove. A while back, it was as if the social circle was doomed, given the rate at which it was losing celebrities and socialites to inertia and Marifa Whyte was no exception.

As a matter of fact, many thought she was off the radar for good.

Many would remember how her social claws were forcibly clipped when the news made the rounds that she had a baby boy for her married lover. But she seems to have dumped all that in the dustbin of history and forged ahead with her life.

She was recently sighted rd at Genevieve Nnaji's 33 birthday party and she looked as glamorous as ever.

TEL:08035733605

Marifa Lawunmi Bibilari, Keye Whyte Oladipo, Joko Oni celebrate rocks A again t a first glance, these three ladies would seem not to have anything in common. The reality, however, is that there is currently a unifying force between them. The three recently celebrated landmark birthdays, and they did so in style. All the three celebrated in uniquely designed venues, hosting friends to classy celebrations.

Lawunmi Bibilari is a toast of celebrities who parties hard and knows just how to give her guests a rollicking time. For her 50th birthday on May 11, she took her friends on a fun journey all the way to London, from where they moved to Monaco in the South of France a few weeks back. It was a weekend of fun and absolute revelry for all those who were part of the celebration. It is certainly not a birthday celebration that would be forgotten in a hurry.

Keye Oladipo is the lovely wife of Lagos hotel owner, Tolani Oladipo. A couple of weeks back, the sociable dude, who owns Villa Picasso Hotel and Lounge on Ademola Adetokunbo Street, Victoria Island, Lagos celebrated his wife on the occasion of her th 40 birthday. The celebration, which took place at Picasso Lounge, was well attended and everyone present was given a royal treatment.

Joko Oni also joined the league of sexagenarians recently, and while she did not take her friends to Monaco, she is currently gallivanting around Dubai with friends.

Bosun Jeje Bereaved Sogo Agboola bounces back

I

llustrious son of the prominent Jeje clan, Bosun Jeje, is back in the scheme of things. For some time, it was as if the avalanche of challenges he experienced would cause his exit from the social scene. But with a burst of strong will, he managed to remain afloat.

The brilliant Commissioner for Housing in Lagos had gone under the weather after th staging a high-octane 50 birthday shindig, which was a resounding success. He was flown out of the country for treatment, and many on the social scene expressed worries about his health.

But like the panther, the Parkers Fast food boss is up again on his feet. He is back and better.

Following the trajectory of his career, one can easily conclude that Bosun is a pearl among many, and his laudable feats must have been instrumental to his current appointment as the Commissioner for Housing in Lagos.

makes first appearance

R

etired officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Sogo Agboola, has regained his groove after the forced hibernation caused by his son's

death.

Many would remember the gruesome accident that claimed the life of Layiwola Agboola, son of Sogo Agboola, Shola Oniyangi, the eldest son of a member of the state House of Assembly, Alhaja Nimota Ibrahim and one other person in Oro, Irepodun Local Government Area, Kwara State.

The accident was said to have occurred on a Saturday night while they were on their way back from a wedding party in Ekiti State. The driver of the car in which they were travelling was said to have lost control and rammed into a hard object, leading to the death of the promising young men.

Thoroughly devastated by the incident, Sogo withdrew into his shell to mourn his beloved son. But judging by recent events, the saying that time heals all wounds would appear to hold true for Sogo. For the first time in a long while, th he was sighted at the Osun PDP boss, Ganiyu Olaoluwa's 50 birthday party, which took place on May 11 at the PDP chieftain's Oshogbo GRA residence.

Andy Uba on the march again

E

rstwhile Senior Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Domestic Matters, Senator Andy Uba, is currently gearing up for an elective position in 2014.

He is eyeing the number one seat in his home state, Anambra. For political watchers, it would be remembered that Anambra did not participate in the governorship elections that took place last year, following a court injunction that exempted the state and a number of other states.

Senator Uba is not new to power. He had reigned as governor in Anambra State for 14 days before he was ousted. He had contested the office in 2007 and had emerged victorious only to be sacked by the Supreme Court, which declared Governor Peter Obi the winner. He moved from the PDP to Labour Party to ensure his success in the 2010 governorship elections but, again, failed.

Now, he has again declared intention to contest the election in 2014. This time, he seems prepared to win at all cost. Many believe that he has the backing of powerful men in the nation's politics.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Newscater Seun played hard-to-get for five months —Kayode Olagunju

‘

I started disturbing her. I knew she was going to be my wife. I jokingly told her that if she had anybody disturbing her, she should go and sack the person because her real husband had come! When I said she should call me, if she had called, it would have lowered her level. She so played the hard-to-get type that I needed to struggle. I actually struggled...

•Kayode and wife Seun

H

OW was your growing up like?

It was tough. I grew up in a very lovely environment. I was a bit rascally and moving from one school to another, doing all the boys were doing. I was born in Ilesa, Osun State on March 13, 1963. I attended four secondary schools. Incidentally, I also attended four universities.

I started from the Cross River State University (now University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State), as the only matriculated B.Sc. Geography student. Others were in Education Department. That is history. I spent only one year

there (Uyo), before I moved to the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, which had always been in my mind, IleIfe, being very close to Ilesa and OAU, with a beautiful campus, as well as many attractive places. I was also very close to my mum and she wanted me to be around her.

I graduated at Ile-Ife with B.Sc. Geography in 1987. I got my Master’s degree in Transportation Studies from Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye (now Olabisi Onabanjo University) in 1994/95 session and proceeded to have Doctor of Philoso-

'As a pastor, I'm comfortable working in hotel' Ogundipe Bamidele is a pastor and General Manager, Leisure Spring Hotels Limited, Osogbo, Osun State. A pastor working in a hotel? You tend to wonder. But Bamidele believes his job does not compromise his pastoral calling and he explains, in this encounter with RISIKAT RAMONI

H

E dumped his Engineering career for hospitality business which he combines as a minister of God. Pastor Ogundipe Bamidele, the Spiritual Head of the Christ Gospel Ambassador International Church, Ile-Ife is the General Manager of Leisure Spring Hotels Limited, Osogbo in Osun

State. Bamidele is a different kind of person who believes that working in a hotel does not compromise his spiritual responsibility as a pastor.

“I can go the extra mile to satisfy guests and make them comfortable without allowing that to tamper with my spiritual being. I enjoy the

’

phy (PhD) degree in Transportation Geography from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) about three years ago.

I joined the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) as a pioneer member in 1988. It was divine. I was somehow rascally at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp. I was invited to see the then Director of NYSC, who came to the camp in Zaria. I cannot remember his name.

While waiting to have audience with the director, a woman, whose name I cannot remember, but likely to be a director or assistant di-

rector of FRSC from Abuja, came in. She was somehow impatient. She wanted to see the director. While she was talking to people at the lobby, she said this FRSC thing, we need to get everything sorted out, because Prof. Wole Soyinka is somebody who would not want failure.

The mention of Prof. Wole Soyinka attracted my attention. He has always been my childhood hero. So, I asked the woman what was the connection between her and Prof. Soyinka.

She explained that they wanted to set up FRSC and Prof. Soyinka said they wanted to use youth

job and I feel comfortable working in the hospitality industry and at the same time wining souls for the Lord through the church of God”.

Certain individuals tend to perceive a hotel environment as a place where one may be influenced by those in the habit of drinking and womanising, but Bamidele believes that there is nothing to worry about.

“I don’t look at anyone as a sinner. We are all human beings. Someone who does something today may change tomorrow and that is why I don’t condemn anybody. I don’t normally preach to guests in the hotel except if I have ample opportunity to talk to someone who is willing to listen to me. Hotels are for business while the churches are for spiritual development. Some guest may see it as disturbance if you are trying to preach to them. So, I have been combining my spiritual responsibility in the church with my socio responsibility at the hotel.

“One good thing is that I don’t pretend and I don’t live artificial life. I’m not the type that will do a different thing here and pretend to be another thing somewhere else. I cannot pretend to be holy in the church and then get involved in what could be seen or perceived as sinful. I try as much as possible to do my job well without allowing anything to tamper with my faith and my

spiritual being”.

For Bamidele, growing up was very challenging but also very interesting because of his family background. His mother died in the 70s when he was in the primary school and his father, David Ogundipe, who was a military man, needed to move from one place to the other owing to transfer. So the little Bamide must go with the man and that was how he traversed the length and breadth of this country.

“I missed my mother. I didn’t enjoy motherly care very much. Whenever I saw other children who had mothers then, I feel bad. I loved my mother so much but the death did not allow her to stay with me for long. My father too is a very wonderful man. The family is not super rich but we are okay. So, I had a happy childhood and the growing up was also amazing”.

Sharing his life experience, Bamidele narrated how he rose through the ranks to become a the GM of a five star hotel today. “I started at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Conference Center and Guest House as Maintenance Manager. When I left OAU, I moved to Hilton which is also in Ile-Ife and I started as supervisor in that hotel before I later became the manager of the hotel. I was the site manager for the Oduduwa University in Ile-Ife during the construction of the institution. Because of my pas-

45

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Rivers State, Dr. Kayode Olagunju, is a pioneer staff of the FRSC. He joined the commission when Prof. Wole Soyinka was the helmsman. Olagunju earlier served as Sector Commander in Oyo, Lagos (twice), Adamawa and Kogi states. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Transportation Geography from the University of Lagos (UNILAG). He had earlier obtained Masters of Science degree in Transportation Studies from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, after his first degree in Geography from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. In this interview with BISI OLANIYI in Port Harcourt, he says parents should not force their children to pursue particular careers. He also talks about his marital life, among other interesting issues.

Excerpts: corps members, who have not been tainted.

The woman basically came to recruit and distribute the forms to willing corps members to join the FRSC. That was in 1988 at the NYSC’s Orientation Camp in Zaria. It was a camp for about 10 northern states. It was a spillover camp.

Incidentally, I was a member of the NYSC press crew at the camp. I was the Sports Editor and at the same time the camp’s Chief Cartoonist. I assisted the woman in getting the interested corps members together, by liaising with the soldiers at the camp. I assisted the woman in sorting the forms and in taking other corps members, making me the first to be considered.

We then went back to the NYSC director’s office at the camp and the woman told the director that she was assisted by a corps member, who did so well. They then said they should look for the corps members and they brought me. The director asked if I was not the person earlier brought to his office at the camp for interrogation and I said yes. The director said I earlier did something negative, which they were trying to find out, but I later did something positive. He said the positive had cancelled the negative.

What was the negative thing that you did? sion for hospitality business, I dumped my engineering career and I’m happy with what I’m doing now”.

As the pioneer manager of Leisure Spring Hotels Limited, Osogbo, Bamidele will tell anyone who cares to listen that hotel business is not an all-comers thing, especially with the competition in the hospitality industry. “There is competition in the hospitality business throughout the world and Nigeria is no exception. Here in Osun State, there are several hotels and everyone is striving very hard to stand out and impress the guests. However, everyone realises that Leisure Spring Hotels Limited, Osogbo, which started in December 2006 is of international standard with world class state-of-the-art facilities. We have over 75 well-furnished rooms, a multi-purpose hall, a meeting hall, standard restaurant, cocktail/executive bar, gymnastic center, swimming pool, cyber café and a standard laundry.

“We update these facilities at all times for the comfort of our guests. In each of our rooms, there is internet facility and apart from that, on a daily basis, we give free newspapers to our guests. So, we can conveniently convince that ‘comfort begins here’ and that is our motto”.

(Laughs). The negative thing was that we went to arrange a party in the night in a hotel and we took some girls and some of our friends out. It was an all-night party and I was the leader of the group.

The director said I also committed another offence in the course of assisting the woman, stating that nobody asked me to gather the corps members. He said I was on my own, but that my action greatly assisted the woman, who would return to Abuja with all that she required.

How did you meet your beautiful wife, Mrs. Seun Olagunju, formerly of the African Independent Television (AIT), and now of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)?

Incidentally, I also met her in the course of the job. Dr. Levi Ajuonuma (now Group General Manager, Corporate Affairs of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC) was having a programme on Raypower in Alagbado, Lagos and usually between 11 pm and 1 am. An interview, phone-in programme, with questions asked.

I came into the studio with my retinue of officials, as the sector commander, Lagos. Incidentally, I came with a girlfriend. The continuity announcer, Seun, signed on the programme and left, while I was in the studio and I requested that the lady (girlfriend) should sit with me in

•Bamidele

•Kayode the studio for the live programme. After the programme, Seun must come back to sign off the programme. I saw her very reserved, very beautiful lady, intelligent, no notice-me stuff, well-educated and very professional in her conduct. So, I was looking for a way of getting across to her without the lady with me and other people knowing.

I knew I was going to give FRSC’s Highway Code to all the members of staff on duty that night. I autographed copies of the Highway Code and gave Seun one without anybody knowing that I had slipped my call card into her own Highway Code and I wrote on the card: “Call me.”

She did not call me for months. Immediately after, she went on course at NTA’s TV College in Jos, Plateau State. One day, I was invited for another programme (at AIT/Raypower) and she (Seun) was to present the next programme. She wanted to use the same trick she used during the last programme. So, she came in three minutes to the next programme. She wanted me to stand up in order to quickly sit and arrange herself. She was looking at the time, to sit on the same seat in the next two minutes. I made it very clear that to save the situation, she should let me have her call card so as to find a way of reaching her later. She said no, that she would not give me her card. While we were arguing, it remained one minute; because of time, she just slipped one card into my hand and I left.

So, I started disturbing her. I knew she was going to be my wife. I jokingly told her that if she had anybody disturbing her, she should go and sack the person because her real husband had come! When I said she should call me, if she had called, it would have lowered her level.

She so played the hard to get type that I needed to struggle. I actually struggled.

How long did it take you to get her?

I struggled for about five months to get her.

You said you went to the studio of Raypower with a lady and still made efforts to get a wife.

Was the lady not beautiful and a wife material?

Pressure had started coming in in that relationship. I was a man about town.

When did you get married?

We got married on April 29, 1999. I always remember because it was a month to the inauguration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

How have you been coping, not staying with your family, considering the distance between Port Harcourt and Abuja?

I met her in the course of the job. So, she knew what the federal job, especially that of FRSC, entails, which must have assisted in preparing her mind for the challenges ahead. Before I got

married, I knew I would have to traverse the length and breadth of Nigeria and even outside the country.

Most importantly, I also knew that having excuses or reasons for posting restrictions will also limit my career progression.

For the fact that my office knows that I will always be available in whatever capacity or wherever, it is a boost to my career. We are coping, by God’s grace.

As a handsome man, how have you been resisting temptations from beautiful ladies, who are aware that you are married and will still want to force themselves on you?

Temptations will always be there. What one needs to do is to be disciplined. I am an easygoing person. I am also an outgoing person. I am the President of the National Mess of the FRSC. At the mess, one will interact with a lot of people, including beautiful ladies. One must know the boundary. That does not mean that you have ‘Saint Kayode’ in front of you.

I will not do anything that will threaten my marriage. So, I should know where the limit is.

Ladies showing affection and trying to have relationship with you is a daily occurrence. You will get funny messages on Facebook and text messages. When I got such messages and I showed my wife, she would laugh and say I was showing her the ones I was not interested in!

Some ladies may feel that this is a young man; “high-up-there” and some will believe you are very comfortable. Some will also say you are “powerful” and “wellconnected.” Certainly, such feelings will attract ladies to the man. It is now left for you to always remember that you are married and you should not do things that will threaten your marriage. You should also not do things that will jeopardise your career, which is very important. You must work for your marriage. You must work for your career. You must always remember to protect your family name.

Will you like any of your children to do the job you are doing?

They are free to choose whatever they want. Parents should only advise. Nobody forced me to join FRSC. You are blessed with three daughters. Is there no pressure from your wife, family members, relatives, friends and associates to have male children?

Before I got married, I wanted only one daughter. I told my wife that I wanted only one daughter. Not even a boy. I love my mum so much. I said I wanted only a daughter, apart from my wife, who would have my attention. No divided attention. She agreed, but later she was smart. From one daughter to three daughters.

We have seen women who have lifted nations, while you will find men, who are the dregs of society. So, it is not about sex. It is about the quality you are able to put into the children that God has put in your care.

We always call for God’s assistance to help develop the children to high levels. On my three daughters, there is no pressure whatsoever from family members for male child.

My wife knows. All the members of our family know.

The level of understanding is also an issue. Scientifically, the husband is responsible for whether the child will be male or female. The wife should not be blamed.

Men should get inspired with great women achievers. When you look at those women, their families would not have liked to exchange them for anybody else. The Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Margaret Thatcher of this world, among others, also have male siblings, but the women are more popular worldwide. In fact, they have carried the names of their husbands beyond the levels their husbands carried their names.

Will it be correct to say that you encouraged your wife to move from AIT to NTA because you also work for a Federal Government establishment?

Not really. She would have moved to NTA earlier. She is a professional. People know that she is good at what she is doing.

She is the current Newscaster of the Year through the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) and she has won it for three years, among other awards. To be the best newscaster in Nigeria is noteworthy. NTA wanted one of the best and went for her.

How has it been since you joined FRSC in 1988?

I joined FRSC with B.Sc. The organisation is a place where one can develop his potential. They will always encourage you to •Continued on Page 48

46

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Smoky red dress Celebrities like Rita Dominic and Kate Henshaw are taking the red carpet to new heights by donning stylish frocks in the show-stopping hue. Take a cue from these brazen celebs and ditch those LBDs for a Little Red Dress.

For the full effect, opt for a frock in true red. The more vibrant, the better. Dresses with textural details like frills, ruffles, pleats or velvet panels add interest to the look without taking away from the hue’s brilliance.

When picking your accessories, beware of clashing.

Remember, this is not a dress you want your shoes or purse to compete with. Top the look off with a smoky eye and nude lip, or if you are feeling daring, try a red lip and just make sure the shade matches your dress.

Red is a powerful colour that draws the eyes. Red dresses are said to be the most famous dresses types of the female.

•Red party dress

•Rita Dominic

•Beautiful wrap dressnothing is more fabulous than a wrap dress. They’re easy to wear and just flattering for every body type

Make-up that goes with red dress

•Kate Henshaw •Valerie Anusianwu

•Jennifer Hudson •Red all the way

What kind of makeup should you wear when your dress itself is beyond vibrant?

If you find yourself experiencing the little red dress challenge or when rocking a little red dress after dark, keep your hairstyle simple. Too many tight curls or sparkly accessories will draw the eyes in too many directions, whereas the ultimate goal is to spotlight your pretty face.

Wear your hair sleek and straight to reflect light and look luminous naturally.

Steer clear of purple eye shadow as it tends to clash with red clothing. Neutrals, browns and grey shades are your best bets. Opt for a French manicure on your hands and toes or keep your toenails in the same colour family as your eye shadow. Red polish is also a safe bet, but never to be overdone on fingers and toes.

As a general rule, if you prefer more colour than basic nude, pick a lipstick in the same colour family as the dress you are wearing. The trick is to keep the colour sheer and subdued. Sometimes a sheer red gloss might be all you need to look pulled together. A tomato red dress calls for makeup with orangey-red undertones, while a brick-red dress can be paired with brownish shades or cranberry.

47

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Use a bun on your big day B

RIDES and their stylists choose different hairstyles for weddings, but the recent one making statements is the bun.

There are a lot of things you can do with a bun, which means if you have long hair, you don’t have to go through the stress of finding the suitable hairstyle for your wedding.

You can make your hair into a bun, and if your hair is not long enough, do not worry. You can spot a lace wig and still do a bun.

Making your hair into a bun will accentuate your facial features and enhance your make-up. There are different types of buns, and with any shape of face, you will surely find one that will look good on you and give you that innocent

•Angelabassett-bunbraided-up

Omowumi OGUNTUASE yet excited look that will complement your dress and accessories.No matter the one you pick, be rest assured that it will be good.

Tips You can decide to go for the legendary middleof-the-head bun. This goes straight to the middle of your head. You can secure it with a band or you can twist the hair and wrap it round. If you want, you can make it double.

You can look unique by adding a ribbon. All you need to do is to twist it with the hair or if you want to add a braid, braid the ribbon with the hair and then proceed to roll it around.

A side bun is also good. It tightens the look, but still makes you look relaxed.

•Celebrities spoting different Bun styles

Nigeria Hair Show: South-South preliminary holds in P/Harcourt The South-South preliminary of Nigeria Hair Show, the eighth in the series, was held last Saturday at the Beauty Point Hall in Rumudara, Port Harcourt. 12 participants from the South-South and South-East regions, comprising Rivers, Abia, Cross River and Bayelsa states converged to produce styles that were creative.

The salons that participated were Estel, Hummer , Jackson, Pats, Mascolae, Tommy Patrick,Kelvol , And 1, King White, Carlus Godwin , Love and Princess.

Styles were created from X-pression Yaki Straight ,Spanish Curls and Mini Braids. The two styles were weavon and African braids. Five top salons emerged as winners.They were Jackson,Mascolae, Kelvol, Estel and And 1 in the order of merit.

According to the organizers of the show, Multi Devices Communications Ltd, this year’s event will be different, as there will be a lot of fusion of music and comedy.

The Project Director, Mr. Chukwumah Emmanuel, said this noble idea would keep adding value to the beauty sector.

•Classic high or middle bun will enhance your features

•Beautify your low bun with accessories

48 •Continued from Page 45 strive to the highest level. I was encouraged to have master’s and doctoral degrees. The courses are related to transportation and road safety. I also had the opportunity of attending courses, workshops, seminars and conferences in different parts of the world. In 1992, I was in the United States of America to attend security instructors’ course. We were sent to the US when FRSC got the approval that its officials should bear arms. We were expected to impart the knowledge to others.

It was a nice experience. If you know how to shoot, that will actually mellow down your temper. Shooting is not like slap, boxing or wrestling. You shoot to kill. No second chance/ round. When you know how to shoot, you will also know how to defend yourself.

Why are FRSC’s officials not allowed to carry arms in Nigeria?

FRSC Act supports carrying of firearms. Not being done presently, it is basically an administrative arrangement. I do not want to go beyond that. It borders on policy.

Are you an indigene of Ilesa?

I always see myself as in-between Ilesa and Iresi (in Boluwaduro LGA), both in Osun State.

My official record is Ilesa. I also know that the family actually came from Iresi. That is a very difficult question.

How challenging was it, while running your doctoral degree programme at UNILAG? It was very challenging. Doctoral degree programme is basically self-driven academic pursuit, with very little guidance. Your lecturer will tell you to go and find out a concept and speak with you in less than 20 minutes, while he would have mentioned 20 references of books you need to read. If you do not read them, it will be very visible, because by the time discussion on the topic will come up, it will show your lack of depth in the area.

The programme is also demanding, in terms of time and finances. You need to have your independent topic that is meant to fill a gap in knowledge. It is not what so many people have written on. You must come up with something unique and new, to fill the gap. You also need to do a lot of researches and you need to move round.

It was even more challenging because I was doing the programme, while working. I started the doctoral programme as FRSC’s sector commander in Lagos. You must know that the job of being sector commander Lagos is quite challenging. Even when I was transferred to Adamawa State as sector commander, I was still conducting research in Lagos. It is very challenging but it will make you a better person.

The rate of abandonment of doctoral programmes is very high. Less than one third of people that start the programmes actually finish because of one obstacle or the other.

I opted to have doctorate for one basic reason: to be an authority in my area. It you interact from the administrative level with those in academic, there is always the attempt to harass those in administration with concepts and decisions that are evidence-based. I decided to have experiences from both FRSC’s administration and academic with doctoral degree for the gown to meet the town, thereby enabling administrators and academics to interface with theories and practical to meet.

Throughout your stay in the four universities, did you experience sorting, especially of lecturers demanding cash or gifts for unmerited grades?

I have my pride. I like challenges. I like reading. Whatever you get through the back door does not last. I would not want to be seen as somebody who was assisted to get degrees, thereby avoiding inferiority complex. I have good results. I had the best master’s result at Olabisi Onabanjo University in my set. In my doctorate, all my course works were As, because I was fully dedicated.

When I was being transferred from one place to another, I was getting more challenged but I kept remembering that many persons had abandoned the programme and I almost did.

Why? I almost abandoned the doctoral programme not because I was not interested. I was shot as FRSC’s sector commander in Lagos. I was pursuing driver’s licence, number plates racketeering and malpractices. I was shot (He paused and lifted his uniform and inner wear, showing the deep scars of gunshots, at the centre of his stomach). After coming out of it, I almost abandoned the doctoral programme. It was a big challenge. Since I had gone far, I decided to complete it.

Are you saying that lecturers never harassed you for money or gifts, with threats to fail you in some courses?

I can say it anywhere, with God as my witness; I never had such an experience. Even with my position, when I was doing the programme (doctorate), I knew that I had to bring myself down to the level of the other persons to benefit from the programme and I never skipped

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

‘

She said this FRSC thing, we need to get everything sorted out because Prof. Wole Soyinka is somebody who would not want failure. The mention of Prof. Wole Soyinka attracted my attention. He has always been my childhood hero... She explained that they wanted to set up FRSC and Prof. Soyinka said they wanted to use youth corps members, who have not been tainted...

•Kayode

‘Soyinka’s name attracted me to FRSC’ classes.

I could do that because the programme was not to enhance my salary. I needed the programme. The master’s degree was not to give me promotion in the office. The doctorate was not to enhance my grade in the office, but because I needed to stand on the side of knowledge and to get things done in better ways, that would follow world’s best practices. So, there was no need for me to be desperate or go through a shortcut of having degrees without knowledge. No shortcut to knowledge. If you come to my room, you will always see that I sleep with books and computer. Although, doctors have warned severally. On my bed, to my left is my iPad and by my right, books. So, I sleep in-between.

How many books have you written?

I have written one personal book, titled: Road Sense, and my second book on road safety and transport, is almost ready. I have also written six officials books, through my office, which are also for the use of members of the public, not just FRSC’s officials.

You earlier mentioned Prof. Wole Soyinka as your childhood hero. He started FRSC. Can you compare then and now?

The Prof. Wole Soyinka/Dr. Olu Agunloye era provided very strong foundation for FRSC. Others came, built and are still building very good structures on the foundation. Without a good foundation, the structures will not be able to stand. When the foundation is good, if you have a crooked structure on it, people will not look at the foundation again.

FRSC has now become a model for others worldwide. The World Bank’s officials and foreign governments, including the United States of America, say we are doing very well and are assisting the FRSC. The present Corps Marshal of FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has also raised the level, in terms of technology. FRSC was among the very first set

of few government establishments in Nigeria that embraced computerisation. Mr. Chidoka has taken it to a higher level.

You said FRSC has become a model. Why is it that the Federal Government is now contemplating merging it, coupled with its earlier merger with the police, before it was later demerged?

I will not want to speak on the issue because we are expecting Federal Government’s white paper on it. The Federal Government then discovered that the activities of the FRSC nosedived, when it was merged with the police. A decision was taken to demerge it. It was believed that FRSC would do better, as an autonomous organisation.

What is your favourite club and why?

Arsenal. They play good football. Besides Arsenal, my childhood club is IICC Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan. I do not like calling them 3SC. I prefer IICC. What is your mission for FRSC in Rivers State, as the Sector Commander?

Specifically, to enhance the operational activities of the command in Rivers State and to step up public enlightenment activities as well as joining other agencies to ensure free flow of traffic in the state and to tackle the problem of extortion, malpractices and other forms of indiscipline, among officials of FRSC in the state.

What are the factors responsible for traffic congestion in Rivers State, especially in Port Harcourt, the state capital, and how can they be tackled?

More roads are needed in Port Harcourt. There is limit to expansion because of the swampy terrain. Location of heavy traffic-attracting facilities; improper drainage; bad roads with pot holes; attitude of traffic controllers; general indiscipline, where drivers deliberately park wrongly on the roads and problem of siren users, who mess up traffic, by forming other lanes or drive against traffic, among others.

’

FRSC’s officials and traffic controllers must enforce discipline of motorists to ensure sanity. There is need for strict enforcement of traffic rules and regulations. Integrity of the enforcers matters. Government should also monitor land use. Certain facilities that are heavy traffic attractors should be relocated.

On the use of siren, FRSC will soon come out with those permitted to use siren, as the FRSC Act gives the organisation mandate to regulate the use of siren.

How will you react to the controversy over number plates and driver’s licence, especially with the intervention of members of the National Assembly, who directed the reduction in the amount to be charged but yet to be effected?

I am not competent to speak on the issue since it does not affect only Rivers State.

Your middle name is Yekeen and your wife is a Christian, how have you been coping?

We are both Christians. Our family is an example of what Nigeria should be. In our larger family, there are Christians and Muslims. In the traditional Yoruba culture, when a child is born, every member of the family will bring names. The Christians will bring Christian names, while the Muslims among them will also bring Muslim names. So, it is left for you, when you grow up, to decide where you are going.

So, in our family, the husband will be a Muslim, while the wife will be a Christian. Among the siblings, there will be both Christians and Muslims. During Ileya (Id’el Kabir), all the children would go to the mosque/praying ground and even participate in Quaranic recitations, while all the children would also go to church during Christmas and read the Bible. My dad was a high-ranking Muslim and a chief, while my mum was a Christian. I and members of my immediate family attend the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), where Pastor E. A. Adeboye is the General Overseer.

What is the way out of the Boko Haram suicide bombings in Nigeria with your background?

We should tolerate one another for peace to reign in Nigeria. Nobody has the right to take other persons’ lives or destroy their property.

How will you advise motorists in Rivers State?

They should obey traffic rules and regulations. They should also know that in crash situations, it is not who is right but who is left.

Accidents do not just happen, they are caused.

It is not a matter of bad-luck but bad driving.

We will continue to educate them. We will also enforce traffic rules and regulations. The motorists should know that only the lucky violators of traffic rules are apprehended by the road marshals, policemen and other law enforcement agents, the unlucky ones are arrested by crashes.

A visit to accident wards will convince so many people that they have been barely lucky to be alive with the way they drive. We should drive defensively at all times.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

T

HE National Youth Service Corps was given birth to by decree 24 of 22nd May, 1973.

It was to be repealed 20 years after by decree 51 of 16th June, 1993 which is now an Act of Parliament.

The almost four decade old scheme has witnessed its several up and down sides. Most often than not, it has been unmeritedly bashed - even by pundits. The gratuitous killings of 10 corps members as a result of the post- election violence of April 2011 fanned the embers of misgivings some Nigerians hold against the service scheme, giving rise to a cacophony of voices shouting “scrap the scheme” as it has lost its ‘relevance’.

Some viewed NYSC as a threshold to death while others see the 12 months of service as unnecessary waste of precious time - stating that the scheme has ‘outlived’ its usefulness.

Yes, quite a good number of voices without prodding rose in defence of the NYSC positing that the killings of the corps members was occasioned by security lapses and poor intelligence gathering on the part of security agencies. They added and rightly too that the gruesome killings did not in any way vitiate the fact that corps members approached the election duty with the spirit of fervour, responsibility and patriotism - thus conferring great credibility to the whole electoral process. Both local and international observers unanimously applauded the commendable role the corps members played.

It is against the backdrop of these numerous criticisms that the management of the scheme went back to the drawing board to reinvent a scheme that is tailored to the security and socio-economic realities of the time.

It is a truism that no sound economy can be built on the altar of violence and insecurity. This same maxim applies to corps members who will not give their best in the face of threat to their personal security.

Since security is cardinal to the optimal performance of corps

N

EXT Tuesday, the country will be celebrating the anni versary of its return to democracy after more than three decades of military dictatorship. The people of Nasarawa State, will roll out the drums to celebrate the day with pump and fanfare, having voted the candidate of their choice in the April 2011 general elections.

Nasarawa State witnessed intense political activism preparatory to the elections, which saw the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) wrest power from the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In that historic election, the electorate in the state took their destiny in their hands by resolving to vote the moribund and ineffectual PDP out of office.

On assumption of office on May 29, 2011, Governor Umaru Tanko AlMakura, said in an inspiring and earth shaking speech: “We are caught up in a grave moral and ethical crisis. Our state institutions are poorly managed, our infrastructure dilapidated, while our economy is weak–the result of myopia, greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also of our collective failure to demand better from our leaders.

“Our men and women, especially the youth, are mostly jobless, our healthcare is deficient. Our education system is in dire need of reforms and lack of power and energy threatens our economic progress. Our confidence in our ability to change all this has given way to despair.”

From the very beginning, however, Governor Almakura was not unmindful of the task before him, given the level of desolation and disrepair he met in the state. Bracing up for the task ahead, he said: “The hurdles before us are real, grave and numerous and you and others across the country rightly expect so

49

READERS’ VIEWS

Corps members’ security: Distress call centre and training in martial art to the rescue

•NYSC DG,Brig.Gen Nnamdi Okorie-Affia

Dennis SAMI members, the scheme in the first quarter of this year concretised the concept of establishing a Distress Call Centre, which if it were in place would have mitigated or even averted the mayhem visited on the unfortunate corps members last year.

The centre has its base at the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja. The purpose of this innovation is to assist corps

members in getting rapid intervention anytime their security is threatened. The IT-based centre holds the data of all corps members cutting across the three batches, including their telephone’ numbers as well as those of security agencies, traditional rulers and prominent personalities in all the corps locations. Any call put to the centre indicates the name and particulars of the caller with his place of service. In the event of threat to the corps member, the centre alerts

the nearest security agencies for rapid response.

It is instructive to note that this initiative has in no mean way buoyed the confidence and morale of corps members in the performance of their duties, since psychologically, they are now placed on a better pedestal to perform their duties without fear of their security. In further boosting the physical and financial security of corps members, NYSC management introduced Martial Art training into the orientation course content so as to equip corps members with the requisite skills for self-defence. A corollary to the above is the introduction of Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship programmes also into the course content in order to raise an army of entrepreneurs that will drive the economy of this nation and not job seekers that will trudge the streets of Nigeria in search of scarcely available jobs. To institutionalise this, the Federal Government raised the number of departments in the NYSC from seven to 11 with Department of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development as one of the new departments. It is already up and running.

Let me hasten to posit that prior to the formulation of the above laudable policy, the scheme had been complementing government’s effort at reducing unemployment. In this wise, under NYSC/MDGs War Against Poverty (WAP), the NYSC has trained and empowered over 1,376 corps members in various agro-allied ventures/businesses in the last one year. An interest free loan of N229,500,000 had been released to the corps beneficiaries of the training as soft loans at zero percent interest rate to enable them kick-start their businesses.

Almakura and Nasarawa’s changing face Danjuma JOSEPH much from the CPC and my administration. Let it be clear though that there are no easy solutions or quick fixes. Nevertheless, I assure you we will overcome the challenges. We will undertake road building inside and outside our towns and villages, and improve our energy capabilities to meet our power needs.”

Wasting no time on rhetoric and propaganda, common attributes in our political clime, Almakura set the ball rolling by charting a course that would forever change the fortunes of Nasarawa State. Even with the distractions caused by the court cases from the tribunal to the Supreme Court, the CPC administration would not be deterred.

The inter-city roads embarked upon by the Almakura administration in Lafia, the state capital, include those linking Kurikyo and Shendam; Angwan Mangu – Kurikyo; the one linking Shendam Road and Angwan Tiv through Super Cinema and the one passing through Lafia East Primary School to the Government House junction on Shendam Road and project quarters; UACKwandere Road, as well as selected streets in the Lafia metropolis. The governor also awarded contract for the construction of some roads in Akwanga and Keffi. Construction works on these roads are in progress and are at various stages of completion. He also influenced the ongoing reconstruction of Lafia-Doma Road.

Only recently, the governor procured and commissioned earth moving machines for the sole purpose of opening-up and construction

•Al-Makura of rural roads. This is aimed at abating the untold hardship suffered by rural dwellers, following years of neglect by previous administrations in the state.

The urban renewal policy of the administration has turned Lafia, the state capital, into a huge construction yard, as scores of road constructions are going on simultaneously.

The Nasarawa State Government is also working in collaboration with the Federal Government to assist the state in reconstructing the federal roads that pass through the state. The governor recently held talks with officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and that may probably lead to the dualization of Lafia-MakurdiEnugu roads.

Almakura has also sought the support of authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in completing the construction work on some roads that border the state and the

FCT. Among them are Gitata-Panda and Mararaba-Mpape roads. When these roads are completed, they will reduce the traffic congestion on the Abuja-Karu and Nyanya-Keffi roads.

The Power in 100 Days initiative of the governor in the power sector has also been a success story. Residents of Lafia and other communities around the state are already enjoying the benevolent disposition of the governor via constant power supply. The intervention, which is meant to provide relief to the overstretched and outdated power infrastructures in the state, particularly in Lafia, the state capital, saw the governor flagging off the installation of 32 new 500 KVA transformers to boost the epileptic power supply in the state.

With this development, the power situation has significantly improved since the installation of the new transformers and residents of Lafia are now enjoying between 12 and 16 hours of uninterrupted power supply daily; a feat that had never been achieved since the creation of the state more than 16 years ago. The Nasarawa Energy Company (NASENCO), which was part of the committee set up by the state government to fine-tune the structures for powering the state, has ensured that besides its potential for industrialization, the power project would enhance social life and improve the economic activities of the state.

The state government has also embarked on the initiative to connect all the local government areas to the national grid in order to improve the power facilities, especially the 132 KVA, to boost economic activities in the rural areas of the state.

The transport sector was also not

A mechanism has been put in place to track the performances of these entrepreneurs and gratifyingly, most of them are doing very well in their businesses.

Perhaps, one of the most revolutionary policies of the scheme in recent times has to do with the new perspective of corps posting. As a foremost development-focused national institution that is responsive to the yearnings of its environment, the scheme reviewed its posting policy aligning it with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

This policy commenced with the 2012 Batch ‘A’ corps members who in tandem with the new thrust were posted to the four critical sectors of the economy: Education, Healthcare delivery, Agriculture and Infrastructure/Public works.

In the long run, this policy will give a veritable boost to the Federal Government’s Universal Basic Education, food security, increase in quantitative and qualitative rural healthcare and improvement of infrastructure.

This policy has stopped the antics of some unscrupulous employers who look for cheap labour year in year out. Corps members’ energy will now be redirected to more productive ventures that will build the economy of the country.

In the final analysis, from the body language of the managers of the scheme, there is no gainsaying the fact that in the months ahead, the scheme will continue to leverage and build on the gains so far achieved with a view to repositioning and making it a pragmatic and result - oriented scheme that its stakeholders and indeed Nigerians will be proud of.

•Sami, a public affairs analyst and publisher, contributed this piece from Abuja. left out in the initiatives of the CPC administration in the state. The government recently rejuvenated the transport sector and improved the ailing transport company now christened Nasarawa Express, by acquiring about 40 buses to provide the people of the state with affordable, reliable and accessible means of transport.

An inventory of Governor Almakura’s accomplishments since he assumed office includes the approval and implementation of the new national minimum wage of N18, 900 for the state civil service, which has served as a morale booster for the workforce for effective and efficient service delivery.

The problem of acute water shortage inherited by the administration has been tackled. Daily water supply has since been restored to Lafia, Keffi, Akwanga, Nasarawa, Nasarawa Eggon and Doma, to mention a few.

In the health sector, the state governor has ensured that the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in the state called off their four-month-old strike on assuming office. He also introduced free medical health care for pregnant women, children under five years and the aged, all in a bid to fulfill his campaign promises.

All these, however, would not come to the people of Nasarawa State as a surprise, due to the humble and prudent nature of the governor, who made a solemn commitment to govern the state with the fear of God. His words have assumed form and substance and, to God’s glory, Almakura is working and Nasarawa is changing.

Joseph is the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Nasarawa State.

INTERVIEW

50 Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State does not believe the North can solely choose the President for the country without the consent of other regions. He blames the elite for the escalating poverty in the country and explains the factors responsible for the progress being made by Jigawa State, which celebrated the fifth year of the Lamido administration on Monday. He spoke with DELE ANOFI

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Talks about 2015, an idle debate —Lamido

N

ORTHERN governors were quoted as saying that a consensus candidate will be presented for the 2015 presidential election. What is your take on this?

What I will say first is that, as a Muslim, I believe that tomorrow belongs to God. Of course, man may wish, but the determinant force is ultimately God Almighty. People are free to dream dreams and aspire to become anything. But let us look at the issue. What are we talking about? Is it a southern Nigerian President, northern Nigerian President or is it about the Nigerian President? If it is about the Nigerian President, all forces must sit down and discuss it, because there is no way one bloc would say it must have it. The North tried it last time but failed. Atiku (Abubakar), Gen. (Ibrahim) Babangida, Gen. Aliyu (Gusau), Bukola (Saraki) all contested and lost the PDP primaries. Then, Gen. Buhari, a northerner from the CPC, contested in the main election and what happened was history.

This is to prove that the North cannot give us the President all alone.

It can only do so together with the South. In other words, it must be a Nigerian consensus. In my view, people are just fooling themselves.

My colleague governors, I’m sure they must have been quoted out of context because the governors who made the comments were also the governors who made Jonathan their candidate in 2011. Now, if they are talking this way, then something is wrong because all the northern governors supported Jonathan in 2011 and, by implication, they went against North’s interest in 2011 because of Jonathan.

Didn’t they?

If today they are singing a different tune, I want to believe that it was just because they were concerned about Nigeria. If today, so and so person is in office and they are complaining that something is wrong, then something is fundamentally wrong. I guess what we should be asking is what is wrong?

As a people, what we want is to develop a country where we feel happy and contented. Nigerians don’t really care about who the President or governor or the council chairman is, as long as their basic needs are met.

So, to me, it is an idle debate. What could have gone wrong so early in the journey that people are talking this way? I want to tell you that it

•Governor Lamido

‘

If it is about the Nigerian President, all forces must sit down and discuss it, because there is no way one bloc would say it must have it. The North tried it last time but failed. Atiku (Abubakar), Gen. (Ibrahim) Babangida, Gen. Aliyu (Gusau), Bukola (Saraki) all contested and lost the PDP primaries. Then, Gen. Buhari, a northerner from the CPC, contested in the main election and what happened was history...

,

was Nigerian governors’ position, not northern governors’ position, because we believe in Nigeria and we should be able to speak for Nigeria. I don’t think we should be concerned about that political talk.

There are more pressing issues than who becomes the President in 2015.

Instead, let us pray to live up to that time. Did (late Umaru) Yar’Adua know that he would not live beyond his second year in office? So, I believe tomorrow belongs to Allah.

But Gen. Buhari’s comment on 2015 has generated so much controversy...

That is why I say we have to be cautious and stop talking badly about ourselves or saying that if something does not happen,

heaven will fall. Heaven will not fall. And if it falls, it will fall on Nigeria, not on another country. If you say there is going to be war in Nigeria because you lost an election, it will only affect Nigerians, who will be killing themselves. Whatever we say about ourselves, whether on election or whatever, we must think about our culture and discipline and think about how to support it. If you don’t, fair enough.

If Buhari says in Nigeria, there will be war in 2015 because of one thing or the other, fair enough. Because, to me, the war can only affect Nigerians who will be killing themselves; the northerners in particular. I know there is no way people from the other regions will be kill-

ing each other because of Buhari. It is only the Hausa who will be killing one another because of him.

Why all these talks about war, bloodbath? We have to be cautious because I get worried when people, who were honoured by God to lead us as Head of State, begin to make grave statements that can adversely affect the greater majority of this country. When we think of it, at one time, we were all Buhari’s citizens because he was privileged by God to lead us. So, no matter how pained he is, being one time leader of this country, he must be worried that majority of us are going to die.

Apart from that, former leaders must exhibit leadership traits, guided by our culture at all times.

When you make unguarded state-

ments, it is the same people you led or want to lead that will be affected.

Ironically, it is these same people that gave you relevance and made you important in the first place. So, why should the same Nigerians be taken forcibly by someone that this country has honoured? As a leader, there are things that you don’t do or say, no matter how pained you are because of the consequences for the people you were so privileged to lead. I don’t think any Igbo man or Yoruba man would die for Buhari. Not even his deputy, Tunde Bakare, would die for him or kill another Yoruba man or burn houses for him. It is only a Hausaman that can kill another Hausaman or destroy the property of one another for Buhari. The rest will just watch us as we destroy ourselves.

What I am saying is that we need serious political education to raise the level of our human behaviour and culture of political parties, what we expect from government and what we should do as citizens. Our efforts here are meant to deepen democracy and engage those areas we think would give us the opportunity to brainstorm and raise issues on what will benefit our lives.

Going by the spate of bombings in the country, can you point to any state that is economically or politically safe?

It’s all politics. Look at the poor man in Ibadan or in riverine area in Bayelsa or a poor man in Jigawa or Sokoto, and look at the rich man in those places. You would discover that they share the same fate, pain, agony, comfort or affluence and they are all Nigerians. The Nigerian problem is poverty. If we make human beings the order of development, then we are there. Even if we say give him what he wants, whether through derivation, resource control or whatever, so long as we remain a country, we can only be safe when the entire country is safe. If there is hunger and hardship in one state, then no state is safe in the country; not even Europe or elsewhere because of demography and globalisation.

Today in Nigeria, why do we keep on debating or making political noise about marginalisation, MEND, Boko Haram, MOSOP? They are all manifestations of failure. If the people are happy, secured and contented, knowing what is called peace and being a stakeholder, they will want to remain peaceful in order to enjoy the labour of their sweat. But when there is despair and pain with no future, naturally, things must go wrong. Today we are being chased by our own shadows. Imagine someone having N2 billion in his house or N1.3 trillion in subsidy money, and people were saying no, no, no, don’t remove it. If the subsidy were to be left, then this scam would not have been revealed.

Meanwhile, if the majority of the people are not happy, then nobody can be safe; not even the big houses and the state-of-the-art security system installed everywhere by the rich can save them. So, why don’t we agree on contributing to building human dignity first? Nobody wants to be a thief, a Boko Haram, a MEND, a MOSOP or a renegade.

But what do you expect if they feel abandoned? Poverty diminishes one’s self-esteem, takes away one’s honour and pride. What can be

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012 more damaging to one’s dignity if as a head of a family of two children, you cannot feed them? That is the biggest failure in life.

Under that condition, one can do anything because whatever is left as option is demeaning. You want to borrow from a friend, he said no money. You want to do a labourer job, there is none. You get back home, your child is either crying of hunger or dying of one disease or the other, and everywhere you turn, there is nothing. So, what do you do? You become desperate, and when that happens, you can do anything. The issue of security is just for the North or South. It is about what we should do to raise the status and standing of our brothers and sisters nationwide irrespective of religion or geographical location. They are Nigerians whose well being is very important and they are all over the country.

Poverty is the same everywhere.

But it is rather unfortunate that it is the elite that are manipulating it, and that is the cause of these problems.

Shifting focus to Jigawa State, why the democracy day lectures and what do you intend to achieve with them?

Right from the day I got to the office, I had a clear vision of what I wanted and I am coming from a political clout where politics is not mercantile or something that is a kind of industry. To me, politics is about service to my people, to humanity. When I got elected, I quickly discovered that government and governance had no meaning to my people and many Nigerians, probably because of many years of military distortion.

Their coming in 1983 destroyed so many things, including our values.

I said this because military government is not a government that thinks about anything called democracy, and for that, they lack the moral authority to lead the people.

Their own system lacks due process. They sacked state apparatus that could oppose their imposition, dissolved all the laws and then began to make the laws to suit their purpose.

Normally, laws are the kinds of discussions, consensus, brainstorming, opinions and positions which are carried on to be negotiated through a forum, whether constitutional assembly or anything of such where issues are debated with all kinds of approach worked out to be agreed on, which then turn into the constitution. However, the military came, they designed their own rules to attain their objectives whereby people’s feelings and opinions had no meaning to them.

So, how would they give service?

Instead, what they do is to destroy the values that make us responsible, responsive and accountable to the people. After that, they begin to impose force and, naturally, the disconnect set in.

Invariably, any Nigerian who is just about 30 years now does not know what governance based on law and order is. This means that a lacuna has been created and anything you do in the direction of service is celebrated. So, our efforts since 1999 have been to restore the rule of law, tradition and culture of government because the operators are elected. I know it will take time to change the psyche of Nigerians in the orientation of a system that has been so embedded and so engrained in people’s minds.

Under the military, under the guise of creating avenues of making money for their friends, they set up all kinds of task forces for refuse collection, rent collection, distribution while normal institutions of government are jettisoned. What happened? Aberration became the norm. It was this kind of missing link that created the lacuna because they lacked reference points.

INTERVIEW

•Governor Lamido

So, why don’t we agree on contributing to building human dignity first? Nobody wants to be a thief, a Boko Haram, a MEND, a MOSOP or a renegade. But what do you expect if they feel abandoned? Poverty diminishes one’s self-esteem, takes away one’s honour and pride. What can be more damaging to one’s dignity if as a head of a family of two children, you cannot feed them? That is the biggest failure in life...

‘

,

Rather, they just pick on what others have said. So, everything is kind of ad hoc under the military.

In moving forward and as a people, we have to discuss what we want for ourselves as a federation; define that first, then set a benchmark as a sovereign state. We have to understand what unites us as a people. After all, we have a common ownership that should remain sacrosanct. All I am saying is that the military destroyed the culture of doing things right. So, what I am doing here is to first ensure that there is voter education, because there is no way we can properly function without the people knowing about voting and the power that comes with it. This way, I believe, is an effective means of restoring governance by doing things in accordance with law and order un-

der due process, transparency and accountability. This is because when there is ownership, it becomes easy to link up.

Believe it, people look at governance abstractly, like it is your government and not mine. So, the first thing I do is to reconnect with my people, and on our first anniversary in 2008, I went on air from the 1st of May to 29th to address the people through all the state actors and operators of government, to give account of their stewardship in all areas of their jurisdiction. This is just to remind the people that this is the party that asked for your vote last year, because we need to know where we were before then and where we are now. All government operators took part in the live broadcast with people from around the state participating, asking ques-

51 tions on what we said we did.

As I said earlier, the initiative is a reminder in order for the people to be able to debate issues and ask informed questions that agitate their minds. For me, being elected is not enough; it is just part of the process.

They did not abandon me, so I have to be there for them too. But I can only function when they are following me in what I am doing. This goes on until it is capped with lectures with carefully chosen topics meant to impact on governance and on our government. It is a yearly ritual and we have always derived positive lessons from each edition.

For instance, the summit on the talakawa threw up realities of those that were really concerned. These are the people we have been talking on behalf of, shaving their heads behind their backs in symposa, seminars and all kinds of meetings discussing poverty, hunger and diseases. The summit made it possible for us to feel the reality because these poor people said it as they felt. The talakawa summit opened our eyes to the Nigerian story, that poverty or being poor is common to us all. Story of poverty is the same in Umuahia, Enugu, Borno, Sokoto or Ibadan. Poverty is our failure in terms of improving the well being of the other person, because the right thing is that wherever we go or whatever we do, the impact of government should be able to manifest in the lives of our people. Be it in the provision of infrastructures, healthcare delivery, economic or manpower development or environment, we should be able to do something to show that we have fairly contented and healthy citizens with self esteem.

After that, you can be justified to make a demand from him, because by then, he has seen the fact of good leadership.

So, every year, we pick a theme and it is supposed to be our own contribution to broadening the frontiers of democracy. Because it cannot flourish on its own, it has to be nurtured and developed. In this country, we have to sacrifice to develop it. We have to nurture it for it to become an attribute through adherence to the rule of law, paying our taxes, rates and levies and also by encouraging our own local industries by patronising our own goods. We really have to reflect, have some standards and stop lamenting inasmuch as we are not animals that cannot reason?

There are so many projects in the state initiated, completed or almost completed. But what other things are you doing to attract investments to the state?

First, I am PDP and I took over from an ANPP governor. So, obviously, there are two different approaches to issues. In other words, what I am doing is PDP programme and whatever I do must certainly be at variance with what my predecessor did. Secondly, you are talking of development. Who are we developing? Is it in abstract or holistic term? We have to also look at which area we are talking about and how each area is working in tandem with the other because things have to work out for a purpose. To be able to attract business or investments, certain things must be in place because businessmen and investors usually look for profits.

In business, there are no friends or relations. It is about making money. That is why even under some dire situations, people still make money. So, our first concern is how to put in place the kind of enabling environment that would naturally attract these people. First, the state must be very stable, which means that it must be very secure.

So, security is paramount. Beyond government, there is the issue of human factor. The people must contribute. So, after the election, I

called all stakeholders in the state, including my opponents, the traditional and religious leaders, elder statesmen from Jigawa from the time of Tafawa Balewa, the elite, NGOs and the youth. I presented to them the views of Jigawa by Nigerians and other global donor agencies like the UNDP, which literarily translate to something like Jigawa is buried. To me, if we are buried, then it won’t take long for our state to become a human zoo.

Looking at us here, Jigawa’s condition does not manifest in our faces, that is, the squalor, the filth, the poverty. Why? So, if we can take care of ourselves, why don’t we rally round our own people and get us exhumed to sea level where we can gain our vision and focus. This, however, metaphorically entails closing our doors and then work hard inside with a lot of sacrifice, because we don’t have any particular talent or endowment to pull Jigawa out. It has to be the people themselves. Do I have to reach out to ask people how do you help me?

So, it has to be Jigawa collectively to be able to pull out and move forward, and they agreed with me. My intention was to run an all-inclusive government that is for all of us. I may be the head, but it is going to belong to all of us. In other words, I am offering transparency and accountability to run the government under due process. But I must be supported. Thank God, we started and five years after, we are more than willing to invite everybody to come and see what is happening in Jigawa, because no matter whatever is done in terms of rhetoric or publicity, it will not alter the material well being of the people of Jigawa State. We may deceive other people, but when they come here, they would be faced with all kinds of reality on ground and would be in a better position to judge.

Why do you have to embark on welfare programme for a certain set of people?

I will not advise any state on what to do in that aspect. However, through the management of governance and government, there is what is called intervention programme against near-emergency or serious nightmare. For me, to have a humane society, you must benchmark your people. Look at them; who are the weakest? How do you save them first? Then those who are blind who are 50 or 60 years old, physically challenged, right there on the streets who are 40 or 45 years old, who are lepers.

Meanwhile, this condition of theirs is not their own making because the ailments are curable but the system of government in the last 40 years or so failed to address their kind of problems ab initio. If the right thing was done in the first place, these set of people would have been healthy 50, 60 years old today.

So, it is within them to feel that they were in such condition because of lack of feelings and concern from those in authority. We now have mature citizens of today who are 60 years old, who are sick. As citizens of this country, they also have a right to the Nigerian resources because the resources are not for the healthy alone. The money, that is the monthly allocation coming to the state, belongs to the Nigerian people and should be for everybody, not just for those who are healthy.

Now, look at it this way: are we going to say that for whatever reason, this challenged elderly or a blind 70-year-old man should go and learn a vocation in order to fend for himself? No. Rather, this calls for intervention. At least, give them something before they die. So, we should not look at the quantum or the money but the effect of its use for humanity, which makes you humane and human. That is the reason for our intervention.

52

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Searching for your missing rib (4)

D

EAR Reader, You are welcome to this last edition of my teaching series for the month. There is no doubt that you have enjoyed all the teachings so far. For the past three weeks, I have shared with you the foundation for a successful search. Also we have examined steps for searching and prerequisites for choosing.

This week, we shall be looking at the subject, Be Futuristic In Your Approach!

The choices you make today can affect the whole of your future. That is why you have to be very careful as you take life decision, especially as it relates to searching for your missing rib.

Don't be too much in a hurry by

being short-sighted. Look beyond now into the future.

The story of Elimelech, the husband of Naomi makes a good illustration. He ended up making a decision that affected his life and family, because he wasn't futuristic in his approach (Ruth 1:1-3).

There was famine in the land.

Elimelech made his decision without hearing from God. Perhaps, God could have made a provision for him and his family even in the midst of the famine if he had sought God's guidance.

He lost his life and his two sons, and Naomi was left alone with her daughters-in-law.

Talking about Jesus Christ in Hebrews 12:2, the Bible says:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus Christ despised the cross because He saw the crown that was set ahead of Him. In your approach in searching for the missing rib, don't use the present circumstances to make your choice. Be futuristic in your approach. Jesus Christ was futuristic in his approach by making a decision that brought salvation to mankind, even to souls yet unborn. What a wonderful approach! May you make a right choice today that will affect many more generations to come.

Daniel's approach to the king's rich food is also worthy of emulation (Daniel 1:8). He purposed in his heart not to defile himself.

Why? Because he saw before now into the future. Don't base your approach on just the present. Look ahead of your present into the future.

Quickly, let's examine how to certify that you are being led of God in your approach to your

4 secrets to never getting sick

P

EOPLE often wonder why they always seem to come down with a life-interrupting sickness at one point in time or the other.

After a lot of research and discussion with top experts to uncover study-backed secrets for staying well, even when surrounded by germs.

Make friends with fresh air Common wisdom has it that staying indoors, where it’s warm and toasty, is easier on the immune system than being outside.

Problem is, being inside puts one in close constant contact with other people—and their germs.

Not only does escaping into the fresh air give a break from all those germs circulating inside, but going for a stroll can actually boost immunity. “Exercise leads to an increase in natural killer cells, neutrophils, and monocytes, which ultimately increases immune function,” says Ather Ali, ND, MPH, assistant director of Complementary/Alternative Medicine Research at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Re-

search Center.

Relaxation fights off colds There are a trillion reasons why taking time to chill out might be the last item on the list.

But here’s why it should be a priority: “Being stressed will increase your susceptibility to catching a cold,” says Ali. That may be because, over the long term, it leads to the ongoing release of stress hormones, such as glucocorticoids.

These impede the body’s ability to produce cell-signaling molecules called cytokines, which trigger a disease-fighting response from the immune system.

“You’re also less likely to take care of yourself— get ample sleep, eat right, exercise—when you’re stressed,” says Ali, which is crucial to upping the immunity.

Clean hands are everything Cold and flu can spread all too easily through touch. Keep fingers away from eyes, nose, and mouth as much as possible, and make sure to master the art of hand-washing. Soap and water

remain the most effective tools there, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Germs can grow on bar soaps, so use the pumped kind—or better yet, a hands-free dispenser and choose regular soap over antibacterial. Lather for a solid 20 seconds before rinsing, and make sure to dry thoroughly (but not on the germy clothes!): “Damp hands are far more likely to spread bacteria than dry ones,” says Dana Simpler, MD, a primary care physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

The magic bullet An occasional restless night is nothing to worry about, but a continuous lack of sleep can hamper the immune system’s ability to function. Though experts often say that sleep requirements vary by individual, a 2009 Carnegie Mellon study found that anything short of seven hours nearly triples one’s odds of catching a cold— and that means seven straight hours, with no middle-of-the-night wakeups.

“For many of us, the only quiet time we have to think through things is when we’re lying down at bedtime. Unfortunately, problem-solving in bed interferes with sleep,” says Leslie Swanson, PhD, a sleep specialist at the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

search.

First, there will be Peace. The leading of God is always accompanied with peace that passes human understanding (Psalms 25:12-13).

Secondly, there will be Joy. When you are on the right path to destiny, joy flows through you unreservedly (Hebrews 12:2).

Thirdly, there is divine strength. Divine strength is the lot of those on track with God's provision (Judges 6:14).

For you who's past has done some damages to your future, don't say, "Well, I think I married the wrong person because I made a wrong choice. Should I pack my things and run out of the house?" No! You will be making another wrong choice by doing so.

All you need to do is to treat him/her like you have married the right person. Divorce isn't a great idea, I must say! It is not God's plan for you. But I have good news for you. God's Word says: Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring

forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Simply call upon God for mercy, and His mercy will answer in your favour. From this day forward, concerning every area of your life and future, there shall be no more regret for you in Jesus' name. I pray that the Blood of Jesus Christ will override every wrong choice you have made in the past, and His grace will be made available for you to make right choices henceforth, in Jesus' precious name! It is done!

If you are not born again, your approach will always be flawed.

You have to be regenerated before you can make a right approach.

Your first approach has to be to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you would want to receive Him right now, please pray this prayer of faith with me: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins.

Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know I am born again!

Congratulations! Till I come

Nigerians urged to live healthy life Risikat RAMONI Nigerians have been urged to live a healthy lifestyle.

This was said recently during the world family doctor’s Day. In his lecture on the theme, healthy living – The role of family doctor, Dr Ayoade Adedokun said, it has been discovered in the developing world that most health problems are caused by personal behavior.

The family physician noted that barely 40 percent Nigerians have access to qualitative healthcare. In his statistics, private sector accounts for 80 percent healthcare while 20 percent is by the State government in Lagos.

According to him, it is pertinent on people to know their BMI in order to have a healthy living.

The normal BMI is within the range of 18.5 to 24.9. A BMI above 30 is regarded as obesity.

He said, obesity has various complications which include; stroke, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, short life expectancy, poor reproductive health and gall bladder problem.

In his explanation, every individual need to be active. This can be achieved by increasing daily time spent on physical activity or exercise as well as movement of the joints. Movement can make us active, said Adedokun.

“Exercise is physical activity that is done that is not related to the normal physical activity. Ev-

eryone must find time to exercise.”

The family physician, said some of the ways individuals can achieve a healthy living are; “It is better to eat fish than meat, especially if the fish has scales.

•Avoid fast foods because they are rich in fats and are unhealthy.

•Olive oil is the best oil for cooking.

•Milk and yoghurt should be taken more.

•Fruits, vegetables and cereals should be taken on a regular basis.

•Sleep early so you can wake early and find time to rest during the weekend.”

He further added, “Do moderate exercise.

•Take supplements such as omega 3 fatty acids, it reduce risk of some cancers and arthritis.

Three grams is enough for one day.

•Have a very good sleep. It’s a springboard from which good health springs from.

•Annual check-up is part of healthy living.”

He urged family health physician to assist their patients by; advising them on behavioural change, educate and monitor them on changes, and continuously assess their health hazards.

The physician encouraged each family to have a family physician, saying, “everyone needs a family doctor.”

Free health facilities by family doctors in Lagos

T •A continuous lack of sleep can hamper the immune system’s ability to function

HE free medical facility pro vided by family doctors in Lagos is ongoing.

84 clinics and hospitals under the auspices of the association of general and private medical practitioners of Nigeria, AGPMPN, started the service on Monday. The service will end as soon as the Lagos medical guild resumes from the strike.

According to the Lagos State chairman of the association, Dr Olayinka Oladosu, the service

Risikat RAMONI will be free for only those who hold the general/government hospital card.

“The facilities are being given to people so they can receive consultation and treatment. It is a relief for the time-being,” said Oladosu.

He also said that it is unethical for them to watch the people die.

In addition, the national presi-

dent of the association, Dr Anthony Omolola said that the provision of this service will help reduce and step down the loss of lives. “It is our token to help the masses,” he said.

The President further urged the masses to embrace a health insurance scheme.

“It is our responsibility to drive a proper health insurance policy so that the masses can benefit provision of healthcare at a reduced cost.”

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Questions from readers

“Spiritual angle of psychosomatic effects”. I read your article on “Spiritual tiredness” in today’s edition of The Nation. You cited a number of verses in the Bible in the article. Reading the article suggests to me that you could shed some light on the following: As you know, psychological well-being has been long correlated with physical wellbeing in medical science (I am not a medical practitioner).

Do we have people (researchers) looking at the navigational rules governing the space defined by three dimensions physical, psychological, and spiritual? How much advancement do we have in the body of knowledge about this space? How much has been quantified beyond anecdotal evidence?

Your African experience, faith, and biomedical science make your thoughts very relevant in this area. ++ K a y o d e , olu.adegoke@gmail.com Saturday, May 12, 2012

Dear Kayode, Thank you for reading the Family Health Column in The Nation, Saturday.

Your question, for me, is flattering. I cannot however say I have no answer. I think it was St Augustine of Hippo (one of our African ancestors) who said that “when the body is well, the soul dances”. In many aspects of life, I know there is the general and there are the exceptions. I lived for many years in The United States of America where people eat well and exercise well and have the basic physical needs constant and abundant. It is here also that is seems the gun goes off more often than anywhere else on earth in an atmosphere of peace. The human life is complex and the tangible and nontangible aspects of our being are definitely interdependent. I am more of a realist than a theorist when looking at life because I have seen that life is complex, flexible, and dynamic. On the one hand, I believe in the ethical efforts of researchers and experts in gaining new knowledge. As a biomedical scientist, I have seen that the more details we gain about cellular processes

of the human body, the bigger life becomes. The body of knowledge we have in biology alone is humongous, yet totally inadequate. Merging the physical, the psychological, and the spiritual is a complexity above any genius.

Data sometimes goes beyond useful. On the other hand, I believe in the ability of each and every person to acquire knowledge and awareness of reality through his/ her own living. It is because I am a Christian that I quoted a few verses from the Bible that you mentioned. I however would not sermonize the health matters here because the audience is wider than my faith tradition. I opine that the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of a human being, working together, are evident to the human being himself/ herself and the more fully alive that person is the more evident all those aspects and their interrelationships are. Too often, we conduct superfolly psychological experiments on fellow human beings that take us no further than the builders of the Tower of Babel got.

Sometimes, the ones who know life better in its entirety and the ones who enjoy life most are the ones who don’t study life but live life.

Beyond this, I have no opinion.

You can seek the counsel of a Buddhist Monk, Christian Pastor, Hindu Guru, Ifa priest, Jewish Rabbi, Muslim Imam, or University Professor in the fields of anthropology, psychology, sociology, psychiatry, philosophy, or biology

but I doubt that any of them can answer you correctly if he or she is not fully alive.I wish you safe landing from your philosophical flight. Dr. John.

Hello, I read through your write-up and I want an insight on how to avert medical conditions that have defied medical solutions. Thanks. Warm regards, Hit Sulehsule5@gmail.com Sat May 12, 2012 Dear Sule, Thank you for reading the Family Health Column and for your tasking question. I decided to make my life easy by not researching the topic for you because we are really in the same boat of ignorance about such health conditions. You see, you own your life and you live your life as you please. I can speak for myself on such matters but I cannot speak for you. For anyone, in all aspects of life, it is important that you pray before you act, look before you leap, think before you choose, - have the spirit, body, and mind all in correct working order. I hope you learn to avert evil conditions. Dr. John Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please E m a i l bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

Foods that boost the immune system Feed your immune system the right ingredients to help keep it running in peak condition.

Immune System Boosters

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F you’re looking for ways to prevent diseases, your first step should be a visit to your local grocery store.

Feeding your body certain foods can help to keep your immune system running strong. Plan your meals to include the following 10 powerful immune system boosters (we’ve included lots of recipes that make it easy) and you’ll increase your family’s chances of fending off those weather bugs before they get anyone sick.

Citrus Most people turn to vitamin C after they’ve caught a cold. But did you know it tops the charts of foods that keep your immune system running at 100%? Vitamin C helps increase the production of white blood cells, key to fighting infections. Because your body doesn’t produce or store it, daily intake of vitamin C is essential for continued health. Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C and with such a variety to choose from it’s easy to add a squeeze of C to any meal.

Red Bell Peppers Vitamin C not only boosts immune systems but it helps maintain healthy skin, which is the frontline in our war on colds. Think citrus fruits have the most vitamin C of any fruit or vegetable?

Think again. Ounce for ounce, red bell peppers have

twice as much flu-fighting vitamin C, as well as being a rich source of beta carotenes.

Broccoli Broccoli is super-charged with an arsenal of vitamins and minerals ready to do battle with any germ or infection. Packed with vitamins A, C, and E, as well as numerous antioxidants, broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can put on your table. The key to keeping its power intact is to cook it as little as possible, or better yet, not at all.

Garlic Found in almost every cuisine around the world, garlic not only adds a little zing to foods, it’s a musthave for your health. Early civilizations recognized its value for fighting infections and modern science has shown that garlic helps to lower cholesterol and prevent hardening of arteries. Its immune-boosting properties seem to come from a heavy concentration of sulphur-containing compounds, such as allicin.

Ginger Ginger is another ingredient many turn to after they’ve caught a cold. But like vitamin C, ginger can also help you prevent that cold from taking hold in the first place. While it’s used in many sweet desserts, ginger packs some heat in the form of gingerol, a relative of capsaicin, which gives chili peppers their distinctive heat. Ginger may help decrease chronic pain and may possess cholesterollowering properties.

Spinach Spinach made our list not just because it’s rich in vitamin C but because it’s packed with numerous antioxidants and beta-carotene, which have been proven to increase the infection-fighting cells of our immune systems. Similar to broccoli, it is best cooked as little as possible so that its nutrients are retained.

Yogurt When selecting yogurt look for ones that have “live and active cultures” printed on the label. Recent studies suggest these cultures help stimulate your immune system to help fight diseases.

Additional studies also suggest a link between low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of catching a cold, so select brands fortified with vitamin D. Almonds When it comes to preventing and fighting off colds, vitamin E tends to take a backseat to the more commonly mentioned vitamin

C, but vitamin E is also key to a healthy immune system.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it requires the presence of fat to be absorbed properly. Nuts (especially almonds) are packed with vitamin E and a half cup serving provides nearly 100% of the daily recommended amount.

Green Tea Both green and black teas are packed with flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. Where green tea really shines is in its levels of epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, another powerful antioxidant. The fermentation process black tea goes through destroys a lot of the EGCG. Green tea, on the other hand, is steamed and not fermented, preserving that EGCG. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also a good source of the amino acid Ltheanine, which aids in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells. http://www.healthline.com/ health-slideshow

53 Coping with diseases with Prof. Dayo Oyekole

Prostate enlargement

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ROSTATE enlargement is generally a disease of eld erly men; and it is characterized by urine retention, leading to severe pains, anxiety, discomfort, and sometimes, loss of consciousness.

The full function of the prostate is not yet fully understood by scientists all over the world. However, it is known that as a gland, it produces fluid called 'semen' which is released by men, at the climax of sexual activity. The prostate gland will only grow and function under the influence of male hormones, the most important of which is called TESTOSTERONE, produced from the testicles.

The prostate gland surrounds the neck of the bladder and the first part of the urethra goes through it. An enlarged prostate, presses on the urethra and decreases the size of the opening through it, or it forms a dam which holds back part of the urine.

The causes of prostate enlargement are not very precise, but they are associated with hormonal imbalance; and available information indicates that most men who use drugs to improve their sexual performance tend to activate the level of their Testosterone hormone beyond the threshold, and consequently, they often end up developing prostate enlargement and related complications.

The enlargement can be a simple type called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or it may be cancerous, that is, Malignant Prostatic Hyperplasia. Both the benign and malignant types usually present similar symptoms of frequency in urination, hesitancy, urgency, trickling flow of urine and in advanced stages, there is acute urine retention as a result of blockage of the urinary tract.

A man suffering from enlarged prostate will first notice that he has to get up oftener than usual, to pass urine at night. The stream will be small and slow to start. A long time may be required to empty the bladder.

Many men with enlarged prostate may have no further disturbance than the "nuisance" symptoms stated earlier.

Other cases will get worse until the patient cannot empty the bladder, and must resort to a catheter for relief.

Unfortunately, after the urine has once begun to be drawn by catheter, the danger of bladder infection is great. Also, the symptoms and problems of cystitis are likely to occur.

Treatment and Control In Holistic Lifecare, it is strongly advocated that the best prospects of controlling Prostate Enlargement, is by going back to Nature. When symptoms of an enlarged prostate are noticed, it is advisable to avoid spices, condiments and alcoholic beverages; to lessen bladder irritation, which may promote infection. It is also important to avoid cold conditions or getting the feet wet, or holding the urine for too long.

Prostate Enlargement is not new in African context. In fact, ethno-medicinal research has shown that herbal remedies are very effective, without complications or side effects.

The holistic natural remedy being suggested for Prostate Enlargement is a combination of natural extracts of herbs such as Saw Palmetto, Cocos nucifera, Khaya ivorensis and Lycopersicum esculentum.

For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call on: 0803-3303897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan. Website: www.holisticlifecare.com. Distance is no barrier, we can send remedies by courier if need be. We also have facilities for accommodation, admission and hospitalization in a serene and homely environment.

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Light house: Another side of Tarkwa Bay Tarkwa Bay, a Lagos fun spot, has become notorious for its beaches and the ability of leisure seekers to engage in all forms of pleasure. It is also notorious for the wild women, drugs and booze. But it is not about notoriety alone. In this report, OKORIE UGURU looks at the options available to leisure seekers in Tarkwa Bay looking for “clean and safe” leisure.

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ARKWA Bay is one of the fun spots in Lagos.

For beach crawlers, it is a familiar spot where everything goes. It is a distant cousin to Kuramo in terms of the sordid behind the scene or would one say open hedonistic pleasure quest that patrons engage in.

To many, it a haven for drinks, drug and sex. It is a place with little presence of government and lawenforcement agencies by virtue of being removed from the mainland of Lagos and probably the most easily accessible for fun seekers. But it is very important to note that there is more to Tarkwa Bay than the drinks and sex hawked at the beach area.

Tarkwa Bay, due to its closeness to Lagos harbour, has had human residents for probably more than 200 years.

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Fiki commends Fashola’s efforts on tourism approval to start development on the land. Governor Fashola saw my file and instructed that I should be given an approval for my development project and we got the approval. “ So, we applied to get an approval for a six-storey building. Actually they are two because the property covers over six thousand square metres. So, we decided to put up two structures. One part of the development will be residential, while the other part will be a hotel. We have to get competent contractors from zero to finish”,Balogun said.

He said his company had signed an agreement with Trevi Foundation Limited

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With its own resident community, most of whom make their living from the tourists who visit the beach, this is the only “maintained” beach in Lagos with the beach hands cleaning up the garbage every weekend before the influx of tourists

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Titbits

Titbits HE Managing Director of Fiki Bal International Incorporated, Mr. Taofiki Balogun, has commended the Lagos State governor, Mr. Raji Fashola, on his efforts to develop tourism in the state.

Balogun said the effort of the governor in opening up the waterways through effective government presence is also helping in not reducing the problem of transportation, but also decongesting the roads.

Balogun thanked the governor for approving his ambitious hospitality and leisure project which had been stalled for some time due to lack of government approval.

“A couple years ago, we had applied for an

Tarkwa is a man-made bay and beach created during the formation of the Lagos harbour. The beach was shaped by the moles used to form the inlet to the harbour and covered with sand dredged from the bottom of the channel. As a result, the water is a lot calmer than the exposed

Atlantic coastline elsewhere around Lagos.

The fine sand is also much more comfortable to walk and lie on than the coarse or sharp sand of the other beaches. With its own resident community, most of whom make their living from the tourists who visit the beach, this is the only “maintained” beach in Lagos with the beach hands cleaning up the garbage every weekend before the influx of tourists. Also given the fact that it is cut off from the main habitations of Lagos by water and is, therefore, only accessible by boat, this makes it a beach for real beach bums and sun worshippers, in contrast to the other “bums and worshippers” that flock to the Bar Beach.

One of Fiki boats to commence the construction of the foundation work.

He said “the project is

considered to be Governor Fashola’s baby project because of the world-class tourism and water trans-

port facilities it will provide to complement the Lagos Mega City dream”.

The first phase of the project includes construction of the protection wall and installation of floating jetties which would be completed in the next five months before moving to the foundation laying in the second phase.

Balogun, while commending the Lagos State government’s efforts to improve water transportation in the state, urged operators to adhere to international standards.

As part of its corporate social responsibility, the Fiki Bal Boat plans offering free weekend boat rides for pupils and students in public schools, a project that will be on as long as the company survives.

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HE Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), in partnership with the National Sports Commission (NSC), is set to promote Nigeria’s image in a unique way at the forthcoming Olympic Games in London.

The Director-General of NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, made this known recently when the Director General of the NSC, Dr. Patrick Ekeji, and his entourage, paid him a visit in his office at the tourism village, Abuja.

Both DGs agreed that the Olympic Games will provide the window needed by both corporations to showcase Nigeria positively in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

According to Otunba Runsewe, preparations are in top gear as the NTDC is already mobilizing one mil-

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‘We want to promote tourism through PANAFEST’

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•Takwa Bay beach

It is also possible to surf in a corner of Tarkwa Bay, and other water sports, such as jet skiing and water skiing, are fairly common, although don’t expect to find equipment there to rent. Make friends with the local nautical elite, so you can use their water sports equipment.

The occupation of residents of the area is tied to water. In most cases, it either they are fishing or trading. Some of the young ones learn how to swim and pilot a speed boat.

Most of the ships waiting to berth at the harbour normally order supplies from the residents of Tarkwa Bay who run errands for them, using their boats.

They also buy things from these ships at reasonable prices.

To get to there, there are the regular speed boats from the Mekwen Jetty, just at the back, beside the Onikan Bridge that connects Onikan to the Bonny Camp, Victoria Island. A boat ride from Mekwen jetty to Tarkwa Bay is about two hundred naira.

But the boats are austere, sometimes rickety and some ill-kept. At times, the passengers have to struggle for space with

goods such as drinks and sachet water bags being transported to the bay.

However, for groups who want a little bit of comfort and more safety on water,paying more at Tarzan Jetty, Maroko or Fiki Bal Jetty in Victoria Island is more of it. These companies charge N1,000 per passenger to Tarkwa Bay. Heading for Tarkwa Bay, the water is turbulent, and, for those who are not used to it, they could be gripped with fear, but most of the boat drivers know how to negotiate through the active water. As one gets near Tarkwa Bay, one gets closer to the Atlantic Ocean. The water is more turbulent.

Occasionally, a huge, monstrous vessel laiden with hundreds of containers of goods would slowly glide by as it heads for the harbour. The waves com-

ing from the movement could be unnerving. One should not panic. It is all part of the fun and excitement of Tarkwa Bay. Before getting to Tarkwa Bay Jetty, there is the Atlas Cove.

The normal attraction to the average visitor to Tarkwa Bay is the beach.

But for those who may not be interested in the booze and cozy comfort of the free women that Tarkwa Bay unleashes, they could leave the beach and head for the light house .

The light house is said to be about 110-year-old. It guards the entrance harbour. There are a few monuments of its age left standing in Lagos.

From the jetty, instead of going left towards the beach area, one will go to the front into the Tarkwa Bay village. There are more monuments that remind one of more prosperous

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The light house is said to be about 110-year-old. It guards the entrance harbour. There are a few monuments of its age left standing in Lagos.

Titbits

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NTDC, NSC to boost Nigeria’s image at Olympics lion supporters for Nigeria’s Olympics team towards the games. He also said the corporation was currently giving out raffle tickets in this regard.

The DG said the NTDC was making arrangement with a Nigerian restaurant in the UK to serve 36 +1 Nigerian dishes, each representing the different states of the federation and the Federal Capital ,urging the NSC to partner the NTDC to achieve greater success.

He called on stakeholders to bid for Nigeria’s right to host the game, saying the time was right as the country had the potential of hosting such games, adding that such venture would greatly benefit the Nigerian populace.

On his part, the Director

• Otunba Runsewe(left) presenting a gift to Mr. Ekeji General of the National Sports Commission, Chief Patrick Ekeji, lauded Runsewe for his exceptional leadership skills, while commending his efforts at projecting Nigeria posi-

tively during the last World Cup in South Africa where Nigeria built an impressive tourism village.

He expressed the NSC’s desire to work hand-in-hand with the NTDC to showcase

times. The present leaves stench of poverty and squalor.

It is a village where people are free to live their lives the way they please.

Meeting them around the old decaying rail line that runs across the village towards the Atlas Cove as a visitor, one stands out like a red flag on a sunny afternoon. The villagers look at one with suspicion. There is no easy way to get to the light house except by boat through the sea. From afar, one could see the light house jutting up into the sky.

Getting there, one discovers it is a kind of compound where much is not happening. With the advent of technology, the light house is no longer a beacon for weary sea captains like it used to be. It is round with little openings on the walls that allow for ventilation.

The compound of the light house, with the trees, offers a place of rest after the long walk. It is ideal for picnic.

The light house may not offer the blood rushing excitement of Tarkwa Bay, for those who treasure relaxation, it might not be a bad idea to check out the place.

Nigeria’s tourism potential during this year’s Olympic Games.

In his words, “It is only right and proper that the NTDC and NSC should have a common ground to work together in order to present in the UK the tourism potential of our country through the avenue of sport which is the Olympic Games”.

Speaking further, “I personally feel it will not be a complete team without the presence of NTDC, we will not want to go the Olympic Games without carrying NTDC along because, sports itself is about tourism and as we know, tourism today is big business and in fact all countries of the world that have realize the economic potentials of sports, tend to put sports and tourism together”.

HE Nigerian edition of the biennial Pan-African Festival held in Ghana will hold at the Muson Centre on June 14.

It a cultural festival that seeks to promote pan-Africanism through arts and culture. The co-ordinators of Nigeria edition, Taiwo and Kehinde Olwafunso, said the Ghanaian Vice President John Dramani Mahama will be the guest speaker, while the Osun State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola will deliver the keynote.

On how the Nigeria PANAFEST will help in promoting ands improving the tourism fortune of the country, Kehinde said: “ A lot. Ghana provided the idea that formed the PANAFEST for the country. See how it has made Ghana to gain a lot from the tourism industry. PANAFEST has been able to open up Ghana. It has been able to make Ghana as a kind of gateway to West Africa. We thought that we could use lot to make Nigeria gain what Ghana is gaining. Nigeria is well blessed and well endowed with a lot of resources and we have a lot of things that put Nigeria on the tourism map of the world.

“Also, since the PANAFEST was started in 1992, it has been able to offer many Nigerian artists the platform to showcase their talents to the outside world because it has been able to attract over 10,000 tourists to Ghana because of the stability and infrastructure the country has put in place. This attracts a lot of tourists. Nigeria normally has the largest contingents to Ghana for the festival. Artistes like Ras Kimono, Yinka Davies, Orlando Julius and Sir Shina Peters had all performed there at one time or the other.

“The event is a kind of wake-up call for our leaders that if Ghana could be achieving so much through the event, why can’t we do such a thing that could sell us. We could package what we have as a tourism product to the out side world.”

On the activities that will take place at Nigeria’s version of the festival, he said: “ We have to put things together to set aside the day. We are going to have a PANAFEST ECOWAS art exhibition. We are going to have artists from Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia and Senegal performing. These artists will share the platform with great Nigerian artists also. Artists, like Professor Bruce Onobrekpeya, Nike Davies, are all exhibiting their works.

We are going to have great artists on that day. We are not only doing that to promote Nigerian support but to also drum support for what will be happening in Ghana by July. We also going to have a fashion show where designs using Nigerian fabrics will be on display. We want to use these to show to the outside world that it is not only Ghana that has local fabrics, that is kente, that Nigeria too we have our local fabrics. There will also be performances by both the Osun and Lagos states’ cultural troupes. We are going to have local artistes from Badagry and Togo, Benin and Ghana. What we are trying to do is to positively project Africa to be able to see how Africans can work together to promote issues that are important to development of Africa.”

•Taiwo and Kehinde Oluwafunso

Three S’African cities formalise tourism marketing alliance

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HE cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg have formally joined forces to simultaneously address the substantive global shift toward urban tourism and the pressures being felt by their respective visitor industries.

The three year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the cities will result in joint marketing and development programs, aimed at establishing the urban dimension of South Africa’s visitor brand and generating demand specifically for each city.

The MOU covers the broad spectrum of tourism marketing and develop-

ment and comprehends joint initiatives in both domestic and international markets.

“Resources are finite and in order to compete effectively, the three cities have agreed to pool assets and resources to meaningfully address the demand challenges in a post GFC world and altered visitor conditions,” said Phillip Sithole, CEO of Durban Tourism.

CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariette Du ToitHelmbold, added: “We intend to keep our brand and city distinctive propositions in all of our marketing efforts, but will co-operate to ensure maximum results are achieved through aggregated activity.

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58 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FEVER: British Prime Minister David Cameron (with raised hands), U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, French President Francois Hollande (sitting right) and others watching the penalties shootout during the final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the Laurel Cabin conference room, during the G8 Summit at Camp David, Maryland.

A message to Jonathan Continued from Back Page such as tax rebates on their investments in sports. Given sports’ global appeal, governments effectively utilise the platform as their public relations tool to change people’s perception of their entities.

I was at the stadium during the Atlanta’96 Olympic Games where Chioma Ajuma surprised the world (thanks to Segun Odegbami’s vision and investment on her training in London) by winning the gold medal in the women’s long jump event.

Even when Nigeria was perceived as a pariah nation, the United States couldn’t decree that this country’s anthem shouldn’t be sung or our flag hoisted as Chioma smiled on the winners’ podium.

Goose pimples still ran through me as I pressed the key board recalling how Ajunwa ran the lap of honour after taking a Nigerian flag from a little girl at the stand.

Ajunwa’s picture kissed US newspaper’s front pages and it offered the platform for people to understand that good things could come out of Nigeria in those dark days of the Abacha junta.

Georgia exploded in a frenzy the night our football team clinched the gold medal.

As we drove through the streets back to Atlanta, it was quite a spectacle and a thing of honour listening to Americans say nice things about Nigerians.

One felt proud of being a Nigerian when Houston Rockets’ Hakeem Olajuwon visited the accreditation centre with the American baskeball’s Dream Team. Americans struggled to

touch him. They fell over one another in a desperate battle for autographs and pictures.

Such is the power of sports as a public relations tool. But, will President Jonathan allow stability in the ministry where the turnover of ministers has been alarming?

Often time, it seems that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) doesn’t have a sport policy. And they give credence to it with the indulgent eye they cast on the shenanigan in the industry.

Grassroots development can be actualised through the hosting of international and continental sporting events. Most countries use these big competitions to woo the blue chip industries to identify with sports. Besides, these competitions open up the hinterland with the facilities constructed creating jobs in the locality.

The facilities would attract the villagers to learn the games and, inadvertently, improves their health.

Big sports competitions generate revenue, create jobs, improve financial bases and provide the best opportunity for foreigners to have first hand interaction with Nigerians. Such competitions improve tourism, a sure money spinner. Need I state the benefit that business concerns will gain from the volume of foreign exchange during such competitions?

It, therefore, aches to note that we have hosted big competitions in the past and have been unable to convince the corporate world about the gains of such events largely because no government has bothered to ask the organisers what went down and what we

gained - this is what economists call Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). Facilities built for such competitions are rotting away. In some cases, equipment have been vandalised with nobody made to pay for it.

This mess has continued unabated because government pays lip-service to such blatant act of corruption. We play politics with things that others take seriously. Most times, the sports ministers appointed are neophytes who are led by the nose civil servants who think through their pockets, largely because the government’s fund is free.

The exit of one minister sparks off fresh crises from losers in the last administration.

That has been the trend. This setting makes it impossible for the corporate world to identify with sports since no one would want to associate its products and services with people who are not credible.

Abdullahi should meet with those companies that backed sports in the past to find out what happened. Indeed, this can be done after the London Olympic Games, which would offer the podium to legitimately sack the sporting federations’ boards and install a new structure whose membership would be driven by their pedigree.

The new direction for Minister Abdullahi, I dare say, rests not with those currently running the sports federations.

Sports is business and it is the vehicle that the minister should use in picking people into the next sports federations, especially the key ones in which we hope to field athletes at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Foundation laments plight of Nigerian families

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HE Nigerian family is frequently under threats because of an admixture of controllable and uncontrollable circumstances in our environment.

This was stated by Dr. (Mrs) Asabe Shehu Yar’Ádua, founder/president, Asabe Yar’Adua Foundation, ASSYARF, to commemorate the 2012 United Nations Family Day in Abuja.

Lamenting the plight of families in this part of the world, she said: The general

economic gloom has compounded the woes facing the family, especially in Nigeria and most developing countries. There is a growing economic hardship being precipitated by the sharp decline in government expenditure on capital projects and empowerment schemes, owing to an astronomical rise in overhead costs.

“Budgets for educational needs by the authorities fall short of the crucial demand with its dire consequences

on the family. Thus, the family lives in perpetual fear because of the rising state of insecurity”.

While blaming security challenges being faced by Nigerians, she said: “Lives of many families have been ruined having lost their breadwinners or their businesses completely destroyed. Hundreds of others have fled their places of domicile because of insecurity to face the odds of starting life afresh in an economy that is almost prostrate”.

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 25-5-12

Dangote assures shareholders of improved performance

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ANGOTE Cement Plc has assured shareholders that the consolidation of the company’s businesses in Nigeria and beyond would lead to improved returns to shareholders.

The company would pay about N2 billion in cash dividends and distributed 1.55 billion ordinary shares as bonus shares as shareholders applauded the cash and scrip dividends earmarked as returns for the 2011 business year.

At the annual general meeting of the cement company in Lagos, shareholders approved distribution of N1.94 billion, representing a dividend per share of N1.25 alongside distribution of 1.55 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each on the basis of one new share for every 10 shares held.

The bonus shares would be created through the capitalisation of N774.6 million from the share premium account of the company.

In his address at the meeting, chairman, Dangote Cement Plc, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said the company recorded improvements in its performance in 2011 as it further consolidated its businesses in Nigeria and

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

other African countries.

Audited report and accounts of Dangote Cement for the year ended December 31, 2011 showed that turnover rose from N202.57 billion in 2010 to N235.7 billion in 2011. Profit before tax also improved from N101.33 billion to N117.84 billion. Profit after tax stood at N125.5 billion in 2011 as against N105.32 billion in 2010. Dangote Cement enjoys tax incentive through the pioneer status granted to its operations in Obajana, Kogi State and Gboko, Benue State.

Dangote outlined that the company has continued to expand its operations in Nigeria and beyond with current total production of 14 million metric tonnes.

According to him, new production line with a capacity of 5.25 million metric tonnes would soon be commissioned at Obajana while the company’s plant in Senegal is expected to begin operations before the end of first half of 2012.

“We are also construct-

ing 3,000 tonnes per day cement plants in other African countries such as Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Congo, and Gabon as well as bulk cement terminals and cement grinding units in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, Tanzania and Cameroon. As you know, with the additional production volume, increase in turnover and profitability; our esteemed shareholders are soon to be smiling with robust dividend to their banks,” Dangote assured.

He pointed out that the company had taken steps to comply with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in order to further project its status as a global brand in the international market place.

He outlined that the compliance with the IFRS would enable the company to be able to compare its financial performance with international competition, attract foreign investors and get access to foreign capital markets such as the London Stock Exchange, where IFRS reporting is a requirement.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian stock market recovered slightly yesterday as the benchmark index chalked up 0.06 per cent. The All Share Index (ASI) inched up to 22,232.36 points from its opening index of 22,218.44 points. Aggregate market capitalisation of all equities improved slightly from N7.086 trillion to N7.090 trillion. With this, year-to-date return stood at 7.24 per cent.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 25-5-12

THE NATION SATURSDAY, MAY 26, 2012

62

SPORT EXTRA

SWAN hails FIFA rescues Nigeria with FCT Abdullahi’s stay insurance policy for players T

N

IGERIA stands to benefit most from FIFA's new insurance policy that will cover players injured on international duty The policy will also provide clubs around the world with a maximum annual payout of

$9.7 million per player, delegates at the FIFA Congress were told on Friday.

Over the years, Nigerian players have been accused of applying lackadaisical approach to international duties, but are always ready

Eagles on right track, says Oliha E

X - N I G E R I A ' s international Thompson Oliha has asserted that despite the 1-0 loss in Peru the Nigeria super Eagles are still on the right track.

Oliha in a chat with NationSport explained that the Stephen Keshi-tutored side made up of largely home based players did the nation proud in spite of their second straight loss on the trot.

"The team is on a right track and I believe that they did well as they were supposed to do despite the setback.

They have to come out stronger in their forthcoming matches so that we can strive to be the best in Africa.

With their current performance I know they will be better in their next outing.

Any team can lose but it depends on how quickly you are able to recover from the setback is another kettle of fish," Oliha stated.

The former Iwuanyanwu Nationale of Owerri midfielder counselled Keshi and his

•Ehiosun From Tunde Liadi,Owerri assistants to weed out the players that didn't measure up to standard so that the expected improvement could be seen.

The Super Eagles would be recalled lost to Peru 1 nil in an international friendly tie played on wednesday.

It was the team's second consecutive loss after going down 3-2 to the Pharaohs of Egypt in Dubai last month.

to spill blood for their foreign clubs, which they claim do not abandoned at a time of need.

The players on the other hand complain of being neglected by the country’s FA when injured on national assignments, while those yet to get a dose of the body’s ill treatment say they have learned a great deal from such treatment melted to both predecessors and contemporaries.

But with the new policy in place, it is hoped that the players would represent their country without any reservation.

The payouts for any injured player will vary from individual to individual depending on the size of their salaries but the maximum daily amount payable on an injured player will be $27,000 a day, FIFA's SecretaryGeneral Jerome Valcke told delegates.

The policy will cover an injured player for a maximum of one year.

Valcke said a maximum of $91 million would provide cover from September1 this year until the policy ends on December 31,2014.

"This is very important, it is a significant step forward," Valcke told delegates at their meeting in the Hungarian capital.

The agreement ends a longrunning dispute between FIFA and clubs, who have complained for many years that FIFA should implement cover for when their players are injured on international duty and cannot play.

With the cover beginning in September, European soccer's governing body UEFA has said it will provide its own insurance for players at next month's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.

Osaze hints at Baggies exit

P

ETER Odemwingie has cast doubt over his West Brom future by revealing he wants to play for a club challenging for silverware.

The 30-year-old has established himself as a key member of the Baggies side since arriving from Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer of 2010.

His form at The Hawthorns

has attracted interest from other clubs with West Brom tying him down to a new long-term deal last summer.

However, Odemwingie has admitted he would consider a move away from West Brom as he is keen to play for a bigger club.

"It is time for me to struggle for silverware not just for survival in the Premier League," Odemwingie is quoted as saying in The Sun. "I hope I will leave West Brom keeping warm relations with everybody.

"I would consider any proposals - even from Russia.

But my aim is to stay in England."

•Osaze

HE FCT Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria has sent a congratulate message to Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi who was confirmed as the substantive Minister of Sports in Nigeria.

“We are happy that the supervising Sports Minister has been confirmed as the substantive Minster of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission. The man has been very instrumental to the peace that came into the Nigeria football and the peace was responsible for the achievement that is been experienced in football.”

SWAN chairman, Kayode Adeniyi said.

He applauded President, Goodluck Jonathan for considering Bolaji Abdullahi as the Sports Minister, arguing that a new person in sports would not have been able to do what the Minister have done. He declared that SWAN will give him all the support to succeed in his quest to archiving success in sports.

You would want to recall that as a supervising Abdulahi scored a very high point when he was able to convince most of the aggrieved members of the football family to withdraw their cases from

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

law courts.

“We want to wish him success in sports and pray that he is able to continue in his good intentions to develop Nigeria sports.” SWAN chairman said.

Nevertheless, FCT SWAN has advised the new substantive Sports Minister to create a conducive atmosphere for other sports to fully develop in followership and commercial viability.

•Abdullahi

Bethel, Eskay Babes for Apapa Cup final

L

AST edition semi finalist, FC Bethel will battle Eskay Babes in the final of the 2nd Ayodeji Apapa Chairman’s Cup billed for Wednesday May 30 at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere.

According to the Championship media coordinator, Emmanuel Tobi, FC Bethel got to the final after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Badia All Stars in the first semi final played on Wednesday at the Mainbowl pitch of the National Stadium while Eskay Babes overcame their junior side Royal Strikers 2-0 in the second semi final match at the same venue.

Ex-Golden Eaglets striker Seyi Olusegun who is the leading goalsscorer with 7 goals, was a torn in the flesh of Badia All Stars during the first half and he was in the thick of action in the second half after laying a good pass to Austin Ajawara who controlled and volleyed in the only goal of the match in the 70th minutes.

Speaking after the match, Coach of Badia All Stars, Rasheed Jimoh commended his players for their doggedness while hoping to retain

By Paul Oluwakoya the bronze medal the team win during the inaugural edition.

“My players really did well to get to this stage of the competition but I will solicit that the centre referees should buckle up with their officiating. We look forward to win the third place in order not to go home empty handed, “he added.

In the second semi final, Eskay Babes outclassed Royal Strikers 20 to book a date with FC Bethel in the final billed for 12pm.

There will also be a Novelty match between the Apapa Local Governmentmanagementteamand the Lagos State Referees Council immediately after the third place match between Badia All Stars and Royal Strikers scheduled for 10am.

According to Director of Organisation, Hon. Rasheed Subair, everything has been put in place to ensure a successful final on Wednesday.

“We are expecting mind-blowing final with good football display and we are working round the clock to maintain the standard we started the competition with,” he revealed.

IEI ZONAL HOCKEY

Delta, Edo, Ondo qualify from Southern zone

T

HE three states of Delta, Edo and Ondo states emerged the winners for the International Energy Insurance Hockey tournament Zonal qualifiers for the Southern zone that was rounded off in Port Harcourt yesterday.

While Delta qualified both its male and female team for the competition, Edo had its female team qualified for the second slot of female while Ondo got the second slot for the male qualifiers.

Team Rivers majorly new players who are been groomed for the 18th national sports festival were knocked

From Florence Nkem Israel, Port Harcourt out of the qualifiers without qualifying for any of four slots available for the male and female categories.

Speaking with the Director Development, Nigeria Hockey Federation, Omi Brown, who doubles as the chairman of the Rivers state Hockey Association, he gave the credit to the qualifiers saying the winners took it all.

"It was keenly contested zonal qualifiers as you can see, two teams qualified for the female and two teams qualified from the male.

While Delta male and female qualified, Ondo and Edo qualified their male and female team each. It was a good one and we are happy it was successful".

On what the next move for Rivers would be, he noted that they were going to concentrate on the 18th National Sports Festival.

"Now we are going draw board to see what we can do especially the forthcoming festival is our priority. And because we were arranging a new and young team, we just have to work harder to ensure that we groom a formidable team", he said.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

63

Tomorrow in THE NATION PUNCHLINE

Promote a man beyond his ken as President and see, not only him, but the entire polity at the lowest ebb SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.7, NO. 3037

—Femi Orebe

A

T the end of his enchanting and pen etrating presentation at the recently concluded South-South Economic Summit in Asaba, Delta State, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, received a well deserved standing ovation. In characteristically elevated language, Professor Soyinka pungently and incisively analysed much that is wrong with contemporary Nigeria – over centralization, obscene corruption, the tyranny of First Ladyism, judicial infamy, collapsed infrastructure, descent to anarchy and much more.

There is no doubt that the distinguished writer’s discourse offers ‘points of departure’ for further intense analyses of the national question and different options for achieving whatever is defined as our national mission as a political community – if any. Some analysts would however contend that Professor Soyinka’s discourse was pitched at a high level of abstraction with little attention paid to the actual configuration of political forces on the ground and the attendant implications for current power struggles for the soul of Nigeria.

Those who hold this view will point out, for instance, that five of the six governors who rapturously applauded Soyinka are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party whose power base depends on retaining Nigeria as currently structured.

Of course, these governors dutifully appreciated the lecturer’s dazzling brilliance but will go ahead to continue to support their party’s ‘mainstream philosophy’ of business as usual in this current malformed contraption that Nigeria is widely believed to be.

After all, their party’s national leader and incumbent President of the Federal Republic has said that critical contending issues of nation building have since been settled – probably by Lord Lugard!

Professor Soyinka understandably expressed his frustration at those who continue to hide under the guise of an illusory, fast unravelling sovereignty to obstruct a national dialogue to inject new life into Nigeria through mutually agreed structural changes. Never again, he said, will he join the call for a national conference. His suggestion as the way forward is the intensification of current initiatives towards regional cooperation and development thus systematically weakening the stranglehold of a predatory centre that currently asphyxiates the component parts.

To a political realist, this suggestion would appear overly optimistic. In reality, five of the existing six geo-political zones largely share the mainstream philosophy of the PDP-controlled centre. To all intents and purposes, they substantially reflect the massive corruption, inefficiency and lack of vision that symbolize the centre. It is instruc-

Regionalism and development It will take the most brazen rigging for President Jonathan and the PDP to retain control of the centre in 2015 – if the opposition gets its strategy and priorities right. Will it?

‘

’

•Soyinka

tive, in this regard that the governors subtly criticised by Soyinka for corruption and judicial perversion stole from their states and not the centre! Within this context, it is not illogical to expect that any form of professed regionalism without a change in the current power configuration at the centre will be a decentralization of kleptocracy and executive tyranny.

It is perhaps only in the South-West that there is currently a commitment to genuine regional integration and development. And that is because the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has a programmatic vision of a truly federal Nigeria in which the component parts are sufficiently autonomous to actualize their innate potentials. While not necessarily opposing recent motions to-

wards greater regional cooperation in the South-West following the resurgence of ‘progressive’ electoral dominance in the region, a school of thought still insists that regional insularity cannot be the strategic priority of the South West or any other region for that matter at this point in time.

The reason for this is because of what some analysts have identified as the dialectical relationship between centralization and regionalization in post-colonial Nigeria. It was this newspaper’s incomparable columnist, Tatalo Alamu, who once observed that the clamour for regionalism is itself an indirect recognition of the imperative of some form of centralization! It is a vote of no confidence in the inefficiencies associated with excessive atomisation through a multitude of largely unviable states.

If some measure of regional centralization and coordination is critical for accelerated economic development, then it necessarily follows from this point of view that a progressive – controlled centre that believes in and itself drives the process of unbundling the current unwieldy and clumsy structure

is what Nigeria needs.

What, it is pertinent to ask, is the current structural reality on the ground in contemporary Nigeria? Right now the excessive centralization of the national grid is a key factor in the gross inefficiency and malfeasance that continue to characterize the power sector. The control of natural and solid minerals is centralized. The railway act is centralized. A centralized security structure is manifestly unable to effectively secure a vast plural society. Revenue allocation is excessively centralized to the detriment of meaningful development. Even the modest efforts being made by a state like Osun to assert its identity within the bounds of the law is being demonized as secession, causing avoidable distraction. The bitter experience of Justice Ayo Salami is indicative of how the over-centralized judicial process can be exploited by political forces in control of the centre to persecute courageous jurists and pervert the cause of justice.

Is it then possible to pursue any meaningful regional development agenda within the suffocating, over-centralized framework in which the contestation for the control and utilization of state power occurs in today’s Nigeria? It is difficult to answer this question in the affirmative. What then should be the priority of those committed to restructuring of the country? Is it to pursue regionalism with limited efficacy or forge a panNigerian front to seek to control power at the centre in the next election in order to drive the process of meaningful regional autonomy?

Some will argue that the two objectives are not mutually exclusive. I agree. But one is certainly of higher priority. I vote for the latter. The progressive opposition parties have consistently advocated the fundamental re-structuring of the polity. If they organize themselves properly and assume power at the centre, they will have no choice but to actualize their vision as regards the re-federalization of Nigeria. In any case, the PDP has been in power at the centre since 1999 and what do we have to show for it despite the vast revenue accruals to the PDP? Well, the terrible and dehumanizing decay in virtually all spheres of Nigeria today is there for all to see.

A historic opportunity beckons. The PDP’s monumental failure at the centre is glaring. Its President’s cluelessness is obvious. The country is daily fragmenting under its incompetent watch. Yet, the President’s body language suggests he wants to run in 2015 and he will most likely get the party ticket. The party will most likely implode under its debilitating contradictions. It will take the most brazen rigging for President Jonathan and the PDP to retain control of the centre in 2015 – if the opposition gets its strategy and priorities right. Will it?

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

A message to Jonathan

T

AKE a look at this award-winning picture, dear reader. A group of world leaders in an extra-ordinary pose. One holding his head in his hands in dejection; another throwing his two hands up into the air, fists clenched in salute of excellence; and yet another screaming in excitement, his mouth wide open. The others are frowning in forced submission to the lonely feeling of defeat.

And I ask: what’s the trouble with David Cameron, Barak Obama, Angela Markel et al? Why the excitement? What else, if not soccer? The sheer magic of soccer. The frills and thrills; the ups and downs. The heartbreak; joy for England, in this case and pain for Germany, as it was last week Saturday at the Allianz Arena, where the Chelsea team that included Nigeria’s John Mikel Obi beat homers Bayern Munich to lift the UEFA Champions League diadem for

the first time.

Sports fans won’t be shocked at Obama’s interest. Americans weren’t known to be great soccer buffs. But they chose to introduce the beautiful game to their nationals by hosting the USA’94 World Cup. Soccer has since grown in leaps and bounds so much so that big stars, such as David Beckham, have made the game more attractive and exciting to Americans.

The US also celebrates winners. We were witnesses to the pun that Obama played on Beckham during the reception he had for Galaxy FC for winning the football season’s diadem. The implication of that historic photograph is that the blue chip companies in the two countries would willingly support sports to achieve greater height, knowing that they could have face-to-face interaction with their presidents, if any sport that they support records feats such as the Chelsea lads recorded in Munich last Saturday.

Sadly, here in Nigeria, it may shock President Goodluck Jonathan- I am not sure

that the houses promised Super Eagles players in 1994 for lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in Tunisia by Gen. Sani Abacha government have not been given to them, 18 years after the feat. The team’s and competition’s highest goal scorer Rashidi Yekini has just died; he won’t witness this promise fulfilled.

Happily, President Jonathan has retained Sports Minister Bolaji Adbullahi. He should empower him to get the houses for those boys before they pass on, like Yekini and Uche Okafor. Indeed, Abdullahi has passed the test that many sports ministers before him failed – he has refused to politicise the NFF/NSC imbroglio. He sought political resolutions, got aggrieved persons to iron out the contending issues and was bold to apportion blame when there was the need to do so.

Cracking the hoodoo of getting the USA’94 Eagles their promised houses will be a piece of cake for the sports minister. I digress.

Back in Nigeria, streets were deserted for the period of the game. Bus stops were filled

with anxious passengers who waited in vain for buses. Drivers and the motor boys opted to watch the Chelsea/Bayern tie. The streets were desolate.

Viewing centres were jammed. Fans watched from stools and car bonnets on the streets. Some stayed in rooms. There were bets. And when the game ended, fireworks, chants and celebrations marked the wee hours of Sunday. When the dust of the celebration settled, one fan had died; another stabbed in the eye in Abakaliki where fans clashed with vigilance group. Four youths were wounded.

Such is the power of soccer, albeit sports- if the environment is provided by the government.

Sport is big deal. It unites nations and enchants people. Besides, it has a global appeal, pulling fans and sponsors in a unique force that impacts positively on businessesand health. These positives can best be evaluated when the government has a template that makes it possible for businesses and philanthropists to key into the nation’s vision for sports.

Governments of sports-loving nations entice the businesses with relief packages,

•Continued on Page 58

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