Saturday 15th October 2016 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Court Restrains NPDC, NNPC from Terminating Agreement with Atlantic Energy Says arbitration agreement binding on parties

Davidson Iriekpen A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

from taking any step in terminating agreement they have with Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited owned by businessman, Jide Omokore, in respect of the Oil

Mining Leases (OMLs) 26, 30, 44 and 42 (Forcados assets) and OMLs 60, 61, 62 and 63 Brass assets). NPDC had abruptly terminated the agreements they entered with Atlantic Energy in respect of the Oil

Mining Leases (OMLs) 26, 30, 44 and 42 (Forcados assets) and OMLs 60, 61, 62 and 63 (Brass assets) despite that the disputes were still pending before the arbitral tribunal. Consequent upon this, the oil firms through their lawyers,

Babatunde Fagbohunlu (SAN) and R. A. Lawal-Rabana SAN approached the court to challenge the arbitrary termination of the agreement without resorting to the contractual clause of arbitration in time of dispute as clearly stated

in the contract. In a judgment delivered by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, he upheld the arbitration agreement contained in Article 22 of the Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs) entered Continued on page 6

Shi'ite Accuses Kaduna Government of Incitement, Religious Cleansing ... Page 10 Saturday 15 October, 2016 Vol 21. No 7842 Price: N250

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Buhari: Negotiations to Free Remaining Chibok Girls Ongoing Tobi Soniyi and Senator Iroegbu in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed optimism about the release of more of the girls abducted at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State

after 21 of them were freed by Boko Haram, following more than two years of captivity. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said Buhari spoke at a joint press conference with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in

Berlin. The President, according to Shehu said negotiations would continue until all the girls secure their freedom. Buhari said: "On the Chibok girls, we have been able to secure the release of 21 of them, so over 100 more are still in the hands of the

terrorists somewhere in the Lake Chad Basin area which include Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. “In getting this 21 out, we hope we will get enough intelligence to go about securing the rest of them. We are very grateful to the UN for their participation in

trying to secure the release of these girls.” The statement said the President thanked the German government for its humanitarian assistance and support for Nigeria in dealing with the effects of terrorism. Also yesterday, the Director of Defence Information (DDI),

Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said the decision to release the girl through negotiation was a political one that must be respected "The most important thing is the 21CGS are freed and we are all happy about it. It is a political decision to negotiate," Abubakar explained.

Aisha Buhari's Public Criticism of Husband Gets a Pushback I will not support you in 2019 if… Buhari: I don't know which party my wife belongs

Yemi Adebowale in Lagos, Tobi Soniyi in Abuja and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari yesterday in an unprecedented move publicly criticised her husband's cabinet warning that some people who did not labour for his victory have hijacked his government, aleniating those who struggled to build the All Progressives Congress (APC). She bluntly stated that she may not support her husband’s re-election in 2019 unless he rejigs his cabinet. Mrs. Buhari in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) also said President Muhammadu Buhari did not know most of the top officials he appointed into offices. In a reaction, laced with laughter, the President who is in Germany on a State visit dismissed his wife's claim saying: “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen Continued on page 6

LANRE ADISA

Dreaming Beyond the Present

SuperSaturday pg. 8-9

OYENIKE MICHAEL IBRU

I Hawked ‘Tin Tomatoes’ for Michael Ibru

Plus pg. 17-19

FROM FIGHTER TO INSTRUCTOR

Ex agitator and amnesty beneficiary, now instructor at Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Henshaw Bassey (left) and coordinator of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh, shortly after Henshaw took Boroh on a 50 minutes flight from Zaria to Abuja ...recently

Boko Haram: 19 Northern Governors to Visit US for Peace Symposium ... Page 10

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016

T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R •SATURDAY, ocTobeR 15, 2016

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CBN Approves Special FX Window for Airline Operators, Manufacturers Dele Ogbodo in Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yesterday approved a Special Secondary Market Intervention Retail Sales (SMIS) forex window for domestic airline operators and manufacturers to stimulate ease of doing business in the sectors. The Minister of State for Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, said the important one-offstop-shop would fast track easy clearance of the backlog of matured Foreign Exchange (FX) obligations. The disclosure made public

in a statement signed by Mr. James Odaudu, the Deputy Director, Public Affairs in the ministry quoted the minister as saying “also to benefit from the intervention are raw materials and machineries for manufacturing companies and agricultural chemicals." According to the statement, the resolution by the apex bank to intervene in the Inter-Bank Forex market through forward settlement is expected to engender market confidence, ensure access to Forex by the airlines to settle their obligations and sustain

the integrity of the Nigerian Inter-Bank Foreign Exchange market. Sirika said: "The import of this peculiar exercise is that the CBN will not apply the relevant provisions under clause 2.4.3 (i) of its Revised Guidelines for the Operation of the Nigerian Inter-Bank Foreign Exchange Market which provides that all, SMIS bids shall be submitted to the CBN through the FXPDs. Consequently, CBN shall receive bids from all the Authorised Dealers. "The CBN will also not

apply the relevant provisions under clause 2.4.3 (i) of the Guidelines which provide that “Spot Forex sold to any particular end-user shall not exceed 1 percent of the overall available funds on offer at each SMIS session." CBN said, whereas the bids are on Spot Forex basis as the Authorised Dealers’ accounts with the CBN will be debited in full for the Naira equivalent of the USD bid amount, adding that CBN will settle the bids through forward settlements of 2 months. Customers that are not

willing to accept the settlement terms, the statement averred, have been advised not to participate in this Special SMIS-Retail. Sirika, described the special intervention by CBN as a great relief for airline operators in the country who have complained bitterly about their inability to access the required Foreign Exchange to settle their backlog of obligations and which has adversely affected their operations. According to him, the aviation sector is so critical to the nation’s security and

global image that it cannot be overlooked or toyed with, adding that the apex bank had taken the right decision that would not only strengthen existing airlines, but also inspire confidence in aspiring operators in Nigeria’s aviation industry. Sirika, at a recent meeting with members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) promised to take up the issues with the authorities of the CBN after the operators complained about lack of access to Forex, with many of them on the verge of folding up.

EFCC Prosecution: FCTA Suspends 13 Officers Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has ratified the suspension of 13 officers facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The order was made yesterday by FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye,

citing the Public Service Rule 030406, which states, “where a prima facie case, the nature of which is serious, has been established against an officer and it is considered necessary in the public interest that he/she should forthwith be prohibited from carrying out his/her duties, pending the determination of the case”.

In a statement signed FCTA Deputy Director, Media Muhammad Hazat Sule, Ajakaiye said it was expedient to suspend the officials, who are mainly of the Directorate level officers, in compliance with the extant civil service rules. It was learnt that, the anticorruption agency, arrested

and prosecuted the officials for financial irregularities. The affected officers and their designation are: Suleiman Idris - Assistant Director, Transportation Secretariat; Idris Usman - Assistant Director, Engineering Services Department, FCDA; Mohammed Ishaq – Chief Planning Officer, Urban & Regional Planning Department;

Helen Olokpo – Principal Town Planning Officer, Urban & Regional Planning Department; Bamidele Olaitan – Principal Education Officer, Education Secretariat;Ambrose Samchi – Principal Accountant, Treasury Services Department; Hassan Argungu – Principal Land Officer, AGIS; Saba Mohammed – Senior Data Officer, AGIS;

Yusuf Baba – Senior Administrative Officer, AGIS; Abdullahi Musa – Senior Administrative Officer, Deeds Registrar’s Office; Abraham Murtala Belel – Senior Accountant, Treasury Services Department; Andrew Gwani – Land Officer and Abdulmalik Teina – Senior Accountant, Treasury Services Department.

things. It is possible that the arbitral tribunal may take a different view, which I seriously doubt. “Indeed, it is noteworthy that while the parties in some parts of the agreement such as Article 22 used “30 days” to define some obligation, but in Article 24.3 on termination, they used “30 working days” to define the notice obligation, indicating that this was on purpose and not an accident.” The judge while resolving the issues in favour of Atlantic Energy (applicant), stated that the 60 days period of limitation is adequate for it to take all necessary steps they have to take under Article 22 of the agreement to ensure the constitution and in turn, the inaugural sitting of the tribunal. He said one thing he found

troubling in the suit was the attitude and the inclination of the respondents (NPDC and NNPC) not to obey the terms of the agreement that they have signed to resolve by dispute regarding the interpretation and performance of the agreement by arbitration. He stated that the notion of the rule of law does not only mean that the government and its agencies and officials should abide by the existing laws but also means that they must respect the terms of the contracts entered into by the government. While submitting that it does not make any difference if such contracts were entered into by past personnel of government, the judge said government is a continuum and the idea of government as sovereign

invites the construction that acts of government is binding on government irrespective of governmental manpower which can change from time to time. Justice Dimgba submitted that if governments disregard the terms of the contracts they have signed because new personnel have come on board or because it is popular to do so, that will create uncertainty and compromise order, which will be dangerous for our political and economic stability. He posited that the court as the guardian of stability and order in the economic and political space would have failed in its responsibility if it allows this to happen. Lawyers to Atlantic Energy have consistently argued that the entire case was a breach of a commercial contract.

COURT RESTRAINS NPDC, NNPC FROM TERMINATING AGREEMENT WITH ATLANTIC ENERGY into by the parties in the suit in respect of the Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 26,30, 44 and 42 (Forcados assets) and OMLs 60,61,62 and 63 (Brass assets). The judge held that the SAAs entered into by the applicants and respondents in the suit are still binding on the parties. He consequently restrained the NPDC and NNPC from taking any step on the basis of the notices of termination dated June 2, 2016 and served on the applicants pending the inaugural sitting of the arbitral tribunal to be constituted pursuant to the provisions of Article 22 of the agreement. Justice Dimgba however, said the restraining order would elapse on the day of the inaugural sitting of the tribunal or precisely at a period of 60 calendar days from the

day of the judgment. He said being an order to aide arbitration, it is to enable arbitral tribunal to seize the entire proceedings and to decide for itself if it wishes to grant any interim measures of protection or any orders at all as it is empowered to do under the Act and rules. The judge faulted the respondents for not keeping to the terms of the SSAs which in Article 24.3 obliges them to issue 30 working days notice of remediation to the 1st applicant of which failure to remedy any identified default within which the set time will lead to the automatic termination of the agreements. He said the notices given by the respondents to the applicants based on its exhibits T7 to T11 were not “30 working days” but “30 days” which

are two different things The judge ruled: “Although I have held that the jurisdiction on the substantive and procedural validity of the termination of the agreements resides with the arbitral tribunal and not with this court, I cannot close my eyes to the fact that even on the face of it, there are deep questions regarding the validity itself of the notices of termination on which the so-called completed act is anchored. “The SSAs by Article 24.3 obliges the 1st respondent to issue 30 “working” days notice of any identified default within the set time will lead to automatic termination of the agreements. But the notices that were given on the face of the exhibit T7 to T11 are not 30 “working days’ notices. I believe these to be different

AISHA BUHARI'S PUBLIC CRITICISM OF HUSBAND GETS A PUSHBACK

President Muhammadu Buhari being received by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his official visit to the Chancellery in Berlin Germany ...yesterday

and my living room and the other room." Presidential sources were however quick to point out that the reference to kitchen was not intended to be derogatory but humourous. According to Mrs. Buhari: “The President does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the people he appointed and I don’t know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years. Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position.” She however did not mention the names of those who hijacked the government but simply said: “You will know them if you watch television.” Asked whether the President was in charge, she said: “That is left for the people to decide. He is yet to tell me but I have decided, as his wife, that if things continue like this up to 2019, I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote like I did before. I will never do it again. “Few people have hijacked the government and they are behind all the presidential appointments and many of those holding appointments

in this government were not part of the APC struggle in 2015. Some of them don't even have voters card. Those who sacrificed are mere subjects now. They are not happy with the way things are flowing. "We cannot fold our arms and allow some few people sabotaging the government to mismanage the lives of 170 million Nigerians. I fear for the rebellion of the 15 million masses who voted for him.” She also disclosed that those behind the crisis felt aggrieved that they laboured for, and helped the All Progressives Party (APC) to power in 2015, but received no compensation. However, Mrs. Buhari said her husband had not told her whether he would contest the 2019 election. The President in his reaction dismissed his wife's claims saying: “I claim superior knowledge over her and the rest of the opposition because in the end, I have succeeded. It’s not easy to satisfy the whole Nigerian opposition parties or to participate in the government.” Buhari’s comments drew mixed reaction from his host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who briefly stared at the Nigerian President.

Our correspondent learnt that the full text of Mrs. Buhari’s interview will be aired this morning on BBC Hausa programme of “Shirn Gane mana Hanya”. Meanwhile, excerpt of the interview has sparked fierce condemnation in Kano State. At Jamaatul Izalatul Bid’ah Mosque in Farm Centre, Kano, Shiek Ismail Illyasu Mangu spoke to the thousands of worshipers immediately after the Jumaat prayer, calling on security agencies to arrest the first lady “because her interview is capable of inciting millions of Nigerians against her husband. “We are sad about the interview granted by the wife of the President. We believe that opposition members in the country are using her against the government. Her statement is unfair and capable of inciting violence. It is a threat to the peace of the country and we do hope the security agencies will immediately arrest her. “We believed that some ungrateful elements in the country are using the wife of the president to tarnish the image of the president and the country. Nigerians are not in her support. ”

T H I S D AY SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

SUPER SATURDAY Lanre Adisa

Adisa

Dreaming Beyond the Present Last week, Noah’s Ark, arguably the nation’s leading marketing communication outfit, signed an ‘application agreement’ with Dentsu Aegis Network, DAN, a London-based media and digital marketing communications company. The partnership is expected to be a sign of better things to come in the industry. Samuel Ajayi writes

The Humble Start

oah’s Ark, one of the nation’s fastest growing marketing communication outfits, is just eight years old. But if one looks at what it packs into its operational packages, one might be forgiven if he or she thinks the agency is 25 years old. That is the extent of its growth that many now see the agency as the reference point as far as integrated marketing communications in the country is concerned. Yet, the story has not always been that of instant success. Noah’s Ark crawled before it walked. Lanre Adisa, the Group Managing. Director of the outfit, has this to say: “When Noah’s Ark opened shop eight years ago, we started small.

We were a team of less than 10 men and women with no assured accounts or financial backing in the sea of very intimidating big players. But we had a big dream; a dream powered by a simple believable vision. Our vision was, and still remains, to be in the league of the most successful brand builders out of Africa.”

The Dentsu Connection

Last week, the agency took a step further in its quest to join this league. It signed an application agreement with London-based Dentsu Aegis Network, DAN. Such partnership should ordinarily have passed without attracting much fanfare. But when one takes the pedigree of Dentsu into consideration, perhaps one begins to appreciate the business coup Noah’s Ark had just pulled off. Dentsu, from all indications, is a

media and digital marketing communications company with presence in more than 145 countries but with headquarters in London, the capital of United Kingdom. It is owned by the Japanese advertising and public relations firm, Dentsu. According to information supplied by promoters of the company, “the international agency is into communications strategy which its carries out via digital creative execution, media planning and buying, sports marketing and content creation, brand tracking and marketing analytics.” Interestingly, Dentsu has subsidiaries like Carat, Dentsu Media, Mcgarrybowen, MKTG, Posterscope, Isobar, iProspect and Vizeum. As at today, the international agency has over 30,000 staff across 145 countries. That is not all. As at 2011, the agency did a total billing of £1.4billion

while operating income stands at £197million with net income standing at £81million.

‘Beyond Advertising Traditions

With an international agency with this pedigree entering into an affiliation (though it called it application agreement) with Noah’s Ark, a statement has been made. It is not only that. It is also an indication that perhaps, operators of the nation’s advertising industry are beginning to think out of the box and see beyond the rudiments of traditional advertising. Dentsu does not do traditional advertising as it is known, not 20 years ago, but today. It is more into media content development, digital media marketing as well as sports and entertainment marketing. Understanding where the future of the business lies is

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

SUPER SATURDAY ...Dreaming Beyond the Present

L-R: Mr. Lanre Adisa, Group Managing Director/CEO, Noah’s Ark Communications Ltd;Mrs. Daon Rowlands, Chief Executive Director, Sub-Sahara Africa, Dentsu Aegis; Mr. Emeka Okeke, Group Managing Director, Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network and Mr. Abolaji Alausa,Executive Creative Director, Noah’s Ark Communications at the media parley/signing of the application agreement between Noah’s Ark communications and Dentsu Aegis Network in Lagos

the key to being able to perform in today’s emerging markets and ability to communicate with different publics in languages that are unique to them and which they can easily relate with. The communication needs of brands and clients are changing every day with different media channels coming up beyond what traditional advertising recognises. It is not surprising when Noah’s Ark has this to say about itself: “We believe understanding your audience is key: What their motivations and needs are? What their behaviours tell us? Using answers to these questions as foundations, we consequently embark on primary and secondary research, with which we paint a picture of what makes your audience tick. With clarity of this picture in view, efficient strategies are usually our results.” Speaking at the affiliation agreement signing ceremony, Adisa said works of the agency have been winning awards within and outside the country. He explained that last year, “we emerged the de facto Agency of the Year at LAIF Awards with our winning of the only Grand Prix that was awarded for that year.” He added that this year, the agency “won one Silver and two Bronze (medals) at the Loeries Awards in Durban, South Africa. Just very recently in Marrakesh, Morocco, we won two Gold and Three Bronze (medals) at the African Cristal Festival.” He announced that it was the first Gold to be won by any Nigerian or West African outfit at any international awards ceremony.

But the gladdening thing is that the Noah’s Ark boss seems to be aware of the industry’s existential ‘banana peel’. He told reporters at the ceremony that he felt bad that agencies that used to be reference points some 20 years ago are either dead or struggling. “It gives me great concern,” he stated. “Even the agency where I started my career is no more. That is not gladdening at all. You are not as concerned as I am. No one is happy that some agencies that we used to look up to are no longer there. But we want to change that narrative and that is why we are doing what we are doing today. We want this business to outlive us, professionally. That is why we are looking at options and new trends beyond traditional advertising and signing this application agreement with Dentsu is part of our long term strategic plan.”

Going Global, Thinking Local

With clients like Indomie, Three Crown Milk, GoTV, Hypo and so on, many might be wondering why an agency like Noah’s Ark would be entering into any partnership with another international agency. “Those who know me know that I have always relished our independence. But they also know that I have always been a great advocate of collaboration. At different times, I have had cause to speak on the need for our industry to steer clear of isolationism. I believe that to go far we have to seek out like-minded people from other parts of the world to raise our game. When we had the first interaction with the DAN team, the first thing we asked ourselves was how would this relationship help attain our vision,” Adisa said. Ms. Daon Rowlands, Chief Executive Director, Sub-Sahara Africa, Dentsu Aegis, speaking at the signing ceremony, said her outfit did not come about Noah’s Ark by accident. She said anywhere they went, they were always referred to the agency. “We were looking for a Nigerian agency that would be able to help us realise our dream in the West African market and everywhere we went, they always told us: ‘talk to Noah’s Ark.’”

Going Beyond the Flash

As rosy as its story sounds, Adisa and his team have to study the history of marketing communications in the country and what they are likely to discover is that no agency has been able to be a reference point in the industry for

more than 10 years. They always fizzle out. While there was no point mentioning names here, the nation’s advertising industry has more ‘former ’ giants than ‘present’ big performers. It is always like the case of old empires that rose and also fell. But the gladdening thing is that the Noah’s Ark boss seems to be aware of the industry’s existential ‘banana peel’. He told reporters at the ceremony that he felt bad that agencies that used to be reference points some 20 years ago are either dead or struggling. “It gives me great concern,” he stated. “Even the agency where I started my career is no more. That is not gladdening at all. You are not as concerned as I am. No one is happy that some agencies that we used to look up to are no longer there. But we want to change that narrative and that is why we are doing what we are doing today. We want this business to outlive us, professionally. That is why we are looking at options and new trends beyond traditional advertising and signing this application agreement with Dentsu is part of our long term strategic plan.” Noah’s Ark might just be eight. But its dreams seem to look at the next 80 years and that is why it is perhaps the time for the marketing communication industry in Nigeria to have enduring giants. Not just seasonal big players. And if there is any agency that is capable of breaking the jinx, it is Lanre Adisa’s Noah’s Ark. The signs are reassuringly there; just like the Dentsu partnership.

NEWS

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

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

Shiite Accuses Kaduna State Govt of Incitement, Religious Cleansing Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) popularly known as Shiites Islamic Sect has accused Kaduna State Government of inciting people and religious cleansing. The President IMN Media Forum, Mr. Ibrahim Musa, in a statement yesterday, said that the State government on Thursday, reportedly issued a warning to residents in Kaduna and other towns not to take laws into their hands on any individual or group, in reference to the attacks, arson and destruction of properties of members of the IMN that occurred days earlier. Musa however, described the directive as "nothing but an afterthought". He said that what happened in the wake of their" peaceful Ashura mourning procession was a carefully planned plot, meticulously executed with all machinery of government". He stated that the government had all along tried to give their brutal clampdown on IMN members a semblance of an altercation between IMN and the masses. The Shiites Spokesman claimed that Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai alluded to this right from the outset of the attacks in December, 2015 in his infamous state-wide broadcast. He noted that El-Rufai's utterances and body language since then left no one in doubt his disdain for IMN members. He said: Using all the tools of governance at his disposal, in private and openly, often in total disregard to reason, sanity or law, he exhibited extreme hate for IMN. As a forerunner to the latest brutality, he issued

an executive order banning us from exercising our rights to practice our religion with a threat to jail anyone who does up to seven years in his jail. For daring to mention that his order is in clear violation of all known sane laws of the land and beyond, he ordered the arrest and prosecution of Ibrahim Musa, the President of the Media Forum. How then can El-Rufai now shed crocodile tears having incited violence on a people through his hate posture and actions against such people? They read the body language of the government in their favour and acted based on that, and with full support of all the instruments of governance over which he presides. "We have it on record how certain individuals and hate preachers took to the media and the podium respectively calling on the masses to join the government of El-Rufai in what they termed an “all-out war on Shia.” The government and El-Rufai has neither refuted that nor call the perpetrators to order or better still arrest and punish the culprits, since they are well known and the actions were done in broad daylight. Simply put, El-Rufai is very much culpable." Musa reminded members of "the public that incitement to murder a vulnerable population can be so subtle". According to him, people read body languages, take cues, pick up signals and act accordingly, adding that other governors have quickly taken cue from him. He continued: "Plateau state has taken cue and similarly banned activities of IMN, attacked and torched lives and properties in the same

READY TO SHOWCASE...

L-R; Brand Manager 7UP, Segun Ogunleye; Artistic Director, Bisi Silva; Founder/ Director, ART X Lagos, Tokini Peterside; and Head, Corporate Communications, Access Bank Plc. Olubusola Osilaja, at the Press Conference for the upcoming Art Fair tagged A ‘ RT X Lagos’ held at Wheatbaker Hotel, Lagos fashion as El-Rufai. Kano, Katsina and Sokoto states are gearing up to follow in their footprints. Unguarded utterances of political and traditional rulers, military and other security commanders as well as other hate

preachers are on record and will be invaluable in due course at The Hague. "Let them be reminded that cases abound where leaders are held responsible through acts of

commission or omission for crimes against humanity. Post-election violence of 2001 is still being looked at by the Criminal Court. Similarly, the Kenyan election violence case has been taken to the ICC, where

those in authority are being tried because of the way they instigated the violence that led to the death of innocent people. Ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims and the Rwandan examples are still fresh in our minds.

Boko Haram: 19 Northern Governors Enugu Demands to Visit US for Peace Symposium Refund of N22.8bn State Department’s top official will meet with U.S. officials as most affected by Boko Haram, Spent on Federal Zacheaus Somorin in Washingfor Africa from 2009-2013. well as business leaders to discuss 240,000 children are suffering from ton DC “The symposium will provide Nigeria’s development and severe malnutrition, according Roads Nineteen Northern governors an opportunity to share our investment opportunities in the the United Nations; and across would be visiting the United States Institute of Peace next week as part of the US government's effort in the sustenance of peace in the region. ''The urgent challenges for Nigeria’s powerful northern state governors range from addressing a humanitarian crisis sparked by Boko Haram’s insurgency to boosting economic growth with alternatives such as agriculture to make up for declining oil revenue'', Johnnie Carson, a senior advisor at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said ahead of a governors’ symposium to be held at the Institute next week. The northern states of Africa’s most populous country are its poorest, and they are beset by social, economic and environmental problems that affect the stability of the whole nation, said Carson, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa who is helping to organise the meeting. ''Such issues are the cause of underlying tensions that gave rise to the extremist Boko Haram group, and the governors have the clout to begin tackling them. ''The Boko Haram situation cannot be resolved by military means alone,” said Carson, the

experience and open the way for new thinking and new ideas”, he added. For the governors, the priorities include immediate reconstruction of schools, hospitals and water systems as Boko Haram is pushed back, leaving behind a humanitarian disaster; expanded educational opportunities for girls; economic development; and easing tensions between farmers and herdsmen over land use. ''The shock of Boko Haram has created the understanding that things have to be different,” added Princeton Lyman, a USIP senior adviser who was ambassador to Nigeria from 1986-1989. The symposium—the second for northern state governors hosted by USIP—comes at a difficult time for Nigeria in other respects that have highlighted the need to revamp policies and practices, he said. Lyman added that the collapse of world oil prices has left the governors with about 60 per cent of their former budgets and made clear the need to diversify their economies further. During the three days of the symposium which holds between October 18 and 20, the governors

northern region. After the event, the governors are expected to coordinate with a Senior Working Group of Nigerian civic, business and other leaders that USIP has helped establish to assist with implementing ideas coming out of the symposium. “The conversations will be broad,” said Oge Onubogu, a senior program officer at USIP who works on Nigeria. While most of the symposium will be closed, governors will discuss their issues in a webcast forum, with the public posing questions via Twitter. Three northeastern states where Boko Haram is most active live under states of emergency and 26,000 people have been killed over the past seven years, Carson said. Kidnapping, assassinations and destruction of infrastructure have weakened the reach of the governors in the region who, like all Nigerian state chief executives, wield extensive fiscal, territorial, security and legal powers. More than 2 million people in the northeast have fled their homes and need to be returned or resettled, Onubogu said. Meanwhile, in Borno, the state

the northeast about 4.5 million need food aid. In 2014, Boko Haram ranked as the world’s deadliest extremist group, killing 6,644 people and outpacing the self-styled Islamic State, or ISIS, according to the Global Terrorism Index, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The group came to particular international prominence in 2014, when it abducted hundreds of young girls and sparked a civic movement called #BringBackOurGirls. Under President Buhari, military campaign against the group has accelerated, and US has committed special operations advisors to aid in the fight. The group’s militancy already had spilled into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The work with the governors is part of a broader USIP program to address the roots of violent conflict in Nigeria that includes strengthening interfaith cooperation and the ability of young people to hold authorities accountable. Nigeria’s youth population is due to expand by 60 per cent in the next 15 years, according to a United Nations report.

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Enugu State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to reimburse N22.8 billion to spent on rehabilitation of FG roads in the state, saying that it would enable it to speed up ongoing projects in the state. The appeal came as the State Executive Council yesterday approved the award of contract for the rehabilitation of more sections of federal road along 9th Mile (Mechanic Village) – Egede Junction –Umuoka – Okpatu - Army Checkpoint and additional works at Holy Catholic Church Ochima Town to Opi Junction. Briefing journalists at the Government House, Enugu, after the State Executive Council meeting, the State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Godwin Udeuhele, noted that the contract, which was awarded to Comag Steel and Construction Company

Limited for N114,841,938.75, was to stem the negative effect of the dilapidated sections of the road on the socio-economic fortunes of the state. Udeuhele also disclosed that the council applauded Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his remarkable contributions towards the emergence of Enugu Rangers International Football Club as champions of the Nigerian Professional Football League after 32 years, describing him as a “jinx-breaker” who had made the state proud. The council equally approved the participation of the state in the “Saving One Million Lives“ federal government programme aimed at enhancing access to immunisation and utilisation of Vitamin A for the benefit of the people. On the issue of security, the council reminded the public that the State’s Emergency Number (117) was fully functional and available on the MTN and Airtel networks.

OCTOBER 15, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

RingTrue

07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

Yemi

Adebowale

Enough of Rhetoric about Our Sliding Economy

n practical terms, the Buhari administration is yet to start doing something pragmatic about reviving our comatose economy. It has been all talk with no action. The travails of indigenous tomato manufacturer, Erisco Foods Limited testify to this. The company has announced plans to shut down its manufacturing businesses in Nigeria owing to unfavourable operating climate. The truth is that the real sector has a big role to play if this country is to quickly exit recession and tackle unemployment. If this government wants to reduce hunger, disease and poverty ravaging this nation, manufacturers must be given special attention. Unfortunately, while pilgrims get easy access to forex, Nigerian manufacturers are struggling to get same. I don’t know how the Central Bank of Nigeria provides forex for all sorts of funny purposes with ease, while failing to meet the needs of manufacturers. Even at inter-bank spot market rate of about N308/$, our industries get an average of about 10% of their forex requirements. As a result, they resort to patronising the Bureau de Change. In the case of Erisco Foods Limited, about 1,500 Nigerians will be thrown into the already saturated labour market by the time it shuts its operation. About 100,000 others indirectly employed by the company will also join the labour market. President of the company, Eric Umeofia said the cost of running its farms in Katsina and processing plant in Lagos had become so exorbitant given the high cost of sourcing for forex, as well as the inability of regulatory agencies to halt the high rate of importation and dumping of imported tomato paste into the country. The federal government needs to guarantee access to forex for the likes of Erisco Foods if it is genuinely interested in rescuing this economy from recession. The Standard Organisation of Nigeria and NAFDAC must also move to end the importation and dumping of substandard manufactured goods in Nigeria, which is disrupting efforts to sell locally processed goods like Umeofia’s tomato paste. Umeofia laments: “The CBN has refused

We have had enough of this unnecessary diversion called anti-corruption war. Buhari needs to focus on our comatose economy. Nigerians are daily regaled with stories of massive recoveries from so-called looters, yet, the economy continues to slide. Many are tired of recoveries that are not impacting on our lives and economy. We are tired of stories of recoveries that can’t be spent on decrepit public universities, polytechnics, hospitals, roads, airports and other infrastructure. We are tired of stories of recoveries that can’t be used to fight hunger, disease, malnutrition, unemployment and other problems ravaging our nation to give us forex to import machinery, machine spare parts and our raw materials to be used for production of Nigerian fresh tomatoes/tomato paste. The CBN, like NAFDAC, is against my business because while it refuses me forex, it is approving intervention loan and forex to companies mostly owned by foreigners to import the same finished tomato paste and other items like frozen fish, fish heads and supermarket items that we don’t need at all or we can produce better in Nigeria.” Managing Director, Vitafoam Nigeria, Taiwo Adeniyi adds: “We, the real manufacturers are calling on the CBN to create a special window to enable us get forex so as not to halt production. If we cannot access forex to get raw materials for production, how can we continue in business? If we

Let’s Rise Up and Rescue Little Habiba Isiyaku For those who have not been following the story, little Habiba Isiyaku (just 14 years old) was allegedly abducted in Warkaza, Kudun Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State and married out by the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji AbdulMumin Kabiru Usman. Little Habiba’s father, Tanko Isiyaku made the accusation on Wednesday in Abuja. According to Isiyaku, his little daughter was abducted on August 16, 2016 by a staff of the Palace of the Emir of Katsina called Jamilu Lawal. Isiyaku, who spoke through his lawyer, Yakubu Bawa, alleged that the Emir’s palace guards manhandled him while trying to rescue his daughter. Bawa remarked: “Habiba is under the guardian and control of her parents now until she clocks 18. That’s the age of maturity and accountability. The second point is that Habiba cannot be forcefully converted to Islam by the Emir of Katsina. He has no right to do that. “And when the CP summoned the parties concerned to his office, what baffled me, and my heart is still bleeding, is the fact that an ordinary security detail from the palace told the police that the Emir had instructed him to bring back the girl to the Palace. And yet, the CP that has the entire command under his control could not even take a position but unfortunately succumbed to the instruction of an ordinary detail and released the girl to the Palace. “The CP instructed the man to go to the Palace the following day to retrieve his daughter. For me, with due respect, the CP has failed in his constitutional duties as enshrined in the Police Act. On reaching the

Emir’s Palace, the Emir asked his aide, the Kilishin Katsina to tell him that his daughter had been converted and that there was now a big barrier between him and his daughter.” Bawa alleged that the Emir then said that Isiyaku had committed a crime and that he was compelled to say that the complaint he made to the Police was not true. “Isiyaku left the palace shattered, broken, helpless and emotionally broken. Habiba is about clocking two months now in captivity,” Bawa said. The lawyer described the abduction of the minor as vicious, barbaric, and a callous act. An official of Stefanos Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation, Mark Lipdo, decried the pain the family had been going through since the forceful abduction of their daughter. Lipdo further stated that Habiba would clock 15 years today and would have resumed school in the new academic term. The Chief Executive Officer of Fantastic Mum Nigeria (FMN), Mrs. Joy Akanonu, pleaded with President Buhari and his wife, Aisha to intervene and secure Habiba. These allegations are frightening. It is even nauseating that the Katsina Emirate Council held a press briefing on Thursday to say that little Habiba consented to the marriage and conversion to Islam. We can’t allow this horror to go unchallenged. I am pleading with our lawmakers and human rights activists to step in and rescue little Habiba. I am shocked that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Usman Abdullahi have not responded appropriately to this abduction. Let us all rise up for little Habiba. She must be set free.

cannot produce, then we would be compelled to sack staff. The government should react quickly if it really wants the economy to move forward. As it is now, nothing is moving in the sector.” Clearly, investors are losing confidence in Nigeria. That was why, a few days ago, Diageo scrapped plans to lift its stake in Guinness Nigeria. It said it was due to “tough conditions” in Nigeria. The multinational company had last year announced plans to buy 15.7 per cent of Guinness Nigeria for up to N41.37 billion, which would have taken Diageo’s stake to 70 per cent. This would have been good inflow for our economy in dire need of forex. The decision by Diageo is another blow to Nigeria’s economy, headed for its first full-year recession in quarter of a century. Guinness, which is 54 per cent owned by Diageo, reported its first fullyear loss in 30 years for its 2016 financial year, mainly due to the biting recession and forex crisis. This forex crisis contributed to many businesses leaving Nigeria due to difficulties in repatriating their income. Global carriers such as United and Iberia have both stopped services to Nigeria. It is very sad to note that the key managers of Nigeria’s economy are not even inspiring confidence. The other day (at the Nigeria Economic Summit Forum), the Minister of Budget and Planning, Udoma Udoh Udoma was asked how much the country’s debt was at present and he could not provide an answer. The foreign journalist, CNN’s Zain Asher Ejiofor who asked the question was shocked. This very sound lawyer obviously has no business operating as

our Budget and Planning Minister. The Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele and the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, have also not been inspiring. President Buhari is similarly a big problem to our depressed economy, by dictating economic policies and direction to the managers of this recessed economy. What this country needs urgently are economic managers with global clouts, capable of “challenging” Buhari. The likes of Adeosun, Emefiele and Udoma are incapable of doing this. We have had enough of this unnecessary diversion called anti-corruption war. Buhari needs to focus on our comatose economy. Nigerians are daily regaled with stories of massive recoveries from so-called looters, yet, the economy continues to slide. Many are tired of recoveries that are not impacting on our lives and economy. We are tired of stories of recoveries that can’t be spent on decrepit public universities, polytechnics, hospitals, roads, airports and other infrastructure. We are tired of stories of recoveries that can’t be used to fight hunger, disease, malnutrition, unemployment and other problems ravaging our nation. This morning, I urge Buhari to reflect on the statement of the former Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who said: “We will not join those who say Buhari should stop reminding us of a past that is haunting us today. But we will join those who remind him daily that hunger is stalking millions of homes. Inflation is making life difficult by the day. People are losing their jobs. Businesses are closing down. Infrastructure is decaying. Young Nigerians are losing hope of being employed. Our hospitals are full of people who suffer mysterious illnesses, and they cannot afford the fees.”

Crackdown on Judiciary: My Takeaway It is frightening to note that virtually all the judges being stung by the Department of State Security have at one time or the other given judgments or restraining orders or made remarks considered unfavourable to the interest of the Buhari administration. Let’s look at Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja. I can still recall that he ordered that detained former National Security adviser, Sambo Dasuki be released on bail. He granted the ex-NSA bail on November 3, 2015, in the charge of unlawful possession of firearms, contrary to federal government’s opposition. The bail was scuttled by the DSS operatives, who laid siege to Dasuki’s Asokoro residence on the second day and placed him under house arrest. Justice Ademola severely tonguelashed the DSS for disobeying court orders. On May 26, 2016, Justice Ademola dismissed Buhari’s preliminary objection in a suit filed by a lawyer, Nnamdi NwokochaAhaaiwe concerning Buhari’s certificate issue. Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, whose house was invaded, had equally severely excoriated the DSS for disobeying court orders. He once told the DSS not to appear in his court again if the agency would not obey court orders. Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from announcing “any results or figures howsoever generated or compiled purporting to be the result of the rerun election for any or all of Khana, Bonny, Gokana, Andoni, Eleme and Tai local government areas of Rivers State or any part of the rerun election conducted on March 19, 2016.” A depressed Justice Liman remarked after $2 million was allegedly stashed in his house: “I believe most of the members heard or read about the reported raid in Port

Harcourt and my name has been mentioned as the judge in whose house $2 million was stashed. The truth is that all that you’ve read is more of misinformation and disinformation; substantially untrue account. However, I feel distressed that the DSS indirectly claimed they have evidence I stashed $2m, and when contacted, I employed thugs and with Governor Wike to obstruct them from carrying out the search and that I later transferred the money to an unknown place. “Unfortunately, I have found myself in the middle of a dirty politics between Wike and the Federal Government and perhaps my notoriety for delivering controversial judgments; because the cases are also controversial and the stakes probably very high. I’m not asking anybody to believe or disbelieve whether I stashed $2m, an amount that is equivalent to about N1billion. Perhaps you might think the DSS probably exaggerated the amount, but all these would have been relevant considerations if they had actually searched my house. If I had $2m or even a quarter of it, I would have abandoned this horrible profession that has lost its dignity. In fact, I have already lost interest in it and have made up my mind to say bye-bye to it. I believe there is a life beyond every other thing.” Another stung judge, Justice Muazu Pindiga of the Federal High Court, Gombe Division was the one that insisted on due process in the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal sittings. He was removed midway into the sitting of the tribunal. Justice Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro, both of the Supreme Court sat on some governorship election appeals that gave decisions against the ruling APC. Are all these co-incidents? This is food for thought for us this morning. Lovers of democracy and the rule of law must stand up for the independence of the Judiciary.

OCTOBER 15, 2016• THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

Nigeria And The Governance Index Charles Iyare contends the Mo Ibrahim index has helped to reveal the extent of mismanagement in the country

he Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) has released the 2016 governance statistics for African countries. A highpoint of this year’s survey is the celebration of the 10th year anniversary of the IIAG and the humanitarian contribution of its leader, Dr. Mo Ibrahim in supporting economic growth in Africa. The organisation provides tools to support progress in leadership and governance in Africa, through its economic, developmental programmes. While we celebrate the impact of such an illustrious icon who has shown continuous support for Africa’s economic growth over a decade, this year’s assessment has seen Nigeria in the familiar position of 36th among 54 African countries. For a decade, Nigeria has constantly lagged behind in the IIAG rating. Among development practitioners, our rating behind less endowed countries raises fundamental issues: why is our economy always standing on tenterhooks? According to the reports ‘Nigeria scored 46.5 out of 100 points in the measurement of overall governance that saw Cote d’ Ivoire, Togo and Zimbabwe, become the three most improved countries in the governance rating of all 54 African countries’. The report has it that “Nigeria is one of ten countries that improved in all four sectors that were used for measurement, namely: accountability, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development. Nigeria was, however, rated poorly in the national security sub-sector, having declined by 28.6 points over a ten-year period’ from 2006 to 2015. Nigeria’ worst performance in the overall ranking on the IIAG index was in 2012 when she debuted alongside the least 10 countries with poor governance system for the first time. Nigerian scored a total of 48.5 out of 100 and placed 43 out of 52 countries. In that same year, Nigeria alongside Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa recorded poor governance performance and declined in two of the four main IIAG categories — safety and rule of law and participation and human rights. Each of these four countries deteriorated mostly in the sub-category of political and economic participation of her citizenry. Issue of gender equality was also another source of worry. It is also important to note that Nigeria’s best performance was recorded back-to-back in 2008 and 2009 respectively. She was 35th position with an average score of 48.5. But some worry about the IIAG’s reliability. The argument is that the sources of the data derived from the perception index and so-called fact-based sources are sometimes political, inconsistent, lacking in transparency and comparability, and can be shrouded in overblown data sources and selective bias. Yet, about 1.5 million Nigerians remained jobless in the first quarter of 2016. In an

LEADERSHIP MUST BE SEEN AS TRUE SERVICE TO ONE’S COUNTRY, AND NOT AN AVENUE FOR A FEW TO ENRICH THEMSELVES

unemployment report released recently, about 1.5million Nigerians are currently without gainful employment as at May 21, 2016. From April to September, 2015, about 110 persons were reportedly kidnapped. More are still being kidnapped. There has been constant disregard of freedom of expression and the unsuccessful attempt by the legislative arm of government to gag journalists, bloggers and certain freedom in the media. Over 10 journalists have been arrested and imprisoned within the past one year, some of them without trial. I believe that the IIAG has helped to reveal the extent of mismanagement of human capital resource, highhandedness, lack of accountability and transparency perpetrated by public office holders and politicians irrespective of party affiliations. The outcome of indicators such as political stability and participation, investor-friendliness to encourage local capacity production, rule of law, access to quality education, human rights, health, healthy environment, gender equality and security, makes it possible to assess the extent of victimisation of Nigerians by its rulers. Another significant factor of the governance index is that it enables developing countries including Nigeria to assess global economic support to eradicate epidemic diseases, assess quality health care, and identification of grey areas to attract economic investment The current economic recession being experienced by Nigeria is a pointer to the consequences of a mono-economy, corruption in positions of authority and the inability of our industries to function to full capacity. The federal government must take necessary steps to diversify our economy by investing into key sectors such as power, steel, transportation, agriculture, health and security, to enhance optimal productivity for local consumption and export. The conduciveness of our business environment is sacrosanct to encouraging foreign investors and most importantly in ensuring the exportation of our local produce as finished products, to earn more foreign exchange. For Nigeria to move forward issues of impunity, ethnicity, religious and party affiliation must be addressed. The constitution, irrespective of its many imperfections, must be respected and seen as precedence for institutions, individuals and groups to live by. Government should as much as possible avoid using sloganeering to drive change. Real change will come when public office holders shun ostentatious life style and lead by showing positive examples for Nigerians. Leadership must be seen as true service to one’s country, and not an avenue for a few to enrich themselves. Public office holders must be seen living the life they preach to Nigerians. Iyare is of the Monitoring & Evaluation Unit, ANEEJ, Benin City

OBASEKI AND FAILURE OF THE‘CHANGEXIT’VOTE

Godwin Obaseki won the Edo governorship election fair and square, argues Victor Oshioke

he much publicised gubernatorial election in Edo State has come and gone leaving in its wake much relief in the hearts of the majority of Edo people who feared the worst and prayed for peaceful poll. Of course, the majority of the people voted for continuity, despite the convergence of reactionary forces, in an orchestrated sinister attempt to hoodwink them and ultimately use the outcome as the springboard for an onslaught on the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress government. While most commentators have been cautious in their attempts to understudy the factors that influenced the outcome of the election, a few paid pipers and halleluiah singers of disenchanted interests have continued to explore all probable and improbable scenarios that could be employed or deployed to reverse the will of the Edo people. Expectedly the Peoples Democratic Party, after the initial daze from the loss, officially rejected the results of the election, referring to them as being at variance with results widely circulated on Social Media prior to official collation and announcement of result by the electoral body, INEC. The predicament that Edo PDP finds itself though undesirable was quite predictable to those who followed their highly divisive campaign of calumny in the run-up to the election, which left them no space for manoeuvre in the event that they lost the election as it has eventually turned out. As a strategy, the Edo PDP leadership created an alternative but distorted reality in the minds of its supporters, a false impression that the election was a walk over for them and that there was no possibility of APC retaining Edo State. They unearthed the moribund sub-ethnic myths, falsified history and played communities against each other, all in a bid to divert attention from the massive development that Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s APC government has

bequeathed to Edo State. The idea was to divert attention from performance and concentrate on mudslinging. Even when the indices on ground showed clearly that the majority of people in Edo State still did not trust PDP enough after their almost 10 years inglorious reign in Edo, to return them to power, the party came up with this bizarre assumption, which was plausible only in their imaginations, that influential members of the ruling APC purportedly working for their party were in fact disgruntled and have promised to work for the PDP candidate on election day. The consequence was that PDP believed it commanded critical support where none actually existed. It was this wrong assumption that influenced the many paid opinions in the media, indicating that PDP had a chance at clinching the Edo governorship seat. To their amazement, on voting day, all APC leaders stood firm, mobilised their supporters and delivered their respective polling units for their party which ensured a near total routing of PDP across the state. The beauty of contemporary Nigerian politics is that after all said and done, on voting day the sphere of influence for politicians and voters alike is restricted solely to their individual polling units. This precludes the old culture of influential politicians moving from one polling booth to another tampering with the voting process. While APC as a deliberate campaign strategy deployed all available resources to convince Edo people on why continuity was desirable and imperative, PDP resorted to their hackneyed strategy of raising questions about Godwin Obaseki’s certificates without offering any convincing reasons why the APC candidate was not fit to succeed Adams Oshiomhole as governor of Edo State. One would think that the party learned a lesson from the 2015 presidential election when they expended valuable resources, time and energy on demonising candidate

Muhammadu Buhari, only to realise too late that Nigerians have reached a certain level of political sophistication where they could no longer be easily swayed by unsubstantiated allegations trumped up to damage the image of opponents. But PDP as a political party hardly learns from the past essentially because its soul is possessed by old men who have lied for so long that they have simply lost any capacity to truthfully convince or honestly lure voters. For almost eight years, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has managed to touch the lives of every Edo person in a way that no governor before him had done. In no particular order of preference, he has transformed the state through projects, policies and investments that impacted on the old, the young , men, women, indigenes and none indigenes. So for anyone to have imagined that his party and the candidate could be defeated in an election by the same set of people who had previously run the state aground, was merely an illusion. Edo people are not known to be ungrateful and it would have been a brazen act of ingratitude, if after all Governor Adams Oshiomhole did for Edo, his party and candidate were rejected in the September 28, 2016, gubernatorial election. It could be argued that PDP lost the Edo governorship election the day they decided to attack Governor Oshiomhole’s record. It was the most callous act of deceit, arrogance and insensitivity towards the expectations of Edo people, for PDP chieftains to drive through roads constructed by Oshiomhole to hitherto inaccessible part of the state and tell the people of such communities that the ruling APC government did nothing in eight years. At that point, the people could clearly see through the baggage of lies that the PDP leaders were merchandising. One may dislike Adams Oshiomhole as a person, or be averse to his politics, but one cannot deny the fact that as governor of Edo

State, he governed with a vision and passion for developing the state. To a large extent, he judiciously utilised the resources at his disposal to pursue that vision of a greater Edo State to a verifiable and appreciable level worthy of commendation. Perhaps PDP could have performed better at the polls if as a deliberate campaign strategy, they began each rally or forum with an apology to the Edo people for the 10 disastrous years of maladministration by their past party governors in the state, acknowledge the tremendous development under the leadership of Governor Oshiomhole and then promise that, based on the standards already set by the incumbent APC government, they would strive to do better if once again given the opportunity to govern. This perhaps could have warmed them back into the hearts of Edo voters. But they chose the path of infamy, denigrating Adams Oshiomhole and besmirching Godwin Obaseki. The outcome of the election, therefore, represents a reward for eight years of good governance, purposeful leadership and investments in the future of Edo children on the one hand and the rejection of politics of godfatherism, “share the money syndrome” and indiscriminate looting of our commonwealth on the other. Significantly, on a different pedestal, the loss of PDP in Edo State represents a NO vote on the “changexit” interpretation which the party stealthily planned to adduce to the result had the outcome been in their favour. The APC win therefore is the first electoral indication that though things are hard presently in Nigeria, Edo people and Nigerians, in general, are not willing to “change the change” as advocated by PDP. Edo State under Oshiomhole has thus remained the bastion of support for President Buhari’s change agenda in the South-South region of Nigeria. Oshioke wrote from Benin City

OCTOBER 15, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

Some relief...

Protecting The Girl Child

vailable statistics show that there are over 1.1 billion creative and talented girls worldwide. This figure, if exploited positively, is enough to build a global community that has the potential of creating a sustainable world that would make life better for everyone. But the dreams of this ingenious specie are being frustrated by non- provision of specific needs and tackling of challenges such as discrimination, bias, violence and lack of equal opportunities with their male counterparts. And there are glaring gaps in data collation and knowledge about these specific needs and challenges that girls face in their bid to improve their lives and equally contribute to the progress of their societies. One of such issues standing on the way of girls’ quest to contribute to the progress of their societies is child marriage. Although child marriage is against the law in many countries including Nigeria, as international treaties forbid it, it is estimated that about 51 million girls across the globe are annually forced into early marriages. Quite often, in most African countries, parents of child brides are driven by factors such as pressure to conform to age- old traditions like preservation of chastity and economic considerations to give out their young daughters in marriage. It is not uncommon also in poor developing countries for poverty stricken parents to settle debts by offering their underage girls as payments! These child brides often suffer from physical and psychological trauma as well as exposure to early sexual contact. Subsequently, pregnancy comes in at a time when the young girl is not adequately physically developed to permit the passage of a baby with relative ease. The outcome of this forced copulation and one of the most demoralising effects of early marriage is Vesico- vaginal fistula. Otherwise known as obstetric fistula, it is a medical condition where there is an opening between the uterus and the bladder because the pelvic bones do not have sufficient time to develop before the process of conception. This often leads to abandonment or divorce by their husbands as urine continuously leak from their bladders. Also, these early marriages deny girls the opportunity for quality education in addition to depriving them of their childhood. Among the more than 100 million children not in school worldwide, approximately 40% are girls. In Nigeria, Women and girls constitute 60% of the illiterate population. Similarly, it has been estimated that over two million girls are subjected to genital mutilation every year, a practice still rampant in some parts of Nigeria. Intervention into the practice is considered as a violation of privacy, yet many girls face several health risks through this, including severe bleeding and contraction of HIV infection through the use of unhygienic methods in carrying out the procedure. Statistical data shows that adolescent girls have HIV rate up to five per cent higher than their boys’ counterpart. Equally, rape remains a common form of violence

against the female specie. It is defined as having sex with a woman and lately young girls and toddlers without their consents. Today, the rape epidemic in our society reflects the extent to which female human rights are flagrantly threatened. Available laws and collective attitudes toward this weapon of domination and repression call to question our combined sense of justice and our level of civilisation. Like a scourge, the regular cases of reported rape in the country’s media and confirmed statistics are threatening to smother the essence of the society. Each day, the media are awash with weird stories of varying degrees of ludicrousness, from child defilement to the rape of old women. Nobody, not even infants are safe from this form of terrorism against the girl child. Perhaps, one of the most audacious of the dastardly acts against the girl child in Nigeria till date remains the abduction of over 200 secondary school girls, who were kidnapped in a most brazen manner from their hostel at Government Girls’ College, Chibok, Borno State. While some of the girls escaped, and 21 released only yesterday, the rest have remained in captivity after two years, despite wide condemnation and outrage across the world. In fact, some of the leading nations of the world offered to help in rescuing the girls. A renowned teenage Pakistani child right activist, Malala Yousefzai even visited the country on account of the girls’ plight. Bilkis Ogunnubi, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Lagos

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Return of Night Life in Coal City

t is no longer news that Nigerian economy is in recession. The economic consequences of a nation in such crisis is the sharp drop in night life activities —clubbing, hanging out and generally fun-related activities people normally engage in, especially during the weekends. But it is a different case in Enugu, the Coal City. Recently, I was opportune to spend some days in city when I travelled to the South-east to join family and friends of Lady Nwanneka Ekweremadu, wife of Deputy Senate President, to celebrate her golden birthday. One of the new discoveries I made as regards the developments in the city during the course of my visit, was a gradual return of night life in the ancient capital of old Eastern region. As a result of improved security in the state, people are disposed to spending some hours into the night, hanging out with friends, colleagues and business partners without fear of men of the underworld. The proactive stoppage of robbery attack at Independence Layout of recent also boosted confidence of fun seekers and tourists in the state. The swift responses of security agencies to threats of insecurity in the urban areas can be scored above average, not minding the limitation of security infrastructure in the state. Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has done a lot in this direction to equip security outfits in the state. In fact, it is on record that no governor in the South-east geopolitical zone has invested in security like him the result of which can be seen in the increase in night life activities in the state. Apart from the diminishing threat hitherto posed by Fulani herdsmen in the

state—which is being managed by the governor in conjunction with security apparatus, other security threats in the state like armed robbery, assassination, kidnapping, car snatching, nefarious activities of cult groups, have been reasonably brought under control. Residents and visitors of Coal City feel safer and relaxed now than before. This has culminated in more night life activities which are bringing the city back to its lost glories. From the corners of Achara layout to the serene environs of independence layout, night life is gradually returning to what it used to be in the past. Enugu State is becoming a centre of attraction to tourists. Little wonder United States Department of Security recently rated the state as one of the safest states in the country. Not too long ago, the World Bank evaluated Enugu as one of the states with ease of doing business. And one of the parameters used by the international organisation in arriving at its rating is the security of lives and property in the state. No genuine investor will take his money to a state afflicted by political, social, economic and security problems. There is no doubt that the return of night life in Enugu will encourage increased investments in recreational industry which will also impact internally generated revenue of the state at the same time enhance state government quest to diversify the economy from being dependent on monthly allocation from Abuja. On the area of job creation, resuscitation of night life in the Coal City is already assisting the government in creation of thousands of direct jobs for unemployed youths. When employment opportunities are provided for the youths, automatically the rate of crime will go down and government will channel security votes into reinvigorating moribund industries and provision of critical infrastructure in the state. Nwobodo Chidiebere, Enugu

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

NEWS

In Brief

Police Promote Fadairo, 3 Others to AIG

ThePoliceServiceCommission,onFriday,approvedthepromotionofJigawa StateCommissionerofPoliceMr.HenryFadairotothenextrankofAssistant InspectorGeneralofPoliceAIG.TheCommission'sPublicRelationsOfficer, Mr.IkechukwuAniinastatementmadeavailabletothemediainAbuja,said CPs:PiusImue,FelixOgundejiandEzekielZang,werealsopromotedtothe rankofAIGs.ImueuntilnowwasCommissionerofPolice,RailwayCommand whileOgundeji,wasCommissionerofPolice,Intelligence,ForceHeadquarters andEzekielO.Zang,alsoheldswayasCommissionerofPolice,AirWing,Force Headquarters.Thestatementread:"AIGFadairowasalsoformerCommissioner of Police, Cross River State and served as Recruitment CP in Ebonyi StateduringthenationwidescreeningofapplicantsforPolicerecruitment.

Niger Suspends N400m Road Project

FOR BETTER HEALTH... L-R: District Leader, HealthTech- West Africa, Phillips, Ime Umoh; Business Development Manager, Health Systems, Phillips, Nigeria, Dr. George Uduku; Business CT/MRI, Phillips West Africa, Dr. Osayomore Ossuetta; and Business Development Manager, Health System, Phillips West Africa, Dr. Daniel Korankye, at the medic West Africa exhibition in Lagos yesterday PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Police Investigate Irish for Deliberately Infecting Girls with HIV in Lagos Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Lagos State Police Command has initiated an investigation on the allegation by a young lady, one Helen that her boyfriend, one James Turner, an expatriate from Ireland, deliberately infected her with HIV alongside two others. The victim, a Benue State indigene, who spoke with journalists at the Ikeja Police Division said they met eight years ago and had a smooth relationship until January this year, when he tested positive to HIV and hid it from her. She said, "I met James Turner eight years ago. He told me to move to his apartment. I started living with him. We were living like husband and wife. "In January 2016, he fell ill and

we went to a hospital in Ikeja, where they ran some tests for Typhoid and Malaria. "Unknown to us, the hospital has a policy of running HIV tests. They did and apparently saw he had the virus. When the doctor asked him whether he can talk in my presence he said no, so I excused them. "I noticed that he started taking a lot of drugs and when I asked him, he said it was for a Typhoid and Malaria. "But when it became too much, I stole the drug name and Googled it and discovered that it was for HIV. I asked him and he denied it. He said the drug was for his knees. "Again, I stole the number of his doctor and called him. The

doctor called me over and ran a test on me and I found out I was positive too. "My world crumbled, I fell down and started crying. I regretted ever meeting the man because the doctor took my blood sample to another hospital for confirmation test and the result was positive again. I was totally down even though I have no symptom of sickness. "Well, to kill anger and boredom, I followed some of my friends to a party. He kept calling me whether I was coming home that day and I replied in the negative. "I later changed my mind and came back that day only to catch him pants down with my best friend. I then sourced for money and moved out.

"Meanwhile, he deliberately infected me with the virus because after he had known his status, he made sure he slept with me often. I attributed it to love. "After I found out my status, he kept on taunting and humiliating me on how I won't ever find a man to marry me again and that my life was over. "He told me that I should go to hell and that he has infected many girls and that he was just beginning. He told me that I was a fool. He told me that he sent his wife home immediately he tested positive to HIV. 'He told me to hang myself. He said he is over 60 and that he has lived almost his life span, but that I was still 31 and no one would marry HIV patient.

N2.6bn Fraud: How Ex-NIMASA Boss, Acquired a Bulletproof Car Davidson Iriekpen

An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Orji Chukwuma, yesterday tendered documents before a Federal High Court in Lagos showing how a former Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Patrick Akpobolokemi acquired a bulletproof car for his personal use. Chukwuma, who is the last prosecution witness stated this in the ongoing trial of Akpobolokemi and five others for allegedly defrauding NIMASA to the tune of N2.6 billion between March and June 2014.

Akpobolokemi was arraigned alongside, Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Juan, Blockz and Stonz Ltd. and Al-Kenzo Logistics Ltd. before Justice Ibrahim Buba on December 4, 2015. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the offence. When the case came for hearing yesterday, Chukwuma also tender another document from an estate surveyor showing how Akopolokemi paid for his rented apartment situated on Ondo Street, Banana Island, Lagos. Led in evidence by EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, the witness (Chukwuma) said "the first defendant (Akpobolokemi) brought

a document to us in relation to how he paid for his rented apartment on Ondo Street, Banana Island, Lagos. He also attached a document from an estate surveyor on payments of his house rent. He further told the court that Akpobolokemi also submitted to the commission a receipt for the purchase of a bulletproofed car. Consequently, EFCC lawyer tendered the documents and urged the court to mark them as exhibits. But, M Ajuwa, counsel to Akpobolokemi objected to the admissibility of the documents on the grounds that he was not served with the documents. He argued that the documents

sought to be tendered ought to have been front-loaded in line with section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. Ruling on the objection, the trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba held that "it is sacrosanct that every accused person shall be given opportunity to defend himself and must be served with necessary documents including documents he (accused) submitted to the EFCC". Justice Buba subsequently adjourned the case till October 26 for continuation of trial. EFCC had alleged that Akpobolokemi and others converted for private use the sum of N2.6billion belonging to NIMASA.

Gunmen Snatch Cross River Deputy Governor’s Pilot Car Bassey Inyang in Calabar As the security situation in Calabar continues to deteriorate by the day, some dare devil gunmen Thursday evening allegedly snatched the pilot vehicle of the Cross River State Deputy Governor, Prof Ivara Esu, and killed a policeman in the process. The driver of the pilot vehicle was also shot by the gunmen whose

numerical strength could not be ascertained. The attack by the gunmen took place at Goldie Street opposite the NNPC filling station in Calabar at about 7pm, when the pilot vehicle ran into a group of heavily armed men who were parading the street. “After the executive council meeting at the Governor’s office in Calabar yesterday, the pilot vehicle

led other cars as they escorted the deputy governor to his house. “After dropping him off, the vehicles proceeded to drop the security men in the convoy in their houses. While they were driving along that Goldie Street axis, they ran into a traffic jam caused by a group of cultists operating in the area. The cultists, numbering over 20, were armed with guns and machetes.

When the cultists descended on the pilot vehicle, they shot the driver and drove off with the car. The other people in the car scampered for safety,” a source who pleaded not to be mentioned narrated. Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, said a policeman who was shot during the melee, died later in the hospital.

NigerstateGovernorAlhajiAbubakarSaniBellohasdirectedtheimmediate suspension of work on the rehabilitation of the Minna –Suleja road hinging hisactionontheactivitiesofheavydutytrucks.GovernorSaniBellogavethe directiveonWednesdayafterinspectingthedamagedportionsoftheroad that has made movement of goods and services between Minna the state capitalandSuleja,asatellitetownofthefederalcapitalterritoryherculean. In the last couple of days motorists had spent several hours on the road because of the high degree of its dilapidation a development which made the governor to carry out an inspection visit to the damaged portion of the road. Governor Bello said the state could not continue to invest its hard earned resources on the project only for some vehicles to damage it even when the job had not been completed. He attributed the quick dilapidation of roads in the country to the refusal of the authorities to enforce the law thatprovidestheweightofvehiclesallowedontheseroadssayingthat“the federalMinistryofWorksshouldenforceweighbridgeslawifthelifespans of the roads were to be sustained”.

NOUN Shuts Illegal Study Centre

In furtherance of its war against illegal study centres in the country, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has shut down another illegal study centre in Ankpa, Kogi State. The illegal centre allegedly operated by one Professor Abdullahi, was domiciled in the premises of St. Charles College in the town. The university’s Committee on Illegal Study Centres, the principal of the college, Mr. Adam Umaru Roberts, said that the attitude, carriage and conduct of Abdullahi smacked of a fraudster. “This college is a Catholic school. Before anyone does anything in the premises of a mission school like ours, he must obtain authorisation from the Catholic Education Directorate.WhenAbdullahiapproachedourformerprincipalonthisissue, thedirectorinchargeofEducationintheArch-Diocesewascontacted.The later asked him to put the request in writing, but he never did. At present, he has gone underground because all the people who registered and paid money to him are looking for him.

Ahwi Endorsed as Urhobo Leader in Lagos

The controversy surrounding the selection of Chief Vincent Ahwi, as Osu R Urhbobo has been laid to rest following a meeting of Urhobo Progress Union and the Urhobo Council of Chiefs. In a communiqué issued after the jointmeeting,itwasresolvedamongstotherthingsthataccordingtoArticle 9oftheconstitutionoftheCouncilofChiefs,thefive-manappointmentcommitteewasmandatedtoselectandpresenttothegeneralhouseacandidate for the position of the Osu R Urhobo.The communiqué further stated that at the five-man appointment committee level, the Committee voted 3:2 in favourofChiefVincentAhwiandduringtheratificationexercisenineoutof fifteenmembersequallyvotedforAhwiwhilesixvotedforhisopponent.Thus UPUleadersandUrhobostakeholdersatthemeetingagreedthatfromthe ratification of nine votes of Ahwi to 6 votes of his opponent, Ahwi had the simple majority votes.

T-Pain for Lagos Heineken Music Party

American singer and rapper, T-Pain, has been announced as the host of Heineken’sLiveYourMusicpartybyNigerianBreweries,brewersofpremium beerbrand,Heineken.TheHeinekenLiveYourMusicpartyisacelebrationof music,tailored to givemusicloversapassionateexperienceand anavenue to not just listen to the music but also live their music. The Heineken Live YourMusicpartywilltakeplaceontheclosingnightofHeinekenLFDW2016, Saturday, 29 October. Sampson Oloche, Portfolio Manager, International Premium Brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc. made this announcement, at the presscocktailforthe2016HeinekenLagosFashionandDesignWeekheldat theHeinekenHouseonTuesday. “We’rehappytosponsorthisyear’sHeineken LFDWthemed‘Connectingthedots’,toreaffirmourcommitmenttothegrowth andexpansionofNigeria’sfashionindustry.We’reputtingtogetherafantastic after party for Heineken LFDWto be hosted byT-Pain.

Salem Church Adult Harvest

Recently, the Church Cathedral Salem in Ebute-meta celebrated its Adult harvestinaverycolourfulway.Presentattheoccasionwiththeme;Harvest ofGreatRewardwereSenatorOluremiTinubu,representedbyMrsOmolola Essien, the executive secretary of the Lagos Mainland Local Government andDr.OreFalomo,amongotherreputablepersonalities. Secretaryofthe church,OlutayoOteniyasaid“ourthemeisalwaysdivine. Thisyearwewant abundant reward from God because he said we are going to reap the fruit of our labour and that is why we want not just reward from God but a great reward which informed the theme of this year’s harvest. Even in the face of the economic downturn, we want to operate not with the economy of the countrybutwiththeeconomyofthealmightyandthatiswhywecallitgreat reward because we are depending on God.

Government College Ughelli Reunion

GovernmentCollegeUghelliOldboys(GCUOB)of1973issetforaworldwide reuniontocelebrateits40thanniversarytodayattheCollege'ssecretariat, Yaba, at 2p.m.The media officer of the Association, Mr. Stephen Ighofose, stated this in a press release yesterday. He said the old boys from across the seven continents would meet for the first time after their graduation in 1977."Thisisourfirsteverreunionaftergraduation.Itistofacilitateamong ourselves, elect officers to organise our 40th anniversary. It will be a great platform to bring back old memories and network again."

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

nEws

RECESSION: Leaders Must Rise Above Personal Interests, Counsels Ambode NLC fears Nigeria may not get out recession soon

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday said that Nigeria’s present economic situation urgently required its elected leaders to rise above personal differences and interests with a common unity of purpose and deliver good governance to the people who they represent. This is as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expressed fears that country may not get out recession soon, noting that "with about five months salaries being owed workers in about 27 out of the 36 states of the

Federation and with gratuity of 19 years of retired civil servants not yet paid and with the current high cost of living, especially to the common man in the country, Nigeria will need to do more to get out of this recession." Ambode who spoke at the opening ceremony of the maiden edition of the Executive/Legislative Retreat at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, said the recession taking its toll on Nigerians was a wakeup call for Nigeria leaders to come together for the purpose of rescuing the nation. On the theme of the retreat, “Good Governance in a Recession”, Ambode

said the economic downturn was no respecter of tribe or religion, neither does it discriminate along political party lines, hence, every Nigerian was feeling the impact. He said the retreat, which had brought together members of the Executive and the Legislature from the State and Federal level from both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), was a statement of fact that the people come first in Lagos. The Governor said, “Our people demand, and request from us, good governance, leadership and hope at

a critical time like this in our nation. We must therefore rise above our personal differences and interests, with a common unity of purpose; staying focused on our promises and manifesto at all times. “If our economy must grow, it must also have the mindset and culture to want to grow. It is therefore left for all of us to learn to emphasise the people and de-emphasise the power to get good results. Getting good results requires that we abide by the principles of good governance; whether we are in or out of any economic recession.

Dozie Owerri Clears Douglas Road Waste Dump Tobi SoniyiinAbuja Members of Dozie Mezie Owerri, a political pressure group has cleared the mountain of refuse that took over parts of Owerri which the state government allegedly claimed to have left deliberately. The group said it was saddened by the abandonment of the people by the government whose primary responsibility was to take care of and protect the people, adding that they carried out the evacuation of the one kilometre refuse dumped along Douglas road Owerri to avoid an apparent health crisis that was looming in Owerri. Members of the group who stormed Owerri from their various bases in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Lagos with over 16 Dump trucks and four Pay loaders to evacuate the refuse which was apparently left by the Imo state Government following a High Court

injunction that it from relocating the Eke Ukwu Owerri traditional Market by the indigenes of the Capital city. The organisation made up of professionals from Owerri had met recently and pulled resources to evacuate the waste after the Chief Press Secretary of the state had in a public statement disclosed that the refuse was being dumped along Douglas road to punish the indigenes for rejecting the relocation of the traditional market to another town. The coordinating team for the evacuation made up of Stanley Nkwazema, Tony Anyadike and Chris Anowey with other members worked round the clock to effect the evacuation. The team who decided to work only in the night to avoid traffic chaos in Owerri which had become a nightmare driving through the once clean city, spent four days before clearing the fetid in the early hours of Friday.

Diamond Bank Rewards S’South Customers with Car, N25m

HEARTFELT SYMPATHY... R-L: The General Manager, Travelex Nigeria, Mr. Anthony Enwereji presenting a cheque of one million naira to the parent of the baby, who was born with a severe birth defects

Delta Oil and Gas Stakeholders Warn NDDC Achieves Up-to-date Accounts, Operational Manuals of Anarchy Over DESOPADEC Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

External auditors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) have submitted three sets of financial reports that have brought the accounts of the Commission up to date. The financial accounts were presented yesterday to the NDDC management by Mr. Funsho Owoyemi, the managing partner of the firm of chartered accountants that carried out the auditing exercise. While handing over the documents at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, he said that the financial report was now ready for the Auditor-General of the Federation. The external auditor stated that the infractions that were earlier highlighted in the Auditor-General’s report of 2015 were properly captured in the financial statements, noting that the auditing was thorough and comprehensive. He said: “We have achieved what seemed like an impossible task. We met a very difficult situation because the accounts had accumulated for many years. In spite of the difficulties, we successfully audited the accounts to bring the financial records up to date. It is remarkable that we did this within a very short period. This did not stop our doing a thorough job.”

Owoyemi said all matters that required more attention were highlighted for the NDDC management so that it would be properly guided to regularise its accounting processes. He added: “We had to also go to the field to gather more information. So, the report is an amalgam of engineering, technical and accounting details. The report is quite instructive, very useful and comprehensive.” Receiving the financial reports, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, commended the external auditors for bringing the Commission’s financial records up to date. She said that the finance directorate of the Commission was now expected to prepare the documents that would aid the prompt delivery of the 2016 audit report. The NDDC boss expressed delight that the Commission was now posting its quarterly reports on its website regularly. This practice, according to her, had ensured that the Commission was disciplined and transparent in its processes. “It has also helped us to tighten our internal controls,” she stated. Semenitari said, “We will quickly make our inputs to the report before forwarding it to the Auditor-General of the Federation. We will also encourage our finance directorate to prepare the

Sylvester Idowu inWarri

Delta Oil and Gas Stakeholders Group yesterday warned that there would be total anarchy in Delta State should the state House of Assembly go ahead with its alleged plan to dissolve Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). It maintained that the alleged plan by state House of Assembly would throw the state into another avoidable crisis with its proposed dissolution of the board set up for development of oil producing communities. The group gave the warning yesterday in a statement titled "Before Another Crisis Erupt in Oil Bearing Communities" and signed by its President, Dr. Tagbiretse John; External Affairs Officer, Obakpo Goodluck and Organising Secretary, Gregory Eze. It alleged that since the group raised the alarm over alleged padding of the commission's 2016 budget and inequitable distribution of projects amongst the host communities which made Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to order for a review, some elements in the state house of assembly had been making moves to dissolve the board of the commission in other to have their way. "We are not unmindful of the antics of the House of Assembly, the committee on DESOPADEC

and other principal members of the House, some of whom have padded the budget with as much as 20 of their ‘interest projects’ to the detriment of the oil bearing communities. These smuggled projects now face a certain death in view of the planned examination. "We are reliably informed that these sets of persons have infiltrated the oil bearing communities and groups, including the Host Communities of Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM). Some persons have been induced to carry out protests to demand for the dissolution of the DESOPADEC board in order to pave the way for the appointment of surrogates and stooges who would then facilitate the passage of their ‘alien projects’ in the budget. "This move by these elements is not only selfish and condemnable; it is dangerous and capable of unleashing an ill wind that would blow no good in the state", it stated. The group said as respected stakeholders and leaders of oil bearing communities in Delta state, it feels the pulse of its people and knows that this was a very wrong move that would be very costly. "We are therefore using this medium to warn against any act that is capable of jeopardising the fragile peace in the areas. This warning is necessary because of the tension that this plan is generating in the oil bearing communities.

Diamond Bank plc has restated its commitment to the promotion of a savings culture and customers’ satisfaction and gave out a brand new SUV and N25 million in the SavingsXtra promotion draw for its south-south customers at Odual road branch of the bank, Port-Harcourt. The event which attracted industry stakeholders, relevant regulatory bodies, customers, shareholders, journalists and management staff of the bank saw Mr. Imariagbe Austin of the Sapele Road branch, Benin City emerge as the winner of the star prize of a brand new SUV. Other 10 lucky winners went home with N1million each while another 30 won N500, 000. The draws were conducted through an electronic process certified by the top audit firm KPMG whose representative monitored the event. Mr. Osita Ede, Head of Mass Market Segment, Diamond Bank Plc, in his opening speech informed the customers that the Diamond SavingsXtra account was created to promote a savings culture and enhance financial inclusion among Nigerians. He stated that the reward scheme was just one of the ways which the bank

sought to appreciate customers for their loyalty to the bank. Mr. Edeh pointed out that coming up in the no-too-distant future was Diamond Bank’s nationwide monthly draw in which 13 people would be awarded N1m each, two people the sum of N2 million each and one lucky person will win the salary-for-life which sees the winner earn a salary from Diamond Bank plc every month for a period of twenty years. To qualify for the monthly draw, Edeh explained that all a customer needed to do was maintain a minimum monthly balance of N5,000.00 while additional deposits would count as multiple entries thereby increasing the customer’s chances of winning. Present at the draw were past winners from draws within the region. Mr. Duru Chukwuebuka Francis, a salary-for-life winner who emerged from the Eket branch of Diamond Bank plc, said he didn’t believe he had won until he got the first credit alert from the bank. Mr. Duru a trader in building materials, went further to state that representatives from the bank had continuously proffered invaluable advice on investment opportunities

Onaiyekan Lauds FG Over Release of 21 Chibok Girls Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan has said that Federal Government was making progress in its fight against Boko Haram with the release of 21 out of the over 200 abducted Chibok girls. The clergy described the abduction of the girls by the Islamists as a major crime against humanity, urging government to “stop playing hide and seek game”, on fight against the group. Cardinal Onaiyekan who spoke with reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, said that “the release of the girls “is worth celebrating. This is because every life is worth celebrating. "It is almost 900 days that over 200 of our girls were taken away. The whole world has been asking what is happening; 21 out of over 200 is not really a big deal anyway, but for the parents of the 21 can at least to rest their souls that they have found their daughters.” According to him, “I wouldn’t want us to focus so much on the

acts of omission and commission of our government in this matter in such a way as to forget that the main culprits in this whole affair is Boko Haram. "They were the ones who kidnapped and kept those girls for this long for no just cause. We should not allow the criticisms we have against government to becloud this major crime against humanity which this group of boys has committed. “Anything Boko Haram is saying on social media or anywhere now, unless they come clean of everything they are just not serious. The onus lies on them to explain what has happened to the over 200 girls that they took away. I don’t think we should be demanding such explanation from our government. We should demand explanation from those who kidnapped these children unjustly. “The whole thing itself is still a shame on our nation and it is still a greater shame that they are not explaining where others are. Have they died? Or have they thrown them somewhere?

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016 WITH

MARITIME BITS

JOHN IWORI

08057763164

R-L: Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza B. Usman, Lt.Col.Jacob Hopper of United States Coast Guard (USCG), Minister of Transportation, Rt. Honourable Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Director General Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Director Maritime Safety and Security of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Danjuma Dauda, Head of ISPS Unit of NIMASA, Captain Elei Green Igbogi, Lt. Col. J.M Tahir (Rtd.) of the NPA, during the visit of the Nigerian delegation to USCG Head Office in Washington DC…recently.

Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) in a warm hand shake with the Customs Area Controller, Eastern Marine Command, Comptroller Usman Kankara Bello, at the stakeholders meeting with importers, exporters, bankers, NAFDAC, Customs Licence agents held at Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt ... recently

Amaechi: Nigeria’s ISPS Code Compliance Level Now 79.3 % Nigeria’s compliance level to the implementation of the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code is now 79.3 per cent, the Minister of Transportation, Right Hon.Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said. The present compliance level in the country on the implementation of the ISPS Code is a sharp contrast to the 9 per cent it recorded in 2013. The poor performance of the country in the implementation of the ISPS Code which remains one of the key instruments put in place by the global maritime watchdog, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) compelled the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to threaten that ocean going vessels will no longer call in Nigerian ports until she

complied with the provisions of the code. Though Nigeria eventually escaped the hammer as then Federal Government led by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan used several channels to make the United States Government to change its mind but stringent restrictions were placed on some jetties and terminals in the country. In a statement obtained by THISDAY reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to maritime security through the full implementation of the ISPS Code, even as he appealed to the USCG to lift the sanctions it placed on some jetties and terminals which were found deficient two years ago in complying with the Code. Amaechi was said to have made the commitment and appeal when he led a delegation to the headquarters of USCG in Washington DC.

NCS Impounds N1.9 bn Contrabands, Records 231 Seizures in Zone C The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C, Owerri has recorded a total of 231 seizures of contraband goods with an overall duty paid value (DPV) of N1,957,529,375 in the third quarter of the year. The record of the zone within the period under review differs significantly from the one it recorded in the same period in 2015. It is on record that it made 379 seizures with a DPV of N224, 245, 797 in the same period last year. The Customs Area Controller (CAC), NCS, FOU, Zone C, Comptroller Haruna Mamudu who disclosed this in a statement said N548, 700, 997 was recovered this year which amounted to an increase in the percentage of revenue generated by the NCS in contrast to the N105,207,807 underpayment recovered in the year 2015. Signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the unit, Ifeoma O. Onuigbo, the statement quoted Haruna saying that no fewer than 22 suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures which were impounded on the Benin axis, Asaba-Agbor-Onitsha Expressway, Calabar, Enugu, Owerri and PortHarcourt axis of the South-south and South -East zones of the federation just as 16 cases are pending in court. The CAC stressed that the feat was successfully accomplished as a result of the renewed determination of the Comptroller-General of NCS, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retired) to rid the country of all forms of illegal importation. According to the statement, Haruna also enumerated the items impounded to include 121 vehicles; 3,082 bags of 50kg rice; 1,454 cartons /set of furniture; 5,120 pieces of used foreign tyres; 625 cartons of fake medicaments and 2,600 pieces of imported school bags. Also seized were 63 containers of log of wood; 97 pieces of 14 -stroke engine generator; 30,181 cartons imported frozen poultry products; 1,148 bales of second hand clothing as well as 2, 331 cartons of foreign detergents and creams. Others are 1,339 pairs of foot wears; 142 pieces of used refrigerators and compressors, 155 cartons of plastic and articles of plastics; 129 cartons of ceramics and articles of ceramics in addition to 803 bags of scrap metals. The CAC who expressed concern at the continued indulgence of some Nigerians in the nefarious act of smuggling despite official stiff penalty for culprits arrested said that the NCS would remain resolute and undeterred in its efforts to stamp out the scourge in the country. He maintained that

He expressed government’s appreciation for the support of the USCG in implementing the ISPS code in Nigeria and assured the international shipping community that the country is committed to the full implementation of the code to safeguard the maritime domain. He disclosed that since taking over the implementation of the ISPS code as the Designated Authority (DA) in Nigeria, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has performed creditably well. “Nigeria appreciates the efforts and support of the United States Government in encouraging a cordial bilateral relationship with Nigeria not only in the area of maritime security but also in other areas. I want to assure the US Coast

NPA Dislodges Policemen Using Containers as Abode in Port The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has dislodged officers of the Port Police Command using containers in Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa as residence. They were ordered to vacate LPC before the end of the month for the fact that the place is not residential. Handing over the order, NPA Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Dr. Sekonte Davies said the affected officers were those that are new in Lagos and also lack accommodation. As part of the responsibility of the NPA as a landlord of the ports , the authority provides office accommodation but not residential for all the security and para- military agencies namely , the Nigerian Customs Service , the Nigerian Police Force among others which officers serve at the ports. Davies also stated that the NPA is considering tenancy in all spaces hitherto occupied by government and private agencies at the nation’s seaports as a source of additional revenue as the port area is a commercial entity where all tenants should be ready to pay for

rent at the rate to be determined by the NPA. He however explained that the payment for the rent, as it concerns government agencies, would only apply to those who have budgetary provision for such in the Ports. He enjoined operators within the port to improve the sanitary conditions at their operational areas, whilst assuring that NPA would provide them with requisite enabling environment towards ensuring efficient operation at the port to make their working condition conducive. He assured operators within Lagos Pilotage district that the NPA would strive to meet the needs of Shipping Companies and Terminal Operators within the Pilotage district but urged them to fulfil their financial obligation to the Organization assiduously. The tour took Davies and his entourage to several places including the Control Tower, and the Fire Station. He said the environmental sanitation of the complex should be maintained at all times.

Ship Builder Performs Naming Ceremonies for 2 Russian Vessels Today A double naming ceremony for Pomor and Normann, the two icebreaking offshore vessels built for the Russian shipping company Femco, will take place today at Havyard Ship Technology in Norway. According to the shipbuilder, the two vessels will operate under a contract with Exxon Neftegas on the oilfields outside of Sakhalin, Russia. In order to get there, the vessels will embark on a voyage through The Northeast Passage. Both ships, featuring a length of 86.7 meters and a width of 19.5 meters each, are constructed according to DNVs ice class notation Icebreaker Ice-10 , with classifications demanding capabilities of breaking up to one-meter-thick, one-year-old ice.

The two icebreakers are constructed with class notation Winterized Cold (-30). As such, these vessels are constructed for work in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius without freezing up. The icebreakers’ safety equipment and environment are protected against ice and frost at shielding, incorporation and electric heating or melting. In addition, the ships are fitted with engine power effective enough to go full out winterization and anchor handling operations at the same time, according to Havyard Ship Technology. Each of the two icebreakers will be able to accommodate up to 53 persons. Aleut, the first ship in a series of three icebreaking offshore vessels, was delivered last autumn.

Guard and indeed the international shipping community of Nigeria’s commitment to the full implementation of the ISPS code to further institute a strict security regime in our maritime environment”, he said. He enjoined the US government to revisit the Condition of Entry (COE) earlier placed on vessels that have called some port facilities in Nigeria which were not compliant with the code saying that over 80 per cent of those facilities have since complied with the code and needed to be removed from the COE list. Receiving the delegation, the Assistant Commandant of the USCG, Rear Admiral Paul Thomas expressed his country’s determination to continue to support Nigeria in its goal of full implementation of the ISPS code.

SOAN Puts Nigerian Ship Owners Issues on Front Burner at Commonwealth Roundtable In a concerted effort to ensure that they achieve set goals and objectives, indigenous ship owners have placed critical issues plaguing the sustainable development of the maritime sector of the Nigeria economy on the front burner. This is coming on the heels of the fact recently made public by the global maritime watchdog, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) that cargo carried by sea across the globe is set to quadruple by 2050. To ensure that that they get help where it matters, the indigenous ship operators under the auspices of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) hosted a roundtable with the theme “The Future of the Maritime Industry in Nigeria” in conjunction with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) at Marlborough House, London, United Kingdom. Hosted as part of CWEIC’s Commonwealth Maritime Initiative (CMI) which aims to promote the maritime industry as a key driver of economic growth and trade as well as connect maritime business interests with state-level representatives and organisations from across the Commonwealth. Though the initial focus is on Nigeria, the initiative is expected to expand to other member countries of the Commonwealth. The CMI is focussed on maximising commercial opportunities in an industry that has often suffered from chronic underinvestment. The event brought together investors, business leaders and government officials – representing maritime interests from across the Commonwealth – in a bid to stimulate discussion, increase co-operation and forge partnerships around the myriad opportunities of Nigeria’s maritime sector. The focus on Nigeria at the Commonwealth roundtable in London is understandable. Besides her status as Africa’s largest economy and its huge maritime ecosystem, Nigeria’s 850 kilometres coastline and 8,600 kilometres of inland waterways remains the second longest in Africa. CWEIC hopes to expand the maritime initiative across the Commonwealth, highlighting further maritime investment opportunities across the many developing, coastal economies within the 53 nations collective.

Plus Oyenike Michael Ibru

I Hawked ‘Tin Tomatoes’ for Michael Ibru

LOUD WHISPERS AUTO TRIBUTE FITNESS FASHION FILE ENTREPRENEUR

pg. 20 pg. 26 pg. 35 pg. 40 pg. 41 pg. 44

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 15, 2016

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I Was Rascally As a Young Lady; I Beat Up Anyone Who Insulted Me

Unfazed by age, the octogenarian sits quietly in her couch. Her dim but graceful eyes light up with memories. She is a woman who has been there, done that. Her lips curl solemnly and fondly as she let out the first few words about her life with her parents. And the nostalgia that flickered in her eyeballs when she left home at a tender age of eight to live with another family – a famous family: the Bank-Anthony’s. Calmly, she shares some personal stories about love, friendship, motherhood and doing business. Quiet but quintessential and queenly, Mrs. Oyenike Fatungase Michael Ibru is a study in simplicity, serenity and serendipity. Her story is at once dramatic, comedic, and epic. As she narrates the episodes of her sojourn on earth, she makes the most challenging moment of life appears ordinary. The matriarch, left with a child, after the cold hands of death snatched one of her children at a tender age, is a paragon of resilience and intelligence. Born on June 12, 1934, she tells Funke Olaode how she met Olorogun Michael Ibru at Kingsway Store on February 1953. She was just 19 years old. Their union was consummated on December 26, 1954, a month after the birth of her son, Onome. The doctor of divinity also discusses her journey into a spiritual rebirth

Mrs. Ibru as a young mother at 34 in 1968

A privileged beginning was born in Lagos on June 12, 1934. By the time I was born my father was working for UAC, while my mother was a trader – selling clothing materials at Ereko Market on Lagos Island. My father was also the treasurer of the African Bethel Church on Broad Street, Lagos. My parents hailed from Ijebu Ayepe, Ogun State. This is about three miles after Ikenne. My father came to Lagos as a young man. He stayed with Archbishop James Johnson before he started work at UAC. In a way, I had a privileged beginning because I had parents who were well-to-do and could take care of my needs. But when I was growing up Nigeria was going through economic crisis (recession) and there was no food. I remember we had to wake up very early in the morning to go and queue to get foodstuffs. One day, we went around 3 am. When I got there one man saw a spot on my head and asked me to go home. It was chicken pox. I was restricted to the private sitting room and my father was looking after me. After I got better, my father asked me to go and live with my godmother, Lady Mobolaji Bank-Anthony. I was about eight years old when I left home. Everybody thought I was Bank-Anthony’s daughter. But I used to tell them I am Fatungase’s. Having a father who was educated gave me leverage in acquiring good education early in life. And of course, the Bank-Anthonys, my guardians, also were influential figures in Lagos. When I left the BankAnthonys, my father was still alive. I was I enrolled at Breadfruit School and later Christ Church Cathedral. I also attended Girls Modern Academy and Lucas Collegiate, where I took my Senior Cambridge Examinations. After secondary school, I started work as an artiste at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) with a programme called, ‘Nike Fatungase Sings.’ I was singing native songs on radio. Meeting Michael Ibru in February 1953 I met Michael Ibru at the defunct Kingsway Store on Broad Street in February 1953. At that time, the store used

to organise programme every February. And that particular February of 1953 was a turning point for me. It was the day I met my husband Michael Ibru (now late). He came to the store with one of our ‘area’ brothers, Kole. I said jokingly to my ‘area’ brother, ‘What do you intend to buy for me here?’ Then, I saw Michael whispering into his ears making enquiry whether I was one of his sisters. And he said yes and even mentioned my name. That was how my path crossed with Michael Ibru. I remember before he left that store that day, he gave me one of his photographs. I was about 19 years old then. Michael shaped my life I want to give glory to the Almighty Father for sending Michael Ibru to shape my life. I was very rascally having been raised at Olowoogbowo in Lagos. If you abused me the day before I would not say anything but I would reserve the fight till the following day. And after Morning Prayer I would come to your house and beat you up. When I started dating Michael, these people would go to Michael’s office to report me. Of course, he would ask them to come to my place in the evening. He would call me out and say, ‘Don’t you want to fight again.’ I would be sober and he would start counselling me that I am a lady and ladies don’t fight. When I had my first pregnancy in 1953 I went for a funeral. It was the day the then Action Group Chieftain, Chief Bode Thomas was being buried. And because he was a member of our church we had to trek from Broad Street to Ikoyi. And when I got back home I had complications and in the process I lost the pregnancy. The following year, 1954 to be precise, I had my first son, Onome. I had my daughter in 1956 and another son, Marcus in 1958. I lost him at about 14 months old. It was then that I came back to Lagos to stay in my father’s house because another lady was living with my husband. I never remarried or divorced. I just decided to stay on my own when he was busy marrying women. Consummating my marriage I had Onome in November 17, 1954 and on the December 26, 1954 (the

OCTOBER 15, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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Mrs. Oyenike Ibru with husband, Michael during her 60th birthday at The African Bethel Church, Broad Street, Lagos in 1994

I Was 19 Years Old When I Met Michael Ibru Boxing Day) he paid my dowry. My husband married only one woman legally. Her name is Mercy, an Ibo lady from the East. They later divorced but there was no child between them. After that he didn’t get married to any woman legally he only paid their dowries. We were living in Shomolu. He was still working with the UAC but was later transferred to Benin. It was in Benin that we celebrated Onome’s one-year birthday. I relocated to Lagos in 1956 when my husband was going to England to resign from the UAC because the management didn’t accept his resignation letter here in Nigeria. When he came back from London in 1956 he established his own company. When the fish trawler was stationed at Ijora and he would go there in the evening and used to come back in the morning. He was the first to sell ‘tin tomatoes’ in Lagos. Prior to that time nobody in Nigeria knew about ‘tin tomatoes.’ To create awareness and support for his business, I started hawking ‘tin tomatoes’ at Ereko Market. Later, he got a space at Ofin on Thompson Warehouse where he was selling cement. There was a day it rained heavily and I had to use big towel to dry the cement warehouse. Working as a banker After some time, I worked as a lady machinist at Banque Dela Frique Occidental which later became Afribank Plc. The office was at Creek Road in Apapa. My cousin had a shop at Tinubu where he was selling dresses and I bought a lot of office dresses. I didn’t tell my husband that I was working. I didn’t know who told him and he trailed me to the place. I hid myself under the table. He drove in and said, ‘Omobinrin ti won lo n sise nibiyi da?’ meaning, ‘where is the lady that is working here?’ I had to come out. He just looked at me and said, ‘You too are wearing gown. You are showing your legs.’ But I didn’t leave the bank immediately. But the day I decided to leave was the day the President of Ethiopia Halle Selassie visited Nigeria. This man did not land because his son had taken over his government. The rain on that day was so heavy that we all remained in the banking hall. Our manager ordered everybody out of the banking hall and after that I didn’t go back again. After quitting the banking job I worked at the Sales Department of the NBC at 45 Martins Street, Lagos under the supervision of Sales Manager, Mr. Emmanuel Bello Fadaka (now late). He was my husband’s very good

friend. When Mr. Fadaka was about to be transferred to Benin, he advised me to start an advertising agency.

was always attending my birthdays. The relationship was cordial till he died.

Setting up advertising agency in 1968 Mr. Fadaka helped me to set up an advertising agency which was named NICKY FAT Agencies in 1968. It was situated at No. 46 Balogun Street. I happened to be the first female to start an advertising agency in Nigeria. The agency prospered because God favoured me through some people. The father of former Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Fashola, who was at Daily Times then, Ted Mukoro of Lintas Advertising Agency, Kehinde Adeosun and Olu Falomo, all helped me. Later, I left advertising business when given a licence by the then Lagos State Governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande to start pilgrimage tours under NICKY FAT TOURS. I was taking people to Jerusalem including military personnel. My daughter, Christie later set up Elf petrol station, which is now Total petrol station at Ilupeju. When I turned 70 years old, I retired from active service. Total manages the station now with my cooperation.

Losing my first son Onome in 1973 Life is not a bed of roses and I have had my fair share. It was a dark moment in my life when I lost my first child, Onome Oyebolaji Michael Ibru, in a motor accident on his way to the University of Ife, to collect his certificate in June 1973. He was 19 years old. If he hadn’t died he would have been 62 this November. He attended secondary school abroad and came to Nigeria for his university education. All the universities in Nigeria gave him a befitting burial (he was a student union activist). He was buried like a king. I am now left with a daughter, Christie, who is the eldest of Michael’s children.

Fond memories of Michael Ibru When I met him he wasn’t rich. He was just an average civil servant. But he was a very handsome, quiet, humble and nice man who God used to change my life of rascality. Since we knew each other in 1953, he never raised his hand against me. The only time we had a mis-understanding that almost resulted into physical fight was the day the Ibo boys living in our compound in Shomolu sang an Ibo song ‘N ike n ke ka anyi ji alu oluu, na alu oluu n ike nke.’ You know I used to help these boys to cook in the kitchen. He thought they were praise-singing me. He had a change of heart one night when Art Alade started ‘Saturday Night Out’ on radio. The first music he played that very night was that particular Igbo song. My husband looked at me and apologised. He was a very caring man. When I had the fire accident at my petrol station he wanted to take me to the hospital I refused that I would cure it with water of life. Within two weeks the leg dried up. He said ‘Madam, you know everything now.’ I said it is only God that knows everything. When I was given the honorary doctorate degree, he gave me money to entertain my guests and instructed Olorogun Oscar Ibru to represent him because he was travelling out of the country. He

Answering a divine call By a divine call I founded a spiritual church in 1975 named, God’s Glory Shining Star Church Cherubim and Seraphim (Ijo Irawo Ogo Olorun Ntan). I was licensed and became a lay reader and Preacher in the African Church in 1978 – the first female to hold such a position. I am also a trustee of the African Church Arch Cathedral Bethel. It was because of my religious activities that I was given a doctorate degree, Doctor of Divinity, by an American university in 1998. One Prophet Adeoye who had a school in Victoria Island once told me that I am a messenger of God. When I became a lay reader, I took the form to my husband. He encouraged me and he signed the form for me. But the spirit of God said I should establish a spiritual church. I started it in my sitting room. There was a day I prayed for his (Michael’s) senior driver whose wife was expecting a baby. He now told my husband to thank me for praying for his wife. He was surprised and said, ‘Nike, o jamo olorun lo fe sin nisin yi. A maa ran e lowo;’meaning, ‘Nike, you don’t want to fight people again and now you want to serve God. I will help you.’ My husband built the first church for me at the back of my house in Surulere and also built a bigger one for me at Itire next door to O.K. Plastics. The churches are still there and functioning till today. So if there was to be another world I would still like to marry my husband because he was a gentle man. Like all men he had his weaker side. But I pray when he comes next time he would be a messenger of God and I will marry him because a minister of

When I met him he wasn’t rich. He was just an average civil servant. But he was a very handsome, quiet, humble and nice man who God used to change my life of rascality. Since we knew each other in 1953, he never raised his hand against me. The only time we had a misunderstanding that almost resulted into physical fight was the day the Ibo boys living in our compound in Shomolu sang an Ibo song ‘N ike n ke ka anyi ji alu oluu, na alu oluu n ike nke.’ You know I used to help these boys to cook in the kitchen. He thought they were praise-singing me. He had a change of heart one night when Art Alade started ‘Saturday Night Out’ on radio. The first music he played that very night was that particular Igbo song God doesn’t marry two wives. I am fulfilled Considering my journey through life, I can say that all my aspirations have been fulfilled. Jesus Christ gave us two commandments: serve your God with your whole heart and love thy neighbour as thy self. I have adhered to those two commandments and I know God will help me at my night. At 82, I am in my night. I will not do evil, think no evil and speak no evil to anybody. I believe in what the Bible says at Galatians 6:7: ‘be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, thou shall he also reap.’ The last book of the bible in Revelation also says, ‘whoever that is doing good should continue and whoever that is doing bad should continue. God is coming quickly to pay everybody according to his or her doings.’ For me, I don’t pay evil with evil because vengeance belongs to him. Romans 12: 17 says, ‘Recompense to no man evil for evil and provide things honest in the sight of all men.’ I thank God Almighty for making me His daughter. I have been doing what He called me to do and I will continue till He calls me home. And that is why if I die today, I will like to be remembered for my faithfulness because I have been consistent with God all my life. Life of lessons What I have learnt in this life is that one shouldn’t think of oneself alone because in the midst of life we are nothing. Think of others and what you can do to help and please others. I am not doing anything to please myself. And as a human being always do the right thing to the low and mighty. We are here today and nobody knows tomorrow. As Psalm 34: 14 says, ‘Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.’

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OctOber 15, 2016

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

LOUD WHISPERS

Asiwaju Tinubu: The Limits of Political Influence I had watched strenuously to see how far the Asiwaju would go wielding so much power over his political structure spanning the whole of the South West and creeping towards the centre with no executive powers but mere influence. As a student of politics and a graduate of Political Science I have come to realise clearly that influence remains an aberration in the vicious game that is politics. It is what people on the street call ‘breeze’. It cannot bite, does not have any legal backing, trading on morality and ‘what is right’ and as such enforcement of decisions especially disciplinary is at best tricky. Today I am sure that Asiwaju would be rueing the day he decided to give himself the spurious title of ‘Party Leader’. For a strategist of his calibre, this was a fatal blow to his legacy. How on earth did he think he would continue to rule over his ‘minions’ especially with the integration of other soldiers in the enlarged party structure that was built with just influence? You see, the game where he holds whoever is the Lagos State governor can never be used at the centre. You cannot control the President of Nigeria and Commander of the Armed Forces with mere influence that comes with the empty post of Party Leader. This to me is his folly and I am sure in his moments of reflection, he would be shaking his head with regrets. The president’s statement during his inauguration perfectly captured this. He had said, “I belong to no one.” That to me perfectly encapsulates what I am talking about. Simply because you played a major role in bringing about the electoral victory is not enough currency to wield the kind of influence Asiwaju was looking at wielding in national politics. This could be gleaned in all the subsequent defeats he has faced, culminating in this latest affront by the party chairman. Femi Fani-Kayode who I usually do not agree with, put everything DSS and the judges I woke up to see a myriad of missed calls from my landlord. What could make this baba to be calling me so many times this early morning? Well, I returned his calls and he told me clearly that he wanted me to write something about the wahala between the judges and the DSS. You see this man thinks I just come Lagos. He has been trying to increase my rent by almost 300 per cent and I have been the major leader of the resistance amongst my co-tenants. So in his warped sense of thinking, this is his own strategy of getting me out of the house. Me, I should comment on something that does not concern me? Me, Edgar Joseph, the Gorimapa of Shomoluland and the Otunba meta of Shomolu? Abeg, my mandate no reach that point o. If this man wants me out

in true perspective in one of his numerous write-ups when he illustrated how Tinubu has been embarrassed by the establishment ever since the inauguration. From the Kogi State governorship poll, through the appointments of Fashola and the former Ekiti governor; through even the appointment of Nike Animashaun and now the Ondo State debacle is beginning to show Asiwaju as a giant with a clay feet. How can you ever plan to hold power without legal backing. That is not legitimate power and as such cannot achieve sustainable leverage. I will say, he was lucky with Fashola and is also being lucky with Ambode but can you imagine a Fayose as governor of Lagos State or even of his house, there are less traumatic ways of achieving his aim than this. I have decided to write him a stern warning letter to desist from such treacherous tactics and come to the negotiation table otherwise I will go to his house and strip like that Igbo man whose video went viral after stripping in front of the house of the billionaire who was owing him. In my case, shebi he knows he has fine yellow daughters and he will be risking losing them once my nakedness is displayed willingly at his gate. Abeg, I don’t even know what DSS stands for. Hello Mrs. Makinde Mrs. Makinde is my friend and loyal reader of this page. I met her last week at her office in Ikoyi and the joy that was all over her pretty face could only

Wike. You will begin to see what I am talking about. Continuing to expect loyalty from gratitude is funny . But that is exactly what has been happening. Chief Awolowo insisted on being the Premier and when he went for election in the centre and failed he came back to reclaim his executive powers and this led to a fracas that led to wahala in the old Western Region simply because the combatants understood the powers that came with executive positions. If Asiwaju was party chairman today and with his clout and charisma, even the president would think twice before he moved against him. Let us look at Chief Adisa Akinloye in the Second Republic, he was so be imagined. She made me feel like Michael Jackson taking me around the office and introducing me as ‘that columnist that makes my weekend.’ She made my day and also made me feel fulfilled. You see some things are better than money: the happiness and joy you bring to peoples’ lives simply by doing what God gave you the ability to do. Madam, I am sending you free VIP tickets to my play, Isale Eko, coming up at the Muson next Valentine’s Day. If oga will not mind, you will be my VIP guest and Valentine as you watch the extravaganza that will be unfolding on stage that day. Please eat before you leave your house sha, the offer does not include food and drinks o. After the play you can go and eat so hunger will not distract you from enjoying the show.

powerful that his image loomed large even far and above that of the president. He never got to that point by wielding just influence. So my advice to Asiwaju is for him to either seek executive powers by throwing himself up for elections either at the party level or at the national platform or simply just retire from politics before he is rudely humiliated by people who despite their gratitude to him for ‘making them what they are’ would not allow that to becloud their judgment or decision taken in the pursuit of both their personal and national goals. Really sad that such a brilliant tactician could not see this. Really painful.

Daura

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

SPY GLASS

Lanre Da-Silva’s Winning Streaks

If anyone had told Lanre DaSilva-Ajayi while growing up that she would someday be a force to reckon with in the world of fashion designs, she might have dismissed it with a wave of the hand. But since she ventured into the business, it has been one laurel after another. Just recently, she shone like stars at the 170th anniversary of Vlisco in the Netherlands, where eight women from six different countries in Central and West Africa had featured as the faces of the 170 Years campaign. It was gathered that her collection was characterised by catchy Vlisco ankara prints mixed with Swarovski embellishments, velvety, chiffon prints and metallic mirrored fabrics. All these won her a standing ovation from the audience as well as other participants. No doubt, this is another proof that Da-Silva-Ajayi, who holds a Master’s degree in Accountancy, is cut for greatness. The business, which started like the mustard seed in her parents’ sitting room a few years back, has now grown into a reputable business empire. Her driving force as gathered has been her belief that success, as we all know, is not something that happens overnight. It’s a learning curve that comes with patience, perseverance, hard work and endurance. Even in the face of stiff competition LDA, as she is fondly called by friends and admirers, is still a leading outfit in the industry, thanks to her ingenuity. She is able to combine pattern, print, exquisite and even traditional fabrics to produce day wear, evening wear, gowns and cocktail dresses. She is into formal and casual wears and enjoys designing the formal wears more, as they are tailored for more elaborate events and show more couture which the LDA brand is all about. This has been her winning streaks.

Ooni of Ife celebrates Birthday

Come Monday, October 17, the ancient city of Ife in Osun State and its environs will literally stand still, as the the new Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, will mark his royal birthday. Already, friends, associates and loved ones are jostling to

with Bayo Adeoye ....08054680651 make the day a grand one for the respected monarch, who will celebrate his first birthday since he became the Ooni of Ife. So far, his enthronement as the Ooni has been attributed to a new dawn in the annal of the ancient city as well as the Giesi Ruling House that produced him. It will be recalled that immediately after the coronation, he began to unfold his development plans for the town to the admiration of all. It was gathered that many towns and hamlets that have one issue or the other have been enjoying his listening ears. It is also said that many of his decisions have been accurate, which confirms the belief in some quarters that he is a man blessed with uncommon sagacity. Ever before he was born 41 years ago into the family of Prince John Oluropo Ogunwusi, a retired radio and television presenter in the state and the late Margaret Wuraola, his emergence as the Ooni had been foretold. Until he became the Ooni of Ife, Ogunwusi had been a major player in real estate sector; he had constructed highbrow and eyepopping estates such as Jacobs Mews Estate, Yaba; Lake View Park 1 and 2 located along the Lekki-Epe Road and Chevron Toll Gate; The Northpointe Phase 1 and 2 Estates, Golden Leaf Estate and the Lord’s Estates. Also, he had been the main facilitator for Dangote Group’s break into the ‘up-country supply chain consortium’ between 1996 and 1999. About same period, he traded for Dohagro Allied, Global Apex, Olam, Clemco, Stallion Group, Milan Group etc. He also facilitated the biggest Lead and Aluminium recycling plant set up in Nigeria by National Steel Company of India in Ota, Ogun State.

Dotun Ogunyemi: Portrait of a silent achiever

If the list of brilliant pilots in Nigeria were to be compiled, his name would be given a worthy mention. Captain Henry Oludotun Ogunyemi is a pride to the nation’s aviation industry. His inspiring story began when he graduated as one of the youngest from the Flying School in Zaria, Kaduna State. He also attended the Aer Lingus Training School in DublinIreland, Varig Training School in Rio-Brazil and British Airways Training School, United Kingdom. Having bagged BAC 1-11, Boeing 707 and Macdonald Douglas DC 10 aircraft types on his license, he joined the defunct Okada Airlines at inception. After leaving the airline, he worked briefly with other airlines

such as EAS Cargo Airlines (UK/ Belgium-based) DAS Air Cargo (UK-based) and BIMAN Airlines. Over the years, he has been involved in organising several charter and Hajj flights from several countries in Africa, South America and the Middle East. After he quit his flying career, he ventured into the petroleum business in 2003 with the establishment of Onedot Petroleum and Onedot Aviation, a frontline private jet charter business. He is the Executive President of Overseas Projects & Investment Services (OPIS), a Dublin- based group managing a number of projects involving aviation and oil and gas. However, in spite of his towering records in the business world, the Ogun State-born pilot cum businessman prefers to remain in the background. This, according to him, is his major business philosophy. He is not given to ostentatious lifestyle.

Bola Shagaya’s Birthday Devoid of Fanfare

It was another moment of joy, laughter and thanksgiving for Hajia Bola Shagaya, as she marked her 57th birthday. This woman of substance, however, shocked many, as she held a low-key birthday. Interestingly, for her close family members and friends, it was another special occasion to show love to the very stylish fashionable woman who has been recognised at home and abroad as a successful entrepreneur. A source close to the Kwara State-born businesswoman revealed that she had vowed not to throw any elaborate birthday until she clocks 60. While she was growing up, she never allowed her pristine dream to be entombed; she pursued it with infectious gusto. She is a very strong woman who has never been hamstrung by any circumstance around her. She started her business very early in her life and has sown in sweats, so it is not surprising that she is now reaping in bountiful harvests. She is usually driven by an abiding quest to change the lives of her compatriots for the better. No one would tar her with the brush of a wheeler-dealer in her day-to-day business activities.

Modupe Ozolua’s New Passion

Ravishingly beautiful Princess Ozolua, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, had revolutionised the beauty sector in Nigeria, when she pioneered cosmetic surgery in West Africa. She had wrought wonders with her aesthetic laser machine in Nigeria. But she fizzled out of the public glare and social scenes shortly

after she relocated to Abuja to expand her business. Though the foregoing may not be news to many, the Edo Stateborn princess has found a new passion with the launch of an NGO, Empower 53. It was gathered that the kindhearted woman that marked her 43rd birthday last Tuesday, has taken up the challenge of rehabilitating internally displaced Nigerian women and children as a result of the activities of Boko Haram. She has reportedly been giving donations of food, mattresses and other relief materials to the IDPs, while also helping them get back on their feet. It was also gathered that the woman that was nicknamed Sarauniyar Alheri, meaning, Princess of Goodness for her disparate generosity ,has lately set up a school for 501 internally displaced children between the ages of one and 14 years at a camp. She gave them uniforms, shoes, and writing materials and has hired the teachers amongst the displaced Nigerians at the camp. Despite her successes and fame, her true passion is to selflessly serve the underprivileged, which she has been doing for a long time without making so much noise about it.

Benjamin, Quits Bacherlorhood

When Benjamin Toba, younger brother of Abuja billionaire, Mayowa Seth James-Toba, recently wedded his heart-throb, Juliet, there was lavish display of wealth. From the COZA Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Asokoro extension, Abuja, venue of the wedding, it was clear to anyone in attendance that the families of the newly wed carefully put the event together. Apart of the numerous posh cars that filled up the parking lot, the marque set made hearts to flutter, as many looked in wonderment. The arrival of the couple was also dramatic, thereby generating cheers from the guests. After the church service officiated by Abuja popular pastor, Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo and his beautiful wife, Modele, the wedding train moved to the beautifully festooned Yar-Adua Centre, Abuja for the reception. There, it was obvious to all that James- Toba had a commanding sense of hospitality, as the gaily dressed guests were treated to continental, Chinese and local delicacies and expensive wines. The lovely couple made their appearance at the Grand Ballroom that beautiful afternoon in eye-catching outfits. The billionaire brother of the groom, (MSJT) one of the leading figures in real estates and property business in Nigeria, showed all that he is surely a good host. The wedding, which attracted the cream of the society, will go down in the history as classy.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Tosin Clegg

07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

KAKAKI JESU

Performing at the Freedom Arena, London Remains Evergreen Saxophonists have been an integral part of the African music scene, with the timbres of their chosen instrument often at the center of layered compositions. In this interview with Tosin Clegg, Peter Adeshile, AKA Kakaki Jesu, a top-selling saxophonist and UKbased Nigerian talks about his rhythmically interesting album, love and exposure to Jazz, the Saxophone and his deep passion for music What’s behind the name ‘Kakaki Jesu’ started my music career playing the trumpet. I was the best in my community, I was therefore popularly known as Kakaki, which means Trumpet.

I was a member of the Boys Brigade In this club, we were expected to learn how to play as many instruments as possible. I started with the drums and then moved to the Trumpet due to the influence of my mentor, a senior officer of Boys Brigade, Mr. Debo Norma-Williams. I had seen him play exceptionally well. I approached him to teach me and he gladly did. What attracted and influenced me to the Saxophone When I arrived in the UK, I continued playing the Trumpet, but as I began to go around playing at church engagements, I was always asked if I could play the Saxophone as well. Then, one day, we were in choir practice in church and I picked up a Saxophone that was bought by the church. One of the ladies in choir practice (Susan Odushola) said ‘Brother Peter, it would be really nice for you and the church if you can learn to play the saxophone.’ Then I came to Lagos on holidays and asked a friend of mine, Biodun Adeoye, who was the baritone and saxophone player for Femi Kuti, to teach me how to play and here we are today. Saxophonists I listen to include Fela Kuti, Kirk Whalum, Ron Brown, Rick Braun and Charlie Parker. The life of a Musician is filled with women I am very disciplined, because I love my wife. The only woman I need to manage is my Yetunde. I kind of leave the home front management and organisation to Yetunde She does a fantastic job managing the home, even with her busy schedule. All I do is to tell her where and when my engagements are and she manages the rest around my schedule. Whenever I’m not travelling I rehearse a lot and listen to productions by other musicians. That’s also family time. We tend to go to Southend beach when the weather is good or to have a meal out. The Industry of today The industry seems to be picking up even in the recession; people always need good music. I’m working on my second album That’s at the moment and it is titled ‘Afro according to the Gospel’. I practice my music with the Saxophone, Trumpet and Keyboard. About my own music Yes, I like the music I do. I will not sell to people, what I do not like. I

don’t do sound engineering but I have a little knowledge of it. And sound needs a good Sound Engineer. I do Contemporary Gospel My music is unique and original, although I’m not yet signed to any music label. My marketing company is currently CD Babies. Choice of producers Sheun Oke is my producer because he is well advanced in contemporary music. Why gospel and not R’N’B or soul music is because I love the Lord and maybe because I grew up in the Christian environment. Setting myself apart in the music scene My uniqueness is using afro and African high life style in my music. The biggest I have performed was at The Redeemed Christian Church of God Festival of Life in London and Freedom Arena in London, as well. My new album There’s going to be about 8 tracks and the first one is “Accept Christ” in full Afro format. What inspired the songs As a Christian, I look at what is going on in the Diaspora. It seems like the end time and time to accept Christ. If I were to be 18 again I would focus more on music than academics. It seems I have gone round in a full circle and ended up a musician. My biggest fear The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. I fear God. Artiste I would love to meet That would be Kirk Whalum. In my opinion, Amazing Grace by Kirk Whalum is the best song ever recorded. I’m disciplined, focused and respectful And I would never travel without My Saxophone. And if one artiste were to perform at my party, I guess that would have to be Kirk Whalumm I would love to ban drugs and alcohol Majorly because, it’s what has landed a lot of musicians in trouble. The journey has just begun The production of my second album is what I’m fully focused on now. Lesson from my life as an artiste You need to have a vision of where you are going and remain focused. A lot of people miss it without a combination of these two things. Final thoughts I would like to use this platform to encourage more African musicians to focus more on African style of music. We all seem to be forgetting our rich African culture.

Kakaki Jesu

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

SHOWBIZFLAIR

MY STORY EBUBE NWAGBO’S ‘NOT ENOUGH’ SET TO PREMIERE

TOSIN ALAO

I’m a Man of Many Parts

Nigerian veteran actress, Ebube Nwagbo has grown to be a force to reckon with in the Industry, growing from an actor to a producer and then into entrepreneurship. Her production started in 2013 and she is now up and about with a new movie titled, ‘Not Enough’. Besides her, the production team is made up of Alexx Ekubo, Nazio Ekezie, Susan Hayat, Oge Okoye, Ogonna Mbonu and a few others. The movie, produced by her company, Posh World Productions, is set to hit the cinemas on November 13.

Tosin Alao is a recording artiste with an edge in other musical genres and productions. He released a song recently to charge Nigerians up during the commemoration of Independence. In this chat with Tosin Clegg, he talks about his music, life and mentors

MR. IBU TAKES BIRTHDAY BASH TO EBONYI Nigeria’s celebrated Nollywood comic act, John Okafor, AKA, Mr. Ibu said he would be celebrating his birthday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State on the 17th of this month when he will be a year older. The Enugu State-born actor disclosed this while speaking to reporters in Abuja last week, noting that he had concluded all arrangements towards having a successful birthday bash in Ebonyi State. The comic actor also disclosed during the chat that there would be novelty football match between the Enugu state EXCO and ex-internationals. It would be played in honour of Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi at

the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium in Enugu, during the week leading to his birthday bash in Ebonyi. The kingdom lottery brand ambassador further disclosed that he decided to take his birthday celebration to Ebonyi this year due to the interest shown in the movie industry by the Governor of the state, Dave Umahi. Mr. Ibu also disclosed that the novelty football match to be played in Enugu would also parade top movie stars, as well as former Super Eagles Captains, Chairman Christian Chukwu and Nwankwo Kanu. The birthday bash to be held in Abakaliki is coordinated by his international manager, Okechukwu Nwuzor (Don Singles).

ETISALAT-SPONSORED DELPHINO PICNIC LIGHTS UP ABUJA Residents of Abuja, again, had a great deal of fun and excitement last weekend as Nigeria’s most innovative and youth-friendly network, Etisalat, brought high quality entertainment and networking opportunities to their doorsteps, during the Delphino Picnic. The picnic, which held at Harrow Park,Abuja, was well attended by hundreds of upwardly mobile young professionals and families and offered a relaxed atmosphere of good music, refreshments and games. The picnic also provided opportunity for families to bond as there were lots of fun games and exciting activities for both children and adults. The event, hosted by King Special, featured various artistes such as Mayorkun, Dremo and Nigga Raw, among others, who excited

guests with some of their hit songs. Speaking on why the telecom company sponsored the picnic, Manager, Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, Orah Egwu explained that the fun and exciting atmosphere of Delphino Picnic presents a rare opportunity for the Etisalat brand to connect with customers inAbuja, especially young upwardly mobile professionals in a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Since its launch into the Nigerian market eight years ago, Etisalat Nigeria has been at the forefront of promoting initiatives that empower the Nigerian youth through programmes such as Cliqfest, the pan-Nigeria campus activation that fuses motivational seminar, sports and entertainment, as well as Olamide Live in Concert (OLIC), among others.

ell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Tosin Alao, famously called Sir T, Dexterity Entertainment boss, a recording artiste, a psalmist, producer, music director, composer and one of the living legends in bass playing. I’m a man of many parts, artistically.

When did you start out your career?

I do Gospel music. At a very tender age of 10, I grew up to see my father playing the piano and teaching songs in church as a choir master.

What’s your latest musical project?

The song ‘The Lord is my light’. We need the light of God in this country for us to go further; that’s what has given birth to this song. We cannot have the fullness of the light of God if we don’t hail Jesus as our king and the source of our strength. I wrote this song because the Lord is my light and source of my strength.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Reaching out to the ends of the world and affecting souls positively and blessing humanity.

Who are your musical influences and mentors?

Mentors and influences; Jesus is my influence. Musically, good women choir, Bola Are. We were in the same church in the late ‘70s, where I was born.

What makes you and your music very exceptional?

The Grace of God and His anointing upon my life. His favour that I don’t deserve.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

VINTAGE

UAC Foods Unveils New Brand Sausage Roll – Gala Mega

AC Foods Limited – a leading manufacturer and marketer of tasty and nourishing convenience foods in Nigeria, has unveiled to the public Gala Mega – a brand new addition to their rich basketful of Snacks offerings in a colourful ceremony held at their office in Ojota, Lagos. Gala Mega, as the name implies, is a larger sized Sausage Roll with the same trusted and satisfying Gala taste, but in a bigger, meatier and more filing size to meet the yearnings of Consumers, who want to be easily filled up on a friendly budget. General Manager -Marketing of UAC Foods Limited, Mrs. Joan Ihekwaba who unveiled the Gala Mega at the ceremony alongside other invited high dignitaries, said Gala Mega is a product of direct response to the yearnings and desires of Gala Consumers for a more filling Snack to keep them going as they achieve their daily goals. She said having pioneered the Sausage Roll market way back in 1962, Gala Sausage Roll has kept faith with Nigerians by holding the N50 price point for 10 years and with the new offering, which will in no way hamper the availability of the regular Gala Sausage Roll at 50 naira retail price, UAC Foods is once again setting the pace in the Sausage Roll Industry with a new pack size. “For over 5 decades, the Gala brand has believed in/ identified with the Nigerian story, a story of perseverance, strong will, and a passion that

L – R: Femi Adeyemi, Sales Operations Manager; Joan Ihekwaba, General Manager Marketing; Uche Nwana, Distributor; Agnes Okwakwa, Distributor and Folasade Abiola, Senior Brand Manager Snacks; all of UAC Foods Limited at the official unveiling of Gala Mega, the newest offering from Nigeria’s foremost food manufacturers... In Lagos

never gives up. Today the launch of Gala Mega is reassurance UFL’s commitment to Keep You Going. A stronger devotion to walk you through your success story. “The new brand is an addition to existing variants of the Gala Brand, which include regular Gala Sausage Roll, Mini Gala, Gala Chicken and Gala Cocktail. The regular Gala Sausage Roll is still available at N50,” she said.

Mrs. Ihekwaba revealed that Gala Mega is the first Sausage Roll in Nigeria to include micronutrients for the health and nutrition of its Consumers and that the product is greatly enriched with vitamins and minerals such as Zinc, Iron, Folic acid and Iodine, as well as Vitamin B1 and B2, which is prepared from pure beef filling and rich pastry. She said there couldn’t have been a better time for UAC Foods Limited to

introduce Gala Mega into the market than now given the prevailing economic situation in the country, where Nigerians want a truly filling sized Sausage Roll at a pocket friendly price to fit their upwardly mobile lifestyle. The new brand is available all over the country at a retail price of N100 and the pack is differentiated with a touch of green and the word ‘Mega’ inscribed on the primary packaging.

ExpertChargesFGonValueforMoney Godwin Ifijeh

Transparency, Business and Value for Money Consultant and Strategist has charged the Federal Government to embrace the concept and practice of Value for Money (VfM) to drive its current crusade against corruption, arguing that the problem of the country has more to do with the neglect for Value for Money than poor revenue generation. Mr. Sam S.O Afemikhe, Founder and Managing Director, SS Afemikhe Consulting Limited, who made the submission in a paper entitled: “Performance Measurement & Benchmarking as a Pillar of Value for Money in Public Finance” at the recently concluded National Council of Finance and Economic Development (NACOFED) Summit in Collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital, said the ‘Nigerian disease’ is wrongly diagnosed as “Revenue Shortage” instead of poor Value for Money. “Historically, revenue has never been the problem of this country but how to get value …best value for expenditure”, he said, commending the Minister of

Finance for setting up the Efficiency Unit in the ministry and bringing value for money to the national discourse and consciousness, which, according to him, isa first step towards the pursuit of Value for Money. He explained that the Efficiency Unit will not fully deliver Value for Money for the Nation without the Economy and Effectiveness elements of the 3Es (Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness ) of Value for Money and the Measurement and Assurance Perspectiveoffered by Value Analysis and Performance Measurement & Benchmarking (PM&B). The fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) tasked the Finance Ministry to organize a forum to brainstorm on the importance and desirability of setting up the framework to pursue Value for Money as a cure for the Nigerian current disease of spending money without a matching output or outcome benefit, stressing that a comprehensive application of Value for Money in the nation’s public finances has become urgently necessary because of limited resources, the clear evidence of waste, bloated cost of completed projects viewed against those of her comparator countries, lack of clear connection between public expenditure and public benefits and the need for

increased transparency and accountability, given especially the level of public expenditure. Citing Peter Drucker’s claim that what get measured gets done, Afemikhe drew a correlation between performance measurement, benchmarking, value analysis and the success of value for money, pointing out that performance measurement is an important tool for evaluating value for money in the public sector. He suggested that government immediately sets up a Performance Measurement & Benchmarking Unit in every ministry, department and agency to be coordinated centrally by the Finance Ministry and deplore data from the units to create a government Performance Forum. Planned projects , he said, should be forecast benchmarked to establish baseline and to ensure that planned values are always delivered and actual value is regularly compared with baseline to ensure that overrun in cost, schedule business case and technical are minimized or completely eliminated. “Completed projects,” he continued, “should be benchmarked against plans in response and answers to the question, how did we do, did we obtain value for money and what lessons can we learn while actual lessons learnt are

not only implemented to ensure that poor performance is not continuously repeated, but government as a necessity should adopt value for money audits”. The Value for Money Consultant and Strategist further stressed that “the pursuit of value for money must be applied with vigour, value for money is doing the right things and doing things right, we must deploy modern systems, tools and technology that our peers applied so potently to make progress or we continue to languish in poverty. We must totally embrace transparency (light), it is the best weapon against corruption and fraud; court prosecution, moral suasion etc do not work and in fact, may be medicine after death. Imagine where the country would have been today if we spent the $717 billion (N89.9 trillion) that we earned between 1981 and 2015 with value for money in our minds. “Implementation of Value for Money in our public finances will liberate the Nigerian economy, considerably reduce corruption and fraud (if not eliminate it completely), save the funds spent in running corrupt people around the courts, transform our infrastructure and enhance our Human Development Index (HDI), that is when we will start to match our realities with our potentials.”

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES

First Bank’s Lexical Recession

HISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER, of October 8 welcomes us this week: “Diamond Bank Plc (PLC) is a customer driven (customer-driven) bank….” “…enhanced customer friendly (customer-friendly) services.” “Again, Edo PDP protest (protests) declaration of Obaseki as governor elect (governor-elect)” “NigerAssembly introduce (introduces) palliatives to cushion economic recession” The Guardian Front Page of October 4 takes over from THISDAY with the following infractions: “Cross River highway project threatens (threatened) over N3000b donor funds to Nigeria” “Police seeks (seek) international co-operation to fight cyber crime” “UNIBEN ex-VC,Alele-Williams, others bags (why?) chieftaincy title (titles)” “The agitation is a natural reaction to the neglect and share (sheer) marginalization of the Igbo geopolitical enclave.” (THE GUARDIAN Opinion Page, October 4) “Nasarawa govt (govt.) proffers solution against (to) recession” “Nigeria’s recession a blessing in disguises (disguise), says Utomi “CIPM inducts new executive members” This is a disappointment: would it have been old executive members? You can readmit or rededicate old executive members—not induct or inaugurate! Government of Rivers State of Nigeria, Ministry of Lands & Survey, circulated the following juvenile blunders via a full-page wasteful/patronizing congratulatory message to Governor Wike on Nigeria’s 56th IndependenceAnniversary signed by SirAnugbum Onuoha JP, SpecialAdviser to the Governor on Lands: “...it is a reality that your administration that commenced on a very good footing has witnessed monumental successes resulting to (in) Landmark (unnecessary capitalization) achievements.” “This year’s celebration of Nigeria’s 56th IndependenceAnniversary, (needless comma) bring (brings) to….” “…the evidence we are seeing today through commissioning (inauguration) of tremendous projects.” “…we join all well meaning (well-meaning) Nigerians to salute and congratulate you….” “Return Nigeria’s loots, Buhari tells US, UK” (DAILY Sun Front Page Bold Headline, September 21) Misquoting Buhari: ‘loot’ is uncountable. “The award further confirms the popular view of the entire Rivers people that Gov. Wike is God-sent (Godsend) and a remarkable achiever.” (Full-page

advertorial by Ogbaku Ikwerre Cultural Organization World-wide, THISDAY, October 1) “Apinch of unparralled (unparalleled) UNITY” (Full-page recipe for celebrating at 56 by FirstBank, THISDAY, October 1) You First: always spell-check “Rejoinder on (to) Thisday publication on DELSUTH” “Rest in the bossom (bosom) of your Creator” (Full-page memorial, THISDAY, October 1) “Army kills 7 militants, repel (why?) attack by Bakasi (sic) armed group” (Source: as above) “The feelers (feeler) one is getting is that there is a deliberate plan to keep us permanently angry with our past….” (DAILY Sun Back Page, July 27) “…the kind of a country that majority (a majority) of Nigerians would be proud of.” (DAILY SUN HARD FACTS, September 7) “It is time the government did (does) something and quickly to reverse the trend.” Alternatively: It is high time government did…. “The potentials of Ogun cotton production” Either potentialities or just potential (no inflection) (DAILY SUN Headline, September 14) “Gang up (Gang-up) against Tinubu’s candidate” (SUNDAY Sun Front Page Banner, September 4) “Infidelity, abortion scares man away from wife” Error of attraction: scare. The next three blunders are from DAILY SUN of September 13: “…the PDP in the state congratulated the former governor of the state for (on/upon) the victory.” “Elumelu sets precedence (precedent) in impact investing (investment) inAfrica” “GOC’s shoot-at-sight order undue interference with electoral process” Fixed expression: shoot-onsight order. “40 persons charged for election violence in Osun” Stock phrase: charge with (not for) “To serve is a priviledge…” Spell-check: privilege. “The INEC office was said to have been packed full, before a big bang was heard.” ‘Bang’ does not need any qualification—small or big because of its inherent loudness and suddenness. “…As underaged voters storm polling booths’’ This way: underage voters. “My grouse with INEC’’ My grouse about (not with or against)…. “INEC’s shodiness and senators’ apprehension” Shoddiness leads to sloppiness. “Banks get 48 hours ultimatum” Why not 48 hours’ ultimatum? “For the many others who kept their heads low and still did their duties the best way they could, we say congratulations for (on/upon) surviving the season of anomie.” “The occasion was to mark the anniversary of

his release from prison in (on) the infamous Robben Island.” “All manners (manner) of evil (evils) have been blamed on the Nigerian police.” “They too would ask why the candidate put himself forward two times for the Senatorial post, knowing fully (full) well that….” “The government justified its decision to privatize all but a few of its public enterprises on the ground (grounds) that they have been….” (THE NATION, September 6) “The next set ofAssemblies should comprise of people of sound knowledge of the law.” Obliterate the ‘of’ preceding ‘people’.. ”If Nigerians are to continue taking government’s moral propagations serious (seriously)….” “…the fate of other spheres of human activity are (is) inextricably tied to it.” “If the police was (were) slow in apprehending the murderers….” “President Buhari urged to embark on poverty alleviation schemes” News: poverty-alleviation scheme. Take note of the hyphen. “The chances of any fifteen to twenty-four-yearold being murdered is (are)….” “…top office holders who are currently (sic/ unnecessary) facing various charges ranging from murder, embezzlement of public money and (to) blatant violation of fundamental human rights of many Nigerians.” “…suspected criminals caught by various vigilante (vigilance) groups who now do the job of the police.” “When Obasanjo made known his intention to contest the presidential election under (on) the platform of the PDP….” “…he was going to do his possible best.…” Issues in 2017 Budget: ‘Best’ does not require any intensification because of its superlative status. “But the governor has stuck to his gun (guns), insisting that his action is perfectly constitutional.” Next in the saddle is THE PUNCH of September 13 which goofed this way: “LG plans to employ qualified health officials” Would it have employed unqualified officials? Your readers are not moronic patrons! “The minister had alerted the nation about (to) the activities of saboteurs within the system.” “The NLC has however gone beyond mere condemnation of the policy to threaten government with a strike action.” Deregulation of English: industrial action. “I have also come to the conclusion that the best way to remain sane in this country is not to take our rulers serious (seriously).” “INEC was at a crossroad before the postpone-

EBERE WABARA

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

ment.…” Sustainable democracy: at a/the crossroads. This is lexical recession! “The other problem of inter- and intra-communal feuds continue (continues) unabated….” Not proximity yet. “…especially as it has defiled (defied) all solutions by experts in the area of waste management….” “Sadly, these have culminated into (in) communal clashes….” “…in line with ourAfrican view of being our brothers’ keepers.” Fixed expression: brother’s keeper (irrespective of plurality) “As a youth corp (corps) member in Kano in 1974/75, I do understand….” “Buhari to re-open talks with Niger Delta leaders” ‘Reopen’ does not admit hyphenation. “Sheath Your Sword” Spell-check: sheathe. “If the recent discovery of the bodies of policemen and soldiers in the bush are (is) a measure of….” “Stocks shake-off recession challenges, remain active” Phrasal verbs abhor hyphenation. “What happens to genetically-modified seeds that make agricultural produces grow….” An unfinished agendum: ‘produce’ is non-count. “Journalists attached toAbuja may eventually return home to their families with their properties (property)....” “Military personnel are said to outdo themselves (one another).…” “Excuse me if I am trivializing, via humour, an otherwise griefing matter.” This is scandalous! Noun: grief and verb: grieve. So, grievous (adjective, which is the right application here) matter. “Thank God I didn’t doff my hat for (to) someone who does not even merit a clap.”Another variant: take off one’s hat to…. “He killed an Egyptian and an Hebrew” Lectern thoughts: a Hebrew (which is New English).

FEEDBACK

DEAR Ebere, do not let the incorrigible nature of colleagues of yours discourage you. It is disheartening that a number of errors you painstakingly correct on a weekly basis are still made by them repeatedly. They have defiantly remained incorrigible. THISDAY of Saturday, September 17 (page 43) made the following gaffe: ‘The beverage industry which is gradually warming (worming) its way back into the hearts of consumers....’The phrasal verb ‘worm your way into something’, though disapproving, means ‘to make somebody like you or trust you in order to gain some advantage for yourself. In this context, the verb ‘worm’is needed, not ‘warm’. (Dr Stanley Nduagu/08062925996).

Unpadding the Budget

he budget padding drama which played out in the House of Representatives for several weeks reached a denouement with the suspension slammed on recalcitrant former chairman of its Appropriation committee, Abdulmumuni Jibrin. The latter-day whistleblower, who would rather be referred to as accidental activist, was barred from the Parliament for 180 days, a development which has raised constitutional issues. Femi Gbajabiamila, Leader of the House leads the school of thought the decision to shut Jibrin out is a breach of the rights of his Kiri-Bebeji federal constituency of Kano State to be represented in the National Assembly. But while the suspended lawmaker is out in the cold from where he continues his graft-cleansing campaign, the House seems to be less concerned about the grave budget padding allegations raised against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers. During the week, Mr. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, Chairman of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges which investigated and recommended the suspension of Jibrin, told journalists that the allegations raised against the Speaker; Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun; Chief Whip, Alhassan Doguwa; and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor would not be investigated until after the sanction is served out and the punished lawmaker probably allowed back to Parliament. For now, the House has moved on having chipped off the offending finger even though ripples of the suspension cannot be totally subdued. Importantly, it is apt to let the courts make a pronouncement on the matter of Jibrin’s suspension while the anti-corruption agencies take action on the allegations of budget padding. Just as it is equally apt and urgently so, to reform the budgetary process in order to avert a repeat of the large-scale malfeasance that has characterized the preparation and implementation of the annual budget over the years. And a major step in this direction was taken on September 26, 2016 in Abuja when stakeholders from the Executive, Legislature, Media, Civil Society, Development Partners, Private Sector and even the Diplomatic Community gathered together to brainstorm on how to make the budget work in Nigeria and for Nigerians. The event was the Gallery Colloquium organized by OrderPaper.ng, Nigeria’s premier independent parliamentary reporting multi-media news organization. The array of stakeholders who attended and participated through prepared submissions, panel contributions and comments included Speaker Dogara, the man in the eye of the storm which engulfed the House of Representatives in previous weeks; his immediate predecessor and current Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; Minister of Budget and National Planning,

PEOPLE2PEOPLE WITH

OKE EPIA Telephone (sms only): 07059850016 Email: resourceman.oke@live.com. Twitter: @resourceme

Udoma Udo Udoma who was represented by Kayode Obasa, Director of Economic Growth in the Ministry; and Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu. Others were Sen. Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate); Emeka Ihedioha, immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives; Eze Onyekpere, Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CENSOJ); Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times; Victor Muruako, Acting Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission; and Sen. Chris Anyanwu, a member of the 6th and 7th Senate. The panel also had Sen. John Enoh, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance; Kingsley Chinda, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts; Garba Lawal, Chairman, House of representatives Committee on Constituency Outreach; Imoni Amarere, Managing Director of Daar News Services (owners of AIT and Raypower FM); and Sen. Shehu Sani, Chairman, Senate Committee on Domestic and Foreign Debts. Comments and questions were put forward by the audience which had critical stakeholders like Mustapha Dawaki, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation and other members

of the Parliament including Sen. Dino Melaye, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Abdussamad Dasuki, Chairman of the House Committee on Navy. Top CEOs and Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) also put up participation at the event. The media was also strongly represented and went the extra mile of giving proceedings and outcomes of the Colloquium very lavish coverage and analysis weeks after. While Tambuwal chaired the day’s proceedings which took up to four hours and had all guests and participants staying through to the end, the panel session was moderated by Anthony Ubani, a development and leadership expert who is CEO of African Leadership Advantage. One of the beauties of the event was that a communique was prepared, vetted and adopted by a unanimous voice vote of participants before the meeting adjourned till the next edition of the Gallery reconvenes sometime in September 2017. The communique preparation was expertly coordinated by Chido Onumah of the Africa Centre for Media and Information Literacy. But besides the glitz and glamour which had all the trappings of an A-class event, the Colloquium produced very salient roadmap on how to make the budget work in the interest of the majority of Nigerians and not just a few privileged members of the political class. Some of the very important recommendations (by the way the full communique and details of papers presented at the event can be viewed and downloaded at www.OrderPaper.ng) reached touch on inclusiveness of the budgetary process; capacity-building for actors and players involved in the process; reform of the National Assembly committees on Appropriation; strict adherence with the and amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act; budget tracking and extensive oversight; as well as emphasis on the roles of the media and civil society in the entire process, among others. The rich outcomes of the Gallery Colloquium if followed through with necessary steps by concerned actors and stakeholders present a veritable avenue to reform the budget and make it deliver the dividends of democracy which Nigerians have craved for since return to democratic rule in 1999. The good part is that some of these next steps need not be initiated by government even though the onus of implementation lies largely with it. And for an administration that is riding on the crest of change, there is no better time than now to pick up the gauntlet offered by OrderPaper.ng in proffering workable and measurable solutions to the challenges of budgeting in the country. ––Epia is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of OrderPaper.ng. Kindly follow writer onTwitter @resourceme

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

auTO

Nissan Donates Almera Sedan to Lagos Security Trust Fund Stories by Bennett Oghifo

issan in collaboration with Stallion Group has donated a new Nissan Almera car to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund in recognition of the organisation’s efforts in mitigating violent crimes in the State. At the brief ceremony, the Managing Director, Stallion NMN Parvir Singh said the donation, which was Nissan’s first to the organisation, was an expression of the automaker’s corporate responsibility values of appropriating support to relevant agencies and organisations in the country. Singh said, “Having followed the organisation’s achievements in recent years, Stallion NMN in collaboration with our principals, Nissan South Africa are pleased to extend our hands of fellowship to the society that has made our business operations more secure and attractive. And, this is largely due to the activities of the Security Trust Fund in curbing the menace of crime in Lagos State.” He added that “the occasion is without doubt another milestone in the annals of our young and dynamic Nissan sales and manufacturing company…andweareexcitedtobeassociatedwith Lagos State Security Trust Fund – an organisation that has excelled in devising potent strategies to mitigate security challenges in Lagos State.” Singh described Nissan as an internationally acclaimed brand with key representation worldwide and the automaker is currently the No. 2 in Japan and the sixth largest automaker with over 5.4 million units sold worldwide in 2015. West African Conglomerate Stallion Group in April 2013 partnered with Nissan South Africa to form Stallion NMN, the sole manufacturer, importer and distributor of Nissan products in Nigeria. Stallion NMN later became the first indigenous

L-R: Stallion NMN Managing Director, Parvir Singh; Executive Secretary, Lagos State Security Trust Fund Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun; Director, Nissan Sub-Sahara Africa, Jimmy Dando; Head, Sales & Marketing Stallion NMN Amitkumar Sharma; and Commander Rapid Response Squad, ASP Olatunji Disu, at the presentation of Nissan Almera sedan to the Trust Fund in Lagos… recently

motor assembly plant to roll-out locally assembled Nissan vehicles, consequent upon the inauguration of the NationalAutomotive Policy, assembling four Nissan models including Patrol, NP300, NV350

and Almera at the plant in Lagos. Also speaking at the occasion, Director, Sales and Operations Nissan sub-Saharan Africa Jimmy Dando said: “Nigeria is Nissan’s most outstanding

market in Africa Growth strategy and “we will exploit the country’s strategic regional partners in the West Coast to make Nigeria the automobile hub for evolving West African markets.”

Toyota new C-HR Engine Offers More for Less

oyota’s new C-HR premium SUV will be the first vehicle in the company’s Australian range to be equipped with a powerful yet efficient 1.2-litre turbo engine. Direct injection, a water-cooled turbo and an expanded intelligent variable valve-timing system offer performance levels equivalent to a significantly larger engine, but with lower fuel consumption and emissions. The compact and lightweight turbo petrol engine generates maximum power of 85kW and an impressive 185Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm all the way to 4,000rpm. It adopts a multi-pronged approach to deliver engaging responsiveness and acceleration while incorporating fuel-saving technology previously reserved for hybrid engines, including the ability to switch to the fuel-saving Atkinson cycle. Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said the new engine is a direct benefit of the global company’s new product-development strategy TNGA, Toyota New Global Architecture. “The C-HR has a unique character that demonstrates the flexibility that TNGAgives to Toyota’s developers in the three key areas - design, powertrain and dynamics,” Mr Cramb said. “C-HR’s extroverted styling projects a confident

and sporty image that is matched by a remarkable turbo engine with great response across the rev range that is not compromised by impressive economy,” he said. “Combined with the outstanding handling and agility from the highly rigid new platform with its low centre of gravity, the C-HR adds up to an impressively engaging drive experience.” The C-HR’s turbo petrol engine alternates between the conventional Otto cycle in normal driving and the highly efficient Atkinson cycle under low engine loads. It achieves this with a range of advanced technologies, including a new limited-volume intake system that ensures more rapid combustion for immediate response and a high compression ratio to improve power and efficiency. Other cutting-edge features include an innovative cylinder-head design with an integrated exhaust manifold, lightweight valve-train, variable control oil-jet system and resin intake manifold and Toyota new C-HR intake pipes. It can be driven through Toyota’s Multidrive S continuously variable transmission with two of next year, will be offered in two premium modes - fully automatic, seamless shifting or a grades, C-HR and C-HR Koba - the latter besequential, stepped seven-speed Sport mode. A ing a tribute to the car’s global chief engineer, six-speed manual transmission is also available Hiroyuki Koba. Local models will be highly equipped, including on the C-HR front-drive variant. C-HR, due in dealer showrooms in the first quarter advanced safety features such as a pre-collision

system with autonomous braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering control, automatic high beam and a reversing camera. Additional features for the Koba variants include heated seats, a smart entry and start system, privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Hyundai Motor Global Brand Value Continues to Grow

yundai Motor is the world’s 35th biggest brand according to the latest rankings published by global brand specialists Interbrand, overtaking four other renowned brands in the past year. Despite yet another challenging year for the automotive industry, Hyundai Motor’s global brand value increased 11.1% to reach $12.55bn, securing its place among the biggest brands on the planet. The Korean company also moved up one place to 6th in the global automotive industry top 10 brands and is the 4th most valuable high-volume automotive brand.

Hyundai Motor maintained global sales at five million units, helped by successful launches of its Creta, Sonata and Tucson models, while reinforcing its Modern Premium brand philosophy through increased differentiation between the Hyundai and Genesis brand identities. The Hyundai Motor brand is set to achieve even greater heights with electrified IONIQ models, high-performance Hyundai N cars and futuremobilityfocusedProjectIONIQmovingthebrand into new automotive spaces. WonhongCho,ExecutiveVicePresidentofHyundai Motor Company, said: “The car-ownership model may become obsolete within a matter of

years, therefore we simply can’t limit our vision to eco-friendly vehicles. To maintain our rate of growth as a global brand we must rethink the traditional business model and not just see ourselves as a transportation company, but also a mobility service provider. With Project IONIQ we will address this new paradigm and further Hyundai Motor’s standing as one of the world’s most valuable brands.” Acknowledging the achievement, Mike Rocha, Global Director of Brand Valuation at Interbrand said: “Over the past year, Hyundai has once again redefined its limits by introducing IONIQ to gain leadership in future mobility, by spinning off the

Genesis brand to enhance clarity for each brand’s identity and by providing innovative experiences such as Hyundai Motorstudio Digital. We look forward to another year of growth for Hyundai as one of the forerunners of future mobility.” Expanding the brand’s reach further, Hyundai Motor’s high performance sub-brand ‘N’ was launched in September 2015, with an aim to bring intuitive, high-performance, fun to drive vehicles to a broad range of customers. The RM16, Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo, and RN30 concepts revealed in 2016 are inspired by the brand’s passion for performance and will evolve into the first Hyundai N model.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 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

Speed Limiter Enforcement; Six Days Post Motem

Land Rover new Discovery

Land Rover Reveals New Discovery Stories by Bennett Oghifo

he New Discovery embodies Land Rover’s drive to go Above and Beyond, combining British desirability with an unstoppable spirit of adventure, the automaker has said. “It’s an authentic, three-row, seven-seat SUV with unbeatable capability and versatility. Everyday ingenuity has been

at the heart of the Discovery for the last 27 years. New Discovery signals the transformation from cogs to code with more than 1.2 million customers with us on every step of the journey. “The fifth-generation model benefits from Land Rover’s strong, safe and light full-size SUV architecture, delivering comfort and adaptability like no other.” The New Discovery is for the digital age. Ingenious technol-

ogy keeps your family safe, connected and confident on all surfaces, all terrains and in all weathers to ensure your destination is reached. “New Discovery redefines the large SUV. Land Rover’s design and engineering teams have revolutionised the Discovery DNA to create a highly desirable, extremely versatile and hugely capable premium SUV,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s Chief Design Officer. “We truly believe the

result is a radical departure in design that will introduce the Discovery family to a new, wider customer base.” Revolutionary design… New Discovery was previewed by the Discovery Vision Concept, which showcased the future direction of the entire Discovery family when it debuted at the New York Auto Show in 2014, and represents a radical departure for Land Rover’s most versatile SUV.

Ford Performance Packs EcoBoost Mustang with Near-V8 Power

he folks at Ford Performance are offering 2015 and newer Mustang owners added power, and best of all, it’s covered under warranty. For the 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, the new performance calibration kit brings along a peak total of 70 pound-feetoftorque,boostingthe total output to 390 lb-ft, which is not too far off from the V8’s 400 lb-ft. In the horsepower department, the small turbo engine gets kicked up to 335 horsepower. If you look at specific rpms, the gains are even more significant. For instance, at 6,000 rpm, an extra 100 hp is available compared to the standard engine. Owners of the already potent 5.0-liter V8 can also get a performance calibration kits that adds 37 hp, bringing the car’s total to 472 hp, thanks in part to a boosted

2016 Ford Mustang Ecoboost

redline. Besides added power, 5.0 owners also get a higher engine redline and a new no-lift-shift system that allows the driver to keep the throttle depressed while

shiftinggearsinmanual-equipped Mustangs.Therearealsotwoother power packs available for the V8 Mustang, the first of which boosts powerby13hpand16lb-ft,thanks

to a high-flow air filter. The second packaddsacoldairintake,alarger throttle body and a new open air filter, boosting power by 21 hp and 24 lb-ft.

18th Abuja International Motor Fair Holds October 25-November 1

he annual Abuja International Motor Fair will hold at the Eagle Square, Abuja from October 25-November1,2016. According to the Chairman of the organizing committee for the event Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, the event which is having its 18th edition is targeted towards boosting investments in the sector, which despite the economic downturn is set to seriously assume its rightful place in the Nigerian economy.

He assured that the platform of this edition has been packaged to increasing the attention of the government to the importance of urgently addressing the current challenges in the sector so as to use it to drive the nation’s economic diversification policy. Disclosing this recently in a chat with journalists, Agwu, who is also the Managing Director of BKG Exhibitions Limited, organizers of the event said that every effort have been deployed to ensure that through the event, the sector receives the needed

support from the government and the private sector to enhance its’ rapid development. “We are packaging a show that will showcase all the existing and potential investment opportunities that abound in the Nigerian automotive industry, which we believe are very attractive to existing and prospective investors,” he announced. According to him; this edition of the annual event is set to provide the litmus test to the shape of things in the industry with the current paradigm shift in the

economy, government and the automotive sector. “The quality and quantity of showcased automobiles is undoubtedly the primary yardstick of measuring the success of any auto exhibition. This means that auto enterprises showcasing at any exhibition must ensure visibility, wholeness and completeness, not leaving anything to chance”. These will be highly on display at the Eagle Square Abuja from October 25-November 1, 2016 under the auspices of the Abuja International Motor fair.”

ast week I did a piece on how to verify if a vehicle is installed with a speed limiter. This week marks the second week of enforcement which began on October 1st 2016 nationwide and the question on most people lips is whether we are succeeding or not especially in the face of the economic recession. I have therefore decided to do a review of progress made so far within the first six days across the country after which I will also shed light on the frequently asked questions as strategy to open up a new chapter of education on the ongoing speed limiting device enforcement. So how smooth is the exercise going? My boss,Dr Boboye Oyeyemi is best suited to answer this as I have my restrictions since I only know of happenings within my zone which is made of of Rivers ,Cross River, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States. So what is the take of the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps? I will rely on his recent media chat wherehereviewedsixdays,stating that the record nationwide indicatesthat22,908vehicleshad been checked nationwide; 1164 had the device installed while 21,744 were yet to comply. His review indicates that Rivers had the highest number of 170, while Enugu had 165 and Kogi had 100.Within these period, he said citations were issued out to 21,744 offenders with a warnimg.This, he said was done to allow tolerance by givingthemtwoweekswarning. Hecommendedtheenthusiasm shown thus far and expressed delight that two companies are already bringing equipment to commence local production with plans to have them commissioned by next month. This developmentwillnodoubtsolve the problem of cost which has remained a sore point for some commercial drivers and owners So, as we await the commissioning of the plant and a possible crash in cost of the device, it is imperative to step up awareness strategy to bridge the gap by focusing on the frequently asked questions by motorists some of who still question the rationale behind the ongoing enforcement despite the fact that almost every Nigerian has lost a friend,familymember,colleague of neighbor through avoidable road traffic crashes. Prior to the enforcement, questions such as what a speed limiter is, how it works, types, who approves the standard among others have and are still being asked, I will attempt these as space allows and continue some other time. A speed limiting device sometimes referred to as governor’ is used for controlling the speed of a vehicle or a device used to

measure or regulate the speed of a vehicle. Unlike the era prior to Oct 1 when discretion was on the driver accounting for avoidable crashes and deaths, the device does not allow the driver to accelerate beyond the stipulated speed limit by law as has been programmed in the vehicle. So no matter how the driver tends to accelerate, the pre-set speed limit will not be exceeded.Meanwhie there are two types;. the mechanical speed limiting device and the electrical/Electronicspeedlimiting device. Of the 38 vendors so far certified, certified by the major technical committee members which includes Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and FRSC. The approved marketers are responsible for installation of the speed limiting device through their agents (Technicians) who are trained and certified for that purpose. Therefore you must avoid the lure of being sweet talked by mechanics who will tell you they have the capacity and experience to install. Like I said at the beginning of this piece, the enforcement commenced on Oct 1st and the price for the device is not fixed but is determined by the market force. As a word of caution, to check functionality and workability of the devices users are not allowed to tamper with the device but inform installers of any malfunction where they occur. Where issue of repairs arises, please note that the approved marketers through their certified agents carry out periodic service/calibration of the device based on Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) specification. Issues of security were pronounced during our series of engagement and advocacies but you must know that once installed and calibrated the device will not allow you go beyond the pre-set speed limit cannot increase speed beyond the approved limit. Rather in the case of emergency, the driver is expected to apply defensive driving technique. Remember that commercial vehicles must comply and Regulation 231 defines commercial vehicles as follows:“Commercial vehicle” includes motorcycle for hire, a hackney carriage, stage carriage, a prime mover, recovery vehicle, draw-bar-trailer or articulated vehicle, buses, pick up vans, tricycles and any motor vehicle primarily designed for the carriage of goods and fare-paying passengersaswellasvehiclesfor carrying people by companies and religious bodies. Regulation 109, - (1) states that: All school buses shall be registered as commercial vehicles. Therefore schoolproprietorsmustnotethat compliance is key for them as they are not exempted.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OctOber 15, 2016

FAMILY HEALTH

The Importance Of Hormones in Your Body

he human body is made up of complex network of vessels, capillaries and other necessary component structures that interact and communicate with the brain, to ensure normal functioning of the body. One of the important components of the body are hormones, which are produced in glands situated in various areas of your body. There are multiple glands throughout the body, and each gland produces specific hormones designed to carry out certain functions. Hormones are special chemical messengers in the body that are created in the endocrine glands. These messengers control most major bodily functions, from simple basic needs like hunger to complex systems like reproduction, and even emotions and mood. Having a clear understanding of the major hormones and what they do will help patients take control of their health. They are actually seen as tiny chemical messengers located inside of your body. They are unable to be seen with the human eye and travel throughout the internal superhighway , the bloodstream – into all of your body’s organs and tissues. Different hormones perform specific roles inside of your body. Some of these hormones work quickly to start or stop a process, and some will continually work over the course of a long period of time to perform their necessary jobs. Some of these jobs include the body’s growth and development, metabolism (or production of energy), sexual function and reproduction. Hormones in your body determine your growth, weight, physique, mood, behavior, digestion, fertility, overall health, almost everything. The endocrine system The endocrine glands are a highly specialized group of cells responsible for making hormones. These glands are located throughout your entire body. Each gland plays a specific role in the production of a particular hormone or group of hormones needed to carry out the necessary duties required by your body to help the body remain in a state of homeostasis. or continual balance. The body requires a continual state of balance in order to function at its maximum level of efficiency. If, for any reason, your body is ever found to be outside of homeostatic balance, there could be significant negative results if the body is not repaired within a certain period of time. When a person is exposed to cold weather for an extended period of time, the body’s internal temperature begins to fall. The body’s temperature must remain within a certain range in order for the continual balance of homeostasis to occur and ensure all organs and systems are functioning properly. In order to remain in homeostatic balance, certain hormones are sent to specific cells and tissues to trigger a sensation which generates heat within the body and causes you to experience things such as shivering and the chattering of your teeth. These indications remind you that it is time to find a warmer location so your body may begin working to restore its internal temperature back to the range needed for proper body functions to occur. If the body temperature continues to fall, and you are unable to find a way to generate the heat required to reverse this problem, organs and systems will slowly begin to fail. When they are in proper balance, hormones help the body thrive, but small problems with hormones can cause serious and life-altering symptoms. If you have concerns about any of your hormones, talk to a qualified endocrinologist. Hormones are created by glands, which are part of the endocrine system. The main hormoneproducing glands are: • Hypothalamus: The hypothalamus is responsible for body temperature, hunger, moods and the release of hormones from other glands; and also controls thirst, sleep and sex drive. • Parathyroid: This gland controls the amount of calcium in the body.

They are actually seen as tiny chemical messengers located inside of your body. They are unable to be seen with the human eye and travel throughout the internal superhighway , the bloodstream – into all of your body’s organs and tissues. Different hormones perform specific roles inside of your body. Some of these hormones work quickly to start or stop a process, and some will continually work over the course of a long period of time to perform their necessary jobs. Some of these jobs include the body’s growth and development, metabolism (or production of energy), sexual function and reproduction

with

BOBO BODE -KAYODE

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, 08053372356

• Thymus: This gland plays a role in the func- physical and physiological changes that occur tion of the adaptive immune system and the in a woman’s body during pregnancy. These maturity of the thymus, and produces T-cells. changes are brought about by female hormones, • Pancreas: This gland produces the insulin each of which plays a specific role. The levels that helps control blood sugar levels. of hormones change during pregnancy, and • Thyroid: The thyroid produces hormones each hormone has a specific function. Certain associated with calorie burning and heart rate. hormones after pregnancy eventually decrease in • Adrenal: Adrenal glands produce the hor- secretion till they are brought down to a normal mones that control sex drive and cortisol, the level or eliminated. stress hormone. Progesterone is similar to estrogen but is not • Pituitary: Considered the “master control considered the main sex hormone. Like estrogen, gland,” the pituitary gland controls other glands it assists with the menstrual cycle and plays a and makes the hormones that trigger growth. role in pregnancy. • Pineal: Also called the thalamus, this gland Cortisol has been called the “stress hormone” produces serotonin derivatives of melatonin, because of the way it assists the body in respondwhich affects sleep. ing to stress. This is just one of several functions • Ovaries: Only in women, the ovaries secrete of this important hormone. estrogen, testosterone and progesterone, the Melatonin levels change throughout the day, female sex hormones. increasing after dark to trigger the responses • Testes: Only in men, the testes produce the that cause sleep. male sex hormone, testosterone, and produce Testosterone is the main sex hormone in men. sperm. It causes puberty, increases bone density, trigThese glands work together to create and gers facial hair growth, and causes muscle mass manage the body’s major hormones. growth and strength. The sex hormones are estrogen and testosMajor Types of Hormones terone. Like all hormones, they are chemical What do hormones do, exactly? The body has messengers, substances produced in one part many different hormones, but certain types have of the body that go on to tell other parts what to a bigger role to play in the body’s health and well- do. Both women and men produce both estrogen being. Understanding these roles is important and testosterone, though in different quantities, for those looking to protect and manage their and both sexes produce less as they age. These health. Instead the blood flows through these hormones seems to affect libido , by altering the glands and carry away. So they are termed as threshold for erotic stimulation. endocrine glands. In most animal species the brain controls Most of the hormones are named after the and regulates sexual behavior primarily by gland from which they are secreted. means of hormones. Man and other primates • These are then carried by blood into target are exceptions to this role because he depends tissues where they show their effect. on personal experience and cultural aspects • They regulate most of the body physiology than its does on hormones. However, hormones and functions. seems to affect your being able to be aroused, • They bring such changes by acting at the by altering the threshold for erotic stimulation, level of genetic material or protein formation regardless of weather the threshold in question machinery of the cell. is one of peripheral tissue sensitivity. • These hormones if deficient or if excess can lead to hormonal disorders. Imbalance • These can have deleterious effect on the Today, ‘Hormonal imbalance’ is a concern health and physiology. worldwide. Women are more likely to face effects of hormone imbalance as they undergo several Hormones in your sexuality stages of hormonal changes during puberty, For women, estrogen (or estradiol) is the main menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeedsex hormone. It causes puberty, prepares the ing and menopause. Hormone imbalance can body and uterus for pregnancy, and regulates the destroy your health and looks; and when availmenstrual cycle. During menopause, estrogen able in proper proportions, hormones can keep level changes cause many of the uncomfortable you young, healthy and cheerful. Hormones symptoms women experience. determine the ‘flight or fight’ response of your Every woman reaches a stage in her life when body. They help manage excessive stress and she wants to have babies and experience the they keep depression and the related diseases joys of motherhood. However, there are various away.

GLOBAL SOCCER

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER â&#x20AC;¢ JUNE 16, 2011

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

Ademola Adesina

15.10.2016

The Man Who Saw Red In Morocco

Returning to Winning Ways PAGE. 29

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER

The Man Who Saw Red In Morocco Nigeria has participated in many Africa Cup of Nations but that of 1988 in Morocco was unique for many reasons. Apart from being one of the most competitive in the history of the biennial competition, it left lingering memories in the heart of many Nigerians. In the semifinal against Algeria, Green Eagles (as Nigerian national team was then called), Ademola Adesina was controversially sent off. Subsequently, Eagles defender, Bright Omokaro injured an Algerian player, thereby reducing the Desert Foxes to 10, which earned Omokaro the nickname 10-10. More controversy was to follow in the final against Cameroon after Henry Nwosu's goal was wrongly disallowed for an offside. Kunle Adewale writes about the exciting episode

demola Adesina was a tough player whose presence in the midfield often gave opponents jitters. Now, there are those telltale signs of age. He still eagerly rekindled memories of his heydays as he made out several precise passes to teammates and deflected shots aimed at his goal in several of the warm-up matches he partakes in. Adesina started football an early age against the wish of his parents. Driven by the passion he had for the game, he persisted and went on to play for his secondary school after which he got invitation to play for Igbalaye FC of Oshogbo and later NEPA FC, also of Oshogbo. “In those days, my parents never wanted me to have anything to do with football; all they were interested in was for me to face my studies. I even had a brother then, Olatunji Adesina, who did everything to discourage me from football, but all was to no avail. Sometimes I will return home with injuries for which I’ll get flogged before being treated. “Yet, all that did little to kill my passion for the round leather game, as I carried on up to secondary school where I went on to play for the school team. Before I knew it, invitation started coming from clubs within Oshogbo which made my parents and brother to give up and allowed me take to my passion, which is football,” he said. The former international, however, admonished youths to give attention to formal education.“It is now that I appreciate why my parents were hammering it on me to concentrate on my studies then. And I have been telling the generation after me to concentrate on their studies even while in sport,” the technical adviser of Prime FC of Oshogbo said.

Adesina got his national team call-up when he was discovered by one of the coaches of the then Green Eagles, Eto Amaechina, during the 1981 National Sports Festival in the old Bendel State. “I was in the contingent as a sprinter but Coach Adegboye Onigbinde said since I played football for Osogbo NEPA, I would be useful to the football team. I was on the reserve bench in a match involving Oyo State and Niger State and we were trailing Niger by 3-1 and I was called upon and I scored three goals and we eventually won the match 4-3. After the festival, I was invited to the national camp and after the screening I made the grade and was selected to play in the 1982 Nations Cup. I was playing as a striker then but the late technical adviser, Otto Gloria, said because I was so strong I would be more useful in the midfield than upfront. That was how I became a midfielder,” he said. On whether any of his children had taken after him, the ex-Nigerian player said: “My first boy is currently playing for an amateur club in London while the second one that is very tall is playing basketball. I did a lot in encouraging them to take to sports because I know sport is one of the quickest ways to make it in life just as I equally insist that education must be a priority.” The former international deplored the state of the local league especially the near absence of fans at stadia. “Fans play a big role in making football grow and where there are no fans to cheer the players what will they be playing for? It is the crowd that makes the players do some exceptional things on the field. So in their absence, whom do you want to impress? But you don’t get to blame the people for not coming

Adesina tries to re-enact his football skills at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos

to the stadium because there are no players that will attract them to the stadium. There are no players in our league that can attract people to the stadium unlike in our days when you will want to see Christian Chukwu, Emmanuel Okala, Segun Odegbami, Muda Lawal and the rest. I feel saddened each time I watch matches and the stadium is empty. I don’t think such situation gives anyone pleasure. “But kudos must go to the League Management Company (LMC) for its effort at improving the league. The fact that the winner of the league in the just ended season only emerged on the last day is a pointer that the league is improving and the large fans that trooped out to watch Enugu Rangers win the league for the first time in 32 years was encouraging,” he noted. “One of the banes of the league is that players are in too much a hurry to play in Europe and they end up

being sold below their worth. They should rather be patient and make their name in the local scene before traveling abroad to play professional football. There are still plenty of talents in the Nigerian league waiting to be harnessed and that is why some of us are still very hopeful about the future of Nigerian football," Adesina said. The former Shooting Stars of Ibadan midfielder admonished the Nigeria Football Federation and national team coaches to concentrate on home-grown footballers rather than seeking for Nigerian born footballers outside the country. “I support the total use of homebased players in the national team. There is nothing strange about it and if we continue judging the boys by the standard of our own league, we are making a great mistake. The players in Europe started from here but it is just unfortunate that once a player travels to play abroad, our coaches start running after them,” he said.

OCTOBER 15, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER I was in the contingent as a sprinter but Coach Adegboye Onigbinde said since I played football for Osogbo NEPA, I would be useful to the football team. I was on the reserve bench in a match involving Oyo State and Niger State and we were trailing Niger by 3-1 and I was called upon and I scored three goals and we eventually won the match 4-3. After the festival, I was invited to the national camp and after the screening I made the grade and was selected to play in the 1982 Nations Cup

Adesina said the national team coach should work regularly with the players at home, adding that frequent training would bring the best out of them. While condemning the attitude of players based in Europe, he also questioned their claim to automatic place in the Eagles team. “None of us played abroad before becoming stars in the Eagles and I am surprised that Nigeria suddenly began to rely on players who are either not playing regularly in their clubs or play in very small clubs and non-competitive leagues, just because they play outside Nigeria. The home-based players can take our football to where it rightly belongs. I’m not saying we don’t need the foreign-based players but they should not be the bedrock of the national team. In our days, we only had Richard Owubokiri, Sylvanus Okpala and Okey Isima coming in from Portugal to beef up the team. But the core of the national team were

the home-based players,” Adesina noted. One moment in his career that will always be etched in Adesina’s memory was the semi-final match of the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations which paired Nigeria against Algeria. “I was wrongly given a red card by the centre referee because I was not the person that erred. As soon as I was shown the red, I knew I will be missing the final but considering the vacuum my absence was going to cause the team, I began to doubt if we could beat Algeria with a man down not knowing that Bright Omokaro had other ideas. He reduced the Algerians to 10 by injuring one of their players after they had completed their two changes (a team could only make two changes as at 1988) making both teams to play with 10 men. “Losing the final of Maroc ’88 was very painful, more especially losing through dubious officiating. Henry Nwosu’s legitimate goal was

overruled. In the semifinal, I got an undeserved red card against Algeria in a case of mistaken identity. It would have been difficult holding them with a man down in as-much-as I don’t think what Omokaro did was right, which eventually gave birth to his nickname, ‘10-10’. I however still feel if I had played the final against Cameroun, we could have won. As they say, the rest is history.” During his playing days Adesina played under different coaches, but one coach whose influence remains indelible is Christopher Udemezue. “Chief Adegboye Onigbinde did a lot in my life as a footballer and I really appreciate him. ‘Wonder Boy’, Paul Hamilton also affected me as a footballer; so too was late Father Tico and late Brazilian tactician, Otto Gloria. But none of them can compare to what late coach Udemezue did to my career. He was a disciplined man and he did a lot in shaping my football career.

"Otto Gloria thinks and behaved like a Nigerian. He was aware there was division in the national team but he did well to integrate the old players with the new ones. He told the late Muda Lawal that I had not come to take his place but rather that I have come to take over from him after he leaves and charged him to take care of me. “Onigbinde was a teacher and I owe my confidence from the penalty spot to him. During the 1984 Nations Cup qualifier against Morocco in Casablanca and the game was to be resolved on penalty shootout after goalless 90 minutes. Nobody wanted to take the first kick but the Modakeke high chief called me and asked me to open the way. “The late Udemezue was a disciplinarian. A particular Nigeria Football Association, NFA (as NFF was refered to then) chief had issues with me and asked Udemezue not to field me in a Mexico ’86 World Cup qualifier against Liberia. But he fielded me against all odds and I even scored in that match. Such was the trust Udemezue had in me,” he recalled.

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

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 15, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, shoots past Sylvain Distin and Tim Howard

City Hope to Return to Winning Ways Manchester City will resume their EPL schedule today as they host Everton at the Etihad Stadium after two weeks off due to World Cup qualifiers. The Citizens will look to get back on the winning trail after defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in October, which ended their undefeated start to the season.

ep Guardiola‘s squad will welcome Everton to the Etihad today, who have been a nice surprise under new manager Ronald Koeman. Everton currently sit in fifth place with 14 points and a 4-2-1 record so far this season. In their last match before the international break, Everton drew 1-1 against Crystal Palace. Manchester City should be refreshed and ready to go after time off from league and European play. Several members however could be jet-lagged after World Cup Qualifiers with their respective nations this past week. Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany, and most recently Bacary Sagna will not be available due to injuries. Sagna,

suffered a torn hamstring in France’s 4-1 World Cup qualifier victory against Bulgaria and is expected to be out a month. Pep Guardiola needs to put out a strong squad today to get the chemistry of the team back together following the layoff. Everton will look to upset the Citizens at home, while Manchester City will look to stay in the top spot in the league with all three points Sergio Aguero has a been a scoring machine for City so far this season, and there is no reason why he doesn’t start-up top. Kelechi Iheanacho provides depth on the bench, but seems to be better used as a sub rather than starting next to the Argentine. Everton will provide a tough test for Manchester City, especially with the

attacking weapons they have of their own. However, to be the best you have to beat the best and Manchester City need to get back to winning ways after the Tottenham slip-up. Meanwhile, ahead of today’s clash, Everton manager Ronald Koeman has revealed how he helped teach a young Pep Guardiola during their time together at Barcelona. "Then-Barcelona boss, Johan Cruyff had seen this young player in the academy, seen him develop into a decent player in the reserves and he thought the time was there to draft him into the first-team squad," Koeman was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. "According to Cruyff this boy was very bright, he had a quick brain and

he needed a more experienced player to look after him. I told him it was fine to have him as my new roommate. "If the player was a talent and a good kid, I would help him. So he told me that from now on I was going to look after a boy called Pep. He told me I was going to be his tutor, help him develop and make sure he learns the Dutch style of playing. I then spent several years with Pep in hotel rooms before every game, every trip -in preseason, in Europe, you name it. "Pep was a fantastic guy. He was eager to learn, he wanted to know everything. Pep wanted to know about the Dutch school of football. More than any other player he wanted to know about one-touch football, about positional play, one touch in small

OCTOBER 15, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER La Liga Atletico Madrid Sevilla Barcelona Villarreal Bilbao Las Palmas Eibar Sociedad Celta Vigo Leganés Alavés Deportivo Malaga Real Betis Sporting Espanyol Valencia Osasuna Granada

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

12 9 3 12 5 2 3 2 0 -2 -3 1 -1 -2 -4 -10 -5 -5 -8 -9

15 15 14 13 13 12 11 11 10 10 10 9 8 8 8 7 6 6 3 2

Premiership TODAY Chelsea Arsenal Bournemouth Man City Stoke West Brom Crystal Palace

Premier League Man City Tottenham Arsenal Liverpool Everton Man Utd Chelsea Crystal Palace West Brom Southampton Watford Leicester Bournemouth Burnley Hull Middlesbrough Swansea West Ham Stoke Sunderland

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

11 9 9 8 6 5 3 3 1 1 -1 -3 -5 -4 -7 -3 -6 -9 -11 -7

18 17 16 16 14 13 13 11 9 9 8 8 8 7 7 6 4 4 3 2

Spanish La Liga Fixtures

v v v v v v v

SUNDAY Middlesbrough v Southampton v

Leicester Swansea Hull Everton Sunderland Tottenham West Ham

12:30 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00 17:30

Watford Burnley

13:30 16:00

Man Utd

20:00

TODAY Leganés Barcelona Atletico Betis SUNDAY Alavés Bilbao Sporting Villarreal MONDAY Eibar

v v v v

Sevilla Deportivo Granada Madrid

12:00 15:15 17:30 19:45

v v v v

Malaga Sociedad Valencia Celta Vigo

11:00 15:15 17:30 19:45

Osasuna

19:45

MONDAY Liverpool

Seria A

spaces. He loved the way Cruyff wanted to play with Barcelona. "But what struck me with Pep was that he was a very ordinary, downto-earth guy. He never had arrogant streaks. He did not behave like a star because he was playing for Barcelona -- he was driving a second-hand Golf when he came in the squad and after three years in the first team, he was still driving the same car." Meanwhile, Chelsea FC will look forward to picking up yet another win against the reigning champions, Leicester City today at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have had a topsyturvy start to their season under new manager Antonio Conte. After winning the first couple of matches, Conte's men went winless in three consecutive matches conceding defeat in two. Leicester's title defending season has been horrible so far as they have managed to win just two matches. They lost three and drew two and are currently placed in the 12th position. It will slowly become difficult for the foxes if they fail to get at least a point against Antonio Conte's side on Saturday afternoon. Chelsea are all set to welcome their captain John Terry back, as the veteran English defender makes a comeback into the side after an

injury. Though, Terry will be back it is unlikely Conte would change his winning combination. Victor Moses, who had a brilliant match against Hull City last week, picked up an injury during the international break is expected to make a comeback. Claudio Ranieri is likely to keep his starting XI unchanged from the game against Southampton.

What they said

Manchester City– Pep Guardiola

admitted that his team were second best in their league encounter with Tottenham. “They were better, we were not in the right positions so congratulations to them. We played much better in the last 15 or 20 minutes. We knew they would press us high, we wanted that but they did it better.”

Everton– Despite Everton’s draw with

Crystal Palace on Friday Ronald Koeman seems to be happy with how his side have begun the campaign and has suggested his team are exceeding expectation. “Should we be higher than we are now? Please, please think about it. .Did you expect Everton, before the season started to be this high? We didn’t steal one single point this season. All the victories – and the defeat last weekend – have all been deserved,” said Koeman.

Juventus Napoli Roma Lazio Chievo Milan Genoa Torino Inter Cagliari Bologna Atalanta Sassuolo Fiorentina Sampdoria Udinese Pescara Palermo Empoli Crotone

7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7

11 8 7 6 3 2 3 5 1 -2 -3 -2 -3 0 -3 -6 -3 -4 -9 -11

18 14 13 13 13 13 11 11 11 10 10 9 9 8 7 7 6 6 4 1

Bayern Hertha Dortmund Köln Leipzig Levkusen Hoffenheim Frankfurt B M'gladbach Freiburg Mainz Augsburg Wolfsburg Darmstadt Bremen Schalke Ingolstadt Hamburger

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

14 4 10 7 6 3 2 2 0 -2 1 -3 -3 -8 -10 -4 -9 -10

16 13 12 12 12 10 10 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 1 1

Bundesliga Fixtures

Head to Head 14/01/2016 EPL

Bundesliga

TODAY

Man City 0-0

Köln

Ingolstadt 04