Saturday 4th June 2016

IATA: Airlines May Boycott Nigeria, Other Countries with Trapped Funds Venezuela, $3.780 billion; Nigeria, $591 million; Sudan, $360 million; Egypt, $291 million; Angola, $ 237 Domestic operators urge govt to address Forex constraints facing domestic carriers

Chinedu Eze The International Air Transport Association (IATA) yesterday hinted that foreign airlines may

withdraw services in Nigeria and other countries where their revenues were trapped unless they urgently release the trapped money put at about $5.1 billion.

Outgoing Director General and CEO of IATA, Tony Tyler has therefore called on the five concerned governments to urgently address airline blocked funds because the

operators face repatriation problems.

IATA urged the governments to respect international agreements obliging them to ensure airlines are able to repatriate

their revenues.

"Air connectivity is vital to all economies. The airline industry is a competitive business operating on thin margins.

So, the efficient repatriation of

revenues is critical for airlines to be able to play their role as a catalyst for economic activity.

It is not reasonable to expect Continued on page 6

NJC Retires Justice Ebuta Over Alleged Misconduct ...Page 11 Saturday 4 June, 2016 Vol 21. No 7710 Price: N250

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FG Orders Banks, Financial Institutions to Suspend Further Retrenchment Paul Obi in Abuja As economic downturn hits the nation harder, the federal government, yesterday, directed all banks and financial institutions

to suspend staff retrenchment.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige issued the directives yesterday.

He said: "Following the high spate of petitions and complaints from stakeholders

in the Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions, I hereby direct the suspension of the on-going retrenchment in the sector pending the outcome of the conciliatory meetings in the industry.

"This is as a result of the apprehension by my office of the various disputes in the sector in accordance and in compliance with the provisions of the labour laws of Nigeria.

"This decision is further

predicated on the fact that the continued retrenchment and redundancy by the banks and other financial institutions are jeopardising the outcome of the conciliatory and mediatory processes being undertaken by

the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

"In this wise, all the retrenchments and redundancies done in the last four months and all Continued on page 6

Buhari Holds Secret Meeting with Jonathan, Niger Delta Tops Agenda Consults Obasanjo Fresh attack on Forcados pipeline worsens power supply Ijaw leaders meet in Warri Okowa condemns killing of soldiers

Yemi Adebowale and Ejiofor Alike in Lagos; Sylvester Idowu in Warri; Tobi Soniyi; Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Omon Julius in Asaba

President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped up efforts to find a lasting solution to the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta by holding a private meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday night at his residence in Aso Rock, Abuja.

As a follow up to the meeting with Jonathan, Buhari also met with former president Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday at the Presidential Villa.

The meeting with Obasanjo came on the heels of fresh attack on Forcados pipeline by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

The destruction of oil facilities in the region by the militants had crippled Nigeria’s crude oil production and power supply, with crude production recovering from a loss of 1.1 million barrels per day to about 1.6 million barrels per day. By yesterday, power generation had Continued on page 6

DANGOTE GIVES BACK TO ILE OGUN

L-R: Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; President/Chief Executive, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba; and Chairman of Forte Oil Plc, Mr Femi Otedola at the commissioning of 26km Itori-Ibese concrete road in Ogun State constructed by Dangote Industries ‌yesterday

Fraudsters Demanding Money to Negotiate Release of Chibok Girls, Says Buhari...Page 10

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PAGE SIX BUHARI HOLDS SECRET MEETING WITH JONATHAN, NIGER DELTA TOPS AGENDA dropped to 2,832.5MW. A source very close to Jonathan said the former president’s meeting with Buhari lasted about 35 minutes and focused mainly on how to get the Niger Delta militants to agree to a ceasefire.

THISDAY checks reveal Buhari specifically requested Jonathan to intervene in the crisis.

Obasanjo arrived Aso Rock Villa yesterday in company of Otunba Johnson Fasawe at about 1pm.

His meeting with Buhari was held behind closed doors and the details were not made available to the media.

When Obasanjo emerged from Buhari’s office, he declined comments.

It was also confirmed that Jonathan's return to the country from self-exile in Cote D’Ivoire and the subsequent meeting with Buhari on Thursday was triggered by an earlier story exclusviely reported by THISDAY newspaper indicating that the former president had gone on self-exile for fear of being arrested.

According to multiple sources, following THISDAY’s report on Jonathan's self-exile, Buhari was said to have telephoned him and after several back channel diplomacy between Jonathan, himself and Cote D’Ivoire president, Alhassan Quatarra, assurances were given that Jonathan was free to return home and help the quest for solution to the Niger Delta crisis.

According to the source, Buhari and Jonathan discussed the speculations about possible EFCC arrest and Buhari was said to have assured Jonathan that if the EFCC finds anything against him, he would be given the opportunity befitting of a former president to respond and make clarification. This assurance gave Jonathan the comfort and confidence to return home. Buhari’s Democracy Day praises heaped on Jonathan were designed as a confidence building to further assure him that he was free to return home and that the government was not going to arrest him,” added another source.

These intrigues are a further confirmation of THISDAY’s report that Jonathan had indeed gone on self-exile to avoid humiliation of arrest.

Fresh attack on Forcados pipeline worsens power supply…

Meanwhile, there seems to be no end in sight to the current poor power supply in the country as yesterday morning

attack on the Forcados pipeline by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) will further delay the completion of the repair works on the pipeline, which were initially scheduled for completion on May 29.

THISDAY gathered that power supply, which peaked at 3,087.6 MW on Thursday, dropped to 2,832.5MW as at 6.00am by yesterday.

The NDA in an e-mail statement claimed that it attacked the 48-inch Forcados pipeline at 3.00am yesterday because of Shell’s refusal to stop the repairs of the damage caused by the February attack on the pipeline.

In a separate e-mail, which was also signed by the spokesman of the militant group, BrigGeneral Mudoch Agbinibo, it denied involvement in the attack of the Military houseboat around Warri, Delta State, stressing that “killing of sleeping soldiers is not our style.”

The militant group said it had promised the world that in this process of liberating its people, not a single blood of Nigerian soldiers would be wasted despite the provocation.

“Even the inhumane Nigeria soldiers are exempted, our war is on oil installations not to take innocent lives. For the fact that we can’t give life, we also don’t have the power to take any life.

But we (Avengers) are assuring the families of the affected soldiers that we will bring the culprits to book. When it’s time to face the military in combat, let the whole world know that we won’t be the ones to throw the first punch.

“This message is going to all groups parading themselves as freedom fighters. You can fight for your people without killing innocent souls. NDA has proved that. We were able to drop Nigeria Oil production from 2 million barrels to just 800,000 barrels without killing a soul.

We are warning every group to follow our footsteps. The days of killings and kidnappings are over,” the group explained.

On the attack on the Forcados pipeline, the group said: “We warned SPDC not to go ahead with the repair work but they refused. This is an example to all other multinationals”.

The group had attacked the Forcados pipeline, which caused the February 14 oil spill on Forcados terminal subsea crude oil export pipeline.

Shell had on February 21, 2016 declared force majeure on exports of Forcados grade of crude oil, following the disruption in production caused by the spill.

Before the incident, Nigeria was producing 2.3 million barrels of crude oil per day and almost 250,000 barrels a day of oil were scheduled to be exported from the Forcados stream in both February and March.

The Forcados export terminal has the capacity to export about 400,000 b/d. The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu confirmed that the incident curbed the country’s production – which was previously at 2.3m b/d – by 300,000 b/d, thus hampering the country’s efforts to achieve the target of 2.4m b/d for 2016.

Forcados pipeline is owned by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of NNPC, but is operated by Shell.

While Kachikwu, said repairs on the pipeline could take up to May 2016 to complete, Shell later confirmed that the repairs would be completed on May 29 2016.

THISDAY however gathered that the repairs were not completed on May 29 as scheduled before the militants carried out another attack yesterday.

Group spokesman of NNPC, Mr. Garuba Deen Muhammad declined to comment when contacted by THISDAY but a source at the corporation had told THISDAY that apart from the militants’ threats on contractors handling the repair works, the delivery of the parts of the pipelines flown into the country to the site is also being hampered by security threats in the region.

“The militants have been threatening the contractors and the threats affected the delivery of the imported parts meant for the repairs,” he had said.

Shell Nigeria spokesman, Mr. Precious Okolobo, had also told THISDAY that repairs on the export pipeline were still ongoing.

“Repairs are continuing. It is a complex process and we want to complete the repairs in very safe manner as soon as possible,” Okolobo added.

The closure of the Forcados pipeline, which also accounts for 40-50 per cent of the country’s gas production, also led to the current drop in power generation.

The pipeline is a crude oil facility, but the gas and liquid condensates produced from gas fields in the western Niger Delta are evacuated through the pipeline, hence its closure has also affected the supply of gas to the power stations.

With the sustained attacks

IATA: AIRLINES MAY BOYCOTT NIGERIA, OTHER COUNTRIES WITH TRAPPED FUNDS airlines to invest and operate in nations where they cannot efficiently collect payment for their services," said Tyler.

Venezuela owes foreign airlines operating into the country $3.780 billion, the highest of the blocked funds, followed by Nigeria, put at $591 million, Sudan, $360 million, Egypt, $291 million and Angola, $237.

"The top two countries blocking the repatriation of airline funds are Venezuela and Nigeria. Airline funds blocked from repatriation in Venezuela total $3.8 billion.

Currency controls implemented in 2003 necessitate government approval to repatriate funds.

By 2013, approvals were not keeping pace with the amount of funds requiring repatriation and significant airline revenue accumulated in Venezuela. The situation became critical in 2015 when only one request to repatriate funds was approved.

So far in 2016 only one request to repatriate funds has been granted,” Tyler said.

In Nigeria, IATA said the total airline funds blocked from repatriation in the country are

nearing $600 million.

According to Tyler, repatriation issues arose in the second half of 2015 when demand for foreign currency in the country outpaced supply and the country’s banks were not able to service currency repatriations. Nigerian authorities are engaged with the airlines and are, together with the industry, seeking possible measures to make the funds available.

"Blocked funds are a problem in a diverse group of countries, some of them undergoing significant economic challenges particularly with a fall in oil revenues. But one thing all five nations have in common is the urgent need for robust air connectivity that is being hampered by airlines’ difficulty in repatriating funds. Strong connectivity is an economic enabler and generates considerable economic and social benefits-something that struggling economies need more than ever.

It is in everybody’s interest to ensure that airlines are paid on-time, at fair exchange rates and in full," Tyler said.

Airline operators urge govt

to address Forex constraints facing domestic carriers The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency, address the failure of domestic airlines to access foreign exchange for the maintenance of their aircraft and training of personnel.

The call was made yesterday by the Chairman of AON, Capt Nogie Meggison.

The operators said this was critical because it borders on air safety and to prevent the collapse of the aviation industry.

"It is no longer news that airlines in Nigeria charge very competitive fares in local currency but have to carry out numerous operational activities including maintenance and purchase of spare parts in foreign currency (Dollars) thereby adding to the already unbearable burden the airlines have to carry on a regular basis. And the current forex constraint being faced by airlines has further exacerbated the situation and threatening to cripple airline operations in the country," Meggison said.

on oil and gas facilities, power generation, which peaked at 5.074MW on February 2, slumped to an all-time low of 1,400MW on May 9, according to the official report by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Peak generation on Thursday was 3,087.6 MW, but the daily operational report also showed that generation as at 6.00am yesterday was 2,832.5MW. Shell has confirmed signs of a leak on the 48-inch Forcados export pipeline at a location between shoreline and the Forcados Terminal in Delta State which members of the NDA attacked.

In a statement, Bamidele Odugbesan, spokesman of Shell, said that the company was yet "to fully evaluate the potential impact and damage to the pipeline resulting from this latest incident."

However, he disclosed that a team of engineers and experts were already doing a proper assessment and evaluation of the situation for possible response.

Ijaw Leaders Meet in Warri, Review Crisis in Niger Delta…

Also yesterday, Ijaw leaders from seven states that make up the Niger Delta met in Warri, Delta State yesterday to deliberate on the renewed violence in the region with focus on the destruction of critical infrastructure by the NDA. The Ijaw leaders were drawn from the 78 Ijaw clans, traditional institutions and social political bodies from Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Delta state.

Displaced women and children from several Ijaw communities in Gbaramatu kingdom who escaped the onslaught by soldiers also used the ocassion to narrate their ordeals in the hands of soldiers at the meeting.

The meeting which was at the instance of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) revealed humanitarian crisis in several communities including Oporoza, Kunukunu-Amu, Okokodiagbene, Benikruku, Kurutie, Okerekolo, Naifor, Azakrama, Kenghangbene, Igoba and several others.

Many Ijaw leaders who spoke at the meeting condemned the invasion and occupation of the communities and called for meaningful consultations between the federal government and Ijaws for the immediate resolution of the crises.

In his contribution, INC Secretary, Dr. Bibobra Bello Orubebe said several Ijaw people could not be accounted for up till now.

"Our people are starving and being molested without recourse to minimum international hu-

man rights standards in law enforcement.

"Ijaw children who went to write NECO are stranded and several of our people are in the forest and the wounded unattended. The situation is dire" he said.

The INC condemned the use of violence by both civilians and the federal government and urged parties to the crises to respect the sanctity of human lives, livelihood, economy, culture and environment of the Ijaw people.

The foremost Ijaw body also explained why they shunned the invitation on the flag off of the UNEP clean-up ceremony at Ogoni, Rivers state noting that government cannot be killing their people and expect them to honour the Ogoni clean-up flag off.

Ita Enang: FG Reaching Out to Niger Delta Governors The federal government has jettisoned its earlier threat to crush the militants operating under the aegis of Niger Delta Avengers and instead opted for dialogue with governors and stakeholders in the region with a view to halting protracted destruction of oil pipelines in the region.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang stated this yesterday.

He said some ministers along with top government officials from the Niger Delta had opened talks with governors and aggrieved people from the region on how to amicably resolve the conflict.

Enang said government was prepared to peacefully resolve the conflict.

He listed federal government's representatives engaged in dialogue with stakeholders in Niger Delta to include the Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau; Minister of Niger Delta, Usani Uguru; Co-ordinator, Amnesty Office, General Paul Boroh (rtd.), and other ministers from the region.

“The Minister of Niger Delta, the Minister of Interior, the Coordinator of the Amnesty Office have been taking actions consistent with their powers and what I know, almost all the ministers and officers from the Niger Delta region have returned to their respective states, their respective zones and their respective blocks to talk to their leaders and their aggrieved persons on the need for us to maintain peace.

“That is going on and they are the representatives of Mr. President. So, I will not tell you what Mr. President wants to do in person but these are officers and offices which are dealing with this matter.

“We have lost the earnings in terms of price; so we shouldn’t lose earnings in terms of production. I am sure that you are aware that we budgeted 2.2 million barrel per day and production few weeks ago, lowered to 1.4 million per day and it is climbing to 1.6 million and 1.7 million per day and that is capable of affecting the money expected from oil.

These are the things we are preaching to our people and preaching to the governors of our respective states.

“The Minister of Niger Delta, the Amnesty Office, the Minister of Interior are all carrying these messages to the governors that they should stand up and work and not sit down and watch,” he said.

Okowa Condemns Killing of Soldiers, Civilians…

In a related development, Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has condemned the recent killing of soldiers, and other civilians, who were on their legitimate assignments, in a houseboat attack, in Omadino, Warri South of Delta State, by suspected Militants.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, Okowa noted that the killing was criminality carried too far as nothing justifies the taking of lives of uniformed security men who are out to protect the common property of Nigerians.

“Your activities could turn Delta State into a theatre of war and this portends great danger to the whole population aside from casting the image of the state as insecure and unfit for investment. We cannot, as a state, afford this rascality if we hope to make progress”, he said.

“For the umpteenth time, I wish to call on well-meaning people of Delta State to speak up and not only condemn the activities of these militants but also offer their best counsel and commitment towards resolving this crisis,” Okowa said.

Governor Okowa also advised members of the Niger Delta Avengers to embrace dialogue as a means of resolving the crisis, adding that a peaceful and secured Delta is what is needed for development to thrive.

IYC Raise the Alarm…

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) also raised the alarm yesterday, saying that the current conflict in the Niger Delta region was sliding out of control.

The group lamented the reported killing of soldiers and civilians as well as invasion of communities in the region at the wake of the offensive.

It therefore called on President Buhari to take personal and urgent responsibility to curtail the rising trend.

FG ORDERS BANKS, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO SUSPEND FURTHER RETRENCHMENT proposed ones should be put on hold, pending the outcome of the proposed stakeholders’ summit for the Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions’ employers and employees, slated for the first week of July, 2016.

"All parties are therefore advised in the interest of industrial peace and harmony to maintain the status-quo ante-belum."

Ngige further stated that "by this directive also, the labour unions should cease all picketing of banks and financial institutions immediately."

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has written to the Inspector General of Police to express outrage at the arrest and detention of its members in Oyo State by the Oyo State Police Command for peacefully protesting against the sale of public schools in the guise of Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in a statement, said: "The right to peaceful protest against a wrong is guaranteed by the 1999 constitution (as amended), Labour/Trade Union Laws, ILO Conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory and Human Rights Laws and cannot be abridged by the Police or any agency of government.

"The public schools which the Oyo State Government is selling without due process or consent of the people were built with the sweat and blood of the people.

Amongst the beneficiaries of this public school education system is the Governor himself and other members of his cabinet."

Wabba stressed that "for them today to turn around and put up for sale these same schools, lock, stock, and barrel to the highest bidder, does not only constitute a contradiction but an unforgivable act of betrayal.

By this singular act, they have denied and will continue to

deny the children of the poor access to education which is their inalienable right under the constitution.

"I am not too sure members of the police force will be pleased if their children are denied access to education.

"Accordingly, I would request you to order the unconditional release of these workers as well as put a stop to their harassment in the interest of justice and industrial harmony.

"We urge that effort should be made by all segments of the society including the Nigeria Police Force in order not to precipitate an avoidable national crisis, as we will not hesitate to call out a nation-wide action in support of our colleagues in Oyo State."

He added that while the IG "have brought relative sanity and professionalism to the force, we urge that no overzealous officer be allowed at this point in time to dent this record.”

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

SUPER SATURDAY FUNMI AJILA-LADIPO

If Not a Fashion Designer, I Would Have Been a Singer or Lawyer She is intuitive as a fashion designer and creative as a human. Her pedigree is unassailable. Shrewd, pragmatic and selfless, she shoulders the responsibility of Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FDAN) – it is her second coming as president of the association. Funmi Ajila-Ladipo, Creative Director of House of Regalia, was recently re-elected as FADAN’s president unopposed. Well, until a former Vice President of the association, Wunmi Oluwadare –owner of Wunmi O – spoke against the re-emergence of Funmi as FADAN president. Wunmi claimed that the election of Funmi did not follow laid down regulations of the association. Is this about a personal difference? What exactly went wrong between a president and her former deputy? Funmi, incumbent FADAN President, speaks with Azuka Ogujiuba about what she feels was responsible for her re-election, why she thinks Wunmi is condemning her position and how she has remained relevant in the industry. She also talks about how she lost her father and mother in the spate of three months and where Nigeria’s fashion industry will be in the next five years

T

Ajila-Ladipo

Congratulations on your emergence as FADAN president hank you, I’m really grateful. It’s God. FADAN former Vice President, Wunmi Oluwadare, alleged that your emergence was fraught with irregularities and that you did not carry her along.

What’s your reaction to that?

I joined FADAN and I believe that she also joined FADAN. We both joined the association at different times. I don’t have any beef against her. But the thing is that, if you don’t attend meetings, if you are not positive to change and if you are not positive to growing the young people, there’s no way you can misdirect my administration. I was duly elected as president of the association. I was voted into office and I think I have the mandate to run the association to the best of my ability. I don’t have any beef with her and if she’s not being carried along, it’s because, she doesn’t attend meetings.

Probably, she’s not positive about it.

The recent election, before you emerged as the president, Wunmi alleged that you didn’t invite other members. How true is that?

It’s because she’s not getting herself involved in the activities of the association and because she’s not the president. We had Delta, Abuja and Ondo at the election. We even had Akwa Ibom.

Because she doesn’t attend meetings, probably, that’s why she doesn’t know these other people came for the election. Since my administration kicked off, we had a whole lot of changes.

The association has moved ahead of her; I think she was just looking for something to say about me. Everybody was there.

Before you became FADAN president, how was your relationship with her?

We were not friends. We were just comembers of the association; we were not close friends. There was nothing personal.

Have you ever called her to know if there was a problem?

As I said, I don’t really have any problem. I don’t really have any problem with her. If I’ve been voted into office and I became the president, instead of you, I think the best thing is for you to cooperate with the president

and if you are not cooperating with me, there’s really nothing I can do about it. Because everybody comes to the association, you pay your dues while you are in the association. You were not forced to be a member of the association. But I think if one person among 200 people feels that she’s not being carried along, it’s probably she doesn’t want to be carried along. But nobody would force her to do what she doesn’t want to do. It’s a professional body. We are all working towards the growth of this association, to make sure the younger ones are also carried along. But one thing I want to say is that, the vice president cannot misdirect the president. The vice president is supposed to listen to the president. If you are bigger than the authority, then, there’s a problem. I can’t step down when somebody feels that she must take charge. I took oath of office to lead the association and that’s what I’ve done, and I’ve done it to the best of my ability, the whole world can testify to it. If she loves the association so much like I do love then she will participate in every activity. I’m committed to growth of the association.

You were returned unopposed, giving you a second term as president. How did you achieve that?

I think the evidence is there to show for what I’ve done. If people feel you are doing a good job, why the change?

I’ve done the best that I could do and I’ve not finished what I started. It also shows that I’m doing something good and everybody wants me to carry on.

What are some of your achievements as FADAN president?

We have the secretariat now at National Art Theatre and supported also by the National Council of Art and Culture. We have been able to push up our relationship with the government.

We also have the part of industries supporting designers; then we have some chapters – Akwa Ibom, Delta, Ondo, Lagos, Abuja, Yobe, Uyo, and Ibadan (Oyo). We are also working on other chapters. This is something FADAN never really had and we also have strong designers; designers that have factories and have been in business for a long time. We want to make sure that the association is a professional body that stands for creative arts and that’s

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

9

SUPER SATURDAY I Lost My Mother and Father Within Three Months what we are doing. And also we have the runway FADAN; we have FADAN maps and we’ve been able to change the logo of the association and also amended the constitution. The face of FADAN has changed from what it used to be. In the past, we had about 10 people attended meetings while more than 60 attendees are recorded at meetings today. More people across the nation are interested in being part of the association and its activities. We’ve been able to build a very good patron; we have good media support and relationship. We’ve had a very good relationship with the Nike Art. We do engage in cancer awareness walk and breastfeeding day awareness walk.

Is it true that she’s the first Nigerian female designer?

One thing I’ll like to say is that Mama Shade is a born fashion designer. Like we know, it’s not like there weren’t other designers at that time, probably because she went to a fashion school in England and she’s well recognised.

I think she’s the first and foremost to have her own shop at Falomo, Ikoyi.

At that time, people never really came out to open shops to make a living out of fashion designing. I grew knowing her as the founder of the association.

Mama Shade is the first for me and for the association. Along the years, I think, Mama Shade saw the need for the association to grow beyond what it was and she found the fulfillment of her dreams in me and she just felt, ‘Oh! I need this woman to continue.’

I did not neglect her because she’s the founder of the association. I have gone to her for counsels. Even some of the top designers still refer to Shade Thomas-Fahm and she needs to be given her due respect as somebody who founded the association. She’s like the mother of the association and if the mother of the association can say, ‘Oh! This child has done well and I’ll like her to continue,’ who are other people to say no? And most of the young people also wanted me; everybody in the association wanted me. I think I did the best I could do and my work is speaking for me. It’s not so much about my face but my work. I’ve been able to give opportunity to young people, expose them, and build confidence in them.

Apart from being FADAN president, what else do you do?

I’m still a designer; I still have my little shop (Regalia). It’s been in existence for probably, since 1987; so almost about twenty-something years now, I still do the same thing, cut and sew. We do ready-to-wear. I’m still in the same business. I’m not doing anything else. So, it shows why I’m passionate about being in the industry.

If you were not a designer, what would you be doing right now?

I would have been a singer or probably a lawyer. I’m a very creative person. It started in my early years; so, I would have been in arts anyway, and anything that has to do with the arts.

Do you have a nickname?

Lala!

What’s the meaning?

Lala means sunshine; so people around me just feels that ‘Oh, she brings sunshine.’ My kids actually came up with the name. I just try as much as possible to impact whoever I

Funmi Ajila-Ladipo with her husband

meet. It doesn’t matter where you are coming from; I’m just me. I love to be with people; I’m a human lover and not a human hater. Some hate people; I don’t fall into that group. You know when you see people progressing, somebody is doing well, you just start hating them and you want to bring them down – it is hatred. I love successful people and most people you see around me are successful and hardworking people.

What are your childhood memories?

I remember one of the days I sneaked out to go to a beach. On getting there, I danced; that was my first time and I never knew it was recorded and at the end of the day, it turned out to be a dancing competition and I won.

I sneaked back home. My parents never knew I went out. But on Sunday, they showed it on TV. It was a huge embarrassment; my father’s brother was there and he was like ‘Is that not Funmi?’ I just moved away from the room like that, and my parents were like ‘When did she go? No, that’s not her!’ That was the most embarrassing moment (of my life). And I pretended as if it wasn’t me. On that particular day, I did not take the car. My friend, who was supposed to pick me up, was far away. I had to jump over the fence; when I returned home, nobody knew – even the security men did not know. I think that’s very memorable for me. It was very embarrassing and everybody kept on calling my father and they were saying ‘Oh, we saw your daughter on TV’ and he was like ‘It’s not her; she didn’t go anywhere. How come? It’s not her; probably, it might be someone else.’

What is your relationship with Abike Dabiri; is she still a friend?

She’s no longer a friend. She’s a sister; she’s someone who loves and she’s passionate about the growth of others and the younger ones. She has

a Mother Theresa’s heart; that’s what I call it. It takes life to walk together; it takes people who are like to you to walk together. We have another friend, Enitan. We are all very close buddies but everyone is busy. We still see and we are still family. We are no longer friends, we are family.

Where do you see the Nigerian fashion industry in the next five years?

Well, it all depends on the government; a whole lot of infrastructure will have to be put in place for people to really make profit. For example, all the gains that designers would have made go back into the burdens of bad roads, poor electricity supply and increase in fuel price. Besides, most of the materials that are needed for the industry to grow are not made in Nigeria. So we have to keep depending on the Western world to get some of the things that we need. So in the next five years, if we talk about creativity, we have it in Nigeria; we have very strong fashion designers in Nigeria. We have people who are ready to fly. But you can’t do it on your own. There are so much that we rely on the government for. So in the next five years, I’m sure with government putting the right things in the right places, we’ll be on top. Nations will come looking for Nigeria.

How do you relax or spend your free time?

I haven’t thought of that really. I like my lonely moments. When I’m at home, I don’t have to do anything. I go into my studio at home; I go to church and minister in the choir. Maybe I relax when I travel, but I get very bored.

What does love mean to you?

Love means someone who cares for me. Love means someone who’s there for you; someone who can cover your back; that’s what love means to me. It’s not the love everybody speaks about. When you mess up, that person is ready to stand for you and say ‘She didn’t mess up. She did well, can’t you see?’ But he or she can call

Abike-DabiriIsn’tJustMy Friend– She’sMy Sister

My kids actually came up with the name. I just try as much as possible to impact whoever I meet. It doesn’t matter where you are coming from; I’m just me. I love to be with people; I’m a human lover and not a human hater. Some hate people; I don’t fall into that group. You know when you see people progressing, somebody is doing well, you just start hating them and you want to bring them down – it is hatred.

I love successful people and most people you see around me are successful and hard-working people. you out later and say ‘You messed up!’ You will know you did mess up.

That’s love to me; it’s not only when you sin. It’s much more than that.

So what has been your happiest moment?

When I met Christ.

What is the saddest moment your have experienced?

It is losing my mother and my father three months apart. I love them both.

Who has influenced your fashion sense?

All Nigerian designers.

Then, what about foreign designers?

I like Karl Lagerfeld; I think he’s timeless.

What is your favourite colour?

No favourite colour. I love all colours; I play around with all colours.

What is your favourite food?

I love boli (roasted plantain) – boli and fish –, the Port Harcourt style.

10

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

NEWS

News Editor Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (sms only) Email ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

Fraudsters Demanding Money to Negotiate Release of Chibok Girls, Says Buhari Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja said that some fraudsters had approached the Federal Government for money to secure the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said Buhari made the revelation while receiving the Primate and Archbishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) at the State House, Abuja.

However, the president said that while the rescue and safe return of the remaining Chibok girls remained a top priority of his administration, he would not fall for the antics of the fraudsters whom he said had asked the Federal Government for money to negotiate the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (middle),his Deputy Governor Oluranti Adebule in a group photograph with Southern Governors’ Wives’ Forum during a courtesy visit to the Govrelease the girls. ernor, at the Lagos House, Ikeja... yesterday He however did not disclose the identity of the fraudsters.

The president said that entering into negotiations safe return would be one of his clean-up of Ogoniland which spite of the economic crunch of Nigeria (Anglican Comhis administration would with them. because of our concern for the munion), Most Rev Nicholas greatest fulfillments in office was launched yesterday. continue to insist on a thorough ‘‘We inherited the United welfare and environmental Okoh had ledged the support Adesina said the president, as president. authentication of the identities however, assured the Anglican He said Buhari also as- Nations Environmental Project comfort of the people of of the church in helping the and bona fides of any persons Bishops of his steadfast com- sured the clerics that the report from the previous Ogoniland,’’ he said.

Federal Government achieve its or groups claiming to have mitment to the rescue of the Federal Government would administration. We decided Earlier in his remarks, objectives of improving security custody of the girls before Chibok Girls, adding that their give maximum attention to the it needed urgent attention, in the Primate of the Church and the welfare of Nigerians.

WITH THEIR BETTER HALVES...

Witness: Structural Defects, ‘Restore Power to Buhari Intends to Islamise Failure to Hire Engineer Caused Disconnected Communities Nigeria through Backdoor, Synagogue Building Collapse or Have Your C of O Revoked’ Say 14 Christian Groups Akinwale Akintunde

A Consultant Civil Engineer, Dr. Olusegun Oyenuga yesterday, told an Ikeja High Court that the collapsed six-storey guesthouse owned by the Synagogue Church of all Nation (SCOAN) had no structural engineer.

Oyenuga, who is the first prosecution witness revealed this at the beginning of the trial of Trustees of SCOAN and the two engineers involved in the construction of the collapsed guesthouse, which led to the death of 116 persons, mostly South Africans on September 12, 2014.

The SCOAN Trustees, the two engineers, Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun and their companies, Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Limited were last month arraigned before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo on 111-count charge for their involvement in the collapsed building.

The 111 count charges preferred against the defendants by the Lagos State Government borders on criminal negligence, manslaughter and failure to obtain building permit.

When the trial which had suffered two adjournments eventually, kicked off yesterday, the witness who is a registered engineer of Council of Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) said the church to

the best of his knowledge did not contract the services of structural engineer to oversee the construction of the collapsed guesthouse, hence the building may have collapsed due to some structural defects.

"There was no structural engineer for SCOAN to the best of our knowledge, during the compilation of the report into the cause of the collapse of the building; no structural engineer for the church came forward.

"The court needs to educate the public that every structure needs a structural engineer, a civil engineer is not necessarily a structural engineer unless registered by the Council of Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)", Oyenuga explained.

The witness, who is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers, a past President of the institution, listed his educational qualifications as an HND in Civil Engineering from the Yaba College of Technology in 1978, a first class Bsc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos in 1981.

Led in evidence by Mrs. Idowu Alakija, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Oyenuga told the court that findings of the committee revealed that there were some structural defects that were discovered which may have led to the building collapse.

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state has given the management of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) 48 hours ultimatum to restore power to disconnected communities in the state or he would revoke their Certificate of Occupancy Oshiomhole who handed the ultimatum when management of Benin Disco, led by its Managing Director, Mrs. Funke Osibodu paid him a courtesy call at government House, Benin City, described the action of the company as not only criminal, but economic sabotage because of the numerous persons and businesses the disconnection had impacted negatively.

Explaining the rationale behind the disconnection, the Benin Disco boss said its actions became necessary because of the refusal of the affected areas to pay their electricity bill, coupled with the incessant harassment, intimidation and beating of the company staffers as well as destruction of its electricity installations and vehicles belonging to the firm.

Besides, Osibodu who was represented by Mr. Richard Obishai, said the current load shedding embarked upon by the company was as a result of the allotted megawatts to the company for distribution from the national grid that had gone down by 40 per cent due

to vandalism of gas pipelines which had affected generation.

According to the Disco, although the company had the installed capacity to provide electricity for at least 12 hours per day, but got an average of 320mwt which was distributed to customers in the four states of Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo, its area of jurisdiction.

Even at that, Osibodu noted that Edo got 53 per cent of the total power given, adding that the exorbitant bills customers frowned at was as a result of the new tariff which was not peculiar here but all other Discos.

The BEDC MD who acknowledged the absence of meters for appropriate billing system said of the 70000 customers of the company, just about 40 per cent did not have meters and that was why it relied on the estimated billing methodology to bridge the gap.

According to her, "the disconnection of those communities was as a result of treat to lives and property of the firm damaged", pointing out that even the protests

by Civil Society Groups (CSOs) had been about implementation of the new tariffs.

But Oshiomhole in his argument, maintained that it had always been the basic rights of customers to contest price increase especially when what they were asked to pay did not in any way corresponds with services rendered.

PaulObiinAbuja A coalition of over 14 Christian groups in Nigeria yesterday raised the alarm over alleged desperate plans by the Presidency to turn the country to an Islamic State, "through the backdoor", citing the Bill before the National Assembly to expand the jurisdiction of Sharia law.

They warned that such action ran contrary to Nigeria's secular status and therefore should be dropped immediately.

According to them, the Bill in the House of Representatives proposing amendment to Section 262(1) of the 1999 constitution with a view to expanding the existing jurisdiction of the Sharia Court of Appeal and the State by including criminal matters was insensitive and inconsistent with democratic and republican ideals of the constitution and the Nigerian State.

Members of the coalition include National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF); Nigerian Christian Graduate Fellowship (NCGF); Think Tank for the body of Christ (TTBC); Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON; Association of Christian Schools in Nigeria (ACSIN); Students Christian Movement (SCM); Christian Professionals Forum (CPF); Intercessors for Nigeria (IFN) and International Prophetic Ministerial Association (Inc. Worldwide College of Bishops and Ministers: Africa, UK and USA.) They also have Intercessors without Walls (IWW); Wailing Women International (WWI); Full

Gospel Businessmen Fellowship (FGBF); Nigerian Fellowship of Christian Students (NFCS) and University Joint Campus Christian Fellowship (UJCCFF) as members.

Several calls to the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Mallam Garba Shehu, were not taken.

The spokesperson of the coalition and National President of NCEF, Mr. Solomon Asemota (SAN); Prelate of Methodist Church/Head of Christian Council of Nigeria bloc in Christian Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Udofia and Leader of CPF, Prof. (Bishop) Funmi Adesanya-Davies, tabled these demands at a press conference on Friday in Abuja.

Asemota said, "The proposed amendment is a desecration of the sanctity of the FCT as a symbol of national unity, which should be preserved. Nigeria’s membership of religious organisations and associations, particularly the Organisation of Islamic Cooperating Countries and the Coalition of Islamic Nations against ISIS, is insensitive, against our best national security interest and democratic and democratic norms.

"To maintain the unity, faith, peace and corporate progress of Nigeria, we demand that Shariah should be expunged from the constitution and Shariah-based public institutions, agencies and practices in the states should be abolished. In this respect we demand the return to status quo as per the Republican Constitution of 1963".

11

JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

RingTrue

Yemi

Adebowale My Take Away on Nigerians Blinded By Sentiment 07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

N

o doubt, the escalation of the numerous challenges facing the Nigerian nation in the last 12 months is a result of sentiment beclouding the sense of reality of many Nigerians. We are in a bigger mess today because many are too sentimental to tell the Buhari administration the bitter truth. For this set of people, President Muhammadu Buhari can do no evil. It is a shame that the truth has taken an indefinite flight from this country.

These sentimental Nigerians have in the last 12 months contributed greatly to bringing down our dear nation, politically, socially and economically. With their sentiment, they have also contributed to the growing insecurity in our dear nation – Boko Haram, Biafra, Niger Delta militancy, kidnapping and armed robbery.

Our unity is being threatened; yet, these Nigerians are still sentimental about the so-called purity of President Buhari and are unwilling to tell him that this country has never been as divided as witnessed in the last 12 months. The agitations in the South-east and South-south are terrifying.

We are matching towards the precipice.

Rather than approach it politically, Buhari decided to send soldiers after the agitators.

Surprisingly, some people are clapping for him. These people have been blinded by sentiment and posterity will never forgive them if this great country goes under.

It is also on record that this administration has been stoking our fault lines at the expense of our unity. Ethnicity and religious diversity have never been this much exploited for political reasons in the history of our country, thus hindering our progress.

All political appointments made in the last 12 months have been lopsided in favour of a section of the North. So, what has happened to the federal character entrenched in our constitution? Those blinded by sentiment see nothing wrong with this assault on our fault lines. Patriots must take steps to pull this country back from the brink.

Just as the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu remarked recently, “Ethnicity and other diversities within Nigeria are healthy realities that should actually make the nation tick. The poor management of such diversities and their exploitation for political and other selfish advantages have continued to polarise the nation, thereby

constituting a major stumbling block to her progress.”

On security, I am struggling to comprehend how some people came about the conclusion that the Buhari administration is doing well in the war against Boko Haram when under his watch, these bloodthirsty terrorists slaughtered almost 3000 Nigerians. Many will not forget in a hurry the massacre at the Dalori IDP camp which claimed 86 lives; the 50 people killed in Sabon Gari market in Damboa; the 30 people killed in Yakshari and Kachifa villages in Damboa; the 27 people killed in MolaiUmarari Village and the 60 people killed in Maiduguri and Madagali last December. In all, almost 3000 people were killed by Boko Haram in the last 12 months. Just last week, the terrorists attacked five villages in Jere Local Government, just 10 kilometres from Maiduguri, killing 11 people. As at yesterday, two local government areas in Borno State (Abadam and Mobbar) are firmly under the control of Boko Haram.

Buhari has reneged on virtually all his campaign promises; yet, these people, blinded by sentiment, say he is doing very well. The hike in electricity tariffs and petrol prices are contrary to his campaign promises. Our badly battered Naira is contrary to his promise of making Naira equal to the USD. Already, our president has jettisoned the N5000 monthly stipend promised 25 million unemployed Nigerians.

Over a year after, we are still waiting for Buhari to start paying monthly stipend to senior citizens and the unemployed. We are still waiting for the three million jobs he promised to create yearly. We are waiting for our president to start upgrading our universities, polytechnics, colleges, hospitals and roads as promised. What about the free lunch for school children across the nation.

Those blinded by sentiment are not waiting for all these. Darkness has taken over our nation contrary to the promise of stable electricity; yet, these people blinded by sentiment are clapping for Buhari. The 5500MW capacity inherited from his predecessor has slumped to less than 1400MW. Many homes and offices are now permanently being run on generators.

The truth that must be told is that our president needs to rejig himself and start thinking differently; he must also rejig his cabinet to ensure that the next one year does not end in a disaster. Our president

The Astuteness of Atiku Abubakar If there is any living Nigerian capable of effectively and efficiently running the Nigerian nation, that man is Atiku Abubakar. This, I have said over and over again.

This man is prepared for leadership; his perspicacity about the Nigerian problem is legendary. The only problem I have with him now is that by 2019, Atiku will be 72; the stamina for this critical job may no longer be there. Be that as it may, this week, Atiku again showed that he has what it takes to move the Nigerian nation forward.

Speaking at a launch in Abuja, he threw a big punch at the policies and programmes of the Buhari administration on power and the Niger Delta crisis, saying, there was little or no lesson learnt from the past.

He declared: “We are still not there with power relying on gas, and we will never get there unless you solve the problem of the Niger Delta. We will not be able to solve our power generation problem relying on the use of gas turbines without peace in the Niger Delta. If my boss, Obasanjo had agreed with me in 2003 by establishing captive power stations, we would have been self-sufficient in power generation by now. I did not agree with that government’s policy in the power sector and there is nothing that happened to make me change my position”.

On the herdsmen/farmers’ clashes and its attendant disharmony across the land, Atiku said: “Again, here we come back to the same economic challenges facing the country. We also have a leadership that is not prepared to learn from the past, and is not prepared to

Atiku

lead.”

Atiku also reiterated the need to start the process of restructuring Nigeria in order to reduce agitations across the nation. These are some of the issues properly treated by the National Conference organised by the Jonathan administration. There was also a draft constitution from the conference. If the resolutions are implemented, Nigeria will be on the path to greatness. No nation can attain greatness without rectitude. This is the only way we can shape lives and lay the foundation for the future. Today, I urge Buhari to put aside his ego and embrace this document. For now, this is the only way forward for Nigeria.

Over a year after, we are still waiting for Buhari to start paying monthly stipend to senior citizens and the unemployed.

We are still waiting for the three million jobs he promised to create yearly. We are waiting for our president to start upgrading our universities, polytechnics, colleges, hospitals and roads as promised. What about the free lunch for school children across the nation. Those blinded by sentiment are not waiting for all these must stop thinking and acting like an 18th century anti-corruption czar; he has to start thinking and acting like a 21st century finance manager. Buhari must concentrate on his main job of governance, pay more attention to the economy and allow agencies like the CBN, AMCON, EFCC and ICPC to function unhindered. This

idea of spending the bulk of his time and state resources running after looters is unacceptable. Forward-looking Nigerians are tired of being bombarded daily with stories of loot recoveries that are not impacting on our lives.

Again, there are too many dead woods in our president’s cabinet. People like Audu Ogbe, Kayode Fayemi, Adamu Adamu, Ibe Kachikwu, Solomon Dalung, Ogbonnaya Onu, Uguru Usani, Hadi Sirika, Abdulrahman Danbazau, Adebayo Shittu, Chris Ngige and our eaglet finance minister, Kemi Adeosun must give way to people with clout; people who can think out of the box. These ministers listed are too timorous and have virtually nothing to offer this country.

Today, I want our dear president to consistently reflect on the views of Nigerians that have refused to be blinded by sentiment.

One of them is the Archbishop Emeritus of Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie who wants Buhari to return to actualise his campaign promises to Nigerians or risk a revolution: “One year after inauguration, the Buhari-led government has derailed from its promises to the people; the poor masses now roam about without proper guidance while the majority are left in penury in the midst of plenty. Thousands of workers are being laid off every day, the value of the Naira is falling drastically, while many states are owing their workers many months of unpaid salaries.”

On the Niger Delta crisis, Okogie remarked: “The Federal Government must tread softly with the Biafra agitators and the Niger Delta Avengers. There is a popular saying that to jaw jaw is better than to war war. I am aware that the Niger Delta Avengers have reeled out a number of conditions to be met before seizing further attacks on oil installations. I am equally aware that President Buhari has vowed to deal decisively with the militants.

While condemning the disruption of our oil facilities under any guise, I equally want to stress that the use of military force is not a solution. Military option will only aggravate the situation.” These are indeed words of wisdom. I hope the hawks in this government will allow our president to read this.

A Word for Ayodele Fayose It is a shame that Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has joined the league of governors pummelling civil servants.

He did very well at the inception of his administration on welfare of civil servants that I had to write, commending his government. At a point, Fayose even paid one of the two months’ salaries left behind by his predecessor. Suddenly, my dear Fayose degenerated. I can’t understand how he got to this level with workers’ well-being. As at press time, Ekiti civil servants were still on strike over five months’ unpaid salaries. The pain is becoming unbearable across this state dominated by civil servants. There is hunger in the land of Ekiti. Rather than engaging the traumatised workers, Fayose has been behaving badly. My dear Fayose, please note that this is not the time for showmanship and brinkmanship. It is time to show compassion, otherwise, all that is left of the goodwill you have been enjoying in the state will be squandered. You must also stop telling civil servants stories about dwindling revenue from the Federation Account. How you run the state and pay civil servants is

Fayose

your business. You told the people that you were capable of effectively running the state; that was why they voted for you; if you are no longer capable, please resign. Governors who are incapable of ensuring financial sovereignty for their states have no business remaining in government houses a day longer.

Gale of Retrenchment in Banks A phone call from my account officer woke me on Wednesday to announce that she had been sacked by her bank. This obviously traumatised young lady wanted me to keep her in view, in case something she could fit into crops up. She is just one of the over 6000 bankers sacked in the last eight months due to our sliding economy. First Bank has sacked 1000, ECOBANK sacked 1040, FCMB sacked 700, and Diamond Bank sacked 200.

Zenith Bank laid off 1,200 staff. These stories

are depressing. I had warned severally that once the economy starts sliding, mainly due to clumsy economic policies, thousands of Nigerians will be thrown out of jobs. Just imagine the thousands of heads sacked in these banks and other sectors of the economy.

Some tears will never dry. Many may never recover again in life. Many will die out of frustration. This is the situation we have found ourselves in this country in the last 12 months.

May Allah help us.

12

JUNE 4 , 2016• THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

GOODBYE TO ALL THAT

Ide F. Eguabor pays tribute to Emeka Enejere, a scholar, political scientist and an activist

A

s soon as words filtered and spread in Lagos that Dr. Emeka Enejere, scholar, teacher, political scientist and activist had passed on Friday, May 20, 2016, at a medical facility in Abuja, a medical doctor friend in Lagos sent me an SMS: “You mean he died with all that enormous knowledge and intelligence”?

For the next several minutes or so, I became numb with some kind of helpless paralysis. For Dr. Emeka Enejere had become a friend, confidant, soul mate of an uncommon type that produced a friendship and fondness I thought would last forever.

A consummate intellectual and teacher, Emeka was a die-hard patriot whose penchant and desire to simply do things the right way made him at once suspicious and controversial. It all started way back in 1990, when on my return from a fellowship programme in the United Staes of America, I was invited on board to serve the National Chairman of the National Republican Convention (NRC) Chief Tom Ikimi, as Chief Press Secretary. Prince Nduka Obaigbena for a short while, Mr. Charles Iyizoba, Quenette Allaogoa, Alhaji Abdulrazak Danagundi, Dr. Emeka Enejere and late Dr. Ben Efoghe constituted the team.

Dr. Enejere in no time became the one to whom all of us gravitated especially when for days on end we would be hosting meetings, writing minutes, compiling guidelines for ward, local government and state congresses, travelling and criss-crossing Nigeria at dizzying speed. In no time Enejere, a workaholic had become the political party’s ‘brain box’, working tirelessly and endlessly for several days and weeks without a break. It is to his credit and masterful handling that tricky and knotty political issues in the party were resolved no matter how complicated.

My admiration for him was in part for the clarity of his political analysis and the influence he wielded as a perceptive thinker on political trends and developments. He had a special and very simplistic

NOT TOO LONG AGO, HE WOULD CALL ME INSISTING HE NEEDED THE FULL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE, INSISTING IT MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE COVERED BY DUST. THIS WAS IN THE FACE OF HIS HEALTH CHALLENGES

but compelling way of explaining intricate political situations to the satisfaction of his audience, so much so even if you disagreed, you still had to concede his point of view made sense.

It will be hard to quite easily place his role in contemporary Nigerian politics. His frustration at the nation’s squandering of opportunities to uplift Nigeria politically. His rejection of the document prepared and collated by Nigeria’s military hierarchy and called the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the fact that the National Conference of 2014 had presented a golden opportunity to restructure this nation into one strong and vibrant federating democracy but which was lost to the primordial considerations of partisanship.

Not too long ago, he would call me insisting he needed the full report of the National Conference, insisting it must not be allowed to be covered by dust.

This was in the face of his health challenges. For the most part we kept at our early morning phone chats.

Dr. Enejere was a passionate patriot, a positively pragmatic bureaucrat who fought the right battles at the right time to make Nigeria assume the fullness of its greatness to no avail. His friend and ally, Dr. Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi and others who were in house, fellow travellers and close political associates will have to keep the struggle on without their “brain box and whiz kid”.

The great Doc, as we always say, it’s goodbye to all that until we meet again.

Too heavy hearted and devastated to continue, I call on our Almighty, merciful and benevolent Lord to grant his wife, Hon. Justice Pearl Enejere( rtd), the children and grandchildren, the fortitude to bear this loss.

May his soul find eternal rest in the bosom of The Lord. Amen.

Eguabor, a Journalist, wrote from Lagos

ADDRESSING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH BIOTECHNOLOGY The use of modern agricultural biotechnology is long-overdue as it will herald food security as well as job creation, argues Yahaha Kabir

T

he “Tuta Absoluta” scourge, otherwise known as “tomato Ebola”, which has severely attacked tomato production in Nigeria in recent months has shown, yet again, how vulnerable the country’s food security readiness is.

Nigeria with an estimated population of over 180 million is confronted with challenges of food insecurity, poverty and inadequate health care. A projection by the United Nations in a recently released report, “World population prospects: The 2015 revision”, notes that Nigeria’s population, currently the seventh largest in the world, is growing most rapidly and will surpass that of the United States by 2050 at which point it would become the third largest in the world, standing just behind India and China.

It is evident that as the population grows, the available land for agricultural purpose will continue to decrease. The need to feed ourselves will even become more acute, requiring producing more from receding parcels of land and heightening the need to be constantly prepared against our production potential especially from pests and weeds.

This fact is not lost on the federal government and successive administrations since our return to democracy in 1999 have launched various projects in the bid to ensure our food security as a nation.

One of such projects was the establishment of the National Biotechnology Development Agency in 2001 with the mandate to promote, coordinate and deploy cutting-edge biotechnology research and development processes and products for the socio-economic well-being of the nation, with a view to using the tools of modern biotechnology to promote

food security and enhance the Nigerian economy.

In furtherance of this bid to guarantee our long term food security, former President Goodluck Jonathan, in April 2015, signed the National Biosafety Management Agency Bill into law. This act automatically allowed for the domestication of modern biotechnology in Nigeria.

Modern biotechnology is a technique used for genetic improvements that is more efficient and precise compared to conventional breeding. However, and contrary to what many antagonists claim, this is not in many ways significantly different from the conventional breeding techniques that aim to produce better seeds in terms of nutritional value and resistance to pests or disease. All this does is to leverage technology to make the process more precise, cutting down time spent in cross breeding to find the desired seed quality and eliminating the risks of transferring unwanted genes from seeds to each other.

This technology also allows traits found in other organisms to be transferred to crop and livestock species where such proffer solutions not possible within the genetic make-up of the seed or its relatives With the challenges of climate change, persisting pest infestations, declining soil nutritional quality, gradual reduction in arable land due to the pressures of urbanisation and our growing population, modern biotechnology has been identified as an important tool that can help countries such as Nigeria achieve food sufficiency/food security, industrial growth, health improvement and environmental sustainability, and in the face of our growing population, this technology holds a lot of promise for the development of our agricultural sector,

food security and industrial growth.

It will also help to reduce labour input in farming through modernisation; attract young Nigerians to participate actively in agriculture, whether in crop production, fishing, livestock, forestry and horticulture.

This will invariably help the nation to solve a very important problem which had remained unsolved for a long time as many young people are reluctant to go into farming because of the outdated technologies that are being deployed.

Apart from enhancing agricultural production, ensuring food security and making agriculture a business against a mere subsistent means of livelihood, biotechnology will give the nation the benefit of mitigating climate change by reducing the use of pesticides which adversely affects the environment, improve environmental protection and conservation through production of stress tolerant planting materials for re-vegetation, re-afforestation, soil binding for erosion control as well as genetically enhanced organisms for bioremediation of oil polluted sites and improvement in plants and animals yields as well as nutritional values.

Other benefits include the production of new breeds/varieties of animals and plants and reduction in farming land area with higher yields which facilitates job and wealth creation and leads to better health facilities; promotion of bioorganic fertiliser development and industrial growth through feedstock development; promotion and development of bio-pharmaceuticals production, stem cell technology, biometrics, etc., in Nigeria and biodiversity conservation.

The safe adoption of modern biotechnology will also enable the nation to commer-

cialise crops that are currently undergoing field trails in various locations across the country thereby promoting food security in the nation.

This means that Nigeria can without delay commercialise Bt-cotton, Bt-maize, herbicide tolerant-soya beans, which are already in South Africa, Burkina Faso and Egypt. This can lead to increased yield productivity to ensure food security and industrial growth especially in the ailing textile industries. It will also promote the quantity and quality of cotton that Nigeria can export to other countries.

Despite the many gains of modern biotechnology, there is, however, the need for the federal government to show resolve for the safe adoption of this technology by encouraging more research and development.

Nigeria has the capacity to be able to reach self-sufficiency in food if the government makes funds available for research in the sector, if not, the technology will continue to be useless as long as it remains within the domain of the research until it goes out to the farmers.

Nigeria, as a nation, can stop massive food importation when local productivity has increased to substitute the importation, and this cannot be achieved by improving our crude technology but by wholly embracing modern biotechnology.

It is time for Nigeria to join the league of other countries like the Republic of South Africa, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Togo, Tanzania and Mali, who are already enjoying the proceeds of modern agricultural biotechnology to enhance food security and job creation.

Kabir is a food technologist based in Abuja

13

JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

In celebration of democracy...

J

Democracy Day: Between May 29 and June 12

une 12 is marked with public holidays in Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Ogun States. The 1993 elections were the fairest and most credible elections Nigeria has ever had. The man under the limelight was Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, one of the martyrs of Nigeria’s democracy, a former business tycoon and a philanthropist. MKO Abiola was the undisputed winner of the 1993 elections.

Abiola died under suspicious circumstances shortly after the death of General Sani Abacha. He died on the day he was due for release, July 7, 1998. In order to appease the South west, Obasanjo was picked from prison as substitute and furnished with all the resources needed for campaign, endorsement rather, to emerge as the first president of the fourth republic.

In place of MKO Abiola, we were given a more loyal South-western puppet.

If we look critically, Abiola and Obasanjo had so many things in common and that probably must have informed the cabal’s choice for Obasanjo after Abiola’s death. Abiola and Obasanjo hail from Ogun State, they attended the same secondary school - Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, where Abiola was the editor-in-chief of their school magazine (The Trumpeter) and Obasanjo was his assistant. Both men shared almost the same circle of friends. They are considered legend in their own right and are being celebrated by the Yoruba nation.

Abiola and Obasanjo are also polygamists. Both are philanthropists but one of them exhibits more philanthropy than the other. In any case, their generosity has earned them over 30 traditional titles each and multiple awards that they have lost count. Both men have been wrongly convicted and sent to prison for crimes they did not really commit.

But Abiola proved to be more academically sound. He earned first class honours degree in Accountancy from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He also received a distinction from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Academically, not much is said about Obasanjo since he completed his military school in Kaduna. Chief MKO Abiola had been a politician and an entrepreneur right from the 1960s even up to his death, whereas Obasanjo was a military man cum politician/businessman.

Abiola was a Muslim though he was not keen about religiosity, but Obasanjo appears to be an ‘ardent Christian’.

Perhaps the most distinguishing politically ideological difference between the two was that Abiola was more of a socialist while Obasanjo was a capitalist.

Abiola was sensitive to the yearnings of the masses and that brought him unwavering support from all the commoners within the federation. Obasanjo was brought in for the sake of democracy in 1999.

While I am not an adherent of ‘’Democracy Day’’ celebration (because I feel it should be encapsulated in the Independence Day), I believe the June 12 remembrance is more justifiable being the day Nigeria was denied the right to have a saner and more purposeful people-minded democracy. Obasanjo arbitrarily chose May 29 to be remembered as ‘’ Democracy Day’’ because he was the one who was handed the democratic baton. If he or Abdulsalami Abubakar had been a little more patient and waited 14 days longer, June 12 would have been our democracy day, and as such, it would have had more significance, thus avoiding the May 29 parody.

Ademola Orunbon, Epe, Lagos State

Kudos, Ogun State Civil Society Organisations

I

wish to doff my cap to the organisers of the Democracy Day interactive session in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Sunday, May 29, 2013. The forum which was held under the aegis of the Committe for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Ogun State Chapter, had put the governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun on the hot seat, where he was questioned in a no-holds-bar session for over three hours.

The forum provided ample opportunity for cross fertilisation of ideas between the government of Ogun State as represented by Senator Amosun and the people, as represented by the civil society organisations. This is one aspect of democracy (Town Hall interaction) that has continued to grow T H E S AT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R in Ogun EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE State MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO under the DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE current CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI dispensaEDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN tion.

The interest of the citizens T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D towards EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, the ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU forum GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA was DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, tumultuMBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE ous DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI as the SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO cinema CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI hall of GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI the GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE cultural ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II centre DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO was TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com filled to capacity.

The aisles were also occupied by crowds of enthusiasts as they listened patiently to the governor.

Outside the hall, even greater numbers of people waited for the programme till the end.

To be sure, the CDHR which organised the forum remains one of the fiercest critics of the Senator Amosun administration. Yet, this did not deter the governor from attending the programme, an indication of the high level of tolerance and candour which many admire in him. It goes to show that the forum could not have been organised to raise the alter ego of the governor or as a platform of escape from criticisms, but as an authentic forum to exchange ideas between the government and the governed.

The beauty of the forum is its creation of awareness about government policies and the deepening of democracy in the state. If democracy must answer to one of its often quoted definitions as “government of the people, by the people and for the people”, then those in positions of authority should be held accountable for the policies and actions of government. This exactly was a major achievement of the democracy day session.

On the whole, the governor, in my opinion, gave a good account of himself and his administration, disclosing details of information which otherwise might not have been in the purview of the public.

One fact that might have been taken away by participants and observers at the forum was the tenacity of purpose with which the governor tackled issues of development in the gateway state.

Wole Elegbede, Imeko Ogun State

14

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

NEWS

In Brief

Egyptian Doctors Treat IDPs in Abuja

AteamofmedicaldoctorsfromEgyptwereflownintothecountryduringthe week to give free medical care to the Internal Displaced Persons in various camps within Abuja.The Kabusa IDP Camp, behind Sunnyville Estate, Apo, Karmajiji Dudun Munstsira Camp, behind the military cemetery after the AbujacitygateandtheDurumiIDPCampinArea1,Garkiwerebeneficiaries from the benevolence of Sheik Ahmed Tiyyib and the Arab Republic of Egypt.The coming of the doctors from Al-Azhar institution, in Egypt was a fulfillment of an earlier promise made by the Chief Imam of the Grand Mosque of Alexandria University, Sheik AhmedTiyyib when he visited the IDP camps in Abuja, recently. According to the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Ashraf Salama, the Sheik expressed sympathy on the plightoftheIDPsandpromisedhewouldseehowtheycancomein,interms of medical and food supplies.

Saraki Laments Fire Incident

YOU'RE WELCOME...

L-R: Mr Sule Momodu, State Commander, NDLEA, Anambra State Command with Prof. Ahaneku Joseph, Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka during a courtsy visit to the vc in his office at awka

NJC Kicks Out Justice Ebuta Over Alleged Misconduct

Tobi SoniyiinAbuja

The National Judicial Council has recommended a judge of Cross River State High Court, Justice B. T. Ebuta for compulsory retirement after it found him to have violated the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.

A statement announcing Ebuta's retirement from the bench was issued in Abuja yesterday and signed by NJC's Acting Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye. The statement said that the decision to retire the judge was taken at the NJC meeting held on 1st and 2nd June, 2016.

Pending the time the Cross River

State Governor would approve the NJC's recommendation, the council said it, "has in the exercise of its disciplinary powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, suspended Hon. Justice B. T. Ebuta from office with immediate effect ."

The statement said: "Justice Ebuta was recommended for compulsory retirement from office to the Governor of Cross River State, sequel to the findings by the council on the allegations of abuse of judicial power, suppression and illegal/forceful takeover of a property in Calabar as contained in the petition written against him by Dr. Ekanem Cobham.

"The petitioner had alleged: That Ebuta made an order based on exparte application without sitting in court. That Ebuta granted the said ex-parte application to unseal her property which was sealed on the order of a Magistrate Court when her tenant, Mr. Ugochukwu Chijioke failed to pay rent for two years. She stated that she filed Suit No MC/ RT/12/6/14 at the Magistrate Court, Calabar against her tenant for failing to pay her rent and judgement was delivered in her favour on 10th November, 2014.

“That the Respondent filed an ex-parte application in Suit No. MC/MSC/143/2014 before the

Magistrate Court to unseal the property without her knowledge and that the Respondent’s counsel filed a similar application at the High Court.

On getting to the High Court, she discovered that the court did not sit.

“That she applied and paid for the Certified True Copy of the purported Record of Proceedings, but was told by the Court Clerk that there was no sitting on that day, as claimed by the judge.

That her money was then returned to her and she reported this development to the Registrar of the court.

"Council investigated the allegations and found out that they were all true".

9 Die in Lagos Accident, 10 Others Injured Chiemelie Ezeobi

A fatal accident that occurred at the Fadeyi area of Lagos State, yesterday claimed nine lives and left 10 others with various degrees of injuries.

The incident occurred after a commercial bus collided with a heavy duty truck, which saw nine of the occupants dead and 10 other occupants of the Toyota Hiace bus from Katsina marked KT 715YG injured.

While the dead were taken

to the morgue pending identification and contacting of their relatives, the 10 injured persons have since been rushed to the hospital for treatment.

According to eyewitness account, the driver of the commercial bus was allegedly over-speeding when he lost control and hit a culvert.

The vehicle, it was gathered, veered off the road and somersaulted, ramming into a heavy duty truck marked GGE715YG. Hours after the crash, the in-

cident caused a heavy vehicular traffic snarl that stretched along Ikorodu Expressway.

It took the intervention of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS) and some passersby to rescue some of the victims trapped in the vehicle.

Confirming the accident, LASEMA General Manager, Michael Akindele said it was

caused by carelessness.

He said, "A total number of nine people lost their lives in the incident. Five adult (four male and a female) and four children( two male, two female). " 10 others sustained injuries and were taken to the Emergency Trauma Centre at the Toll Gate.

"Drivers should be cautious and avoid over speeding as well as comply with road traffic code to prevent unnecessary accident leading to loss of lives."

NEMA: 53% Women, 54% Children Under-5, Among 2 million IDPs Kasim Sumaina inAbuja The Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammed SaniSidi has stated that, demographically, out of the over 2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country, 53% were female while 54% were children under the age of five years.

The DG, stated that it was important to note that Nigerian women and girls had paid a heavy price in armed conflict situations and in other emergencies.

He made this disclosure while delivering his speech in an event

organised by the agency on mainstreaming gender issues in disaster management, held recently in Abuja.

According to him, "This epoch making event, first of its kind to be organised by NEMA in a drive to come up with a policy guide for mainstreaming gender in Disaster Management in Nigeria is aimed towards understanding gender issues both at policy and operational levels.

“The theme; Gender, Women and Disaster Risk Management; Towards a Gender Sensitive Policy Framework in Nigeria is of critical importance not only to NEMA but to all our stakeholders in Disaster Risk Management.

"In the last five years alone, our nation had experienced disasters which have cost the lives of thousands of our people, while several others have been displaced. These disasters have devastated the livelihoods of people, impacted on the economies of states and eroded social relationships amongst families."

He said, "As people, we have grappled with a plethora of conflicts which have sapped enormous energy and resources meant for economic development and the improvement of living conditions in several communities. Our women, girls and children have endured unprecedented levels of sexual

violence and assault along with related involuntary pregnancies and health complications as a result of abuses and insecurity in times of emergencies."

Sidi hinted that, "Women make up more than half the population affected by emergencies in country demographically; out of the over 2 million Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria, 53% are female while 54% are children.

"While women's vulnerability to disasters is often highlighted, their role and contributions to building disasters resilience has often been overlooked and has not been adequately recognised."

Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday decried fire incident which consumed the old National Assembly building at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, describing it as unfortunate. Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said it should be a matter of priority to secure and protect important national monuments such as the burnt building from destruction as he noted that lack of maintenance of the historical parliament building must have led to the sad incident. He saidthebuildingwhichcurrentlyhouseszonalofficesofsomegovernment establishments should occupy a vantage position in the political history of the country and therefore must continually be accorded the attention it deserved having once housed the highest lawmaking body of the country.

Ayade to Receive Hollywood Image Award

Inrecognitionofhispragmaticleadershipstyleandseveraldevelopmental initiatives, Hollywood Weekly Magazine Film Festival (HWMFF), will on September 10, 2016, bestow on the Cross River State governor, Senator Ben Ayade, with an Image Award. The Award which is the magazine's highest category award is scheduled to hold at the iconic Nokia Center, Los Angeles during the annual Hollywood Weekly Magazine Film Festivals.

Theawardiscomingfewweeksafterthestategovernmentannouncedthe establishmentofitsownfilmindustryknownasCallywood,withauditioning already commenced. Organisers of the Festival led by the Publisher, Mr. PratherJackson,whocommunicatedthisinalettertoGovernorAyadesaid: “Indeed Prof. Ben Ayade is well deserving of this award.” According to him, “We are impressed by Governor Ben Ayade’s great works which include Callywood Film Industry, the superhighway, monorail, Carnival Calabar and most overwhelmingly, the Calabar Garment factory which is said to be the largest in Africa.” Continuing, he explained that “Governor Ayade’s incorporationofCallywoodfilmindustryandappointmentofTurningPoint film producer Egor Efiok, to run.

Unity Bank Forges Alliance to Enhance Capital

UnityBankPlc.hasforgedastrategicalliancewithBlackTrituium,anequity andinvestmentfundmanager,inabidtoachieveamilestonerepositioning oftheBank.THISDAYlearntthatinfurtheranceofthealliance,theGroupis poisedtomakesignificantequityinvestmentinUnityBankPlc.Thisstrategic alliance will expand Unity Bank’s business scope, strengthen its capital baseandsupporttheBank's retailstrategywhilstmeetingtheinvestment objectivesofBlackTrituium.TheBlackTrituiumisanEquityandInvestment fundmanagerforindividualsandinstitutionssuchasTradeUnionCongress of Nigeria. The collaboration with Unity Bank is expected to expand the retail and SME platform of the Bank. Investment analysts see this as a unique opportunity that has the potential to broaden the Bank’s customer base and provide long term stakeholder value.

Golden Jubilee

TheSacredHeartCatholicChurch,ApapaParishhasannouncedprogrammes forthecelebrationofitsGoldenJubilee.Astatementreleasedbythechurch saidactivitiestomarkthedaywouldcommencetomorrowattheir43Creek Road,Apapa.Severalactivitiesaresaidtobelineduptomaketheoccasion a memorable one while Reverend Father Osbert Egbe is the Chief host.

Dame Victoria Chu Passes on

The death of DameVictoria Osila-Onorwi Chu has been announced by her family. A statement on her demise said she died peacefully on Tuesday 17th May 2016 at the age of 75. Dame Chu, a devout Christian retired as superintendentofpressoftheRiversStateNewspaperCorporation,Nigeria Tide.ShewasactivelyinvolvedintheSt.ThomasAnglicanChurch,Eteoand also to the service of her community. She was honoured by her investiture into the noble order of Knight of Saint Mary (KSM) by Niger Delta Diocese of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) for her roles in the church.

According the family, her Funeral Service would take place at St.Thomas Church, Eteo at 10:00am. today. Interment would follow at her residence at Dr.E.J.Chu’scompound,Obolo,Eteo-Eleme.SheisSurvivedbyfivechildren, Among them is Mr. Benneth Chu, a Port Harcourt Based Legal practitioner.

Ugwuanyi Eulogises late Onwuliri

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State yesterday eulogised the late formerViceChancelloroftheFederalUniversityofScienceandTechnology, Owerri(FUTO),Prof.CelestineOnwuliriforhismemorablecontributionsto the advancement of scientific knowledge and educational development in the country. Ugwuanyi who spoke during the 4th memorial lecture and events of the late Prof. Onwuliri, held at Enugu, described him as a colossus, devout Roman Catholic, good man, distinguished scholar and mentor to many other accomplished scholars. Prof. Onwuliri was among those who lost their lives in the ill-fated Dana-Air crash in Lagos on June 3, 2012.

While thanking Mrs. Viola Onwuliri and her children for the fortitude and convictiontoforgeaheadwiththelegaciesoftheirfather,Ugwuanyinoted that the memorial lecture was a more deserving way to honour him and commemorate his accomplishments. In his opening remark, the Chairman of the occasion and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, His Lordship, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, spoke extensively on the state of the economy and called on Nigerians to have faith in God and the miracle of five loaves and two fish.

15

June 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

TUNDERAHMAN

tunderahmanu@yahoo.com 08055069548 (Text only)

Buhari and the Biafran Challenge

L

ast Tuesday President Muhammadu Buhari met with some South-east leaders, majorly from his party, the All Progressives Congress, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting came a day after the country celebrated yet another May 29 Democracy Day. But it was also a day after the bloody Biafran protests in the South-east cities and Asaba in the South-south, which left in its wake death and destruction. Over 50 pro-Biafran protesters were reportedly killed across South-east states and in Asaba, the Delta State capital. According to newspaper reports, two policemen also lost their lives in the protests. One of the policemen was said to have been thrown into River Niger. The South-east leaders met with Buhari under the aegis of South-east Group for Change and the 18-man delegation was led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani. After the meeting, the delegation declined to speak with State House Correspondents, but asked by the newshounds whether Biafra came up for discussion at the talks, Nnamani reportedly said, “No, no, not now”. If we believe the former Senate President that the issue of Biafra did not come up for discussion at that meeting, then it was just a matter of time for a presidential meeting on Biafra to be arranged because the Biafran issue has become a thorny issue for the South-east and for Nigeria.

The Biafran issue had become knotty again since Indian-trained lawyer, Ralph Uwazuruike, around 1999 or so, established the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) with the aim, as the name suggests, of securing the resurgence of the defunct State of Biafra.

Based on the group’s activities, including hoisting Biafran flags at different locations in the South-east, the government accused MASSOB of violence and Uwazuruike was arrested in 2005 and detained on treason charges. That year, MASSOB had reintroduced the old Biafran currency into circulation. Uwazuruike was later released in 2007 but the secessionist activities of the group, however, did not stop. For instance in 2009, MASSOB launched ‘Biafran International Passport’ in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the group.

But around May 2014, the Biafran agitation took a new dimension with a new leader for the struggle: the British-Nigerian Nnamdi Kanu who spoke of his readiness to fight all the way. He said Nigeria would seize to exist

by December 2015. Speaking at a gathering of members of defunct Biafra, including scores of its aged war veterans on May 30, 2014, Kanu vowed that he would not rest until the Biafran Republic is realised. The event held at Ngwo, Enugu State, was the maiden commemoration of Biafran Day, in remembrance of the events of 1967 when the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, declared the Republic of Biafra. Kanu who was also the Director of the outlawed Radio Biafra used the occasion to unveil a multimillion naira cenotaph in memory of Biafra fallen heroes killed during the civil war. He alleged that despite the declaration of the “No Victor, No Vanquished” after the Nigeria/Biafra civil war in 1970, successive governments in the country had continued to deliberately marginalise and make life unbearable for the Igbo nation and its people. He said it was unfortunate and painful that 47 years after the civil war, the reasons for which the war was fought were still evident in Nigeria. Kanu has been slammed with treason charges and remains in detention at present.

So is President Buhari’s meeting with the Igbo leaders at the Presidential Villa a new rapprochement with the South-east?

Buhari

Somehow, the president’s politics with the South-east is perplexing, in my view. The Igbo seem to have been completely marginalised in the present government. They are not there in first five or six topmost positions in the country and even in the pantheon of ministers where they find accommodation, what they are charged with are not what one could call A-list Ministries. Some may say hey but the Igbo are the architects of their own predicament in the Buhari government, and perhaps they may be right. This is why. During the 2015 presidential election, the Igbo turned their backs on Buhari and voted overwhelmingly for former President Goodluck Jonathan, their kinsman from Otuoke, Bayelsa State, in the South-south, who eventually lost the poll. Buhari performed woefully in that election in the five states that make the South-east geopolitical zone. According to official results declared by INEC, the president polled a paltry 198,248 votes compared to an overwhelming 2, 464, 906 votes garnered by Jonathan. President Buhari was reported to have said abroad some time after the poll that he would remember only those who voted for him. Again, in the zoning arrangement of the now governing APC, the position of Senate President was said to have been zoned to the South-east and many said the slot may have been ceded to former Anambra State governor, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, who is now Minister of Labour. But some Igbo leaders allegedly conspired to ensure Ngige lost or rigged out and that was how the zone allegedly lost that exalted position.

But the challenge facing the country at present seems to be more than what transient political offices can resolve. It’s more deepseated. The problem seems to be much more intense. And I don’t envy President Buhari at all. He is buffeted by all kinds of agitation, or is it criminality from all fronts? Apart from the Biafran challenge; in the North-east, the Boko Haram insurgents, though de-capacitated and decimated since Buhari took over power, continue to attack soft targets using female

suicide bombers. In the Niger Delta, a new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, is busy wrecking havoc on oil and gas installations and dealing a blow to the country’s main revenue earner, oil.

Tuesday’s bloody protests across some cities in the South east, staged by those who dubbed themselves Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to celebrate Biafra Day Anniversary, have again shown that the Biafran agitation is still alive and remains a potent challenge. So what should be done by the Buhari government? Some have suggested the government adopt the Carrot and Stick option: apply force to curb the criminal and violent aspects of the agitation and then address the genuine feelings responsibly expressed- For instance, some politicians like the Founder and Chairman of United Progressives Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, had urged President Buhari to release detained Director of Radio Biafra Nnamdi Kanu, as a prelude to dialogue with the aggrieved members of MASSOB, IPOB and other affiliate groups demanding Biafra secession.

I’m not here opposed to dialogue. Even where force is employed, the warring groups still come back to the negotiating table to dialogue and to resolve the contending issues in a peaceful atmosphere. But the violence and criminality must first come to an end to pave way for dialogue and negotiation. The country has recorded so much bloodshed in various parts of the country and there has to be a stop to it. How do we do this? Notable leaders in the country have proffered an answer. They canvassed the restructuring of the country, saying it’s the ultimate panacea against all the agitation and violence rocking the country. Only last week at an event in Abuja, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar renewed the call for the restructuring of the country. He said restructuring the Nigerian federation is the answer to the agitation by its component units. Among those who had also earlier called for the restructuring of the

But the challenge facing the country at present seems to be more than what transient political offices can resolve. It’s more deepseated. The problem seems to be much more intense. And I don’t envy President Buhari at all.

He is buffeted by all kinds of agitation, or is it criminality from all fronts? Apart from the Biafran challenge; in the North-east, the Boko Haram insurgents, though de-capacitated and decimated since Buhari took over power, continue to attack soft targets using female suicide bombers.

In the Niger Delta, a new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, is busy wrecking havoc on oil and gas installations and dealing a blow to the country’s main revenue earner, oil country is former Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who said Nigeria should return to an arrangement where the present six geopolitical zones will form the six federating units.

I wholeheartedly support the suggestion, but saying that is the easier part. How do we bring about the restructuring when the country’s constitution recognises the 36 states, and not the geopolitical zones, as federating units and we have elected President, Governors, National and State Assembly Members among others in place who may not be ready to give up their comfort zones? Luckily enough, the framework for the restructuring was fashioned out at the 2014 National Conference convened by former President Jonathan in Abuja. Some may question the motive for the convening of that conference, but its outcome is something worth examining by the Buhari regime. Methinks it’s time the government took a serious look at the recommendations of that conference on the restructuring of the country..

Adieu Madam Remdel

S

ome described her as a warrior and believer in the common good. That is in the film and art world where she was a giant. She was one of the pioneer promoters of indigenous films and culture, which initiative she powered along with her husband through their Remdel Optimum Communications.

Pastor (Mrs.) Abiodun Ibitola aka Madam Remdel, who died recently, was also a loving wife to her husband and a devoted family woman. I had just one encounter with her which will forever remain etched

in my memory. It was in June 1993 after the annulment of the June 12 election.

As the Political Correspondent of the old Daily Times in Abuja, I had travelled down South with her husband Remi Ibitola, my friend, who was then with The Punch also as Political Correspondent in Abuja. By the time we were set to return to the federal capital from Akure, Ondo State capital, the June 12 protest had taken off and was very fierce in Akure. My car was trapped at a filling station in the city where we had queued for petrol that was not available.

There was no way of pulling out because the protest had enveloped everywhere. That was how I became a guest of the Ibitolas in Akure for close to a week. Though I was a bachelor at the time, I envied the undying love and bond between the two. Mrs. Ibitola was a very accommodating woman.

It was a period of protest, which came with some deprivation, but she ensured we were having pounded yam for lunch every afternoon. Remi and I would also retire to a watering hole across his street later to wash it down.

When I called him two weeks ago to commiserate with him over her death, it was clear from his voice that he had lost a vital part of him. He was still in deep grief.

This had to be so given the bond between them. Madam Remdel was a vital part of him. They did most things together. They worked together at Remdel Communications and at Remdel Television. I pray that God in His infinite mercies will grant Remi and the family the fortitude to bear the loss and carry on. Adieu Madam Remdel. Sun re o.

16

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

mEdia & markEtiNg

IVM 80 Set to Stir Luxury Auto Market, Challenges Mercedes G Guard

A

s part of its mission to change the consumption pattern of Nigerians in favour of locally manufactured vehicles, Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing (IVM) Limited is set to stir competition in the luxury vehicles category. With the launch of IVM 80 which is set to hit the market in about three months. IVM is ready to take on competition in the luxury segment of the auto market. IVM 80 is modeled after Mercedes G Guard, a mid-size four-wheel drive luxury SUV manufactured by Magna Steyr (formerly Steyr-Daimler-Puch) in Austria and sold by Mercedes-Benz.

Characterised by its boxy styling and body-on-frame construction with a legendary off-road ability, G Wagen has been one of the most expensively priced luxury SUV. According to the company’s Sales Manager, Mr. Kosy Maduanusi, IVM 80 is a local replica and alternative to the imported Mercedes brand G Wagen. The need to offer Nigerian luxury consumers a local alternative he argued was to address the foreign exchange challenge arising from importation of goods as well as proving to Nigerians that what they are looking for abroad to buy can be got in Nigeria.

On the quality of the vehicle, Maduanusi assured that the quality of IVM 80 is comparable to that of G Wagen adding that IVM 80 was a truly Nigerian SUV as about 65 percent of the parts are sourced locally. IVM he said had been improving on its component manufacture by empowering its suppliers to specialise and improve on their supplies.

Would Nigerians embrace this brand or would the new bride be greeted with skepticism? Maduanusi said that was expected as people were naturally skeptical to change but added that that would be minimal as the market had tried and tested IVM brands of vehicles and found them to be durable and reliable. “Early adventurers would risk buying them, and when they do, we are confident that they would enjoy what they have bought and encourage others. We experienced some level of skepticism on our vehicles in the past but now the market can trust IVM brands of vehicles. We know what we can produce and what we are capable of.”

He assured. He revealed that IVM

with

KASIE ABONE 08057511558 (sms only)

IVM80

80 would be unveiled alongside G5 Bullet proof armoured vehicle.

With the buy Nigeria campaign being intensified, there is no doubt that IVM is hugely committed to delivering quality local auto brands to various categories of buyers.

And to promote the Buy Nigeria campaign, Dr. Innocent Chukwuma visited the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu where he reinstated his company’s commitment and unrelenting efforts towards achieving his company’s mission to deliver brand new vehicles that would be competitively priced to Nigerians.

“Our mission by the grace of God is to drastically reduce the prices of vehicles and cut down the country’s dependence on imported vehicles.

We did it with motorcycles; we can do it again with motor vehicles” Chukwuma assured the minister.

However, he listed challenges bedeviling local manufacturers of

goods which if addressed would enable his company deliver on its promises.

Some of these challenges include easy access to foreign exchange needed to purchase raw materials and components to maintain over 7,200 employees, efficient power supply and government policy to protect and encourage consumption of home-made goods by government and her agencies and individuals.

Currently a bill for an Act to amend the Public Procurement Act is before the senate. Sponsored by Senator Sam Egwu, the bill seeks to provide for and adopt Local Content Policy.

Egwu argued that the amendment of the Act became necessary in view of the need to encourage Nigerians to patronise locally-made goods and encourage local industries and as such, create jobs for the teeming Nigerian youths.

According to him, when the bill is passed into law, Ministries, Agencies

and Departments (MDAs) would be mandated to purchase certain percentage of made-in-Nigeria goods to address the gap between the consumption of locally made goods and their foreign alternatives.

“The Federal Government spends billions of Naira to import cars into the country when Innoson Motors and other local manufacturers are not being patronised. We have all the raw materials; we also have the biggest market in Africa, yet we saturate our market with foreign goods. The amendment of the bill will go a long way in developing Nigeria to become a world class producer. We should not forget that the love for foreign goods is responsible for the level of unemployment we have in the country today,” he said.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Ben Murray Bruce and other lawmakers are among the growing clients of IVM vehicles.

Stars Congregate at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

C

annes Lions International Creative Festival has confirmed a show-stopping roster of speakers set to keep the red carpet firmly in place outside the Palais des Festivals. Some of Hollywood’s most famous will unite with industry stars to share insights and inspiration as part of the biggest programme in the Festival’s history.

Oscar-winning directors and actors will talk visionary, risk-taking and creative bravery - themes at the heart of branded communications.

Acclaimed director Alejandro G Iñárritu, winner of successive awards for films Birdman and The Revenant, will discuss making mould-breaking cinema with Tham Khai Meng, Co-

Chairman, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather. Multi-Oscar winning director, screenwriter and producer, Oliver Stone, will share his views on filmmaking, politics and culture with the Guardian.

They will be joined by Academy award-winning director of The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper; Martin Campbell, best known for directing Bond movies Golden Eye and Casino Royale who will talk about his experience of integrating brands into his work.

One of Hollywood’s most-awarded storytellers and visionaries Harvey Weinstein in discussion with Maurice Lévy Chairman, CEO, Publicis Groupe, will take a deeper look at the future of film and ask what the bridge between entertainment and advertis-

ing will look like. Director, producer and co-president of VICELAND Spike Jonze will talk about creating content that matters to young audiences, while Steve Golin explores the power of cinema to drive change.

Two-time Academy Award nominee and Grammy Award-winning recording artiste Will Smith will dissect what’s needed for global brand success in a career that has spanned film, television, and music; Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar-winning actress, singer and owner of health and wellness platform Goop will face probing questions from BBC HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur. Also onstage, Star Trek stars Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg and Chris Pine explore creative processes and how to bring new life to old stories.

Grammy award-winning stars and music legends will share their insights into the developing confluence of content and culture, including musical pioneer, Brian Eno, creative maverick Iggy Pop and multi-Grammy winning producers and performers Mark Ronson, Usher and Timbaland.

“Creativity remains at the heart of our programme. We’re delighted to announce speakers who have earned accolades in their fields and introduce some of the most diverse creative minds in the world onto the Festival stage.

“The programme brings the ever-growing ecosystem of creative communications together, allowing delegates to seek out inspiration from across the spectrum,” said Philip Thomas, CEO, Lions Festivals.

Plus

LOUD WHISPERS AUTO GLOBAL SOCCER FITNESS FASHION FILE BEAUTY FILE

pg. 20 pg. 26 pg. 29 pg. 40 pg. 41 pg. 43

Sammie Okposo

I’m Waiting for the Right Time to Join Politics

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER JUNE 4, 2016

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Plus

I Was Shaking Like a Child First Time I Performed Before a Crowd With glistening dark complexion and a commanding body size, he bellows soulful songs that keep his fans fixated. His gyrations are mesmerizing with unmistakable dance steps as every pore of his skin oozes with sweat. His deep engaging eyes are captivating as he looks and inspires his audience who gyrate to his melody. The crowd rises in ecstasy, enraptured by his mellifluous music. It is gospel music but it feels like funk. It is gospel music but it feels like hip hop. It is gospel music but it feels like rhythm and blues. And only one gospel singer will usually pull that off. It’s always Sammie Okposo – a gospel singer with a difference; his stage performances are dramatic and his voice is enchanting. The Delta State-born singer tells Oge Ezeliora about his life as a gospel musician, his challenges, how he fell in love at first sight and how he manages to ensure that his marriage remains intact

Y

ou are close to most politicians in Delta State and you are always invited to perform at most of events in the state. Will you consider being a politician?

Well, if that is what God wants for me, who am I to say no before God? If God wants me to be a politician, I will. But nothing can stop me from singing. I am from Delta; in fact, I started singing at age 10 in Warri – in my family church, Gospel Church of God and my parents were elders in the church while I was in the choir performing as a child. So charity begins at home. I am proud to be recognised in my state. I’m waiting for the right time. A lot of my colleagues are jumping into politics right now. Everything in life is time. It will be a good thing because I’m a change agent.

I won’t jump into it for any financial gain because God has taken me to a place that, although I’m not a billionaire, I’m also not poor. I can afford anything I want. So if I’m going into politics, I want to be ready to bring change. I won’t allow the system to change me. I am waiting for God’s time; which is the best time for me. As for my relationship with most politicians in the state, let me say some of them are my childhood friends. Some are even my classmates in school before I became famous.

Can you tell us about your background before you became famous as a gospel singer?

I started as a producer. My first gospel album ‘Wellu-wellu’ came out in 2000.

But before people started seeing the artiste in me, I was already well known in the entertainment industry as a producer.

Although I did not start off as a musician, I did a lot of Nigerian home videos soundtracks because I was trying to carve a niche for myself under my then boss, Kingsley Ogoro, who taught me basically everything I know about making jingles, TV commercials, theme songs and album productions. I went through that process because I wanted to understand music as an artiste. Today, there are numerous artistes who know nothing about any musical instrument, which is wrong. An artiste should be able to play at least one instrument, maybe not professionally but slightly. I went through that process of being an instrumentalist to a producer because of my yearning to know more

about music. I was very functional in the industry as an instrumentalist and a producer which I thought was a necessary school to pass through. My music to date remains gospel.

What is the secret behind your success amidst competition in genre of music?

Well, I bless God because ‘Sammie’ has stood out. I have my unique ways of performing. I am gifted and I know God has blessed me. Sometimes, I ask myself the same question when I watch people display during my performance. I thank God. It’s been a great career and I have nothing more to say than to worship God – he has been faithful amidst storms.

I have a new album out already that is enjoying massive airplay and publicity. Its songs are wonderful.

You are one of Globacom ambassadors, how did you feel the first day you were signed in?

I was excited and surprised. Then I asked myself this question in Pidgin English ‘I no know wetin I do wey make God love so?’ I remember the first day I was signed on as a Globacom ambassador; I never expected it because I thought I was still a young gospel musician. To me, it’s a pacesetting moment and a trend that was never expected. I look at it as change that has opened the door for a whole lot of artistes to come in and be as prominent as secular artistes. Like I said everything about me is God. So how did you feel the first day you actually faced a large crowd to perform?

I was nervous; shaking like a child.

Deep inside my heart I was saying, ‘Father Lord, take control. Touch the lives of this crowd I am ministering to.’ And you won’t believe it; I was shocked at the large turnout of people enjoying my ministration. I watched people dancing crazily, praising God with all their hearts.

At the end of my ministration, I saw people being moved by the Holy Spirit.

I was amazed at the testimonies people gave of how their lives was touched. In fact, God used me to change lives.

Can you name some of the artistes you have collaborated with?

I worked with popular names way back like Lekki Sunsplash from the days

I won’t jump into it for any financial gain because God has taken me to a place that, although I’m not a billionaire, I’m also not poor. I can afford anything I want. So if I’m going into politics, I want to be ready to bring change. I won’t allow the system to change me. I am waiting for God’s time; which is the best time for me Okposo

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JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

Plus I Cannot Live without My Wife – She’s Everything to Me

The first time I saw her – immediately I saw her – I was carried away by her beauty. Then I told myself I had to find her.

I started monitoring the things she was doing at that particular time. Then I teased her by saying she looked like the woman I was to marry and she said, ‘Well, we’ll see about that. We have been married for two years now and I’m happy

of Alex Zito, Blackky, Tina Onwudiwe, CharlyBoy, Chris Mba, Mandy and others.

What is your view on gospel music industry in Nigeria?

We are evolving. I bless God that we have improved. It has definitely improved from what it used to be. There is a lot of development; we have new and wonderful talented gospel singers in Nigeria. In fact, I’m very happy that a lot of younger people who did not believe or think they should use their talent for God or become gospel artistes are having a change of mind. So, we have a lot of young boys and girls who have taken up gospel music. Gospel music is appealing across board to a whole lot of people now than before. But I still believe the best is hasn’t come.

As a pioneer in the industry, what do you make of the claim that most gospel artistes’ songs are inspirational, not gospel?

Yes, we have a lot of them out there that are changing the status of gospel music.

Along the line, they move and say ‘we are now inspirational.’ Well, I’m not going to condemn anybody because this thing is a personal decision and persuasion. It’s what they are comfortable with. It’s not like something that has to be encouraged, but you really cannot tell a grown man or woman what to do with their destiny. If they decide that, ‘you know what I started off with gospel and I don’t think I want to do that anymore.’ It’s their personal decision. It’s really between them and the Creator. A lot of gospel artistes that have stopped doing gospel songs are wonderful talents and I would have loved them to stay with us and get the success story with us. But if a lot of them have chosen to become secular or inspirational artistes, I think the decision is totally up to them.

I’m not here to judge or condemn anyone.

What are the challenges in your music genre?

In the entertainment industry so far, the challenge that I have always talked about is keeping yourself, your brand and music relevant in the industry. This is because the Nigerian entertainment industry is very competitive. If you sleep and wake up tomorrow, there’s a new song and artiste. So, my biggest challenge is staying relevant in what I do. God is helping us.

It’s not just a gospel artiste’s thing; all musicians go through same. Every artiste wants to be relevant and talked about.

Every artiste wants to be part of the highflyers as far as the industry is concerned.

So, it’s a general challenge for secular and gospel artistes.

Have you ever been criticised for being a gospel music artiste?

Why not? People will always discourage you once they understand you are gifted.

This world is full of evil people and many people will rejoice at your success and blackmail you at your downfall. Sometime you hear them saying, ‘These church people, they have come again!’ There have been concerts where artistes are performing and they say, ‘Sammie Okposo is here; is he the only gospel artiste? Let him go and open the show nah.’ But a lot of times, God has surprised them because when I’m done, the show will be practically over. When I come in, I give the people my best. They used to think that gospel music is church music. They really do not have the same respect and regard they have for secular artistes. But all of that is changing now. I’m a gospel artiste, but I have a corporate endorsement – I’m a Globacom ambassador. I’m relevant in my industry and in government. So the mindset now should be not to look down on gospel artistes because they are on top of their games.

What’s your message to upcoming artistes who want to be like you?

Well, if you want to be inspired by me or you want me to be a mentor, you have to identify who you are. If you want to be inspired by somebody like me, you must have something peculiar. There’s nothing wrong with trying to be like somebody, but if you do that, it would only sell for a while. Discover yourself and bring out that thing that makes you who you are, so that when they hear your music, they know that’s Sammie Okposo, Daddy Showkey or J. Martins.

your life today?

My wife. She is everything to me and I can’t live without her.

What is your greatest moment of joy in life?

My family. Specifically my wife and my beautiful daughter. They give me so much joy. I do everything beyond my capacity to satisfy them. Seriously i don’t joke with my wife and daughter. They are my greatest sources of happiness.

Okposo and wife You are married with a daughter; can you tell us how you met your wife?

I met my wife in the United Kingdom and she still lives there to date. I met her during one of my trips. I went to perform at Kingsway International Christian Centre in London – Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo’s church. Her whole family came to watch my show and when I was signing autographs on my CD’s, they came to buy. It took just one glance. I was so busy, I wasn’t even looking up. People were on queue; they bought the CD and I signed. But immediately I saw her hand, I looked up, saw a very beautiful woman, but couldn’t do anything because there were so many people on the queue. Later, when I left for my hotel, I still couldn’t get her off my mind. My heart was troubled.

Then, a friend called to say he wanted to take me out because I complained of boredom. Along the way, he said we should stop over first at one exhibition going on, and reluctantly I accepted. I said a little prayer to God about her that if we were supposed to meet, it should be soon. I went back to my hotel to prepare to leave the UK, when I got a call from the friend who wanted to take me out. We went for the exhibition which happened to be organised by my lady’s sister. And to my surprise, she walked in and we got chatting. She refused to give me her contact and finally I went back to Nigeria without getting it. That got me more interested. But as God would have it, that whole period, I was getting more invitations to perform mostly in the UK. That gave me more opportunity to interact with her and after some serious chatting, I finally got her number and we were able to communicate easily.

Do you have time for your daughter?

My daughter and I are very close. She is a wonderful, intelligent, beautiful, young angel. I must also add that I was never for one day denied access to my daughter by her mother or members of her family.

There is nothing we don’t discuss. She is very open to me at all times. Even when I travel each time I return from my trip she will disclose everything that happened in my absence to me. My relationship with

her is very cordial.

How were you able to sustain the relationship?

Then, I was getting shows almost every week in London. So, we were always seeing. My manager would call me and say there’s this show but what they are offering is not much. I would say, ‘Take it! Shebi they will take care of accommodation, flight and so on?’ Just to see the lady I was in love with! So, I was always going to London, seeing her till we got married. But nobody knew this until we got married. I kept it as a secret to everybody till I proposed to her.

When did you propose to her and how did she react?

The first time I saw her – immediately I saw her – I was carried away by her beauty. Then I told myself I had to find her. I started monitoring the things she was doing at that particular time. Then I teased her by saying she looked like the woman I was to marry and she said, ‘Well, we’ll see about that. We have been married for two years now and I’m happy.

Many artistes’ marriages have broken down few years into the union.

How do you ensure that your wife is happy?

I thank God for my wife and her level of understanding. It is not easy though we try to manage our time together.

Bringing my wife into my crazy world of entertainment was a process. Initially, she did not understand why I could not work during the day and would not be coming home because I had to do a night session. Also, the kind of hours we spend on location seemed strange to her. As time went by, she began to understand because I deliberately took her with me.

I also made sure we always went in one car. She would have no choice but to stick with me till I was done. My wife is very romantic and clingy. We engage in public display of affection and I don’t have a problem with that. I thank God she loves her man so much and I am so proud of her.

What is the most precious thing in

How do you cope sometimes when you and your wife have issues or moments of friction?

Well, there is no marriage without misunderstanding. Yes, we do have those times. But the good thing is that we are good friends, first of all, and i and my wife have realized we can not do without each other . And no matter the issue, we just have to reconcile. There is nothing that is irreconcilable. And we try to hear ourselves out and then we put ourselves in each others’ shoes. And we happy together. So she understand me very well.

Did you ever imagine you would become this famous?

When reality comes, you can start crying. But the truth is, God, most of the time will not do a thing for you without showing you what you will become. But when you become that thing, you just find yourself shedding tears because it is possible to miss it. So I just thank God that I made it today. And God has been the reason why I am what I am today.

Why did you choose gospel music, does your songs bear spiritual fulfillment or it is for commercial value?

God chose me to bless him with my songs. Like I said, I was born into a Christian home. My parents were elders in church and I minister in my church Choir. I am actually doing what God wanted me to do. Singing everywhere and blessing lives. I have perform and testimonies. Like a young guy who had given up hope about life and was at the verge of committing suicide after listening to my songs he was touched then he asked God for forgiveness.

Secondly, a man disclosed to me how his daughter was healed from illness after listening to one of my songs. Since then, I realized that everything I do have a way of reviving and giving people hope.

And since then, my aim is to ensure that I inspire people and make them happy and not for commercial reasons. i give God the glory for making me what i am because I grow up singing gospel songs and till date, I will not stop singing gospel for the lord.

What are your regrets?

Nothing by the grace of God. I am very comfortable with what I am today.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • June 4, 2016

Loud Whispers

Tuface, Baby Mamas and the Perfect Solution Tuface, to me is the most courageous man that ever walked the face of this nation. Where others have failed he has stood very firmly. He has fathered children from as many women as he could possibly can. This to me gives him my utmost respect and a cold desire to replicate this feat. I have watched the way he has managed this ‘situation’ with the expertise of a Roman Emperor. When he finally chose to marry Annie we all clapped for him for standing firm in his resolve to stick with the one true love in the midst of so many true loves. So when this week, pictures of him with his other kids born by one of the baby mothers in America surfaced, I was really happy that someone could do this and still achieve peace. But my joy was short-lived as social media erupted with accusations and counter accusations from all stakeholders. The centre could no longer hold and the women plus their siblings have gone for each other’s throat not minding how this would affect the lives of seven children who had no input in the decision to bring them into this commune. Magbe wife has been accused of not letting him see his other children, they even said that the man used to hide to call his children and that he had not even seen the American based ones for two years. Well for me, the best advise that I can give him as a brother is to marry more. He should marry one more wife to join Annie and impregnate like another two. This will reduce tension and spread thin pressure as more combatants join the fray; they will start asking themselves what they are even fighting for. No wonder the man is so skinny. I really doubt if he can even stay in one place to eat and rest and if he is finding it difficult to complete the rounds, he can seek assistance. So my bro, remember my wise counsel, marry more.

Chief J.K Randle, my new best friend I read his book, ‘The Godfather Never Sleeps’ In 1991 and was enthralled by the writing style, the prose and the satire was all very inspiring. I was hooked. I have heard and read so much about him so when the opportunity came to meet with him last week I grabbed it with two trembling hands. I met him in his sprawling office nestled within the sweet bowels of the Parkview Estate in Ikoyi. Bedecked in a brown double breasted suit with soothing grey hair and a gentle mien he came across as a well brought up upper class British gentleman. After our official meeting, I asked for another meeting which he obliged. I sat down at his feet to listen to the words of wisdom hoping that his words would further mould me into a respectable elder statesman when I eventually get to his age. He

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Dr. Joe Odumakin - Come to My Rescue

Let me first commend you for all the work you have been doing in protecting our women folk from savage beatings and untimely death. You have jumped into every klieg light that comes with every episode, defending the rights of our women, seeking justice for the hapless men who usually tremble and literally die from your voracious onslaught.

God will bless you and keep giving you the strength and vigor to keep the flame and passion burning. After carefully researching this aspect of human and civil right crusading, I came to the conclusion that you may have chosen this path because it is the least confrontational. This branch limits your time in detention as it does not bring you face to face with authorities. A very wise decision and one that would assist in keeping you quite healthy thereby guaranteeing long life and many more years of meritorious fight defending our ‘helpless’ womenfolk. My dear Joe- we are namesakes, I was just wondering if this your crusade also covers injustice meted out to our menfolk by your precious constituency. I have really not heard or seen you fight for our men or is that not part of your proclaimed mandate. The other day in the case of the woman who killed her husband in Ibadan, I noticed your tone was softer and instead of your usual cry for blood, you only asked for fair hearing. Fair hearing so that remains quite enigmatic and his love for this country remains palpable although his regrets at the way the nation is sliding into an abyss of wanton wastelands leaves him empty with worry. I enjoyed my five minutes with him and look forward to more quality time with this gentleman of pristine pedigree.

Ben Bruce - this is not common sense The tweet, the cry that he was snubbed? For a senator whose homeland is being ravished by the activities of a resurgent band of bigots; for a senator whose homeland is being bombed almost to extinction by a hungry Nigerian Army in search of economic saboteurs and brigands masquerading as freedom fighters to say the least is worrisome and doesn’t

the justification for the heinous crime could be heard. Well it’s a pity that we men, do not have the kind of fighter that you are to push our case and fight for ‘fair hearing’. Well madam, let me quickly report myself before I act. My wife is looking for my trouble o. I have told her many times that she should not be going through my phone but she would not listen, conniving with the kids to fish out my phone every night from my boxer as I sleep. I don’t know what she is looking for. My phone is my private property whose privacy is enshrined in then constitution.

The fact that she is my wife does not give her the right to trespass and start going through it. I am saying it now o, becuase the next time I find my rights violated I will react o and when I do, I would not want you rushing to my house with camera men to come and do what you know best which is to cry more than the victims. So I am giving you an opportunity to step in and stop this act before mayhem is let loose. Madam, basically what I am saying is that you and the rest of your troops are tackling only one side of the matter in this domestic violence wahala.

Stop for a minute and look at the other side too, the causative actions, the provocations and the lack of respect of constituted authorities by our so-called ‘weaker sex’. Kai, I don look for trouble. make sense to me. This senator has made legislation

by Twitter glamorous.

Everything he has to say or do is on Twitter and I wonder how this would drill down to the poor Bayelsans who voted for him to protect their interest and not worry about shaking the President’s hand.

Abeg, we have more pressing issues in this country far more important than this perceived snub. Would the handshake have brought peace to the creeks of Bayelsa or muted the hyper inflation we are facing? I really do not

blame him and his colleagues but I blame the President who should have had dinner with Mr Chido, the hapless Abuja trader who in a TV interview had cried out that prices of everything in the market except the cost of going to the toilet had gone up. I am tired of Senate by Twitter. We have real lives to save, get to work.

Foreign Airlines- going, going, gone...

As my old mother will say in Ibibio, ‘mbog’, let them go. Let them go o, let them stop flying. The years of the continuous bleeding of our country by this scavengers preying on the insatiable need for our people to fly is over. Air fares from Nigeria are usually the highest in the world. The Lagos-London route at some point was touted to be the most lucrative in the world, yet we are still being treated like second class citizens. We all need to stop the traveling, from the top to the school kid clamouring for summer vacations in exotic places. The $575m trapped and owned by them should be reinvested in the economy.

They can build their training schools, spare parts hub and the rest creating employment and giving back to the country they have so mercilessly pillaged. I am happy o, any member of my family who is interested in summer vacation should prepare to head up to the rolling hills in Uyo or the vast sweet smelling streams that litter Shomolu. This is one aspect of the ‘change’ that we are experiencing that I am enjoying. British Airways when are you going? Can’t wait.

A little advice for Tompolo Please just come out and surrender.

This is a democratic government, I am very sure if you state your side of the matter in court you will win.

Kindly save your people from all this needless suffering. The country cannot be held to ransom and will not bow to pressure no matter how many pipelines are blown up. I believe very strongly that you have a position and I am sure the courts would give you the opportunity and we will all rest.

It’s just a plea as a fellow Niger Delta brother. We are tired of all the fight, war, violence and killing. Let’s have peace.

T H I S D AY SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016

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JUNE 16, THE 2011 SATURDAY • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER THISDAY, NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

FAIRGROUND

An Evening of Excitement as MTN Pulse Makes a Big Comeback

with

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

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overs of music and fans of Nigerian musicians like Tekno, one of the rave of the moment, Skales and Falz the bad guy, were all thrilled and excited to see this new generation of Nigerian artistes.

It was an exciting and fun-filled night at the Echo Lagos Club where stakeholders and guests converged to formally launch one of MTN’s biggest youthful propositions, MTN Pulse.

The event saw the screening of the new Pulse movie, as well as its hit track “406 Na The Code”, as done by the Pulse ambassadors, Falz, Skales and Tekno.

Sound Sultan, Harrysong, Kcee, Olisa Adibua, Maria, alongside other select stakeholders like Olorisupergal, Ono Bello, Nedu, Tonia Soares of 360nobs; Instagram comedy powerhouses; Ebiye, Emmahohmygod, Oluwakaponeski, Ebiye, Penza were among the guests at the event.

The excitement of the night did not end at the venue, as it spilled over to the online space where the hashtags #PulseIsBack #ItsWhoWeAreand #MTNPulse trended all evening while it held.

During the event, Emeka of MTN Nigeria said that MTN Pulse was a game changer that has been designed especially for the youths, as well as the young at heart to allow them express their lifestyle, however they choose to.

Subscribers on the Pulse plan can enjoy unlimited streaming of the latest and exclusive hit jamz on Music+ for just N10 daily, browse & download movies all night for just N25 and also get 1GB data for just N500 weekly.

To enter the Pulse zone, subscriber should dial *406# and use the hashtag #ItsWhoWeAre to join the conversation online. These are faces of some of the guests at the event.

Sam of Trace Tv, Tekno, Olisa Adibua, DJ Manny and Praiz

MTN Pulse Ambassador, Folarin Falana aka Falzthebahdguy with beauty queens at the MTN Pulse launch event

Kenny, Kelvin Orifa and Olori Supergal

Onobello

From left- Harrysong, Skibii and Kcee during the MTN Pulse launch

Guests at the event

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

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FAIRGROUND

Night of Music, Comedy as O’jez’s Fans Nite Out Honours Gbenga Adeyinka, Peter Rufai, Others

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he maiden edition of the monthly O’jez Soccer Fans Nite Out will hold today at the open air section of O’jez celebrity restaurant, National Stadium Complex, Surulere, Lagos, at 7pm, during the UEFA Champions League final match between the two Spanish club sides; Real Madrid and Athletico Madrid.

The event, according to Chief Executive Officer of O’jez, Chief Joseph Odobeatu, is expected “to attract over 2,000 soccer fans and is designed to create a platform for brands to have a one-on-one contact with soccer fans, showcase the activities of the Nigeria Premier League, as well as international football, promote peace, love and unity among Nigerian soccer fans.

“It is also designed to appreciate, honour and celebrate Nigerian ex-internationals, sports media personalities, corporate firms and entertainers for their contributions to the growth and development of football and entertainment in Nigeria.”

This maiden edition is dedicated to Peter Rufai (Dodo Mayana), Mumuni Alao, Group MD, Complete Communications, and Gbenga Adeyinka. The event will feature various activities ranging from ball joggling competition, soccer game show, raffle draw, performances by top Nigerian artistes and presentation of awards to the recipients. Rufai will go home with the Soccer Personality Award, while Mumuni Alao and Gbenga Adeyinka will walk away with Sports Media Personality

Adeyinka

and Entertainment Personality awards, respectively.

“It will be a night of music, dance, comedy and football all rolled into one,” Odobeatu said adding, “Top comedian Elder O, the master of spontaneity and his

side-kick MC Phrymzo alongside other fast-rising comedians, such as MC Bonus, among others will be on call to make football lovers rock with laughter while the O’jez, Classic and Lilly bands will take turns to dish out soul inspiring music. Dancers,

such as Crazy Legs, the physically challenged dancer, Scatter ‘N Sons, Ada Owerri, SDV, among other dance groups will burn the stage that explosive evening. I can assure you that it will be an evening of high octane fun and entertainment,” Odobeatu said.

On the choice of Peter Rufai, Mumuni Alao and Gbenga Adeyinka as recipients of the maiden O’jez Soccer Fans Nite Out award, Odobeatu said they were carefully selected because of the roles they have played in the development of sports and entertainment in Nigeria. “ I do not need to remind you who Peter Rufai is. As one of the most visible and energetic, as well as skillful former goalkeeper of our darling Super Eagles, Rufai brought joy and happiness to many Nigerians during his playing days. And he is still actively involved in the development of grassroots football as he organises talent hunt competitions to discover young players. He is a worthy beneficiary of the O’jez Soccer Fans Nite Out award.

“When you talk about sports journalism and you have not mentioned Complete Sports, then you have not started. Before you also name three sports journalists recognised internationally and you have not named Mumuni Alao, then you are not in tune with times. As for Gbenga Adeyinka, aside being a comedian of high repute, his handling of several sports TV game shows had rekindled people’s interest in TV game shows. Adeyinka is a master when it comes to anchoring sports TV game shows,” Odobeatu said.

Nigeria Society for the Blind Organises Masked May Ball

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lindness is one of the most challenging disabilities to deal with. Not being able to see your surroundings can make life very difficult for a person, whether they were born without sight or lost it

later in life.

The Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind is a non-profit organisation established for the rehabilitation and training of adults and adolescents living with vision impairment in Nigeria. Established in 1955, The Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind is still the only non-governmental boarding institution solely committed to rehabilitating those who became blind after being sighted.

Its main aim is to restore lost hope, ignite confidence, and raise champions who can live productively, independently and contribute to the socio-economic growth of society. The society is funded by phil-

anthropic donations and equips students to learn Braille, mobility skills, computer skills and vocational skills such as basket weaving, tie-dye, music and shoe-making and prepare students for higher learning in university.

To date the society has positively impacted the lives of about 2,500 visually impaired Nigerians, raising champions.

The Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind has introduced its annual celebration event titled, May Ball on 28th May, 2016 at the Muson Center, Lagos.

Officials said the purpose of this event is to: Raise funds for projects dedicated to providing qualitative training and inclusive education for our trainees; Exhibit our trainees’ crafts, products and talent to you, donors, sponsor and the general public; Create public awareness of your benevolence, telling the positive effects of your social responsibility in the lives of our trainees; and

provide an account of stewardship to you in the utilisation of your funds in our past, current and future projects.

Others are to deepen your personal and corporate brand equity, brand loyalty and brand recognition in the minds of the general public and other key industry stakeholders.

“The May Ball typically has various entertaining activities to keep guests enthralled, while also celebrating our sponsors.”

This year, the society’s special theme is the “Masked May Ball” with activities such as a fashion show, using Adire materials and crafts done by our students, a celebrity auction, whereby celebrities are auctioned off, for the highest bidder to win a blind dinner date for two with the celebrity, and a raffle draw to win exotic gifts.

The Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind invites all to a fantastic evening, to join in a night of fun and of course support.

Akindele

Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria Holds Seminar

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L-R, Bakare Saidi, Ekerin Nurudeen Olusegun, Ogbeide Osunbor, Ogunbakin Adeola and Oye Fodunrin (1)

he Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, an affiliate of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Federal Ministry of Works held a seminar recently. Venue was Ministry of Works Conference Room and the time was 10:00am.

Theme: The importance and benefits of National Health Insurance Scheme and Annuity under the leadership of Comrade Ogbeide Osunbor (Chairman),

Comrade Ekerin Nurudeen Olusegun (Vice Chairman), Comrade Bakare Saidi (Secretary), Comrade Ogunbakin Adeola (Treasurer) and Comrade Oye Fodunrin (Asst. Secretary).

The seminar was to make the staff to have information on the extent they could go for services at the designated hospitals of their choice, when they are sick or when the need arises. On annuity, as they retire, they have a choice on programme withdrawal or annuity.

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SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016 T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

VINTAGE Noise Pollution

How a Church Incurred Wrath of Estate Residents Residents of Cable Point Estate, Lekki, are at loggerheads with a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God sited in an exclusively residential area over noise pollution. Adedayo Adejobi reports that the crisis is far from being over

The branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God sharing same fence with Cable Point Estate

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hen the owner of the building at Layi Yusuf Crescent, off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase One, sharing a fence with the highbrow Cable Point Estate, was putting finishing touches to his foundation, residents of the estate, which included expatriates, did not feel they had anything to worry about. It was just another construction. Or so they thought. Until the final building that eventually came out of the foundation turned out to be a church. That was the beginning of both administrative and legal battle between the management of Triumph Property and Facility Management Company Limited and the church, a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. According to Yusuf Mutalib, trouble started when the owner of the property, overlooking one of the flats inside the estate did his foundation preparatory to erecting a structure. But they were shocked when they suddenly realised that a church auditorium was coming up there.

Apart from noise pollution during the construction, Mutalib said they had to call the attention of the leaders of the church as to the danger to peaceful and serene environment building a church in such a place would cause. Mutalib said they even wrote a letter to the management of the church.

“We even wrote a letter to the Lagos State governor as well as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye,” Mutalib told THISDAY last week at his office inside the Cable Point Estate. “What we even later found out was that the letter for Baba Adeboye did not even get to him.

According to our contacts, the letter we wrote was not allowed to get to the man.

We all know the man’s attitude to things like this and we know he will never allow things like this to go on without him cautioning them.”

When the leadership of the church got a letter of protest from residents of the estate, the church had moved to assuage any fears residents of the estate might have concerning the church.

In a letter signed by one Testoman Njokanma, the church administrator, the church apologised to residents of the estate over the noise pollution during the construction of the church which they said was inevitable. The church, however, promised that their weekly services would be sound-proof to maintain the serenity of the estate.

“We want to use this medium to alleviate whatever fears residents of Cable Point Estate may have about a church being located very close to them. Firstly, we are aware that in the cause of setting up our worship centre, complaints have emanated from residents about disturbing construction noise. Unfortunately, due to the nature of construction works, noise is inevitable and can rarely be completely prevented.

We therefore want to sincerely apologise for any inconveniences and appeal to the residents that the construction work going on is not something that will span considerable length of time,” the RCCG parish stated in its letter.

The church also assuaged the residents’ fears over weekly services and the fact that the head of the church, Adeboye, is a man who does not want their church branches to constitute irritation to their immediate environment.

“With regards to our weekly services, we want to assure the good (residents) of Cable Point Estate that all efforts are being put in place to ensure that our services are sound proof and the volume of our services would be at a level that won’t affect the peaceful enjoyments of their homes.

Our general overseer, Pastor E.A Adeboye, is a respectable minister of the gospel who strongly believes that the church should be a blessing and not a source of irritation to its community. We are under his authority and uphold that same belief,” it added.

While the church promised there would

Yusuf Mutalib

not be noise pollution, things did not turn out as it promised. Every Sunday and during any service, the two flats that are closest to the church are always in discomfort as long as the service lasts.

Mutalib told THISDAY that occupiers of the two flats had to leave the estate when they could no longer cope with the situation. The estate manager said it was a massive loss to his organisation and smooth running of the estate. Sources told this newspaper that each flat pays a flat rate of N800,000 every year as service charge. The implication of two flats not being occupied as a result of their proximity to the church means the estate and its manager have been set back annually by N1.6 million.

A resident of the estate, who is one of the executives of the residents’ association and who did not want his name in print, said the two flats were occupied by expatriates before they moved out.

“The last occupiers were expatriates,” the man, in his 50s, explained. “They had to leave after so many complaints. Their leaving was not just a set-back for the estate but another poor advertisement for our country, reason being that these people know how things are done properly. And part of this is that a church should not be located in that kind of place. The most annoying thing is that the man who leased the land to the church is nowhere to be seen. When he was doing the foundation, we thought it was a normal residential building until we woke up to see a church.”

And it is this issue of regulation that has left many people wondering if building regulatory authorities in the state were notified about this development and what has been done about having a church close to an exclusively residential area.

Mutalib said they notified the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban development. According to him, a letter of protest was taken to the government agency and in fairness, a stop-work order and notice of demolition was served on the church, at least three times. But curi-

ously, that was as far as it got. The ministry never acted on its own order. The last of such orders was one that emanated from the office of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development with serial number MPP/UD/TSD/15/PET/ QN/C which was dated 14th December, 2015.

The letter read in part, “previous to our previous Stop-Work Order, Contravention and Demolition Notices served on you, you are hereby informed to vacate the property within seven (7) days from the date of Service of this Notice. You are also advised to remove all valuables within the specified time. Please note that the ministry will not be liable for any loss whatsoever suffered by you or any removable property destroyed during the demolition exercise.”

That demolition threat never materialised.

Sources told THISDAY that efforts to get the ministry to effect its threat to actualise its own order have not yielded any results.

Even before the order from the ministry came, counsels to the estate’s residents, Obiagwu and Obiagwu, had written to RCCG while the church building was still under construction. That was in August, 2015.

“It is our instruction,” the solicitors wrote, “that the Cable Point Estate is strictly residential and all abutting neighbourhoods are all residential premises.

Our clients’ comprising some 30 or so residential family homes are entitled to their peaceable and quiet habitation, free from any potential noise and human traffic that your proposed church would bring to disrupt the enjoyment to their rights of privacy and family life.”

Meanwhile, a civil lawsuit has been instituted by residents of the estate against the church and for the ministry of physical planning and urban development to enforce their own stop-work order. But like one passerby said, perhaps the management of Cable Point Estate should have acted before this time.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

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Camry Upgrades, Focuses on Sporty SX Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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oyota has updated its seven-model Camry range with the bulk of improvementsfocusedonthealreadyimpressive equipment list of the sporty Atara SX. User-friendly additions to the SX include satellite navigation* and expanded Toyota Link# connected mobility operated via a larger seven-inch screen that is also the command centre for the newly fitted JBL premium audio system and digital (DAB+) radio”.

Cosmetic enhancements add to the sporty appeal of Atara SX with stylish new 18-inch alloy wheels and eye-catching red inserts along the lower edge of the front grille and rear-bumper diffuser.

Atara SX also gains a convenient power sunshade for the back windscreen and its reversing camera+ image now offers superimposed predictive guidelines that move as the driver turns the steering wheel for easier manoeuvring.

The revised range goes on sale from June 6 with the only price change being an extra $1,500 for the Atara SX, which is more than justified by the added equipment.

Every Camry, starting with Altise, is now fitted with ISOFIX attachment points for child safety seats in the rear. Camry’s petrol and petrol-electric engines have also been certified to the higher Euro 5 standard.

All Camry Atara models now have front and rear corner parking sensors.

The interior of the petrol Atara S is upgraded with the addition of a full-colour 4.2-inch thin-film transistor multi-information display. It conveys a wide range of vehicle functions and coordinates with the multimedia system to display audio, navigation, warnings and other communications.

At the top of the range, the Atara SL features new technology with a wireless phone charger^ for compatible phones. Some phones need a Qi induction loop or a special cover. The 18-inch

2017 Toyota Camry

alloy wheel package, which includes a sporty suspension set-up, is optional on the SL. Toyota’s executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said the latest upgrades across the range demonstrated the company’s commitment to continuous improvement and the long-term future of Camry.

“Toyota will continue to build on Camry’s success with advances in technology, safety, comfort and convenience, value and driving enjoyment, ensuring it remains one of Australia’s favourite cars for many years to come,” Mr Cramb said.

“Families and business owners will appreciate the added appeal of the new features, while the

introduction of the new-technology wireless phone charger will give Camry an edge in the competitive prestige segment above $35,000,” he said.

Camry is in its 23rd consecutive year as Australia’s best-selling mid-size car - an unbroken run that began in 1994.

Every Camry has a five-star safety rating with standard fitment of seven airbags, reversing camera, vehicle stability and traction control, and anti-skid brakes with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution.

CamryAltise,Atara S andAtara SLare available with 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol or hybrid petrol-

electric drivetrains. The petrol-only Atara SX is the most agile and responsive Camry ever built due to its dynamic package that was conceived and developed locally.

The 2.5-litre petrol engine develops 133kW mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Dual exhausts on petrolAtara models lift output to 135kW. Fuel use is 7.9 litres/100km**.

Hybrid variants develop a maximum 151kW from the combination of the petrol engine, 105kW electric drive motor and electronic continuously variable transmission, sipping just 5.2 litres/100km** - a figure typical of a much smaller and less powerful car.

Porsche Founds Digitisation Competence Centre

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orsche is moving into the fast lane on the topic of digitisation. The Supervisory Board of the company has now approved the founding of Porsche Digital GmbH. The objective of the new enterprise is to further develop Porsche into the leading provider of digital mobility solutions in the premium automotive segment. Managing Director of Porsche Digital GmbH will be Thilo Koslowski. He recently joined Porsche from the US IT consulting company Gartner Inc. Koslowski is considered an expert in the automotive as well as Internetandtechnologysectors.Thenewlyfounded company will have its head office in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart. Further sites will be in Berlin, Silicon Valley and China.

“Our business environment is changing ever more dynamically,” said Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, SupervisoryBoardchairmanofDr.Ing.h.c.F.Porsche AG. “Porsche Digital GmbH will strengthen the brand, develop innovative customer experiences and attract new partners. We are combining the traditional Porsche spirit with the power of new technologies.”

ForPorscheCEOOliverBlumethenewsubsidiary “is a logical step in order for Porsche to successfully position itself for the digital future.” Blume adds that for Porsche digitization had three dimensions: Product, customer and companies.

Access to innovative and high-growth partners

“Porsche Digital GmbH is our Competence Center where visions are turned into reality,” says Blume. There, digital customer experiences, products, business areas and business processes will be identified and further developed. The Porsche subsidiary will cooperate closely with all departments in testing and implementing new value creation models and innovative product offerings. Among the tasks of the Digital GmbH is also the identification and evaluation of trends which ensures access to relevant technologies.

Porsche not only believes in its own potential for innovation, but also its partnerships. The Digital GmbH considers itself to be an interface between Porsche and innovators around the world. This applies in particular to the areas of connectivity, smart mobility and autonomous vehicles. As part of Porsche’s digital transformation, the new subsidiary will promote long-term partnerships with suitable partners and in this way create a digital ecosystem. There are also plans for equity holdings in venture capital funds and start-ups which offer opportunities for close collaboration with innovative, high-growth companies, talents and new technologies.

“Digitization is leading to the renaissance of the automobile and is making it the central element of our digital lifestyle,” says the subsidiary’s new ManagingDirectorThiloKoslowski.“Wewillcreate digital customer experiences typical of Porsche

Porsche Cayman GT4

which are fascinating and intelligent – both inside and outside the vehicle.”

InnovationoffensiveatPorsche:Thefoundationof thesubsidiaryispartofamajorinnovationoffensive at Porsche. Aconcerted effort is being made at the company to establish innovation management across departments as well as systematically

cataloguing and promoting ideas. “Innovation does not emerge by itself. It is all about developing ideas systematically,” says Porsche CEO Blume.

“Porsche has many ideas. The challenge is to think across functional divisions, use external resources and take concrete action very rapidly – especially in the digital environment,” added Blume.

2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO Debuts with Same Horsepower, Revised Styling

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he standard Nissan GT-R underwent its most significant change since its introduction and now the 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO has received a similar treatment.

Those hoping that the 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO would have more performance under the hood will be sorely disappointed. Despite receiving numerous upgrades bumper-to-bumper, the powerplant retains its 600-horsepower figure with 481 pound-feet of torque from a 3.8-liter twinturbo V6 engine. But that doesn’t mean the overall performance of the Nissan GT-R NISMO hasn’t improved, since the NISMO model also benefits from the significantly reinforced body.According

to Nissan, the stiffened body structure allowed its engineers to further refine the GT-R NISMO’s shock absorbers, springs and stabilizers, resulting in added downforce and a better handling car than the previous model. Nissan claims that the car has improved its slalom times and cornering performance by nearly two per cent.

Thecompanychosetodebutthenew2017Nissan GT-R NISMO at the world famous Nürburgring, where the GT-R model has claimed numerous victories. It is also the place where Nissan hones, tunesanddevelopstheGT-R’spotentperformance.

While there aren’t any bigger numbers to brag about, the GT-R NISMO’s front end has been overhauled with an aggressive new fascia. The

dark chrome “V-motion” grille has been enlarged, helping cool the car’s engine, without affecting the car’s aerodynamic performance. The hood has also been significantly reinforced to avoid deformation at extremely high speeds.And unlike the standard model, the NISMO variant’s front bumper features layers of carbon fiber sheets carefully overlapped to achieve the ideal amount of stiffness.Thefrontcanardshavealsobeendesigned to improve airflow around the vehicle, helping generate a high level of downforce. Overall, the car’s new shape generates more downforce than any other Nissan car to date.

As expected, the interior has also received the same upgrades as the standard model with a

redesigned dash and steering wheel covered with Alcantara suede. Unique to the GT-R NISMO are the leather-appointed Recaro seats with red synthetic suede inserts.

“The GT-R NISMO emphasises the ‘R’ in its nomenclature. Its direct ties with racing make it at home on any racetrack, providing the highest levelsofexcitementandexhilarationforthedriver,” said Hiroshi Tamura, Chief Product Specialist, GT-R. “With the 2017 GT-R as a starting point, the new NISMO version has become a more well-balanced machine, with not just increased performance, but a heightened premium feel overall. It is the result of our ongoing pursuit of ultimate driving pleasure.”

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

aUto SAFE DRIVING

JONAS AGWU

with

(Asst Corps Marshal) Zonal Commanding Officer Zone RS7 Abua phone 08077690700 FRSC TOLL FREE NO 122 Email:j.agwu@frsc.gov.ng

Vulcanizers Blunders And Tyre Blowout 2 Jaguar F-PACE

Jaguar Land Rover Honours Partners in Sub-Sahara Africa

Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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ll the top performing importers and importer employees of Jaguar Land Rover sub-Sahara Africa were recognised at a glittering awards banquet in Sandton, Johannesburg in South Africa recently.

AstatementbyJaguarLandRover said “The prestigious Importer of the Year awards highlight the stellar efforts of Jaguar Land Rover’s importer partners in sub-Saharan markets. The

awards take into consideration the importers’ combined scores across a number of business areas.

Winners were those who excelled in sales volumes, as well as sales of parts and accessories and achieving Jaguar Land Rover’s required standards. Providing great customer experiences was another key indicator.

“Our importer partners and sub-Sahara retailers are the ultimate ambassadors for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in their respective countries,” said Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara

Africa. “Their efforts in building their businesses and being worldclass representatives of the iconic Jaguar and Land Rover brands are rewarded here.”

RMA Kenya was named the Jaguar sub-Sahara Africa “Importer of the Year” winner for the exceptional work it has done in growing the Jaguar brand through excellent sales and customer service. Axess Limited Mauritius was recognised as the Land Rover sub-Sahara Africa “Importer of the Year” for its outstanding efforts in parts, accessories and vehicle sales as well as customer service.

The Jaguar Land Rover Business Entrepreneur of the Year award is for the individual who, in a competitive and economically challenging market, introduced value-addedconsumerinitiatives, regained premium market share and demonstrated a true entrepreneurial spirit in driving his new and approved pre-owned sales teams. The inaugural edition of this accolade was awarded to Mr. Sanjiv Shah of RMA Kenya.

“Both the Jaguar and Land Rover product portfolios are expanding, and there are some excellent new vehicles being introduced to the sub-SaharanAfricamarkets,”said

Coscharis Motors Takes Delivery of new MG GT, MG GS

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t was excitement all the way recently at the Lagos Corporate Head Office of Coscharis Motors in Lagos as it received the very first set of the all - new MG GS (SUV) and MG GT (Sedan), to the already existing variants in its arsenals as the official representative of the Morris Garages brand in Nigeria.

The arrival of the two MG variants is a proof of the company’s commitment to always set new standard in the history of automobile market in Nigeria, and with the hope to replicate this success by making the Morris Garages one of the preferred brands in the Nigeria market.

The new MG GS and MG GT cars are expected to be the toast of all auto freaks in Nigeria because both models are crafted with precision and pure refinement in the turbo-charged engines, interior and exterior designs, aerodynamics and many active safety systems that will meet the needs of young consumers with individualised and intelligent

The new MG GT

vehicles, novel design language, power assembly and intelligent technology.

According toAbiona Babarinde, General Manager Marketing, Coscharis Motors, ‘’the two new MG variants are set to turn

the tide in the mid-sedan and SUV segment in the market.

Customers and prospects who enjoy pure driving dynamics will take advantage of the many engineering prowess and examplary features the models offer.

It is equally significant to note that the MG GS is the first SUV of the MG brand that is definitely going to excite our customers in the Nigerian market as it’s going to compete favourably in the SUV segment’’.

Poll: Honda Accord or Subaru Legacy?

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amily values matter, and so do the sedans people haul their progeny around in. Two of the front-runners in this highly competitive segment include the Honda Accord and Subaru Legacy, but which one is a better choice?

Certainly both of these cars are fine options, but does one have

an edge over the other? Here are a few basic specs on each.

Starting with the Honda, which is more popular than Subaru two engines are available including a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 3.5-liter V6. The former is good for up to 189 horses, the latter delivers 278 thoroughbreds with 252 lb-ft of twist.

As for transmissions, the Accord

sedan offers a CVT or a six-speed manual with its base engine; it’s nice to have some choice. The V6 is paired exclusively with an auto-box containing half a dozen forward ratios.

In comparison, the Legacy is available with either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine or 3.6-liter six. Both of these propulsion units are of the horizontally opposed

variety. The former is good for 175 horses and 174 units of twist, the latter delivers 256 and 247 lb-ft.

Unlike the Accord, a continuously variable automatic is the only transmission available in this car, which makes us sad.

However, giving this Subaru a leg-up is standard all-wheel drive, something that’s not even offered in the Honda.

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ast week I told you about the value of correct tyre pressure and the law in most developed countries that mandates that all vehicles manufactured from 2008 must be equipped with automatic tyre pressure monitoring system (atpms). This device monitors tyre pressure situation every second and alerts the driver through a monitor on the dashboard about any tyre that has incorrect pressure in it so that the driver will take action before it is too late.

As I round up today, let me inform you that there are shocking blunders by Vulcanizers-An experience I had with a vulcanizer paints a grim picture of the danger all motorist could be facing on daily basis. My vehicle has tyre pressure specification of 35 psi by the manufacturer. One day, I drove into a vulcanizers shop to pump up one of my tyres. After pumping, the vulcanizer got 35psi reading on his pencil tyre gauge. I checked with my dial tyre gauge to confirm his reading and got a whooping 60 psi. I asked him to check again with his own gauge.

Again he got 35 psi while mine still read 60 psi. Why the huge differences in reading? Who was right?

The first blunder is that most vulcanizers use the worst tyre gauge-the pencil gauge-that malfunctions easily when subjected to heavy usage. How? This gauge has a calibrated piston that is pushed by air that comes out from the tyre when connected to the valve stem. The extent to which the piston is pushed depends on the pressure in the tyre. The higher the pressure, the farther the piston will be pushed and the higher the reading. On fortunately, with heavy usage (as in everyday application by the vulcanizers), the hole through which air passes to activate the piston can be constricted by dust coming out from unprotected valve stem of the tyre and also by the rust due to moisture from the damp air coming out from the tyre.

With the air passage so narrowed, the amount of air passing through it no more corresponds to the air pressure in the tyre and so a faulty reading results. Worse still, when this happens, there is no way the user will know. It will still be giving reading but highly incorrect readings. That was the case with vulcanizer i had the encounter with. After i explained to him why his gauge was the one at fault, he did not agree saying he had been using the gauge for long and never had any problems with it. Because of the seriousness of the issue, i had to prove to him conclusively that he was wrong and endangering the lives of innocent road users. We had to get a brand new pencil gauge that has not been compromised by dust and rust. When it was

used to gauge my tyre, the reading corresponded exactly to what i got with my gauge. He had no more argument and willingly complied with my demand to submit the dangerous gauge to me because i insisted that he must not use it again. This type of gauge is also affected by temperature, humidity and altitude. So the readings got at different locations and weather conditions could differ substantially. Not only that, most vulcanizers use this type of gauge, they use it on daily basis and for years. The one used by the vulcanizer mentioned above had signs of abuse and over use all over it. It is the same story north, east, west, and south. But why do the vulcanizers use this type of gauge? Essentially because it is the cheapest gauge in the market.

The second blunder is that Not only that the vulcanizers use the pencil type of gauge, the use one gauge for all tyre pressure. Using one gauge for all pressure measurements is a blunder. Why? Every gauge has a calibration range designed for a certain pressure group and will only be accurate when used for such pressure group. Gauges are accurate when used to measure pressures whose values fall within the middle range of the gauge. For instance, if you have a gauge with range 0-60psi, the middle range is 30psi. This gauge will accurate for pressures whose values fall around 30psi. So pressures that should be measured with this gauge should be about 25-35psi.

Gauge of range 0-100psi should be used for pressures of 45-60psi or close. Gauge of range 0-160 should be used for pressures of 75-120psi. So if one uses a gauge not designed for a particular pressure group, one will get incorrect and misleading reading.

Unfortunately, the vulcanizers are innocently ignorant of this.

Most of them use 0-160psi or 0-120psi gauges for all their tyre pressures, thinking that a wide ranged gauge should accommodate all the tyre pressures they measure. This sounds logical but grossly wrong and very dangerous.

You can imagine the combine effects of blunders 1 and 2 discussed above. So, while one drives into the vulcanizers shop to fix ones tyre pressure problem, the vulcanizer inadvertently sets one up for the very problem one has gone to fix. The result is that almost all the vehicles that ply our roads have their tyres incorrectly inflated. Just run a random check and you will confirm this. What a time bomb these vehicles could be. You can imagine what could have happened if had driven away with 60psi pressure in a tyre designed for 35psi. Yet this is the fate that all motorists face every day. How many people have a personal gauge confirm what the vulcanizer pumps into their tyres?

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER •June 4, 2016

FAMILY HEALTH

Why You are Unable to Get Pregnant

P

regnancy is the desire of all humans, this being in line with the command given to us by God, at creation , to be fruitful and multiply. You are pregnant when you have an embryo or fetus developing in your uterus.

If any of these signs and symptoms apply to you, there is a good chance you are pregnant. The first symptom is a must , but there is a tiny ratio that may not miss their period, but are actually pregnant, while the others are possibilities. In other words, if your breasts are tender but your period has come, you are not pregnant - you must have a missed period.

Signs of pregnancy Missed period.

1.

Nausea with or without vomiting.

2.

Tiredness.

3.

Dizziness.

4.

Breast changes.

5.

Breast tenderness.

6.

Frequent urination.

7.

Nausea generally affects pregnant women during the first three to four months of the pregnancy.

Tiredness tends to be more acute during the first and last three months.

The onset of pregnancy is when the male sperm penetrates an egg and fertilizes it. This usually happens in the woman’s fallopian tube after ovulation , when the matured egg was released from one of her ovaries.

Pregnancy can be detected by the presence of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the woman’s blood or urine.

Therefore, if you have been trying to get pregnant for about 12 months, without using any contraception, you are indeed having issues with getting pregnant. If this is your first attempt, then it is primary infertility. If you have had previous pregnancy, then it is secondary infertility. A couple may also have a fertility problem if they have had 3 or more miscarriages losing pregnancies. A man or woman who has already had a child can also become infertile. A problem can develop after the last child was born. Sometimes the problem is not the man’s or the woman’s alone but a combination of the two. And sometimes both partners seem to be healthy and no doctor or test can find out what is causing the problem.

The inability to get pregnant, is actually a challenging time, and this can manifest for certain reasons. Millions of women face infertility. If you are having trouble getting pregnant or staying pregnant, you are not alone. The good news is that many women with fertility problems go on to have babies.

Possible causes: There are many factors that can cause infertility, including a lack of regular ovulation, a low sperm count, low sperm motility, early menopause and anatomical problems, such as blocked Fallopian tubes and problems with the uterine cavity. In some couples, there is no obvious reason, which is called unexplained infertility. There is also the fact that it becomes harder to get pregnant as you age. As women get older, both the quality and quantity left in their ovaries diminishes, so the chance of each ovulation leading to a healthy egg that can lead to a viable pregnancy is diminished.

Rates of female infertility seem to be on the rise.

It maybe because more women are waiting until they are older to have children. However, infertility can be a problem for any woman. Infertility can affect any woman , younger or older, single or in a relationship with a man or a woman.

There are many reasons a woman might experience infertility. These include • not ovulating (releasing eggs) • blocked fallopian tubes so sperm can’t meet the egg • eggs are poor quality • shape of the uterus makes it hard for a fertilized egg to implant.

• Endometriosis.

In some cases, there is no known reason for someone’s infertility. This is called unexplained infertility. This can be a very frustrating diagnosis.

But even if you are diagnosed with unexplained infertility, you still have treatment options to consider.

If you have been trying to get pregnant for about 12 months, without using any contraception, you are indeed having issues with getting pregnant. If this is your first attempt, then it is primary infertility. If you have had previous pregnancy, then it is secondary infertility.

A couple may also have a fertility problem if they have had 3 or more miscarriages losing pregnancies. A man or woman who has already had a child can also become infertile. A problem can develop after the last child was born. Sometimes the problem is not the man’s or the woman’s alone but a combination of the two. And sometimes both partners seem to be healthy and no doctor or test can find out what is causing the problem

Risks factors: Certain things may increase a woman’s risk of infertility. They include • a history of sexual transmitted diseases • health problems that can cause hormonal changes • age — being older than 35 • being overweight or underweight • chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer • environmental toxins, like lead and pesticides • excessive drug or alcohol use • poor diet • smoking cigarettes.

What causes your inability?

• Infertility in a woman The main causes of infertility in a woman are: Scarring in the tubes or inside the womb.

1.

Scarring, or thickened rough skin, in the tube can prevent the egg from moving through the tube, or the sperm from reaching the egg. Scarring in the womb can prevent the fertilized egg from attaching to the wall of the womb. Sometimes a woman gets scarring but does not know it because she does not feel ill. But years later she learns she is infertile. Scarring can be caused by: • an infection from an untreated STI that travels up into the womb or tubes (pelvic inflammatory disease or PID), or from tuberculosis (TB) in the pelvis.

• unsafe abortion or problems in childbirth that caused damage or infection in the womb.

• unclean conditions when an intrauterine device (IUD)—a small device implanted inside the womb to prevent pregnancy—was put in, which caused an infection.

• problems from an operation on the vagina, womb, tubes, or ovaries.

2. Problems with ovulation. If an infertile woman’s monthly bleedings are less than 21 days apart, or more than 35 days apart, she may not produce eggs. This can be caused by her body not making enough hormones, or not making them at the right time. Sometimes this happens as a woman gets older and is close to the end of her cycle of monthly bleeding (menopause). Some women do not produce eggs if they gain or lose weight very quickly, or if they are too fat or too thin, or if they become ill.

3. She has growths (fibroids) in her womb.

Fibroids are tumors that do not cause cancer, but they can cause a miscarriage.

with

BOBO BODE -KAYODE

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, 08053372356

4. Stress.

When you mention to friends and family that you are trying, you will almost guaranteed to hear someone say, Just relax and it will happen. Easier said than done. Stress, good or bad, is going to take its toll on you both physically and mentally.

5. Sleep deprivation we know that catching an adequate number of sleep makes that morning chores bearable, but here’s another reason to get yourself to bed before the wee hours. Sleep deprivation puts stress on the body and when you are tired, you do not work or coordinate well. People who do not get enough sleep, their immune systems are down a little bit and they’re more likely to get infections, which will affect the reproductive cycle.

6. Weight issues A woman who is underweight or overweight may have some difficulty conceiving a baby. An undernourished body may not ovulate properly. On the other hand, excess weight can have a significant effect on fertility. Just being over your ideal weight decreases your chance of getting pregnant even if you are ovulating regularly. The further you stray above 25 on the Body Mass Index, the worse it gets. Maintaining a healthy diet and developing a reasonable exercise routine will do wonders for your mind and body.

7. Cycle confusion A lot of women don’t understand their own cycles. Most of us were taught the typical 28-day cycle but every woman is different and cycles vary in length. The biggest thing is timing. We teach women that they ovulate two weeks before your period. Most people think that it is two weeks after, but that’s only if you have a four-week cycle.

It is better you monitor and have sex at the right time. The fact that sperm can live for three days in the cervix, means that you do not have to have sex on the day of ovulation , it could be the day before. We also find that a lot of people do not know that lubricant decreases sperm motility and transfer, so you shouldn’t use lubricant when you’re trying to get pregnant.

Infertility in man: The main causes of infertility in a man are: 1. He does not produce enough sperm, Oligospermia, or complete absence , azospermia.

2. His testicles do not make healthy sperm.

This can happen if he wears tight clothing that press his testicles close to his body, or if he works in a hot area, such as near boilers, furnaces, or engines—especially if he drives for many hours without a break. This can also happen if he sits all day, or sits for a long time in a hot bath before having sex.

3. He cannot ejaculate because he has scars in his tubes from a sexually transmitted infection (STI), or he has a spinal cord injury.

Causes in man & woman : 1. Illnesses such as mumps, diabetes, tuberculosis, and malaria.

2. Drinking alcohol, smoking or chewing tobacco, or using drugs.

3. Malnutrition, too much stress, overwork, or exposure to some chemicals.

What do i do ?

The first thing is for you and your partner to agree to see a specialist. Who would ask you series of questions, and run some investigations. The kind of treatment you get will depend on the problem. For example, if you aren’t having regular menstrual cycles, you might be given fertility medications to encourage regular ovulation. If your Fallopian tubes are blocked, then you’ll likely go straight to IVF where the egg and sperm are combined in a lab and then transferred to the uterus. If there is a problem with the sperm, the doctor might recommend semen insemination, where the best sperm is concentrated and injected into the uterine cavity. In cases where the quality of sperm is very low, you might be offered a type of IVF called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where one sperm is forcibly injected into the egg. Depending on the scenario, these treatments can also involve donor sperm, donor eggs or a gestational carrier. It is important that you are well informed on the course of treatments available to you.

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

Funke Oshonaike

End of the Road at Rio 2016?

No Euro 2016 Party

04.06.2016

PAGE. 29

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GLOBAL SOCCER

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

End of the Road at Rio 2016?

Fans at the recently concluded ITTF Premier Lotto Nigeria open table tennis championship in Lagos were disappointed that no Nigerian qualified for the final of the competition, a situation that led to calls from some quarters for the services of a foreign coach for the nation’s players. In this piece Kunle Adewale writes about national team player, Olufunke Oshonaike's of a foreign coach

G

ermany-based Funke Oshonaike, a five-time Olympian and was optimistic after the draws for the ITTF Lotto Nigeria Open that she had all it takes to cart away the biggest prize of the competition considering her form and the kind of training she has had. But it was not to be. She was knocked out in the semifinal to the disappointment of the crowd at the Molade Okoya Sports Centre of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

“These people (foreign players) are just coming here every year to take away our money (prize money) and our players could not just do anything.

Our last hope had just been dashed,” a fan who could not hide his disappointment said as he watched Oshonaike bow to the superior play of her Portuguese opponent.

Questions were then raised about the quality of training new players get and why no players has been able to dethrone Oshonaike over the years, so much so she would be in Rio for her sixth Olympics.

Oshonaike feels that with the number of ex-internationals around, Nigeria does not need the services of a foreign coach.

“We have some very good coaches in the country that could hold on to their own anywhere, calling for the service of a foreign coach who does not understand our culture, mentality and nature would be a wrong move at this Oshonaike

Olufunke Oshonaike, SegunToriola, Wahid Oshodi and Sarah Hanffou

time,” the Olympian said.

The player is indeed hoping to coach the table tennis national team after her career which she admitted has at its twilight, should the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation consider her as a coach.

“I would gladly accept the offer to coach the country if it would mean adding quality to Nigerian table tennis. After all, I’m over 40 years with lots of experience in the game during my long stay abroad. I understand those areas many Nigerian players are lacking which have in most cases prevented them from rising to the world stage in the game,” she noted.

Oshonaike also lamented the lack of enough competitions to keep players busy. A situation she said was killing the sport.

“Things were not the way it used to be when I started the game as a schoolgirl. Then, there were lots of competitions to participate in, which kept us busy and also improved our skills. But not so any more, which is very unfortunate and its really taking its toll on the upcoming players.

It’s the main reason table tennis in Nigeria is going down every now and then.

“I’ll therefore suggest that the federation should aggressively seek sponsors to save the sport from sinking further. But unfortunately, the economy is not buoyant as most corporate organisations that would have come to the rescue of the game are struggling to keep afloat. But maybe some wealthy individuals should just come and save table tennis and help young potential players fulfill their dreams,” she noted The other area Oshonaike wants the federation to pay attention to is grassroots table tennis not because she began her career from there, but due to the burgeoning potentials at that level for the good of the country.

Oshonaike explained that if the grassroots coaches played their role by discovering and harnessing these young talents, they could be integrated into the national table tennis team where they would be under the tutelage of national coaches.

She noted: “We have a lot of problems with grassroots table tennis because the grassroots coaches are not doing enough to bring young players for professional coaching.

“For instance, when I started playing table tennis, there was the cadet, junior and senior. Then, if you are in the cadet level and they observed that you played very well, you would be moved to the junior team and consequently, if you performed well, you would be moved to the senior team.

Therefore, a player should begin from grassroots before playing at the national level. The coaches at the grassroots have to do their jobs before the coaches at the national level can come in.”

For every glorious career, there is always a starting point. Oshonaike’s foray into table tennis began in elementary school on the streets of Shomolu, a bustling suburb of Lagos.

While in Shomolu, Oshonaike started developing her potential which she

31

JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

Wikki Vow to Stay Firm on NPFL Summit

W

ikki Tourists captain and right back, Mustapha Ibrahim has said his side will not relinquish their topflight summit position.

The Bauchi outfit climbed to the summit after an emphatic 3-1 win against the champions, Enyimba in Wednesday’s top-flight make-up matchday 11 clash in Bauchi.

Ibrahim said his side understand the difficulties ahead and will work even harder to maintain the status quo in the second stanza of the ongoing season.

“We have actually surpassed our target in the first stanza of the league by climbing to the top after the superb win against champions, Enyimba.

“Our main target for the first stanza is to finish either second or third but here we are at the summit. “Right now we have set another target for the second term of the season and that’s to finish the campaign at

the summit.

“We know it won’t be an easy task as we have suddenly become the team to beat in the top-flight at the moment but we have steeled ourselves to go the extra mile to maintain the momentum.

“We approached the clash against Enyimba as Cup final and we are going to replicate the approach in all our matches.

“Enyimba can attest that we completely outplayed them as the goal margin could have been up to five nil.

“We are coming to Lagos at the weekend to confront Ikorodu United aimed at continuing the winning aura.

“We are damn ready and prepared for the challenges to become the champions at the end of the league season,” said the Wikki Tourists strongman to supersport.com.

Wikki Tourists sit pretty atop of the topflight on 31 points same as second-placed, Rivers United although third-placed and champions, Enyimba could upset the chart with a win at sister side, Abia Warriors.

Ogunbote Rejoins Shooting

C

Oshonaike

End of the Road described as a “talent from God” using a makeshift table and soak away slabs to play the game with her elder brother.

From there, the ship sailed to her secondary school, where she represented the school at competitions, earning her awards and recognition.

This opportunity did not only launch her into limelight, but set her apart as a rare talent with promises and potential.

“I started playing table tennis at the age of 12, during my primary school days in Shomolu and I was driven by the belief that it was a God-given talent and the role my elder brother played was also an inspiration. We had a small makeshift table to play with before somebody in my street bought a table tennis board and from there a coach discovered me. Then I started representing my school, the state and the country. At the state level, I won several awards and was also recognised by the state.

“The journey has been wonderful and I have no regret whatsoever. Table tennis has taken me everywhere and given me everything I have achieved today. Though, there have been some challenges, but that is life; nothing good comes easy. There have been good and bad times in my career, but I try to move on despite these ups and downs. One of the saddest moments in my career was during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2011, when I was dropped from the team.

Despite that, I did not lose faith in the team and the country; today I still represent the country.

“Table tennis is something I have the passion for; so much so that over 40 years I am still playing. Sometimes, the situation of the country tends to weigh me down. I think probably it is

because of my German lifestyle. Over there, things are quite different. But I realise that this is Nigeria and we have a way of doing things. I am hopeful that one day things will change,” Oshonaike said.

The All Africa Games in Congo, Oshonaike again booked a ticket to represent Nigeria at the Brazil 2016 Olympic Games slated for Rio, which will be her sixth appearance, something she attributed to hard work.

“Hard work does not kill but would rather help one to do things effortlessly where others are struggling,” she pointed out.

She admitted that Rio would be her last Olympics after which she intends to take to coaching.

The 2003 All Africa Games would however remain special to the Sports Club Poppenbuttel III player. “It was just some few months after I gave birth to my first child and I therefore had to take the baby to camp and ironically, the games turned out to be my best ever, after winning four gold medals to emerge Nigeria’s best athlete in the competition,” she recalled.

Oshonaike was indeed full of praise for the President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, Enitan Oshodi, for the wonderful work he is doing to move the sports to greater height, while admitting that it was because of the support of Oshodi and the board that she is still in the sport despite her age.

She added that the federation had provided a lot of facilities for the development of the sport and this gesture is really laudable. She explained that the facilities have helped players to train better. Though the only thing they are lacking, according to Oshonaike, is money, on the whole, they are doing excellently well.

oach Gbenga Ogunbote has formally staged a comeback as head coach at the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side, Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC).

The former Sharks and Sunshine Stars coach resigned his position at NPFL expelled side, Giwa FC on Wednesday.

An official of the Ibadan landlords, Jubril Arowolo said the former tactician is quite excited to be back at 3SC and has assured a turnaround in the fortune of the side in the second stanza of the ongoing top-flight.

“Gbenga Ogunbote is fully in Ibadan right now (Thursday), he arrived in Ibadan last night (Wednesday), visited the camp and will commence training with the side in the afternoon (Thursday).

“Ogunbote is 100 per cent back to 3SC to take the side throughout the remainder of the second stanza of the season.

He said it’s good and happy to be back to 3SC as he appreciated the yearnings of the side’s teeming supporters to have him back.

“The coach said he was nicely treated at Giwa FC but have to leave the Jos Elephants because of the present circumstance.

“Ogunbote admitted that he joined the side the last time at week 11 and now he is joining the Ibadan side in week 20 insisting that it’s rather challenging and tougher right now than previously.

“However, he insisted that same God that saw the side through from its difficulties will surely do it again.

“He hopes with the support of everybody the seemingly difficult situation will be softer in no distant time.

“He charged the players to be disciplined and work even harder as management has

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE LAYOUT DESIGNER WAHAB AKINTUNDE THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE

assured to promptly attend to the needs of the team.

“Ogunbote said 3SC are still formidable but added that some players will have to make way for new players aimed at fortifying the team for the challenges ahead.

“He assured 3SC will compete favourably as well as take their pride of place in the topflight,” said Arowolo to supersport.com.

Ogunbote’s first assignment in-charge of the Oluyole Warriors will be the Sunday’s NPFL matchday 20 clash Akwa United at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan. 3SC ended the first stanza campaign on the 18th position on the log with 17 points.

Meanwhile, 3SC striker, Najeem Olukokun is confident that will beat the drop in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) this term.

The Ibadan club have struggled to sew up a consistent run including losing twice at home to Lobi Stars (0-1) and Warri Wolves (1-2) but Olukokun told supersport.com that they cannot afford to slip up again when the second round of the season starts this weekend.

"It has not been the best of season for us," began Olukokun while Week 19 Fixtures Ikorodu Utd v Wikki speaking to Sunshine v Abia Warriors supersport. com. "But 3SC v Akwa Utd we know Rivers Utd v Lobi Stars we have to Nasarawa Utd v Enyimba keep fighting Giwa v MFM because we Tornadoes v Ifeanyi Ubah cannot allow Pillars v Plateau Utd 3SC to be Heartland v Rangers relegated this El-Kanemi v Wolves season."

Nigeria Premier League Table Wikki Tourists 18 Rivers United 18 Enyimba 17 Kano Pillars 18 Rangers 18 Lobi Stars 18 Sunshine Stars 18 Akwa United 18 Abia Warriors 17 MFM FC 18 FC Ifeanyiubah 18 Warri Wolves 18 El-Kanemi Warriors 18 Niger Tornadoes 18 Heartland 18 Nasarawa United 18 Plateau United 18 3SC 18 Ikorodu United 18

9 10 9 8 8 8 7 8 7 7 8 7 7 7 5 7 4 5 3

4 1 3 5 5 4 6 3 6 6 3 4 1 1 6 0 8 2 4

5 7 5 5 5 6 5 7 4 5 7 7 10 10 7 11 6 11 11

28 20 20 25 26 20 23 22 19 19 17 13 20 20 12 17 17 17 13

12 15 16 17 21 16 17 17 15 16 17 15 24 24 16 24 24 31 31

16 5 4 8 5 4 6 5 4 3 0 -2 -4 -4 -4 -7 -7 -14 -18

31 31 30 29 29 28 27 27 27 27 27 25 22 22 21 21 20 17 13

32

GLOBAL SOCCER

Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016…Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016…

Edin Dzeko

Star Players Who Will Not Lace Boots in Euro 2016 At every major international tournament, fans revel in the chance to see the best players on the biggest stage at the same time. Euro 2016 will be no different, with Europe's stars gearing up for what promises to be a competitive game, packed with elite players at the peak of their careers.

But, there some denied such privilege. Here are few of the stars who will not be in France for Euro 2016

G

oalkeeper: Jack Butland The injured goalkeeper has real strength in depth, with both England and Italy missing one of their backups – Jack Butland and Mattia Perin – while the Republic of Ireland will be without Rob Elliott.

Butland, who suffered a broken ankle while playing for England in March, gets the nod. He might not have started for England in France, but as one of the top-rated young keepers in Europe, he was ready to step in should anything happen to Joe Hart. A big miss for England.

Right back: Kurt Zouma So much has been made of France's incredible squad ahead of their home tournament, that those likely to miss out have been somewhat overlooked.

Zouma is one of Europe's best young defenders, as he has shown since arriving at Chelsea, and would certainly have been in the hosts' squad were it not for a nasty cruciate ligament injury sustained in February.

Centre back and captain: Vincent Kompany Manchester City's captain is one of the best defenders in the world when he's fit - The muscle injury he picked up against Real Madrid is his fifth of the season, and he has managed just 15 Premier League games this term. The Belgium captain is a huge loss for a side tipped to challenge for a first major title.

Centre back: Aymeric Laporte Another young French star who will be missing out because of a nasty injury. Laporte is widely tipped to be one of Europe's leading

defenders in the years to come, and is a target for Pep Guardiola when he arrives at Manchester City.

But the 21-year-old broke his ankle playing for his country's Under 21 side earlier this season.

Left back: Fabio Coentrao The left back position is another one of real strength, with Luke Shaw also likely to miss out due to his season-long absence through injury. But Coentrao gets the nod thanks to his greater international experience - 51 Portugal caps to Shaw's six for England – and the fact that this injury is likely to end his major tournament chances, while Shaw will surely be back.

The Real Madrid defender – on loan at Monaco this season – is out for three to six months with a thigh injury that required surgery.

Right wing: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain His poor form before picking up a knee injury against Barcelona meant that some were doubting the Arsenal winger's place in Roy Hodgson's squad – but as one of the manager's favourites, he would certainly have gone had he recovered.

As it is, a second knee injury, sustained in training, has ruled the winger out for certain. At his best a direct runner and incisive passer, Oxlade-Chamberlain is still only 22, and will be back for more tournaments once he returns to fitness.

Central midfield: Marco Verratti In an Italian side that is struggling to live up to its traditional standing in world football, PSG star Veratti is the one stand-out star. The allaction midfielder should have been the man at the centre of whatever Euro 2016 chances Antonio Conte's side have, but instead he will be at home after an operation on a groin

Zouma

injury. Italy will be without Marco Verratti, arguably their best player.

Central midfield: Ilkay Gundogan Another Manchester City target missing out on a trip to France, Gundogan has demonstrated his ability for Dortmund again this season after returning from long-term injury problems.

But just when his place, not just in Joachim Low's squad but also the national team, looked assured, he suffered another set-back. A knee injury, sustained in training has ended his season and his hopes of playing for the world champions in France.

Central midfield: Claudio Marchisio Another huge loss for Italy, the national team will be without the Juventus star Claudio, who should command their midfield in Verrati's absence. A torn cruciate ligament means that the 30-year-old, who has 54 caps for his country and is a veteran of three major tournaments, will not be part of Conte's squad.

for the Euros. But that prospect looks unlikely, with the German still to return to action for his club, and Low with so many midfield options.

Left wing: Bastian Schweinsteiger It's probably not right to have an ageing Schweinsteiger out on the wing, but the talent (un)available in central midfielder makes it necessary. The Manchester United man has not been at his best since moving to Old Trafford – but Germany boss Low said he would do everything possible to get his captain in the squad

Striker: Danny Welbeck Just when the Arsenal striker looked like he was putting an injury-hit season behind him, he limped off again last weekend in the draw with Manchester City.

It is a bitter blow for the former Manchester United striker, who scored six times during qualification and is a firm

33

JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016…Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016…Euro 2016… Euro 2016… Euro 2016…Euro 2016… Euro 2016…

Kompany... down and out

Ivanovic

Rooney all likely to be higher up on Hodgson's list.

of Anthony Martial, Dimitri Payet, Antoine Griezmann and Kingsley Coman having progressed in the last two years, though, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him left out.

Marchisio

favourite of Hodgson.

But with so many attacking options available for England, there is next to no chance that Hodgson will gamble on a half-fit Welbeck - his Euro dreams look over.

Franck Ribery Despite hanging up his international boots after missing the 2014 World Cup, Ribery – now fit and firing again – has declared himself ready to return to the France fold. With the likes

Mario Balotelli Despite his undoubted talent, the controversial Italian has fallen off the radar at international level since the 2014 World Cup. A move to Liverpool last season was a disaster, and things haven't been much better back at Milan this term, with the 25-year-old having contributed only three goals all year.

Having not featured for Italy in two years and Simone Zaza, Graziano Pelle and Eder all seemingly preferred

by Antonio Conte, Balotelli's chances of going to France this summer are very slim indeed.

Daniel Sturridge A fully fit Sturridge would probably walk into England's first XI, but recurring injury issues – the striker has made only 17 league starts since the start of last season – mean the Liverpool man could miss out this summer.

Although Sturridge has netted four goals in his last six outings for the Reds, he may have given himself too much to do, with Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Danny Welbeck and Wayne

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko smashed seven goals in seven qualifying games for Bosnia and found the net in the first leg of their play-off with Republic of Ireland. It wasn't enough though and Euro 2016 will be without the two-time Premier League winner, currently playing for Roma.

Arjen Robben (Netherlands) It might have been a different story for Netherlands had Robben stayed injury free for their qualifying campaign. The Bayern Munich winger was sidelined for four of their eight games, including their damaging defeats to Turkey and Czech Republic.

His absence proved costly for a squad lacking depth.

Memphis Depay (Netherlands) It's fair to say this season hasn't quite gone to plan for Memphis. The winger featured regularly during the Netherlands' qualifying campaign after impressing at the World Cup, but he won't play a part at Euro 2016 and has been dropped from their squad in the wake of their elimination. He has also lost his place at Manchester United.

Darren Fletcher (Scotland) The wait to appear at a major tournament goes on for Scotland captain Darren Fletcher, who couldn't hide his disappointment when Republic of Ireland's win over Germany confirmed their exit from the qualifiers. "Ultimately we failed to do what we set out to do or even make the play-offs," he said.

Aleksandar Kolarov (Serbia) Manchester City left-back Kolarov will be another high-profile absentee after Serbia's elimination. The 30-year-old featured in all but one of their qualifying fixtures. He scored in their 2-0 win over Albania last month, but it came too late to pull them out of their group.

Daley Blind (Netherlands) Manchester United's Blind was a regular in Netherlands' qualifying campaign but was unable to prevent the Dutch - who finished third at the 2014 World Cup – from falling to a humiliating failure in Group A. Blind and his team-mates ended up five points adrift of even a play-off spot.

Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia) Ivanovic's Chelsea woes were compounded by Serbia's dismal qualifying campaign. The 31-year-old, who captains his country, featured in all but one of their games but they finished second-bottom of Group I. Serbia only won two of eight outings and they were also hit with a threepoint deduction after their game with Albania had to be abandoned.

Asmir Begovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Chelsea goalkeeper Begovic played every minute of Bosnia's qualifying campaign, but won't be in France next summer after his country crashed out in the play-offs to Republic of Ireland. The former Stoke shot-stopper has been getting plenty of first-team football at Stamford Bridge following an injury to Thibaut Courtois but will have the summer off after a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Martin O'Neill's side.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

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GLOBAL SOCCER\\OTHER SPORTS

Former Nigerian International, Victor Ikpeba, shaking hands with the players before the kick-off during the 2016 COPA Coca-Cola Lagos grassroots finals held at the Legacy Pitch of National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, recently.

2016 U-15 Copa Coca-Cola Tourney Enters Regional Stage All is set for the regional stage of the 2016 U-15 Copa Coca-Cola competition as 32 schools from across the federation had qualified for the tournament.

Rockford Junior College, Ikorodu, emerged winner of the Lagos grassroots finals.

On Thursay at the Legacy Pitch of the National stadium, Surulere, Rockford pummeled Jibowu Junior School 7-0 to qualify for the next stage of the competition.

Commenting on the match, the Marketing Director, CocaCola Nigeria, Patricia Jemibewon, expressed her delight at the display of football artistry by the teenagers, noting that Coca-Cola would continually provide platforms to support teenagers’ passions.

Jemibewon said, “Coca-Cola is committed to the overall development of young Nigerians, especially teenagers. Research had shown that beyond being just a sporting activity, football plays a huge role in the development of teenagers because of the values they learnt from playing, which include determination, friendship, hard work, and responsibility.

All of these skills are useful for the future, hence; Coca-Cola is committed to promoting the game of football among teenagers.”

Some of the ex-international football stars present at the venue including Victor Ikpeba, Tajudeen Disu and Henry Nwosu commended Coca-Cola for expanding the scope of the Copa Coca-Cola

competition to accommodate more participation.

According to Ikpeba, “Many of the football stars you see today began their career from competitions such as this. Expanding the scope of the competition to accommodate 60,000 players is really huge and commendable.

I am happy to be a part of a platform that is transforming grassroots football in Nigeria.’’

On his part, the representative of the National President, Nigerian Schools Sports Federation (NSSF), HRH Dairo Olutayo remarked that Coca-Cola’s involvement in Nigerian grassroots football has created opportunities for thousands of talented teenagers to express their passion.

GTBank Lagos Principals Cup

Ejigbo Boys, CMS, Ikotun Girls, Dairy Farm Book Final Berth

Ejigbo Senior Secondary School, Ejigbo and CMS Girls Secondary School, Bariga, on Tuesday at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos, booked their place in the final of the GTBank Lagos State Principals Cup after scintillating semifinal matches. In the first match, SMC, inspired by their, striker, Ndiana Edemekop, the tournament’s top scorer, defeated Isale Eko Grammar School, Lagos Island by a lone goal.

All efforts by the girls from Lagos Island to equalis e proved abortive as the fourth time finalist stood firm.

If the fans felt they had seen a thrilling display of soccer artistry from the girls, the boys’ game was electrifying as Ejigbo Senior Secondary School came

from two goals down to defeat Keme Balogun Grammar School, Ikorodu, 4-2 via penalty shootouts.

Wasteful Ikorodu side failed to consolidate on their two goals from each half and paid dearly for it as the side from Ejigbo rallied round to score two late goals to send the huge crowd at the stadium into frenzy.

In the ensuing penalty shootout, Ejigbo Senior Secondary School converted four of their kicks, while Keme Balogun could only manage to convert two.

On Wednesday at same venue, Sanya Senior Girls Grammar School, Surulere lost to defending champions Ikotun Senior High School, Ikotun 1-2 while Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School,

Agege, defeated Jubilee Model Senior Grammar School, Surulere 3-1 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 in regulation time.

The final which would be played on a yet to be announced date will see CMS Girls Senior Secondary School, Bariga take on defending champions, Ikotun Senior High School, Ikotun while the boys category will be between Ejigbo Senior Secondary School, Ejigbo and Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School, Agege.

The GTBank-Lagos Principals Cup is an annual football competition geared towards the development of grassroots football, the discovery of young football talents and fostering camaraderie among secondary students.

Odoh Wins 18th CMCL Open Golf Championship Playing like someone infused with the winning bug, Nigeria top seed; Andrew Oche Odoh proved that he was still the man to beat in the Nigeria professional golf tour when he came from behind to win his fifth CMCL Open title.

To come top in the competition, Odoh grossed a four-day round of 4-under par 284, winning by four-shots over three days leading favourite Mike Ubi from Air Assault Port Harcourt.

The 2016 CMCL Open was the 18th in the series and was put in place to mark the 60th birthday of Otunba Olusola Adekanola, Chairman of CMCL Golf Tours Limited.

Playing two-shots off the pace going to the final, Odoh birdied hole 1 and hole 3, eagle hole-5 and recorded another birdie on the 9th for 4-under par 32, going

to the back nine.

He however dropped shots on the 10th and 14th, parred the 11th, 12th and 13th. He recorded another birdie on the 16th and parred the closing hole for the coveted trophy.Air Assault based Ubi who shone like the stars on day-three collapsed under the pressure mounted by the duo of Odoh and Emos Korblah. He ended his final round at 3-over par 75, a score which placed him in joint second position with Ayuba Musa who closed his four-day round with 2-under par 70.

Ghanaian Emos Korblah, came fourth while Najeem Sofela completed the top five in the keenly contested event.

Yusuf Abdulahi won the category-One amateur event, while Remi Olukoya and Tim Ayomike from the golf section

of Ikoyi club were First and Second in the amateur gross category.

The winner of the Amateur category was Toriola Johnson who returned 134 over two days playing off 13-Handicap. Other winners include Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Dare Bello, Ms Joy Ikwue, G A T Oboh, Bayo Alli, Seyi Siwoku and Jimoh Ogundare while Moses Oladimeji won the Special 60th position prize.

Otunba Olusola Adekanola in his closing remark was very satisfied with the turnout and the competitive challenges put up by both the Professionals and Amateurs golfers during the one week competition.

Adekanola promised to continue to support golf professionals, saying the famed Winner-Takes-All series would be added to the CMCL Tour calendar this year.

Rafa Nadal withdrew from the French Open and might not play at Wimbledon

Will Nadal Comeback from His Latest Injury?

After Rafa Nadal withdrew from the French Open with a left wrist injury and then opted against playing at Queen's Club in the build up to Wimbledon, have we seen the last of the great Spaniard?

Although the heartbreaking setback of pulling out of his beloved Roland Garros did not mean the end of his career, it seems as though his best days are behind him.

Tendonitis in his knees prevented him from defending his Wimbledon title in 2009 and the 2008 Olympic gold medallist also missed the 2012 Games because of injury.

"It's not broken, but if I continue to play it will be 100 per cent broken in a few days," said an emotional Nadal last Friday.

"To win the tournament I need five more matches, and the doctor says that's 100 per cent impossible. This is a very bad position, but that's life.

"It's obvious that if it's not Roland Garros I would not take risks on playing the first two days, but it is the most important event of the year for me so we tried our best."

The 14-time Grand Slam title winner, who was going for a 'La Decima' of Roland Garros titles, has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, affecting his knees and wrist.

A right wrist injury forced him to skip the 2014 US Open and despite his latest setback, the charismatic Mallorcan said he will keep playing, although his participation at Wimbledon next month is now in serious doubt.

"Nine times in my career I have been able to be healthy here in Paris and win this tournament," he said.

"This is a tough moment and the toughest press conference I have ever had to give but it's not the end."

Nadal had coasted through the first two rounds in Paris dropping just nine games but revealed he had needed pain-killing injections in his wrist to take part.

He has been forced to skip nine major tournaments in his career through injury and after looking down and out in 2015 when he lost his French Open title and slumped to his lowest ranking in a decade, he had appeared like a man reborn this season.

He captured the Monte Carlo and Barcelona titles to equal Guillermo Vilas' record of 49 clay court titles.

The Spaniard had won the 200th Grand Slam match of his career last week - just the eighth man to achieve the feat - when he beat Facundo Bagnis of Argentina.

Nadal, who won the first of his French Open titles as a 19-year-old in 2005, appeared to be back to his very best after his game was cleverly reconstructed by his uncle, Toni and second coach Francis Roig.

Although Nadal has said his latest injury setback would not stop him ever playing the game again, his huge fan base will be on tenterhooks as they await news of his comeback.

But they may have to be warned that the 'King of Clay' might never be back to his potent best.

As former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and Britain's Laura Robson have indicated, returning from a serious wrist injury can sometimes takes months, even years, and are potentially career threatening.

"It is not the end. I feel myself with the right motivation and the right energy to be back in Roland Garros the next couple of years," Nadal said.

He had been expected to face world No 1 Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster semifinal, having been battered by the Serb in the last-eight last year.

"It definitely was sad seeing him in the press conference. You could feel his pain, definitely," Djokovic said.

"He played terrific the opening couple of rounds here. Then something happened.

So if he retired from the tournament, then something really is serious, because he's one of the greatest competitors that the game has ever known."

Seven-times major champion John McEnroe described Nadal's latest injury as "extremely disappointing".

"We've seen him play for many years and it's always been a concern about how his knees would hold up," the American told Eurosport.

"After last year, we all hoped he would be able to get his health and fitness back and get his game together and it looked like that was happening," McEnroe added.

"We all know how much he wanted title number 10 and we were looking forward to seeing play Novak in the semis."

Meanwhile, former Roland Garros champion Mats Wilander said the decision was a no-brainer for Nadal.

"A slight miss-hit and that's going to hurt like crazy," the Swede said. "He's turning 30 in a few days and still has two or three years left so this was an obvious decision."

A winner of 69 titles in his career, Nadal said he remained optimistic of playing at Wimbledon where he has twice been champion but also where the grass can be so punishing on his knees.

The last four years at the All England Club have not gone according to plan with three exits before the third round, the last of which was against German world No 102 Dustin Brown last summer.

"We're going to work hard to be ready for Wimbledon. For the moment I need a couple of weeks with the wrist in immobilisation," he explained.

"Then we're going to do the treatment, and we hope the treatment works well. We expect to recover quick, to be ready for Wimbledon.

"But it's not a moment to talk about that. It's just a moment to go day-by-day, to work hard. I hope to have a fast recovery."

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JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

AFRICA PLAYS

with KENNETH EZAGA 0807 0530 677, zigi199@yahoo.com

The Rio Team and the Super Eagles – A Thought for Amaju Pinnick One of the problems we face as a people in Nigeria is that we live in the moment. Hardly do we truly consider how our actions today affect our future. This has been the case with Nigerian football down the years, save, perhaps, for the Clemens Westerhof era. When the Dutchman was appointed in 1989 he said, “Judge me in 1994”. Over four and a half years he built a team that ultimately won the Nations Cup and the Olympic gold, and topped their groups in successive World Cup finals. But for the CAF ban of 1996 and 1998, that team may have won two more Nations Cup crowns. I probably would not rate Westerhof as a great tactician, but he had a great attribute sorely missing in most of us Nigerians – he was a fantastic builder! He did not expressly go into the 1990 and 1992 Nations Cups to win, he used them as developmental platforms for the team he was building. This runs counter to how we roll in Nigeria. We want to win every tournament, and so we select our players only to win the next tournament without considering the impact on future tournaments. This mentality has especially wrecked the Super Eagles and turned a team that was No. 5 in the world in the Westerhof years, to one that is 67th in the world today.

I

am writing this piece because, from the sound bites leading to the Rio Olympics, the Nigerian team will be assembled with little thought for how this translates to building the all-conquering Super Eagles we all desire. If the Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick does not want to end his reign with the dishonour of managing the worst Super Eagles record in the history of our sport, he may do well to figure out how to use the Rio platform to develop his team to Russia 2018 if indeed we qualify.

Our success in the 1990s was built on foresight and patience. Westerhof tried different players but settled on a core of youngsters, many of whom were discovered locally (times were different then) and then sent overseas to hone their craft. This core did not only succeed from playing together, it was a group of true talents – players who could only get better. What is the point of wasting your time on players who shine in one tournament and disappear afterwards as our coaches tend to do today? The Westerhof team played from 1990 to at least 1998 with changes coming in form of reinforcements.

That has not been the case in recent times. Samson Siasia overhauled Amodu Shuaibu’s team when he took over in 2010, and then built a team which was dismantled by Stephen Keshi in 2011. Keshi’s team was unsurprisingly revamped by Sunday Oliseh in 2015 whose team was changed considerably

by Siasia on his brief return for the Egypt qualifiers. These days every coach wants his imprint on the team and usually this means singing the well-worn “rebuilding” anthem rather than adopting the theme of consolidation. To rebuild our coaches basically just settle on their favourite players who many times lack the quality to be in the team, and the next man simply sweeps them away. In fact Keshi revamped his own team several times and despite winning the Nations Cup, did not leave behind any new player of genuine quality.

This culture needs to change and Pinnick is the man with the power to make this happen. Already the Super Eagles have failed to qualify twice for the Nations Cup under his watch and that is a record for an NFF boss, albeit one he would like to forget. Until 2018 when his tenure expires, he has only a “one chance” ticket to salvage his Super Eagles record, and that is the World Cup. Not only do the Super Eagles need to qualify, they have to make the kind of statement that would inspire us to look forward to Qatar 2022. A good

2018 outing would be prime us for success in 2022. We have a generation of golden talents coming through like Kelechi Iheanacho, Isaac Success, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Moses Simon, Sadiq Umar, Kelechi Nwakali, Victor Osimhen, Taiwo Awoniyi etc, for whom 2018 may be too soon, but who would be at their mature best in 2022. Then we can realistically challenge for honours.

These, for me, are the players who should go to Rio and experience what a senior global tournament is like ahead of Russia. These guys are proven and are playing in some of the best leagues in the world. The Rio team cannot just be Siasia’s team, it must be a showcase of the Super Eagles that is to come. If you stock it with players who will not make the Super Eagles subsequently, you would end up in Russia with a team short on quality experience. Pinnick’s glory does not have to come from winning the Olympic gold or 2018 World Cup, but in building the foundation for success in

2022. When France reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup, their coach Didier Deschamps declared it a successful campaign - given the status of the team’s development. Not every tournament needs to be won, some must be seen as developmental platforms and I believe the Rio Games should be one such for Nigeria, especially as the Super Eagles will not be at the 2017 Nations Cup. If we turn the philosophy behind the Rio team to one of “I won’t depend on foreign-based players” or “we have to reward the players that won the ticket” or “we have to encourage the NPFL players” then we have to be sure we have quality among those selected that will last the distance, or 2018 might be ugly for the NFF and Pinnick. Rio would be a great way to test the 2018 World Cup team as well as blood new talents that can make the Super Eagles stronger during the qualifiers. The ball, Mr. Pinnick, is in your court.

If we turn the philosophy behind the Rio team to one of “I won’t depend on foreign-based players” or “we have to reward the players that won the ticket” or “we have to encourage the NPFL players”

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T H I S D AY SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • June 4, 2016

June 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • June 4, 2016

FITNESS FILE The Edenlifestyle corner with

The Rules For Good Health

MAJE AYIDA

majeayida@edenlifenigeria.com www.edenlifenigeria.com, 07062614551

A

ttaining total health can feel like a juggling act.

You’ve got a sugar free yogurt in one hand, a kale-spinach salad in the other, and all too often, you drop both to face a plate of jollof rice with stew. But a healthier life is attainable if you turn that juggling act into a balancing act: Eat right, sleep well, de-stress enough, work out and, oh yeah, manage your day-to-day responsibilities.

Here are some fundamental rules you need to get happy and healthy, for life. Step one: Cheer up! Even just remembering to smile is a way to stay healthy and keep your blood pressure down: You Need A Doctor Focused On Wellness Get a doctor that meets your personal needs and understands the difference between treating an illness and helping and guiding you through the wellness process. You need to find a doctor who will be interested in the steps you’ve taken to overhaul your total health, rather than simply treat a respiratory infection or draw blood for an annual checkup. All to often, clinics in Nigeria are focused on profit. As a result they want you taking as many pills as possible!

Wellness is preventative medicine.

Food Should Be A Nutrient, Not A Drug Think of your body as a Ferrari. You want to put in the best fuel you can at least 80-90 percent of the time. People often use food as an antidepressant and choose treats with little nutrient value that they think will make them feel better. Unsure about the comparison?

Foods containing high-fructose corn syrup as well as sugar, fat and taste enhancers can lead to behavioral reactions similar to those caused by drugs such as cocaine, reveals a 2013 study by Francesco Leri, associate professor of neuroscience and applied cognitive science at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada. And in a 2013 animal study, researchers found that Oreos had a greater effect on the pleasure centers of the brain than even morphine or cocaine.

Sleep Is As Critical As Food And Water If you cannot sleep, you cannot be well. Failing to get a good night’s sleep can disrupt a person’s circadian rhythm, which regulates blood pressure and hormones. Your mood and work performance aren’t the only things that will suffer, though. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining properly functioning memory and sexual performance, as well as avoiding weight gain.

Getting enough sleep is crucial to regulating the fat storage hormone, cortisol, and the ‘I’m hungry’ hormone, ghrelin – meaning, getting adequate rest may make slimming down far easier.

Your Mind And Brain Need A Breather Taking a few moments out of the daily grind is essential to reduce stress, which makes you vulnerable to illness. Ways to give your mind and brain a “time-out” include breathing exercises and meditation. Better yet, try doing some yoga. You’ll not only banish stress, but also tone your body in the process.

An Exercise Plan Should Be Balanced Your regular exercise routine should include a mixture of muscle building, stretching and aerobics, which provides cardiovascular conditioning.

The Mayo Clinic recommends that a workout regiment have five elements: aerobic fitness, strength training, core exercises, balance training and flexibility and stretching. Need more motivation to skip your favorite class once a week? It will help you slim down. Not mixing up your workouts is one of a number of fitness mistakes that prevent weight loss.

Recovery Is As Important As Exercise Itself Recovery is an essential component of fitness that enables the body to adapt to stress, helps restore energy reserves and allows for repair of body tissue. If you don’t recover, your pulse rate is going to go up every morning instead of down, and then you’ve got a problem. Try combining highintensity activity with low-intensity periods.

Keep Your Waist Slim Maybe you’re not looking for chiseled 6-pack abs, that’s ok, too.

If you’re aiming for a basic level of fit and healthy, track your waist measurement for an easy guideline.

Waist circumference can give you a better indicator of obesity more so than body weight. If you can keep your waist below 34, you’re probably in pretty good shape. A waist circumference over 34 means you’re starting

to build enough fat that puts you in danger of developing diabetes, heart disease or cancer.

Be Social No, we’re not talking about Facebook. Make a date to spend some quality time face to face; your body and mind will thank you. Social people are predisposed to better health. Make sure you put down the smartphone and focus on your friends once you’re together, too.

Social support and expressing love can improve overall resiliency, and your capacity to give social support also has a tendency to feed back to you and pay dividends to your own health.

Keep Attainable, Realistic Goals Mix in some reality into your training plans as well as your aspirations for healthy living. That doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself a good challenge, just make sure your goals are a mix of the two. Setting goals that aren’t attainable is a recipe for disappointment. Don’t forget to go easy on yourself, either. Getting to the gym 4 days a week rather than the 7 you were aiming for is still a great result.

Think Long Term, Not Short Term It doesn’t matter about your weight or fitness a month from now or two months from now; it matters a year or two from now. When we’re talking about your health years down the road, we’re talking about your ability to play with your kids and grandkids, travel well into your older years and maintain some of your favorite hobbies. Let that be your motivation.

Long-term health is more important than setting an arbitrary weight-loss goal for two months from now.

People take these really short-term outlooks; they try hard and then quit.

Make the decision to create healthy habits everyday, your body will thank you for it, and later in life, so will your bank account.

Your regular exercise routine should include a mixture of muscle building, stretching and aerobics, which provides cardiovascular conditioning.

The Mayo Clinic recommends that a workout regiment have five elements: aerobic fitness, strength training, core exercises, balance training and flexibility and stretching. Need more motivation to skip your favorite class once a week?

It will help you slim down. Not mixing up your workouts is one of a number of fitness mistakes that prevent weight loss

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JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

FASHION FILE

The Ethnik Collection by

Tunde Owolabi

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

FASHION FILE

By Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

The Ethnik Collection

T

he collection is inspired by culture.

Ethnik is an eclectic and vibrant collection of afro-centric fashion and home accessories, sneakers, boots and sandals, all handmade from aso oke.

Created with today’s fashionistas in mind, Ethnik is re-imagining aso oke within Africa’s contemporary fashion landscape at home and in diaspora. Regarded as the fabrics of kings, aso oke is equated with royalty and originates from Yoruba culture.

Ethnik aims to redefine aso oke without taking away from its originality. Make it accessible to trendsetters across Africa’s urban cities without losing its regal and luxurious personality.

A

A fusion of fashion, art and culture, Ethnik is about cultural affirmation at a time when it is increasingly important to tell the world who you are through your heritage. Ethnik expresses elegantly the beauty and opulence of a people’s culture and history, and reiterates that aso-oke known for its versatility, durability and longevity stands out in a multitude of fabrics.

About Tunde Owolabi Founder and creative director of Ethnik.

Tunde Owolabi is an artist, photographer and designer. He is the founder of Tunde Owolabi Studios. As an artist, he has participated in group exhibitions including Lines and Colours (2003), Inner Thoughts at the Nimbus African Art Centre (2004), Working with Communities, a Guinness group exhibition (2004), and Gods of This Age at Didi Museum. His first solo exhibition, African Elegance was at the Battersea Art Gallery, London (2009). His commissioned works can be found at the Hungarian Embassy and Nigerian Stock Exchange. AsoOke - The Woven Beauty was his second solo exhibition in 2014.

Tunde lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.

JUNE 4, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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BEAUTY FILE

with Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

Ferdinand the Wig Lord All of a sudden, wigs have become the most convenient way for fashionable and working women of class to a fast and easy way of appearing presentable and glam. Wearing wigs now is not only for women with hair loss issues but for every woman who probably might be too busy to sit at the saloon every now and then to change their hair-dos. Ferdinand Odinaka Asubugha, known as Ferdinand’s hair or the Wig Lord, is an innovative hair stylist, whose versatility and creativity is in high demand

H

e approaches his work with a refreshing sense of originality and listening ear, impressing clients with his strong work ethic and ability to collaborate with others to achieve a common vision.

According to him “A lot of women finds the wig very comfortable and convenient these days, some women have gone natural and will still prefer to wear wigs because it makes life easy for them. Because all they do is weave their natural hair and just put on a wig, brush it neatly and they are ready to go” The Wig Lord, began his career by chance, at 3PS Beauty salon Rockview hotel, Wuse 2 Abuja, when he was just 16. He then left to further his studies at Lead City University Ibadan and

graduated with a BSc in Microbiology but due to his passion for hair, Ferdinand returned to hair styling. He is passionate about good and healthy hair and creating hair solutions for the 21st century woman. Ferdinand has also gone for cosmetology training and different workshops which includes coloring, cutting, chemical processing of both ethnic and caucasian hair type, scientific study of hair(Trichology) and hair artistry. Now based in Lagos, he has set up with Headsup beauty place, Magodo GRA, where he won an award by blue print magazine as 2013 best hairstylist of the year.

He then moved to the highly respected Bnatural medspa GRA Ikeja, where he’s still working to date. Applying his knowledge in microbiology, extensive training in cosmetology,chemical

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • June 4 , 2016

Beauty File

processing, trichology and hair artistry,Ferdinand has been an educator of hair and beauty at The spectrum beauty academy of Nigeria. Some of Ferdinand’s works include, the Lagos Fashion Show 2014, being the official hairstylist to actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde.

with Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

Asked what makes his wigs different, he said “The simple fact that I am passionate about hair, I understand the need of today’s woman and how her hair is the envelop of her face. I am very professional and pay great attention to details.”

T H I S D AY SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

The Challenge Before Magu’s EFCC

Usman Ibrahim

T

he launch last week of the “Clean Hands” initiative by the EFCC indicates that the anti-corruption agency is beginning to move in the right direction.

Any institution set up to combat a prevailing social challenge should realize that the measure of its effectiveness should be in the prevention rather than cure.

The launch of the “Clean Hands” project indicates that EFCC under its current leadership is prepared to embrace a new way of thinking and accept a new interpretation of its role. EFCC is beginning to realize that all the years of ruthless devotion to catching people and throwing them in detentions have hardly dented the huge problem of corruption in Nigeria. With this new initiative, EFCC is bringing preventive advocacy to the heart of its operation. This should be commended.

However, it is important to sound a note of caution here. EFCC is not the National Orientation Agency that relies mainly on the power of moral persuasion. Primarily, it is still a crime fighting organisation.

Therefore, no matter what it does on the advocacy front, its effectiveness would still be measured principally in its ability to successfully prosecute corruption cases wherever they occur. Apprehension and prosecution as a form of deterrence is therefore as important to its work as its prevention activities, if not more important.

Unfortunately, it is in this core area that EFCC has not done very well in the past. Perhaps, under Magu things would change. But at the moment, EFCC is still widely perceived as a willing attack dog that is readily unleashed on whoever is perceived as the enemy of government. With this persecution bias, it has therefore been difficult for the Commission to secure any major conviction based strictly on the rule of law. As a result, its achievement so far has been severely limited to that of naming and shaming, or what is known as media trial.

Rule of law is a fundamental pillar of democracy. Rule of law requires that whoever alleges must prove its case beyond all reasonable doubts.

The scale of justice is therefore naturally tilted in favour of the accused. It is therefore necessarily a herculean task for a prosecutor to prove its case and successfully secure a conviction. It would require weeks and months of painstaking and sometimes painful investigations. It would require bodies of evidence that are so scientific in their precision and so compelling in their strength as to leave no iota of reasonable doubts in their wake. What this means therefore is that to get its job done, the EFCC must be staffed by some of the finest forensic minds in the country. It means that people who carry out its investigations must know what they are looking for. They must not only be endowed with almost uncanny intelligence, but they must also have a cosmopolitan

Magu

outlook and a universal knowledge base that understands something about almost everything. They must be obsessively meticulous. They must be slaves to truth, allowing hard facts to lead them wherever it may. Prejudice and political considerations must not have a place in their minds.

Now, I don’t know the quality of people that are currently working in EFCC. However, I have closely followed the Saraki case at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The chief witness, Michael Wetkas I understand is a chief investigator with the EFCC. Some say he is even about the best investigator in that Commission. I don’t know if this is true. However, based on what I have seen so far, if Mr. Wetkas is the best investigator that the EFCC has in its fold, then, I am afraid to say, we are not ready to fight corruption in this country. Under cross examination so far, Wetkas has certainly not done his employers proud. Like I have heard several people who have attended the trial sessions say, with investigators like Wetkas, little wonder the EFCC has preferred medial trial and pleabargaining.

A few weeks ago, under cross examination by the defendant’s counsel, Wetkas shamelessly admitted that he had never seen a credit card before! According to him, he does not know that a credit card is not necessarily attached to a bank account. Now, how do we expect this EFCC operatives with his tragically limited exposure and understanding to be able to comprehend and break down the complexity of globalized money laundering rackets?

In the world we live in today, once money is stolen, they take different forms, metamorphose into all kinds of assets and navigates across boundaries and institutions. If an intelligence officer does not have the sophistication to understand this dynamics then he is absolutely useless in the fight against financial crimes? It is difficult to imagine an intelligence officer of Wetkas’ rank in the Metropolitan Police or the FBI display such pathetic level of ignorance as we have seen from Wetkas.

I also find it absolutely embarrassing that Wetkas also said under cross examination that he does not know the meaning of “mortgage redemption.” Even after seeing it in a telex, he still concluded that the payment was for a new property! Whereas a simple Google search would have helped him. I really find it hard to believe that a crime investigation officer in the 21st century could be that ignorant. Even an average high school boy who has done elementary economics could not have done worse. The only way to explain it is that Wetkas was merely taunting the defense counsel. I doubt that he would deliberately visit that level of embarrassment on the establishment that he represents. How does one explain a situation where an officer of law would claim that a property that belongs to a company also belongs to an individual? Or concludes that a property belongs to a company simply because the rent was paid to that company! One would think that a simple trip to the relevant land registry would have helped to build a stronger case. There is clear evidence of laziness in all these.

So far, much of Wetkas’ testimonies is littered with hear-say and cheap rumour mongering. You would often hear him say things like “I believe”, “I feel”, or “I think”. Perhaps, he was not trained to know that he believes, feels or thinks cannot take the place of hard evidence in a court of law.

How on earth can we even explain a situation where the chief investigator in a case would admit that he had never interacted with an accused in the course of building his case? How can one explain his casual admission on several instances that investigations are on-going and some piece of evidence are still being awaited even in the middle of the trial?

No matter how the Saraki case ends, which is not my concern here, EFCC would have been severely diminished like a piece of soap that shrinks in the process of trying to keep other people clean. Quite

The Saraki case has exposed the fundamental weakness in EFCC. With what I have seen so far, I believe Magu has the capacity to carry out the difficult task of strengthening this very important institution.

Beyond the mass hysteria and the self-celebratory drama of thief-catching, Magu should start immediately to build the necessary institutional support systems across the world that would help to strengthen capacity within the Commission.

If he needs to recruit new hands, he must not hesitate to do so ironically, this may also be one of the positive things that would come out of the CCT trial. If the EFCC would have the courage to look at itself in the mirror, then it is possible that the Commission would come out of the Saraki case and say to itself, “we have had a bad outing.” But if it continues to award itself medals of excellence, like I heard Mr. Magu doing last week, then it is not going to learn anything from this experience.

Magu was reported to have said that EFCC has secured 140 convictions in six months. I strongly hope he has been misquoted. Otherwise, maybe we should encourage Magu to publish the list of those convictions in the newspapers.

The Saraki case has exposed the fundamental weakness in EFCC. With what I have seen so far, I believe Magu has the capacity to carry out the difficult task of strengthening this very important institution.

Beyond the mass hysteria and the self-celebratory drama of thief-catching, Magu should start immediately to build the necessary institutional support systems across the world that would help to strengthen capacity within the Commission. If he needs to recruit new hands, he must not hesitate to do so. Nigeria is populated with smart young men and women who have the necessary exposure, technological savviness and real intelligence to make the EFCC the kind of anti-crime agency that we all want. Magu should look for them and hire them. With people like Wetkas? No, sorry sir.

–-Ibrahim, sociology and criminologist, writes from Wuse, Abuja

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Fani-Kayode Has Since Met His Bail Jude Ndukwe

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his is to refute the false information being peddled by a section of the media that former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who has remained illegally detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since May 9, 2016, has not met his bail conditions as set by EFCC. Fani-Kayode has since fulfilled the conditions for his bail but rather than take the honourable path of releasing him pending any charge brought against him, the anti-graft agency moved him from Abuja to Lagos where they obtained a questionable warrant to further detain him illegally for another three weeks.

This is all in a bid to forcefully extract statements from him that would implicate his principal, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and other PDP leaders

including serving governors whom he served as Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Campaign Organisation.

It is obvious that the EFCC have other opposition leaders whom they have referred to as “big fish” in their radar and see Fani-Kayode as the only avenue through which they can “nail” such leaders, hence, the anti-graft agency’s puerile attempt to keep him in their custody beyond the legally required length of time in order to break him, his family, and force him to implicate innocent people just to achieve a more sinister motive of further silencing the opposition.

It is even more worrisome that the activities of the anti-graft agency has reached an all-time low as they are insisting that the former Minister of Culture and Tourism should name publishers, editors, journalists and bloggers he allegedly gave money to during the election campaigns. What has journalists who covered the PDP campaign as much as that of APC got to do with this?

This is the height of it all!

The further insistence by EFCC that FaniKayode should deposit a sum of $1m before he could be let go shows how desperate the agency is to keep him in their custody and deny him his fundamental rights as guaranteed under Sections 33,34,35,37 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) and Articles 4, 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap 10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

This further confirms our position that even though he has met his bail conditions, the EFCC have no intention of letting him enjoy his bail nor do they have any intention of playing by the rules.

While we have copiously acknowledged in the past and still do that EFCC have a constitutional and mandatory duty to carry out their statutory function as empowered by our laws, it is also our sincerest belief that these functions can be carried out

within the ambit of the law and without being tainted with vendetta, vindictiveness and politics. These are what discredit the agency and cast doubts in the minds of Nigerians about the sincerity of the fight against corruption.

In other climes where the fight against corruption has been largely successful, suspects are thoroughly investigated discretely, arrested after investigation has been concluded, charged to court and punished if found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. But here, we declare our targets guilty in the media, arrest them before commencing investigation and use the courts to obtain contentious orders to keep the suspects in custody indefinitely in lieu of a court-imposed post-prosecution sanction.

The EFCC should allow Femi Fani-Kayode his freedom especially after having met their set bail conditions or charge him before a court of competent jurisdiction forthwith.

He is not afraid to defend himself.

Nigeria, A Stunted Democracy Eddie Mbadiwe

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inston Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons in 1947 in the course of which he said that democracy is the worst form of government except for the other forms that have been tried from time to time now has universal acceptance. China, Russia, Cuba apart from the Western world and the so called third world countries practise one form of democracy or the other. The icing on the cake is that even North Korea as recently as three weeks ago had democratic elections and crowned Kim as Supreme leader.

For Nigeria, the journey has been long and arduous starting with the pre-independence struggle led by Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and the Sardauna of Sokoto. The military intervened post-independence and we had many years of stagnation and little growth. NADECO stepped in to drive away the military and there were lots of sacrifices and casualties but the heroes remain MKO Abiola and the aborted June 12 election.

Democracy involves active people participation and you can take it as given that nobody will attempt to rig the June 23 European Union Election in Britain. More than 70% of eligible voters will actively take part. Same can be said of Canada, Australia, Norway and Denmark. In the United State, the dynamics are quite different.

It is necessary to have the small re-hash before getting to our core subject Nigeria.

In Igbo language, a child that refuses to or is incapable of growing is called AKAKPO. As the Buhari Administration clocks one year in office, there has been a lot of parroting of seventeen years of uninterrupted democracy. The question is at which cost and what level of development. This is not a critique of the PDP which had been in power at the centre for most of those years

Buhari

or the APC. We must be courageous and accept our collective incapacitations afterall 60% of the major players in APC had executive power as PDP Governors etc. As one preacher paraphrased on radio not long ago, we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of our maker God. For people like me it is important to know our past and that is why I think it is wrong not to make history compulsory in WAEC. However dwelling daily on the failure of past administrations is not only irritating but a sign of unpreparedness to govern. What is the way forward – that is the thrust.

Like in any field of scientific research, proper diagnosis is 50% of the cure or solution. Long - term mass education must remain at the core of our social emancipation but what of the short and medium – term objectives.

As long as politics remain attractive in terms of remuneration, so long will money

which is at the root of all evils continue to occupy centre court in Nigeria. Courage demands that we take the bull by the horns and bring public officers pay at par with what obtains in civilised countries. There is a league of pay structure and Nigeria has to decide where she falls in.

The next thing Nigerians cannot afford to sweep under the carpet is the 2016 Appropriation bill.

Section 58 (4) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Amended) states “When a bill is presented to the President for assent, he shall within 30 days signify his assent or that he withholds assent” The President said he refused to assent because there was a lot of padding (a word new to our lexicon) and it took another six weeks presumably for the bill to be unpadded.

One is on the same page with the President and will not sign what is shrouded in dense clouds.

The question now is who have contravened our constitution and are there any consequences? The six weeks delay will negatively affect implementation of the 2016 appropriation act.

Another sore thumb which has stunted Nigeria’s democracy is section 162 (6) of the same constitution. Since a vast majority of us do not have a reading culture, let me reproduce this for ease of reference.

Section 162 (6) states that “Each state shall maintain a special account to be called “state local Government Joint Account” into which shall be paid all allocations to the local government councils of the state from the federation account and from the Government of the State” This is the major Albatross that has stunted development nation – wide. At the local government level nothing has happened for the past 17 years.

The state governor’s confiscate the entire amount. There are states where the local governments (most of them run by sole administrators) get as little as N1m (one

million) a month: not even enough to pay salaries. The seventh Assembly granted financial custody to local governments but this was killed by a majority of state assemblies who are of course extensions of the State Executive Council.

Lovers of democracy irrespective of party affiliation and this includes trade unions, student bodies, women organisations must start a spirited fight within the 8th Assembly to actualize financial autonomy for local government. If this is not done, state governors will continue to misappropriate local government funds and continue to live as Emperors sans former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

As a parting shot, let me comment briefly on the last National Conference and play the devil’s advocate. I have it on good authority that it was a knee jerk reaction canvassed and actualized by a group of PDP Senators when the polity almost got to boiling point. Before the last election and infact when the National Conference was still sitting, I was at a meeting addressed by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari where he said explicitly that the national Conference was a waste of scarce resources and valuable time.

His argument was that all Nigerians were represented in the National Assembly and any constitutional change should emanate therefrom. One is therefore not surprised that the Conference report is still in the Archives.

In many advanced and developed countries, organised groups such as writers, actors, scientists, medical professionals, academics, lawyers and etc. brainstorm and come up with apolitical position papers to advance their nations. Unfortunately in our dear country, many of these groups are either not organised or are in various stages of comatose dementia. How sad for our dear country. As we continue our journey through planet earth, let us not forget we can only be remembered for two things; the problems we solve or those we create.

– Dr. Eddie Mbadiwe writes from Abuja

FCT Minister, Please, Complete Ahmadu Bello Way Sam Ekpe

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ny visitor to the Federal Capital will observe one significant feature – the long stretch of the major roads. Each of the roads stretches several Kilometres.

Apart from aesthetic beauty of the roads and its overhead bridges, it makes for easy traffic flow. The roads in mind include Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, Ahmadu Bello Way, Mohammadu Buhari Way, Ibrahim Babangida Way, Obafemi Awolowo Way, etc.

Significantly, all the roads mentioned

above have been completed and have long been put into use, except Ahmadu Bellow Way. This road is named after one of the country’s founding fathers Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, First and only Premier of Northern Region of Nigeria. The long stretch of road runs through Gwarinpa district, Central Business District, Mabushi to Apo and terminates at Gudu market of this long sketch of road, one of the longest in Abuja, only a little stretch of 2.5 Kilometres, from the junction of Oladipo Diya road in Apo District

by Gudu Market to Lokogoma junction / Lokogoma Express has remained un-tarred.

This has constituted a major problem. The

traffic gridlock on this un-tarred stretch, especially in the evenings when commuters return home from work or their various businesses is unimaginable. Ironically there is a Fire Service station on this un-tarred stretch, if there is any fire incident in the environment, how will the Fire Service get easy access to the scene?

The attention of the new Minister of FCT is called to this situation, with a view to his taking urgent steps to complete the tarring of the remaining portion of the road. Having tarred over 97% of the long stretch of road, the remaining less than 3% should not constitute a problem that will remain difficult to address. The memory of the late sage Sir.

Ahmadu Bello should not be one that has an uncompleted tarred road. He deserves more honour than that. From reports, the new Minister is an action man and should do the needful on this short but very important road in the FCT. If funds for the tarring of the little remaining portion of the road is not provided in the 2016 Appropriation Act, the Honourable Minister should draw from the Ministry’s Emergency Fund to work on this road. Sir Ahmadu Bello Expressway Abuja should be completed to give honour to whom it is due –Ekpe writes from Abuja

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SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016 T H I S D AY

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

49

EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES

Remand in Custody

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AILY SUN of May 23 welcomes us today: “The cost of foodstuffs in various markets have (has) skyrocketed almost beyond the reach of both the middle and lower class (classes) living in the FCT….”

Next is DAILY SUN of May 24: “Lagos court remands Fani-Kayode to (in) EFCC custody” “There is plan (a plan) for the completion of….”

“Nigeria’s potentials (potential or potentialities) yet untapped….”

The following two blunders are from a fullpage advertorial signed by Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bayelsa State: “As our dear state, Bayelsa (another comma) joins the rest of the country to mark this year (year’s) Democracy Day….” “…government in its efforts to make the state enviable of (to) other states in the country.”

Now to lecture room: This is the foundational point—every other thing rests on it.

What is the capacity of your vocabulary? Do you have a rich store of words? Is your pool of phrases and expressions deep? How is your mastery of communication principles?

Can you read at least one book in a month?

Can you write a clinical 1,000-word analysis or editorial on any given topic within 60 minutes? When and where can colleagues of yours bank on your professional capabilities and skills? The only way to measure your competency in information gathering, management and dissemination is to score at least 50 per cent in each of the foregoing posers. Anything short of that margin is sub-standard and demands improvement.

There are six categories of readers: (A): Those who read at least a book in a month; (B): Those who read at least a book in three months; (C): Those who read at least a book in six months; (D): Those who read at least a book in nine months; (E): Those who read at least a book in a year; and (F): Those who do not read at all! Where do you belong?

This is at the heart of vocabulary build-up.

For instance, if you need to be a referential fellow in journalism, you must read—it is not optional. Otherwise, you are confined to journalistic artisanship! Writing is not mechanistic. It is architectural in nature: it must be planned, organised and systematically presented.

You must have a mini-library at home and in the office indispensably containing at least a current dictionary, thesaurus, Bible/Quran (for spiritual regeneration), and a modern book of quotations. These are companionable materials. You must study (peruse)—not just read—them daily, morning and night.

Learn at least a new word (and its synonyms) or phrase or idiomatic expression each day x 7 x 30 x12 = work it yourself! Familiarize yourself with each addition: as much as possible scarcely employ those you have internalized over time. Let your writings exude novelties and freshness (the difference should be that between crisp and worn-out notes).

Listen to good speakers on radio and TV. Attend colloquia, conferences, symposia, seminars, workshops, short-term courses and any other cerebral meeting. Participation in these sessions adds immeasurable value to your overall scope and knowledge base.

Do not wait for your employers to send you or depend on external intervention (sponsorship). No, invest in yourself, periodically!

BY

EBERE WABARA

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

Network reasonably and leverage all its concomitants. Good writing skill is a function of self-development and commitment to cerebral matters. Nobody can do it for you.

For inexplicable reasons, some expressions have become institutionalized in this part of the world and rabidly known as Nigerian English. This is unacceptable in any formal/ standard writing. Somewhat, these informal collocations creep into the print and electronic media. In fact, it is so bad that at times purists begin to doubt themselves because of the ubiquity of these informal creations!

Newspaper language is elevated, formal and standard. Any other entry outside this is colloquialism and should not be allowed in a soar-away market leaders like DAILY SUN or even provincial publications, for that matter. The audiences of your racy medium comprise the elite in business, governance, politics and the academia. You cannot afford to be like the floundering, ragtag media outlets on the fringes. I have an attachment of some of the ‘Nigerian English’ oddities. The list is inexhaustive—you should be able to add as many as possible!

You must develop yourself in such way that you become critical of any written work, no matter the author or the apparent perfection. Once you attain this level, it becomes easier to spot blunders and improve on even well-written materials. To reach this height will require compliance with the foregoing and other germane issues that are not captured here. We must be conversant with new media technologies and their usages: Goggle, Yahoo, Dictionary.com, Answers. com, social network sites and other online portals too numerous to be mentioned here.

Conventional communication methodology is giving way to this latest technological

onslaught.

Your choice of words, their organization and your style determine your sentence and paragraphs and ultimately what are cumulatively known as syntax, lexis and structure in grammar. Once the foundational collaterals (parts of speech, word usage, sentence construction, paragraph harmonization, spelling, punctuation and sequence) are faulty at any point in the lexical equity chain, communicative dysfunction sets in.

So, instead of ‘big words,’ use simple ones.

Clarity is critical to writing—don’t write to impress anyone with verbosity. Needless or worthless verbiage is antithetical to good writing. Always remember that simplicity is the soul of writing.

Any of the above sub-heads is the greatest enemy of classical writing and fine prose that flourishes. They diminish the flow of reading and quality of output. Avoid them as much as you can—in fact, as the bible says, flee from them lest they lead you into poor craftsmanship and ruin you irredeemably!

You will not be there with the reader of your work to explain the inevitability of the blunder. Overall, cultivate tight writing—it forecloses errors.

If you do not understand the foregoing basic principles, rules and grammar of the English language, you may not go far professionally in this business of writing.

Even if you circumstantially (or, as they say, accidentally!) do, the quality of your work will inevitably underscore people’s perception of you and your reputational reckoning.

As Prof. Adidi Uyo of Unilag would say, if you must write, write it right!

PEOPLE2PEOPLE...with Oke Epia

Ecuador and Rhythms of a Shared Heritage

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istory is rich with records of cultural intercourse between Latin America and Africa. This mutually reinforcing relationship has often been traced to the infamous era when lives were traded in exchange for tokens like mirrors and gunpowder. In fact, certain accounts of the slave trade recount how the forced migration of human beings from the continent of Africa to Europe, Latin America and the Pacific invariably transposed cultures from one end of the world to the other. The vagaries of that exploitative epoch emasculated centuries-long traditions and customs of indigenous peoples who were suddenly uprooted from their ancestry and implanted in foreign soils.

But because a man’s culture and tradition is his inalienable identity, the slaves of yore took with them togas of their heritage across the transatlantic stretch. Having been violently removed from the roots of their comfort zones the conquered lots of merchandise could find only but cold comfort in the rhythmic collectivism of a subdued spirit which though in chains, sprouted afresh in a strange land. But the umbilical connection with the land of birth was never lost.

That is why people in far-away Haiti hardly hesitate to regard themselves as brothers and sisters with the Igbos of South-east Nigeria; same way the alleys of Isale-Eko (Lagos Island) and the Favelas of Rio De Janiero share common memes and nomenclature in spite of the millions of miles separating both extreme ends of the earth.

It is in this light that a musical performance of Latin melody easily found a rhythmic agreement with African dance. And that was precisely the point Julio Cesar Almeida Lopez, a professor of Classical Music, effectively communicated in a thrilling concert at the Korean Cultural Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Being a one-man band of classical music, Lopez lowered his modest frame into a sturdy chair on the theatrical stage and then launched a rein of harmonious torture on the strings of the wooden guitar with his fingers.

The effect was a delight of several sonorous renditions which elicited excited applause from an appreciative audience.

After several spells of riveting run on the guitar, Lopez indulged his audience with brief interludes. He had taken such moments to speak on the similarities of rhythm and dance in Africa and Latin America. The soloist who pulled a captivating hold on the choice audience of diplomats and other representatives of the reserved Abuja persona, easily blended with the setting; in fact, he was quick to assert the historical connections.

“The way you nudge to the sounds with the sliding movement of the neck is a sign of common heritage between Africa and Latin America,” he said enthusiastically even if in patched English. (At another time, he got his chief host, the Ambassador

PEOPLE2PEOPLE WITH

OKE EPIA Telephone (sms only): 07059850016 Email: resourceman.oke@live.com.

Twitter: @resourceme

of Ecuador to interpret for full effect). Indeed, it was a Thursday evening of guitar glory, courtesy of the professorial dexterity of the performer who told this writer that he was on his first visit to Africa.

For music lovers, the notice of invitation to the event from the Embassy of Ecuador had rightfully raised expectations as it stated that the guest artist studied “Classical Guiter with Reinbert Evers at the College of Music in Munster-Germany, completing his studies with highest distinction.” And then the programme booklet used for the concert gave a good summary of the performer’s background. It stated that Lopez’s “frequent performances as a soloist and in chamber music collaborations have taken place in prestigious concert halls such as the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC,

the Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires, the Beethoven Hall of Bonn, the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Teatro di Marcello in Rome, the Chiesa della Pontificia di Sant’ Anna in the Vatican.

“He had also presented his music at the Hotel National des Invalides in Paris, the Sydney Opera House, the Min-On Music Museum in Tokyo, the Grand National Theatre in Pekib, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Teatro Duna Palota in Budapest, the Concert Hall of V.V Mayakovskiy National Museum in Moscow, the Andishe Concert Hall in Tehran, the Museum of America in Madrid, the Albert Long Hall in Istanbul, the Middle East University in Ankara, the AUB Assembly Hall in Beirut, the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Kuala Lumpur, the Usmar Ismail Hall in Jakarta, the Casa de la Musica in Quito, among others.”

From the reaction of guests, it was an event to remember.

Incidentally, it was also a remembrance event. According to the Ambassador of Ecuador to Nigeria, Leopoldo Rovayo, who readily warmed up with smiles to his guests, the evening of classical guitar was the “first of its kind the Embassy have organized in Nigeria.” He added: “Music is a universal language and so the aim is to promote cultural heritage between Ecuador and Nigeria and to pay tribute to the victims of Ecuador’s recent earthquake.” Congratulations to Mr. Rovayo for pulling off a commendable demonstration of fine public diplomacy.

––Follow writer on Twitter @resourceme

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

POLITY

USAF Hosts World’s Foremost Innovators in Lagos

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innovators.

United States group, USAF Global Business Development, has planned a one-day seminar in Lagos to make it possible for Nigerian business enthusiasts to meet and share ideas with the world’s most enterprising

Scheduled to hold at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel on June 18, 2016, and later in the United States on October 6-8, 2016, the seminar tagged, “An Evening with the World’s Most Forward Thinking Innovators,” will feature speakers on global business opportunities, education, networking, mentorship and inspiration drawn mostly from the United States and other parts of

the world.

According to the American body, it is its vision to reshape the future of global education and entrepreneurship, develop those who aspire to be the next world ambassadors to lead with confidence and intellect and to make education and entrepreneurship translate into success.

To allow more participation by Nigeri-

ans, USAF said it has crashed the cost of the ground breaking seminar to N10, 000.00, promising early registrants a discount of 10 percent for the US seminar scheduled for the later part of the year. Registration, according to the group, is Online only at www.usafglobe.com, enjoining registrants to do so early as seats for the evening business talk are limited.

Consumer Quality Will Benefit Nigeria’s Economy, Says Philip Morris Boss In this interview with Olaoluwakitan Babatunde, Coskun Dicle, Managing Director, PMINTL Nigeria, talks about why the Nigerian economyremainsattractivetoglobalbrandsandhowhiscompanyintendsto compete here

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hy should any global brand consider coming to Nigeria now?

Beyond Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria is also home to a consumer population that is both sophisticated and discerning.

Nigerians recognize and appreciate quality while placing significant importance on the value-for-money proposition. This type of environment is one where Philip Morris International and its products can add value and thrive. In fact, we estimate that our employment footprint will reach approximately 2,000 Nigerian talents, through direct and indirect employment.

Furthermore, through our global efforts on tobacco harm reduction and reduced risk product development, which we hope to make available in all of the markets where we operate, we are committed to meet the market’s demands for the best quality, innovative products, now and for many years to come.

Are there immediate challenges?

We recognize that both the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria are great – not least of all the highly competitive nature of our industry. However, we have invested considerable time and resources to better understand the market and how to work in it. As a result, we are confident that with fair competition Dicle and a level playing field, we will be able to operate with integrity in Nigeria and we operate. Whether it is in the quality provide meaningful contribution to the of our products, manufacturing process, community while delivering long-term conduct of our staff, treatment of our sustainable growth. stakeholders, adherence to the rules, On allegations of irregularities in laws and regulations in all communibusiness practices in Nigeria ties where we operate, PMI provides These allegations are false. PMINTL a benchmark on responsible business Nigeria Limited, the PMI affiliate in the conduct. country, was incorporated in December But why would anyone make such 2014 and during 2015 received all allegations? regulatory approvals required at the time I cannot speak to the intentions of to commence operations as a tobacco those who made such allegations. Howcompany in Nigeria. PMI is the largest ever, I can tell you that we are commitinternational tobacco company in the ted to operating with integrity in every world and is committed, above all, to market where we operate, and strongly operating with integrity. We are proud to advocate for fair competition and a level apply the highest standards everywhere playing field – as this competition is

tobacco harm reduction, including the development and commercialization of products with the potential to reduce individual risk and population harm in comparison to smoking cigarettes, and which we hope to make available in all of the markets we operate, we believe we can change the face of the industry.

What would PMI do differently in Nigeria?

PMINTL Nigeria intends to have significant positive, long-term impact on the Nigerian market.

First, we expect that the work that we are doing in tobacco harm reduction will transform the tobacco industry.

Next, we have already created approximately 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the country and are still creating new ones with the hope to grow our footprint by as much as four times in the near future.

To aid in this, and in pursuit of our long term investment plans in Nigeria, full-scale local manufacturing of our brands will begin before the end of the year through strategic partnerships.

Additionally, we have started exploring the possibility to produce in Nigeria, with key partners and local farmers, tobacco and/or other agricultural crops for the local and international markets. We would work with local business partners to share our know-how and help to ensure good agricultural practices to obtain good quality crops, high yields and good income for farmers, while minimizing what drives the best quality, choice and environmental impact and fostering value to the consumers. sustainability. PMINTL How do you hope to compete, being Nigeria, through our investment relatively new here?

Quite simply by providing better prod- plans and commitment to Nigeria, will be a significant tax payer – contributing ucts at a better value than those that are to the government revenue, providing currently available to Nigerian consumforeign direct investment into Nigeria, ers. This consumer quality-and-value proposition, along with our commitment creating sizeable direct and indirect employment opportunities to Nigerian to maintaining the industry’s highest standards, is in our DNA and is what has talents with ongoing focus on educahelped PMI to become the world’s largest tion and development. Overall, we are international tobacco company. These are committed to contributing to the local communities, while operating with invalues on which we never compromise tegrity, and look forward to becoming a and which will allow us not only to compete in this market, but to thrive in it. major player in the Nigerian economy Additionally, with our global efforts on to establish a long-lasting presence.

BEDC Attributes Low Supply to Low Generation

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enin Electricity Distribution Plc. (BEDC) has attributed the degenerating level of electricity supply to customers in Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states to low power generation from the national grid occasioned by gas shortage due to pipeline vandalism.

This was contained in a statement from BEDC signed by its Chief Corporate Services Officer, Mrs Kunbi Labiyi. She said BEDC’s Chief State Head, Edo State, Engr. Fidelis Obishai made the explanation during a meeting between BEDC management and Governor Adams

Oshiomhole in Benin. Obishai said: “We take no joy in not giving power supply to the people but due to the present low power generation, we are constrained”.

He said the serious drop in power generation was affecting BEDC’s ability to distribute power to customers despite its installed capacity of 800 megawatts, stressing that what it gets as a distribution company hovers between 130 to 150 megawatts daily and as such this was responsible for the poor supply.

On disconnected communities, Obishai told the Governor that any community disconnected was based on non-payment of electricity bills, adding that once such

is paid power supply would be restored immediately.

“We do not disconnect indiscriminately but those who are owing debts. For instance in the case of Auchi, there was a violent protest in Auchi that resulted into damage of 9 operational vehicles and offices and there is a recorded threat to life which is a major challenge. BEDC is very disposed to engaging such communities in dialogue on best way to resolving such issues no matter the level of grievances,” he added.

According to him, BEDC has submitted a formal petition to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC),

Federal Ministry of Power and the Edo State Commissioner of Police.

The Governor had complained over poor supply to Edo State and the recent disconnection of some communities in Edo north, urging BEDC to ensure the possibility of reconnecting the affected communities.

He equally lamented over what he referred to as the high billing of customers, and wide metering gap, adding that “blackout has put untold hardship on Edo citizens and worsened economic activities and we have received worrisome signals that private people pay in excess of what is consumed”.

52

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

POLITY

GOtv Introduces Children’s Education Channel, Discovery Family

G

Otv has introduced Discovery Family, a channel which inspires learning and sparks curiosity in young minds.

This is in commemoration of Children’s Day and the Day of the African Child, which comes up on 16 June. Also, GOtv has set aside the month of June to promote its kiddies content GOtv’s programming is available in seven genres: children, documentary, news and current affairs, music, general

entertainment, sport and religion. For children, GOtv offers Disney Junior, JimJam and Nickelodeon. Its documentary channels – Channel ED, Discovery Family and Nat Geo Wild – also target children with educative content.

The ever engaging, enriching and entertaining Discovery Family is the latest channel documentary channel to launch on GOtv. Discovery Family, which launched on GOtv channel 50 in March, offers the best in fun and educational programming for the whole family. From awesome space

adventures and crazy experiments of popular science to fascinating tales of animals in the wild, Discovery Family, inspires conversation and sparks curiosity in young minds.

Discovery Family’s Kids vs Film gives children the chance to research, write, direct, edit and possibly star in their own educational documentary. Other educative programmes on DiscoveryFamily are Wildest Africa, Ultimate Survival and Strangest Weather on Earth.

On Sunday 26 June at 8:00pm local time, GOtv subscribers can tune to Discovery

Family to watch the premiere of Telescope, a one-off documentary that explores the history of the telescope from Galileo to Newton to Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), currently under construction.

Efe Obiomah, Public Relations Manager, GOtv, said: “Our children’s channels enable our younger viewers laugh and learn. Furthermore, because we live in a fast-paced and technologically advanced world, we also encourage GOkids to tune to our documentary channels to arouse their interest in science.”

PHOTO NEWS

Members of committee of friends recently paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Chief Mike Nkwoji in Enigwu Ukwu. Co-ordinator, Mr. Sam Ekpe getting ready the documents; standing by his left is the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke; on his right is the Chairman, Obi Anaduaka and standing behind him is the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State, Mr. Chris Ezike

L-R: Sales and Marketing Manager, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc. Mrs. Oluwatara Ajibulu; the Captain, Young Boys ACE, Ajah (Winner), Fuad Aleiro; and the Managing Director, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc., Mr. Andrew Gbodume, during the prize presentation at MRS U-12 football tournament finals held at the Campos Mini Stadium, Lagos

PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Edo State, Hanena Jemitola Fulani-Ojo; Member Edo State House of Assembly representing Oredo West, Chris Okaeben; Marketing Manager Dano Milk, AfL-R: Group Chief Executive Officer, Afromedia, Mr. Akinola Olopade; Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Isiyaku; and company fousat Traore; Edo State IDP Coordinator, Solomon Folorunsho; and President, Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Dr. Anthonia Njoku, during the presentation of Dano Milk to the Children at the IDPs Camp in secretary, Mrs. Ifetola Fadeyibi, during the 50th annual general meeting of Afromedia in Lagos..recently PHOTO: KOLA OLASUPO Edo State in commemoration of World Milk Day... recently

L-R: Deputy Commissioner of Police, DC Maritime, Mr. Shina Olukolu; Head of Airport Operations, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Ado Ibrahim; Assistant Inspector General of Police, Maritime Command, Lagos, Mr. Mohammed M. Katsina; Director, Compliance, SON, Mr. Bede Obayi; and Olalekan Omoniyi, during a courtesy visit by SON Officials to the AIG office in Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: KOLAWOLE ALLI

R-L: Flag Officer, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Joseph Oluwale presenting a souvenir to the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Eastern Marine Command (EMC), Comptroller Usman Bello. during his courtesy call to the Eastern Naval Headquarters,Calabar...recently

53

T H I S D AY SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016

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ABIOLA PUBLISHING ACADEMY PRESS PLC ACCURATE STREAMS NIGERIA LTD APEX PAINT LIMITED BLUE CLOUD FARM LIMITED DELIFROST CATERERS NIGERIA LTD DIGITREX ELECTRONICS EMEL ENT LTD EMERGING MARKETS FIRST BORN BUSINESS LINK NIG LTD FULONG MACHINERY FUMMAN NIGERIA LTD GEODYKE GLOBAL MONTANA INDUSTRIES MONTANA INDUSTRIES NIG LTD MONTANA INDUSTRIES NIG LTD MONTANA INDUSTRIES NIG LTD NIGERIAN SPINNERS POWER HOUSE KENNEL SPINTEX MILLS NIGERIA LIMITED SPINTEX MILLS NIGERIA LIMITED SPINTEX MILLS NIGERIA LTD STONEWALL CONTINENTAL LIMITED SUNFLAG NIGERIA LTD T & N EXIM T BARROW INTL CLEMSON WA LIMITED SCHWARTS OIL AND GAS SCHWARTS OIL AND GAS RIDA NATIONAL PLASTIC BLUEFIN ENERGY LTD BUA SUGAR CHEMLAP NIG LTD CHUDDY GOODNESS INVESTMENT LTD GLOBE MOTORS HOLDING J.UDEAGBALA AND SONS JOF NIGERIA MANTRAC NIGERIA LIMITED ONTARIO OIL AND GAS PETROCAM TRADING NIGERIA LTD PRIMA CORPORATION LIMITED PRIMA CORPORATION LIMITED STALLIONAIRE NIG LTD TAURUS OIL AND GAS LIMITED TOTAL NIGERIA PLC (ONTARIO) UNITED NIG TEXTILE WEMY IND LTD BASCO NIG LTD BIORAJ PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED BOZAC CONTINENTAL LTD CELPLAS INDUSTRIES NIGERIA LIMITED. CELPLAS INDUSTRIES NIGERIA LIMITED. CHI LIMITED CUTIX PLC DEE-LITE NIGERIA LIMITED- ENUOWA DEZERN NIG LTD DRUG AND HEALTHCARE LIMITED EDO CEMENT COMPANY LTD EVANS INDUSTRIES LTD FLOUR MILLS OF NIGERIA PLC H K PRINTING AND PACKAGING LTD HOUSE OF STEWART LIMITED INLAKS COMPUTERS LTD K C DOZIE HOLDINGS LTD KURA BROTHERS NIGERIA LTD NCR NIGERIA PLC NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC NYCIL LIMITED OK FOODS LIMITED NATURAL PRIME RESOURCES NIGERIA LIMITED SHIVLILA POLYMERS LIMITED STAINLESS INDUSTRIES LIMITED TOYOTA NIG LTD VEEVEE PAPERS PRODUCTS LIMITED VEEVEE PAPERS PRODUCTS LIMITED VISTA INTERNATIONAL LTD WACOT LIMITED WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIGERIA LTD KOLORKOTE NIG LTD MONTANA NIG LTD DONASULU BROTHER LTD ADVANCED CHEMICALS INTERNATIONAL DANIUM ENERGY "ZUBAIR SAKA OLOKOBA" OKON MARGARET CHINENYE "OLOFU SHAIBU JOHN" ELUWA HUMPHERY IKECHUKWU EDEDE ESSIEN OKON EKEMODE K ALABA "OKOLI CHIMUANYA NKECHUKWU" ADELAKUN ESTHER ADEBOLA FALADE OLUBUNMI BUKOLA LADEGA CATHERINE OLUWASEYI FANIRAN JULIUS OLUSAKIN JIMOH SADAITH JENNIFER TUBOSUN OMOBOLANLE NWACHOKOR FRANCIS NKADI OVBIAGELE HENRY ADEYEMO MOJEED ADEKUNLE ERIAMIATOR EDWIN DALHATU USMAN FARMS JAMES TOKUNBO GABRIEL EZEKA EZINWA CHINYERE AVWATA MAXWELL OWANRIE GAMBO BALA JAHVN YUSUFAKINLAJA ABAYOMI MONSURU LADEGA CATHERINE OLUWASEYI CHIBUZOR BRIGHT UKONTA OBIAGELI THERESA EZENWA BEATRICE NKOLIKA TABUGBO MICHEAL OBIORA NWEKE CHRISTIAN CHUKWUNWUBA LADEGA CATHERINE OLUWASEYI EKONG IDARA EMMANUEL ADAMU SULEIMAN LADDO OKAN ALEXANDER CHEREMBEM OYEBANJI GLORIA MERCY FANIRAN JULIUS OLUSAKIN MUSA LAWAL JIBIA UDOFIA OKON TOMMY SAAFIÍ AHMED AISHA-LARAI ADETAYO TOLULOPE AKANIMO ASUQUO AKINBODE TANITOLUWA D ALI ADENIKE H ALI TESLIM O ALTINE UMAR MOHHAMED ALUKO DANIEL O AMUSAN TEMITOPE E ANIGBOGU IJEOMA L CHIBUZOR OLUKOYA DR. ETIENO ISONG-ASUQUO EDUN OLUBUKOLA O EDUN OLUBUNMI A EGBUBU ALBERT CHUKWUDI EKEZIE OGOCHUKWU S GOLO-MUSA SAMIRA YAKUBU HUGBO EDIRIN IBRAHIM RUFAU AMINA JOSEPHINE IKHINE KOLAPO LYDIA A KOLAPO MARY T MOJOYINOLA FRANCIS O MOJOYINOLA OLUFUNMILOLA NEBEOLISA ADAOBI A NWACHOKOR FRANCIS NKADI OBIORAH AUGUSTINE OBY ODUGBESAN ADEDOTUN ODUOLA SHOTUNDE OKONKWO INNOCENT OLAJUMOKE IBIRONKE YEWANDE OLAJUMOKE OLUWASEYI ANTHONY OLUFIDIPE ANTHONY O OLUFIDIPE OLAJUMOKE I OMEREONYE LLOYD O OMOIJIADE CHRISTOPHER ONOBOTE ADEKUNLE OSHIOMA-OGHUMA GLORIA OSHOBU OLAOLUWA O OSHOBU OLAYEMI H OSUAGWUH RAYMOND OKEY OSUAGWUH RUPHINA C. PEARL KANU SHIWOKU BABAJIDE AKINDELE TUMBA GIZIYANDA KADALA TUMBA LAWRENCE A. ALIYU AMINU

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UNCOATED PAPER FOR PRINTING AND GRAPHIC PURPOSES UNCOATED WHITE WOOD FREE PAPER MACHINERIES: DISC PLOUGH, HARROW IN CKD AND SKD FORM ESSENTIAL RAW MATERIALS FOR PAINTS AND COATINGS COMPLETELY KNOCKED DOWN AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT GALBANI GRANA PADANO CHEESE CHEST FREEZER CAPACITY DX150;90L EMEL BRAND STAINLESS STEEL VACUUM FLASK TELECOM EQUIPMENT CLUTCH DISK AND CLUTCH COVER ASSEMBLY SHINLON GRINDING MILLS AND SPARES SOPURA PRODUCTS NEW AUTO PARTS LLDPE RESIN MT POLYPROPYLENE(HOMOPOLYMER) MT POLYPROPYLENE(HOMOPOLYMER) MT POLYPROPYLENE RAW MATERIAL FOR TEXTILE PRODUCTION PET FOOD TANGENITAL BELT SPARE PART FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY SPARE PARTS FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY CAUSTIC SODA SOLID SPARE PARTS FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY GYPSUM ANHYDRITE NEW SPARE PARTS FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLE UNMANUFACTURED LEAF TOBACCO CALCUIM CABONATE CALCUIM CABONATE FLAT RACK FOLDING ENDS UNLEADED GASOLINE RAW SUGAR IN BULK STYRENE MONOMER COMPLETE GASKET (NEW) ,MECHANICAL SEAL (NEW) ,HOUSING BEARING (NEW) ,SOLAR PANEL VEHICLES NEW INEDIBLE TALLOW MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE CATERPILLAR SPARES GASOLINE GAS OIL CAV HYPET CAV HYPET JET A1 GAS OIL UNLEADED GASOLINE WAX BRAND LABEL CARDED WOOL JINCHENG MOTORCYCLES IN C.K.D. CONDITION MODEL JC110-19 PHARMACEUTICAL RAW MATERIALS ALUMINIUM COILS POLYPROPYLENE COPOLYMER CMR348 POLYPROPYLENE HOMOPOLYMER HRV140 MANGO CONCENTRATE ESSENTIAL RAW MATERIAL FOR CABLE MANUFACTURING TIARA INSTANT FLAVOUR DRINK PHTHALIC ANHYDRIDE FLAKES PHARMACY LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES FOR TEACHING AND RESEARCH IN ANIMAL STUDIES MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT FOR EDO CEMENT OBU PLANT SODIUM SALT OF PALMITIC ACID 16,000M/TONS OF RUSSIAN MILLING WHEAT WITH MINIMUM PROTEIN OF 12.5% IN BULK. METALLOCENE - EXCEED - GRADE 1018KB TOBACCO ROLLING PAPER (ROLL BOND BRAND) VALVE REGULATED LEAD- BATTERY CKD COMPONENTS FOR MOTORCYCLES (COMPLETELY KNOCKED-DOWN) TOPSTAR BRAND 15 X 20 FT GRADE DISODIUM PHOSPHATE NCR SELFSERV 6634 AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE CARAMEL 3240ACS50 POLYOL LIQUID GLUCOSE (INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIAL) ODORIFEROUS SUBSTANCE GENERAL PURPOSE POLYSTYRENE CRISTAL VALTRA EA3300 52,500CS ELITE LIGHTWEIGHT BODYFILLER (4/CS) W/SPREADERS 30 UNITS OF HILUX MOTOR VEHICLES INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIAL FOR CARTON INDUSTRY TESTLINER IN REELS TEST LINER IN REELS UNCOATED PLAIN PAPER FOR MANUFACTURING OF EXERCISE BOOKS IN SHEET 70-80 GSM .

AGROCHEMICAL INSECTICIDES MOTORIZED TRICYCLES IN CKD - TVS BRAND. ENGINE TYPE: 4 STROKE PETROL VERSION, ENGINE CAPACITY: 200CC ALUMINIUM PLAIN COILS POLYPROPYLENE RESIN COPOLYMER FLAT BAR STRAIGHTENING MACHINE BASE OIL (FOR MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICANTS) - SN 100; SN 400/500 AND SN 900 GASOIL PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA

31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16 31-May-16

197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50 197.50

50,000.00 55,044.32 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 39,185.51 50,000.00 27,718.20 50,000.00 9,879.60 50,000.00 17,771.21 13,480.30 50,000.00 2,248.76 35,871.89 50,000.00 31,069.70 50,000.00 34,023.65 2,167.00 4,415.00 30,000.00 9,491.91 9,000.00 35,111.74 50,000.00 25,584.00 38,080.00 23,933.35 500,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 100,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00 100,000.00 200,000.00 45,025.00 33,062.50 200,000.00 106,455.72 200,000.00 34,356.00 27,974.61 50,000.00 20,790.00 12,000.00 35,530.00 49,980.00 58,992.60 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,196.34 50,000.00 100,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 10,000.00 50,000.00 41,667.00 50,000.00 47,368.00 35,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 175,000.00 50,000.00 19,250.00 9,250.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 20,540.00 50,000.00 200,000.00 200,000.00 9,500.00 8,000.00 6,707.00 6,582.75 6,582.00 6,045.00 5,800.00 5,000.00 4,825.00 4,806.14 4,633.92 4,522.40 4,500.00 4,000.00 3,960.00 3,925.00 3,850.00 3,700.00 3,020.00 3,020.00 2,800.00 2,685.00 2,500.00 2,446.57 2,150.00 2,087.00 1,763.13 1,589.20 1,266.48 863.62 811.11 750.00 230.00 739.11 4,633.92 5,161.95 8,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 4,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 4,000.00 2,000.00 4,000.00 2,000.00 4,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 1,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 1,000.00

54

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Tosin Clegg

07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

IBUKUN KEVIN

Music is Freedom of Expression Ibukun Enuwawon Kevin, better known as IBK Tha Spaceship Boi, is a producer, singer/ songwriter and vocal instructor, known for his vocal arrangements and gritty production skills.

Born and raised in the city of Warri in Delta State.

In this interview with Tosin Clegg, he talks about his musical career, movie debut and other issues What is IBK Spaceshipboi all about?

BK Spaceshipboi is a man sent by the creator to inspire people to become what He (The creator) intends for them to become. He is all about destiny fulfillment and purposeful living and the way he conveys this message is through music.

IBK Spaceshipboi is a music producer, as well as a recording and performing artiste that does some creative directing when the opportunity arises. His maiden name is Ibukun Emuwawon and he is a native of Ondo State and a local of Warri and Lagos.

I

How did you arrive at the Spaceshipboi name?

IBK is a popular abbreviation for Ibukun. In the south-western part of Nigeria, Ibukun is a Yoruba name which means “Blessing”. The Spaceshipboi name was adopted after a friend of mine called me that in the studio. So it sort of became a first name and last name type of thing.

What kind of music do you play?

I do all sorts of music. And it’s not limited to a particular genre. For me, it’s about freedom of expression via sound and communicating/evoking an emotion in the listener. So, if that would be achieved via Rock and Roll, R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, then I express myself and communicate the message via that genre.

When did you begin your musical career?

I officially started doing music professionally in 2009. It’s been an awesome journey learning the ropes and being knowledgeable enough to know that talent isn’t enough. Reading and understanding how the business works are important in the journey to being successful in this line of work.

It’s been bitter-sweet, but the good thing about it is that the passion to inspire others through the music I create has gotten the better part of me.

What are the challenges so far?

But for the vision/conceived ideas for the recording process, mix and videos not lining up with what’s available in one’s bank account at the initial stages, there really wasn’t any other challenge but for the general ones every business owner faces in Nigeria due to instability of power, bad roads

etc. Then again, these situations have always and will always be viewed as an opportunity to be innovative and to create something fresh. I have embraced the potential for new opportunities in challenges.

Which role did you play in the new movie, 8bars and a Clef?

I played the role of a young boy growing up in a disruptive home environment with learning disabilities.

The name of the Character I played is Victor E. I really do not want to give it all away so you learn about this character’s insecurities, abilities and will power as you watch the movie.

It will hit the cinemas in June. I enjoy the process of bringing characters to life, even more so now after my first experience in having the opportunity to do so.

If not music, what will you be doing?

I’ll be doing anything that makes me communicate to the people of the world to walk in their purpose and fulfill destiny. For now, the best way I know how to communicate is via music. Educational background...

What was growing up like?

Growing up was awesome. The last of four children, we were exposed to American and European TV programmes, books etc.

My parents made sure our spiritual foundation was solid and trained us to be morally upright. I was an entrepreneurial kid and made my first N1000 selling action figure posters I had drawn. I sold a poster for N5 till it accumulated to a thousand. Music was very present in our home.

What type of music do you prefer?

I don’t really have any preference.

As a music maker, if I feel a particular artiste’s voice or musicianship skill is going to work well on what I am creating then I’ll hit them up and collaborate. I also like working with artistes that stand for something; artistes that are pushing an agenda to add life, light and positive vibes to our world.

What is your vision in the next five years?

To keep doing what I am doing now and making good progress with each passing year. The detailed plan is some

Kevin

worth keeping private.

as such.

What are the awards and stages you aspire for?

A Grammy, just so to inspire artistes all over the world that music is about how you make the listener feel. Of course, most people feel you have to sound like or make a particular genre to gain significant recognition. As for a stage to perform, no stage is too small.

Every stage is grand to me and I treat it

Tell us more about your educational background?

I attended N.N.P.C Primary School Warri and went on to College of Education Demonstration Secondary School Warri.

After which I went on to the University of Port Harcourt and later changed to Covenant University where I studied Computer Engineering.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

SHOWBIZFLAIR

MY STORY CHUQ-E

‘8 BARS AND A CLEF’ HITS THE CINEMAS After a very colourful and wellattended premier at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas in Lekki the musical-themed movie, ‘8 Bars and a Clef’ goes into the cinema. It was produced by Chioma Onyenwe and the movie stars Nollywood favourites such as Bimbo Akintola, Wale Ojo, Linda Ejiofor and Kehinde Bankole. Its

lead character is the multi-talented alternative music act, Ibukun (IBK) SpaceshipBoi with the iconic Ade Bantu who makes a stellar Nollywood debut.

Top celebrities graced the launch such as Clarence Peters, Uncle Ben of MTN Project Fame, Alvina Ibru and many more lightened up the star-studded event.

I Can Sing, Rap, Write and Produce Songs CHUQ-E is an afro-pop artiste who commenced his career in 2002 and has been growing steadily. He has worked with a few acts like Slow Dog, Stone Bone, Cynthia Morgan, Toby Grey, May D and more. In this chat with Tosin Clegg he talks about his career and latest works

VEEKO KINGZ RELEASES NEW SONG Rising pop sensation, Obi Victor, popularly known as Veecko Kyngz has released a new song titled ‘Mbombo’.

Events that followed the success of the song came as a surprise. Kyngz hails from Ezinifite in Nnewi, Anambra State. He is a graduate of Building Technology from ESUT who has been passionate about music since childhood before launching a professional career as a music producer in 2005. He started making waves in the industry

with songs like Ikebe Super featuring Ruggedman, Kwarangida featuring Sym19 and “Thinking about You” featuring Selebobo and Farouk.

In 2014, he made a come-back with a song titled Communicate featuring Duncan Mighty. Early 2015, he got signed to Triple Ice Music, and released a remix of his song, ‘My Cap’ featuring Sound Sultan, following the success of that single, he released the trending new song “Mbombo.”

MEDIA BODIES JOIN ‘UP IN THE SKY CAMPAIGN’ Moved by the plight of thousands of homeless and displaced persons, Up in the Sky Ltd, a young start-up creative agency/NonGovernmental Organisation is taking steps to turn the tides. In partnership with well-meaning organisations, they are pushing the compelling idea that together, society can work to reduce the number of destitute children on the streets, by building a communication campaign across radio, print, digital and TV to create awareness for homeless children to raise funds to get them off the streets.

Looking to support selfless organisations, the ‘Up in the Sky” team singled out the Royal Diamond Orphanage Home to

benefit from the campaign. This charity has been doing great work rehabilitating children and raising their standard of living for years without much support.

According to Oje Ojeaga, the CEO of Up in the Sky, a dedicated website has been built to receive donations for the Royal Diamond Orphanage Home and this website will change dynamically to reflect the donations being received and their impact.

The website to donate to is www.helpusup.comand. It was opened to receive donations from May 27th 2016. Partners for this campaign include Film Service Media, Konga.com, Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) and Wild Flower PR.

LAGOS RETAINS STATUS AS NIGERIA’S TOURISM HUB In its bid to further reposition Lagos as a fast-growing tourist destination, Folorunsho Coker, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture has said the Sungbo Eredo Trench, Ejinrin Slave Trade Market and Port including Badagry would be fully developed as tourists’ destinations.

The commissioner made this known at the ministerial press briefing on the first year anniversary

of the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Bagauda Kaltho Press centre, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

According to him, within the past year, the ministry has carried out studies on the development of monuments such as Sungbo Eredo Rampart which is regarded as one of Africa’s most prominent monuments.

“These monuments located in

Eredo Town, Epe Division, the Ejinrin Slave Market and Port, and the first post office in Lagos will be redeveloped. We have plans of rehabilitating the heritage sites which are all unique landmarks of our heritage as a people,” he explained.

In addition, he said Lagos has entered into agreement with the Federal Government to upgrade the National Museum located at Onikan.

T

ell us about yourself?

My name is Utulu Austin aka CHUQ-E.I started my music career in 2002. My music is a mix of afro pop and RnB. My primary and secondary education was in Delta before I went to Abia State Polytechnic.

What’s been your challenges so far?

The major challenge I faced was finance because good songs kept coming yet no money to push then out for people to hear, but I never allowed that to kill my dream.

Who inspired you and who are your mentors?

Chris Brown, Usher Raymond, 2face, Davido, Olamide, Wizkid and P square are musical talents I look up to and learn a thing or two from the quality of their music.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In the next five years, I see myself hitting stardom with my name known all around the world.

Which stages and awards do you admire?

I love to be on stage at the Sound City Blast carnival, Five Star Music Festival and a lot more. For the awards, I am aiming at the Headies, AFRIMA , MTVBASE and BET awards and much more.

What would you be doing if not music?

If not music I guess I’d probably be doing comedy because I love entertainment.

What makes your music different as an artiste?

It is the fact that I am versatile. I can sing, rap, write and produce songs for myself and other artistes.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

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TRAVEL&LEISURE

by OMOLOLA ITAYEMI omolola.itayemi@thisdaylive.com 08054699602

This Act of Flying Blind Has Become a Permanent Trait in Our Tourism, Says George ArgumentsthattourismisasectorthatcangivetheNigerianeconomytheparadigmshiftfromabsolutedependence on a dwindling oil sector to a vibrant and sustainable multi-sector economy has never been more relevant in these trying times. But how ready is the sector considering the lackadaisical attitude some stakeholders have shown in the past towards developing the industry? Omolola Itayemi speaks with Lucky Onoroide George, award-winning journalist and publisher of AfricaTravelTimes, about the endless fumbling with Nigeria’s tourism policies

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here has always been a glaring need to fathom some deep seated syndromes that have for long stagnated the charting of a clear, viable and sustainable policy direction for Nigeria’s Tourism development.

What is the way forward?

How else can one explain our long exposure to various tourism models and having the privilege of huge financial resources, with no shortage of those professing the know-how, yet being consigned to perpetual lamentation of the dismal performance of such a critical sector of our economy over many decades. The recent convening of a summit of tourism stakeholders was necessitated by the combined circumstances of a new political regime, inheriting a faltering oil-driven economy and the urgent need for diversification through tourism development. However, it is the embarrassing debacles or whatever has been done wrongly – possibly reaching a vicious circle, that should first be identified, analysed and decoded, even as we seek fresh ideas and solutions on the way forward.

Curiously, there are issues with the very methodology currently adopted in configuring such a highly technical agenda as charting a way forward for Nigeria’s tourism development.

It should be realised that the process for distilling policies and plans for a complex sector as tourism is not what should start from what is akin to a public forum, as such, would remain as clouded as the tourism stakeholders are nebulous. To draw analogy from Carl Jung, the famous psychoanalyst, the effectiveness of a “committee” is inversely proportional to its size; positing that “a committee of a hundred professors is akin to a mob, while a thousand would have the collective intelligence of an alligator. It could also be recalled that a former president of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria [FTAN] had once called for a Retreat of the Association’s General Assembly in Calabar. In opposing the idea, it was reasoned that a retreat usually has meaning when a select few are sequestered to think for the whole, not a convention type scenario that is only ideal for sensitisation.

With tourism stakeholders being so diverse in composition and numbers, to the extent of many being ignorant of the essence and connectedness of its many components, it seems there would be a need for adept consultants to understand the real issues and to configure a roadmap that can coordinate and drive such a complex sector. What do you think?

For such a forum of stakeholders as recently convened, it is after the technical issues have been distilled by a core group of experts that the pre-digested policy options and plans, based on the synthesis of original ideas, would then be proffered to such a broad based forum as this Summit, among whom would be the usual hustlers and loafers. The skills for in-depth policy issues, as in a roadmap for tourism, are not necessarily found among tourism administrators, whose roles have derogatively been described as file pushers.

Like the contractors, who are engaged for projects in other sectors through technical bidding, experts who can think out of the box should be engaged from stages of

Lucky George

conceptualisation, design, engineering (even cultural) and production, while the administrators would be there for communication, facilitation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation. Beyond calling up stakeholders to share “free” ideas with tourism administrators, there seems to be the recourse to patronising those who circumstances have positioned as “oracles” in a non-performing tourism sector – those who, incidentally too, have nothing serious to prove or show for their long involvement in the sector. With so many professions in the tourism sector, a point easily confused is that while the vast majority of its stakeholders are professionals in their respective fields, they hardly qualify to be termed tourism professionals or experts.

Where there is need to engage tourism experts, the litmus test is in designing a transformational template for our community tourism development – such a project that can sync with the intent of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Tourism Action Plan for community based enterprises. Do you think this will help?

We must bear in mind the serious integrity deficits in our ecological and cultural heritage, along with the need for their regeneration and packaging by those with a flair for heritage design and sociocultural engineering. Reminds one of an editorial in Conservation Biology Journal, wherein there was a radical departure from their usual choice of professionals in the physical sciences. It was a paradigm shift for them to discover the need for sociologists and allied disciplines in understanding conservation challenges amongst diverse communities, not to speak of a multidisciplinary sector as tourism.

The relevance of practical sociology has been a huge oversight in such a highly creative and service oriented field as Tourism, in which culture plays a leading role.

To properly erect national tourism architecture, there is also need to inaugurate the Local Government Tourism Committees through a staggered and sustained seminal process that syncs with community tourism development.

Is there a need to design and implement pilot schemes in tourism extension, such as would resonate at the grassroots level?

Yes. We are equally challenged by the need to put culture and tourism awareness in the educational curriculum from the primary levels. These are some of the fundamental issues in tourism development in this clime that are not what can be assigned to hoteliers, who have now positioned themselves to be more visible in tourism policy discourse.

The preponderance of our tourism leaders, not to talk of new office holders freshly coming on the scene, obviously cannot fathom this difference between professionals in Tourism and Tourism professionals. With such jumbled perspective, there are huge knowledge and coordination gaps, so the path usually seen taken is the convening of a motley crowd of stakeholders to brainstorm on a tourism roadmap, which when measured against the highly technical issues at stake, ends up being more of a parade of impostors. Why? For a very serious matter as a roadmap for tourism, reason demands that it is a select group of experts who should first be assembled to come up with positions papers on what are needed to jump start and drive the various subsectors in tourism, before the wider stakeholders would be brought in for sensitisation and deliberation on the various policy options.

A process can be employed to synthesise the technical road maps from those that have the flair for the highly creative and complex enterprise of tourism development. With a “call for papers”, the various viable intellectual properties would be acknowledged, documented, reviewed

and tested, so that those that meet the practicable demands of the industry are adopted and the owners engaged for the needed consultancy services. This is the only way to separate the wheat from the chaff among the bidders for consultancy positions or those to form a select group for configuring our various policy options. We cannot expect experts to think out solutions through an engagement process in which the parameters for selection are illogical or non-transparent.

It is meant to be a contest of profound thoughts and ideas that should start with those who have original submissions on a roadmap – not mere academic discourse, before wider stakeholders and hustlers are brought into the equation.

Importantly, it should provide rewards for creativity, since the easiest way to kill enterprise is not to attach value to the ideas from which they are developed. This above formula is also what should have been used to determine how members of any select committee appointed to develop the outcome of such a summit are picked. To any keen observer, logic and transparency demand that the value of individual submissions or what were actually brought to the thinking process, are what can be used to decipher what each committee member has to offer. In the quest to identify a process for receiving and evaluating submissions for such a tall order as a tourism roadmap, there should be an advertised provision for tapping from a wide pool of experts, not a selection from preconceived or biased knowledge about some persons. While hoping that the Committee members are not merely chosen to safeguard the interest of certain constituencies, there is clear urgency that stakeholders do not have to wait for long to see if they will deliver on any serious practical results.

Moreover, it is the outcome of their work that is expected to set the Government on its new policy direction for the sector and as such the outcome should make the public domain sooner than later.

The juncture we are in now is exactly where consultations also began at the commencement of the tenure of High Chief Edem Duke, whereby stakeholders were convened for brainstorming and at the end of the day, there was neither a Roadmap nor any Action Plan to be sequenced within a realistic time frame.

Strident calls for this anomaly to be corrected was totally ignored and what ensued was a somewhat deceptive or dubious approach of leaving stakeholders with policy guesswork, while high profile “noisemaking with all motion no movement” aimed more at self-promotion, was the order of the day.

This act of flying blind has apparently become a permanent trait in our tourism leadership and experience. There is a high level of desensitisation in the polity as the so-called informed stakeholders have hardly ever reacted to such grave anomaly in spite of the lone voices of dissent. The vast majority prefer to coast along for the sake of political correctness, in the expectation of what drops off the table. We do hope the Honourable Minister will note this potential pitfall, as Nigeria’s tourism stakeholders have been more on this hypocritical route for long, only to later cast incumbents in the dustbin of history.

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JUNE 4 , 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

SPECIAL REPORT

Marathon Against Steven-Johnson Syndrome Most times it is necessary to do the extraordinary to get required attention. Fadesola Adedayo, a 25year old Civil Engineer entrepreneur, did exactly that recently to make Nigerians pause and ponder what Steven-Johnson Syndrome is and why it should be watched closely. He ran 17 marathons in 17 days, from Abuja to Lagos, to make his point, reports Bennett Oghifo

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hen doctors determined that it was Stevens-Johnson Syndrome that his 27-year old brother, a medical doctor, succumbed to, he knew immediately that it was imperative for him to get the word out to save lives.

The older Adedayo was doing humanitarian work at Ijora Badiya, a slum community in Lagos, when he took ill and came down with Steven-Johnson Syndrome, an illness that presented like flu. Regrettably, he passed in 12 days.

Stevens–Johnson syndrome, a form of toxic epidermal necrolysis, is a life-threatening skin condition, in which cell death causes the epidermis to separate from the dermis. The syndrome is thought to be a hypersensitivity complex that affects the skin and the mucous membranes. The most well-known causes are certain medications (such as lamotrigine), but it can also be due to infections, or more rarely, cancers. However, it is usually caused by a reaction to drugs. For instance, some anti-malaria medications like ‘quins’ make some people to itch.

Fadesola, who schooled in Canada, is employing a multi-pronged approach to his crusade to create awareness about how deadly it could be to take medications, particularly those not prescribed or not reporting adverse reaction to certain medications.

The winner of one of Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur projects said, “It is very unfortunate that a lot of people do not know about the Steven-Johnson Syndrome. I am on a mission to better educate people and to also raise money and awareness.

Ade Skin Foundation…

Fadesola has established a foundation in honour of his brother called the Ade Skin Foundation, which would fundamentally raise money for the treatment of Steve Johnson patients and for research.

He described Steven Johnson Syndrome as allergic reaction to medication, adding that it could be a reaction to any drug. “Many people who have it do not even know they do.”

The Foundation would fund research, he said and appealed to corporate organisations to support the initiative to prevent needless deaths. They are looking at raising $1 million in the first instance, adding that people have started donating but that they needed a lot more.

The Marathon…

The passage was, like every tragic occurrence, devastating but he converted it kinetic energy to power the marathon to raise awareness on how deadly the Steven-Johnson Syndrome is.

The marathon started from Abuja and was flagged-off by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who provided an ambulance for the race; the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, whose men led the race to Lagos; and by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, whose various commands took care of security all through to Lagos.

The race was grueling but Fadesola was undeterred, saying it was worth it. He is resting and is about now taking stock of the whole situation.

Stephen Johnson syndrome…

Stevens–Johnson syndrome, a form of toxic epidermal necrolysis, is a life-threatening skin condition, in which cell death causes the epidermis to separate from the dermis. The syndrome is thought to be a hypersensitivity complex that affects the skin and the mucous membranes.

The most well-known causes are certain medications (such as lamotrigine), but it can also be due to infections, or more rarely, cancers.

Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a

milder form of toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). These conditions were first recognised in 1922. A classification first published in 1993, that has been adopted as a consensus definition, identifies Stevens–Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and SJS/TEN overlap.

All three are part of a spectrum of severe cutaneous reactions (SCAR) which affect skin and mucous membranes. The distinction between SJS, SJS/TEN overlap, and TEN is based on the type of lesions and the amount of the body surface area with blisters and erosions. Blisters and erosions cover between 3% and 10% of the body in SJS, 11–30% in SJS/TEN overlap, and over 30% in TEN. The skin pattern most commonly associated with SJS is widespread, often joined or touching (confluent), papuric spots (macules) or flat small blisters or large blisters which may also join together.

These occur primarily on the torso.

SJS, TEN, and SJS/TEN overlap can be mistaken for erythema multiforme.

Erythema multiforme, which is also within the SCAR spectrum, differs in clinical pattern and etiology. Although both SJS and TEN can also be caused by infections, they are most often adverse effects of medications.

Signs and symptoms…

Mucosal desquamation in a person with Stevens–Johnson syndrome.

Conjunctivitis (inflammation of eye and eyelid) in SJS. SJS usually begins with fever, sore throat, and fatigue, which is commonly misdiagnosed and therefore treated with antibiotics. Ulcers and other lesions begin to appear in the mucous membranes, almost always in the mouth and lips, but also in the genital and anal regions. Those in the mouth are usually extremely painful and reduce the patient’s ability to eat or drink. Conjunctivitis of the eyes occurs in about 30% of children who develop SJS. A rash of round lesions about an inch across arises on the face, trunk, arms and legs, and soles of the feet, but usually not the scalp.

Causes…

SJS is thought to arise from a disorder of the immune system. The immune reaction can be triggered by drugs or infections. Genetic factors are associated with a predisposition to SJS. The cause of SJS is unknown in one-quarter to one-half of cases.

Medication…

Although SJS can be caused by viral infections and malignancies, the main cause is medications. A leading cause appears to be the use of antibiotics, particularly sulfa drugs. Between 100 and 200 different drugs may be associated with SJS. No reliable test exists to establish a link between a particular drug and SJS for an individual case. Determining what drug is the cause is based on the time interval between first use of the drug and the beginning of the skin reaction. A published algorithm (ALDEN) to assess drug causality gives structured assistance in identifying the responsible medication.

SJS may be caused by adverse effects of the drugs vancomycin, allopurinol, valproate, levofloxacin, diclofenac, etravirine, isotretinoin, fluconazole, valdecoxib, sitagliptin, oseltamivir, penicillins, barbiturates, sulfonamides, phenytoin, azithromycin, oxcarbazenpine, zonisamide, modafinil, lamotrigine, nevirapine, pyrimethamine, ibuprofen, ethosuximide, carbamazepine, bupropion, telaprevir, and nystatin.

Medications that have traditionally been known to lead to SJS, erythema multiforme, and toxic epidermal necrolysis include sulfonamide antibiotics, penicillin antibiotics, cefixime (antibiotic), barbiturates (sedatives), lamotrigine, phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) (anticonvulsants) and trimethoprim. Combining lamotrigine with sodium valproate increases the risk of SJS.[19] Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a rare cause of SJS in adults; the risk is higher for older patients, women, and those initiating treatment. Typically, the symptoms of drug-induced SJS arise within a week of starting the medication. Similar to NSAIDs, paracetamol (acetaminophen) has also caused rare cases of SJS. People with systemic lupus erythematosus or HIV infections are more susceptible to drug-induced SJS. Infections The second most common cause of SJS and TEN is infection, particularly in children. This includes upper respiratory Infections, otitis media, pharryngitis, and Epstein-Barr-virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and cytomegalovirus infections. The routine use of medicines such as antibiotics, antipyretics and analgesics to manage infections can make it difficult to identify if cases were caused by the infection or medicines taken.[22] Viral diseases reported to cause SJS include: herpes simplex virus (debated),

AIDS, coxsackievirus, influenza, hepatitis, and mumps.

In pediatric cases, Epstein-Barr virus and enteroviruses have been associated with SJS. Recent upper respiratory tract infections have been reported by more than half of patients with SJS. Bacterial infections linked to SJS include group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, diphtheria, brucellosis, lymphogranuloma venereum, mycobacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, rickettsial infections, tularemia, and typhoid.

Fungal infections with coccidioidomycosis, dermatophytosis, and histoplasmosis are also considered possible causes.

Malaria and trichomoniasis, protozoal infections, have also been reported as causes.

Genetics…

In some East Asian populations studied (Han Chinese and Thai), carbamazepineand phenytoin-induced SJS is strongly associated with HLA-B*1502 (HLA-B75), an HLA-B serotype of the broader serotype HLA-B15. A study in Europe suggested the gene marker is only relevant for East Asians.

Based on the Asian findings, similar studies in Europe showed 61% of allopurinol-induced SJS/TEN patients carried the HLA-B58 (phenotype frequency of the B*5801 allele in Europeans is typically 3%). One study concluded: “Even when HLA-B alleles behave as strong risk factors, as for allopurinol, they are neither sufficient nor necessary to explain the disease.”

Pathology…

Micrograph showing full-thickness epidermal necrosis with a basket weavelike stratum corneum and separation of the dermis and epidermis, skin biopsy, H&E stain SJS, like TEN and erythema multiforme, is characterized by confluent epidermal necrosis with minimal associated inflammation. The acuity is apparent from the (normal) basket weave-like pattern of the stratum corneum. An idiosyncratic, delayed-hypersensitivity reaction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of SJS. Certain population groups appear more susceptible to develop SJS than the general population. Slow acetylators, patients who are immunocompromised (especially those infected with HIV), and patients with brain tumors undergoing radiotherapy with concomitant antiepileptics are among those at most risk.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 4, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Buhari Has No Case To Answer On Certificate Suit

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Dear Mr. President,

he suit reportedly filed by an Abuja-based lawyer, Mr Nnamdi Nwokocha Ahaiwe, challenging Muhammadu Buhari’s eligibility to contest the 2015 presidential election on the ground that he does not have a School Certificate, the basic educational qualification set out by the constitution for a candidate seeking to run for the office of president, is dead on arrival. This has to do with the fact that Buhari met all the educational criteria required for a candidate to contest the 2015 presidential election.

The 1999 constitution (as amended) in section 318(1) under the sub-head of “Interpretation” states: “School Certificate means (a) a Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent, or Grade II Teacher’s Certificate, the City and Guilds Certificate; or (b) education up to Secondary School Certificate level; or (c) Primary Six School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent and (i) service in the public or private sector in the Federation in any capacity acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for a minimum of 10 years, and (ii) attendance at courses and training in such institutions as may be acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for periods totaling up to a minimum of one year, and (iii) the ability to read, write, understand and communicate in the English Language to the satisfaction of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and (d) any other qualification acceptable by the Independent National Electoral Commission”.

Now, the question to ask is: How does Buhari’s educational qualification square up with each of the constitutional requirements for qualification to contest the 2015 presidential election bearing in mind that the satisfaction of only one option qualifies a candidate to contest such an election?

In the case of option (a), the evidence that Buhari has a Secondary School Certificate is the Confidential Result Sheet of the University of Cambridge, West African School Certificate, 1961, which indicates that Buhari (Exam No. 8280002, Provincial Secondary School, Katsina) passed in the Second Division with 5 credits. This evidence is contained in a letter (AHQ MS/ GI/300/249) dated 19th January, 2015 from Major General II Abbah (for the Chief of Army Staff) of the Department of Military Secretary of the Nigerian Army, Mambilla Barracks, Asokoro, Abuja, to the office of General Muhammadu Buhari entitled, “Forwarding of Academic Credentials (Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, N/308) Retired”.

Again, if we decide to subject Buhari’s educational qualification to option (b) which talks about “education up to Secondary School Certificate level”, Buhari is also home and dry. The statement of result signed by the Principal of Government College, Katsina (formerly, Provincial Secondary School, Katsina) indicating that Buhari, with Centre No. 8280 and Exam No. 002, sat for the University of Cambridge (West African Examinations Council) in 1961 while in Class Six, proves beyond doubt that Buhari had “education up to Secondary School Certificate level”. Even if Buhari had failed all his subjects in the examination, (which is not even the case in this circumstance), he would still have qualified to contest the 2015 presidential election. The evidence of satisfaction of the constitutional requirement to contest a presidential election is that he attended Provincial Secondary School, Katsina, with Admission No. 134, up to the final year of secondary school education, which was Class Six in Northern Nigeria at the time.

Even when we decide to appraise Buhari’s eligibility to contest the 2015 presidential election from the prism of option (c), which talks about “Primary Six School Leaving Certificate and other qualifications acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission”, one does not need any extraordinary intellect to come to terms

with the fact that Buhari was more than qualified to participate in that election.

There is no way Buhari could have attended the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina, without obtaining a Primary Six School Leaving Certificate. Now, with a primary six school leaving certificate and a military career that spanned 24 years, Buhari more than satisfied the constitutional provision that a candidate is qualified to contest a presidential election in Nigeria if he or she has “Primary Six School Leaving Certificate… and service in the public or private sector in the Federation in any capacity acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission”.

As a matter of fact, even if the assumption is allowed that Buhari has no Secondary School Certificate, he would still have qualified to contest the 2015 presidential election.

Buhari commenced his military training at the then Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna on April 19, 1962 and proceeded to the United Kingdom to complete his Cadet Training at Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot. He was commissioned in the rank of Second Lieutenant on January 26, 1963. He attended relevant military courses including the United States Army War College Course in Pennsylvania and Defence Services Staff Course in Wellington, India.

The last two courses prepare senior military officers for higher command and leadership responsibilities. The fact that the Prof. Attahiru Jega-led INEC did not raise any eyebrows about these courses listed in Buhari’s registration form for the 2015 presidential election meant that even without a Secondary School Certificate, Buhari was qualified for the election since it was up to INEC to decide whether a candidate with “any other qualification acceptable by Independent National Electoral Commission” was qualified to contest such an election.

The problem with all those who are still raising dust or making a fuss over Buhari’s eligibility to contest the 2015 presidential election stems from their inability to understand that a Secondary School Certificate is not the minimum requirement for participation in a presidential election in Nigeria, and that even if it is, a “Certificate” only certifies that the educational qualifications claimed by a candidate was not based on falsehood. As the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary points out, a “Certificate” is just “an official written or printed statement that may be used as proof or evidence of certain facts”. In other words, a statement of result signed by the Principal of Government College Katsina, indicating the results obtained by Buhari in the 1961 West African School Certificate Examination is a Certificate. In the same vein, the statement of result released by the Ministry of Education, Katsina State, indicating that Buhari passed his WAEC in 1961 in division 2, is a Certificate.

Contrary to popular belief as reported in the media, it is Barrister Ahaiwe that advertised his ignorance about the true meaning of the word, ‘Certificate’, and in the process embarrassed the Nigerian legal profession with his suit coming up on June 16, 2016, challenging Buhari’s eligibility to contest the 2015 presidential election. While it is true that Buhari’s lawyers have acted as if they do not understand the issues in Ahaiwe’s suit, it is very wrong to insinuate that the judge handling the case, Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court, Abuja, “is working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)” because he dismissed all the applications by the defendant as lacking in merit. The truth of the matter is that if Buhari’s legal team fails to deploy superior arguments with uncontestable facts to challenge Ahaiwe’s suit, Justice Adeniyi will decide the case based on the best principles of law found anywhere in the world without minding whether it is Buhari’s ox that would be gored in the process.

Nkem Ibekwe, who sent this piece from Nkemibekwe489@gmail.com, is the Chairman of Mezie Ala-Igbo Foundation

62

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER JUNE 4, 2016

NEWSXTRA

N8.5bn Alleged Fraud: EFCC Arraigns Akpobolokemi, Major Gen. Atewe, 2 Others The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has again arraigned a former DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi, for alleged N8.5 billion fraud.

Arraigned alongside Akpobolokemi on Friday on fresh 11 counts was a former Commander of the military Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, in the Niger

Delta, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe.

The other defendants in the charge filed by the EFCC before Justice Saliu Saidu of a Federal High Court in Lagos are Kime Engozu and Josephine Otuaga.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Akpobolokemi and his alleged accomplices conspired among themselves to defraud NIMASA of N8.5bn using six companies – Jagan Limited; Jagan Trading Company

Limited; Jagan Global Services Limited; Al-Nald Limited; Paper Warehouse Limited; Eastpoint Integrated Services Limited and De-Newlink Integrated Services Limited.

The EFCC claimed that the defendants committed the alleged fraud between September 5, 2014 and May 20, 2015.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laun-

dering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act. The defendants are also being tried for allegedly violating Section 390 of the Criminal Code Act Cap C. 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

But upon reading the charges to them on Friday, they all pleaded not guilty.

Following applications for bail

through their counsel including Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Justice Saidu admitted all the defendants to bail.

Akpobolokemi, who had earlier been arraigned before Justice Saidu on December 3, 2015 on a separate charge involving an alleged N3.4bn fraud, was allowed by the judge to continue on the bail of N20m granted him in the earlier case.

However, the other defendants, Atewe, Engozu and Otuaga were each granted a bail of N100m with two sureties in like sum.

The judge said one of the sureties must a relative of the accused person who owns a landed property within Ikoyi, Lekki or Victoria Island area of Lagos.

The other surety, the judge said, must be a civil servant on a level not below that of a Deputy Director

in either the state or Federal Civil Service.

He ordered all the defendants to deposit their passport with the Chief Registrar of the Court pending the conclusion of trial.

Justice Saidu ordered the prison remand of the accused persons pending the perfection of the conditions attached to the bail.

He adjourned till June 24, 2016 for commencement of trial.

The instant charge was the sixth that the EFCC filed against Akpobolokemi after he was removed as the NIMASA DG by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The ex-DG is currently being tried on three separate charges involving alleged N2.6bn, N22.7bn and N45.9bn frauds before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Nigeria may be Dragged to ICC for IPOB, MASSOB Members Massacre, Warns HURIWA Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

GOOD TO SEE YOU...

L-R: Executive Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo and Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. David Umahi during a courtesy call on the governor in Abakaliki on Friday

Court Allows Female Muslim Students to Wear Hijab in Osun

Bauchi Pays N636m as Counterpart Fund for SDGs

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

An Osun State High court, sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, has ordered that Muslim students should be allowed to wear hijab in all the public primary and secondary schools owned by the government.

However the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said yesterday that the Judgement would be appealed by the body.

The trial judge, Justice Jide Falola in a 51-pages judgment delivered on Friday, held that any act of molestation, harassment, torture and humiliation against female Muslim students using hijab, constituted a clear infringement on their fundamental right as contained in Section 38 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria, as amended.

The Osun State Muslim Community on February 14, 2013, dragged the state government to the court, seeking an order of the court to allow female Muslim students enjoy their fundamental rights by granting them order to use hijab in public schools.

The suit which was directly instituted against the state government, was also joined as respondents, the state Commissioner for Education, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

But, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, its chairman and others, voluntarily joined as respondents.

The applicants, in a 44 paragraph affidavit in support of their motion, applied for the enforcement of their

fundamental rights pursuant to Sections 38 and 42 of the constitution.

The applicants through their lead-counsel, Kazeem Odedeji, told the court that female Muslim students were being harassed by the fourth and fifth respondents, insisting that such was a clear discrimination and infringement on their fundamental rights.

Odedeji who premised his argument on a decision of a Court of Appeal, Ilorin, between the Provost, College of Education and one Basirat Saliu, noted that female Catholics wear hijab, while Mary, the mother of Jesus always appear on picture with hijab on her head.

Odedeji also explained that his prayer was to allow female Muslim students wear hijab in some schools where they were being denied, noting that they had been wearing it in accordance with the 2004 Directives of the state government.

But, the respondents insisted that only beret and face cap were recognised and students should abide by the government's directives.

Respondents insisted that allowing students to wear hijab in schools where Churches were located, was alien to their religion and thereby urged the court to dismiss the application of the applicants.

In his judgment, Justice Falola, traced the history of religion and observed that religion was introduced to the case when the CAN and others joined the suit, noting that he decided to deliver the judgment after all plea to settle the matter amicably has proved futile.

As part of effort to improve the living condition and wellbeing of the citizenry, the Bauchi State Government has paid N636,000,000,000 as counterpart fund for the implementation of a number of projects benefited under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the State.

The state Director General, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Hajiya Fatima Ahmed Halilu who disclosed this to newsmen in her office yesterday while reviewing 2015 activities of the SDGs projects in the state explained that some of the projects under construction include 19 units of Primary Health Clinics(PHCs),19 units of staff Accommodation and renovation of one PHC, all spread across the 20 Local Government Areas(LGAs) of the state.

Others are Drilling and Installation of 33 units of Solar Powered Boreholes, Drilling and Installation of 57 units of Hand Pump Fitted Boreholes, construction of 19 units of VIP Toilets, purchase of six Ambulances as well as supply of Medical Equipment for the 19 Primary Health Centres, among others.

According to her, the state government paid a cash counterpart contribution of the sum of N6million and subsequent payment of equal amount by office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, (OSSAP) for the implementation of the 2015 MDGs - CGS state track projects in the areas of health, water, and sanitation.

She explained that the Bauchi Sate

Governor, Mohammed Abubakar had granted approval for the award of contracts in tandem with the policies of the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the president on SDGs (OSSAP).

She further said Bauchi state government also paid N36million counterpart fund for the take-off of and implementation of world Bank Assisted Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) through the Conditional Cash Transfer CCT component, which was about to be implemented under the world Bank programme.

The DG pointed out that the state was among the 10 states selected to benefit from implementation of the National Cash Transfer of the Federal government under the office of the Vice President office as palliative measures to most vulnerable in the society.

Fatima explained that the Scheme under the Conditional Grants scheme was currently going on in eight LGAs of Zaki, Misau, Dambam, Gamawa, Warji , Jam mare, Dass, and Tafawa Balewa with 10 beneficiaries each from the LGAs and placed on N18, 000 monthly allowance for the period of 2 years.

According to her, The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, was built on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight anti-poverty targets that the world committed to achieving by 2015. The MDGs, adopted in 2000, aimed at an array of issues that included slashing poverty, hunger, disease, gender inequality, and access to water and sanitation.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has warned that the illegal killings of the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement of the Actualisation of the Sovereign States of Biafra (MASSOB) during the commemoration of the 49yh year declaration of Biafra Republic could be dragged to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if not attended to.

This is as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in a statement yesterday raised the alarm over the fate of its dead members and those arrested during the bloody Biafra Day celebration, alleging of plans by security agencies to execute the detainees and give them mass burial along with those already killed.

They alleged that they were shocked “to discover that the Nigeria Army and Police have decided to kill those they arrested alive and bury them with the dead bodies they carried.”

The Coordinator of the group, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko gave the warning at a press conference in Abuja, where he expressed shock over the high number of casualties of protesters killed by

armed security operatives.

He noted that credible sources that were on ground in Onitsha, Anambra State, affirmed that scores of protesters were killed by armed security forces; even as there were also allegations that about 10 worshippers were killed by soldiers inside a Catholic Church in Nkpor, Anambra State.

According to him, "This violent suppression of the constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of speech, peaceful Assembly and Movement by armed security forces is undemocratic and unconstitutional."

"We hereby condemn these killings and call on the Nigerian government to take credible, verifiable and transparent measures to ascertain why peaceful marchers were killed without provocation," he added.

Onwubiko stated that from available body of evidence, both groups IPOB and MASSOB were not known to bear arms, stressing that the claim by a spokesman of the 82 Division of the Nigerian army claiming self-defense as the reason for the soldiers to have opened fire with live bullets into crowds of protesters was not tenable.

Obasanjo, Nwachukwu, Ekweremadu, Calabar Monarch, Okorocha, Others Mourn Njemanze AmbyUnezeinOwerri Prominent Nigerians including former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former Minister of Labour, Senator Ike Nwachukwu, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, and Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V were among prominent Nigerians that graced the burial of the Traditional Ruler of Owerri, His Royal Majesty, King Emmanuel Emenonyu Njemanze.

In his condolence message to the eldest son of the King, Prince Iheanyi Emenyonu Njemanze (Lineal Descendant of the King - Ozuruibgo V of Owere), Obasanjo noted that while the loss of a loved one at any age remained painful, the family of the late king should take solace in the fact

that His Royal Majesty left behind a legacy of service and accomplishments to his domain in particular band the nation as a whole.

Obasanjo maintained that his wise leadership would be greatly missed by the Oweri Kingdom Traditional Council as well as his peers in Imo State. “I am impressed with his antecedents and contributions to his community and the larger community”, adding that apart from making his marks early as a pharmacist, the King brought his salutary influence to sue for peace, understanding and development in Oweri and its environs in the state.

The Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu described the passing of the King as a grave loss and a challenging moment for the people of Oweri, given the testimonies of his immense reach of goodwill and selfless devotion to the service of his people.

63

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER •JUNE 4, 2016

NEwsXTRA

Nigeria’s Strategies against Boko Haram Still Dysfunctional, Says ICG Chineme Okafor in Abuja The International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based conflict prevention group has said that Nigeria’s adopted strategies to counter violent extremism that exists majorly in her northern region had largely failed to achieve the desired outcome.

ICG said in a major report titled, ‘exploiting disorder: al-Qaeda and the Islamic state,’ which it prepared to highlight the new waves of terrorism in the world

that standard counter-terrorism toolkits adopted by Nigeria and other countries around the world had made little impacts in their fight against extremism.

The report which was released Friday in Abuja by ICG explained that anti-terrorism toolkits such as terrorists designation; financial sanctions; travel bans; targeted killing; and special forces’ operations, had all proved to be insufficient against radical groups like Boko Haram.

It was presented to a wide spectrum of stakeholders by

ICG’s Director for Africa, Dr. Comfort Ero; its Senior Analyst for Nigeria, Nnamdi Obasi; and its Senior Analyst for West Africa, Dr. Vincent Foucher at the official residence of the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Eric Mayoraz.

ICG in the report called on Nigeria to quickly consider adopting new strategies towards its fight against Boko Haram, adding that the country could as part of the new strategies, develop its response to Boko Haram and any other terror group in the country on a

case-by-case basis, as against its so-called standard responses to insurgency.

It also recommended that in dealing with violent extremism, Nigeria should henceforth consider applying judicious force; open lines of communication despite the group’s hard-line stance; and invest more heavily in conflict prevention.

Further on its recommendations, ICG said in countering terror groups in Nigeria, the government should apply force more strategi-

cally in order not to alienate local communities or even push them to support the groups.

While reflecting on the bad choices the government had made in its fight against Boko Haram, the report said its initial refusal to dialogue with Boko Haram, following the 2009 Maiduguri crackdown was a lost opportunity that may have de-escalated the current conflict.

It said during a question and answer session on the report that similar choice was being made

Religious Killings: Ohanaeze Youths warn against Targeting Ndigbo Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia

WORKING FOR RESULTS...

L-R; Managing Director Toyota Nigeria Ltd/Special Guest, Mr. Olakunle Adebola Ade-Ojo; Chairman, Lagos Chapter The Nigeria Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Mrs. Funmi Akingbagbohun; and the National Chairman, The Nigeria Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Mr. Ugochukwu Uzurumike, at the 2016 Public Lecture and Award of the Institution, held at Ikeja, Lagos SUNDAYADIGUN

Restructure Nigeria, Obey Rule of Law, NFF Staff Repel Giwa as Suspected Civil Society Coalition Tells Buhari Thugs Break Front Door A nationwide coalition of civil society groups, led by the Nigeria National Summit Group (NNSG), yesterday embarked on peaceful protests to Foreign Embassies and High Commissions in the country to seek their interventions in urging the federal government to restructure the country and obey the rule of law.

The protesters, which included Lawyers led by Mr. Ikechukwu Ikeji among others started their march from Allen Avenue, Ikeja, chanting songs and peacefully marching to the United States Embassy at the Walter Carrington Avenue, Victoria Island, also displayed placards with different inscriptions like "Stop Trials by Media", Obey Court Order", Respect Rule of Law" Stop Fulani Herdsmmen", “Implement National Conference Report”, “Restructure Nigeria Now”,

among others.

On the motive behind the protest, Convener of the Constitutional Rights Advocacy Initiative, CRAI, Ikeji, said, “This is a peaceful protest to ask for the intervention of international embassies and High Commissions to help prevail on the present federal government to do for us two major things; first, to restructure Nigeria, giving us a true fiscal federalism and not this kind of unitary system we are practicing. Secondly, is for the president to learn to obey and follow rule of law.”

On his part, National Secretary, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Ahmed Tijani Suleiman, said “We are calling for the restructuring of Nigeria because that is the only thing that will set us right. We think the last Confab report will provide ample guidance for the restructuring.”

Staff members of the Nigeria Football Federation on Friday stood against an attempt by Chris Giwa and members of his group to take over the offices of the football ruling body.

Giwa and his group who continued to claim they had a ‘court order’ to take over the NFF, had arrived in a convoy of cars at the period that some of the members of Staff had gone for the Friday Jumat service.

They drove into the premises around 2pm.

Giwa led Effiong Johnson, Sani Fema, Rumson Baribote, Ben Agary, Yahaya Adama, Jide Fashikun, Fatai Olayinka, Abdulazeez Mohammed and a number of suspected thugs to the Glass House when only a couple of Management Staff were around.

They came 24 hours after a

peace meeting by the Sports Committee of the House of Representatives, at which the House Committee members met with NFF President Amaju Pinnick and Giwa, and announced to the world that they were close to reaching a resolution of the ‘crisis’.

They met locked entrance and broke it down.

Dr. Christian Emeruwa, the National Security Officer and special assistant to the NFF General Secretary, was pushed by one of the suspected thugs.

Staff members in the administration department were shoved around. Tunde Aderibigbe, NFF’s coordinator of political matters and Ademola Olajire, head of communications, were punched by one of the invaders before a joint effort by the staff helped repel them.

Strike: NULGE Chair Beaten in Ekiti, Council Boss Fingered Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti The strike declared by the labour unions in Ekiti State to press for the payment of five months outstanding salaries by the state government has turned bloody, as the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, Com. Kayode Charles, was beaten to stupor by suspected thugs.

Charles, who is the chairman of

NULGE in Efon Local Government, said he was allegedly beaten on Thursday on the instruction of the Council boss, Mr . Bolaji Jeje, while trying to enforce compliance with the strike in the council.

While explaining how the scenario to newsmen on Friday, Charles alleged that the council boss allegedly invaded his house with about 19 thugs and beat him up for allegedly ordering that the

gate of the council should be closed.

He said : “We were at the gate of the Council with my Secretary and we saw it opened and I had to order the security man to close it because we were on strike. We instructed that the gate be closed and that was the order we got from NULGE Chairman in Ekiti Com. Bunmi Ajimoko.

“After the closure of the gate, I went back to my house that

was located within the vicinity, just a stone throw to the place.

The Chairman brought about 19 thugs and broke the gate to my house. I had to scale the fence , despite they still pursued me and beat me up.

“As I speak with you, I am in a Clinic in Efon Alaaye where I am receiving medical attention. After the beating, I was hospitalized at a private hospital in Ado Ekiti.

The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) yesterday warned against the upsurge of religious killings in some northern states targeted at Ndigbo, saying that urgent action must be taken by the authorities to nip it in the bud.

This is as The Human Rights Writes Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the killings this week in tiger and Kano States of two Nigerians of Igbo extraction by Islamic extremists over alleged blasphemy of their religion, describing it as provocative and primitive.

In a statement issued in Umuahia, signed by the national vice-president of OYC, Mazi Obinna Achuonye and the chairman of states’ chairmen of OYC, Alex Okemiri, the Ohanaeze youths said that “further killing of Ndi Igbo in any part of the country because of religion would attract appropriate response.

The warning came on the heels of the killing of an Igbo trader in Niger state by fundamentalist Muslims who accused him of posting a blasphemous message on facebook while a woman was callously hacked to death in Kano State over the same spurious accusation of blaspheming Prophet Mohammed.

"No attack on any Igbo man or woman within or outside Igbo land will go unpunished," the Ohanaeze youths vowed, adding, “Enough is enough”.

The OYC, which is the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation said that targeting of Ndigbo for slaughter on flimsy excuses had become a pattern in recent time, noting that the events that fuelled the civil war “is beginning to rear up again”.

"We want to sound a note of warning to the Federal Government, Muslim fanatics and their sponsors that the mindless killing of Ndigbo with the least provocations cannot be tolerated any longer.

"It is now obvious that Ndigbo have become endangered species in Nigeria as they have continued to be the target of all religious and other crises in the country.

"Igbo youths can no longer watch idly while the blood of their fathers and mothers flow like flood on the streets. If they are not massacred by security operatives in Onitsha and Aba, their throats will be slit in Kano or Niger,” the OYC said.

by the government in its fight against resumed insurgency in the Niger Delta.

“This landmark report is part of a new Crisis Group project on violent extremism and modern conflict, focused on understanding the diverse movements involved and developing policy options,” said Ero who observed that the reach and strength of violent extremist groups now appear more dangerous across a wide belt that stretches

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as M I S S ASIEBA VIVIAN ALBERT, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EDEJOR VIVIAN MARTINS. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as JONATHAN ANYANWOGBOR OBODOAJU, now wish to be known and addressed as JONATHAN ANYANWOGBOR OGBONNA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS AKINSUROJU OMOTOMIKE PRECIOUS, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ADENEKAN OMOTOMIKE PRECIOUS. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as HAMDALA OLUBUKOLA OYEGBENRO, now wish to be known and addressed as HAMDALA AYODELE OYEGBENRO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as TAIWO LATIFAT AYOBAMI, now wish to be known and addressed as OLATOBERU TAIWO LATIFAT AYOBAMI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as NBAJEKWE INNOCENT CHIOGOZIE, now wish to be known and addressed as MBAJEKWE INNOCENT CHIGOZIE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as ANTHONY CHUKWUEMEKA MOKWUNYE, now wish to be known and addressed as ANTHONY CHUKWUEMEKA IWUANI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as JONATHAN ANYANWOGBOR OBODOAJU, now wish to be known and addressed as JONATHAN ANYANWOGBOR OGBONNA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as SENI AWOSIKA, now wish to be known and addressed as OLUWASENI ADEGORIOLA AWOSIKA.All former documents remain valid.The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as STANLEY MICHAEL UCHENNA NNOROM, now wish to be known and addressed as STANLEY NNOROM MICHAEL. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

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MISSILE Atiku on Herdsmen/Farmers Clashes “Again, here, we come back to the same economic challenges facing the country. We also have leadership that is not prepared to learn from the past and the leadership that is not prepared to lead.”

– Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar speaking on why herdsmen/ farmers clashes have persisted.

PENDULUM Dele Momodu

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

The Good Examples from Ghana

F

ellow Nigerians, please permit me to take you on a trip to Ghana today. I’m sure a lot of my readers have been to that beautiful country at one time or the other. My romance with Ghana started about 21 years ago, July 25, 1995, to be precise. On that fateful day, I had managed to escape from my dear beloved country Nigeria days after my wife was tipped off about my impending arrest by the dreaded dictatorial regime of General Sani Abacha. That moment would forever remain one of my worst days on earth.

I never planned to live outside Nigeria. I used to wonder, myopically with hindsight, why anyone would abscond from his own country to become a refugee in another man’s country where he would probably have to operate like a tramp, advertently or inadvertently. But man proposes and God disposes. Unknown to me, what was supposed to be a simple election on June 12 1993 was going to dislocate and scatter many lives to the winds and throw families into total commotion and frustration.

I have told part of this story and the rest has to another story for some other day.

I had virtually crawled out of Nigeria through the notorious Seme border into Cotonou, in Benin Republic. I was too scared and agitated to stay next door to Nigeria. I therefore needed to dialogue with my feet and run as far and as fast as possible to far-flung territories. I decided to move from Cotonou to Lome, in Togo. But I could not imagine living in Togo. French is the lingual franca of Togo and this I failed to learn in school. I wasn’t prepared to undergo the ordeal of a deaf and dumb existence. Ghana became my only option since Nigeria, for some inexplicable reasons known only to our Colonial Emperors, is totally surrounded and suffocated

by French-speaking countries.

I arrived in Ghana late evening after navigating and meandering through a labyrinth of frustrating Immigration procedures and elaborate security conundrums. I could not understand why it was so difficult for Africans to travel through other African countries. I queried the essence and relevance of ECOWAS if West African citizens were being subjected to such indignities.

Benin Republic was particularly hostile to us despite being our next door neighbours. Togo was bearable. But Ghana was welcoming. The drive from Aflao border to Accra was tolerable.

My glimpse of Accra was remarkable. I saw a serious country at work despite many complaints about the jackboot regime of President Jerry John Rawlings at that time.

Rawlings was a big brand in Africa. Everyone had heard of his no-nonsense character and about the death verdict he pronounced on members of the privilegentsia in Ghana. He had killed many leaders including former Presidents and Heads of State who were believed to have looted and siphoned the Ghanaian treasury. He had zero tolerance for corruption and became synonymous with integrity and Nigerians to this day adore him for this reason.

I was happy to be in Ghana. My first task was to locate a few Ghanaian friends, especially Mr Fritz Baffour, now a Member of Parliament and former Information Minister. Once I located him, the rest was simple. Our reunification was great. He took me on tour of Accra and we met

President John Mahama and Dele Momodu in Aburi Ghana every evening for dinner and/or drinks. His support lessoned the pain buried and carried within me. After spending three nights, it was time to move to England. I will never forget the contributions of my wonderful friends who made that arduous journey a lot easier for me. As I boarded my direct flight to London Gatwick, I wondered if and when I would ever return to this beautiful country. It was a case of love at first sight for me. I had savoured the simple elegance of Ghana and the hospitality of its people and I was converted.

Anyway, I took off that night of June 28, 1995, and landed on July 29, 1995, in London, with mixed feelings. Unknown to me, I was going to live in exile for a minimum of three years, whether I liked it or not. By the time exile ended for me after the sudden and controversial death of Chief Moshood Abiola on July 7, 1998, I still wasn’t sure it was safe to travel to Nigeria.

This was how I became a regular visitor to Ghana. The Abiola family had a business in Accra that was being managed by a young gentleman, Dele Gbajumo, and he, in particular, escalated my interest in Ghana. One thing led to another and I decided to expand our media operations to Ghana. This materialised when we launched Ovation International at the beautiful La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra.

Before our coming to work in Ghana, Nigerians had been viewed with incredible suspicion so we decided to expose the good sides of Nigeria to Ghana and that of Ghana to Nigeria. On the part of Nigeria, we celebrated the Mike Adenugas, Aliko Dangotes, Hakeem Belo-Osagies, Tony Elumelus and others who were doing Nigeria and Africa proud. Ghana had its own Asoma Bandas, Joe Boatengs, Ozwald Boatengs, Kofi Ansas and company. Ovation acted as the quintessential matchmaker. We interviewed President John Agyekum Kufuor barely five days after becoming the President and he remained our close friend throughout

the two terms he served and afterwards.

Many Nigerian businesses came into Ghana.

Tony Elumelu was the first to break the barrier earlier erected against Nigerians when he got the Standard Trust Bank to be licensed. Others soon followed. Ghana has advanced a lot since then. Government after government came to accept and embrace Nigerians despite occasional skirmishes here and there. With the collapse of education in Nigeria, our students started flocking into Ghana in droves thus contributing billions of Naira into the Ghanaian economy.

It is believed that many Nigerian families had migrated to Ghana many decades ago but the population of Nigerians has since soared. A source puts the population of Nigerians in Ghana to as huge as two million, making it one of the largest groups of Nigerians outside Nigeria.

The good news is that since the coming of President John Dramani Mahama, the usual tension occasioned by the attempted annihilation of Nigerian businesses has abated. President Mahama has related warmly with Nigeria and Nigerians. Unknown to many, the President has his roots in Nigeria, including blood relations.

Today, Ghana is benefitting from the daily arrival of Nigerian tourists on her soil. Most Nigerians go back home to rhapsodise about the awesome beauty and serenity of Ghana.

And we certainly have a lot to learn from this much smaller country with even more limited resources.

The first lesson starts from the airport where a beautiful ambience welcomes the visitor in the typical akwaaba tradition. President Mahama’s government has invested heavily in the aviation sector. The Kotoka International Airport may be smaller than our two flagship airports, Murtala Mohammed International, Ikeja and Nnamdi Azikwe International, Abuja, but it can hold its own as one of the most beautiful and functional in Africa. The health screening gadgets are world class. Not for Ghana, the unbearable queues one experiences at Nigerian airports due to almost manual screening of passengers. The Immigration cards, as insignificant as it seems, speak volumes about the finesse attached to tourism here. About 25 beautiful Immigration counters have been erected with iris cameras and finger-printing facilities. This makes it almost impossible for illegal immigrants and criminals to pass through that airport. There is no need for the equivalent of DSS or other State Security apparatus to screen incoming or departing passengers.

It is remarkable and commendable to note that Ghana has now gone further and installed automated machines to screen and admit visitors to Ghana like it is in some airports in Europe, USA and The United Arab Emirates. This should make clearing immigration faster once it is commissioned. Brand new conveyor-belts have been installed. Same goes for escalators and elevators, two important facilities we lack in Nigerian airports. The new customs desk is beautiful. Trolleys are provided massively and totally free of charge. Outside the airport, there is a covered waiting area where those awaiting their families and friends can sit comfortably.

As at the last count, there are as many as eight car parks scattered around and close-by.

The airport city conceived many years ago has become a virtual reality with many tall buildings, hotels, shopping malls, etc, standing in grand majesty. It is my hope and expectation that the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Abubakar Sirika, will change the face of our aviation industry for the better in the not too distant future. My intimate association with these two capable gentlemen convinces me that we will begin to see positive change shortly.

President Mahama has invested wisely in enduring infrastructure. Road construction is going on nationwide. Accra is wearing a new look with fly-overs and bridges littering many parts. The most ambitious construction I have seen in any part of Africa is in Kwame Nkramah Circle. When completed, it would definitely be a wonder to behold and certainly a tourist attraction.

Education and healthcare have been given top priority, the reason many Nigerians now flock to Ghana. It is gratifying to note that Ghana has joined the comity of oil-producing nations and its affairs are well-managed. It has a working refinery and Nigeria brings its crude here for refining. Unlike in the past when Ghana depended totally on oil supplies from Nigerian companies, many Nigerian companies have been coming here to negotiate how they can buy refined products from Ghana. I know Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum and the President are working arduously to deliver on the change agenda in the petroleum sector despite the huge challenges that they are facing in the short term. Dr Kachikwu is a consummate professional who simply gets the job done.

Mahama is pursuing industrialisation of Ghana most aggressively. He has just launched the Komenda Sugar Factory which will produce 1,250 tonnes of sugar per day. It will produce ethanol and generate 3 megawatts of electricity as well as produce fertilizers for Ghanaian farmers.

My biggest fascination for President Mahama is the way he has tackled the problem of power outages in a blistering fashion. About two years ago, Ghana suffered unprecedented power failure and his government was heavily criticised by a very politically-conscious nation. President Mahama promised to restore electricity at the speed of light. Many cynics and doubting Thomases told him to perish the fantasy. But, before our very eyes, Mahama has achieved the near-impossible and electricity has improved drastically. He has assured his country that he would not relent until Ghana is able to generate more power than it requires. Ghana has taught us that fixing power challenges is not rocket-science after-all and not even funding should stall the projects. By dint of hard work, clear-headed vision and raw determination Ghana is regaining its energy and things can only get better. In this regard, I must confess that President Buhari could not have appointed a better person to deliver on his promise of improving the power situation in Nigeria than Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN. READ THE FULL VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE ON www.thisdaylive.com

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