Sun News - September 30 - a

N200

September 30, 2012 •Vol. 6 No. 493

NIGERIA @ 52 Junaidu Mohammed: Sanusi’s just talkative boy

Aminu Masari: Northern governors now Aminu Masari: emperors governors now Northern

Fayose’s back!

I’m a political warlord

emperors

Pages 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66

ANGRY RIVER NIGER Gunmen invade Anambra community •Hotel, houses burnt, 1 killed

Page 14

•200,000 displaced in Anambra •Federal Poly, Oko sacked Pages 8-10 •Schools, shops shut in Atani, Ogwikpele •35 villages destroyed in Ebonyi •Death looms in Lokoja

Qatar Airways in emergency landing in Lagos

Page 13

Me, myself and fame –Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde

Pages 23-24

N200

September 30, 2012 •Vol. 6 No. 493

NIGERIA @ 52 Junaidu Mohammed: Sanusi’s just talkative boy

Aminu Masari: Northern governors now Aminu Masari: emperors governors now Northern

Fayose’s back!

I’m a political warlord

emperors

DEATH LOOMS IN LOKOJA Pages 8-10 •Family of 13 gets 3 loaves of bread •2 toilets for 470 •Cholera breaks out •3,000 refugees stuck •1,000 trucks trapped

Pages 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66

Fuel scarcity‘ll get worse –NUPENG, PENGASSAN Page 12

Qatar Airways in emergency landing in Lagos

Page 13

Pages 8-10

SHAMED IN SAUDI

L-R: Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former ING leader, Earnest Shonekan, and Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III at the burial. Inset: remains of the deceased.

Adegbite buried between wife and mum

•Sultan, OBJ, governors at burial

Page 11 Page 5

•Untold story of 3 ugly days in Medina •The Shahra Mansour Quarters angle Page 5

N200

September 30, 2012 •Vol. 6 No. 493

NIGERIA @ 52 Aminu Masari: Northern governors now emperors

Fayose’s back!

I’m a political warlord

Junaidu Mohammed: Sanusi’s just talkative boy

Pages 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66

FLOODING:

DEATH, CHOLERA LOOM

Pages 8-10

•Family of 13 gets 3 loaves of bread in camp •2 toilets for 470 •Cholera breaks out •3,000 refugees stuck •1,000 trucks trapped

Fuel scarcity‘ll get worse –NUPENG, PENGASSAN Page 12

Qatar Airways in emergency landing in Lagos Page 13

L-R: Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former ING leader, Earnest Shonekan, and Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III at the burial. Inset: remains of the deceased.

Adegbite buried between wife and mum •Sultan, OBJ, governors at burial

Page 11

Me, myself and fame –Omotola JaladeEkeinde Pages 23-24

N200

September 30, 2012 •Vol. 6 No. 493

NIGERIA @ 52 Aminu Masari: Northern governors now emperors

Fayose’s back!

I’m a political warlord

Junaidu Mohammed: Sanusi’s just talkative boy

Pages 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66

FLOODING:

DEATH, CHOLERA LOOM Pages 8-10

•Family of 13 gets 3 loaves of bread in camp •2 toilets for 470 •Cholera breaks out •3,000 refugees stuck •1,000 trucks trapped

EKITI VARSITY SHUT

•Five cars burnt as students protest death of colleague Page 14

ACN governors destroying civil servants career –S’West PDP

Page 13

Me, myself and fame

L-R: Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former ING leader, Earnest Shonekan, and Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III at the burial. Inset: remains of the deceased.

Adegbite buried between wife and mum •Sultan, OBJ, governors at burial

Page 11

–Omotola JaladeEkeinde Pages 23-24

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SUNDAY SUN

September 30, 2012

Polo unveils 2012 Oyster collection

By CHRISTY ANYANWU

P

OLO Limited recently showcased its wide selection of Rolex new watches in its Oyster collection for 2012.

These new time pieces illustrate three key Rolex themes innovation, evolution and creativity.

Innovation: A prime example of Rolex watchmaking expertise, the Oyster Perpetual Sky Dweller is an entirely new watch combining critical functions, ease of use and the timeless elegance of classic Rolex lines. Designed with global travellers in mind, its dual time zone display is intuitive to read and easy to operate. The Sky Dweller is also equipped with an annual calendar that automatically adjusts the date at the end of months with 30 and 31 days.

As regards evolution, the timepiece is one of the greatest contemporary watch classics, the Oyster Perpetual available for the first time in an all-steel version with a smooth bezel.

Creatively, it has a contemporary motif set with 262 diamonds, providing an entrancing contrast of light and shadow. Its bezel is set with 60 baguette cut diamonds, and 120 brilliant cut diamonds around the edge. The 18ct Everose gold, an exclusive alloy created by Rolex and cast in its own foundary, shines with a unique brilliance.

The brand, Rolex, is a leading brand of the Swiss watch industry. Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its Oyster watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926 and the perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism introduced in 1931.

Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, and spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities as well as philanthropic and patronage programmes.

Polo Limited is known for prestigious watches, jewellery and accessories brands.

SUNG GIRL

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

Sunday, September 30, Weather Report CITY

Aba

Max Temp

27ºC T’ Showers

Min Temp

23ºC

Abuja 29ºC Heavy Rain Shower 29ºC Benin 24ºC heavy Rain Shower

24ºC

Birnin-Kebbi 36ºC M/Sunny

25ºC

Calabar 28ºC Thundery Shower 24ºC Enugu 29ºC Heavy Rain Shower

24ºC

Ibadan 28ºC Thundery Shower

23ºC

Ilorin 30ºC Heavy Rain Shower

23ºC

Jos

19ºC

28ºC Heavy Rain Shower

Kaduna 29ºC Heavy Rain Shower 23ºC Kano 36ºC Sunny 24ºC Lagos 28ºC Heavy Rain Shower Maiduguri

24ºC

38ºC Sunny 26ºC

Onitsha 28ºC Heavy Rain Shower 24ºC P/H 24ºC Heavy Rain Shower

20ºC

Sokoto34ºC Heavy Rain Shower

25ºC

Zaria 31ºC Light Rain Shower

23ºC

CMYK

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If yes, sign our consent/release form, send your pix/bio-data to 2, Coscharis Street, Kirikiri Industrial Estate, Apapa, Lagos.

Name: Cynthia Email: jannybaby200179@yahoo.com

3

4

SUNDAY SUN

September 30, 2012

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

5

Top stories From DESMOND MGBOH, Kano

T

he huge airbus finally taxied to a stop at the other end of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Wednesday, throwing up a whirlwind in its trail and ending weeks of anxiety of its occupants.

Inside the plane, owned by Max Air, hundreds of distraught female pilgrims from different states of the Northern part of the country heaved a sigh of relief and offered prayers to Allah that they were home at last.

The pilgrims, young and old, strong and weak, had unpleasant stories to tell about their sojourn to Saudi Arabia, where their dream to perform this year’s hajj was aborted by Saudi authorities’ stance that women should be accompanied by their chaperones (Muhram).

Indeed, as the women disembarked from the airbus with their respective dark green luggage at about 5.30pm, they were a sharp and tragic contrast from the joyous contingent that left the country a few days ago.

Apparently humbled by cold, hunger and disappointment, they wobbled as they went through Immigration procedures. When they eventually embraced the open air, some shed tears of joy while some cried and cursed as they departed for their respective homes that Wednesday night.

Unlike them, about a hundred more stayed back inside the Max Air plane and were later flown to their home state, Katsina. But that was not the end. Ever since, batches of gloomy pilgrims, overwhelmed with pains of unfulfilled dreams are dispatched from Saudi every day.

But unlike those who returned Wednesday, the authorities have elected to fly in most of the pilgrims secretly, preferably under the cover of the night to reduce their exposure to public glare.

That was exactly what happened on Thursday in Kano when a large contingent of detained Nigeria female pilgrims, about 511 in all, landed at Makia. These were mostly female pilgrims from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States. A few of them were from Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto States. Another batch of 502 pilgrims arrived Makia at about 2am on Friday even as more were being expected as at press time.

Many of these distraught mothers, it was gathered, had no money or relatives resident in Kano. They may have to be transported to their respective homes by the Kano state government or their home governments.

Experience Accounts of the tragic experience by these pilgrims were similar. It was reported that about 1000 were stranded at a facility in King Abdulazeez International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

A few others whose plane had landed at the Prince Muhammad Ibn Abdulazeez International Airport, Medina, which was said to be a smaller airport, were not even allowed to disembark from their planes. They were simply flown back by the planes that brought them soon after it was established that they were unqualified for entry into the country.

On arrival at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, some of the women had to cover their faces with their clothes as they sauntered into the waiting buses. But a few of the pilgrims, despite official disapproval at the airport, volunteered to speak to the media.

In all, they chorused the same sad song. They lamented that it was a shocking, painful and dehumanizing experience as they suffered untold hardship in the hands of their religious hosts whom they least expected would visit them with this kind of treatment.

According to Hajia Aisha Ibrahim Mohammed from Taraba State, they spent three ugly days held in custody in Medina, Saudi Arabia, adding that they starved for the whole of the period.

She lamented: “It was very, very cold out there. We were kept at a place all this while and denied entry into Saudi Arabia. We were hungry; we did not eat anything I tell you, not even tea. They were that wicked. It was a very difficult experience for all of us. We even asked for our passports but they refused to give them to us.”

But Hajia Aisha added that she had taken everything in her stride. She hoped to perform her hajj when another opportunity offers itself or as soon as the contending issues were resolved by the Nigerian and Saudi Arabian authorities. She prayed that it should be soon.

Hajia Medinatu Jalingo wept openly and felt cheated by fate as she gave account of her experience. She expressed disgust at the treatment that was meted to them adding that at some point, “we shouted, screamed and we were about to protest, but they sent their officers after us. We truly wanted to protest, but their immigration people were there”.

Alhaji Mustapha Abdullahi had a different experience.

He is the husband of one of the deportees and was at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport to pick his wife. Later, he was informed that the pilgrims from Katsina State were being flown home by the airline and would no longer disembark in Kano. That prolonged his devastation because all he wanted was to take his family

•Deported hajias from Saudi Arabia

Shamed in Saudi •Untold story of 3 ugly days in Medina •The Shahra Mansour Quarters angle out of their precarious fate.

He told Sunday Sun that he saw off his family barely 24 hours ago, adding that they departed the country by about 2.17pm the previous day. He said that he was surprised when he was communicated by phone that the pilgrims were scheduled to come back home, due their inability to enter Saudi Arabia.

He recalled that on receipt of the news including the time of their arrival, he drove to Kano to pick them home.

He expressed sadness over the controversy and the cost implications materially and psychologically, adding that the matter could have been handled better by the authorities.

Issues But why were Nigerian female pilgrims denied entry into Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s hajj? Sunday Sun was told that those who were deported fell short of the immigration laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as there were Nigerian female pilgrims who were not barred by the Saudi Arabian authorities.

The issue in contention was the policy of Muharram (guardian). It requires that a female pilgrim must be accompanied by a guardian or chaperon. The conflict arose when the names in the passports of some of the female pilgrims did not correspond with the names of their guardians.

It was gathered that the policy was not exactly new. A Muslim scholar who did not want his name in print, noted that the policy had been in existence since the eighties and beyond, adding, “what is obvious is that they (Saudi Government) decided to be strict on its implementation this year compared to the previous years”.

There are debates about the policy itself. Not all Nigerian Muslims concede to the idea of its strict application. It was gathered that the differing positions regarding the extent to which the policy should be applied followed the interpretation of two prominent schools of thought in Islam, mainly the Maliki and the Hunbali schools.

While most Muslims in Nigeria and in most of the West African countries are of the Makili school, the Saudis are mainly of the Hunbali school which places stronger emphasis on the use of Muhram (guardian) for female travelers.

It is said that the Maliki school agrees that women should travel accompanied by their guardian but they accept a waiver that where and when such a woman is traveling as a group or in a company such as a caravan or a contingent, a leader of the whole group could stand as a guardian of all.

Indeed, it was in the light of this background that the leaders of the various states’ Pilgrims Welfare Board or their nominees were assumed to be the guardians of the unaccompanied female pilgrims.

It was not clear why the Saudi authorities decided to scale up the entry requirements this year. It could as well be for purely religious purposes. However, there are those

who were convinced that the strict application of the policy this year might be linked to other variables.

These Muslims were quick to remember that not too long ago, the Saudi authorities came up with a policy encouraging pilgrims who had performed the pilgrimage before, to tarry for five years before embarking on another pilgrimage. They held that it could be part of the moves to scale down the size of the ever-growing Nigerian contingent.

Some respondents also alluded to instances of Nigerian female pilgrims who found their way around immigration regulations, and decided to stay back in Saudi to eke a living after their pilgrimage was over. The source pointed that in areas such as Shahra Mansour Quarters, one finds a good population of female Nigerians resident or working there. This could be the reason the Saudis insisted on a male chaperon.

Reactions It is generally believed that the topic will dominate the Friday sermons in the North. But in the interim, some of the Muslim faithful who spoke to Sunday Sun in Kano under the condition of anonymity, condemned the posture of the Saudi Arabian authorities and suggested that the Federal Government should review the entire hajj exercise for the better.

Executive Secretary, Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Laminu Rabiu, who was at the airport to receive the returnees on Wednesday, condemned the hard stance of the Saudi authorities on the issue of the use of a chaperon and felt that the case of the affected Nigerian female pilgrims ought to have been reconsidered given that they were women and mothers and were in the country for a religious duty.

Also speaking, Muhammad Zikrullah Ado, the Secretary of the Writers Forum of the Muslim Students Society, Bayero University Kano, felt that, “If the Saudi Government thinks that this is what is right for them to do, because of the challenges they face with the Nigerian pilgrims, then I think that there is no problem. My only suggestion is that they should have announced it, made it clearly known to us, so that intending pilgrims will know what to expect.”

While pointing out that he was not an Islamic scholar yet, he agreed that the denial of entry to Nigerian female pilgrims was unfair to the country and to the affected pilgrims.

He appealed to the authorities in Saudi to allow the pilgrims that were already in the Holy land to complete the hajj.

He declared that if the Saudi authorities felt that the failure to be accompanied by Muharram (guardian) was wrong, then it is wrong, adding that, “Anyway, my stand is going to be in support of whatever Islamic scholars say on this issue. What the scholars say on this issue is going to be my stand”, he concluded.

6

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

The deluge of floods COMMENT

F

OR some time now, widespread floods have ravaged parts of the country, rendering communities homeless and disrupting socioeconomic activities in affected areas.

Earlier meteorological forecasts notwithstanding, most of the victims were still caught unawares, coupled with the fact that the magnitude of floods in some of the places was unprecedented in the country’s ecological history. In one of the affected areas in Kogi State, for instance, it was like a phenomenal volcanic eruption. Houses and the Lokoja-Abuja road were submerged.

Despite the spirited efforts of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to ameliorate the consequences of the surges, cases of dislocation, fatalities and sundry hardships characterized the unfortunate incident. At least 104 people were confirmed to have died in floods in the North Central zone of the country, while 50,000 were displaced. The scope of the tragedy suggests that NEMA is either not fully equipped for such optimal interventionist role or is suffering from underfunding and a dearth of emergency management professionals to grapple with the challenge.

In one of the cases, the water level kept rising thus compounding relief steps being taken vis-à-vis evacuation of people from rooftops and trees. It is unfortunate that our response mechanism to emergencies – either natural or man-made – is usually haphazard. Otherwise, in the circumstance of the Kogi flood, why would NEMA fall back on local canoes for its rescue operations? When this kind of incident takes place in most other countries, there are visible technological strategies that drastically minimize the impact. We cannot understand why an agency like NEMA should not be well equipped and adequately funded by the Federal Government considering the life-saving nature of its

assignment. The most worrisome aspect is that by the time this kind of crisis recurs, NEMA and the country will be caught napping again! According to the Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, “the situation is not only devastating but alarming going by the magnitude of damage to the communities as we had seen from the air.”

There is, however, no doubt that NEMA has been doing much within its capacity and constraints. Other relevant establishments should show interest in these eruptions. The Kogi tragedy should serve as a warning to other parts of the country where flood and erosion have been threatening human existence. This is the time to move in and begin to check such disasterprone areas like Ogbaru Local Government area of Anambra State and Oguta and Ohaji-Egbema Local Government councils in Imo State that have been experiencing similar exposures. If anticipatory steps are not urgently taken, likelihood of disaster may quadruple. It must be pointed out that the list of communities under threat is inexhaustible which calls for continuous seismic assessments in areas that are known to have related susceptibility.

It is appalling that it took the Federal Government days to commence rescue intervention. Agreed that NEMA, which moved in immediately is a government agency, but the issues involved, going by the magnitude of the mishap, were clearly above NEMA. We had expected the government to mobilize other institutional apparati to tackle the menace instead of leaving it all to NEMA. In other climes, rescue missions for this kind of Kogi incident transcend agencies. At any point, there must be contingency plan for emergencies.

Obviously, the global climate change is a major causative factor in the series of flooding afflicting not just Nigeria but other countries, too. No government can stop these natural manifestations, but measures must be put in place so that when there are geological disruptions, the level of damage will be reasonably low.

There must be antidotes to these challenges when they confront us. It is not enough to attribute it to global warming and go to sleep. We are supposed to conquer our environment and not vice versa.

We empathise with the families of those who died in the flooding incidents and hope that steps will be taken to ensure that such tragedy does not befall our country anymore.

MISSION ‘To practise journalism in the classical newspaper tradition of presenting the news and features in an exciting style, with impact, objectivity and appeal that generate returns to all stakeholders: the society, the investors and the practitioners’ CMYK

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ETHEL NMEZI Executive Director, Finance/Admin ALAN JONES Executive Director, Technical PAUL ONYIA Executive Director Marketing ERIC OSAGIE Executive Director, Special Services

EDITORIAL STEVE NWOSU Editor, Daily ONUOHA UKEH Editor, Saturday FUNKE EGBEMODE Editor, Sunday SHOLA OSHUNKEYE Editor, Magazines ABDULFATAH OLADEINDE Deputy Editor, Daily FEMI ADEOTI Deputy Editor, Daily IKENNA EMEWU Deputy Editor, Nation’s Capital BRUCE MALOGO Deputy Editor, Saturday BEIFOH OSEWELE Deputy Editor, Magazines EMEKA OKOROANYANWU Group Business Editor CHIDI OBINECHE Political Editor CHRIS ANUCHA Bureau Chief (South-South) CHIDI NNADI Bureau Chief (South-East) YINKA FABOWALE Bureau Chief (South-West) ISMAIL OMIPIDAN Bureau Chief (North-west) EDITORIAL BOARD AMANZE OBI Chairman, Editorial Board CORPORATE SERVICES NETA NWOSU A.G.M. Corporate Services ADVERTISING/MARKETING DEMOLA ABIOYE Business Development Manager NNENA SHUAIB Asst. Mgr Business Dev. (Abuja) SALES & OPERATIONS DAMOLA OLAJUMOKE AGM, Sales & Operations NWOKOCHA OBI Sales & Distribution Manager REMI QUADRI Manager, Copy Sales FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION OBIOMA OGUKWE: Accountant JOHNSON OGWUMIKE Internal Audit Manager PATRICK ENILAMA Principal Human Resources Mgr

IFY ANYALECHI Procurement & General Services Manager

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

7

Top stories Lagos tenants’ revolt

By VICTOR EBIMOMI

A

tenants’ revolt played out recently at House No. 21, Odofin Street, Olodi Apapa in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State when the landlord and his family were chased out of their home by their tenants.

Reason: The landlord collected money from about 20 prospective tenants for apartments in the house but failed to fulfill his part of the bargain.

The house, which has two room-and-parlour, one self-contained apartment, two standard room and parlour and nine single rooms has been taken over by some of the tenants while the landlord, simply identified as Mr Aderibigbe, his wife and three children fled to an unknown place.

The landlord was said to have served his old tenants notice to quit, saying he wanted to renovate the whole house.

During the renovation, different prospective tenants came and the man saw it as an opportunity to make money and collected money from whoever came around for accommodation.

Some of the tenants, Sunday Sun gathered, paid since last year but were not allocated apartments because the landlord lied to them that he was still renovating the house.

After months of failed promises, the tenants stormed the place the on Tuesday last week, and engaged in serious fisticuffs as everyone tried to occupy an apartment.

At a stage, they realized that there was no need to fight over the matter, and turned their wrath on their common enemy, breaking the windows in the house.

Sensing danger as more persons who had paid for the rooms trooped in, the landlord fled the house leaving his family behind.

Apparently overwhelmed by the development, the landlord was later admitted in a private hospital.

It was gathered that some of the affected

...Sack landlord, family tenants visited him in the hospital to wish him quick recovery and know their fate.

However, on a repeat visit, they were told that the landlord had left to an unknown place.

Sources stated that when on Tuesday, the tenants decided to vent their anger, the landlord’s wife intervened initially but when she saw the level of rage exhibited by the tenants, she quickly escaped with her children.

When Sunday Sun visited the controversial house, some of the tenants had forcibly occupied the apartments while others were putting up structures in the available open space at the backyard.

A detached small shop in front of the house was also being converted into a room by one of the allegedly defrauded tenants.

One of the affected tenants, who identified himself as Mr ThankGod, was furious

•The house

because he did not get an apartment. He vowed during an interview with Sunday Sun that he would stop at nothing to recover his money.

“I paid since last year. I know how I suffered to get the money and this man has put me in trouble. I must get my money back”, he said.

Meanwhile, the tenants have embarked on the renovation of the entire building.

It was gathered that before the Tuesday violence, one of the tenants that secured the apartments had suspected foul play and initially hired security agents and some thugs to recover his money but to no avail.

Some of the unlucky prospective tenants have continued to visit the place in search of the fleeing landlord and there was palpable fear of another round of violence, as those who lost out might come to make trouble with those already in the house.

It was gathered that the amount the landlord collected from the prospective tenants varied, based on each tenant’s negotiation skill.

“The man did not have fixed price.

Some people paid N200, 000, others paid N300,000 or N400,000 per annum. He collected money from anybody that came to look for accommo-

dation. He looked innocent and always assured us that we would get accommodation but we never knew he was a swindler”, one of the affected tenants said.

In a similar scenario, about 30 prospective tenants have been defrauded by the developer of a storey building at No. 23 Oyegunle Street also in Olodi-Apapa.

The developer identified simply as Mr. Mike, allegedly collected various amount of money from the would-be tenants while the house was under construction.

Trouble started when some of those that paid for the ground floor wanted to move in and it became a tug-of-war as different people lay claim to the apartments.

Due to the crisis, some parts of the building’s ground floor have been sealed up by court order while the defrauded tenants were said to have hired a lawyer.

A tenant who had moved into a flat in the upper floor, Mrs. Iyabo Moses, told Sunday Sun that the house generated serious crisis as many people that paid could not secure any apartment.

“Some of the tenants paid but they could not get apartments so they are now building it themselves”, she said.

Another tenant, who gave her name as Miracle, said she paid for one of the apartments since February12, but lost out in the struggle and embarked on building one-bedroom apartment on the upper floor.

“It was shocking to see people quarrelling over the apartment. The man (developer) promised to come and see us but nobody has seen him.

Sources told Sunday Sun that the developer collected more than N15million from the unsuspecting tenants.

It was gathered that the affected tenants reported the matter at the Area B Police Command, Apapa, before they embarked on construction of their apartments.

Chuchu needs N7.5m for heart surgery

By OGE OKONKWO

H

•Chukwumaobim

er son’s name is Chukwumaobim (literally meaning, God knows my heart), and for Mrs Gloria Onyeji, what is topmost in her mind is how to raise funds for the treatment of the little boy fondly called Chuchu, who has been diagnosed of a hole in the heart.

When Chuchu was born in February 1998, he looked all right till about two years later when his parents detected a bluish discoloration of his skin and mucus membrane. Besides, he had occasional bouts of what medical doctors tagged cyanotic spell.

“I discovered that when Chuchu was two years old, he took ill whenever he engaged in strenuous exercises and would pass out at times.

“One particular day, he fainted and was taken to his school’s hospital in Ronik Nursery and Primary, Ejigbo.

During treatment, it was noticed that his nails and tongue had turned blue which was quite abnormal and that was when we became worried”, Mrs Onyeji said.

They were consequently referred to the Cardiac Centre of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi- Araba, for further medical attention.

It was at LUTH, that Chuchu was diagnosed of a hole in the heart.

Thereafter, the boy was referred to the University College Hospital (UCH),

Ibadan where his parents met with a Non- Governmental Organization, Save a Child’s Heart, which undertook his treatment.

Following an echocardiogram conducted on him, the Onyijes were told to take the boy to Israel for corrective heart surgery and this took place in 2003 when he was five years old.

After about six months, he underwent open heart surgery and another surgery on his right kidney. The parents were also told at the time, that the little boy would require another possible heart surgery in future.

Mrs Onyije said that after the surgery, her son’s condition improved until in 2010, when he started having “generalized fatigue, chest pain and palpitation” apparently due to delayed visit to Israel for the next round of treatment.

“We were to go back to Israel so that the stent could be removed but events in that country took over till 2010, when he started complaining of stress, pain in the right and left side of his chest, fatigue.

He wasn’t as strong as he used to be and ceased to take part in strenuous exercises.

“We went back to UCH and were told that the surgery would be in India and not Israel. We also went to Kanu Heart Foundation to see if we could get help but we were advised against the surgery.

They told us that the chance was 50:50 because the stent was not expandable”,

she said.

But it would appear that all hope is not lost for the embattled family, in the desperate effort to keep Chuchu who is known for his outstanding intelligence, alive.

Holding out hope of a successful surgery, medical experts have referred them to Boston Children Hospital in the United States of America.

However, the daunting challenge facing the family is how to raise a whooping N7.5 million ($47, 000) needed to carry out the surgery. The boy’s father is a civil servant while his mother is a hair stylist.

This is why the Onyejis who reside at 15, Barney Ellis street, Afro Media estate, Ajagbandi in Lagos, have passionately appealed to public-spirited Nigerians to come to their rescue and help Chuchu undergo the surgery so he can live like any other child.

“Each time I look at Chuchu, my heart breaks because it is beyond our power to take his pains away. I appeal to my fellow mothers, Nigerians, philanthropic organizations and the government to help us”, Mrs Onyeji said.

•Financial contributions can be made to Union Bank account number 0033245059 in the name of Mrs Gloria Onyeji. Also, the family can be contacted on GSM 08059774465.

8

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

Top stories From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha

N

othing can better describe the condition of Anambra riverine communities than anguish, pain and poverty.

These resulted from flooding when the River Niger overflowed its banks.

Many communities in some local government areas of the state have been at the mercy of flooding and erosion and other ecological disasters since the beginning of the rainy season.

The communities include Otuocha in Anambra East local government area of the state, Odekpe, Atani and Ogwuikpele all in Ogbaru local government area. The worst hit of all the local government areas remains Ogbaru local government area where 8 out of the 9 communities were sacked raising fears that the remaining one would soon be overtaken by flood.

Speaking on the incident, the leader of Ogbaru Stakeholders Forum, Sir Peter Okala lamented that this year’s flooding is strange to the entire people of the area and he blames both Anambra state and federal governments for negligence and not taking proper action to avert the disaster.

“The government is not taking any action to protect lives and property of the people within the Ogbaru council area and as we are talking, every family has been displaced by the flooding. For instance, you can see me trying to pack the remaining things that I could salvage. Every community within Ogbaru has been washed away except Okpoko.”

“Okpoko community is the only community that has not been washed away, Atani is gone, Ogwuikpele is gone and this has vindicated our earlier call on the former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji and NEMA to help the communities because of the impending doom we saw over the blockage of the water outlet by Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN , but nobody listened to us. We also raised the alarm when flood overtook our houses and 11 innocent school children drowned but still government did not listen” he said.

Sir Okala said further that the devastating effects of the flooding had forced so many people out of their homes and destroyed property worth several hundreds of millions of Naira, noting “when we will see the major effect of this disaster is during the dry season because the water from the River Niger overflowed its banks and washed away our farms; hunger is seriously looming over us and more especially, epidemic is hanging on our necks because the flood has polluted our water supply network.”

Angry River Niger •I lost everything in one night •Schools, shops shut in Atani, Ogwikpele •Residents flee

•Water-logged road with helpless motorists The Ogbaru Stakeholders’ Forum further maintained that if the state and federal governments had listened to their SOS earlier and facilitated the dredging of River Niger, it could have helped the situation and averted the disaster which he said was the most severe since he started living in Ogbaru land.

Sunday Sun also gathered that school children within the communities like IyiowaOdekpw, Atani, Ogwikpele have stopped attending school as their schools were not spared in the flooding.

One of the secondary schools, St. Vincent De Paul group of schools, Atani Road, Odekpe, has been submerged by flood and residents of the area were seen fishing inside the school compound with canoes.

He further disclosed that apart from the fact that the flood destroyed so many people’s home and destroyed livestock, it afforded them opportunity to fish and make brisk business from the sale of fish they caught inside their compounds and even

bedrooms as a result of the flooding. “We are making money by the day because people began to catch fish inside their compounds and inside these classrooms, there are big fishes that are stranded, they were brought here by the river surge and now, they cannot go back into the River Niger.

When we see them, we use cutlass and even some of us used bare hands to catch very big fish that ordinarily could not be caught in the river before. We are making money because people from Onitsha now come here to buy fish” he said.

For Josiah Onu, a medicine dealer at 53, Okoti road, Iyiowa Odekpe, this year’s flooding was the most severe in the 25 years he’s been living in the area. He lamented that the flood destroyed everything inside his shop. All the drugs in his store were condemned.

“Since 25 years ago I started living here, this is the most severe I have ever seen and as it stands now, we thought it will not get to

•Continued on page 10

35 villages, farmlands destroyed in Ebonyi From GODDY OSUJI, Abakaliki

O

ver 35 communities in Ebonyi state have been ravaged by the flooding that destroyed farmlands and houses due to heavy rains across six development centres of the state.

The flooding of Ikwo communities which has become an annual occurrence has continued unabated despite government’s efforts to contain the natural disaster. Several lives were lost and property worth millions of Naira were destroyed.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Engr. Paul Okorie, disclosed that the state government was making efforts to contain the situation having concluded a survey on the areas and waiting for possible World Bank assistance. “We are working very hard on our own to find lasting measures, he said adding “we have however done some survey and design on the areas like Uburu, Abakaliki and Ikwo and we are waiting for possible funding from World Bank”.

On the rehabilitation of the flood victims, Okorie stated that his ministry is not involved in the effort as it’s the responsibility of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency adding that “ the state

government was waiting for these agencies to rehabilitate victims.”

At Edeh Ishieke community which comprises about six villages and shares a common boundary with Ndichinyere in Ado local government area in Benue state, two secondary school students drowned in the Edeh River while trying to cross the bridge across the river.

The flooding at the communities in Izzi local government area Sunday Sun gathered, destroyed farmlands and houses, when a river along the boundary between the state and Cross River state overflowed its banks due to severe rainfall in the area.

The affected communities include Igbeagu, Ebiya, Ominyi and Nnodo. One of the communities, Nwolohzi has been completely submerged in the flood, cutting it off from its neighbors. This made it inevitable for natives to resort to the use of canoes to convey children to school in the area.

At Ikwo, the communities affected are Alike, Achara, Inyimagu, Akunakuna, Igbudu, Ndieche, Ndinkoshi, Okwerike, Ekahufu, Obegu, Ekpomaka among others where the state, according to Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Executive Secretary, Igboke Umunna recorded about 332,938 victims adding that about 50, 000 victims were yet to get relief.?

The chairman of Izzi local government area, Hon Dustan Nwogbaga who spoke to newsmen, explained that the flooding caught a lot of people in the area unawares while explaining that the communities were now facing hard times .

“Our crops, houses, property have all been destroyed, I am appealing to the State Emergency Management Agency and National Emergency Management Agency to come to the aid of the victims of the disaster who are predominantly farmers and have lost virtually all their farm produce including livestock to the disaster. They should help them to get back on their feet”, he appealed to SEMA..

Linus Ezeoru from Ndieze Community and the Coordinator of Izzi Development Centre, Charles Nwokpo also lamented that “victims have lost most of their belongings” and appealed to government to come to their aid.

The South East Coordinator of NEMA, Olabode Bamidele, represented by the relief officer in the agency, Ifeanyi Nnaji, on the joint assessment tour with Ebonyi SEMA to the area, described the incident as “devastating” and advised victims to relocate, promising that the agency would send relief materi-

•Continued on page 10

Schools, houses, churches flooded in Anambra

By DAVID ONWUCHEKWA, Nnewi

L

ike it happened in some other states, raging floods have sacked parts of Okpoko community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, following the heavy downpour that caused to River Niger to overflow its banks Some of the places already devastated by the flood include Idemili, Atani, Okpoko, Iyiowa Odekpe and other riverside communities in Anambra State.

Many schools flooded in the affected areas have been abandoned, resulting in snakes invading homes with people left at the mercy of guinea worm infection.

Among the schools affected are Okpoko Community Girls Secondary School, St Raphael the Arch Angel Secondary School, Okpoko, Unique International Model Primary School, Okpoko and Atani Community Secondary School.

Residential houses and churches also felt the fury of the flood. Worshippers of The Redeemed Christian Church of God located on Ik Onuora Street were left helpless. On Thursday, children and residents of Ik Onuora and Izuakor Streets were seen evacuating their property from their houses with no definite place to relocate. Nursing mothers cut such a pitiful picture as they wandered looking for a place to settle with their belongings.

At Idemili, the road leading from School Road to the interior parts of the town was overtaken and some houses submerged.

According to one of the residents, Amarachi Nwafor who resides at No 2 Izuako Street, said recounted her experience of the devastating flood, and revealed that the menace started about a week ago.

“We saw this water coming slowly but we did not take it seriously because it

•Continued on page 10

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

9

Top stories Death looms in Lokoja •Tales of anguish from Lokoja flooding •Travelers spend days without bathing •Residents drink flood water •Cost of food skyrocket

•Refugees’ camp in Lokoja

•Helpless trader in front of his waterlogged shop

•Submerged building in Lokoja From EMMANUEL ADEYEMI, AIDOGHIE PAULINUS and KEMI YESUFU in Lokoja

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ight now, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital is in the eye of the storm. Flood has engulfed almost the entire confluence city for about 10 days and literally sits pretty and relaxed like an army not in a hurry to relinquish a conquered territory.

Travelers from the Northern and southern part of the country are trapped in the affected areas. The situation is chaotic with over 1,000 trucks and their drivers, motor-boys, okada riders, shylock petty traders and villagers, scrambling for survival.

Troubled Confluence State Kogi is popularly known as the Confluence State. Two of Nigeria’s major rivers – Niger and Benue literally shake hands a little below Lokoja towards the south. The handshake that had lasted ages has now exceeded the wrist and it seems to be a hug. But it is seemingly a fatal and hurtful bear hug with the people and their homes. There is water everywhere in the city of hills that make the people cry.

Even though a similar situation occurred in 1998, when the river covered and threatened some of the buildings at the riverbank, the situation was however not as bad. At the moment, over 3,000 displaced persons live in refugee camps around some communities in Koton-Karfe alone. They wallow in confusion and hardship. Housed in a primary school, they are presently living at the mercy of others.

From historical accounts, the under-water city was founded by William Balfour Bakie, and was the capital of the then British Northern Nigeria Protectorate.

Sunday Sun dispatched a team of reporters to the areas ravaged by flood and the visit revealed the danger ahead of the nation in food scarcity, looming health problems, the economic losses for travelers and many more.

Going round three refugee camps in the state was a revealing experience. Natives of the state that had lived in the comfort of their homes before the terrible flood are crammed in their thousands in destitute homes and fed at the whims of the government.

The Sunday Sun team witnessed hunger, anger, ill health and worst of all, there is slim hope that they will resume their normal lives in the near future.

The three camps – Adankolo, Gadumo and Kabawa have 875, 207 and 278 refugees respectively Water everywhere At the Sarkin Numa area of the state, a popular stopover point for travelers, a dejected Ademola Ajayi, an electrician from Kabba/Bunu Local Government area of Kogi State, said the problem started over a week ago. Ajayi whose shop and residence were covered with water, said he had no option than to relocate. He told Sunday Sun that he felt bad because “if a place one earns his daily bread is no more, there is no reason to feel happy.”

It began when they suddenly saw water surging towards their homes. “It started gradually and before we knew it, it filled everywhere. Not even during rainfall because, there was no rain at the time. We just saw that the water was coming. It is about one week and three days now. The water came from the River Niger,” he said.

Ajayi however denied the presence of any

government official since the flood overwhelmed the vicinity.

Firsthand experience The journey to Lokoja was not easy. There were reports that one has to pay as much as N5,000, N500 and N200 to cross the road by canoe. Hard as the driver tried to explain the situation, it was plausible for one to note at that juncture that seeing was believing. On September 27, the journey to unravel the Lokoja flood commenced from Abuja. The journey lasted two hours, twenty minutes as the driver of the 504 wagon arrived at the Banda area of Lokoja at 9:25am. On arrival, soldiers on camouflage who were negotiating with drivers and owners of vehicles ready to be ferried to the other side of the road, caught the team’s attention. After a brief introduction, the soldiers allowed access to the area.

There is no food for us –Asmau Alhassan, 25 I am a farmer and I live in Mousou riverside in Bassa. There are 40 of us that lived in the house before the flood came.

It was last Sunday night that the flood from River Niger took over our entire settlement.

It came unexpectedly and swept away all our belongings including farmlands, livestock, crops and household effect. As I speak with you, we have nothing to eat or wear; we only rely on goodwill.

No change of clothes in eight days –Aishat Ishaq (fish seller) We lived in our house of nine rooms. My husband, a driver, laboured to build the house five years ago but the flood just came suddenly at night and swept everything away.

I only managed to escape with my five children with this mat and for more than five days, my children and I have been living on

one pair of wears.

Our condition in the camp here is terrible.

We are served meals twice a day with N30 loaf of bread per family and it is only the mother or father that is given. The children and other members of the family are left to share with the parents.

We’ll soon die of hunger –Jonah Obili, 32 I am a driver with Kogi Travellers. I live at Fankolo layout. I am a tenant with a family of 13.

On Sunday we saw the water coming towards our house, so I quickly ran to the office to bring a truck to evacuate my family members and some of our belongings. But when I came, the water was so much that I could not drive through.

So, I hurriedly went to hire a canoe but before I came back, all my properties were gone.

Our major problem here is feeding. The whole family is served N30 loaf of bread for breakfast and a handful of rice given to 13 of us with only five cubes of maggi for three days.

The state government also serves us three sachets of noodles. Please, help us beg the government that we are dying of hunger.

470 of us use two toilets –Abu Ojochogwu (Disabled) I lost over N2.7million property to the flood and at last, my entire family is facing this disgusting situation.

We were four cripples that the former governor of Kogi, Ibrahim Idris gave money to build our houses but all of them have been submerged. Our problem is feeding and also where to ease ourselves. Here in Adankolo camp, we have over 470 people using two toilets.

And we have special cases because we cannot use our legs like others to go to the toilet. We have to crawl there to answer the call of nature and use the same hand to eat with our family. We are therefore calling on Governor Wada to treat our case differently.

Drugs are inadequate –Onimisi Abdullahin (Camp doctor) The essential drugs provided by government are grossly inadequate. In fact, we have run out of drugs supply. That is why you cannot see any of the medical personnel on ground because we have been calling and nobody seems to answer us.

Honestly, government is trying but the only problem now is coordination. Those who are to attend to us are either in Idah or Ibaji.

Right now, there is no epidemic. We had curtailed two cases of outbreak and there is no threat whatsoever now.”

Banda, a village within the Lokoja axis, is plagued with hardship and penury.

Inhabitants make a living ferrying people across the rivers or selling food and sachet water to travelers. With N100, one could cross to Okwuni which is sandwiched between Banda and Sarkin Numa rivers.

With N500, one crosses to Lokoja by canoe.

Over 1,000 trucks have blocked both ends of the road, including the Okwunu axis. The situation on ground is confusing and disturbing.

Many are stranded and in search of a way out of their predicament. The road may not be passable anytime soon and the government has engaged Gitto Construction Company to create an alternative .

On arrival in Banda, a traveler has to take a bike to a point where a canoe would ferry him to Okwuni end of the road. Thereafter, a traveler would engage the services of a motorcyclist to another point at the end of Okwuni to cross over to Sarkin Numa in a canoe. Each crossing by canoe costs N100 and okada operators charge between N100 and N200.

Arriving at Sarkin Numa was a different experience after parting with N150. Sarkin Numa is the popular stop-over point in Lokoja where people eat and transact business. It has become a shadow of itself. eateries have shut down.

Cholera epidemic looms An okada operator, Joseph Daniel, a native, said he used to make between N2,500 to N3,000 daily, but since the flood took over the area, he now makes between N500 and

•Continued on page 10

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

Top stories

By WOLE BALOGUN

F

ather of Mrs Joan Ozuah, the young widow of the late Ugochukwu Ozuah who was shot dead on Thursday, September 20 in Lagos barely five days after his wedding, Elder Chibike Ogbonnaya, has placed a curse on the killers of his son-in-law.

Sounding very angry when he spoke with Sunday Sun, Elder Ogbonnaya of the United Evangelical Church, Aba, declared that none of Ugo’s killers and their families would go unpunished.

A visibly traumatized Elder Ogbonnaya said: “I felt terrible when the news was broken to me. I have never experienced that kind of thing in my life. There is no way the perpetrators of this evil will go free. They must pay dearly for it.

“Their families, wives and children will all pay dearly for it. Of all the things God created, we humans are dearest to Him; He cherishes us. He says He is a God of veageance and whatever HE says He would do, He does. He doesn’t fail in His words.”

Asked how he felt on the day his daughter was taken to the altar, he brightened up momentarily, saying: “I felt very happy because everything was in order. I was really grateful to God that everything went well from the begining to the end.”

The elderly man disagreed with the notion that the tragedy that befell his son-in-law was a spiritual attack, saying it was the handwork of evil men.

Consequently, he ruled out the use of spiritual means to fish out the killers.

“We won’t do that because I am a Christian.

It would be against our faith. The only thing we will do is to cry for justice as we have been doing and if nothing happens, we will hand it over to God. It is only God that knows the best measure of punishment for the evil doers”, Pa

Murdered groom

Bride’s father curses killers Ogbonnaya said.

On how his wife and mother of the young widow took the tragedy, he said: “You know how women and particlularly mothers take issues like that. But as the head of the family I have been making efforts to calm her. I have assured her that God who knows the best knows how to deal with the situation. God does things in His own way, not in our way.

“So, as for my wife, she has accepted my advice on the matter because we are one. She is taking things easy although she is down emotionally.”

Pa Ogbonnaya told Sunday Sun that despite the unfortunate incident, he would not resist the idea of an elaborate society wedding for any of his dauhters in future.

“Yes. I am a Christian and any of my daughters will do church wedding after the traditional aspect of the ceremony. They must all do the church wedding. I will not cancel church wedding for my daughter because this happend.

“All my daughters will do the society wedding. And even this one that happened, I know that the God I serve will avenge the death of my daughter’s husband. Something must surely happen. The evil doers cannot go unpunished.”

He commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar for setting up an investigative panel to •Ugo unmask Ugo’s killers.

us but we just woke up the next day to see that my shop had been submerged by water. I used the canoe which it threw from the river to help me get access to my shop and when I opened it, I nearly fainted, everything inside my shop was destroyed and I am helpless now.

“I want to call on the state and federal governments to come to my aid because I just put every money I had into this business last week when I went to market to re-stock my shop with drugs worth over N5 million but today, I stood and watched all that I have ever labored for destroyed and swept away by the flood from the River Niger” he said.

A Yoruba tenant at No 42 Okoti road, Iyiowa Odekpe and her entire family were not spared by the ravaging flood as they lost everything they had due to the flooding of their flat .

Bilikisu Ajibola who spoke to Sunday Sun while on a canoe trying to get access to her apartment said amidst tears that she lost everything in the flood and maintained that the flooding could still be worse owing to the surging river.

“I have been living here with my parents for 12 years and this year, we saw this type of thing, we have relocated our mother and our children to a safe place in the sense that the flood has not gotten to that place but that does not mean it will not get there, from what I am observing about this flooding. It is increasing by the second and when you relax, you will not know when it will carry you. It carried a two year old boy whose mother left in the room and went to market. It was because the woman thought it will not get to her”, she said.

She called on the state and federal governments to help them by intensifying efforts to dredge the River Niger.

Obiora Oba said the flooding almost killed his entire family when they were fast asleep. “I was sleeping and it was when my wife woke up to urinate that she screamed that flood had covered the entire house, that was when I woke

up and found out that my entire house had been covered by water” “That was when I found out too that everything in my house had been submerged including my chairs in the sitting room, everybody in my house started trying to find a way to escape to safety and thank God the flood brought some canoes which fishermen kept by the bank of the rivers and we immediately grabbed one and used bamboo to paddle to safety. I have lost all I labored for in life, I want the state government to help us” “I want it on record that the state government has not done enough for us and our people like the Minister for Aviation, Mrs. Stella Odua, Speaker, Anambra state House of Assembly, Mrs. Chinwe Nwebili and Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Chief Obaze have not done well for our people. When we saw this thing coming, we wrote to all of them, it was only Afam Ogene representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency that came to our aid and has been on ground assessing the problem”, Obiora said.

a good student and a future promise of Nigeria. May your soul rest in peace.”

Afolabi Adebayo, coursemate at UNILAG wrote: “I wish I had a crystal ball, I would have told you not to go out that night. I was the last person as a course mate that you spoke with while leaving the school that Thursday afternoon. We in Operations Research will miss you greatly.”

Ukemadu Gabriel, friend wrote on the register: “Oh! Not again. Another casualty of Nigeria Police Force. You were a quiet and lovely fellow. One never imagined you could be a victim of this sort of incident but God knows it all. Rest in peace.”

Mrs. Nwosu Beneuche, a church member stated: “I take consolation in the fact that you knew God and lived a good life.”

Mrs.Ozuah Ekwy Esther, a relative wrote: “My honey as we address each other. You are still my honey. I can’t believe it is true. I wish it was just a nightmare that I will wake up with a snap and pray against, but it is sadly true.”

A friend of the deceased, Kissy Ajifola stated that, “Once I saw your face and you smiled.

Your smiles will always remain in my heart. I will forever remember you. Sleep well, our groom.”

And from Kikelomo Adedoyin of UNILAG came the words: Ugo, you left us so soon. Your sudden departure has brought tears to our eyes.”

35 villages, farmlands destroyed in Ebonyi

Angry River Niger •Continued from page 8

“It is a very good development. That is what I want. We want to get to the root of this matter and ensure that justice is achieved. It is high time we fished out the bad eggs in the police and that must be done now. That has been our prayer for the police. Ugo will be a hero in this matter and others would see. God will manifest Himself in this case”, he said.

Meanwhile, relatives and friends of the deceased have poured out their hearts in the condolence register at the residence of the grieving family in Maryland, Lagos.

A niece to the deceased, Miss Ndu-Nwogu Chukwuchitaram Nina, who was also one of the flower girls during the wedding wrote: “ Dear uncle Ugo, you were there when I was in the womb and now you are gone. I was the flower girl for your wedding, and those memories I will cherish forever. When I heard of your sudden departure, I believed that you are in deep sleep and God needed the help of more angels so he called you. You will always be in my heart. I will always love you.”

Agasih Nneka, a friend of the couple wrote: “It still feels like a bad dream I have not woken up from. I wish words could describe how empty I feel but I take solace in the fact that we will meet again.

Goodbye my friend.”

For Dr. E.O Oyatoye, late Ugo’s lecturer, “It is most unfortunate to lose

•Continued from page 8 als as soon as possible to the people.

The Odide Edeh Bridge constructed 20 years ago through community effort to enhance movement of goods and services in Edeh Ishieke community which comprises about six villages which share a common boundary with Ndichinyere in Ado local gov-

ernment area in Benue state was not spared by the flooding.

Jeremiah Mbam-Nwofor lamented that many appeals have been made to both the state and local governments to assist the people to reconstruct the broken bridge.

He called on the World Bank, Federal Government and state government to come to the aid of the people to reconstruct the bridge across

the community to save their children from dying.

Romanus Nwofoke said the collapse of the bridge has also caused decline in social and economic activities in the community.

A Non Governmental Organization, Chinedu Ogah Foundation in response to the disaster, donated items worth over N10m to the victims.

Schools, houses, churches flooded in Anambra •Continued from page 8 was not the first time we had seen flooding.

But this one was coming from under the ground. So one morning last week we woke up to discover that the floor was flooded. But yesterday night what we suddenly saw was water everywhere in our rooms and inside our compound. The water destroyed our well from where we get potable water, soaked our mattresses and destroyed property in the house.

We are packing our belongings out of the place as you can see. We are helpless. We want gov-

ernment to come to our aid because this one is beyond us,” Amarachi said.

It was also a story of pain for Echezona Okwuolisa, another resident of Okpoko whose family was compelled to relocate to Awada Obosi in Idemili North Local Govrnment Area as a temporary measure.

“We have taken some of our property to Awada and Onitsha. We leave every evening at 5 pm to sleep there. The flood carried refuse and other waste materials into this place,” Okwuolisa said.

Death looms in Lokoja •Continued from page 9 N1,000 daily. Daniel said in pidgin: “The flood don deal with me no be small tin. Even now, e still dey come. All of our property, we don pack am out. The situation bad o.”

He revealed that the situation has taken a new dimension with the children in the area falling ill. “The dirty dey affect the children.

Even day before yesterday, some children sick.

Dem dey vomit, dem dey shit and their body dey hot,” he revealed.

As usual, Lokoja became hot and a little bit unbearable during the visit.

Road rehabilitation The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen had said the road would be re-opened this weekend, but that’s not possible considering the magnitude of the devastation. Gitto, the only construction company seen on site at the

time of visit, was busy creating an alternative route. A labourer with the company, Matthew Ibrahim, said “since the incident, Gitto has been doing its best to ensure that the road is rehabilitated.”

The Koton-Karfe experience Koton-Karfe is not in any way different from Banda and Okwuni in terms of flooding, but It’s now home to over 3,000 hapless and displaced persons from about seven villages around it. Nineteen of these are pregnant women while some are children.

At the Local Education Authority Primary School, where some displaced persons are sheltered, the Rescue and Disaster Management Officer, Ismail Musa, said his team started work on September 23, 2012.

“Right from the initial stage, we have been helping people affected from neighbouring villages like Akpaku, Asara, Ashaba-Ozi,

Adamogu, Kasmir and Obagende. We sent our officers to assist victims to the camp.

This is just one of them.

“Some people have volunteered to give them sachet water, garri and rice which is not even enough. The source of their water is too bad. They get water from the flood but people are assisting them with sachet water.”

“The situation is very terrible. All these classrooms have leaky roofs and some of them have no windows”, he said Usman Mohammed, a politician and one of the displaced persons who spoke on behalf of others said they lacked accommodation. “We are all crowded-up in rooms; many people are in a girls’ school, and others are in another camp at Okpaka and in Jamata. Even after the flood is gone, we will still face hardship because our farms and crops are gone.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012,

SUNDAY SUN

11

NEWS

52nd Independence: It’s celebration of disaster –Waku

By OMONIYI SALAUDEEN

A

S Nigeria marks her 52nd independence anniversary, the National Vice Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Senator Joseph Waku, has described this year’s event as a celebration of disaster. He stated this position in an interview with Sunday Sun in his office at Abuja. Lamenting the sorry state of the nation, he said: “It is a celebration of disaster in terms of the economy, absence of social amenities, insecurity, lack of job creation and political development. A nation suffers when the leaders promote their ego rather than the common interest of the people. There is no need for what we are going through today if we have good leadership. This country is well blessed but corruption has taken over the minds of our leaders. If we had continued with the legacies of Saduana of Sokoto, Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Tafawa Balewa, Akintola and others, Nigeria could have been an envy of all in the black race.”

He said there was no light yet at the end of the tunnel in view of the negative effects of bad leadership on the younger generation.

“The younger generation too has failed this country.

Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Tafawa Balewa, Michael Opara, Akintola and Osadebe were all in their youthful age when they served this country. And they served with commitment to the development of this nation rather than their personal pock-

ets. There was no money as it is today but they were able to manage available resources to develop their various regions,” he added.

According to him, it is only by institutionalizing a credible electoral process that peoples’ aspiration for right leadership can be realised. Waku maintained that the present incessant

separatist agitations threatening the unity of the country was as a result of lack of credible electoral process. His words: “A country that can not hold free and fair election can never see peace. People’s aspirations have been shortchanged. Part of reactions to such shortchanging comes in different dimensions. One of them is

N

Bishop of Bauchi Catholic Diocese, Bishop Malachy Goltok (L) Blessing the newly ordained Rev Fr. Sunday Waraka, during the ordination ceremony at St. John Cathedral Catholic Church, Bauchi, on Saturday.

T

HE remains of the former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr. Lateef Adegbite were committed to mother earth yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The Seriki of Egbaland’s burial came barely 24 hours after the funeral of two other prominent sons of the town, Chiefs Segun Taiwo and Oluwole Adeosun who were Oluwo Ake and Osi Egbaland respectively.

The funeral at his OnikoloboAbeokuta residence was preceded by Fidau led by the Chief Imam of Egbaland, Liad Orunsholu and assisted by other Islamic clerics.

His corpse had earlier arrived his Onikolobo residence in a metallic hearse marked TOS 7 at about 3.39p.m and was received by the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun in company of other family members and Muslim faithful who had earlier laid siege on his house in the early hours of the day.

The repeated shout of Allahu Akbar, rent the premises as the Hearse pulled to a stop while few hours later, the metallic grey casket which was draped in Arabic inscription was removed from it.

Six Islamic pallbearers dressed in white kaftan over white trousers carried it shoulder high and took the casket to an open field where his corpse was removed from the casket and Islamic clerics offered

CMYK

•Buried between mother, wife prayers on the corpse.

After prayers, Adegbite’s remains were committed to earth between his mother, late Saolat Biobaku and late wife, Alhaja Toebat Adegbite, Giwa Obinrin of Egbaland, who died

about 11 years ago.

Professor Dawudu Noibi, Executive Secretary of Muslim Ummah in the South West while offering admonishment urged people always to remember that death would come any-

time.

According to him: ‘’when death comes when it would come, the only thing that would be left with us is our good deeds while on this planet. “Whatever good or bad that anyone does in life will be recorded in his favour in Aljanat’’

O fewer than 500 staff and 3000 students of the Federal Polytechnic Oko (OKOPOLY), Anambra state were on Thursday sacked from the institution by a raging flood, which overflowed the banks of River Niger and flowed into the Atani Campus of the polytechnic.

Sunday Sun gathered that the flood came with full force in the night and swept through Atani community, located at about 300 metres from the bank of River Niger. Aside spreading a wave of fear among the residents in the community, the flood also caused colossal damage to both private and public property.

Worst affected was the Atani campus of the polytechnic, which houses the entire administrative block, 15 classroom blocks and 10 staff offices. To compound the situation, the flood rendered students living in off-campus structures homeless.

The Public Relations Officer of the school, Obini Onuchukwu, who confirmed the incident, said three Coaster buses have been sent from the main campus in Oko to evacuate students and staff from the affected campus.

He said the institution was still recovering from similar incident that happened last week when the relentless flood wreaked fur-

Jonathan, OBJ, JNI, ACF, Fashola, Fayemi, Daniel mourn him From JULIANA TAIWOOBALONYE, Abuja and ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, Kaduna

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IGERIANS have continued to pour encomiums on Alhaji Lateef Adegbite who passed on Friday at the age 78. President Goodluck Jonathan described the late Dr. Abdul-Lateef Oladimeji Adegbite as a bridgebuilder who reached across ethnic and religious divides to promote peace and unity in the country.

In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, President Jonathan said “Dr. Adegbite’s tenure as the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) would forever be remembered for fostering peace and unity among religious groups in the country and for his moderating influence.”

President Jonathan urged the Adegbite family, the people of Ogun State, the Muslim community and Nigerians to take consolation in the knowledge that the late renowned Muslim leader made indelible contributions to the development of the

country. He prayed that God Almighty would grant his soul eternal rest. Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Northern socio-cultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) too have joined others in mourning the Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr. Abdullateef Adegbite who died on Friday.

JNI and ACF in their separate releases described the late Baba Adini of Egba Land as an accomplished Islamic worker, a lawyer of high pedigree and strong believer in one united Nigeria.

Even as JNI stated in a release signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu that, the Muslim community received the news of Adegbite’s death with faith in Allah, it noted that, his death came at a critical moment of need.

According to the release, “Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) under the leadership of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, JNI, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, received with faith, the death of Dr. Abdullateef Adegbite, the Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic

Affairs (NSCIA), indeed his death came at this critical moment of need, but we take our solace in Allah, the Most High, for the opportunity given him to serve His cause unrelently.

“Dr. Adegbite was upright, fearless, committed and an accomplished Islamic worker and a lawyer of high pedigree, alhamdulillah. It is on record, that he was the pioneer National President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN)”, JNI noted.

In its own condolence message signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony N. Z. Sani, ACF said it received the news of the death of the late Secretary General of NSCIA, with heavy heart, as he died preaching religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

“We imagine the body of Seriki Musulmi and Baba Adini of Egbaland lying in both peace and in pains: the peace associated with death and the pain of what he has left behind.

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) described the death of the Baba Adinni of Egbaland and the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for

have abandoned the norms of our founding fathers. Because of our selfishness, we have lost the vision of keeping Nigeria as a united country. Let there be one man one vote and Nigeria will have hope.”

Flood sacks Federal Poly Oko

By SAM OTTI

Lateef Adegbite laid to rest

By MOSHOOD ADEBAYO, Abeokuta

agitation for a separate republic by a particular section of the country which recently led to the hoisting of their flag. Some are calling for regional police.

Some are calling for regional government. All this is as a result of disenchantment. We

Islamic Affairs, Dr Abdul Lateef Oladimeji Adegbite as painful and a sad loss to the nation.

His Ekiti state counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, also regretted that “the country has lost a bridge builder between the North and South who worked tirelessly for the unity and progress of the country.”

Also lamenting the death of the late Islamic scholar, former governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel said under Adegbite’s watch as the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the body became a fulcrum for campaigning and advancing the cause of peace and unity among adherents of different faiths in the country. ‘He was a detribalized Nigerian who rose above ethnic and religious sentiments in his work and walk through life.’ Daniel said.

They described Adegbite as an important stabilising factor among the major religions in the country who used his position to preach peace and harmony when the nation was threatened by sectarian crisis and prayed Almighty Allah to admit the soul of the departed NSCIA scribe into Al Jannah Firdaus.

ther damage yesterday. He said details of the damage wouldn’t be ready soon, as most of the affected areas remain inaccessible.

“Yesterday, the situation worsened because the volume of the flood increased. It gained access to the Administrative Block, students’ classrooms and staff offices. There are about 3,000 students on the campus and both academic and non-academic staff in the area would not be less than 500. We have sent three Coaster buses from the main campus to evacuate them. The damage is overwhelming. We are calling on both the state and federal government to come to our aid”, he said.

Onuchukwu said 10 programmes were running at the Atani Campus before the unfortunate incident, noting that the campus, with the extent of damage recorded, risked indefinite closure.

Nigeria @ 52: Avoid obsession with the past –Atiku urges Nigerians

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ORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged Nigerians to avoid obsession with the past, which might lead them to lose hope today and the future.

In a goodwill message to Nigerians to mark the nation’s 52nd Independence anniversary in Abuja, the former vice president noted with concern that a sense of nostalgia was leading Nigerians to give up on the present and the future.

Reviewing Nigeria’s democratic journey in the past 13 years, the former VP stated that it was understandable for people to be impatient for change because of their harsh experiences.

He, however, noted that the democratic process takes some time to get rooted and in the process mistakes were bound to occur.

According to him, the beauty of democracy lies in the power to replace leaders who have failed to deliver the goods.

The Turakin Adamawa, however, maintained that good governance and sincerity were essential factors in sustaining people’s faith in the system. He said democracy is a covenant between the leaders and the people and once the elected officials deviate, democracy itself will be affected. He advised elected leaders at all levels to see power as public trust rather than a means of self-enrichment and suppressing perceived opponents.

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2012,

SUNDAY SUN

NEWS

Fuel scarcity ‘ll get worse –NUPENG, PENGASSAN

By BIMBOLA OYESOLA

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ESPITE seems not to be in sight for Nigerians on the current fuel scarcity that has crippled economic activities in Lagos and other parts of the country.

For the past two weeks, residents of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states have suffered the pains of fuel shortage, which purportedly occurred due to vandalisation of a 2B pipeline and the murder of three staffers of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC),

a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Arepo, Ogun State.

A couple of weeks ago, petroleum pipelines in Arepo were destroyed by some vandals, who harassed journalists and killed three PPMC officials who went to repair the damaged pipeline.

The fuel shortage has taken a heavy toll on the citizenry across the country, particularly in the northern and western parts, leading to long queues at few stations with petrol to sell.

Transport have increased cost

of public transportation, while price of petrol in the black marketers have increased to N200 per litre. However, the masses are bearing the brunt of the scarcity with calm, for now.

The damaged NNPC system 2B, pumps about 11 million litres of fuel per day, which is about one-third of the national daily consumption from Atlas Cove offshore depot in Lagos, to Satellite depot in Ejigbo, Lagos; Mosimi, Ogun State; Ibadan, Oyo State; Ore in Ondo State, Ilorin in Kwara State and some parts of the

•Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State (centre) being decorated by the ProChancellor and Chairman of Council, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie (right); and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem (left) during the conferment of honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration on him by the institution in Ilorin on Saturday.

Niger State raises committee on tanker explosion From AKIN ALOFETEKUN, caught fire. The inferno left no fewer than 27 people dead Minna and many houses and other IGER State govern- properties damaged. Sixteen ment has raised a people died on the spot, five committee to assess died in transit, while the the extent of damage in the remaining six died while runfuel tanker explosion of last ning into the bush.

So far, 11 people were Tuesday.

The committee headed by injured, one of them so critical Commissioner for Health, that he had to be rushed to the Dr Mini Sule, includes University of Ilorin Teaching Director-General, Niger Hospital. Alhaji Mohammed State Emergency Sani, a community leader in Management Agency and Kudu, told Sunday Sun in other stakeholders as mem- Kudu that he thought the end of the world had come when bers.

The committee will, among his village was engulfed in the other things, assess the extent inferno. “I thought the day of damage with a view to may never break again. determining what level of Nobody knew there would be assistance the victims need. a single soul left in this village .To this end, government has the way the fire was raged. directed local governments in We have never witnessed that the state to, as a matter of kind of thing in the history of urgency, relocate all markets this town.”

A reliable source informed by the roadside to avoid Sunday Sun that a policeman another carnage.

People of Kudu in Mokwa was also killed as he was tryLocal Government Area of ing to rescue some trapped Niger State would not forget victims.

Chairman of Mokwa Local Tuesday, September 25, for a long time. Like in every rural Government Council, Alhaji community, almost every- Adamu Jiya Sonfada, said body had retired to bed before several people were also 9 p.m. that day when a petrol injured in the disaster and are tanker with NNPC emblem, receiving treatment at the which was in the process of General Hospitals in Mokwa negotiating a corner fell and and Kutigi, adding that propthe contents spilled and erty worth several millions of

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Naira were lost in the inferno.

He said the council was doing everything possible for injured victims to receive proper and adequate medical care and condoled with families of the deceased to bear their losses. The village head of Kudu, Alhaji Alhassan Kudu, described the incident as a great disaster in the history of the community .

He called on the Federal Government to construct speed bumps on the road, especially around the market site where the accident occurred, stressing that this would check reckless driving and over-speeding on the road.

North.

The crisis, which started in Abuja last month, has spread like wildfire to other parts of the country and major cities, especially Lagos, where fuel queues have now led to traffic gridlocks all over the nation’s commercial nerve centre.

Only very few filling stations in Lagos and neighbouring states have petrol and most sell only diesel, while a few also sell kerosene. The few that have fuel now sell at N120 per litre against the official price of N97.

Investigation showed that marketers and depot owners, who load trucks on 24-hour basis, now barely work for 10 hours a day. According to the marketers, the trend will continue unless there is adequate fuel to match the demand.

NNPC Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Fidel Pepple, said last week that the shortage in Lagos and other parts of the country was due to vandalisation of Arepo pipelines, adding that the NNPC had taken measures to end the current scarcity.

He further said the NNPC had stepped up distribution through tankers.

“As I speak, we have raised daily supply of fuel from Folawiyo tank farm from 150 to 250 tankers, MRS from 100 to 200, Capital Oil to 300 tankers, NIPCO to 70 and AITEO to 100 tankers,” Mr.

Pepple said, adding that fuel supply to Port Harcourt, Aba, and Calabar has also been increased.

Though Mr. Pepple said the NNPC had 32 days sufficiency and is currently collaborating with security agencies to fix the pipeline and restore normal supply to affected areas, organized labour in the petroleum sector said government was not sincere to Nigerians on the magnitude of the problem.

According to National President of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Gas workers (NUPENG), Comrade Igwe Achese, the crisis may linger until government addressed major challenges in the downstream sector.

“The trend will continue until government shows responsibility and act in the interest of the people,” he said.

The NUPENG boss said the problem was beyond damaged pipelines, adding that, “The pipeline in question is NNPC pipeline for product coming in through NNPC. Product coming in from there cannot sustain the country; it is only one channel to Mosimi, Ejigbo and not for the marketers, who are no more importing, and those doing so are selling at exorbitant prices.”

He said the solution is for government to call stakeholders’meeting of all marketers to address the issue, noting that government should not hesitate to prosecute fraudulent

63 Taraba pilgrims deported from Saudi Arabia LHAJI Hamman Tukur, chairman of Taraba Muslim Pilgrims Board, has said 63 unaccompanied female pilgrims from the state were deported by Saudi Arabian authorities.

Tukur stated this while speaking with newsmen on Saturday in Jalingo, adding that the deportees were between the ages of 18 and 35 years.

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“On arrival at the Medina Airport on Sept. 24, the pilgrims were detained at the airport for about 11 hours because they were not accompanied by their close relations.

The Saudi officials insisted that a female pilgrim between 18 and 35 years must be accompanied by a male pilgrim whose last name must appear as her surname in the visa,” he said.

Tukur, who does not know

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FEMALE legal practitioner, Bridget Anyafulu, has been arraigned in Asaba Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly defrauding two persons, namely: Mr. Adetola Adeyemi and Mrs. Ifeoma Onubogu, of the sum of N5.6 million.

The suspect is facing a twocount charge of “attempted fraud and unlawful conversion” before Chief Magistrate Sylvester Ehikwe.

According to the charge

how many more female pilgrims likely to be affected, said he was optimistic the disagreement with the Saudi authorities would be resolved soon.

“I am optimistic the high powered delegation headed

by Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, would resolve the disagreement when they visit the Saudi Arabia,” he said.

…As Zamfara weclomes 137 From ATTAHIRU AHMED, Deputy governor of the Gusau state, who doubled as the Amirul Hajj, Malam EARS flowed freely Ibrahim Wakkala, who at the Presidential addressed the deportees, Lodge, Gusau, when lamented that it was a bitter 137 female intending and painful experiencethe Muslim pilgrims from state government was not Zamfara State deported happy about.

by Saudi Arabia authorHe disclosed that all the ities arrived the state.

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Female lawyer docked over N5.6m fraud From PAUL OSUYI, Asaba

marketers.

Achese lamented that Nigerians would have been spared this hardship had the Federal Government listened to NUPENG. “We are happy that Nigerians are now seeing and experiencing this. It started in Abuja, and now is all over the country, and NUPENG is not on strike.

“The real problem is that we completely depend on importation, as none of our refineries is producing anything now.

But such can be corrected if the government can make our refineries work.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria ((PENGASSAN) likewise confirmed that the fuel crisis goes beyond pipeline vandalisation in Arepo or anywhere in the country.

“The inability of government to provide security for the pipelines and failure to pay marketers, have snowballed into this crisis shrouded in uncertainty.

“Though we are not saying government should condone corruption, neither are we in support of corruption, but we believe government should settle genuine marketers,” the union said.

PENGASSAN charged government to speed up work on the refineries as such would boost fuel supply in the country.

sheet No. CMA/456C/2012, the suspect allegedly committed the offence in 2008 at No. 2, Okelue Street, Off Nnebisi Road, Asaba.

She allegedly demanded the amount from the victims under pretext of purchasing landed property for them, which she failed to do “and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code, Cap C21, Laws of Delta State, 2006.”

The suspect was also alleged to have unlawfully converted the said N5.6 million entrusted

to her by the victims to purchase land and “thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 390(8)(b) of the Criminal Code, Cap C21, Laws of Delta State, 2006.”

When the charges were read to her, she pleaded not guilty and was granted bail by the court in the sum of N500,000 and two sureties in like sum.

According to the court, the sureties must not be on less than Grade Level 12 in the civil service and they must swear to an affidavit of means as well as deposit their ID cards and pay slips with the court.

pilgrims arrived the state in good health and were received on arrival by top government officials.

He charged the female intending pilgrims to remain calm as the Federal Government was making effort to ensure the problem between the two countries were resolved amicably.

The Amirul Hajj contended that while the state would be waiting to hear the outcome of the meeting between the Federal Government and the Saudi authorities, its government has directed the pilgrim officials to go through the passport of each pilgrim with the aim of identifying those with genuine case.

He called on other female pilgrims yet to travel to learn from the experience of their colleagues and ensure their traveling documents and whatever was required from them were met.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012,

SUNDAY SUN

13

NEWS

Qatar plane in emergency landing in Lagos

By UCHE USIM

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QATAR Airways flight QTR 592 coming into Lagos from Doha suffered low tyre pressure on Saturday afternoon, which the pilot detected on take-off.

The pilot was said to have informed the ground support staff in Lagos to make adequate preparation for an emergency landing and subsequent towing of the airplane, but this was not communicated to the appropriate authorities in Nigeria.

Sunday Sun gathered that the air traffic controllers on duty in Lagos learnt of the problem when the Airbus A330 airplane with 248 passengers entered the nation’s airspace and quickly alerted the relevant authorities on the emergency.

•From left, mother of the bride, Justice Adetokunbo Majekodunmi, former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the father of the bride, Chief Femi Majekodunmi and groom’s mother, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Oniru, during the solemnization of holy matrimony between Miss Olatorera Majekodunmi and Adedapo Oniru at the Chapel of Christ the Glorious King, Obasanjo Presidential Library Complex, Abiola Way, Oke-mosan Abeokuta.

It was further gathered that the back tyre that had low pressure eventually burst on landing.

Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, told Sunday Sun on phone that he supervised the emergency landing in company of other top aviation officials.

“We alerted FAAN fire department and they brought their trucks and personnel.

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola was on phone with me all through.

He sent additional fire trucks.

NEMA officials were also on ground and NAHCO towing truck was also available.

Ambulances, medical personnel and other relevant agencies were all on ground.

The tyre with low pressure gave way and we expected this.

“It was later towed away. It was a successful evacuation,” Demuren said.

The NCAA boss explained that the international airport runway 18R was temporarily closed after the aircraft land-

ACN governors destroying career civil servants –S/West PDP eoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West has decried incessant sack of career civil servants by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors in the South-West States of Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and Ogun.

The party said, “Governance is gradually being destroyed by the ACN governors because career civil servants no longer have job security.”

The PDP, which said the Osun State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola has sacked the remaining six Permanent Secretaries in the State on Wednesday before appointing 27 new ones, added that; “the Permanent Secretaries were supposed to be in office till December 31, this year”.

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According to a statement issued Saturday by the PDP Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon. Kayode Babade, the party said the rate at which career civil servants, especially those in the senior cadre like Directors and Permanent Secretaries are being laid-off by the ACN governors was worrisome.

It added that, “sacking public servants because they were appointed or promoted by past governments is a direct destruction of governance because governance should be a continuum.”

The PDP said it was also worrisome that laid down civil service rules were being jettisoned with people who have never served in the state being appointed as Permanent Secretaries. The statement

reads; “We are compelled to alert the public on the dangerous trend in the ACN-controlled South-West states where career civil servants are being sacked at will.

“In Ekiti State, over 20 permanent of secretaries have been sacked while 23 were forced to resign in Ogun State.

“Apart from Permanent Secretaries, Accountant General, Auditor General, Local Government Directors of Administration and Treasurers were also sacked in Ekiti State.

“Junior staff are also not being spared by the ACN vindictive governors as over 4,000 have been sacked in Ekiti, over 3,000 sacked in Oyo and 2,500 sacked in Ogun.

“It should be recalled that it

I thought the world had come to an end •Community leader who witnessed Kudu fire disaster From AKIN ALOFETEKUN, Minna

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OR the people of Kudu in Mokwa local government area of Niger State, Tuesday, September 25, 2012 will remain in their memory for a long time.

Like in every rural community, almost everybody had retired to bed before 9 pm that day when a petrol tanker in NNPC colour in the process of

negotiating a corner, fell and spilled its contents and caught fire.

The inferno left no fewer than 27 people dead and many houses and property damaged.

Sources said that 16 people died on the spot while five died in transit. The other victims were said to have died when they ran into the bush.

It was also gathered that 11 people were injured. One of them was so critical that he had

Thunderstorm kills Corps member in Ogun From MOSHOOD ADEBAYO, Abeokuta

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RAGEDY struck in Imeko, headquarters of Imeko Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State as thunderstorm killed a serving member of the National Youths Service Corps in Yewa town.

The victim, 30-year-old Mathew Ojuniogba was allegedly struck dead by thunderstorm penultimate Thursday about 4pm while visiting his colleagues at Muslim Grammar School in the community.

The late NYSC member, a native of Kogi State, was until his death, attached to Alaketu High School, Imeko.

to be rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

Alhaji Mohammed Sani, a community leader in Kudu told our correspondent that he thought the end of the world had come when his village was engulfed in the inferno.

“I thought the day might never break again. Nobody knew there would be a single soul left in this village the way the fire raged. We have never witnessed that kind of thing in the history of this town.”

Meanwhile, Niger State government has set up a committee to assess the extent of damage recorded in the tanker explosion. The committee is headed by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mini Sule while the DirectorGeneral of Niger State Emergency Management Agency and other stakeholders are members.

was during the regime of the ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande as Osun State governor that close to 4,000 civil servants were sacked.

“Now the ACN governors are bringing back those dark days of the Bisi Akande regime to the South-West states and it is imperative that they are stopped before they destroy governance in the zone.”

ed and re-opened when it was towed to safety.

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency were fully mobilised to the airport in the event of a possible crash or crash-landing of the aircraft.

Media officer of NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, who led the emergency process on behalf of the agency, told journalists they received a distress call from the pilot of the aircraft on approach to Lagos, that the aircraft had a burst tyre on its rear side, which will require emergency management on landing.

As expected, most of the passengers on board were already traumatized as they made frantic efforts to call

their families and loved ones to announce their safety.

One of them, who identified himself as Anthony said: “When we were told of the problem, I didn’t know what to believe; whether I’ll die or not. Thank God we landed safely. I don’t know why the pilot continued with a faulty tire. We could have returned to base in Doha,” he said.

The Media Consultant of the airline, Simon Tumba, who spoke with Sunday Sun on phone, said there was no need for panic as everything went as programmed.

He said he could not confirm whether the plane would return to Doha yesterday.

As at the time of filing this report, the aircraft was still on ground.

Flood: 200,000 turn refugees in Anambra From DOM EKPUNOBI, West and Ogbaru.

Onitsha Investigation by Sunday Sun revealed grossly inadequate T is now clear that not accommodation for the less than 200,000 people refugees, causing two or in Anambra North more families to stay in one Senatorial Zone have been room. turned to refugees by the It was also discovered that flooding in their localities. although the state governAlso, more than two-third ment provided some relief of the number are suffering materials, it’s not sufficient from starvation and hunger, for refugees in these camps due to the surging water that and even those who got at all, has rendered them homeless. complained that it was a far Three Local Government cry from their immediate Areas in the riverine area of needs. the state are so badly affected Some individuals have also that the natives of the various been sending relief materials communities have aban- to the victims. doned their homes and taken On Friday, the Chairman of refuge in neighboring com- Orient Magazine/Newspaper, munities.

Mr. Godwin Ezeemo visited The affected Local the camps with medical perGovernment Areas are sonnel and relief materials to Anambra East, Anambra ameliorate their sufferings.

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Anambra burglary syndicate in police net

By DAVID ONWUCHEKWA, Nnewi

BURGLARY syndicate that specialized in breaking stores and carting away goods in Nnewi, Anambra State has been cracked and members arrested at different points.

The latest was the arrest yesterday of one Akachukwu, 24, by Okpuno–Egbu Security Organization in Umudim Nnewi under the command of Chief Amobi Nnoruka.

His arrest came four days after one Kelechi, 25, was also nabbed while burgling a house. Both culprits confessed to the crime and were handed over to the police.

According to the leader of the vigilance group, Nnoruka, the suspect and another Ikem who is now at large in the wee hours of the day allegedly broke and entered a fashion store at No. 36, Owerri Road, Nnewi carting away goods including suits, cosmetics, electronics and shoes worth thousands of Naira.

The suspect (Akachukwu) in his confession said that it was the one at large who organized the crime while he went for vigil at one church

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having agreed with the other suspect to go for the burglary.

After breaking the store with an iron bar around 3:00 am, Akachukwu said, the suspect at large had to carry some electronics on his motorcycle to drop at their hideout while he had to carry the rest of the stolen goods on his head when the vigilance group accosted and got him arrested.

In the same vein, another suspect arrested earlier who gave his name as Kelechi confessed that he was caught around 11:00am burgling someone’s house at OkpunoEgbu when people had gone out for their businesses. He said it was the third time he had been arrested. He said he was caught when he burgled a house where he stole a Nokia handset and N2, 300 cash.

Kelechi who said he was a casual worker at one of the companies in Nnewi blamed his woes on his being addicted to marijuana and other hard drugs. He said that each time he took the hard drugs which he said he bought from Nkwo Triangle, Nnewi, he would have the urge to steal and would never rest until he did that. He said he consumed drugs worth of N800 on cred-

it and had to go stealing to settle his debt.

The suspect said he was sometime ago caught at Upper Iweka, Onitsha when he stole someone’s GSM phone in a bus and was given the beating of his life, adding that the second time he was caught in February this year was when he burgled a house at Uruagu Nnewi and was arrested by the vigilance group members who handed him over to the police who later released him.

Kelechi who is the first son in a family of seven children, according to him, hails from Ugwuoba in Enugu State. He said his parents who were worried over his strange behaviour had taken him to a prayer house to seek remedy to no avail.

The suspect said he had made several attempts to give up consumption of hard drugs without any success and pleaded with the vigilance members to have mercy on him.

Speaking to newsmen, the chairman of the vigilance organization, Nnoruka, reassured residents of OkpunoEgbu community that the vigilance group would rid the area of all manner of criminals as all the suspects were handed over to the police.

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2012,

SUNDAY SUN

FOREIGN

NEWS

Ekiti Varsity shut indefinitely From CHARLES ADEGBITE, Ado-Ekiti

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O fewer than five cars belonging to the Ekiti State University, AdoEkiti, and its staff were yesterday burnt and several edifices destroyed when students went on rampage, protesting the killing of their colleague, Abiola Teslim Yusuf.

Some ultra modern edifices with aesthetic values, including the multimillion naira Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre, had their widow panes smashed during Friday’s rampage and the university’s farm, comprising about 3,500 birds, 10 goats, 75 sheep and rams, 25 rabbits, 30 pigs were looted during the violent protest.

About 120 crates of eggs were also looted, and workers at the farm were allegedly manhandled. Sources within the university community confirmed that Yusuf, a final year student of the university, was allegedly killed by a speeding vehicle last Wednesday.

The driver, who allegedly fled the scene after knocking down the victim at Osekita Hostel within the university, has been declared wanted by the police.

In a swift reaction, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Ekiti State Police Command, ASP Victor Babayemi, confirmed that seven students that allegedly took part in vandalizing the institution have been arrested and are now in custody of the police at Ado

•Five cars burnt as students protest killing of colleague Ekiti.He said the students would be charged to court on Tuesday for malicious damage of public and private vehicles and for disturbing the peace of the university community.

A motorbike belonging to a staff of the university was also torched in front of the main Senate building at the university.

The PPRO disclosed that efforts were already on to apprehend the run-away driver for prosecution.

Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Oladipo Patrick Aina, who talked tough on the student’s action, said heads would surely roll at the end of investigation that would be conducted by

security agencies and the university’s management.

Aina, who announced the indefinite closure of the institution, hinted that the university’s management would investigate the extent of damage to buildings and ensure that students and staff involvement are known.

Prof. Aina expressed shock at the extent of the damage and police action during the protest, describing them as unjustifiable and uncalled for.

He said what actually bothered him was the fact that he called the police authority on Friday to intimate them of the security report he got that students were mobilizing for protest over the

death of their colleague, but they only showed up at 7 p.m. after the damage had been done.

But police spokesman denied that they came late to the university, saying his men arrived at the scene promptly, contrary to the VC’s comments.

The vice chancellor said he personally ensured that the student knocked down by the speeding vehicle, who according to him, had been confirmed to be a member of a cult group called Eye Confraternity , was taken to Ikere-Ekiti Specialist Hospital for medical attention immediately the accident occurred.

“When we realized that his condition was not stable the way we expected, we moved him to the Intensive Care Unit of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. But on Friday, he was operated on by experts because he sustained serious head

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S many states of the federation lick the wounds inflicted on them by the Saudi Arabia authorities with the deportation of over 683 female pilgrims, there are indications that the Lagos state government took proactive steps to protect its pilgrims.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (right), with the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mr. Goodie Ibru (left), during the Private Sector Stakeholders’ Forum on the Lagos Traffic Law at the LCCI Conference & Exhibition Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, on Friday. ples and do not betray the impression that they are in Mecca to indulge in prostitution Investigation by Sunday Sun of male and female pilgrims and or beg for alms, they will not revealed that the state Pilgrim’s ensure their figure rhymes have problem. We do our homeBoard having understudied the before pairing them as required work properly.Speaking on the Saudi Arabia hajj system consid- in the holy land. It is not Nigeria hajj operations in the state, the ers the number of male and where anything goes. People state Commissioner for Home female pilgrims each year before over there do not flout their laws. Affairs and Culture whose mintactically pairing them to ensure “We look at the names and the istry oversees the exercise, said a hitch -free hajj. interesting thing is that some of that from the beginning, they A top source told our corre- the names tally and we pair ensure that all intending pilgrims spondent that, “What we nor- them. Look at our list; it is male deal directly with the State mally do is to look at the number followed by female. Once your Pilgrims Welfare Board . pilgrims obey these basic princi-

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uck has run out on a university undergraduate, Emeka Nnagbo John, a 100 level student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), who was arrested two weeks ago by detectives in Lagos, over armed robbery .

Police sources at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Adekunle Fajuyi Way, GRA, Ikeja, where he is currently cooling his heels, said the 23-year-old suspect was arrested at an hotel in Ejigbo, on the outskirts of Lagos, following series of robbery operations on hotels in Akute, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, and Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, respectively.

“Yes, I took part in the robbery operation, but my friend, Ejike, who I came to visit in Lagos, did not tell me we were going for raids on that Saturday, August

•Pistol recovered from him 18, 2012. All he told me was that we were going for merry-making. So, we went out in two cars (Toyota Camry and Honda Accord) with eight of his other friends I did not know. In one of the vehicles I boarded, I saw two police guns (AK-47 rifles), while Ejike had a pistol. Before we took off, I asked Ejike where we were going but he told me not to worry. We were in different vehicles. The time was 8 p.m,” Emeka narrated.

“We drove to a hotel in Akute, Ogun State, which we raided.

We tied the night guards and held the only male receptionist hostage. We shot into the air to register our presence in the hotel but nobody was shot. We used him to force open the hotel rooms where lodgers stayed. We made away with a number of mobile phones, laptops, wristwatches, trinkets and cash from the lodgers. Also, we carted

away a Toyota Prado Jeep, which I suspected belongs to a Federal Government agency.

The victim parked the vehicle in the parking lot of the hotel. We were almost taking our leave when we sighted the jeep and went to the receptionist to lead us to where the owner was lodging.

We seized the man, collected the vehicle keys and put him in the booth of the jeep. We later released him by the roadside.

When we were leaving, we all started discussing and arguing among ourselves about selling the jeep.

“From Akute, we went to Mafoluku, Oshodi, where we raided two other hotels in the area. We also made away with loots. The raids were successful and we didn’t encounter any challenge from policemen,” he said.

On why he visited his friend,

Ejike, in Lagos, he said, “It was Ejike who invited me to come and spend one-month with him in Lagos. Ejike and I hail from the same village, Awka, in Anambra State. We are childhood friends. He sells Belgiummade refrigerator compressors at Lawanson, Surulere.

Shortly after I finished writing my second semester exam on Wednesday, August 8, 2012, I came to Lagos. When I got to Mile 2 he directed me to take Okada and meet him at a hotel in Maza-maza, Old Ojo road.

When I asked why he wanted to lodge me at the hotel instead of his house, he said he liked spending weekends in hotels, having worked throughout the week he needed to enjoy himself. I moved into the hotel and we spent a week there.”

Emeka disclosed that he felt uncomfortable throughout the robbery operations, a situation that did not go down well with other members of the gang.

Pulitzer prizes, published the Pentagon Papers and won a libel case victory in New York Times vs. Sullivan that established important First Amendment protections for the press.

In an era of declining newspaper readership, the Times’ weekday circulation climbed from 714,000 when Sulzberger became publisher in 1963 to 1.1 million upon his retirement as publisher in 1992. Over the same period, the annual revenues of the Times’ corporate parent rose from $100 million to $1.7 billion.

Samsung wins reconsideration of Galaxy Tab sales ban

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Police nab undergraduate over armed robbery

By FEMI OGBONNIKAN

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ORMER New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, who led the newspaper to new levels of influence and profit amid some of the most significant moments in 20th-century journalism, died Saturday. He was 86.

Sulzberger, father of current Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., died at his home in Southampton, N.Y., after a long illness, his family announced to the newspaper.

During his three-decade-long tenure, the newspaper won 31

U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that a lower court should reconsider a sales ban against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 won by Apple in a patent dispute with the South Korean electronics maker.

The injunction was put in place ahead of a month-long trial that pitted iPhone maker Apple Inc against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in a closely watched legal battle that ended with a resounding victory for Apple last month on many of its patent violation claims.

However, the jury found that Samsung had not violated the

How Lagos escaped Saudi hammer

By OLUWOLE FAROTIMI

EX-NY Times Publisher, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, dies

patent that was the basis for the tablet injunction and Samsung argued the sales ban should be lifted. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said she could not act because Samsung had already appealed.

In its ruling on Friday, the Federal U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington said Koh could now consider the issue.

The decision comes just a month before the South Korean corporation is expected to unveil the second generation of one of its most successful devices, the stylusequipped Note.

Gunmen invade Anambra community From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha

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MIDDLE-AGED woman was killed yesterday when unidentified gunmen invaded Abor Akuzor in Umusiome village in Nkpor, Idemili Council Area of Anambra State.

Sunday Sun gathered that the gunmen also used weapons suspected to be dynamite to destroy a five star hotel under construction, robbed some homes and torched several buildings before shooting their victim, Mrs Ogechi Okechukwu, to death.

Abor Akuzor kindred have been embroiled in a land dispute with their neighbouring Oramadike village in Ogidi, also in the same council, in recent times, leading to loss of lives and destruction of property.

The five star hotel, which is at roofing stage, is owned by Chief Okechukwu Nwafoagu, chairman of Abor Akuzor kindred.

The place had earlier been attacked and several properties destroyed this year.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja, had summoned the two warring groups’ chairmen to Abuja, where they were made to write and sign undertaken that they will maintain peace and order with their subjects.

But, with the recent attack on the people at Abor Akuzor, there seems to be no respect for the police by those behind the attacks.

Narrating the incident to newsmen, Chief Nwafoagu said

at 5 a.m. on Sunday he was alerted by security men that about 16 gunmen with AK-47 rifles and five Pump Action guns invaded his Abor Akuzor kindred, shooting at any object they see and chased out the local vigilante in the area before destroying his hotel and other houses, while robbing some people.

“They exploded over eight dynamites in different locations of the hotel and engaged policemen from Ogidi Divisional Police Station, who were alerted by the people, in a fierce gun battle until reinforcement came from Police Headquarters, Awka, when they fled into the bush.

“Some people from Umusiome village, where I also come from, aided them in the attack of my kindred; these people were those who approached me to share the kindred’s land with them, which I refused. They have now decided to join our opponents from another town to attack my kindred because we did not give them what they requested,” said Nwafoagu.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Raphael Uzoigwe, confirmed the incident, saying: “I am also aware that a hotel nearing completion was destroyed by the hoodlums and some buildings within the area.

“I believe this recent attack on Abor Akuzor kindred is not unconnected with the land dispute, but what police will not take is destruction of lives and property.”

SUNDAY SUN

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

15

Vista Is Nigeria a toilet of a country?

By FEMI FANI-KAYODE

Nigeria is just a toilet of a country where evil reigns – Lord Apsley

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ORD Apsley and I were colleagues at Harrow School in England approximately 36 years ago. I have never forgotten his uncharitable remarks about Nigeria, which led to a heated argument between us. At that time, I found it ironic, and I still do, that this quintessential member of the English upper class not only had the nerve to say such things to me about my country but that he could say it with such confidence. My response to him was that if Nigeria was indeed a “toilet where evil reigns,’’ then it was a toilet that was created by his British forefathers, who not only dumped the evil there by defecating in it, but who also refused to wash their hands, to flush and to leave the toilet after they had finished. My point was simple and it was that Nigeria was as much their mess as it was ours. For a young man, who had been born into wealth and power and who had been brought up to believe that “Brittania’’had civilised the world and had brought nothing but immense benefits to the natives of her colonies, he found my response most disconcerting. I have never forgotten what he said about my beloved country on that occasion. It was painful and regrettable.

Yet, I look at what has happened to us in the last 52 years of our existence as an independent nation and what we have suffered in the last 98 years since the 1914 amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates, and I really do wonder. If the truth must be told, things have not gone too well for us. I was born in the same year as we gained our independence and as I ponder and reflect on the last 52 years, all I see is violence, bloodshed, dashed hopes, lost opportunities and shattered dreams. I see a brutal civil war in which two million people died. I see a string of violent military coups and repressive military dictatorships and I see suspicion and division between the peoples of the North and the South. I see dangerous tensions between the numerous ethnic nationalities, continuous strife and sectarian violence. I see church bombings, the slaughter of the innocents, Islamic fundamentalist rebellions, battleready ethnic militias and bloodthirsty local warlords. I see economic degradation, decaying infrastructure, environmental disasters and untold suffering and hardship. And finally, I see poverty and unemployment, poor quality leadership and a dysfunctional semifailed state, which is still struggling to find its true identity. If this sounds like a scene from Dante’s hell, please forgive me, but this is what I see.

On October 1 every year, we make nostalgic and inspirational speeches about the “labours of our heroes past’’, pop champagne,

pat each other on the back, go to churches and mosques to give thanks to God, dance at owambe parties and congratulate one another on our independence. Yet, we refuse to sit back in deep reflection, take stock of what has really been going on in our country and carry out an honest and candid appraisal of our situation. We are not “a toilet of a country where evil reigns,’’ but we must admit that we are in a mess, a really terrible mess. And the question is why are we in such a mess, how did we get there, why have we not been able to get out of it in 52 years and what role did our former colonial masters play, and are still playing, in creating and sustaining that mess? That is the subject of this essay.

If we want to answer these questions, we must go back to the beginning. The problem is that the British established a faulty foundation for Nigeria right from the start, which they knew could not produce anything wholesome.

The Nigeria they handed over to us in 1960 was nothing but an unworkable artificial state and a “poisoned chalice”. It was destined to fail right from the outset. Worse still, they handed us that poisoned chalice with a malicious and mischievous intent and without any recourse to our people in terms of any form of a national referendum. The British did the same thing in varying degrees when they left virtually each and everyone of their other “third world’’ colonies. The most obvious cases, however, were Nigeria, the Sudan, India, and the nation formerly known as Malaya. Every single one of these four countries had monumental problems with sustaining their unity after independence, and all of them, with the exception of Nigeria, were compelled to break up into smaller entities before they could bring out the best in themselves as a people and fully exercise their human potentials. Consequently, India broke up into three and became India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Sudan broke into two and became Southern Sudan and the Sudan, and Malaya broke into two and became Malaysia and Singapore. Nigeria is yet to find the courage and fortitude to go that far and whether we will eventually break up or not remains to be seen.

Yet, the truth is that when you force two incompatibles with completely different world views together into an unhappy marriage, lock the gates of the house, throw away the keys and bestow leadership upon a “poor husband” to rule over a “rich wife’’ in perpetuity, you are looking for trouble. The bible says, “if the foundation be faulty what can the righteous do?” Our foundation as a nation is faulty and the consequence of that is that everything built on that faulty foundation is unproductive, unsustainable and unpleasant.

And until that foundation is fixed the biblical “righteous’’, no matter how well-intentioned, can do nothing about it. It will always be a case of one step forward and ten steps backward.

Some have made the point that what exists

in the Nigerian space today was once a collection of confederations and that our level of integration centuries before the British came to our shores was far greater than many care to admit. This may be true, but upon their arrival the British, rather than build on that and allow us to forge a united nation ourselves based on dialogue, trust and consensus, instead played up our differences, drove us further apart, set us against each other all the more and compelled us to remain in the same cage, hoping we would eventually kill each other in the process.

The result of the amalgamation was therefore, predictable. It was either that the “poor husband” (the North) would fully subjugate and eventually kill the “rich wife”(the South) or the “rich wife” would fully subjugate and eventually kill the “poor husband”. And we are right in the middle of that struggle for mutual subjugation till today. In 1960, the British ensured that power was handed over to the most pliable region at the Federal level by establishing an alliance with the northern traditional institutions and political ruling elite and fixing the census figures in their favour.

Consequently, by 1960 we had a situation where the well-educated, enlightened, progressive and predominantly Christian South was played out through intrigue, deceit and fixed census figures and instead power was given to an ultra-conservative largely Muslim North, who were prepared to do anything the British wanted them to do, who had already overwhelmed and supressed their own ethnic and Christian minority groups and whose major preoccupation was to dominate and control the entire federation, to keep the South out of power at the centre and to “dip the Quran in the Atlantic Ocean.” It did not stop there.

Even after the British left in 1960, they continued to meddle in our affairs and they encouraged, sponsored and supported a string of repressive military regimes, all of which derived their power from a northern-controlled army officers corps whose retired generals, up till today, are the ones that determine who will be what in our country. That is our story.

Some have argued that despite the ignoble intentions of the British, we ought to have been able to sort out our own problems 52 years after they left us. This is a good point. It does, however, betray a tinge of naivety and a lack of appreciation of just how chronic those problems were right from the start and just how malevolent a hand the British dealt us. I say this because the bitter truth is that the system in Nigeria cannot be changed simply because the forces that have controlled our country since 1960 are deeply conservative and the foundation and the structure upon which she has been established were designed in such a way that makes radical and fundamental change impossible. Some have compared Nigeria to a badly wounded, gangrenous and diseased leg, which can only be cured through restructuring or which needs to

be cut off in order to save the rest of the body.

The consequence of doing neither is death for the whole body. It follows that the only way real change can come is if the country is broken up into two or more independent nations or, if we insist on remaining as one, through the auspices of a peoples revolution (our very own “Nigerian Spring’’, similar to the “Arab Spring’’ that we witnessed in Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain and Egypt last year, and twe are witnessing in Syria today), which will sweep away the old order, convene a Sovereign National Conference, restructure the country drastically and devolve power from the centre. If you are looking for fundamental change in Nigeria, these are the only two courses of action that can produce it.

The line up in our country is therefore clear.

On the one hand, you have the ordinary people, who have nothing and little hope for a brighter future, and on the other, you have the ruling elite, who have everything. Those waiting for such a change to evolve under the present system and structure will wait forever.

This is because under the present system there is no hope for a peaceful, purposeful and meaningful change, because justice, equity and fairness have no place. Worse still, the most courageous people with the best minds, who are prepared to speak the truth no matter how bitter, and have an element of vision, are always destroyed, discredited or set aside. If anyone doubts this, they should consider the fate of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Moshood Abiola. Those who have a clear vision about the way Nigeria needs to go have no say, and those who have a say have no vision. Our country is in the hands and grip of mediocre that just don’t care.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian people do not seem to have the resilience or strength to effect either of the two options for true change anytime soon. They seem to have been so traumatised, demoralised and subjugated in the last 50 years that they have lost their will to resist inequity, tyranny and injustice, to insist on determining their own fate and to fight for their own future. And who can blame them because the state itself is extremely violent and ruthless in the way and manner it fights and resists change, and those who advocate it.

Very few good leaders can emerge at the federal level in such a system, because it was not designed to produce truly progressive leaders. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, the type of leaders the Nigerian system is designed to throw up are leaders that are not minded to bring any benefit or hope to the ordinary people, but rather there to protect the archaic system and maintain the nebulous and dysfunctional status quo.

The relevance of the British today is that they are not only the architects of this monumental monstrosity but are also the ones that have continued to encourage and support the ruling elite that runs and sustains it.

•Fani-Kayode is former Minister of Aviation

Mainstr eet bank blues

By TUNJI BAKARE ecently, Mainstreet Bank, former Afribank, has been in the news for a plethora of reasons. In the main, it has been in the news, first, for the arbitrary sack in June of over 800 members of its workforce without negotiations between them, and later, cheeringly, for bouncing back into reckoning as a profit-spinning bank.

Another reason for which word has been circulating but has not been in the electronic and print media is another act of arbitrariness. This time it literarily ordered its customers to get its recently produced/Mainstreet Bank branded cheque books under one month because ‘Effective 1/8/2012’, Afribank cheques will not be honoured.” Although it asked that enquiries on the matter can be made on a phone number included in the SMS sent to us, its customers, calls to the number never went through. All you get to hear when the number is called is that the number is ‘incorrect’. This writer eventually spoke to an official of the bank on one of the numbers on its website and

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complained of the arbitrariness of its instruction. This yielded the usual answer of ‘we will look into it. Two weeks after a mail on the same matter was sent to its customer service mail box - customerservice@mainstreetbanklimited.com - not even an acknowledgement was received.

The issues are (a) the bank’s management knew, at the outset, that it would change the cheque books or issue Mainstreet cheque books, and that should have been done between one and two months of the coming of Mainstreet in August 2011. Thereafter, all those customers with Afribank cheque books, who have exhausted same, would on request for new cheque books be issued the ‘new’ Mainstreet cheque books. (b) It has continued to issue Afribank cheque books regardless of its intention to produce ‘new’ cheque books for the ‘new’ bank for which customers paid. Many customers have not exhausted the ‘old’ cheque books issued them after the coming of the ‘new’ bank, Mainstreet, the new feeding fat on the old.

Whereas Mainstreet took over its asset and profited by it, it now wants to shortchange its customers by refusing them to exhaust the ‘old’ cheque books sold by the ‘new’ bank.

This amounts to ripping off the customers on the cost of unused cheque leaves with them since the coming into effect of its order without reimbursing them the cost of the unused cheque leaves.

What should have been done is for Mainstreet to either (i) Wait out the use of Afribank cheques currently with its customers (many of which were issued after the change) and issue them the ‘new’ ones after exhausting them or (ii) Recall the ones with the customers through its various branches – less the stubs that may be required by some customers for auditing/accounting purposes – and credit our accounts with the cost of the cheque leaves so recalled. This is because (a) the cheques are not unusable or worthless – indeed, they still serve their purpose, (b) the customers paid for them and should not be saddled with them due to no fault of theirs. .

For the purpose of this treatise, let us assume that each of all current account customers has, as you read this, only ten (10) leaves with them. Please, calculate the cost of 10 leaves and multiply this by the number of current account holders the bank has. The result is the amount of money and the ‘unearned’ income Mainstreet would have arbitrarily and unjustifiably ripped off cudtomers due to no fault of theirs. In my case, I have 31 unused leaves in cheque book issued me after the change. What would I and thousands like me do with them?

I urge Mainstreet Bank to either let us exhaust our cheque books or recall the unused leaves and credit our accounts with the cost as we also work for our money. The days when customers are taken for granted and dealt with arbitrarily by a service provider, when options are legion, are gone for ever. This is why service providers and producers of consumer items now fall over themselves at running promos.

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Chelsea ends Arsenal’s unbeaten run

Sports

remier League leader, Chelsea, beat London rival, Arsenal 2–1 with goals from Spaniard’s Fernando Torres and Juan Mata yesterday to maintain its unbeaten start to the season while handing Arsenal its first defeat.

Both Chelsea’s goals came as a result of Mata’s free kicks and poor Arsenal’s

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defending, with Torres outmuscling Laurent Koscielny to volley the European champion ahead at the Emirates Stadium after 20 minutes for his third league goal of the season.

Gervinho equalised for Arsenal three minutes before the break when he turned crisply and fired into the roof of the net for his fourth goal

of the campaign.

Chelsea, which started with skipper John Terry, as he mulls an appeal over a four-game ban for racist abuse, regained the lead after 53 minutes when Mata’s free kick eluded everyone before clipping Koscielny and flying in past keeper Vito Mannone.

2nd BUA Talent Hunt ends in grand style

By MADUABUCHI KALU he 2nd BUA Groupsponsored annual football talent hunt came to a glorious end yesterday at Government College Osborne in Ikoyi, Lagos. The competition, which started last month, saw 16 teams vying for honours and at the end, Joker Football Club and Talent Football Club squared up for the final.

A representative of the BUA Group, Ms Maria Anyamele, expressed her satisfaction over the quality of the interesting age group competition to Sunday Sunsports. She said the championship has achieved its purpose, as it puts smiles on the faces of kids and as well, pulls them out from the streets, even as it creates window of opportunities for them to succeed in life.

Her words: “BUA Group is satisfied with the quality of the

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•Keshi (r) giving orders to Godfrey Oboabona

2013 Nations Cup qualifier

competition so far. The reason the management decided to get involved in the competition is justified.

“About three of the youngsters discovered last year from the competition are already in various football academics in the United Kingdom and in like manner, the ones that have been discovered in this year’s edition will get the opportunity as well to horn their skills abroad.

“The sponsorship is part of BUA Group’s corporate social responsibility, and we are happy seeing the excitement it puts on the faces of the kids,” Ms Anyamele said.

Meanwhile, Talent Hunt FC emerged champion of this year's edition of the competition after defeating Joker FC 52 on penalties after the encounter had ended 1-1 at the regulation time.

FIFA U-17 Women World Cup

Flamingoes qualify for q-final, trash Colombia 3-0 igeria has qualified for the quarterfinal of the 2012 FIFA Under-17 Women World Cup in Azerbaijan after beating Colombia 3–0 yesterday.

The Flamingoes finished top of their group with seven points, same as Canada, which could only scrape a 1–0 win over tournament host, Azerbaijan.

Halimatu Ayinde put Nigeria in front in the 32nd minute after a through ball from Chiwendu Ihezuo to end first half with a 1–0 lead.

The Nigerian girls, despite dominating the game, failed to

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Keshi goes tough on players, officials S

find the back of the net again, as the Colombians were strong in defence until Ayinde found the net to complete a brace in the 75th minute.

She has thus scored two braces in the tournament to take her tally to four in the tournament.

The Flamingoes’third goal was an own goal from Diana Duarte, who headed into her own net in the 80th minute.

Nigeria will face Les Bleuettes of France in the quarterfinal match after the European side finished second in Group B behind Korea Democratic Republic.

Balotelli back to his girlfriend

By ONYEWUCHI NWACHUKWU

...As Eagles’ camp opens today in Abuja

tephen Keshi is in no mood to suffer fools gladly as preparations for the crucial return leg of the final qualifying game of the 2013 Nations Cup begins in Abuja today.

“Honestly, this game has turned the Big Boss into something else. He used to be very friendly but now, we are seeing the other side of him. He is not listening to excuses from anyone of his assistants or players.

“I even appealed to him to allow me report to camp on Monday to enable me attend to pressing issues, but he vehemently turned down my request. This is how serious the man has become.

“In fact, he has made it clear that anybody who was not ready to give his best before and during the game should not bother reporting to the camp.”

The Eagles’ spokesman confirmed that all the 25 home-based players Keshi called up are expected to arrive in Abuja today for the resumption of camp, while the foreign-based pros were given on or before October 8 as their arrival dates.

“Keshi has also read the riot act to the foreign-based players he invited for the

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The ‘Big Boss’ has told the home-based players he invited for the game against the Lone Star of Liberia, as well as the coaches and officials, to report to camp today or forget about being part of the encounter slated for the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar on October 13.

Media Officer of the team, Ben Alaiya, revealed yesterday that Keshi has reeled out in clear terms the seriousness he attaches to the game and has called on everybody involved with the prosecution of the tie to follow suit.

Alaiya stressed that the Eagles’ gaffe, who used to enjoy jokes with his officials, has suddenly changed his humorous disposition to press home his intention that preparations for the much anticipated game was no longer a joking matter.

Liberia game. They all have a deadline of October 8 to report to camp so that serious work can begin.

“As you know, from October 8 we would be left

with just five days to prepare the team for the game and that is why the coach has made the arrival date sacrosanct,” the media officer added.

occer bad-boy, Mario Balotelli, has kissed and made up with his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

The Man City star says he will “try again” with Raffaella Fico six months after dumping her.

Balotelli, who demanded a DNA test on the unborn child, also apologised to her.

He said: “I’ve decided to try again with Raffaella. The DNA

Liberia can't stop Nigeria – Ekpo

By MADUABUCHI KALU ormer international midfielder, Friday Ekpo, has expressed optimism that Super Eagles of Nigeria will qualify for next year's Nations Cup billed for South Africa.

Ekpo said with the approach Coach Stephen Keshi and his crew has adopted by making the fight for Super Eagles' shirt open, he sees no reason the country would not triumph over Liberia in the two-legged final qualifying match.

“I thank God for the draw in the first leg, it's a good one. I don't see Liberia beating Nigeria to the 2013 South Africa Nations Cup qualification. We have always been at the Nations Cup except this year in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea, which we could not make due to some mistakes on

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our part. Except for that and our inability to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, we had always participated in the World and Nations Cups,” Ekpo said.

“However, I have not said that it would be an easy ride because there are no minnows again in football. But I know that Nigeria has always had an upper hand over Liberia in football and I don't see why it would be different now. For me, both the players and the coaching crew are performing with much zeal to succeed and make Nigeria proud.

“Keshi and his men are doing well. The fight for the national team's jersey is now open for every Nigerian player.

With the good work the technical crew is doing coupled with the players' enthusiasm in executing their job, I am optimistic that Eagles will make it to the

Nations Cup in South Africa next year,” Ekpo said.

The Akwa Ibom State-born former Eagles' star said that he believes that Nigeria has learnt from her past mistakes and was of the opinion that since those at the helm of affairs are aware of what is at stake, they would not allow anything to ruin the country's chances of playing in South Africa next year, not even Liberia.

He, however, advised the football authorities in the country to put the necessary logistics in place in order to make Eagles' run to the Nations Cup a smooth one.

“The Nigeria Football Federation should plug every loophole that could make Nigeria stumble in the hands of Liberia when both countries meet on October 13 for the second leg of the qualifier.”

...And her unborn kid test has not been performed and has nothing to do with my decision.

“I’d have asked for the test in that situation with anyone, not just Raffaella. I’m sorry for everything that has happened.”

Balotelli split from the Italian undies model, 24, in April before she knew she was pregnant. It followed The Sun’s revelations he had been cheating on her with blonde, Chloe Evans and former escort, Jenny Thompson.

Raffaella, who proudly displayed her bump earlier this month at a Milan fashion show, told Italian TV she has the star’s name tattooed on her finger.

•Raffaella

60 SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

The Sunday Interview

I’m a political warlord ...and I‘ll determine who’ll contest –Ayo Fayose

By WILLY EYA (willyeya@yahoo.com)

F

ORMER governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose is one man who is not afraid of a fight provided it is in the political arena. He tells anybody who cares to listen that he is ever ready for such political engagements. Fayose who describes himself as a political warlord, was recently readmitted into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party which he once dumped under controversial circumstances. In this interview, he speaks on reasons for his readmission and other national issues.

As a politician, how do you feel about the state of the nation today?

Nigeria is a very diverse and complicated society for obvious reasons like our ethnic and religious circumstances. That has not helped matters over time.

Sometimes it looks as if it could be a strength but it is more of a dividing factor and our military past too has not helped matters. It has culminated in what we are today-the drifting, unguarded utterances and attitude of our leaders no matter whatever ethnic region they come from. The extravagant life we live also is a factor. At the moment, nothing seems to be looking up for Nigeria in terms of so many things. With the global recession, Nigeria is not an island that would not be affected by it. But sometimes, we live life as if all is well. Asmall percentage enjoy while a larger percentage is suffering. Secondly, the deteriorating security situation doesn’t help matters. This has equally set us apart than ever before. I believe that if leaders would change their attitudes, if we all believe in Nigeria and look at the nation as a country and that we do not have an alternative, may be we would have a better tomorrow. But as it is now, the situation calls for attention.

With the level of insecurity of lives and property in the northern part of the country, what do you think of the future of Nigeria?

With all due respect, the agitation of the North is not healthy. This is because at some point, the Niger Delta was a problem to Nigeria just because they wanted power.

But I would not attribute the situation totally to the issue of politics. I see it as the interest of a few trying to create an environment make it look like if power does not go to the North, then they would pull the roof. But the North should appreciate that they have ruled Nigeria more than the time by the South combined. Nobody prayed that the former president, Umaru Yar’Adua should die.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo genuinely even

in the face of all possibility of not handing over to the North, handed over to them. That means it was not a deliberate attempt to sideline the North and I want everybody to put himself in the shoes of President Goodluck Jonathan who came to power by providence. There was no way Jonathan would not have exercise his own right to succeed Yar’Adua after his death. And Nigeria has not come to an end. There must be patience on the part of the North. But the method being applied now would not get the North or Nigeria anywhere. I want to say it clearly that such violence cannot come to the South. It’s only consuming the North and it’s the North that can check the situation. The leadership in that region is the only body that can check the excesses in the North.

Nobody would come to the South West, Lagos or Ekiti and detonate bombs. If you throw bomb, it would consume so many things. So the war in the North is against their leadership principally.

That’s why they cannot come here and throw bomb because if you throw bombs here, you are inviting anarchy. So, the problem in the North must be solved there.

How does it feel like coming back to the PDP? I labored for PDP. I came to PDP at a time when nobody could dare to identify with the party. I was the first elected governor in the party.

The circumstances that I went through made me leave the party, and the way I was treated. I was treated like a man who fell in Mecca. Instead of people helping me to rise, they were marching on me within the PDP. And I want to say today that my status as a former governor calls for respect for me, even from my critics. In the military, when you are once an administrator, other people would care and look after you. But politicians are not like that. The moment you fall, that is your end. They forget that falling is normal but failure to rise is the problem. I thank God that He is giving me the grace to fight on. I am always in the political trenches. I am not afraid of anything and I cannot leave Ekiti for anybody. If you face me I will face you. If you harass me I will harass you. And we are not the only ones watching. The public is watching us. Today, not many people would have left office for over six years and still have relevance. Not many people would go to Ekiti today and the city would go agog. Forget about what politicians say and their noise and their blackmail.

Aman who they say was killing at that time is still being loved today. They tried to rubbish all my achievements but it has become a yardstick for measurement of governments that have come after me. To me I have become mature enough not to condemn any governor but let the people judge by our past, our today and our tomorrow.

So, the reason for my coming to PDP is that I have a living structure in the party that has not died. The people that make up that structure are still yearning that their boss would come back one day. They have come to my house in Lagos and Ibadan severally to appeal to me to come back. And in line with what is fair and reasonable, I chose to go back. I believe that when you fall, you can r i s e again.

party. How true is that?

That is a made up story. The story was carried by only one paper and you know such can come from any political party. They might want to give the impression that all is not well with the PDP in Ekiti State. To me, I would not see that story as authentic. What does Obasanjo want to lose by my coming back to PDP? Even if we have a difference, I cannot be in PDP without being his friend anyway. And every young person too would have offended his leader but it behooves on his leader to equally one day rally his people to come back. I have been an Obasanjo boy to the letter. I have been a staunch follower of Obasanjo.

Nobody can deny that. So, that story is concocted by some people. What should Obasanjo lose by my coming? Rather, my coming back adds value to the party. And I am sure that anywhere Obasanjo is, He is happy that I came back. I have exchanged correspondence with Obasanjo. I wrote to him and indeed apologized for the way I spoke to him in the past. He replied me and said all is well. So, the same person that sent that letter and confirmed that all is well cannot equally be saying things to the contrary. But it is the work of people who are afraid to imagine that if these kinds of things are happening in PDP, it portends danger to our own political future. And there is no due process other than that I have to go to my ward and obtain a card. I have been given a card.

The constitution in Ekiti said the party should write to the national through the zone to confirm that they have accepted the returnee and the national now has the power to wave or confirm that you are back. And that is exactly what they have done. It was backdated to the time that I came. So, may be the fear of the backdating is why they are worried. All I am saying is that all is well and we have to ignore some stories.

Before you went back to PDP, many thought that you were on the same page politically with the governor of your state, Kayode Fayemi. The impression is that you contributed a lot to his election. Is it that you did not get your due under him that you decided to leave the ACN? I did not at any time join the ACN. I said it expressly clear when I was fighting PDP that I would never join ACN. That does not mean I hate ACN but I have a different ideology and belief. In some cases, you cannot grow more than your pastor. I have a lot of respect for Asiwaju but we were governors at the same time. So, I cannot go to ACN. But because I was upset with the PDPconsidering the way I was treated that time, I supported Dr Kayode Fayemi. And I must equally tell you clearly that I have nothing against him. He is a governor after me; though I am not happy with a few things but that is not to say that I have to put my political life in line with his own. I am entitled to my own political future irrespective of the differences. But he is our governor. I am mature to know that I would not even criticize him openly.

If I have issues to tell him, I would write him.

Regrettably, we have not spoken for almost a year. But it does not matter.

A governor is a governor and should be respected. We should cooperate to the extent that our state must grow but the politics have not started.

When we get to the political terrain, we would be talking about politics that time. But it is time for governance and I am not ready to criticize him for one reason. If I criticize Fayemi now and he is correcting himself, how would PDP come back there?

Secondly, I am only one person though I have a lot of followers.

Let Ekiti people criticize Kayode

““

You must stop in my house if you want to look for anyThere a r e thing in the party or insinuations that we give support to some power brokers in somebody else PDP are not comfortable with your readmission to the

Continues on Page 61

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

61

The Sunday Interview Continued from Page 60 Fayemi and not me. The moment I talk, my own statement can be misinterpreted. So, as a governor, I wish him well. I want him to record achievements for Ekiti people as far as he can go.

He should also remember that anything that has a beginning must come to an end. So, I am a member of the PDPand not the ACN. And I have nothing personal against Fayemi. He is the governor of my state and we must make sure that Ekiti moves forward irrespective of party affiliation.

Is it true that you came back to PDP to allow you contest the next governorship election in Ekiti State?

That is if I want to contest. Let me put it this way. If I want to contest, I am entitled to contest.

Some people have put it to me that they believe I would contest. But the issue here is that this government is only two years old. For me, I want the PDP to grow. I want to hold the ace in any party that I am. If I want to contest I will and if I am not contesting, I will determine who would contest and be the flag bearer by holding the people to myself. I am a mobilizer and political warlord. I play politics everyday. I live there. I walk around to hold more people to myself to be able to challenge anybody who want to challenge me in the party. So, when I have so many people, you must stop in my house if you want to look for anything in the party. If you do not stop in my house, we will give support to somebody else. I have been out of the party for six years and I came back within four months and you saw the result of the congresses. May I say there is no winner, no vanquished? But we are on ground and we play politics with zeal and belief. We believe that when we are part of it, we would be able to assist the people. I want to hold the ace. Holding the people to take decisions when the time comes. But if people suspect I want to contest election, if the PDP finds me fit and if the people of Ekiti want me, I would not deny them that opportunity.

However, for now I want to keep my fingers crossed.

Do you see the PDP reclaiming Ekiti considering that the South West geopolitical zone has a culture of being in the opposition? Don’t you think that it would be difficult for the PDP to dislodge the ACN in Ekiti?

If the ACN ever dreamt that they would come back, everybody would tell you that such a dream cannot come true at the time we took over in the South West. What it means is that nothing is permanent. The very moment you start governance, you either start failing or achieving. I will

‘I won’t leave Ekiti for anybody’ not tell you that because a party is in power today, they can always be there and hold power indefinitely. In the North, CPC came and swept so many people off their feet. Who gave them the chance? One man. At the same time, the court judgment sent signals to the whole of the South West. Such is life. So, telling anybody that because you are in power today, you will be there indefinitely, is daydreaming. We will continue to work and trusting God that it is possible to turn the table in the South West.

You sound so religious. How close are you to God? Fayose is not an enemy of God. I do not like to be religious. This is because being religious is nothing. Some people would say I am God’s person. It is only God that would say whether you are his person or not. But to me life is not livable without God and I do not preach sermon in politics. Politicians should play politics with the fear of God and not preaching sermon inside politics.

To me, I play politics remembering that everything that has a beginning must have an end.

There are two things to it. If age does not take you away, death would take it one day. We should be careful of whatever we do.

Some people compare Bola Tinubu to late Obafemi Awolowo? How do you feel when such comparisons are made in terms of their political ideals?

It is not deniable that Asiwaju is a leader. He is a rallying point no doubt to members of his party and people who believe in him. I have respect for him even though I am not a member of his party.

But I do not believe in his ideology and if I do, I would be in his party. I have a lot of respect for him because he is a good fighter. But I cannot compare him with Awolowo and I would not compare anybody with Awolowo. Every individual is unique in his own way and would make his marks. If you compare Asiwaju to Awolowo, you would compare Awolowo to Jesus Christ. We are then being excessive. Every politician is unique for a period, purpose and time. At the same time, we must be very careful not to turn men into God. You must equally be able to appreciate men but not to equate them with God. For the age Awolowo existed, he gave his best. Asiwaju also to his numerous supporters and people that believe in him, he is a rallying point. This is because anybody who can stay in the gap for others is a good leader but that does not say that he

has answers to all questions.

Before your readmission, what was the experience outside the PDP like?

Apolitician is a politician. What is important is that your uniqueness would always manifest anywhere you find yourself. I was sharing something with somebody who was talking about political parties and their manifestos. But I was clear that these manifestos are only meaningful when they are being executed by the right man.

The performance of a governor or a leader is sometimes related to his innate ability to do good.

A lot of people cannot enjoy their own money.

They find it difficult to drink coke out of their money. Not so many governors would do well even at the abundant resources at their disposal.

This is because they have no ideas. They are lifted to such positions by certain powers that be and some people are even over-packaged. It is when they now get there that you realize that what the people want is not what they are doing and they would be hyping it in the media. So, let me say that I believe in men’s innate ability to deliver. A lot of people today claim to love the common people but they love their purse. Some people would say it is the people that said they should go and contest but it is a lie. It is you that wants to be governor and by extension helping the people.

Your party, the PDP, has been in charge at the centre for barely 13 years now. Do you think it has lived up to the peoples’expectation in terms of delivery of democracy dividends?

Nigeria is not about PDP alone. This is because the federal government gets half of the money and the states get half also. So if you are talking about the federal government, you must also talk about the states. But the problem is that we set aside the constitution and we begin to worship one person. That is the bane of our democracy. Institutions are not developed. When we come before a governor, we are falling over one another to get his attention. By so doing, the man would now realize that he has the ultimate powers and he would likely abuse it. If you know that people can check the excesses of leaders even if it is through the courts, you would see that the excesses of such leaders would be cut to size. We always blame the federal government but how many governors are abusing the powers they have?

And that is why I would not join those asking for state police. Most governors are excessively abusing the state police. As much as there must be devolution of powers from the federal to the state, can we ask the state too how effective they have used the money that they have? So, when we are saying our party has been in government, what about other states that PDPis not controlling and they are still backward. These things graduate from ground to up and not vice versa. What do you say to an Okada man who is breaking the law and is blaming the federal government?

What do you say of a man who is not paying tax and he is blaming the federal government? What do you say of a man who is pouring refuse into the gutter and he is blaming the federal government? May I say that the way Nigeria is structured has made it impossible for any president to over-perform. The National Assembly today gags the president if they do not get their dues. If the money is not forthcoming the way it should come, they would tell you that the president is not doing well. They would begin to fight and they would bring impeachment. So, the whole system is sick and the blame cannot be shifted to anybody. This siren we are using started in the military era and it is a bad culture that promotes individualism and not institutions.

•Fayose

Mimiko: Of Ajanaku and his foolish questions

By DELE OGUNSAKIN

T

HERE are many reasons why the leperous and relentlessly corrupt contraption called Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a party built around a drunken god, is jealous of the Iroko of world acclaim, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Chief Executive of Ondo State. For long, aided by its one-eyed newspapers and corrupted allies, the party successfully brainwashed Nigerians, saying it had arrived with great goodies as the saviour of the people. But, while it has failed to back up its boasts with solid performance, it had always been embarrassed that Dr Mimiko has refused to allow it to harness the resources of Ondo State. To make matters worse, Mimiko’s performance, acknowledged as a global brand, has evoked jealousy and put a lie to its (ACN’s) dubious claims. What is more, in addition to countless awards, almost by the day, Dr Mimiko has just been given the UN Habitat Scroll of Honour award, a lucid testimony to credible governance, because the Western world does not joke with its parameters. However, rather than call on his devotees to deliver good governance to the people by borrowing a leaf from the authentic people’s governor, the philistine from the illegal State of Osun has ordered his bootlickers in the Lagos media to bring down the Iroko at all costs. As the Yoruba would say, this philistine’s fried yam (dundu) is getting over-peppered and his doom is just around the corner.

In this Iroko-must-be-hacked enterprise, however, the ACN failed to recruit intelligent writers,

relying on intellectual midgets and moral cripples, who send their brains on holiday while writing to prosecute a losing battle. Labour lost, you would agree, especially when the writers utilise the internet to advertise their illiteracy to the whole world. As part of what he called “50 Questions for Mimiko,’’ Tinubu’s bootlicker, Idowu Ajanaku, a man whose records of failure should irritate even the devil, asked Mimiko to tell the world what happened to “the multimillion naira Owena Dam project at Owo.’’ Yes, you heard right: Owena Dam project at Owo! Does anyone still doubt the fact that these lepers don’t know Ondo State; that they are only after a corrupt empire, striving hard to arrest the massive development going on in the state, and that even their fake baba-onirungbon-yeuke candidate is not even a registered voter in Ondo State? In Ajanaku’s Plato’s Cave, Owena Dam is in Owo and, I suppose, Kano is also the capital of California. Yet, if he really wanted to see the Iroko’s water projects, all he needed do was to visit Awara Dam or Ose Dam close to his home town in Idogun. He would see that the water projects are beautifully on course, not like the “television water’’ of past administrations, and that rubbishing Mimiko along that line is a futile effort.

Not surprisingly, question number one in Ajanaku’s list of 50 lunatic questions concerns “The whopping N65 billion OSOPADEC Fund,’’a sum which is the aggregate of what that agency has received since inception, and for which Ajanaku should have asked, if he could, the late Baba Adebayo Adefarati or his friend, Dr Olusegun Agagu, questions. Unfortunately for Ajanaku and his employers, elections are not

based on 50 foolish questions.

Like all jejune writers exhibiting gross incompetence and an unusual temerity in fabricating lies, Ajanaku had the temerity to say that the Akure Stadium (a stadium that has an astro turf soccer pitch; Olympic-size swimming pool, world class basketball court and so on) has been ‘abandoned’; that “the Mega School project” is unfulfilled when, in reality, 30 mega schools have already been completed while 24 others are in various stages of completion, bringing them to a record 54! Why would Ajanaku not imply there are no mega schools in Ikare-Akoko, Okitipupa, Ondo, Ore, Akure, etc. since he is an outsider pontificating in a dream world? The contractor handling the Ile Oluji stadium has refuted the lie that it collected N273 million and asked Ajanaku’s media stations to apologise, but that apparently does not bother him; just as he would boldly claim there are no Abiye hospitals in Ondo State except in Akure! Seriously, how do you address these characters, who always claim that Ondo people are not mature enough to know what is good for them? How do you address robbers, in Ngugi Wa Thiong’O’s terms, who are openly proud of their actions? You can only appeal to men of conscience.

Ajanaku would, of course, also talk about “the failed Owo-Akure road dualisation project’’ since he must maximize the advertisement of his ignorance and naivety. He may wish to learn that the road in question is a Federal Government road in which Ondo State government has never, at any time, stopped intervening. He would make a dirge of the lie that Ondo State government collected N50 billion bond simply because it is not in the league of Asiwaju Company of Nigeria. To

date, however, the apprentice governments in Ogun, Osun and Ekiti have borrowed far more than N50 billion each, while Lagos has raised over N150 billion. Ajanaku would, however, not see anything wrong in the ACN states raising bonds simply because of his partisan views. The about N26 billion bond obtained by the Ondo State government, with a sense of accountability, which is lacking in ACN states, was executed on meaningful, life-changing projects that dot the landscape of the state. Graduates are not roadside cleaners and cutters of grass in Ondo State, and there are no private armies constituted by misled and untrained youths. Ondo people are proud of their heritage and do not have plate-washers during parties in the name of youth empowerment, nor do they seize all the resources of a state in which they have no roots. But Ajanaku and his employers will never sit down and think because, as our people say, “a dog that will get lost does not heed the hunter’s whistle.’’

Recall that in Ajanaku’s world, ACN is always right. Thus, he can claim that the Akure Dome project, which is almost completed, is “doomed’’ just as he wants Dr Mimiko rather than Olusegun Agagu to answer questions about Okitipupa Oil Palm. Ajanaku would accuse Dr Mimiko of abandoning moribund sites like Oluwa Glass, as if the governor met them as work-in-progress; he would also advertise his ignorance about urban renewal by mocking the water fountain project in Akure. Terms like greenery, eco-balance and the three geometries are foreign to him since they do not relate to writing jejune articles for unconscionable individuals. The Mother and Child Hospital was started at Igbara Oke as a pilot scheme and, to date, no community in Ondo State lacks a community health centre.

62

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SUNDAY SUN

POWER GAME SERIES

By IHEANACHO NWOSU, Abuja

T

HE 2015 general election may be clearly far off the mark but the opposition camp is having sleepless nights.

The reason has nothing to do with recruitment of new members nor search for funds to prosecute the polls. It has to do with finding the right formula with which it can wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Like in the past, the parties are left with diverse options. But as it is, the most credible option to them appears to be going into marriage to allow them have a strong foothold to fight. And, so far, the three leading opposition parties ANPP, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) are not pretending that it is a task they must accomplish quickly as possible. Whether PDP is feeling threatened about the move or the public is taking them serious is another thing.

By the calculation of the three parties, the merger is to be consummated on or before 2014. If the seriousness of the new move is to be gauged by the number of meetings that the leaders of the three parties have held, they have done well. But, from all indications, it is beyond that.

ACN and CPC started the new move. And they have remained in the driving seat for it.

ANPP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) were lured into the arrangement. While the former bought into it, the latter has not seen the sense in merging with any party to fight PDP. ACN and CPC started the merger talk earlier than many would have anticipated. It began three months after the April 2011 elections. Engr Buba Galadima, CPC stalwart claimed the reason for starting that early was to have ample time to address issues that might threaten the marriage.

He said “ we know that everybody is surprised that this merger talks started soon after the controversial election of 2011, we want to look at everything and agree on how to handle all issues that may threaten our coming together”.

Some are dismissing the current merger moves as no threat. Those who argue this way cannot be blamed. Prior to 2011 elections, ACN and CPC had made similar moves but nothing at the end of the day came out of it. The ambitions of key leaders of the two parties thwarted the alliance talks.

Galadima believes it is unfair to blame the two parties on the failure of the alliance talk. “ I have heard people blame CPC and ACN for our networking during the last election. I have even heard people blaming Gen Buhari and Tinubu but the truth is that these claims are spurious. The only reason why the alliance did not work was simply as result of lack of time. We are starting early this time to prevent what happened before from repeating itself”, he said.

While the reason given by Galadima may not be contestable, the parties may have commenced the merger talk early enough so as to beat the INEC’s deadline for the merger of political parties.

Going by Electoral Act 2011, parties cannot be allowed to merge less than three months to the national election. Perhaps, it is on the ground of this that the parties are seeking consummation of the merger deal in 2014 or in 2013.

According to Section 84 (6) of the Electoral Act 2011, “Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, no merger of political parties received by the commission less than 90 days before any general election in the country shall be considered by the commission.”

Section 84 (2) of the Act states, “Political parties intending to merge shall each give to the commission 90 days notice of their intention to do so before a general election.” “ Our target is to conclude this arrangement next year or early 2014” , a chieftain of ANPP who pleaded for anonymity told Sunday Sun. However, even as those involved in the merger talks believe that they are making appreciable progress in the project, some analysts are pessimistic of the deal not hitting the rock. The first thing that may jeopardize the merger is the name that the new party will bear. Will any party accept

•Tinubu •Buhari

Questions in opposition parties’ merger talks that its name be subsumed in the new arrangement?

Another threat is the possibility of the ruling PDP infiltrating the ranks of the planned mega party. A top member of one of the parties said that they were aware of the antics of the PDP, which he alleged, scuttled such merger talks in the past through the moles it planted in the parties.

Galadima said: “ we are aware that PDP would want to infiltrate our ranks to ensure that our plans fail. We are guarding against this and I know that we are capable of checkmating PDP in this regard.

“What is uppermost in our minds is how to rescue the country from this misrule of the PDP. Nobody is talking about how to share political offices now,” he said.

So far, the three parties are keeping secret their agenda on the merger because of the fear that the ruling party would sabotage it but how long they can keep their plans away from the prying eyes of the ruling party is to be seen.

Although PDP has consistently said it is not perturbed by the alliance talk, it is not also keeping quiet about the moves. This clearly means that it is concerned about the implication of the coming together of opposition forces.

National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisah Metuh, in a statement two weeks ago said, “We hear of alliances and mergers every day. That is not new. Let us wait for 2015. Do you think Nigerians are fools? Do you think that Nigerians do not take notice of the character and tendency of individuals and political parties?

“The PDP is the only party that is committed to the continued existence of Nigeria and the welfare of its people.

“At the appropriate time, they will decide whether to entrust their great nation into the hands of regionalists, doomsday prophets and pro-anarchists or to the safe hands of the PDP. Basic common sense will prefer the latter.”

Metu’s statement sparked virulent reaction from the opposition camp. National Publicity Secretary of the All Nigeria Peoples Party

(ANPP), Mr. Emma Eneukwu, in an interview dismissed Metu’s claims as deceptive and urged the public to discountenance them. He said the opposition parties were serious about the merger talks.

Zeroing specifically on what his party is doing, Enekwu said the ANPP was determined to ensure that the merging of the parties succeeded.

He argued that the PDP was aware of the implications of the merger discussions and was initiating moves to scuttle the process. Perhaps in an effort to get his message properly conveyed, he claimed that the PDP was working hard to plant moles in the fold of the opposition to ensure that the talks were not successful.

According to him, the ANPP will ensure that anybody found to be involved with the PDP in conduct inimical to the ongoing discussions will be fished out and sanctioned in accordance with the stipulations of the party’s constitution.

His words:“We in the ANPP are very serious with our merger talks. You know that the PDP would not want us to have successful mergers; they wouldn’t want it to succeed.

“And that is why they have repeatedly planted people among us to scuttle the process, and that is also the reason why we are starting early.

“The PDP should be preparing to get out of governance because we are going to send them packing in 2015.

“I know how far we have gone in these talks; each time we talk of mergers, they sponsor people to destabilize the process.

“But if we detect any of our members in such an alliance with the PDP, of course, we shall subject the person to the position of the party’s constitution on discipline.

“We cannot predict the outcome of talks. Talks are discussions that are ongoing. That is, we are still talking.”

CPC took similar approach in analyzing how PDPviewed the merger of the opposition parties.

The CPC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, described the PDP as a dying

party.

He contended: “CPC’s alliance with its coalition partners is on course. It is a patriotic endeavour and that explains why the parties in the coalition are determined to make the alliance talks bear the desired fruit. There is the need to arrest the precipitous drift of the PDP.” Agreed the spokesmen of the opposition raised valid points in their assessment of PDP and issues relating to the merger, they have failed to address some cogent concerns. Some of such concerns is will the leaders of the different parties bury their ambitions when it comes to selecting the person who will fly the flag of the mega party? How will the CPC which sees itself as the only party that has people of integrity as members bend backward to unite with politicians?

For many, it is just a matter of time for these dividing lines to tear the party apart. However, such can be avoided if the opposition is truly committed to the project of dislodging the PDP. Good enough for the several Nigerians that appear to have some issues with the ruling party.

They can take advantage of the widespread disenchantment of the public to make loud statement in 2015. That, however will largely depend on those they field as candidate for the elections.

The immediate task the three parties in the merger talk have is how to draft more parties to the discussion. APGA and two other parties that have turned down invitation to join in the talk have sent a wrong signal to the public that there is no unity in the opposition camp.

Findings revealed that while the top echelon of the PDPdoes not take the merger plan as a threat, some influential members of the party within the recently-constituted advisory committee under former Vice President Alex Ekwueme are urging action before it is too late.

Those pushing for action were said to have cited reports that the opposition leaders are working in alliance with a shadowy group within the PDP which is reportedly waiting in the wing to ditch the ruling party if President Goodluck Jonathan secures the party’s presidential ticket for 2015.

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By OMONIYI SALAUDEEN

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INCE he beat a tactical withdrawal out of the political scene after his last gubernatorial ambition in his Katsina home state, literally nothing has been heard of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari. He kept sealed lip on so many national issues. The reason for his attitude is still a matter of conjecture. But now that many concerned Nigerians are fretting over the danger of gradual erosion of national cohesion, he broke his silence. Calmly and with philosophical fortitude, he dismissed some raging controversies heating up the polity as unnecessary in this interview.

Excerpts: What is your take on the controversial issue of onshore/off shore dichotomy?

I have made my position very clear on this.

There shouldn’t be any controversy over the issue of onshore/off shore dichotomy. There was an act that was passed by the last National Assembly. And of course, the act is not sacrosanct. So, anybody who is not comfortable with any act passed by the National Assembly can propose an amendment by way of private members’ bill. To me, it is not controversial.

When you look into the history of onshore/off shore dichotomy, it was first introduced in the House between 1999 and 2003. Because of the controversial nature of the bill and the fact that it involves a lot of money, those littoral states were asking for 500 nautical miles and the President then proposed something far less. For so many reasons, the bill didn’t scale through. It was later reintroduced by the presidency after the consensus of all stakeholders to adopt political solution to the problem. If you could remember then, the late attorney General of the federation went to the Supreme Court over the matter. And when he was asked by the media, he said whatever was the decision of the Supreme Court, the issue would require political solution. So, there was this political solution of taking 200 nautical miles from the continental shelf, instead of 500 nautical miles with the view that the controversy would become a thing of the past as exploration and exploitation of oil go further deep into the sea in the course of time. For so many reasons, most of the oil companies are going off shore. You will also recall that there was a decision of the Supreme Court on the matter. By then, the Governors’ Forum or anybody challenging the decision of the court would have gone to court. But they didn’t. In any case, if the governors have suddenly realized the need for a review, they are entitled to ask for a review. Anybody who feels he is not comfortable with what is on ground today has the right to submit an amendment.

For me, there is no controversy. The only controversy is that some people are trying to play to the gallery as if they are promoting something that other people are not promoting or fail to promote. Anybody can promote a private members’ bill seeking for a review of the act. So, I don’t know why people are trying to achieve cheap political score. You know, whenever there is an issue, it touches on money, religion, regional politics. And some people like to play to the gallery. I am not part of that.

Despite all attempts made to review the constitution, there has always been an incessant agitation for restructuring of the Nigerian polity. Do you see the need to restructure the present federal system?

Amendment of the constitution shouldn’t be a ceremonial issue. It is purely a legislative matter. When we came in, we inherited a constitution from the military. So, there was the need and agitation to amend the constitution. But after the initial amendment, all other amendments should be treated like any other act of the National Assembly. I think we should move away from making ceremony out of the issue which makes it look as if amending the constitution is a project. Constitution amendment should be a continuous exercise. It should be a normal function of the National Assembly. So, the more you make it a ceremonial issue, the more you make some issues to be attended to controversial and sensational. In the end, a lot of

Aminu Masari:

Northern governors now emperors

resources will be spent and the outcome may be very little. Despite the huge amount expended between 2003 and 2007, our exercise ended up with nothing because of selfish issues that were introduced into it. There may be some need to amend some aspects of the constitution, but we shouldn’t make ceremony of it. We should make it as normal legislative activities of the National Assembly.

What about the second leg of the question regarding the agitation for restructuring of Nigeria?

It depends on what you mean by restructuring and what you intend to achieve by that. I think for me, it is really high time we ran away from unification aspect that was introduced into the running of the affairs of the country as if we are under a military government. If we are running a federation, I think we should run a federation. What is of necessity in Borno, for instance, may not be the same in Lagos or Akwa Ibom State. For example, under the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission, a salary structure was fixed for councilors, Chairmen of local government, state and National Assembly members and parastatals. I think they should limit themselves to the presidency because a councilor in my ward should not be earning the same thing like a councilor in some parts of Port Harcourt where revenue of a local government is even more than my state revenue. This is a simple area where the state

government should determine the salaries and allowances of political office holders. It is not the responsibility of the federal government to fix a uniform salary. Basically, you determine salaries on the basis of income. Such uniformity cannot work in a federation because there is divergence of culture, tradition and income.

Another example is a situation where the Federal Government passed a uniform policy on education saying that the minimum teaching qualification in primary school should be NCE. And they want this to be done in Lagos and my local government. We have a target to reach the university level but let us as a state come up with policies that would lead our children to achieve that. If you insist on NCE as the minimum teaching qualification, how many NCE graduates do you find in my local government?

At another time, they passed a national health policy and they want it to be implemented by all the states. Why? States should be allowed to fashion out policies based on the peculiarity of their needs and within the limit of their resources. Agreed, the Federal Ministry of Education can set standard on education. But it should be left to the state to formulate policies that will lead to the attainment of those standards. Today, you cannot go to the university unless you pass WAEC. Even after JAMB, you still have to pass post UME before you are admitted into the university. It is the responsibility of the states to produce students that will

qualify for admission. It is not for the federal government to come up with a national policy on education and then say NCE should not teach in primary school. Where are the NCE graduates? Even if they are there, how much are the states getting to pay. Instead of allowing the states to fix salaries commensurate with their revenue, they are passing a uniform policy. All this uniformity is part of what is creating the problem. My governor should not behave like governor of Bayelsa. He should not behave like governor of Rivers. He cannot behave like governor of Lagos because their income is different. But what do you have today? The governors are competing over the issue of who has the best of fleet and who is the most welldressed. They have abandoned the responsibility of leadership by doing something totally different. Salary structure should be fashioned on the basis of income of each state not on artificial basis. This is why anybody who finishes as a councilor even if he is from the remote part of the world will always want to be in the headquarters. So, rather than being a leader within his community, you now find a situation where the system creates miniature elite in the community. As such, he can no longer live there.

The system should be allowed to produce leaders who can easily live and assimilate within the people without necessarily having a wide gap between themselves and their communities.

Today, if you are a councilor, within two or three months, a gap has been created. Your taste has changed. Probably, you may even go for a new wife. By the time you finish, you become a senior beggar in the urban centre because your salary has stopped and you cannot go back to your community and live the way you have been living before. All these things are products of uniformity. This is not the kind of uniformity that is desirable for us in Nigeria. According to the statistics recently released by an international agency, the southern part of the country now records 80 percent school enrolment, while the North records just only 20 percent.

The same thing goes for literacy. How can you have uniformity in this huge gap? So, if you are talking of restructuring within the context of doing those things, I think I am with you. I am not afraid of restructuring. And I think every community should live within the limit of resources in that community. When we were growing up, there was discrepancy of salaries among the village heads and the district heads on the basis of how much you brought to the territory.

What connection do you then see between the agitation for state autonomy and resource control?

What do you mean by resource control? I don’t understand what people mean by resource control. The resources in Nigeria are of two different kinds. If you are a cocoa farmer, you probably own the land, got the seed, the insecticide and also did the labour. In that wise, you have control because you are putting in something. But because God has blessed you with something and you say you have resource control. What resource? What have you put in?

Resource control is about putting in and getting out something. The only thing I can say is that it is good to come up with an acceptable revenue formula that recognizes and appreciates where we are getting the resources and compensate the communities. Beyond that, no community can claim resource control. How can you claim oil control which lies so many kilometres underneath? So, there is a world of difference between agriculture and oil resource. In agriculture, people put in something. In the case of natural resources, you put in nothing. But I think there should be a recognition of the community interest because the exploitation of oil damages the environment. So, you cannot come to a community, exploit the resources there and live the people as poor as you met them. That is absolutely wrong, absolutely unacceptable. For me, I think all these issues about onshore/off shore dichotomy and resources control require more of political solution than a legal option. After all, we are not made for the law; it is the laws that are made for us. So, obviously, no matter what the constitution says, no matter the pronouncement of the courts, it is only political solution that can lead

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‘Why Senate is more stable than Reps’ Continued from Page 63 to an enduring resolution. I don’t want our leaders in the North here and the leaders in the south to take it as if it is a fight between northern governors and south-south governors. It is all about coming together and having equitable formula that will address ecological damages. If we don’t address them, these are the kind of things that will over burden the revenue that we are getting. In this kind of situation, we need leaders who are imaginative, who have the political-will and the capacity to do certain things.

Do you see the imperative of having state police in view of the security challenges currently facing the country?

Introducing state police will not solve the security challenge we are facing. Already, the governors have become emperors in their state. They have manipulated the local government system.

Today, no local government is functioning as provided by the constitution. Instead of elected chairmen, they have caretaker committee all over the place. Whereas, what the constitution says is to put in place a democratically elected local government.

Again, the funds for local governments are being diverted by the states. Ordinarily, councilors are supposed to sit and prepare budget on the basis of revenue they are expecting and pass it to the state House of assembly. At least, where I come from, no local government is operating on the basis of budget. So, if you create state police and put them under these emperor governors, you will be in your house with your wife and somebody will come and pick you up. Even the Chief Justice of the Federation said it is the politicians that emaciated the judiciary. So, give them police, seven days to the election, they will arrest all of you, frame you and luck you up. For me, I don’t believe that state police will address the security challenge facing the nation. The issue of insecurity in the North is the failure of leadership. I am not saying the current leadership because successively there had been systemic failure of leadership. However, there are certain things the occupants of offices today need to do other than to use public office to be stealing. But what is happening now? Every governor will tell you that he has spent N2 billion because of security. So, insecurity has become a source of siphoning government funds because they don’t account for it. Last year, the governor of my state spent over 150 per cent on security. He over spent the security vote. It was the only budget he implemented by more than 100 percent. All other ones are below 30 percent.

If we are not making capital investment, we are not making progress. So, the insecurity issue is a platform for them now to steal public money. Therefore, I don’t support the issue of state police.

So, you hinge all on leadership problem.

Everybody has a role to play in providing good leadership.

Good leadership starts with you providing the right personal leadership to your family, to your community or town. I am not entirely putting the blame on the people in authority today. But when it comes to the question of who is responsible, they are responsible. And you can see this in the way and manner the state resources are being misused or are being controlled by one person as if it is personal money. Go on the road, you will see buses carrying inscriptions like governor so-so mass-assisted transit bus. Is it his father’s money or his mother’s money? The monies we expend on behalf of the people are not our personal monies. For them to be parading public property as a form of assistance is insulting. You can only assist with your personal money not public money. It is this way of managing our resources that is causing insecurity in the country today. Public institutions have collapsed. All our children are going to private schools. How can public institutions be good? In my school days, we were in the same school with children of first class emirs in the North as well as children of federal and regional ministers. Today, even the children of educational secretary in a local government who is directly involved in providing education are in private schools. So, there is no more morality in governance. All this breeds insecurity. So, you have an army of unemployed youths, ready and willing to be used for whatever purpose. Unless we as leaders change our ways and stop doing things the way we are doing, insecurity will continue. Yesterday, it was militants from the Niger Delta. Sometimes ago, it was OPC in the South West. Now, it is insecurity in the North.

Whatever method you use in bringing it down, if you don’t address the fundamental problem, another group will still emerge under a different name. Central to it is the issue of poverty, illiteracy, joblessness and insensitivity on the part of leaders.

Above all, when it is time to choose a leader, people are not allowed to choose their leaders. Governments at all level manipulate the security agencies; manipulate the INEC to rig elections.

How do you view the fresh attempt by the National Assembly

•Masari to review the present constitution?

Already, we have sufficient laws. What we don’t have is sufficient followers of the law. Once there is a law, we should try to look at the positive side of it and how we can make it work. But in Nigeria it is always about how not to make it work.

Sometimes ago, Obasanjo said there is a difference between my cup is half full and my cup is half empty. If it is half full, there is a hope that it will be full. But if it is half empty, it means it is going down.

Your leadership in the House of Representatives is one of the most stable in this present democratic dispensation. But today, the House has been engulfed in one crisis or the other bordering on scandal. Why do you think the House is so susceptible to the crisis of this nature?

You see, the House consists of 360 members unlike the senate that has 109 members. If you look at the age also, you can see that naturally there is more vibrancy in the House because of the advantage of age. Again, they are mostly people on the move.

But if you look at the senate, on the average, there is a certain level of maturity because someone is already going down. So, obviously, in terms of age and experience, you are likely to find this kind of experience. Therefore, the challenge before the House of 360 members is certainly going to be different.

Handling of the House is more complex and more difficult than the senate. Of course, there are times when you find the older generation in the House but they are not up to 20 percent of the total population. In other words, people on the go are more likely to make more mistakes or even run into problems than the older generation. Again, some people come into parliament as a way of compensation. The governors use the National Assembly to compensate either friend or people who have challenged them in one contest or the other. I think persons coming into the parliament should be somebody who is interested in making law and being a true representative of the people. Apart from that, they are normally under pressure at home. Sometimes the pressures are being instigated by the local leadership.

What were the challenges you faced with the vibrancy of the House as you have said?

When I was there, I consider the House as a classroom. In a classroom, you are all equal. Again, as a classroom, age should be no barrier about how you relate between A and C. We were

in the same chamber, occupying the same position. If I am 60 years and you are 30, our ages have merged to become one. So, I was able to break barrier of age between me and the members but not barrier of maturity. Maturity is what age and time have given me. You also have to recognize the fact that everybody in that chamber is qualified to be Speaker. Above all is the issue of managing the resources of the House. If the management of the resource is open, there will be less conflict. When I was there, everybody knew how much was given, how much was distributed and how much was left. We were open and transparent in terms of management of the resources of the House.

Was there any particular moment when you were under pressure from your colleagues to take a position against the executive?

Throughout our stay, no bill that came from the executive went back as it came. We had to accommodate all the interests; we had to address the fears raised by the members. To that extent, we had so many quarrels with the executive but inside the office. We had to explain to them our position and the position of members. But you know, every time executive sends bill, they want it the way it comes. So, we had our disagreement but we did not go to market place to announce our disagreement. You don’t have to go to market place and slap your wife before everybody knows that you are the husband.

It appears that the opposition is more vibrant now than when you were there as the Speaker I think the opposition has always been within the PDP. In fact, there was more opposition then than what I am seeing today.

Despite the character of the person who was the president then, there was more opposition and the opposition was within. And even at that time, you must commend the Alliance for Democracy which now turns to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for their strong opposition. They were good at opposition because they always opposed from the position of knowledge.

Even when they were trying to play politics and divert away from position of knowledge, you could see it. They opposed on the basis of information and knowledge. To be honest, they were more articulate than any other person. Between 2003 and 2007, the ANPP opposition was more vibrant than before. In 2003, they brought in highly educated members into the House and they gave us a tough time together with AD but we were friends.

And we appreciated the fact that we came from different political parties and our collective goal was to make Nigeria better.

Above all, the personality of the current president is different from the former president. You know Obasanjo will always be Obasanjo.

I don’t know what you mean by that People reading me will know. Obasanjo will always be Obasanjo. He never gets tired.

Tired of what?

Of doing what he is doing.

What is he doing?

Even the day before yesterday I read him doing the same thing. You know him; you were in Nigeria between 1999 and 2007. I don’t want to preempt some of the things that will be coming up in a book form. So, let us leave it at that. But Obasanjo will always be Obasanjo.

What exactly is your position now? Are still in CPC or you want to go back to PDP? No, I am still in CPC. Then, how do you see the leadership crisis rocking the party?

You see, CPC went to the election barely 10 months after registration. And despite all the scheming and sabotage from PDP and security agencies, CPC was able to get senators, members of the House and some members of the state House of Assembly including one governor. The PDP virus was injected into CPC. They planted some moles into the party. Some of them are already planning to go back to PDP. And some are still very much with us. The national leadership of the party, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, has recognized that and set up a committee to look into the issues. The committee has carried out its assignment and will soon submit its report to the board of trustees and I believe they will take care of it.

Are you still nursing the ambition to take another shot at the governorship position in your state?

If it was damage I have done with my political ambition, I think I have done enough damage. And if I have added value, I think I have added value into the political system. I think there are certain positions we should allow other people to come and try. So, I am not a desperate politician. There are certain things which I will never do to get to a position. For me, the process is better than the outcome. I don’t belong to a group of politicians who believe that outcome justifies everything.

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OBJ lied, Jonathan sinned and Sanusi’s just a talkative boy –Junaid Mohammed ent to you, then it is different to me. I know that Nigerians do have their own stereotypes; they describe other Nigerians in pejorative terms. But I have never seen it done openly, systematically like it is being done now by individuals close to the president. And if that is UNAIDU Mohammed, former parliamentarian, Russian- not an unhealthy development, then I don’t know what is. And it trained medical practitioner, leading critic on national pol- started squarely, squarely I repeat, with President Jonathan.

Secondly, Nigeria, like any other country, has gone through ecoitics and National Chairman of the Peoples Salvation Party (PSP), is a man that loves confronting issues passion- nomic hard times. But whenever the country was in trouble, the ately, frankly and decisively. In this interview held in government takes the trouble to explain to the people, rightly or Kano, he speaks on President Jonathan’s outburst on being the wrongly, but they did at least make efforts to explain to the people. most criticized president in the world, Dr. Barth Nnaji’s resigna- They will not put forward a very flippant Governor of the Central tion, Chief Doyin Okupe’s failed contract in Benue State, and the Bank, who has assumed the role of economic spokesman of the CBN’s N5,000 note. He also speaks on big men’s sons fingered government, to start insulting people. When the people say there is in the fuel subsidy racket, and Prof. Akinyemi’s call for quota something they don’t like about an economic policy, this boy says representation for non-indigenes outside their states. Excerpts: it is irreversible. There is nothing in a democracy that allows for this kind of foul response from an appointed person, who has never Recently, President Goodluck Jonathan said he’s the most crit- won an election and will never win an election. This is the kind of icized president in the world and hopes he will end up the most boys put forward as spin doctors and spokespersons for economic policy, which clearly is not working. loved president. Do you make of that?

Now, if this is the kind of thing you think is good and for which Frankly, if I had a say in drafting your questions, I wouldn’t have asked you to put this question to me. If you look at the issues we are we must praise Goodluck Jonathan, then tough luck. You can confronted with in this country: issues of national security, econom- assume, for example, and you can say rightly that he did not appoint ic near meltdown, bungling of economic policies, constitutional Lamido Sanusi as Governor of the Central Bank. I will agree with amendment, the very nature of the Nigerian State, the rights and you. But today, he is the President of Nigeria and the Governor responsibilities of citizenship, the dichotomy being introduced into holds his position at the pleasure of the President of Nigeria - he can indigeneship and citizenship, and the rights attached to it, I would sack the Governor of the Central Bank tomorrow and can dissolve have thought there are more important issues to worry about than the Board of the Central Bank and get rid of the Governor and the the perception of the president being criticized and being loved Deputy Governors.

I believe what the Senate intended to do to tame this arrogant man somewhere along the road. As far as I am concerned, if you are in politics, you are there to be criticized because we are practicing by amending the Central Bank’s decree was childish and it is a way democracy, or at least, we imagine that we are practicing democra- of personalizing lawmaking. You do not make laws for an individcy. And if you don’t want to be criticized, then don’t come into pub- ual; you make laws for the entire country. If they really wanted, they lic life. If you are in politics, you are there to be criticized, unless of should first pass a vote of no confidence on the Governor and then course, you want to be a dictator which is a different thing entirely. insists within their own party or within the National Assembly that To me, it is utterly irrelevant what Jonathan thinks about himself he must be sacked. They did not do that. They kept quiet for whatand how he rates himself vis-a-vis other presidents. I dare say that ever reasons and now we are stuck with it.

The President’s wife is sick, but there is total silence about it. if he is talking about other presidents, he must be talking about democratically elected presidents, people who came to power by way History is replaying itself somehow. Jonathan’s group, which of free, fair and credible elections. I certainly do not believe he came sought openness in the handling of the late President Yar‘Adua’s to power that way. I do not believe his party is a democratic party. health, is not providing information on Dame Patience’s health.

A system is a system. And if you want to make amendment or For him, looking at a crystal ball and saying he is going to be the most loved president in Nigeria, well, we will wait and see. For all anything, please go to the system. When Turai was playing Russian I care, whether he is loved or hated, Nigerians are going to assess Roulette with the destiny of 150 million Nigerians, many of us said him on the basis of policies he put in place. And secondly, on the the woman was not elected. People who have not gone through the kind of personnel he brings to government and how they per- crucible of election and winning have no business determining the formed. So, the thrash of being loved or hated is immaterial, it is his fate of a country, or our destiny. The idea of a so-called First Lady is not even in our constitution. It is easy for any charge and bail policies that will carry him through history.

But, do you think some of the criticisms are valid or are mere lawyer to take this matter to court and establish that the idea of First Lady is not in our constitution and is therefore, unconstitutional. hangovers of a hate mindset?

How do you allow women who have not won election Well, you have to tell me the criticisms and state the - many of them do not even have the characters specific policies for me to be able to respond. you can look up to as role models - how can For instance, he has been criticized over these women who accidentally married the economy and the security challenges, their husbands, not knowing what but he is saying some of these probhad in stock, simply emerge lems did not start with his presidenLagos itself is 40 per cent of destiny and assume certain powers, and cy? powers are to the detriment How long have you been living the Nigerian economy, and our these of the entire country? The idea in Kano? I hope long enough to GDP. And if you want to really of the so-called First Lady know the difference between the Kano of when you were grow- mess up Lagos, just bomb one inter- should be quashed and no budgetary allocation should ing up and the Kano of today.

You cannot tell me that the ception of the Third Mainland Bridge be allowed, because when you appoint somebody to Kano of those days and today and the whole economy of Lagos will spend money, which has are the same experience. been appropriated by the Number two, the sense of come crashing. Secondly, the South National Assembly, by definibelonging of the average West, especially the Lagos econo- tion, you are holding him Nigerian cannot be said to be the accountable because the same, particularly from the time my, is not a productive econo- National Assembly can always he became president of Nigeria. In my. It is an economy mostly call and question him. The way we my entire life, for instance, I have have it the money we have for the never seen or heard a man come out based on currency First Lady is appropriated under the openly to abuse other Nigerians on the budget of the Presidency and the President pages of newspapers the way Edward Clark speculation now decides to allocate billions of naira to the does with ease, the way so many other people First Lady and she has the freedom to spend it the from the so-called South-South do? If that is not differ-

From Desmond Mgboh, Kano

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way she likes. That, to me, is not a democracy.

Are you saying she is not a national asset and we should not bother ourselves with her health conditions?

No, no! That is wrong. She is a Nigerian and a citizen. In a country that is running a proper democracy, what affects the mood, the lifestyle, and comportment and composure of the president should be of consequence to all of us. But to now spend valuable time, valuable treasure and even valuable pages of newspapers and radio time discussing the health of one woman out of a country of about 75 million women is to me, perverse, irresponsible to the extreme and shows that Nigeria doesn’t have priorities as a nation. I certainly want to see the First Lady in good health. And I think, basically, she is not as offensive in nature as Turai, for example. I find her rather easy-going, pleasurable and full of humour. But please, we must learn to differentiate what I called the affairs of state and affairs of whoever is president. This woman is the responsibility of the president as a family man. If today he decides to sack her as his wife or not, that is purely his business.

Former Minister of Power, Dr. Barth Nnaji, has resigned, but the suggestion is that he was doing something good in the ministry. But if he was doing something good, why quickly accept his resignation?

Well, I am glad you have touched on an interesting aspect of misgovernance in Nigeria. For example, as a matter of courtesy, it is not a legal matter; it is a matter of courtesy. Once you appoint a person, as the president you do not accept his resignation or dictate his resignation readily. You must go through the facts and must be convinced that there is something that warrants the person resigning, and warrants you to accept his resignation; because it is one thing for you to resign and another for your resignation to be accepted.

You have power to refuse to accept the resignation.

Number two, in making certain critical appointments, you first put merit on top and then anything is secondary, whether you call it Federal Character or loyalty or a sense of appreciation towards a governor or somebody else.

Now, I don’t know this Barth Nnaji. All I can say is that given what I know about my own power situation here in Kano, I am not appreciative of his performance as Minister. Whether he speaks grammar, whether he is a better engineer in terms of power generation and distribution than any individual, I don’t care. What I know is that I have not seen the improvement I had expected; given the amount of money spent in the sector from the time General Obasanjo started lying that he would give us reliable power in six months to the present day. Of course, during the rainy season, there was some kind of improvement largely because the Niger Dam had enough water to move the turbines and therefore, generate certain optimal level of power. But beyond that, there is nothing to explain what this man has done. I heard he likes publicity and likes coming on television to talk. But I have seen no improvement.

That is beside the point anyway. Having determined that he was good enough to be appointed minister, when it comes to sacking him, we have to be sensitive to certain basic requirements. Has he done anything to warrant being sacked? Was he actually pushed or did he jump? The sources I have at my disposal actually told me he did not jump, he was actually pushed. He was asked to submit his resignation letter. And the question is, what did he do to warrant that kind of shabby treatment? Nigerians don’t have a reputation of resigning from their jobs. It must be a sack. Now, if it was a sack, what did he do? If it was a sack, he must have done something criminal, because we know how the power sector is being parceled out to Generals. Companies in which Obasanjo has interest, Abdulsalami Abubakar has interest, other Generals have made biddings for some of the portions of power, which is being unbundled and taking off. If this man has been fingered, then you take him to court rather than ask him to resign.

The CBN had proposed a N5,000 note. What is your reaction to this proposal?

I have not seen any reason why the Governor of the Central Bank wants to introduce this denomination of the Naira. Let me tell you, my understanding is that economics is a highly speculative science and people who think if they are dealing with economics they are dealing with a reality, which is immutable and cannot be changed,

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POWER GAME SERIES ‘Tukur, Alli should be tried, not their sons’

Continued from Page 65 are talking nonsense. We are not talking about religion. We are talking about a science that is on the border line between science and arts. Those who believe we need a N5000 denomination should tell us why we need it. They should tell us examples and areas where this had been done and what the benefits were. If, for whatever reason, the millionaires in government and those on appointment like the Central Bank Governor, find themselves in a situation whereby they think it is too clumsy to hold a 50, 100, 500, 1000 Naira notes for easy transactions, they should please leave the country or stop dealing in Naira, and use the dollars they have been using anyway! I have been to parties in Lagos where people holding government positions spread dollar bills on the faces of people dancing. And I know for a fact that this boy in the CBN boasts to his friends that when he likes, he does his transactions in dollars!

And there are many other Nigerians so privileged to do so. But if the average Nigerian feels the N5000 note is a bad idea, in a democracy, he should listen and their wishes should be respected. And if their leaders - and I have seen quite a lot of people I cannot write off easily, people like Tinubu and others, who are leaders of thought in their own respective areas, political leaders, and those who have been in government on both sides - legislative and executive - saying this is a bad idea, that it is insensitive, then I think it will be reckless to allow a person (CBN Governor), who was never elected and has never won an election even when he was in school, to say there is no going back. And for the president to copycat that kind of statement is utter recklessness.

You cannot run a democracy and pretend to be undemocratic. You either are a democrat or you are not. The way this government is trying to ram the N5000 note idea through our throats, and yet they are not giving the people any coherent example, rather they are only saying there is no going back, is in my view, insulting, and speaks volume of the kind of characters we are either appointing or electing into positions of trust in Nigeria. And this is a tragedy.

But this same Governor of the Central Bank had in the past enjoyed your positive commentary. Where did things start getting bad?

Never! I have never said anything positive about him. Go and bring your notebooks and your tapes. The last time you spoke about his appointment, I said Yar’Adua was misadvised and mis-guided. And I am sure Yar’Adua, not being an economist, and certainly not knowing anything about the responsibilities of a Central Bank Governor, and also being a very bad judge of character was misadvised and should never have appointed this boy. However, having done so, all of us will live to regret the consequences.

I said that first he does not understand the limit of his responsibility as a Central Bank Governor and I also told you that - if I remember correctly - you will require certain character profile to be a Central Bank Governor. This boy talks too much, he is in love with his voice and he hungers for publicity. That has been his life. For all I care, this boy was not fit, does not have the basic requirements to be governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.

And by talking too much, he is rubbishing the institution of the Central Bank and I said no Governor of the Central Bank talks as much as he does. And I gave example of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board in the United States, Professor Ben Benanki, and King, who was the Governor of the Bank of England, which is an institution, and I said if we are building an institution, we should never have appointed people with this character. I have said this boy is not good and I challenge you to bring a single sentence where I said this boy was good.

Okay, let us leave Sanusi out of this and go to other questions…

(Cuts in) It is not a question of Sanusi. It is a question of his policy. Why must you impose a certain denomination of your currency when a vast majority of the people is opposed to it? It is not an issue of Sanusi. I don’t bloody care about Sanusi Lamido.

The subsidy probe has led to the prosecution of children and relatives of those in power. How do we look at the fact that some of them may have used their positions to get their children to steal us dry?

My dear Desmond let us stop deceiving ourselves. It is not their children; it is they, themselves, using their own children in very reckless

•Mohammed manner as decoys, as fronts or as cut-out in these deals to steal us dry. Who is Bamanga Tukur’s son to go and dictate to either the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) or to the Minister of Petroleum, or to some of these people in the Presidency, because some of the decisions on the petroleum subsidy issue could not have been taken by the Minister? They had to be approved by the very top. So, you might ask: who are these small, small boys? What have they done in their lives to get these privileges? You are about their age, why aren’t you getting the same kind of privileges? If those in government are liars, must we follow their lies? You know very well that it is Ahmadu Ali himself, Bamanga Tukur himself who are involved in all these dirty deals.

But here, let us get at the real issue. When some of us raised the alarm that the whole idea of subsidy is nothing but a bunch of lies and that there was nothing like subsidy, the Governor of Central Bank and other people not only said there was subsidy, but gave us the amount of subsidy they were spending. Now, they are quiet! Where are they now? Let them come and tell us who was getting the subsidy fund. You create a system that allows people to become filthy rich for themselves, their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. And now you say this system is only good because it is giving us an opportunity to be a welfare state or to expand the benefits of the oil revenue across the board, blabla bla! Now, the whole thing has proved to be a huge lie.

Minister of petroleum lied, Governor of Central Bank lied, resign? If you now go into the issue of printing the Naira, let me tell you, you will find there is a vested interest at work, either that of the Governor of the Central Bank, or somebody in the Presidency or somebody close to the Presidency or a big wig in the PDP. That is how the PDP runs itself.

Back to the question, don’t deceive yourself that these small boys, who came out of nowhere are going nowhere, as far as their individual achievements are concerned. When you want to address the whole issue, you should go and confront Ahmadu Ali, former chairman of the PDP now aspiring to be chairman of BOT go and attack the current Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, and others like him. I know of a state nearby where one of Bamanga Tukur’s children went and got a contract, and when they were threatening to determine the contract, he started boasting that he was going to raise hell. It is a PDP state and they went ahead to determine the contract and there was nothing the boy could do.

But we are aware of efforts by Bamanga Tukur

to undermine the governor, even though he could not succeed because the governor is independently powerful in his own right and has a base unlike Bamanga Tukur. Let us stop deceiving ourselves.

These boys are running errands for their fathers and they are making money for their fathers. For all I care, if you are prosecuting a small boy, who cannot differentiate between his left and right, you are wasting your time. If you want to prosecute, you go for the big guns and those of them involved in it should not only be prosecuted, they should leave the public positions they are holding. Ahmadu Ali’s son is one of the chairmen of a federal board or so. He should be asked to resign. If Ahmadu Ali is holding any position, he should be asked to resign. Bamanga Tukur too should go, I know their moves to get rid of him anyway, but that is not my point here. What I am saying is that he should be made to answer for his own indiscretion.

What is your response to the allegations against Chief Doyin Okupe, and the argument that he lacked the moral basis to hold public office because he failed to execute a particular contract in Benue State years ago?

It is very interesting. I knew of a time when Obasanjo wanted to physically assault him in the Presidency and there was a time in my presence, when Chief Okupe was being warned by the National Security Adviser, General Abdullahi Mohammed, that if he was not careful, he was not only going to get him sacked, but was going to jail him. He had described him in very tough words. And if you know General Abdullahi Mohammed, he is very soft-spoken, a gentleman of very few words. For Okupe to really get him so enraged to respond in such a manner, it must have been a very serious offence. I was not surprised when some months after, Okupe was publicly sacked.

Addressing the question, this again is the issue of Nigeria and the PDP. There is no morality in their understanding of statecraft. Their philosophy is “never get caught”. Once you don’t get caught, there is no problem. That is the end of the story. If Okupe had kept his bloody mouth shut, perhaps, he would have gotten away with what he did. And many people perhaps, would have forgotten about it. This is one of those things you forget, like bad debts in the bank, under the PDP. But Okupe found new confidence in his new role as a hired ‘attack dog” of the Presidency and the man who facilitated his getting that job was Reuben Abati. Reuben was never in the public life, he has never won an election and so he misadvised the president on that. But if the president

was serious, it would have been difficult for like Reuben to mislead him. And having misled him, and they were found out, Reuben should have thrown him out of the window with Doyin. But typical of the PDP, nothing is going to happen.

Okupe will not be punished and that money will never be recovered and the people of Benue will suffer the loss.

Another interesting development is that the governor, who gave Okupe the contract, was then in the PDPand was a sitting governor of the party.

Now, that governor is with the ACN and he now knows both sides of the equation. And that is why, for the first time in Okupe’s life, he is learning to keep quiet because everybody knows his background on this issue. But you did not need the latest scandal in Benue. There are, of course, other scandals around that fellow. That such a fellow has now gotten access to the president and is still working in the Presidency is, to me, the biggest disgrace in the way we run government in this country.

Different nationalities in Nigeria are on the march again for some form of self-determination. The South-West wants regionalism, and parliamentary system, some Northern states like Kano have coats of arm, in fact, are tracing and warming up their family roots with Niger Republic; the Ogonis are seeking self-determination just as Bakassi people wants independence. MOSSOP is making some noise, though they are not yet ready for a bloody noise. Where will all these take us?

These calls are not original. They are not inherent in these people. They are merely manifestations of a failed state and Nigeria is definitely a failed state under President Jonathan. What these people are saying is that they have had a raw deal.

I am not sure about the Yoruba demand for an Oduduwa Republic, I don’t know. But others, yes, I have a feeling they have not been treated fairly by the Nigerian state. In a democracy, they have a right to agitate. For all I care, when the states were created in 1967, most of the states had their own coats of arm. I remember General T. Y. Danjuma, then Chief of Army Staff, speaking on behalf of the Supreme Military Council, who said all these things should be swept aside and the idea of any state having its own coat of arms was not ideal for federalism. Now, the issues are coming back to light because politicians are looking for issues to raise and then blackmail the Federal Government. If you want to resolve the issue of people feeling alienated, do them justice. As long as there are injustices, there will be this kind of demands. The Ogoni secession thing is like a suicide. I think if they are determined to commit suicide, good luck to them. The MASSOB people are a little more sensible, even though I don’t think they have been fairly treated, particularly by the police and the security services. But for whatever reason, I certainly will never support the idea of somebody creating trouble for other innocent people to die. The Nigeria Civil War cost the Igbo at least one million lives. I would hate to see a single soul killed in the name of agitation for either Oduduwa Republic or another Ogoni Declaration. If they play it on the pages of newspapers, fine. It may be fun, it may be a joke. But if they start taking arms and the Nigeria state comes with the Federal might to crush them, then they will have themselves to blame. And I have no doubt in my mind that the one in the South West will remain on the pages of newspapers. I don’t believe the South-West people are serious, because if they start trouble and they have a headon collision with the Nigeria State, they have a lot at stake because they are the most developed part of Nigeria. Lagos itself is 40 per cent of the Nigerian economy, and our GDP. And if you want to really mess up Lagos, just bomb one interception of the Third Mainland Bridge and the whole economy of Lagos will come crashing.

Secondly, the South West, especially the Lagos economy, is not a productive economy. It is an economy mostly based on currency speculation.

Compare Lagos with what is happening in the socalled Niger Delta, especially Rivers, which is the most developed, you can see clearly that these are the people bearing the brunt of the ecological problems and this are the people enjoying the money and making noise about it.

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POWER GAME SERIES

Time is up for LP in Ondo –Saka Lawal

By WILLY EYA

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ON Saka Lawal is the deputy governorship candidate of PDP in Ondo State. He believes it is time for the PDP to reclaim Ondo from the Labour Party (LP). In this interview, he x-rays the political developments in Ondo and the chances of the PDP in the October 20 election.

Excerpts…

What is your assessment of the political landscape in Ondo state?

The temperature of the people is very high.

There is apprehension and frustration. The expectations of people from government have not been met. There is unemployment and poverty, the magnitude of which has not been seen before. A government with such a loud voice in the media but without anything to show for three and a half years. No single road can be pointed at as a completed project. Only one three- ward maternity hospital in three years. And yet over N600 billion has accrued to the state since February 2009. It’s a terrible experience for the people.

You served in Governor Mimiko’s cabinet as a key member, at what point did you fall out?

From the third month in that cabinet I knew our chemistry would not gel. The truth is you do not know the true complexion of people until you see them occupying powerful offices. I mean we were all rabid about his ambition to be governor because we thought it was an opportunity to inject fresh idea and create a new platform for progressive governance. But in the end it was the worst experience of our lives. Let me tell you the truth, none of those in Mimiko’s cabinet is happy today. They are all complaining and each time they creep in at nights to open or continue discussion with us, I tell them I understand and we exchange knowing glances. Look, throughout the 22 months period of serving in his cabinet as Mimiko’s Special adviser, no one knew how much was coming into the state.

No one knew how contracts were awarded, not even commissioners in charge of those ministries.

Some of us could not stand a government of one –man or tin god. Only he knew how much a contract was to be awarded for and which contractor was getting what. It is on record that I asked questions on the very floor of the cabinet chambers about these anomalies. The next day the council was dissolved! Let me tell you, by March 2013, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be busy in Ondo State.

But how is your party coping with the perception problem generally attached to PDP? The PDPhas no perception problem in Ondo. In fact, it has Perception advantage. See, you don’t go to the market to announce to the people about rain falling. Everyone in the market sees the rain, they know the intensity and they know its capability.

One who is a hero is the one who is providing shade and succour to the people. Look, let me tell you, virtually everyone in my state is in opposition to bad governance, yahoo - yahoo leadership and promise and fail. The point is PDP and Chief Olusola Oke are the face of the opposition and hope in Ondo State, and there is no one who can prove it better than me. I was in LPfrom the beginning and I served for 22 months in that government and now I am deputy governorship candidate of the PDP. Let me tell you, the PDP is reaping the fruits of its diligence service to the people in the past. So far, we have received not less than one million people into the party. I mean I have toured all the 18 local governments and all the 203 wards of the state with my boss and leader, Chief Olusola Oke, candidate of our party. We were never selling the party. Honestly, we were just keying into people’s frustration and desperation to get out of servitude. We are meeting up with opportunity, it’s clear, change will happen.

The state government is reeling out a plethora of incredible achievements as it goes out to campaign to the people, aren’t you intimidated by these?

Everyone knows this government is a gamesman. Look, in spite of the over N600 billion collected from the federation accounts since 2009,

•Lawal what is there for the people to see? Agovernment which is campaigning for a second term without a single road commissioned in the first term. Agovernment which promised a multipurpose event centre called the Dome within three months of being in office, and up till now cannot account for either N1.5b or any physical structure called the Dome anywhere in Ondo. A government which promised a gigantic maternity hospital in every local government area of the state, but which has been celebrating just one three ward clinic built in Akure all these three years whereas the chairman of Mushin Local government in Lagos commissioned seven in one day. A government which promised mega schools in each local government but which has only constructed four in three local governments in nearly four years, and yet none is functioning up till now. A government which repaired a less than 100 meters failed portion of Ogbese – Owo road for N127m. A government under which state specialist hospitals could not pay NEPA bills and were cut off national grid for upwards of six months.

But Mimiko described the PDP as a finished party and your ticket with Chief Oke as clueless and hopeless The bible describes the devil as the father of perdition. The current tenants of the Government House know that the game is over. Let me tell you their game. They seize the public by the juggler by suggesting some nationalistic sentiments whereas it is a strategy of deceiving and enslaving the people. They tell the people they are fighting for their rights but in the end, they rape the people and enslave them. The People are no fools, the people know which party gave them 1,200km of roads.

They know who gave them 400 six classrooms blocks. The teachers know who gave them the best training facilities and promotion without tears.

They know who gave them Olokola free trade zone capable of employing over two 200,000 children of this state, the Ondo State University of technology. Ikale, Ilaje and Ijaw people know who gave them the Alape bridge, the Aboto bridge, the Igbokoda – Ayetoro seaside road which was the first time man would ever drive a vehicle to those sides. They know who gave their children bursaries without tears. They know who established the popular Sunshine honey factory, the Sericulture project, the Cassava Processing industry capable of processing over 400 tonnes of cassava daily. Even the governor knows this and he is pulling up a strong face. The game is up, the plane has overshot the tarmac, the end has come for grandstanding, ineptitude and window-dressing.

What is your view of INEC’s readiness for this election?

First, we believe INEC must do all within its power to make this election free and fair and so far, we have no reason to complain. If INEC can deliver on all measures it has promised so far, then I will say we are ready for credible elections. Two, the electorates must also do all within their powers to make their votes count by voting according to their conscience. The security agencies must be alive to their responsibilities and must show impartiality and forthrightness.

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N5000 note – Fighting a needless war RALPH EGBU egburalph@yahoo.com

08186958958 (SMS only)

A

s things stand currently, I don’t know between President Goodluck Jonathan and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of Central Bank who is stronger. Or best still, who of the two, appointed the other. This is because the Governor of the Central Bank appears to be the one ruling this nation.

Contrary to the core requirements of his vocation, this Central Bank Governor is not only unduly boisterous, he is very political.

Recall the way he talked about Sharia banking, his one-sided donations to victims of Boko Haram (later tried to make amends), his derivation fund sharing prescriptions and the poverty for Boko Haram hypothesis He has this penchant to ruffle feathers of all kinds including that of the President, and gives no damn what the after effects could be. Surprisingly too, nobody calls him to order. From the look of things it is either he is involved in an unholy collaboration or it is now a case of the falconer having lost control of his falcon. Just when we thought that problems in the land are taking more than their due toil and that serious attention should be devoted to finding solutions, the issue of new naira note of N5, 000 worth just came up from no where, and against expectation, is taking attention away from very serious national issues and concerns. What is so important about changing denominations that such should engage the full attention of a nation in great turmoil and even becoming another source of threat to peace and stability? Why should the issue of new notes and denominations take pre-eminence at this point? Has the Central Bank finished with the controversies surrounding bank capitalization and other processes? Are our banks in such state of good health today, that we can afford to go to bed and close our eyes sure that our monies are safe and that banks would now take very seriously the onerous task of stimulating the productive sectors of our economy. If the state of our banks is good, are the banks doing what they should be doing? From what I know, most banks don’t lend, even with collateral. When they opt to do, they give to those who in their parlance are established. If you restrict your lendings to those who have already made it and who the banks claim they know, how do you put wealth in the hands of the vast majority, who have skills and talents, but know nobody or have assets to back loan demands. Do we still wonder why poverty is massive, while our experts talk irrelevances and do other things?

Nations that succeeded and who still take the lead in spreading prosperity and enhancing human dignity are thoughtful entities who do not play down the role of thinking and organization. They always have men and women who sit down to analyze their situations, from which they draw up policies that require the financial sector to play its role of undertaking well-defined and calculated risks. This is the kind of issue that should engage our attention and those of our experts, and not induced distractions that have to do with elementary task such as changing monetary notes or printing the highest denomination of monetary notes and using billions of naira to do so when infrastructural needs are there crying to high heavens for attention.

By now, (that is if we are serious about developing) what would engage the attention of the Central Bank and a section of our population ought to be how the apex bank man-

ages the various national financial instruments to stir up positive activities in strategic sectors of the economy.

Nations that want to see progress know how to use taxes or treasury bills for instance, to stimulate activities in the housing sector, to provide affordable accommodation for the millions who need it. Their time is occupied working out how to use such instruments and others to reduce unemployment. They use them to curb imports and to give home factories the protection, they always require very badly. You use these methods to return idle hands to farming; this way unemployment is reduced and food security ensured. Unfortunately, our financial experts don’t think of these. All we hear is the limited emphasis on corruption and low capital, as if these diseases are not themselves products of unemployment, lack of process, scarcity and want. What worries me is this often repeated statement that this is how it is done elsewhere; all our financial experts do is to choke us up each passing day with new economic prescriptions. Yet I never hear them explain how these fit into our level of develop- •Jonathan ment. Who told us that what the developing world is doing today suits our level? The examples of recent nations that ducing and selling at the same time. Character joined the big league or about to do so, show of this kind is not a product of brains that waste clearly that only nations that are ready to take time going round in circles like we do here. their destinies in their hands, see the glorious This is not the product of economic expert who dawn. Put another way, only countries and peo- waste time looking for solution produced by ples who decide to do their thinking them- someone, somewhere far away. They are natuselves and to make the required sacrifices ral results of serious brain-storming, vision, focus, determination and sacrifice by a people experience a positive turn around.

Up to the present day, the Chinese in-spite of and nation who from the word go desire to their level of development, are still engaged in make a difference in our complex kind of fighting the economic wars. The developed world. It is an attitude of those who have decidwestern countries put out policies requesting ed not to see or feel any obstacle on their path China to devalue its currency, the Chinese gov- to full dignity. In the end such people and ernment and its financial experts, react first by nation attract natural respect to themselves, retreating to digest the issue and then respond because the world respects only contributors by coming with home grown solutions. and not consumers or their perambulator Sometimes, the Chinese solution is in the form equivalent.

This is the kind of engagement one would of closing their borders and concentrating on meeting domestic consumption maximally. expect to see from our financial experts. But Satisfied at what they have done and knowing unfortunately, what we see are efforts to that the standard they have attained and deceive themselves and by extension the enlightment level can withstand foreign eco- nation. With the way things are today, I am nomic competition. They open up and equally convinced that our experts have since abandemand that those nations interested in doing doned their thinking and have embraced the business in China also open up. Once the bye-products of other people’s brain’s work. opportunity is in place, China responds by Today, what we have is a situation where small flooding markets with well made goods, pur- boys and girls from foreign nations, who left chasable at very affordable prices. My family the university a year or two ago come here and when they returned from a recent visit to Spain even see our President, to tell and teach him and Italy told me, you can’t miss the Chinese new processes in the world. As they do this, presence in all the business areas of these great they rub salt in our injuries by taking the and well developed nations. They told me, that President and half of the cabinet to attend semyou see father, mother and the children, pro- inars organized by small amorphous groups

•Sanusi

abroad. In every development, security, marketing, oil exploration, health, and even on small matters as eating food and going to toilet, we rely on these young graduates from abroad to come and teach us 21st century technology for an 8th Century nation. What an irony!

Now this question: what is the use of the schools – secondary, polytechnic, universities that we have here in this nation? What do they teach? What do the graduates gain?

Is it just a case of garbage in and garbage out? If our graduates can’t produce or find solutions to our problems, why not close the schools? Or in alternative bring back the colonial masters to run the nation. This nation would see organization and begin to experience development when only the best is given the task to find methods for proper development of this nation. That era will not come until we get our electoral process sanitized. It is now an old saying, that when the right men are in power, the people will rejoice. It is only when we have men and women who appreciate merit that things will begin to look up. Until then, it will continue to be a case of men, who mistake noise and negative effrontery for boldness and progress. When this is the situation, it is inevitable that our journey to Canaan, would for a long time, remain a trip round the mountain. May this not be our portion! Do I hear somebody say God forbid?

Honour for my humble self

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enultimate Thursday, something that came to me as news turned real. I was called to the podium by Abia State University, department of Mass Communication and in the presence of hundreds of citizens, comprising students, community leaders, great political leaders, academics and business moguls and given an award of excellence and distinction. I was happy about the development, even though the truth remained that I was not expecting it.

In this nation today, awards come cheap.

Most of the organizations that give out awards want money or contacts (connections), so they look out for bad examples in our society, whose only qualification is that they can make noise and lack decorum. Merit has been thrown over board and those who stupidly hang on to it, only find themselves frustrated and regretting when the time had long past. When I see this happen and especially what this nation has become as a result, I can’t help but to shake my head and begin to meditate on the position some have held, “that its big insanity to be sane in an insane society”.

I am still to find a good position on this matter, especially as the position held by such eminent civil activist, like Martin Luther King Jnr, who said if everyone responded to the rule of an eye for an eye, soon, we will have a world of blind men. Whatever is the case,

we have neglected the ancient prescribed path for sustainable and suitable kind of development. When we throw merit away, we kill creativity, destroy zeal and sacrifice. Today, we have killed this nation by the institutionalization of man-know-man. The consequence is that nobody wants to work hard or be a contributor, like drones in the ant kingdom, we want to stay back and find the easiest link. We don’t mind if getting it means selling away our souls. My Bible (Eccl. 1:9) says there is nothing new under the sun. Those societies that went this way in the past died a natural death. Look at our institutions, the Civil Service etc and tell me what you see? Honour should be for those whose imprint moved society in very unique terms. See our list of national honours! If we had these numbers of great men and women, how come the nation is making huge progress in reverse? We have this attitude of giving honours in hundreds? In five years, everybody that has little prominence, even if by perversion would become a national honour bearer. The same for lawyers, though SANship should be for real distinction. The way, it is going, I see every lawyer becoming a SAN in the next 15 years.

Back to the issue: I cherish what Abia State University, through its Mass Communication Department has done. I have made some valuable contributions to the development of Journalism and using it as a tool for the development of this nation. I got to the enviable

rank of Deputy Editor before I went into public service. I have served Abia State as Chief Press Secretary to three governors (both Military and Civilian). I have been Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment and Petroleum Matters, and Commissioner for Information in two separate governments of the state. During my time all I preach in my column, I upheld. I gave the practitioners freedom and taught them to always endeavour to do new things. Like the organizers of the event said, my column in the Sun is pushing creatively for the modern Nigeria we want. I was humbled to hear that and I am inspired to do more.

I am touched to see I could be remembered this way by a credible institution. Good works don’t die. They are like truth, bury them and they would jerk back to life, especially when you are looking elsewhere. Prof. Chibuzor Ogbuagu, ABSU Vice-Chancellor is my friend, an erudite scholar and great administrator. He is doing a great job there; I am not surprised; he is a thorough person. The registrar too I am fond of. I extend my thanks to management, staff and students of Mass Communication, Abia State University especially to the highly creative Head of Department, Dr. Uwaoma Uche. What more could I say, except to assure that I will come out frontally to fight for the new nation we want. This is the message of this great remembrance. God bless you all.

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Wher e is Patience Jonathan?

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 6, 2010. And the love of the people for him waxed stronger. The love of the people for him never waned.

They threw their massive weight behind him even in the 2011 presidential vote, giving him a landslide victory, and an sholaoshunkeye@yahoo.co.uk express ticket to (0805 - 618 - 0011) begin his first term as substantive president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

NCE upon Let me quickly state that it’s a time, not as if Nigerians hated the Nigerians late President Yar’Adua. On so loved the contrary, they loved him t h e i r deeply for his transparent and ‘shoeless’ President, Dr. accountable leadership style.

Goodluck Jonathan, that Nigerians found no vile in they were ready to lay down him. Indeed, most Nigerians their lives to ensure that he believed that if he had not had becomes what he should be that health challenge, he would under the law. A thick cloud have been one of the best presof uncertainty had hung idents Nigeria ever had. But over Nigeria. Once again, the infirmity and, subsequentthe country glided eerily ly, death scuttled that. The towards the precipice as the anger of Nigerians was against then President, Alhaji Umar the cabal in his government Musa Yar’Adua, was flown who regularly churned out to a Saudi hospital for expert tons of lies to cover his debilimedical care for a debilitat- tating health condition. By ing ailment that eventually holding the dying president took his life. In the Aso Rock hostage, the cabal turned Presidential Villa, a war of Yar’Adua, a perfect gentlesort raged as a powerful man, to a villain. cabal shrouded the dying Sadly, that is exactly what president’s health status in the spin-doctors in Aso Rock mystery, and tossed Villa are doing to our First Jonathan back and forth Lady, Dame Patience like a derelict orphan.

Jonathan, and her husband, The cabal would neither tell President Jonathan. For over a the public the exact situation of month now, a scenario similar their president’s health, nor to the late Yar’Adua’s has been grant his deputy, or anyone for playing out as regards the First that matter, access to him. The Lady’s health. Since she sudnation’s political temperature denly disappeared from the spiked dangerously. public’s radar in August, the Even though they knew that presidency has been spinning the ailing president may never all kinds of stories; selling all have the presence of mind to kinds of dummies to Nigerians return to his job, the cabal held over her whereabouts. In the tenaciously to the reins of absence of any believable dispower, ready to crush any patches from government, the challenger, including the then rumour mill went to work. It Vice President Jonathan. Yet, began to speculate. One, they many saw him as a political said she had travelled to Dubai fresh face that shouldn’t be to rest. When that didn’t fly, denied his ascendancy. But the they said she was in Germany, cabal was hell-bent on doing to continue her rest, and probjust that-stop him. The country ably see her doctors for ‘rougroaned and quaked under the tine checks’. uncertainty of the time. An Later, Nigerians were told implosion was imminent. that the First Lady suffered That was not to be as some from appendicitis, an inflamcivil society groups, led by the mation of the appendix, and Save Nigeria Group, SNG, she had appendectomy, an rattled the sabre of war against emergency surgical operation the cabal and their sponsors, to cut it off. According to an insisting that the president’s online medical dictionary, thetrue health condition be made freedictionary.com, if appenpublic and the federal execu- dicitis is not excised as quickly tive council do the needful. as possible, it may rupture and Rather than doing just that, the cause fatal infection. president’s men continue to Even if this was all that the spin all kinds of lies. The battle First Lady has gone through, between patriotic Nigerians she richly deserves our sympaand the cabal intensified. thy and prayers. But those who Eventually, the National have resorted to the days of Assembly that had been hith- President Yar’Adua by erto ambivalent suddenly shrouding everything about capitulated and cast its vote on her in secrecy are inadvertentthe side of the people. It dusted ly robbing her of public symup the doctrine of necessity, pathy and turning the First and did it needed to do. It Family into villains. By refuspassed a resolution that ing to disclose her whereJonathan be sworn in as abouts or what’s eating her, Acting President in place of they have made Mrs. Jonathan his ailing boss, as the constitu- look like a super woman who tion stipulates. cannot, must not, and will Jonathan was sworn in, in never fall sick. By hoarding Aso Rock Villa, as Acting information on the First

SHOLA OSHUNKEYE

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Lady’s health status, of course with the explicit approval of her husband, Dr. Jonathan, the gods at Aso Rock have successfully galvanized the rumour mill into action. They have tickled the rich imagination of the rumour millers; they have stimulated their desire to push all kinds of stories to a supposed gullible public.

Although Patience Jonathan is not a federal government official, as wife of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whatever happens to her should be of interest to Nigerians. Nigerians deserve to have correct information about her. And it would not have been an aberration or out of order if government had been issuing bulletins on her condition since she was admitted to hospital. Had government done so, it would have elicited the sympathy of Nigerians who would have been praying for her. They would also have been showing perfect understanding to whatever gaffe her husband might have been committing.

As a husband and father myself, I know too well that whatever happens to a member of the family impacts on others-father/husband, mother/wife, and children.

Depending on the seriousness of the situation, it could also affect the performance of other members of the family on their jobs or vocations. Make no mistake, there is no way Mrs. Jonathan would be groaning in pain in a German hospital and Dr. Jonathan would have maximum concentration on his job. Even if his heart were made of steel, he cannot achieve 100 percent concentration at his beat. He would need all the prayers and emotional support he can get to achieve that. Yet, whatever mistake he makes on that seat can make or mar our lives forever.

That is why it is important for Nigerians to understand his spirit, understand his feelings, feel his pain, and, if possible, adapt to his moods. That is why it is ever so important for the government to tell Nigerians the truth about the situation around him, particularly concerning his wife, so that they can, at least, pray for her.

Another danger in not giving full disclosure about the First Lady’s condition, unlike what applies in the civilized world, is that it fuels specula-

Dame Patience Jonathan tion. It stokes wild rumours.

Rumours thrive in the absence of truthful and correct information. In the absence of honest information, people often latch at whatever they could lap from unofficial sources to form their opinions. As we well know, these so-called sources may not be anywhere near Abuja, the seat of government, let alone have ears or

eyes in Aso Rock Villa. Yet, they would speak with authority, and sell outright falsehood or half-truth with magisterial confidence.

There lies the danger. In this extant matter, there is no trutho-metre to gauge the accuracy and fidelity of information from the so-called sources.

And opinions flowing from such process may be off the

mark. Should that happen, as it sometimes does, it might minimize the quantum and quality of compassion and understanding that citizens may want to show to the ailing First Lady at this point. Yet, in these trying times, she needs all the goodwill, emotional and prayerful support she could get. They are therapeutic.

LASTLINE

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AST Wednesday, Sahara Reporters, the wave-making online citizen journalism site, published a report that stated that Dame Patience Jonathan is “battling an onset of Parkinson’s disease that has complicated her recovery from a surgical procedure in Germany.” Quoting sources close to the First Lady, the online news site reported that “Mrs. Jonathan had battled Parkinson’s for some years now,” and had been seeking help in hospitals and health farms in Italy and Spain where, it said, her doctors had advised her to “do something urgent about her morbid body mass index (BMI).”

Quoting another source, Sahara Reporters said “the disease was largely responsible for her (Dame Patience Jonathan’s) clumsiness, drawling speech and slow movement at public events.” The source reportedly further revealed to the site that “Mrs. Jonathan has been suffering serious trembling in the left hand,” and that, “That’s why she always uses her right to hold the microphone when speaking at public events.” And because of this problem, the online news site continued in the report, there is standing order at the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, that nobody must film her

waist and below no matter how expedient it is to do so.

At this juncture, I do not know what to believe on this matter. But the fact that President Jonathan didn’t go to the United Nations in New York for the ongoing General Assembly with his darling wife by his side gives cause to worry. He attended the previous stanzas of the General Assembly with Dame Patience. Although I have not been able to verify this report independently, we cannot discard it in a hurry even if it has introduced some scary elements into the entire story. The fact that the presidency has not responded in any way, days after, also thickens the anxiety it is generating.

Surely, our country can do without additional anxious moments.

In closing, Nigerians need to pray for divine healing for the First Lady at this point. She needs all the prayers she can get. Praying for her will please God because He commands it.

God, through the Holy books, admonishes us to pray for our leaders and nation without ceasing and it shall be well with us. On its part, the presidency must speak up on the whole saga so that Nigerians would know how to direct their prayers. It is important.

MURDER SO CALLOUS

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T is the kind of tragedy you don’t If you ask me, from what we have been pray befalls your vilest enemy. told so far, it is the word of the family On Saturday, September 15, a risagainst the police’s. Therefore, the earlier ing star, Ugochukwu Ozuah, an the police crack this tragic case and bring engineer, married pretty Joan, his the son(s) of the gun that committed the heartthrob. They live in the Gbagada heinous crime to account, the better for the area of Lagos. By Thursday, force, the better for all of us. Although September 20, five short days after solving the gruesome murder can never their wedding, Ugochukwu was bring Ugochukwu back to Joan, the love dead, and Joan became a widow. of his life, or to his people, it should offer The couple’s joy was swapped little comfort for the grieving family. with profound sorrow at about 10 It should also deter potential murderers, p.m., that night, when the new huswho must know that they become like fish Ugochukwu & wife in a glass bowl the moment they kill. For band offered to drop a visiting friend, Irikefe Omene, at the bus stop to fastmurders, the world shrinks and becomes a track his journey back home. It was the last act of goodness small, round, transparent glass encasement the moment they Ugochukwu Ozuah would ever perform as he was reportedly shed innocent blood. shot dead by men in police uniform. While the police are claimMy heart goes to the Ozuah Family at this extremely difficult ing that armed robbers in police uniform did it, the family is hour. I pray God will comfort you and prevent any other evil insisting the police eclipsed their rising star. from befalling you or your loved ones.

SHOLA OSHUNKEYE ON

Where is Patience Jonathan?

N200 SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

VOL. 6 NO. 493

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The spare tire FUNKE EGBEMODE egbemode_funke@yahoo.com 08100993984 (SMS only)

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ll brides go into marriage with great expectations, wearing rose tinted glasses. All marriages come with different features; bed of roses with sprinkles of thorns in different proportions. The bloom and the gloom pop at differing times and angles. However, there is one common feature of every marriage; infidelity, unfaithfulness. Those who are about to bite my head off the logo right now are only prudes, pretenders or incurable optimists. Fine, a few men won’t stray throughout the life of their marriages.

But they are so few, so so few, they almost don’t have a colour on the marriage fidelity graph.

So, am I saying all men are bad? No, because an unfaithful man is not a bad man. He’s just a man. Am I then encouraging infidelity? Not on your doubting Thomas life. I am just a realist who thinks that a woman who believes that her husband won’t stray is a fool. No apologies. I’ll explain with this illustration. You have this beautiful car with brand new four tires. No spare one in your trunk. You know you do not have a spare tie and decide to risk a 100 kilometre trip on a bad Nigerian road stretch. If you get to your destination without a flat tire, you can pat yourself on the back. But you’ll still know that you were just lucky. You took a risk and didn’t get burnt. But you most definitely would have driven past other not-so-lucky drivers jacking up their cars and fixing their flats.

Imagine how a woman feels when she gets a flat tire at 7.00pm on a lonely highway, without a spare tire. You don’t want to be caught in that kind of situation? Exactly. When a woman goes into marriage totally believing her husband will not stray, not even once, she’s driving on a long Nigerian highway complete with bumps, potholes, craters and armed robbers, without a spare tire. And when a woman goes into marriage knowing that her husband can and may stray, she is driving on a strange road with a spare tire. She may get a flat and she may not. Whatever happens, she is prepared.

I bet the born-again sisters are already snapping their fingers and ‘rejecting it in Jesus name.’ Very funny.

Even God was prepared for our sinful ways long before we were born or why else did He send his son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Ah, so you see, even God knew your husband is not a saint. Anyway, let’s not go into those details.

My point is, every woman should arm herself with the thought that her man will stray.

It’s not that he does not love her. It is not about belief, faith or positive confession. It’s simply a safety issue. Once you are prepared, your shock absorber will cushion the effect of his little misdemeanours.

Getting caught unawares by a man playing the field can be really dangerous to a woman’s physical and mental health. The pain can only be explained by the victim and why should the word victim be used to describe a woman in the first place? I hate when a woman finds herself in the shoes of a victim. When you catch a man you thought was a saint pants down, you feel betrayed, let down. Questions that will take away your self esteem will chase one another round your brain. Am

I no longer beautiful? What does she (the other woman) have that I don’t?

Silly questions that will strip you of the essence of your womanhood.

The truth is a man doesn’t always need a reason to stray. Yes sometimes, an unwelcoming home can encourage him to find warmth outside but more often than not, a man just wants to do it.

It’s not because his wife is no longer attractive. An affair many times for a married man is just like a ManU versus Chelsea match. It will last all of the required 90 minutes. At the very worst, it will go into extra time and penalty shoot-outs. But end it must. After that, all players must leave the pitch. That is

why many women are still unmarried after dating many married men. Once the match is over, each team must return to the dressing room. The married man returns to his wife and the hopeful single woman to the cold embrace of her waiting pillows. Almost all the time, a straying husband will return to his wife who is his real owner. For women who do not have their shock absorbers in place, which is the thought that he will stray at some point, they develop high blood pressure, go into depression, start running from one spiritual home to the other and generally wear themselves out before the man returns from the pitch. And then he returns to a worse situation than he left. So he goes for another ‘away’ match. And then one day, he just may die on active duty, on the field of play. He just may not return.

Another team may buy him. Or he may suffer cardiac arrest. Do you understand all that?

Now, if he doesn’t ever stray, that is a bonus which will strengthen your union.

But certainly every woman needs that spare tire somewhere so that at least if the ‘happily ever after’ is threatened, you still get to live long.

Re: Sanusi’s cashful temptation Cashless and coinless he problem with our rulers is that they are too far away from us to know the true situation of things. They did not need to advertise any cashless policy:-their policies and corruptionmotivated greedy actions have made the common man on the street not just cashless, but coinless.

Majority is without job, and the few with “jobs” receive so little that they end up broke the day after payday. What with multiple taxations, poor NEPA supply, high transport fares, bad roads and frequent fuel price hikes, high house rents and school fees, multiple bank deductions on both current and savings account, harassment and extortion from law (less) enforcement agents, compulsory bribery before one can get a merited promotion, kickback to the job agencies that secured the job in the first place.

Add price of gari and give me the answer. isioji1@yahoo.com

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Nonsense policies all the time NBA has urged the federal government to remove the CBN governor. Sanusi’s years as CBN governor has brought Nigerian economy to its knees. All his policies & programmes have not added any value to the economy. Sanusi has turned lending which we all learnt in secondary school economics as the primary function of banks to a criminal offence and borrowers to robbers.

Before Sanusi came on board, the banking sector was the only institution employing the teeming Nigerian graduates. What is the level of unemployment before Sanusi came in & what is it now?

Even his interest rate theory, has changed nothing for the better?

How much of taxpayers money has Sanusi and his cronies spent to resuscitate the failed banks? What is the state of the banks after the

money has been squandered by them? The implication of Sanusi appointing MDs of the resuscitated banks himself after rounding up the former MDs with EFCC was that he was directly in charge yet the huge money went to the drain. What value has Islamic bank added to the economy? Can Sanusi remind Nigerians how the last coin printed in Nigeria was used, why it was stopped, whether up till today the government has officially told us to stop using the coins? The previous coins were naturally abandoned by Nigerians.

Sanusi should tell us what he has invented that will make Nigerians start liking and using coins. Thumbs up to the federal legislators for saving us from Sanusi’s evil operation CURE. They should go a step further by backing the NBA call to save our economy from the clutches of Sanusi and his erratic policies. nkyifek@yahoo.com There’s a hidden agenda Please tell our CBN governor that my idea of re introducing the usage of coins as a lay-economist is to have only N1000 and N500 as notes and the rest of the denominations; N200,N100,N50,N20,N10,N5,N1,5k,3k,1k as coins period. Given this situation Nigeria will have no choice but trade with and accept coins. Nigeria does not need any higher currency denomination as that is far from the solution to Nigeria’s cost of currency production problem. mbawil4ever@yahoo.com Funny but powerful You have said it all and i couldn’t help smiling while reading.

You sent a powerful message in a funny sort of way. Anyway, that’s vintage you and that’s why I never want to miss your column. halimaaidris@gmail.com

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