Saturday 22nd April 2017 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Southern Kaduna Killings: FG Appears to Have Lost Control, Says CAN President Nigerians need not continue to lose their lives like this where we have a government in place

Yemi Adebowale The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr. Samson Ayokunle, yesterday, condemned the federal government’s inability to stop the

mindless killings in Southern Kaduna. He declared that the government appeared to have lost control of the situation in the troubled community. Ayokunle, who is also the

President of The Nigerian Baptist Convention, spoke at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, ahead of the 104th Annual Session of the Nigerian Baptist Convention that begins in Abuja from today.

The Baptist Convention President said: “Just a few days ago, news broke again that some Fulani herdsmen allegedly hacked another 13 people to death in Southern Kaduna. The government appeared not to

be in control of this situation yet. I pray that it will not get out of hand. Nigerians need not to continue to lose their lives like this where we have a government in place with all the tools to provide security.

“Late last year, government announced that it was establishing a military battalion in addition to a squadron of Mobile Police just to curb this menace. Continued on page 8

MSF Accuses Cameroon of Forcefully Repatriating Nigerian Refugees... Page 15 Saturday 22 April, 2017 Vol 22. No 8038. Price: N250

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Niger Governor Claims N6bn Recovered by EFCC Belongs to State Government EFCC files charges against Babangida Aliyu

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, yesterday said the N6

billion discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the accounts of a former public official was stolen from

the account of Niger State Government. Bello, who made this claim while speaking with journalists in Aso Rock, provided details

of how the money was allegedly stolen, after joining President Muhammadu Buhari and some other Muslim faithful for Juma’at prayer.

This is as the EFCC allegedly files a 95 count charges against former governor of the state, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu who has been in detention for

some weeks in Abuja after he anti-graft agency invited him for questioning. Continued on page 8

CBN Suspends Nationwide Cashless Policy, Creates FX Window for Investors, Exporters Inflows from abroad drop for second consecutive year Forex: Banks accused of frustrating access by SMEs FG to embark on aggressive tax drive

Kunle Aderinokun, Obinna Chima, Funke Olaode, Kasie Abone and Nosa Alekhuogie, in Washington DC

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has once again suspended the nation-wide implementation of the cashless policy which commenced this month. The CBN which disclosed this in a circular titled: "Re: Circular on National Implementation of the Cashless Policy," dated April 20, 2017, a copy of which it posted on its website yesterday, did not give any reason for its abrupt decision. In a related development, two weeks after opening a special foreign exchange (FX) window for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to enable operators import eligible finished and semi-finished items, the CBN yesterday established a fresh widow for investors and exporters tagged: “Investors’ & Exporters’ FX Window”. Also yesterday, the CBN said it had received complaints from

small and medium scale (SME) operators eligible for accessing foreign exchange (FX) under its newly opened window that they were being frustrated by the commercial banks. This is just as the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said revenue mobilisation remains critical to the success of Nigeria’s economic reform agenda. The circular suspending the nationwide implementation of the cashless policy, signed by its Director, Banking and Payment System Department, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, directed banks to revert to old charges and refund customers that they had debited. It stated that the existing policy before the announcement of the new policy would remain in place in Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Anambra, Rivers and Abuja. “You will recall that a directive was issued on the nationwide Continued on page 8

frenemies?...

L-R: Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu; National Security Adviser to the President, Major General, Babagana Monguno; Commander, Brigade of Guards,Brigadier-General MS Yusuf and Director-General, Sunday Aghaeze Department of State Security (DSS), Lawan Daura, after Juma'at prayer at the Aso Villa in Abuja ...yesterday

Health Minister Directs Hospitals to Prepare for More Disease Outbreak ...Page 53

T H I S D AY SATURDAY APRIL 22, 2017

saturDAY, april 22, 2017 • THI S DAY

page eight Niger Governor Claims N6bn Recovered by EFCC Belongs to State Government An online medium, Premium Times, had reported that the EFCC was considering declaring a former Commissioner of Local Government in Niger State, Kantigi Liman, wanted after a further N2 billion was traced to his United Bank for Africa account by the agency. The discovery reportedly brought to N6 billion, funds traced to accounts owned by the politician and companies linked to him. The commission had weeks earlier reportedly traced N4 billion to two GT Bank accounts linked to Liman. The first account is said to

belong to Sadiq Air Travel Agency Limited while the second belongs to Liman. EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, was said to have disclosed that the money was discovered following a report by a whistle blower. But Bello, while laying claim to the money yesterday, said he believed that the recovered N6 billion would be returned to Niger State's account. "I’m aware that the EFCC is investigating the ecological funds. At the inception of this administration, we realised that the ecological funds disap-

peared. I did not have any evidence that it was utilised to address any ecological issues and we are faced with major ecological problems especially in Mokwa, Agaie, Bida, part of Minna, Rafin Gora and Mariga. "We are doing our best to address the ecological problems. We need funds and unfortunately the N2 billion that was given to the state was not judiciously used to address the ecological challenges. "If it had been used properly maybe our burden might have been reduced by now, but we are having sleepless nights

over ecological issues and we are still approaching the Federal Government to assist us,” Bello said. The case against Aliyu was filed on Thursday at the Niger State High court by a 14 man team from the legal department of the EFCC in Abuja. Former governor Aliyu had been detained for more than two weeks at the EFCC cells in Abuja since he was invited from his Abuja home. THISDAY learnt that the EFCC operatives arrived Minna at about 2.15 pm on Thursday in two buses, one

conveying the operatives while the other ferried heavily armed police men. They went to the office of the State Chief Judge who immediately assigned the case to the second most senior judge in the state, Justice Aliyu Maiyaki. After about two hours in the court of Justice Maiyaki, the operatives drove back to Abuja. Details of the case were not available as at press time on Friday but a source said it bordered on misappropriation of public funds.

THISDAY gathered that the case may come up for mention before justice Maiyaki on Tuesday. It was also learnt that lawyers from a private chamber in Minna also last Thursday filed the application for the bail of the former governor before the same court. Only last Thursday a coalition of concerned youths in the state declared the continued incarceration of former governor Aliyu as "undemocratic and highhandedness" and therefore asked the EFCC to charge him to court or release him on bail.

CBN Suspends Nationwide Cashless Policy, Creates FX Window for Investors, Exporters implementation of the cashless policy vide our circulars with reference numbers BPS/DIR/ GEN/CIR/04/001 dated February 21 and BPS/DIR/GEN/ CIR/04/002 dated March 16. “Please note that the new withdrawal and deposit processing fee charges above the threshold, as contained in the circulars referenced above, are hereby suspended until further notice. The position of the policy shall now revert to the status quo ante. “The new policy already applied effective April 1, 2017 as contained in the circulars in reference above should be reversed and the old charges be applied. All necessary refunds should be made accordingly.” The CBN had in February announced the re-introduction of charges on cash deposits by bank customers. It had explained that the Bankers’ Committee at its 493rd meeting held on February 8, 2017, reviewed the cashless policy charges on withdrawal and deposit and then decided that the policy be extended to the 30 remaining states of the federation. Among other charges, the earlier circular had shown that charges on deposits and withdrawals were reviewed such that for individuals with less than N500,000 cash deposit and withdrawals, there would be no charge. In addition, for cash between N500,000 and N1 million, deposit would be 1.5 per cent charge while for withdrawals two per cent of the amount. CBN Creates FX Window for Investors, Exporters A circular issued by the CBN disclosed that the purpose of the fresh forex widow for investors and exporters was to boost

liquidity in the forex market and ensure timely execution and settlement for eligible transactions. The circular signed by the Bank’s Director in charge of Financial Markets, Dr. Alvan Ikoku, listed eligible transactions under the new window to include invisible transactions such as loan repayments, loan interest payments, Dividends/ Income Remittances, Capital Repatriation, Management Service Fees and Consultancy fees. Also on the eligible list are software subscription fees, technology transfer agreements, personal home remittances and any such other eligible transactions including ‘miscellaneous Payments’ as detailed under Memorandum 15 of the CBN Foreign Exchange Manual. While explaining that the invisible transactions under this window excludes international airlines ticket sales’ remittances, the circular added that the window covered Bills of Collection and any other trade-related payment obligations, which are at the instance of the customer. The circular further clarified that the permitted invisible transactions and Bills for Collection were eligible to purchase foreign currency sourced from the CBN Forex window limited to Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) Wholesale (Spot and Forwards) only. According to the CBN, international airlines ticket sales’ remittances shall only be eligible to access the CBN FX window (SMIS-Retail and Wholesale; spot and forwards. On participants in the new window, it disclosed that supply of foreign currency to the window shall be through portfolio investors, exporters,

authorised dealers and other parties with foreign currency to exchange to naira. The CBN, it added, shall also be a market participant at the window to promote liquidity and professional market conduct. Taking cognisance of the slow progress made by corporates in on-boarding the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange (FMDQ) Thomson Reuters FX Trading & Auction Systems, the CBN said participants at the new window would trade via telephone until appreciable progress is made with the FX trading systems on-boarding process. The circular therefore advised authorised dealers to promote market transparency by encouraging their corporate clients to on-board to ensure the activities of the window are operated on the forex trading systems. To provide price discovery to the market, it said the FMDQ will be charged with polling buying and selling rates and other relevant information from the major participants in the market to provide participants with the requisite price discovery, and the CBN with the indicative market depth until the market migrates to the FX Trading systems. As part of the operational requirements of the window, the CBN circular said the exchange rates of the transactions in the window shall be as agreed between authorised dealers and their counterparties. It also said that the CBN reserved the right to intervene as a buyer or seller, as it deems fit, in the window, adding that information on transactions between authorised dealers shall be reported to the CBN on a daily basis. Banks Accused of Frustrating Access by SMEs Meanwhile, the Acting Direc-

tor, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, while addressing the media on the sidelines of the ongoing IMF/World Bank spring meetings, urged SME operators that had been denied access to FX by banks to come up with evidence. Okorafor stressed that the central bank would not fail to sanction any bank or even the chief executive officer(s) of the organisation that violates its rule on FX for SMEs. "It has become necessary that we bring to your notice the complaints from customers, especially those who operate in the SMEs segment of the market that banks are frustrating their efforts at getting FX. You could recall that recently we introduced a window to be able to give forex to SMEs, which incidentally is the engine of growth in our economy, for them to be able to obtain a small amount of forex that suits their business and we have received complaints now that banks are frustrating them. "We have reviewed all these complaints and found out that they do not have evidence. So, we want to use this opportunity to appeal to customers of banks and the SMEs to please give us concrete evidence against these banks so that we can hold them responsible by way of sanctions. "Get a photocopy of your Form Q, Form X, Form A or Form M. Give us the name of the bank, branch and send to us and we will deal with them as example to others. We also say to all Nigerians that the only way we can make things better for you is to call the CBN whenever you are in trouble or whenever you get frustrated. We have a number you can call or you

Southern Kaduna Killings: FG Appears to Have Lost Control, Says CAN President It is therefore a wonder that innocent lives are still being lost despite these efforts. It was gratifying to note the swiftness with which the Police apprehended suspects in the Ile-Ife communal clash. It is however, a wonder that since Fulani herdsmen have been killing farmers from every corner of the country, neither the police nor other security agencies have been able to be as prompt in making arrests and seeing prosecution through. “In February this year, the United States House of Representatives cited Nigeria as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world. Certainly, this is a most unpleasant classification for a country that is a democracy and the giant of Africa. What type of giant are we? It is a classification

that should not make patriotic Nigerians glad in a country where population is roughly divided equally between Islam and Christianity.” Ayokunle said it was essential for the federal government in whose care instruments of cohesion lie to quickly remedy this situation in Southern Kaduna. “It will be in the interest of national development and peaceful co-existence. If continuous killings have not been happening, we would not have been shouting wolf where there was none. We appeal to the government to desist from giving excuses why the killings are still occurring. We want an end to the killings henceforth. Enough is enough.” However, the CAN President appreciated the federal government for waging war against

Boko Haram and for sustaining it. He saluted the courage of the soldiers on the war front, describing them as “our gallant military” and said the Baptist family shall continue to pray for them “over this good work of defending the people.” Ayokunle added: “Equally, the release of 21 of the several Chibok girls kidnapped three years ago is commendable but more effort is solicited for the release of the rest before their lives are completely ruined for no sin of theirs. ”We commend as well the recent efforts of the federal government on the economy, especially in strengthening the local currency. More sincerity should be shown on this so that the siege of economic hardship that has almost crippled the lives

of Nigerians and increased the rates of suicide might be lifted. Salaries owed the workers all over the nation must be paid without delay. My Bible says that the wages of the workers must not be delayed overnight.” The CAN President expressed worry about skewed political appointment, saying “all must be done in political appointments and in the conduct of government business to reflect federal character not only on ethnicity but also ensuring religious balance.” He added: “The suspicion of favouritism by government of one religious group to the detriment of others must be avoided. The more the government adheres to these admonitions, the more coherent we would be as a people and the greater the peace and development.”

send an email to our Consumer Protection Department. We want to urge everyone who is frustrated by banks to call and lay complaints. We assure you will get redress," he explained. Furthermore, in his response to the call by the IMF/World Bank that the CBN should float the naira and liberalise the market, Okorafor said it was "laughable," citing the case of Egypt where inflation has skyrocketed. "Yesterday (Thursday) when Madam Christine Lagarde was discussing the economy of Egypt, she lamented herself, the devastating inflation that is in that country. Egypt has half of our population and receives about $12 billion in foreign earnings and several billions in tourism. "We are 180 million people, our infrastructure is so poor and the productive capacity cannot be fast enough to rise to benefit from massive depreciation. If you float the Naira today, and given the discoveries by security agencies, you'll discover that our case will be terrible. Egypt today has an inflation rate of almost 31 per cent, remember Angola also has about 36 per cent inflation, ours is at 17.26 per cent. "If we float the Naira and we allow speculators and those with corruption money and all the people who create the bubbles to launch into the market, you can yourself imagine the kind of situation we will find ourselves. Of course, you should also know that no country floats its currency; just leaving it to the dictates of the market. Our economy has its own peculiarities, and we cannot kill our people in the name of floating the naira," the CBN spokesman said. Continuing, Adeosun who spoke during a meeting with fellow finance ministers at a session convened by the G24 Group to discuss strategies to drive non-oil revenue growth and achieve inclusive growth at the ongoing IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington said data gathered by the federal government over the last year revealed the need for the government to be more aggressive in pursuing tax avoiders, both domestically and abroad. According to her, just like some of her contemporaries in the G24 had done successfully, the government would focus more on tax in 2017, through an asset and income declaration scheme to address low tax revenue collection and ensure improved compliance, a broader tax base and more sustainable revenue. The minister also highlighted the need for strong budget

implementation and transparency to create trust and accountability in government. Inflows from Abroad Drop for Second Consecutive Year It has also emerged that remittance to Nigeria fell by 10 per cent in 2016, the latest edition of the Migration and Development Brief released yesterday has shown. The report which was unveiled on the sidelines of the ongoing International Monetary Fund/World Bank spring meetings in Washington DC, also showed that it was the second consecutive year remittance into the country would decline, a trend not seen in three decades. The development was largely attributed to slow economic growth in remittance-sending countries; decline in commodity prices, especially oil, which impacted remittance receiving countries; and diversion of remittances to informal channels due to controlled exchange rate regimes in the country. Generally, it revealed that remittance to Nigeria and other countries in Africa declined by an estimated 6.1 per cent to $33 billion in 2016. Similarly, remittance to other major receiving countries were also estimated to have fallen last year, including Bangladesh (-11.1 percent) and Egypt (-9.5 percent). India, while retaining its top spot as the world’s largest remittance recipient, led the decline with remittance inflows amounting to $62.7 billion last year, a decrease of 8.9 per cent over $68.9 billion in 2015. The exceptions among major remittance recipients were Mexico and the Philippines, which saw inflows increasing by an estimated 8.8 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, last year. The Bank estimated that officially-recorded remittances to developing countries amounted to $429 billion in 2016, a decline of 2.4 per cent over $440 billion in 2015. Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, contracted by 1.2 per cent to $575 billion in 2016, from $582 billion in 2015. "Low oil prices and weak economic growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Russian Federation are taking a toll on remittance flows to South Asia and Central Asia, while weak growth in Europe has reduced flows to North Africa and SubSaharan Africa. The decline in remittances, when valued in U.S. dollars, was made worse by a weaker euro, British pound and Russian ruble against the U.S. dollar. Continued on page 15

April 22, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

RingTrue

Yemi

Adebowale El-Rufai, Bishop Bagobiri and Kasuwan Barci 07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

have great respect for the Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan Diocese, Rev. Father Joseph Danlami Bagobiri. Always very blunt, hardheaded but fair. When Bagobiri is angry, he’s justifiably angry. I was not surprised when he came down heavily on Governor Nasir el-Rufai this week. Bagobiri wants this governor to stop running the state as his “personal estate,” noting that “the Kaduna people have watched with pains for about two years as the state is being managed in a way that excludes many stakeholders.” My take away from Bagobiri’s Easter message is the part where he declared that Kaduna State belongs to all, irrespective of their political, ethnic and religious affiliation, warning el-Rufai to stop treating some stakeholders in the state as aliens: “Kaduna is the only state that we can call our own. And because Kaduna State is our state, we are contributing significantly to its progress. “Government must recognise us as equal stakeholders in the management of the state. We do not accept being treated as aliens or reduced to playing the second fiddle in the state we call our own. Those that divine providence have entrusted with the responsibility of governing the state politically, must govern justly and in a manner that includes, not one that excludes other segments of the state. “El-rufai has abdicated his responsibility of being governor to all, and instead gave in to the luxury of waging an unrelenting media campaign against Southern Kaduna people. He has unabashedly taken sides with the armed herdsmen, thereby failing

El-Rufai

in his responsibility as a true statesman; becoming, therefore, a biased umpire who blames and criminalises Southern Kaduna victims as the cause of the mayhem. The attitude of the state government has been marred by lots of complicity and bias which exacerbated rather than ameliorated tensions.” While urging el-rufai to ensure justice and fairness to all irrespective of religious, ethnic and political considerations, Bagobiri, who is also the Chairman, Southern Kaduna Christian Elders Association charged him to ensure equitable distribution of political offices among

Babachir Lawal’s Belated Suspension

The suspension of the notorious grass cutter, Babachir Lawal as Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Wednesday is belated. I am shocked that he has just being suspended. I am also appalled that President Muhammadu Buhari has not fired Lawal in line with the so-called war against corruption. This man does not represent anything close to President Buhari’s trumpeted war against corruption and ought to have been told to step aside a long time ago. Unfortunately, our President wants him investigated again. How many times will Babachir be investigated by government agents? Last year, there were reports that the President instructed the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami to investigate corruption allegations against him, following his indictment by the Senate. I can’t understand why this government is embarking on another round of investigation. I think this is just a strategy to give the SGF a soft-landing. I sincerely hope that this fresh investigation is not another paddy paddy arrangement. Before we know what is happening, the SGF would be cleared and recalled. For me, Babachir’s file from the Senate’s investigating panel ought to have been forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission instead of this fresh investigation.The Senate has provided facts and figures which the EFCC can follow up on. The case against Babachir is a straight one. There are clear signals that he played an inglorious role with the funds of the Presidential Initiative on the North East, PINE,domiciled in his office. According to the Senate’s investigation, Josmon Technologies, a firm awarded contract by PINE, paid the money into the bank account of Rholavision Engineering Limited, owned by the SGF. Even more damning was the fact that Lawal, who only relinquished his shares in Rholavision on September 16, 2016, remains the sole signatory to the account of the company, as his Bank Verification Number (BVN), was

linked to the company. Curiously, the award of contract for the removal of wild grass along the river channel in some North-east communities, which does not fall into the IDPs immediate needs, came into the job schedule of PINE. Babachir has evidently allowed his personal interest to override his official duties. This is against the rules in the public service. The forensic report showed that some of PINE’s contracts were awarded to companies belonging to top government officials, their cronies and family members. It showed further that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company, with the SGF as Director was awarded consultancy contract by PINE. In the course of the public hearing on PINE activities, its key officers could not convincingly account for the N2.5 billion released to them to tackle the crisis in the camps of the IDPs. The Secretary of PINE, Umar Gulani, claimed that the body spent N203 million to clear grass somewhere in Yobe State, but Yobe State Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Lamin, disputed the claim. “No taipa grass was cleared in the state by any Federal Government agency,” declared Lamin. They also disputed the N422 million PINE claimed was spent on the provision of tents for displaced families in the state. Claims of renovating 18 schools destroyed by the Boko Haram in Yobe also turned out to be dubious. According to Yobe State Government’s record, only three schools were renovated by PINE. It is also sad to note that PINE confirmed donating N50 million to a questionable organisation while our unfortunate IDPs wallow in poverty. The contravention of the provisions of Public Procurement Act and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations pertaining to award of contracts is also obvious here. Many will continue to see this administration’s war against corruption as skewed if appropriate actions are not taken against Babachir and his cohorts.

adherents of the two main religions in the state: “Government should see that the application of resources that had accrued to the state and the siting of developmental projects and services for the improvement of the quality of life of the people, are done giving due regard to the North/South divide in the state and that no part of the state is placed in a disadvantaged position.” Honestly, I want el-rufai to reflect deeply on Bagobiri’s Epistle if he truly loves Kaduna State as he proclaims. This cleric’s views may sound very harsh, but there is a lot of sense in what he is saying. This state has been in the news in the last two years for all the wrong reasons. Hundreds have been slaughtered by herdsmen in Southern Kaduna without convincing response from governments at all levels. In fact, many are convinced that el-rufai is part of the problem. Just like Bagobiri, I am convinced that el-Rufai has not done enough to curb the herdsmen, who again on April 15 attacked Asso Village in Jema’a Local Government Area, killing 10 people, along with their parish priest, Rev Fr. Alexander Yayock. Of course, el-rufai’s supporters may say that he is not in control of security agents. The truth is that he does not have to be in direct control of such security agents to make an impressive

impact in Southern Kaduna. He is the Chief Security Officer of the state and has his security vote. Even el-rufai’s utterances on these killings have not been fair to all in the state. I would like to see him compensating all the victims of this mayhem. Talking about running a people-oriented government, I think the Kaduna State governor should shelve plans to demolish the famous Kasuwan Barci Market, in Tundun Wada area of the state, famous for its textile and second hand clothing. With about 4,800 shops and thousands of people earning their livelihood here, demolishing it in this era of recession will ruin many lives. The idea of building a modern market here is a good one, but not at this period when many traders are struggling to survive. Living will be tough for many of them while construction is on, because they will have to hang around all sorts of illegal markets. Again, getting funds to acquire shops in the proposed new market will be a challenge to many of the traders. Senator Shehu Sani was apt when he said that the traders were angry and fear that if the market was demolished, it would be difficult for them to regain their shops: “We promised to deliver change to the country and as democrats, whatever we will do, we need to consult and carry the people along. We cannot treat people with arrogance and insolence and expect them to trust us again. El-rufai should suspend the demolition plan and concentrate on completing projects he had started.”

Boko Haram Attack in Sabon Garin Kimba Concerned Nigerians are still waiting for the military authorities to clarify the Boko Haram attack in Sabon Garin Kimba village, Borno State on Monday. Reports that the terrorists attacked a military checkpoint in Sabon Garin Kimba, killing five soldiers, is an unpleasant one. The terrorists were said to have overwhelmed our gallant soldiers in the village. It is equally terrifying to hear that the terrorists allegedly took away military vehicles and burnt three

armoured cars. A civilian, Mustapha Karimbe, who assisted the military, told journalists that the terrorists remained in the village for about three hours after the attack. So, our soldiers and the hapless villagers did not get assistance from other military formations around for over three hours? This is depressing and must not be allowed to continue. Rapid Response Squad must be positioned in strategic places by the military authorities to ensure that the ugly incident witnessed in Sabon Garin Kimba does not re-occur.

Memo to Lagos Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni My dear CP Owoseni, I know that you have been appropriately briefed on the extent of recurring killings in Ibeshe Tuntun area of Ikorodu, perpetrated by criminals called Badoo. Just on April 10, a candidate in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination, Lucky Ebhodaghe and his parents were killed by this gang in Ibeshe Tuntun. The case was reported at the Ipakodo Division. This trend has been on for almost a year now in this area and follows the same pattern: The attackers invade a chosen apartment and slaughter the occupants. Already, there is a long list of victims. In June 2016, the gang killed a Ghanaian after raping her and inflicting injuries on her eight-month-old baby. Also last year, the gang raped a 60-year-old woman, Francisca and left her blind. They brutalised her 10-year-old daughter for raising the alarm. On October 21, 2016, the gang attacked a family, killing a 30-year-old pregnant woman, Afusat Yusuf, her husband (Kazeem) and the couple’s two kids – Rodiat and Opeyemi. On December 26, 2016, they killed two siblings, Azeezat Oriade and Abeeb Oriade. All these grisly crimes were committed in Ibeshe Tuntun. CP Owoseni must take steps to end these heinous attacks. There are reports that the culprits are still roaming Ibeshe

Owoseni

Tuntun. They must be brought to book. I am hoping that the Lagos CP will rise up to the challenge and end the anguish in this tormented community. May Allah continue to guide you as you go about your task.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • APRIL 22, 2017

super saturday How My Brother’s Camera Changed My Life

Akin kongi

Akin

Somewhere at Ilubirin Estate, Osborne Ikoyi, an art connoisseur by the name Akin Kongi opens the doors of his apartment. Piece of artworks adorn the white walls of his living room. The sheer elegance of his home radiates artistic beauty. At first glance, double portraits of a single model engage attention and leave little to the imagination. Kongi’s works amongst the paintings in his space reflect his dexterity as a craftsman who has settled between the arts of photography and filmmaking. Ferdinand Ekechukwu takes us into Kongi’s world Shooting Movies from the Lens of a Photographer My Life As a Photographer and Filmmaker

here’s the framed picture of the great Afro-beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, at a young age. It appears Akin Kongi has affinity with the late Afro-beat maestro – he would later affirm that, by virtue of having covered the annual Felabration concert for couple of years and an exhibition of photographs drawn from the concerts over time. Also, a picture of the late musician’s scion, Femi, which had got people talking, has remained outstanding amongst his works. At a corner of his living room lies another set of rich artefacts on a stool with small-sized tablecloth made of the symbolic Ghanaian kente material. Easily seen amongst the collection are portable sculptures and a four-size piece of different ‘gangan’ (talking-drum) that depicts his root and identity as an “Ibadan man” with a dash of English accent. Within time, a less than 10 minutes drive from the comfort of his tranquil neighborhood to the upscale Ikoyi Club 1938 would transpose the setting. There at the golf section, the view of its greenery and natural splendour, made resplen-

dent by the ambience of the sprawling 456 acres of land enchants. The overwhelming beauty that lies within the member-only-club arena nurtures creativity which inspires this man that oversees entertainment activities at the section. That aside, Akin’s resume as an artist is laden with a mix of acting, directing, producing, scriptwriting, academic background in business and finance with 20 years work experience in insurance sector. Yes and truly so however, all this he has embraced at different points. Clearly he’s a “filmmaker-photographer who has done, different things in his time” in Lagos, New York and in London, the only place that carries his work abroad. He has in recent times been invited to New York to showcase his works, but he seems a bit wary of the global trend and the rising social discrimination against humans, especially blacks. His foray into the world of arts could be described as an adventure with photography. Then a teenager, he had acquired the skill by chance. His older brother whom he owed credit had a professional camera which influenced him. “I used to play with the camera and I used to enjoy watching

him take pictures,” he revealed. “So, the moment I got the chance to buy one for myself I have been taking pictures ever since.” His stint in finance and insurance had exposed him to opportunities in both sectors. He would later end up investing in Yoruba-language films. “They [movie practitioners] came to me to invest in Yoruba-language films so I started putting money into the films. I put money into buying some equipment. My interest, because I’m a photographer, got stirred up again in that kind of art (movie) and how it was created”, he explained. On one of the sets, he was invited to come on board and “I saw how the whole thing happened before my eyes and I was intrigued; I realised that I can do this. I would love to do this. The fact that I was already a photographer, I could see a lot of things made more sense to me quicker than it would to an ordinary person.” Following that development, he was inspired and in 2009 decided to embark on a course in filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. Going to film school did quite technically equipped Akin in the art of movie making. “Because sometimes you start to understand why things are done the way they are and sometimes it opens your mind up to certain way of where and how you want to do things in different perspective,” he pointed out. From a distance however, it seems photography is his mainstay. He would not admit that. He said,

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • APRIL 22, 2017

saturday How My Brother’s Camera Changed My Life…

Akin Kongi and Toni Kan at an exhibition “People always ask me that which one is my mainstay? I have a lot of passion for photography. I enjoy experimenting with photography. I love taking pictures but filmmaking is something I have come to love as well. I love both.” The benefit of hindsight aside and the interest, at the moment Akin is well known as a photographer rather than a filmmaker. He has traversed the few art hubs available in Lagos exhibiting. He has the record of being the first artist-in-residence at Miliki, an exclusive members-only-club with a gallery in Victoria Island. To his credit are some of his art works and that of other unsung artists combined which he facilitated. Like the recent photo and arts exhibition dubbed Reel Flicks & Arts that promotes arts to the corporate executives. His first effort at an art exhibition was via invitation to the famous Bogobiri, another art centre for the promotion and appreciation of the literary, music and local knowledge. He rarely exhibits but once in a year he does, mostly on invitation. A part of his Private Auction and Exhibition had once made him popular for his famous Makoko collection which depicted the true ambience of Makoko, a slum fishing community located on the lagoon, Nigeria’s mega city of Lagos. His extensive collection on the area comprised of the well-known Makoko Floating School, a prototype structure, built for Makoko, by a Nigerian architect, Kunle Adeyemi. The precarious water community has been in the public eye through several photos by other photographers, but Kongi’s collection then showcased the community from a unique perspective described as fascinating, and intriguingly representing the depth of his inspirations. Incidentally, but unfortunately so, the structure collapsed just a month after the exhibition, after three years of intensive use and exceptional service to the community, following a heavy rainfall, thus making the piece a well cherished photograph. His works are exclusive, unlike the conventional ones out in the open market. On the aspect of production, he laid claims to a couple of short films and corporate-oriented contents for telecoms, banking, and the drinks sectors. Though his claim to have shot two feature films and about to shoot his third one, which he said were all going to be out towards the end of the year, maybe early next year. “So a lot of people haven’t seen my handi-

Tuface and Femi Kuti

Akin Kongi doesn’t belong in the pack. As such, his name rarely pops up at random. He’s in a world of his own as an artist whose deep knowledge of the arts, vis-à-vis the film industry in Nigeria rings true. To him, there are a lot of filmmakers who take photography and there are a lot of photographers who try to make film but there are not too many filmmakerphotographers around. From the top of his mind he reckons names like Andrew Dosunmu and Femi Odugbemi as only contemporaries whose works can be estimated with similarities

work film-wise,” he noted. “But the work I have done that they can see is the only work I have done for corporate bodies. These are contents so difficult you can only find with me and all the rest that’s pretty much of it at Akins Squared,” his production

Makoko School outfit of close to a decade. On the other side of movie business, he runs a film distribution and television content promotion outfit borne out of the many interactions he has had with other filmmakers which showed a void in the channel, hence the need to bridge the gap between movie makers with limited access to putting out their works to the mass public through a channel that comes readily available and affordable. So far, the response he said had been positive and the patronage inspiring enough to keep him providing local contents that justify return on investment for filmmakers. The company, Wakaflicks, he describes as the filmmakers’ hub that gives a filmmaker a chance to get return on his investment while looking at all the different aspects from showing films to the public, to people having access on the Internet, their phones and to be able to consume the contents and pay a token for it as well if possible. Akin Kongi doesn’t belong in the pack. As such, his name rarely pops up at random. He’s in a world of his own as an artist whose deep knowledge of the arts, vis-à-vis the film industry in Nigeria rings true. To him, there are a lot of filmmakers who take photography and there are a lot of photographers who try to make film but there are not too many

filmmaker-photographers around. From the top of his mind he reckons names like Andrew Dosunmu and Femi Odugbemi as only contemporaries whose works can be estimated with similarities. With Akin, it’s a roller-coaster of the Nigerian movie industry he distinguished from Nollywood. He talks about the dreaded monster in the film industry; piracy which has cost stakeholders in the industry, including the government, a huge chunk of income that ought to have accrued to all. He sounds like a chip off the old block within an institution of authority on the history of Nigeria’s film. “The Nigerian film industry is actually over a hundred years. It was actually started by the colonial masters. They had Nigerians who worked with them, whom they trained and eventually took over the industry when they left. We had people like Herbert Ogunde and Ade Love. I remember watching movies like: Bisi Daughter of The River, and other good films like that,” he said. Such narrative gave away his age as someone between the age bracket of 50 and 60. He admits he’s in his early fifties. But then hear him more: “Moses Olaiya a.ka. Baba Sala people made quality films in those days that it was good as Hollywood production.”

Why I’m Investing in Nigeria’s Movie Industry

APRIL 22, 2017• THISDAY, The SATURDAY Newspaper

commentary

Lessons From The Abuja Airport

Ikeogu Oke writes that the reopening of the airport on schedule is a triumph to commitment

ow that our faith in our country – Nigeria – seems to be at its nadir, when it has become fashionable to hear some of us declare that they have given up on her, that they no longer believe she can regain her lost glory or ever give them cause to believe in her destiny, I think the reopening of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, offers us good reasons to re-examine such cynicism, and lessons worth considering about the potential for her renaissance. I think the cynicism is not entirely unjustified because so much has happened in our history since Independence in 1960 that one may be deemed pollyannaish or an unrealistic patriot for continuing to believe in our country. In The Trouble with Nigeria, Chinua Achebe, one of our greatest writers, sums up our many lost opportunities to achieve greatness despite our being endowed with vast human and natural resources as a case of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” In “What is Nigeria to Me,” an essay in The Education of a British-Protected Child, he describes our country as “a child. Gifted, enormously talented, prodigiously endowed, and incredibly wayward.” And Fela Anikulapo Kuti, one of our greatest musicians, once sang of our country: “As time dey go, things just dey bad, dey bad more and more…” – a recognition of the constant decline in her fortunes, and ours with it, due to poor management and sometimes sheer irresponsibility, corruption or cluelessness on the part of the managers. What is worse, however, is that despite such strictures, our country seems to have remained dedicated to walking the downward path. And those expressing loss of faith in her are largely venting their frustration with her seemingly chronic inability to put her acts together and make sense of her vast potential. But, as I have also said, the reopening of the Abuja airport offers us reasons to re-examine such cynicism, and lessons from the current government of President Muhammadu Buhari as to how we can make our country work, or experience a renaissance. To summarise the related events as a quarry for the lessons: The airport reopened a day before schedule on April 18, 2017, having been closed for rehabilitation for six weeks on March 8, 2017. Ethiopian Airlines, the only foreign airline that accepted to use the alternative Kaduna airport during the rehabilitation, actually landed an aircraft at the reopened airport. Before its closure, our government was criticised by some stakeholders, especially the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), which argued that the rehabilitation could take place with the airport in use. The sum of N5.8 billion was earmarked for the rehabilitation; and in an unprecedented declaration the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, vowed to resign if the airport was not reopened on schedule, thereby putting his job and integrity on the line to support a task under his charge. The fundamental lesson is that our country can work if we and our governments can pursue her ventures with the type of commitment shown in the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport. And we mustn’t give up on her as long as she continues to provide us such evidence of its workability which, like a ray of light, can dispel the darkness of doubt threatening to envelope her. There is also the lesson that, once convinced of the rightness of their plans, our governments must exercise the resolve to follow

The fundamental lesson is that our country can work if we and our governments can pursue her ventures with the type of commitment shown in the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport

them through despite criticisms, provided they do not act outside the law and can show proof of the projected results in the long run as in the case of the Abuja airport. Then there is the lesson that our public servants should be made to face the music for failing to deliver: The need to save themselves from the attendant shame can be a spur for personal success which can translate into success for our country. The fact is, but for the rare resolve to deliver reflected in Mr. Sirika’s pledge to resign if the airport was not reopened on schedule, its rehabilitation could have turned into another uncompleted project as we have scattered across our country, despite the resources committed to it, and we might have little or no choice but to whine helplessly and adjust to the resultant hardship afterwards. Also, we should learn that countries are not much different from individuals. Most of them are fair-weather friends. In good times they will associate with us in pursuit of their interests and avoid us in difficult times or when they perceive our relationship to pose risks to them. Linked to this lesson is that we should prioritise our relationship with countries that show us the type of solidarity Ethiopia did by its airlines continuing to identify with us at such a critical time. And we cannot say that the solidarity was motivated by its commercial interests since those countries that would rather keep a safe distance from us by their airlines refusing to fly to the alternative Kaduna airport, unlike Ethiopian Airlines, also have commercial interests in our country, some far more than Ethiopia. The boycott by those other countries somewhat reflects the Igbo saying: “Ozu siwa ishi, enyi ka nwanne alaa.”: “When the corpse begins to smell, the friends that are greater than family take their leave.” So our country must strengthen her ties with such a genuinely friendly and supportive country as Ethiopia and others she may still discover if she wishes to rebound and make sustainable progress. There is also the lesson that we can prove our critics wrong by acting decisively, efficiently and patriotically in our national interest. Actually, the decision by the other airlines not to utilise the Kaduna airport while the Abuja airport was under rehabilitation implied their being critical of the capacity of the Kaduna airport to serve as an alternative for the Abuja airport as an interim measure. Well, it did. And there is the lesson that self-reliance and belief in our country and government are critical to our success. The support we seek from most foreign countries to help revive our power sector, for instance, may become like the type we got from their airlines in respect of the Kaduna airport, leaving us to work out our salvation ourselves as we must when the chips are down. Then there is the lesson that funds must be applied to the projects for which they are appropriated, like those for the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport, and the projects executed in accordance with their deadlines and by competent hands as Julius Berger has proven to be in carrying out the rehabilitation. The final lesson from the Abuja airport rehabilitation and timely reopening is that we have summarised the blueprint for our country’s renaissance as efficiency, and that we can have a far more functional country if we can replicate that efficiency with many more projects and in other sectors nationwide. Oke, a poet and public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

A Race On Siege

The conduct of the police in the conflict between the Hausa/Fulani and the Yoruba in Ile- Ife is reprehensible, contends Agboola Sanni

t is quite unfortunate that the recent inter-tribal feud between the Yoruba and the Hausa-Fulani in Ile-Ife had assumed a dimension that is not only novel but unprecedented in the more than two centuries of co-habitation between the Yoruba and Hausa in Yoruba land. Over this period and like the proverbial tongue and mouth, there had been moments of disagreements between the two communities for one reason or the other. Whether in Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, Ibadan or Oyo, crisis might have arisen either out of business mistrust between them, marital intrusion or for any other miscellaneous reason. But because of the social acculturation that evolved between the two communities, they have always resolved such crises within their various cultural norms and other rift-solving tradition. In many Yoruba towns and cities, Oyo town is a reference point. The SarkiHausa is a recognised chieftaincy title which usually receives the blessings of the Alaafin. That is why the SarkiHausa remains a member of the Security Council in Oyo metropolis. It is at this forum that the each quarter head including the SarkiHausa avails the council of the goings on within their intra-communities. It was reported recently that on one of such occasions, the death of a Hausa man arising from a careless driver was exhaustively discussed and debated. What makes the Ife experience both novel and unprecedented is the bias exhibited by the security agencies, especially the police in the course of its intervention in the crisis. For reasons best known to the Inspector General of Police, he gave a picture of national dimension to

the crisis by deploying a special squad from Abuja instead of the Osun State Police Command to handle the matter. Consequently, instead of conducting professional investigation, the Abuja squad chose to intimidate the Yoruba cradle thus putting the ancestral town on siege. As if that was not enough, the Abuja squad relied on tip-off only from the Hausa community to pick their suspects. To further show lack of professional etiquette, the squad did not consider a courtesy call on the Ooni, a worthwhile exercise. Such a visit could have availed them of the efforts the Kabiyesi made to quell the fracas. It was therefore no wonder that the police directed their attention to only one side, nay the Yoruba side. Whereas, more than 30 people of Yoruba extraction including a traditional ruler were arrested, not a single one from Hausa extraction was invited or quizzed, not to talk of arresting any one of them. It was little wonder the Yoruba saw the invasion as a declaration of war against them by the police, nay federal government. It was not only a desecration but a total contempt to hurt the psyche of the Yoruba race. This is because like Oyo, Ile-Ife remains a sacred and revered Yoruba town spiritually. The myth and intended paradox of the one-sided investigation is that both sides suffered casualties, in both human and property. Could the Yoruba people commit fratricide by killing their siblings? Did they deliberately destroy their own property? The absurdity is too manifest to be debated. That however was not the first time that the Yoruba race was put under federal awe. In its bid to put the Yoruba under federal control at all costs, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was subjected to political

and psychological torture. The then federal government was the masquerade, using the then Action Group crisis in 1962 not only to bring Awolowo to shame but to ridicule the Yoruba as a people by slowing down the development stride in the Western region. It started with the phoney Morgan Commission of Inquiry aimed at damaging the impeccability of Awolowo in public stewardship, accountability and transparency. But like the present set of patriotic Yoruba senior lawyers who now rise to defend the Ife people, the likes of Olu Ayoola rose at that time to volunteer themselves for the defence of Awolowo. Even under the colonial administration, the likes of Awolowo, Abiodun Akerele, Bode Thomas, Ayo Rosiji, to mention a few, were always at hand to render free legal service against any form of injustice in any part of Yoruba land. Significantly and instructively however, it is not within Yoruba land that our eminent lawyers had always risen against any form of injustice. Two cases can quickly be cited here during the Second Republic. These are the famous Shugaba deportation case and Balarabe’s impeachment saga. In these two instances, eminent Yoruba lawyers under the late G.O.K. Ajayi assembled themselves at no cost to defend the two citizens. It was not by accident that one of the patriotic Yoruba lawyers in the defence team is the popular Yoruba irredentist, Ayo Adebanjo who is still enjoying the grace of God to be alive today. It is therefore not a surprise that at close to 90, Pa Adebanjo remains what he was 50 years ago as far as the defence of the Yoruba is concerned.

During Awolowo’s treasonable felony trials, Yoruba lawyers across the board, including Adebanjo, the late Abraham Adesanya, and hitherto political foes like Babatunde Olowofoyeku were always at hand in defence of Awolowo. What all these show is that as far as Yoruba race is concerned, injustice has neither colour not tribal marks. With this background of political pedigree of the Yoruba in defence of justice and fair play, it only shows that the Afenifere group is just living to its responsibilities as the Vanguard of justice, fair play and transparency, not only in Yoruba land but also throughout the country. Equally, special tribute should be paid to the eminent lawyers and Senior Advocates of Nigeria especially Wole Olanipekun, and Ahmed Raji whose chamber is coordinating the service. The two eminent senior advocates had never been found wanting whenever the interest of Yoruba is at stake. In the case of Ahmed Raji SAN, it is Ife today just as it was Oyo yesterday. His respect for traditional institution in Yoruba land can quickly be buttressed by his quick response to the distress call of Oyo baales and chiefs over what they perceived as injustice to their ancestral land in the creation of LCDA by the Oyo State Government. With age telling on the faces of great patriots like Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Ayo Adebanjo, one cannot but commend the likes of youthful but dynamic Yinka Odumakin and others like him in ensuring that the ideals of Afenifere do not die with these great people. Sanni wrote from Ibadan

APRIL 22, 2017 • THISDAY, The SATURDAY Newspaper

insight

What went wrong?

Turkey Envoy and the Hizmet Movement

ast December, a Non-Governmental Organisation of dubious antecedents, claimed that the position canvassed by media personalities in Nigeria during the political crisis in Turkey are suggestive of the fact that the Nigerian media cannot be trusted in reporting objectively the state of affairs in Turkey. The report went further to state that Hizmet Movement, a peace initiative founded by Fethulah Gulen, the Islamic scholar primarily to promote peace, education and address social inequality, was responsible for the July 2016 coup in Turkey. Another NGO published yet a second article purportedly alerting the federal government about the activities of the Nigeria Tulip International Colleges, an agency of the First Surat Group of companies, associating the organisation with terrorism. The proprietors of NTIC are members of Hizmet and they are without doubt proudly identified by their bias in education, health and social sectors of the economy. Their activities are therefore not hidden to the Nigerian government and the public. Nigeria’s regulatory agencies in the health and education sectors can confirm the excellent performance of this group of investors under the foreign direct investment (FDI). NTIC has been in existence in the country for years and adheres to the guidelines and laws governing the establishment of institutions and other forms of investments that it owns. Once there is effective compliance on the side of investors, Nigeria as a country does not go after innocent people in order to frustrate their efforts. We need genuine contribution to the growth and development of the nation’s economy. The blackmail and culture of destruction being introduced by foreign envoys in Nigeria has to be critically reviewed, considering the fact that a country with the population strength of about 180 million people cannot be underestimated. It is the responsibility of the federal government to identify genuine businesses and transactions around the economy, using the instrumentality of the state security apparatus and other related agencies to determine and regulate the activities and operations of foreign investors in Nigeria. The desirability of some people and countries using their envoys in Nigeria to carry out illicit activities is a force that has to be contained. European countries put in checks any form of interference from neighbours and other countries of the World. Nigeria cannot afford to do less. It should convey a strong message to those envoys that are known for infiltrating ranks of top government functionaries with a view to interfere in government policies and

programmes. When the states and federal government require the support and assistance of any foreign envoy, they should be communicated through the right channels and until such assistance is sought, it will be diplomatically expedient for envoys to remain silent on state matters that do not concern them. I watched with interest and amazement the undue interference of Turkish envoy in the governance of Nigeria, how it tries to create a romance with government agencies to destroy Hizmet participants in Nigeria. Our laws allow freedom of expression and association, including of religious beliefs, not minding your colour and ethnic background. Nigerians have respect for the rule of law just as persons and group of people should not be allowed to weaken institutions entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the rights and liberties of citizens. The Turkish ambassador has shown clearly that his home government has lost the capacity to protect its citizens except those in the good books of President Erdogan and his administration. That may not mean much in Turkey, but certainly not in Nigeria. Ofem Uket, Abuja

Nigeria And Increasing Rate Of Suicide

ecent incidents of suicide in the country are no doubt, alarming and disturbing. Most shocking is the fact that younger ones are not even excluded from this worrying trend. It is ironic that Nigerians that were once famously labelled ‘happy people’ now find suicide attractive. Nigeria always ranks well in the World Happiness Reports. It ranked 78th in the world and second in Africa on the World Happiness Report for the Year 2016. Curiously, the country dropped to 103rd and sixth position in the 2017 World Happiness report. In the first quarter of 2017, Nigeria recorded bothersome suicide cases; one of which involved a 500 level, Urban and Regional Planning undergraduate of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Osun State, and a Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, student among others. As if that is not enough, a medical doctor recently ended it all by jumping into the Lagos lagoon. A host of factors have been attributed to the growing suicide trend in the country. The first on the list is current economic hardship facing the country. The country’s debt profile is on the high, companies are folding up while there is a high rate of unemployment coupled with the escalating cost

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of living. It is, therefore, not unusual that economic recession is resulting into depression for compatriots who are increasingly being overwhelmed by its negative impacts. Indeed, the times are hard, tough and more difficult than it used to be. Though the people are coping, but their coping mechanism varies. Recent media reports from several neuro-psychiatric hospitals across the country reveal that the incidence of mental illness including depressive disorders is on the rise. Another strong factor associated with increased risk of suicide in the country is loneliness. This comes via various means. Some folks that are of marriageable age, especially ladies, sometimes find the burden of lonesomeness as well as societal stance on their plight so much to bear. Present economic hardship and high unemployment rate in the country is not encouraging youths that are due for marriage from getting married. Similarly, divorcees and widows often cringe under the unbearable yoke of loneliness and its attendant emotional and societal hassles. Also, our society is fast transforming from the communal African traditional one where you are your brother’s keeper and the collective interest of all matters to a more secluded one. As a result of the influence of the western society, the Nigerian society and family life are fast becoming disengaged, insensitive, self-centered, unsupportive more nuclear. Another risk factor is the presence of marked hopelessness, a state aggravated by loneliness which is obvious in the fast-paced life style that leaves little or no time for closeness, sharing, bonding and intimacy which is also compounded by the constant need to make ends meet and the unfavorable economic realities of the day. This makes it impossible for families to have quality time together as breadwinners leave home for work and come back late at night, thereby leaving children at the receiving end. It has, therefore, become imperative to frontally address factors that are making our compatriots to languish in despair. First and foremost, government needs to fix the economy by putting in place necessary economic palliatives that will relieve Nigerians of the current hardship while it finds a permanent solution to the pervading economic recession in the nation. An enabling economic environment will give space and freedom for all to pursue their dreams and ultimately bring about a significant reduction in the rate of helplessness and hopelessness in the country. Temilade Aruya, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Lagos

Polscope

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • APRIL 22, 2017

with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356

Our Penchant for Complicating Simple Things

remember the theories of the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo, the fiery former senate president. In those days, as a reporter, we used to have lengthy discussions largely on the state of the nation at his Ogedengbe Street, Apapa GRA, in Lagos. It was the heyday of the military government. And Okadigbo would say the hoarding of information gives room to conspiratorial conclusions and moves. He was (and still) right. In the absence of official information, the rumour mill gets active and fills the void. That exactly is what is happening on the Ikoyigate saga where N13 billion (in various hard currencies} was recovered from the private home of a yet-to-be-known person in a residential (Osborne) tower. More than one week after the news broke that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered the money, there is still so much fog around who owns either the apartment where the money was found or the money itself. That should ordinarily not be a complex thing to establish. The said tower surely belongs to somebody. He/She can be identified and located. The tower might be under the management of an estate agent who in turn knows all the tenants in the building, including their profiles and pictorial identities. So why is it looking like a mystery that can be unraveled only by a Jewish astrologer? No doubt, the EFCC’s silence on their findings is fuelling the rumour mill. It feeds the theory that some wuru-wuru is taking place. I worry about the curious quiet of the EFCC who lit the fire in the first place by announcing the recovery of the cash without establishing investigative fundamentals. And so not many people believe the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) which has claimed that the money belongs to it. The claim had left too many questions spilling out of lips. Is it the practice for an agency of government, for instance, to warehouse its funds in a private residence? Does it mean it is the NIA that rented the apartment? If yes, for what? Storage of hard currency! What happened to the CBN and the TSA policy of the government? And pray, does the NIA not have an internal vault where it can keep such huge fund? Worse still, the NIA claimed that the money was approved for it by the Jonathan administration. That government ceased to be, almost two years ago. Is NIA saying that money has been sequestered in that apartment for almost two years? In any case, what was the money ever meant for? Are these questions difficult to answer or answers found for them by the EFCC? Interestingly, the controversial anti-graft agency last Tuesday submitted a report on the recovery to Mr President. It is not certain what the content of the report is. But it may have led to the suspension of the DG of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke. The

Magu prima facie interpretation of that action is that the presidency is not enamoured by the NIA claim to the money. From all indications, there is certainly more to all the drama we are watching. Thankfully a presidential committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a SAN and professor of Law, is expected to investigate and submit its findings in two weeks (as at last Wednesday). Nigerians cannot wait to see the end of this queer drama. Indeed, it is the curious silence of the EFCC as to the authentic details of the recovered cash that led the governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike to claim, in most unabashed manner, that the recovered cash belongs to his state, alleging that it is the proceed of the sale of the state’s IPP by the former Rivers State governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the present Minister of Transportation. It was such an unguarded talk! Was the Rivers IPP sold for N13 billion? Wike has become so garrulous that he seldom thinks before

talking. Or else he would have realised that Rivers IPP was not sold for the sum of the recovered cash. It betrays a desperation to undo his arch-rival, Amaechi by hook or crook. Desperate people are dangerous people! And when he speaks, both in content and in style, he speaks un-gubernatorially. His actions and utterances are bereft of the honour and grace associated with the office. Already, he has threatened some unstated action if the Federal Government does not hand over the recovered cash to him within seven days. Nigerians are waiting to see his next line of action, as it would be seven days in a short while. This is the same governor whose allegedly recorded phone call in the last rerun election in the state, captured his threat to kill an INEC official if his bidding was not done. It is a function of complicating otherwise simple things that has made that matter to appear dead despite the promise of the Nigerian Police to probe the threat. Many Nigerians have not forgotten how Wike’s wonky gubernatorial election caused the death of many innocent persons in the state. It was a bloody election, like no other in the state. Back to the matter in hand, perceptive Nigerians are not exactly surprised about the complication of this present issue. When on March 14 the same EFCC said it recovered some N49 million packed in five abandoned bags at the Kaduna International Airport, Nigerians have been left in the dark, more than one month after, about the identities of those who abandoned the said cash there. Not even the CCTV device in the airport could pick the images of the carriers of those bags? It has remained yet foggy. No probe panel was set up. Earlier this month, the EFCC also recovered some N450 million abandoned in a shop at Legico Shopping Complex, Lagos. Till date, no information on it. Again, no probe panel was set up. Few days after, the EFCC again, announced that it recovered the sum of N250million from a Bureau De Change in Balogun Market, in Lagos. Yet again, no clue on the owner of the money. Then last week, there was this great haul of cash from the Osborne Towers. Two sets of entities (NIA and Rivers State Government) have laid claim to the money, just as the ownership of the tower has remained shrouded in worrisome secrecy. But unlike the previous cases, the EFCC had to do a special report on this recovery and submitted same to the president. Nigerians are curious as to why this recovery is being specially treated. Tracing and tracking the owners of these recovered cash has suddenly become more mysterious than how water got into coconut. Nigerians want to know who dun it, as the American would say.

Finally, Babachir Lawal Stumbles Out

n my writings and private conversations, I had hinged my continuous faith in the Buhari anti-corruption war on what eventually becomes of Mr David Babachir Lawal, the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Two weeks ago, I had asked in this column: “Why is Babachir Lawal Still in Office?” For too long, it seemed President Muhammadu Buhari was unduly protecting Lawal from the kleiglight of the anti-corruption war. Matters were not helped when last January 17, the presidency wrote a curious letter to the Senate seeming to defend Lawal from the accusation of compromise in the grass-cutting saga. Indeed, the facts of the case weighed heavily against Lawal on all fronts. Not only did he retain his office in his private company long after he had been appointed as SGF, he awarded contract to a company (Jasmon Technologies) where he had visible interest. His own company—Rholavision, soon served as a consultant to Jasmon Technologies. Pray, what

is so technical about grass-cutting as to require hiring a consultant? So what work did the consultant (Rholavision Engineering—Lawal’s company) do? Worse still, the company he awarded the curious N270 million grass-cutting contract remitted N200 million back to Lawal’s company, apparently as a kickback. What kind of grass requires N270 million to be cut in an IDP camp? These are people dying of hunger and poor medication, but Lawal believes their greatest need is grass cutting, not food and medicaments. The senate committee that investigated the matter showed all the transactions in clear manner. The N200 million was paid ten times (N20 million each time). Lawal, believing that he is a core member of the Buhari kitchen cabinet, had rebuffed the senate’s invitation to clear the air on the matter. He had believed that “if the president be for me, who can be against me?” But last Wednesday, President Buhari demonstrated, to the relief of many that he cannot be with him, if his hands are not clean.

He ordered his suspension from office in a move that shocked Lawal himself, prompting him to ask rhetorically, “who is presidency?” when told that the presidency had just issued a statement suspending him from office. Before now, Lawal is believed to have mobilised certain persons including one dubious Civil Society Organisation called Citizen Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN) to mount a defence of his putrid acts. On its own, CATBAN had cleared Lawal of any blame, just as the MD of Jasmon Technologies (which paid the N200million to Lawal’s company) claimed that the money was a repayment of a loan advanced it by Rholavision to enable it—Jasmon Technologies, to complete the contract within schedule. It was a lousy afterthought! Since N200million couldn’t have been given to him as raw cash, I dare Jasmon Technologies to show evidence of bank transaction where/when Rholavision lent it that money. Without pre-empting the findings of the 3-man panel investigating the grass-cutting deal, it is clear that this David is one of the Judases among

The PENCOM Storm

Dikko

ast week, I had published the Right of Reply of one Aliyu Dankade, who was responding to an earlier column I wrote on what I believed was the over-reach of the then Director General of the Pension Commission (PENCOM), Ms Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, in some of her actions and inactions in the running of PENCOM, which had worsened the travails of the nation’s pensioners. Dankade had lashed out at me with an unchecked tongue, calling me names and regaled us with the great deeds of the Anohu-

Lawal the twelve. Dealing decisively with the likes of Lawal, if found guilty, will be a perfect way for President Buhari to prove that in this fight against corruption, there is no deference to friend or foe.

She had tried to fight back by sponsoring some fire-free kicks that played up mundane cards of gender and tribe. They are surely no Amazu-led PENCOM. But before the end of last week, a presiden- convincing reasons to deserve a review of the effect of the presidential storm. tial storm blew across the land, pulling down The young lady was head over heels every husky structure not founded on justice landing such a plum job and could hardly and discipline. PENCOM, amongst 22 other manage her cool. It is suspected that because federal organisations, was hit by the storm. she had some “backbone” at the time, the Its DG was sacked! It is remarkable that of PENCOM Act was curiously amended to all those pulled down by the storm, AnohuAmazu alone, had a tenured term in office. She reduce the length of post-qualification (industry) experience of its DG, from 20 years to 15 had scarcely gone halfway in her tenure. years, so she can fit in. That explains why she Although no reasons were given for the had to serve in acting capacity from December sack, it cannot be unconnected with her 2012 to October 2014, so she can attain 15 years arbitrariness and cocky attitude in running industry experience. She was shortly after, the PENCOM where she had served as Legal made a substantive DG! Adviser, before being appointed as DG.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •APRIL 22, 2017

NEWS

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

MSF Accuses Cameroon of Forcefully Repatriating Nigerian Refugees 55 Deaths recorded at military detention camp, alleges Global Amnesty Watch

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri and Paul Obi in Abuja The Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders, MSF) has accused the Cameroonian military of forcefully repatriating Nigerian refugees, a situation “which is against United Nations charter.” This is coming on the heels of the allegation by the Country Representative of Global Amnesty Watch Foundation, Helen Adesola that 55 persons died at the military detention camp in Maiduguri, before 593 Boko Haram suspects were recently cleared and handed over to the Borno State Government recently The MSF in its report made public yesterday said thousands of Nigerian refugees returning home after spending several years in Cameroon are doing so under compulsion. It said the displaced persons were being relocated to territories with little or no facilities for basic human needs. Though the Cameroon army had claimed that the displaced Nigerians chose to return home, as peace had returned to the border areas of Banki, Kirawa, Madagali, Michika and Mubi in Adamawa and Borno states, MSF insisted that Boko Haram insurgents were still active in these regions. “Most of the refugees will end up in the Nigerian villages of Banki, Gulumba, Gamboru as well as Bama town, “ stated MSF. Mayara (not his real name), told MSF that he had lived in Kolofata, a town in northern Cameroon for more than one year. He said: “They just decided to send people back to their country without any explanation. We did not tell them we wanted to return to our country. They forced us to come here. They woke us up early in the morning and took us to a field where they gathered all of us.” She said life in Cameroon had not been pleasant at all. “We had water and food problems. We never benefited from any food

Putting Heads together... L-R: Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and Aladeshonyin of Noforija Kingdom, Oba Babatunde Ogunlaja during the 2nd Quarter 2017 Town Hall meeting (7th in the series) to render account of stewardship of Governor Ambode’s administration, at the Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area, Ojo, Lagos, on Friday distribution. You either farmed or did menial jobs like breaking firewood, or selling water. This was how we survived,” said Mayara. He said they had gone for several days without food, adding that: “There were people selling drugs, so, if your child was sick you would have to pay for drugs.” Mayara’s experience is similar to that of 55-year-old Malla. He said: “I don’t know the whereabouts of my family after they were deported by Cameroon soldiers a month ago.” MSF insisted that the deported Nigerian refugees are living in deplorable conditions. “I was brought here two weeks ago. The soldiers came and gathered

people. Those who didn’t have a Cameroonian ID were put into vehicles and driven away,” said one of the refugees. He said that despite the hardships in Cameroon, it was not his wish to be taken back to Nigeria but said he had no choice. “It would have been better if we were taken to Pulka or Gwoza, which is our area than coming here,” he said. Meanwhile, the Country Representative of Global Amnesty Watch Foundation, Helen Adesola has alleged that 55 persons died at the military detention camp in Maiduguri, before 593 Boko Haram suspects were cleared and handed

Suspends Nationwide Cashless Policy, Creates FX Window for Investors, Exporters “Inflows from abroad are an important source of income for millions of families in developing countries. As such, a weakening of remittance flows can have a serious impact on the ability of families to get health care, education or proper nutrition,” Acting Director of the World Bank’s Global Indicators Group, Rita Ramalho said. However, in keeping with an improved global economic outlook, remittances to developing countries were predicted to recover this year by an estimated 3.3 percent to $444 billion in 2017. "The global average cost of sending $200 remained flat at 7.45 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, although this was significantly higher than the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of three per cent. Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average cost of 9.8

per cent, remains the highest-cost region. "A major barrier to reducing remittance costs is de-risking by international banks, when they close the bank accounts of money transfer operators, in order to cope with the high regulatory burden aimed at reducing money laundering and financial crime. This has posed a major challenge to the provision and cost of remittance services to certain regions," it added. The report further noted that several high-income countries that are host to many migrants were considering taxation of outward remittances, in part to raise revenue, and in part to discourage undocumented migrants. However, taxes on remittances are difficult to administer and likely to drive the flows underground.

Cont’d from Pg.8

On the global migration crisis, the report noted that between 2015 and 2016, the number of refugees in the 28 European Union countries increased by 273,000 to 1.6 million. During the same period, the number of refugees worldwide increased by 1.4 million, to 16.5 million. In a special feature, the Brief stated that the absence of a formal definition of the Global Compact on Migration, and advances a working definition of “an internationally negotiated framework for governments and international organisations to harness the benefits of migration while navigating its challenges.” It called for regional and bilateral agreements that address migration, to develop a normative framework or guidelines for governments and international organisations.

over to the Borno State Government. Adesola who briefed the media after a tour of some facilities in Borno State, attributed the deaths to “heat waves” and not meningitis as earlier reported in some media. She said: "Medically, the treatment and prevention for heat waves is the exposure of the detainees to fresh air and proper hydration. This is what the centre is doing as the detainees are being brought out into the open to seat under trees and adequate drinking water is being provided.” She said that the findings of Global Amnesty Watch Foundation indicated that everything was in order at the detention centre,

noting that there was room for improvement. “The detention facility, like many other communities dealing with this kind of issues requires additional intervention to ensure that authorities are able to better cater for sick inmates,” noted Helen. She insisted that the Borno state government must wake up to its responsibility, as 593 cleared detainees are citizens and residents of the state. “The Borno state government must not abandon them even though they are being held on the suspicion of their linkages with Boko Haram terror group,” she said. She added that the Nigerian Army, which is responsible for

the detainees, is doing all within its power to ensure the well-being of detainees in custody. Boko Haram: 'Our Resolve to Restore Security not in Doubt' Says DHQ In a related country, the Defence Headquarters yesterday said its determination and resolve to restore peace and security in the North-east where the military is confronting Boko Haram terrorists and other criminals in the country is not in doubt. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Gabriel Olonisakin stated this at a one-day 2017 Defence Correspondents' Seminar, held at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

Passengers Delayed as Dana Flight Makes Air Return over Bird Strike Chinedu Eze Over 100 Passengers travelling from Lagos to Port Harcourt on Dana Air flight yesterday were delayed for some hours when the aircraft after takeoff sucked in a bird in one of its two engines, thus forcing the pilot in command to return to the airport of departure, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The incident involved the aircraft with registration number, 5N-SRI and the flight time for the initial flight was 11:00 am before the flight returned to base. The action taken by the pilot in command was a recommended precautionary measure, but the passengers

had to wait until another aircraft was made available by the airline, which finally took them to their destination. Spokesman of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa said the aircraft involved in the bird strike would soon go back to air as the airline had acquired new engine to replace the damaged one. Ezenwa explained, “On 21st of April, one of our aircraft with registration number 5N-SRI operating our 11am flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt, had an air return due Bird strike during take-off from Lagos, and our Captain took a professional decision and returned to the Lagos Airport.” He explained that the bird strike is a collision between a

bird and an aircraft, which is airborne and as per standard safety procedure, “which is the hallmark of our operation, our pilot returned to base. “Our passengers have however been taken to another aircraft to ensure that their itinerary is not entirely disrupted. The aircraft (involved in the incident) is currently being evaluated by our engineers to determine the effect of the bird strike on the affected engine”. He said at Dana Air the safety and comfort of the passengers would remain a top priority to the airline and “we will stop at nothing in our commitment towards offering a safe and reliable air transport.”

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • APRIL 22, 2017

the alternative with Reno Omokri Based on Logistics: Buhari As Efe’s Number One Fan

ast week, President Muhammadu Buhari did not attend the Executive Council of the Federation meeting because, according to Lai Mohammed, he was attending to ‘other issues’. This week, the Executive Council of the Federation meeting did not even bother to hold. While I was wondering what excuse Lai would give us this week, some ideas flashed through my mind. Maybe the President was busy in the ‘other room’ attending to ‘other issues’! After all, a lot of ‘other’ issues appear to dominate the mind of this administration and they rather seem to have pre-eminence over the major issue of governance! But seriously though, could it be that President Muhammadu Buhari is a secret Efe supporter and that the cancellation of this week’s Executive Council of the Federation meeting was...based on logistics? I wonder, I just wonder. Well, at least there is some good news. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency have both been suspended indefinitely pending investigation into allegations against them. I can quite clearly understand why Ambassador Ayo Oke, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency would be suspended pending investigations, but why would Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, be suspended pending investigations? By now he should have been investigated. The allegations against Babachir Lawal came to light five months ago. The President himself even wrote a letter to the Senate defending the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. So why only suspend him pending investigations now? What was the Presidency doing in the five months since this incident came to light in December 2016? You see, it is precisely this slow pace of governance that has seen the Buhari-led administration take a cavalier approach to governance and this is not helping it or the nation it purports to govern. The Buhari administration is one and a half years older than the Trump administration. Even more so, Donald Trump has never been in government before 2017, either in an elective or appointive capacity. By contrast, President Muhammadu Buhari has been in government almost all his life and has been a governor, minister, a member of the federal executive and a former head of state. The point is that President Buhari has enough experience in governance and one would have expected that his experience would have at least given him an edge over a neophyte like President Trump when it comes to executive ability. President Donald Trump appointed Lt. General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser on the 20th of January 2017. Immediately he was appointed, Flynn was accused of inappropriate communications with Russian officials. Two days after his appointment, it was revealed that Lt. General Michael Flynn was being investigated. Three weeks after it

Cleverness is not intelligence. If El-Rufai says he has no security votes, was the money his government paid the Fulani his personal money? Was it appropriated for in the 2016 Kaduna State budget? And if there was no such appropriation, did El-Rufai misappropriate funds? The more El-Rufai points the finger at others, the more the finger is pointed at him

Buhari

was announced that Lt. General Michael Flynn was being investigated, he was forced to resign from his job as NSA and President Trump accepted his resignation. The total time that elapsed between accusation and his exit was three weeks. Now contrast that experience with President Muhammadu Buhari’s treatment of Babachir Lawal. And yet President Muhammadu Buhari is meant to have more experience in governance than US President Donald Trump. If this administration was really serious about its anticorruption war, it would not have waited for five months to suspend (not sack) and investigate Babachir Lawal. And it does seem like the suspension itself is an afterthought because this same President had himself written a copious letter defending the same Babachir to the Senate. But in all of this, I have one question: Now that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir-Lawal has been suspended, will Dino Melaye receive 5% of the ₦220 million fraudulent grass-cutting contract he exposed? This is the first real public test of the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s whistle-blowing policy. We await Dino’s bank alert! But seriously though, this administration must bring back a sense of urgency into government. It cannot keep taking forever to do the needful. Its slow pace is affecting the development of Nigeria. The 2017 United Nations Human Development Index was released this week and Nigeria made no progress from the 2016 index. We maintained the same position. To put this in perspective, Nigerians may want to recall that Nigeria made progress EVERY year between 2010 and 2015. Why have we stopped making progress in the last two years? What has changed between 2015 and now? Do we have to change the name of the APC from All Progressives Congress to All Retrogressives Congress? I have so far focused on the SGF, but what about the events surrounding the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the $43 million haul of cash? Why for instance has a usually garrulous government not come out to brief Nigerians on what it does know about the affair? Yes, an investigation is going on, but so that Nigerians will be sure that what is going on is an investigation and not a cover-up, we need to know the facts of the matter that have already been established. When a usually talkative Lai Mohammed is slow to comment on the $43 million Osborne Towers cash, the public may begin to wonder if his silence is because of the wellknown fact that it takes time to cook good lies? Two things that the public is itching to know, a. Who owns the Osborne Towers apartment. b. Why would the EFCC go ahead to raid an apartment if they had actually been warned beforehand that it belonged to a security agency? Could it be that the best script writers are not in Nollywood or Hollywood but are working for the APC-led administration? I started this piece by linking Efe with President Muhammadu Buhari and it seemed like a joke, but to be honest,

the two of them have more in common than the President would like to admit. Efe is an entertainer and he chooses his words with great effect to entertain his fans and give them an escape from the dreariness of life in the new and improved Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari and it seems his success has inspired the President to imitate him. What else can you call the President’s statement in his Easter message to Nigerians that he has fulfilled our expectations in the last two years? Those words are just so outlandish as to be entertaining. Surely, no one can take the President serious when he says that! The headline from the Vanguard Newspaper aptly captured his words. On the 15th of April 2017 the Vanguard ran this headline, ‘We‘ve met Nigerians expectation in 2 years – Buhari’. If the President wants to know the veracity of that statement, he should go to the comments section of that story on Vanguard newspaper to read the comments of the Nigerian people whose expectations he thinks he has met! Their responses to him may prompt him to banish the commentators to some ‘other rooms’ at DSS headquarters! Precisely, what expectations has the President met in the last two years? He promised Nigerians 3 million jobs in two years but rather than add jobs, the National Bureau of Statistics says that Nigeria under President Buhari has shed 4.58 million jobs. He boasts of technically defeating Boko Haram but Fulani Herdsmen have become so emboldened that whatever we gained from the containment of Boko Haram has been eaten up by the onslaught of herdsmen. The Naira can only get you half the dollars it got you two years ago and we have gone from an inflation rate of 9% in 2015 to almost 20% today. The price of petrol for cars has almost doubled as has the price of staple foods. And despite all this, the President says he has fulfilled our expectations. About the only promise that the Buhari administration can be said to have kept is the promise of one meal a day that was so widely advertised. That promise has been kept because many Nigerians can now only afford to eat one meal per day. If I have been unfair to the President and you know one expectation that he has met, I will like to be fair to him. Please email the expectation to me at reno@renoomokri.org. Nasir El-Rufai Versus Yakubu Dogara: The recent kerfuffle between the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara has exposed a hollowness in the assertion by El-Rufai that he has no security votes. If Nasir El-Rufai says he has no security votes, then with which money did he pay the Fulani herdsmen he claimed to have paid compensation as part of his efforts to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna? El-Rufai’s exact words on the 3rd of December 2016 were as follows: “We took certain steps. We got a group of people that were going round trying to trace some of these people in Cameroon, Niger republic and so on to tell them that there is a new governor who is Fulani like them and has no problem paying compensations for lives lost and he is begging them to stop killing. In most of the communities, once that appeal was made to them, they said they have forgiven. There are one or two that asked for monetary compensation. They said they have forgiven the death of human beings, but want compensation for cattle. We said no problem, and we paid some. As recently as two weeks ago, the team went to Niger republic to attend one Fulani gathering that they hold every year with a message from me.” Cleverness is not intelligence. If El-Rufai says he has no security votes, was the money his government paid the Fulani his personal money? Was it appropriated for in the 2016 Kaduna State budget? And if there was no such appropriation, did El-Rufai misappropriate funds? The more El-Rufai points the finger at others, the more the finger is pointed at him. I will advise the Speaker to ask El-Rufai to produce the statement of the accounts from where he paid the Fulani. Malam Nasir El-Rufai is well versed in misusing and misapplying the principle of Taqiyya to serve his Machiavellian purposes and the speaker must not play into his hands. He may be small in size, but from his reptilian brain comes some of the most ingenious manipulations.

Reno’s Nuggets

And now for my nuggets as I promised I would do every week. You can get more of the nuggets from my new book, Apples of Gold (a book of Godly wisdom). If you hurry to marry, you marry to worry. Marriage is not a race. If you rush, you get disgrace. If you take your time, you get grace. If as a girl, you want your future husband to worship the ground you walk on, then keep your virginity until marriage. The only way to do this is to date men interested in marriage not men interested in SEX. SEX rhymes with EX because when they get sex from you, you may become an EX.

Plus

Loud Whispers pg. 20 Interview pg. 24 Auto pg. 26 Global Soccer pg. 29 Fashion File pg. 41 PEOPLE pg. 44

Henry Okolie-Aboh My Dream is to Build a Business Empire

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper April 22, 2017

PLUS

My Wife and Our Twins Help Me to Focus on Business Henry Okolie-Aboh is the Managing Director/ Chief Executive officer of Westfield Energy Resources Limited. Against all odds, he has grown his company to become one of the big players in the oil and gas service sector. He loves work and enjoys his job, but he also creates time to be with his family and follow his other interests. Okolie-Aboh talks on the most fascinating activities of his work with Vincent Obia and Anayo Okolie

hat are your most fulfilling activities? I like to work. I could state very clearly that my calling is entrepreneurship. I always want to explore new opportunities. Upon graduation from the University of Jos in 1993 and after my National Youth Service Corps, I had the opportunity of working in some organisations in Nigeria, including banks. For the brief period I worked, I can say categorically that my mind was not there. I never found fulfilment working for others. I always wanted to do my own stuff. I had ideas of what to do, especially in the oil and gas sector and when I got the opportunity to relocate to Houston 10 years later in 2003, I never hesitated. Same week I arrived in Houston, I set up an office -a home office of course since I had no capital for any elaborate office anywhere. So from my bedroom I started the company and that was a dream fulfilled. Those early days and even till now I work! For me, honestly I really enjoy what I do and getting up in the morning to work is probably a part of my DNA now. Sometimes I could clock 18-20 hours of work in a day due to the time difference between Houston and other parts of the world, especially Nigeria. Obviously, the reason why it was so was that at the early stages of the business I could not afford to hire anyone and had to combine all the functions and roles in the company. I was the accountant, business development officer, salesman, everything! But in retrospect, I have enjoyed every bit of it and, of course, I am so grateful to God that I have a story to tell. So, I enjoy the fact that I am an entrepreneur and have had the privilege to pioneer five companies; all of which are going concerns. So, in a nutshell for me, it’s all about work! work!! work!!! Nigeria ranks very low in the World Bank Group’s Ease of Doing Business index. How has this affected you? I will tell you this; this peculiar issue in

Nigeria has hurt us and a lot of start-ups. From my personal experience over the years, I could state categorically that Nigeria losses several billions of dollars of foreign direct investments because of this perception. We have a very terrible bad press overseas. Just mention you are calling from Nigeria and everyone sits up. As early as last week, we had two very important companies that we had approached to partner with us on some upcoming projects declining; and the reason being the obvious, security. Despite the assurances and arguments to allay their fears about the security situation and Boko Haram, they still would not yield. Another negative for us, of course, is the issue of integrity. Some business people have been doing business with partners or parties overseas and have not met the financial terms and conditions of their contracts, thereby inhibiting easy access to financing and credit that small business need. Now we are required to pay for everything upfront. I remember in 2005 when we had to fill an order for Chevron worth about USD28,000.00. The manufacturer shipped to goods to my address in Houston before sending their invoice. Of course, upon receipt of their invoice, I made sure we paid it based on the agreed terms, that same manufacturer provided us credit references that culminated in over a million dollars of credit lines from several manufacturers in the USA. So with integrity I know we can do a lot even when we have zero initial capital. Locally here, you don’t even see anybody giving credit, because the next guy is not sure he is going to be paid if he supplies the requested goods or services, and it hurts our business. Something needs to be done and urgently too. A proper credit rating system in this country will go a long way. We must learn to punish bad behaviours and reward companies or individuals that have elected to do business the right way. These are very important measures and reforms that people in our financial organisations need to put in place. Do you have hope that with what is on ground, things will change in the

Okolie-Aboh

country? Absolutely, I am a very optimistic person. How many would have believed 10 years ago that today you could go to a shop in Nigeria and make a payment with your credit or debit card? Many wouldn’t have believed, but it’s happening today. That was unimaginable in this country, but now we have gone past that. Now we are no longer required to carry tons of money around to do things. If someone had told me that one day I could from the comfort of my phone make payments and transfers to people without having to queue up in banking halls, I wouldn’t have believed, but today it is happening. Now even bringing it closer to the oil and gas industry, our indigenous companies are competing favourably with foreign companies for varied service-related opportunities and are performing on their contracts, which is quite commendable. We have excelled in various areas of engineering like front end engineering designs, detailed engineering designs, etc. Our welders and other are doing a great job. Our companies have installed several hundred kilometres of oil and gas pipelines successfully. And like we know, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has done a great job in developing and formulating policies that have led to these success stories. Also the emphasis lately on agriculture I believe will yield positive fruits in no distant future if sustained. A lot of people, including myself, are now thinking agribusiness. I am certain that with a lot more encouragement and sensitisation from both the government and donor organisations, we will see growth in this sector. The pressure on our currency due to the heavy dependence on importation of food and fuels is worrisome. Imagine how much foreign exchange we could conserve if our refineries were working and there was no need to import petrol? Thank God for investors like Alhaji Aliko Dangote that are now investing in refinery. Obviously, with investments like this I am

positive things will be looking up very soon in our dear country, Nigeria. What role does your family play in your business and success? I am married with two kids. I am a firm believer in the dogma of work life balance; if your family is okay, you have an opportunity to focus on the business and grow it. In my case, my family lives in the US. We’ve always lived there since 2003. So I am always going back and forth. My wife, Adaora, is a pharmacist and plays a very important role in the family, raising the kids. Adaora has been very supportive through the years and I thank God for everything he has endowed me with. Though, she did not support my aspirations of building a business. My wife would rather after that I get a job especially in our very early days in the US. I was used to phrases like, “no, this is not the right thing do. Why don’t you go and look for a proper job?” Later on she came to realise how passionate I was about my dreams and she keyed in. For my children, I have eight-year-old twins, boy and girl. My daughter, Anuli, is a diva. A very sweet and caring girl. She would always want to know how I am faring and for sure I get all the “breaking news” at home from her. She just learnt how to send text messages and chat on Facetime, so I get updates on an online real-time basis. My boy, Kenenna, is the baby of the house and somewhat reserved. He likes karate and his games just like every child of his age. In a nutshell, I have a wonderful and very supportive family. I’m certain I have received loads and loads of encouragement from my family and I am appreciative of that. How would you describe yourself in one word? Honestly, one word will not be able to describe me. I think I have what I would call the dual personality, especially, in the eyes of people. I have seen instances where people will see me for the first time and think that I am a very mean person. They just judge from my disposition probably because I’m having a bad or

April 22, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

PLUS

stressful day and not smiling. However, some people come back a few days later saying they never knew that I was such a nice fellow. So if you ask me the type of person I am, honestly, I might not be able to say. It is up to you or those that have known me for a while to say. Personally, I am a very easy going person and I like to work. Also, I try to help others as much as I can, which is an important area that I am passionate about, because I have realised that not every one of us is equally endowed. Some of us, God has blessed so much and we must be a blessing to others that do not have such opportunity. So my focus is on education. I believe that if you train a child, the amount of inherent abilities in the child that you have trained cannot be quantified. What will you consider your greatest accomplishment in business? Honestly, I don’t even believe that I’ve started. My objective is to grow a business empire; and when I say business empire, I don’t mean one or two companies, I mean business organisation that will touch the lives of people, I think that is probably one of the greatest fulfilments that I see, to come here every day and see different people working. Different people from different backgrounds: engineers, accounts, project people, you see all of them working towards the same goal. But in terms of where we want to be, we have not even started at all. We want to build a business organisation that will go into agriculture and property development (for low income earners). Agriculture is one of the areas that I have really looked into over the past three months. Another area is entertainment; we are coming up with an entertainment brand, as Nigeria has a lot of talents out there that are looking for opportunity to showcase themselves. We have just incorporated the business, it’s called Spice Records. It’s going to be a record label that we are going to use to showcase young talents, a lot of whom may never have been heard. What are your strengths and weaknesses? My greatest strength will include being able to see business opportunities. I think

I am a very sociable person and I can mix with anybody that I want to mix with given the right conditions. Languages, too; I speak very good Igbo, good Hausa and I understand Yoruba to some extent. Language is a very strong area that I have and it has helped me a lot. On the down side, one of the challenges that I have and that is an area that I am trying to work on is the fact I could be snobbish when I want to. I could sit with someone on a 12-hour flight and I don’t even turn to say, hello. Engaging people in a discussion when I don’t know them is a problem for me. I am not able to start a conversation with people I don’t know. But for those I am familiar with, of course, I will engage. One other weakness that I have is in the area of negotiation; but I think it is one of the issues I’m currently addressing as I am participating in an executive management programme at the Harvard Business School. One of the core modules is negotiation skills, how to sharpen your negotiation skills. When last did you have an outing with your family? I try as much as possible to take my family on vacation every year, but the responsibility falls on my wife to determine where we go to and to put it together. My own part of the deal is to make myself available. Last year, we took a cruise to Mexico, and the year before, we went to Jamaica. This year I am thinking of somewhere in Europe, but the decision is hers to make. Of course, every year, as an Igbo man, we go to the East in December. During Christmas we don’t miss going to the village. My children always look forward to coming back home for the Christmas. You are a former President General of Uli Town Union. How do you see the Igbo society in terms of ability to present a common front on national and regional political issues? The challenge the Igbo society has, I think, is our republican nature and disposition. Everybody wants to be a king. I did the town union work in my community; as far as I am concerned, it was a self-help work. I spent a lot of money

and time serving my community. The whole idea was to make sure I touch the lives of people and my people were very appreciative of the little that I was able to do. My term is finished and some other person has taken over. But on the broader Igbo question, an average Igbo man wants to be the head, and that way we cannot get to where we want to get to. We must have a ruler. In Igbo there is what we call “Oha- na -eze”; the “Oha” signifies the people while the “Eze” is the king; but in a situation whereby everybody wants to be Eze and nobody wants to be Oha, there will be chaos and I think that is the problem of the Igbo race. I think it is the major challenge we have. The governorship election in Anambra State is coming up later this year; you will be shocked about the number of aspirants and money that will be spent. Everybody wants to be governor. Can’t we just come together and select one person that will do the job very well? The way we are going, honestly every other tribe in Nigeria will rule over the Igbo. Of course, we have lots of economic power, but it would take just one law in the National Assembly and everything we have done will be gone. Anambra State is the only state with only two members at the Senate till date due to litigations; whose loss is it? It is Anambra’s loss; it is the Igbo race that is losing. If that senator from Anambra Central were to be in the house today, he would have had five to 10 aides, which is five to 10 jobs and five to 10 families being fed. So who is losing at the end of the day, it is the generality of the Igbo that are losing. What is your advice to upcoming entrepreneurs? One of the things that I will advise is training. When I started business I didn’t know what I know now, thus what I am still doing is catching up. In the last two years I have had to go to Harvard Business School to learn how to organise my business, because there was no training from day one. Training here is not going to school, because I went to school, but training on how to organise your business. Another important thing is that we need to innovate, don’t start a business centre where you photocopy

In Igbo there is what we call “Oha- na -eze”; the “Oha” signifies the people while the “Eze” is the king; but in a situation whereby everybody wants to be Eze and nobody wants to be Oha, there will be chaos and I think that is the problem of the Igbo race. I think it is the major challenge we have. The governorship election in Anambra State is coming up later this year; you will be shocked about the number of aspirants and money that will be spent. Everybody wants to be governor. Can’t we just come together and select one person that will do the job very well? The way we are going, honestly every other tribe in Nigeria will rule over the Igbo. Of course, we have lots of economic power, but it would take just one law in the National Assembly and everything we have done will be gone and print documents because Mr. Henry started one and you have seen that it is working. Before going into any type of business, let us do a lot of research on the particular area we want to venture into; come up with the proper strategy. In this country, the reigning thing now is agriculture and everybody is rushing into it without asking themselves what area of agriculture they want to venture into. There should be a clear-cut plan on how to execute the strategy that has been put in place. A lot of people want to get to the top from day one; why not look for something little to start and grow with? You can’t be a Dangote from day one. You have to put proper structure on ground. If I am not available today, my company will run because there is a proper structure in place to ensure that the company runs effectively. Another thing is that, as an entrepreneur your cheque book should not be in your pocket. You should have a proper organisational structure, even if those roles are going to be vacant, it will help to ensure that your company runs smoothly. What other business affiliations do you have? Westfield Energy Resources is actually our pioneer business that started in 2005, and ever since then due to the changes in industry and other areas of interest for us, we have about four companies that we have already incorporated and that are currently running as going concerns. One of them is Transcore Geoscience Limited. Within Transcore we have very nice platform and have set up a Seismic Data Processing Centre where we process all sorts of data for the oil and gas companies. What we’ve put together right now is probably the second largest processing centre in the country, because we are able to process and store about 164TB (terabyte) of data for our clients. We have been able to complete some QAQC jobs for Total and Chevron. Our other subsidiaries are Westfield Subsea Limited, Spice Records Limited and Powell International Services Limited.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • April 22, 2017 with Joseph Edgar (09095325791)

Loud Whispers

Ibrahim Magu

The Ikoyi Money: I Know the Owner Me, the Duke of Shomolu will hear of $43million with no owner and I will not carry my big head into the matter? I have made my investigations and have reached a logical conclusion as to the true owner of the slush fund found between the walls and bathroom of this luxurious apartment. I will state who the real owner is at the end of this write-up, but before I do that, let me request the authorities please not to pay the full reward to this particular whistle-blower simply because he did not finish his job. He blew the whistle and told us the location but failed to tell us the owner which I must say is the most critical. This is not proper whistle-blowing and against the thick of the new profession. By the way, we are forming the Chartered Institute of Whistle-blowing in Shomolu and would soon be approaching the Senate for legal backing. Our founding fathers will include Andrew Yakubu and a slew of prominent Nigerians who have made their mark. Once that is done, guidelines will be published and the profession will be better regulated. So all this finding money everywhere without ownership will cease. We will now have licensed whistle-blowers who will work perfectly according to the guidelines and who will be exposed to sanctions should they flinch. Back to the story of the day. I visited the Ikoyi apartment and met all sorts of security apparatus combing the place all in a bid to unravel the mystery that is the ownership of the money. I just looked at them with their funny suits and laughed. All these agents would be our first students in the institute when we are inaugurated by the President later in the year. I went about my own investigation, interviewing 16 maiguards on the street, 12 drivers and 14 cigarette sellers. The investigation was robust and incisive also involving 15 house helps who at one time or the other served in the building. This is how we get information. I sampled 42 university girls and 80 club girls. I finally drilled down to the very light complexioned ladies who happened to be very popular with our politicos. I spent more time with the house maids and what I discovered will be released in my biography which should be coming out after Magu’s confirmation. Well, my people, let me spare you the procedures and processes which I had to deploy as the first fully registered chartered whistle-blower and unveil the result of my findings. The owner of the $43million found in the Ikoyi apartment otherwise known as the Osborne Towers is no other than the UNKNOWN SOLDIER. Yes, the same one who burnt down the Kalakuta Republic and threw Fela’s mother down the balcony. The one Fela sang about, ‘unknown soldier, na him do am..............’ Make una no kill me for this country, Abeg. Rev. King : A Last-Minute Plea I want to register this last-minute plea for clemency for Reverend King.

Rev. King

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode

Dino Melaye : Let No Man Touch

How would someone for the life of me, attempt to assassinate a graduate of geography. This is preposterous, a country is suffering from the scarcity of egg heads and then some funny people are now planning to reduce further the numbers by the brazen attempt on the life of a full graduate from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University. I thank God this did not succeed o or what would we have done with the academic gown we so gleefully wore to the Senate some few weeks ago. The sad news got to me while I was in the other room and immediately, I placed a call to the Vice Chancellor in a bid to ensure that the story I was hearing was not true. Nothing and I repeat nothing must happen to the most famous alumnus of the institution. Thankfully, the Vice Chancellor confirmed that our principal escaped unhurt and would only in a few days launch a massive social campaign tagged #meettherealDino. Me I know the real Dino and do not have to wait for the campaign to meet the real man.

He is a powerfully connected man, a world scholar with seven degrees and a well-known musician whose latest single blew up the internet. Those who are planning his demise will do Nigeria a great disservice and I must warn them to desist and join hands in the movement that should see our oga aim for the Presidency come 2019. Abi all these disturbance cannot be for nothing. But on a more serious note, if this assassination attempt is for real, then we must start to look very seriously at the wantonness that comes with the game of politics. The human life is sacred and must be respected and handled with dignity. Nothing justifies a loss of life and as such all lives must be protected and the Government retains that sole responsibility of protecting life and property as per the social contract signed with the people. So to the would-be assassins, I give you all seven days notice, to send a written apology to the Senate stating very clearly your resolve to desist from such nefarious acts failure which...............

It has been announced that the Lagos State Government may have approved his execution with those of his co-travellers. My plea is based on my conviction that nobody deserves to die

no matter what. So I send my plea for a possible commuting of his sentence so that he can live and be a champion of social change. This is not to say that he is not guilty as determined by the

judicial process at the highest level but my plea is on strong compassionate grounds. Na beg. Isale Eko : You Missed If you were not at the Muson centre, the venue of the just-concluded play , Isale Eko, you missed. Ask Chike Ogeah who came with his lovely wife. I saw him whisper into her lovely ear that he was the one who gave me the idea. Her lovely eyes brightened up and she hugged him thanking God that she married such a gifted man. The play was that explosive as the stage lit up in an energetic display of rapt performance. The story, if you permit me, was well woven. The dance was spasmodic and the costumes were off the rack. The play would not have seen the light of day if the Executive Governor of Lagos, my lord, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and my new found uncle, Ken Etete had not stepped in. They were the muscle that brought this play which celebrated Lagos and drew a crowd of about 4,000 people and reached over 6 million views on social media. It also drew some very great people, like Mr. Gabriela Ogbechie and his lovely wife. I saw him too tell his wife that he also contributed some idea to the making of the play and his wife also jumped up and hugged him. These people sef, na wa but that was the magic of Isale Eko. The Deputy Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Eshilokun whose family pedigree was on stage was present. He was accompanied by the Acting Commissioner of the Lagos State Ministry of Art and Culture, who also played a pivotal role in getting the Lagos State Government’s support. It was a mad experience; people sat glued to the stage as the spectacle unfolded. Patrick Dolye as the Oba of Benin simply killed me. With his trousers protruding under his costume annoying me, he still gave the kind of performance legends are made of. The climax was the petite bombshell and personal love, Yinka Davies. I had designed this production with her in mind. She is so gifted that you cannot help but be mesmerised. She closed the last show with a stupendous performance which saw me rolling all over the stage like someone with epilepsy. She drew tears from my eyes as she grabbed the microphone and belted the song with the voice of an angel close to Jehovah God. I wept, I peed, I screamed, I crawled, I begged for more. I saw my daughter, Chantal, on stage wondering if she needed to cover her papa with a blanket to stop this embarrassment, but at that time I did not have a care in the world. I had fulfilled one of my life’s wishes which was to have Yinka Davies sing in my production and people, she sang. Isale Eko is off to the UK year-end and would be up again next Easter. Let me thank the following people and corporate bodies for their support: Prince Adesegun Oniru, Elixir investments, Zenith Bank, Stanbic IBTC, GTB, BOI, LIRS and a host of others too many to mention.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 22, 2017

SPY GLASS

Dayo Alebiosu’s Comeback

Lagos socialite and politician, Hon. Dayo Bush Alebiosu, seems to have put behind him the defeat he suffered in 2015 when he lost to Rotimi Agunsoye at the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary. Though he decided to take a back seat in the social circle after the loss, he is still highly regarded in Lagos political circle. Spy Glass gathered that the flamboyant politician is making moves to stage a comeback in the political scene in 2019. Indeed, it was further learnt that many in the Kosofe Federal Constituency of Lagos State now wish for someone like him who will give them good representation in the National Assembly. Alebiosu, who is the Otunba Fuwagbuyi of Ijebuland, cut his political teeth under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State , when he served as Special Assistant on Housing. He proved himself as a reliable, diligent and focused aide, as he effectively served as a team player in the realisation of the housing programmes of the then administration. While he was in the House of Representatives, he served in many committees, including National Security as well Petroleum (Upstream); he was a former sub-committee chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among others. Though many believe that he rode to prominence on the back of his father, Alhaji Bushura Alebiosu’s influence, what is certain is that he has been able to distinguish himself as a thoroughbred and grass-roots politician.

Fakunmoju-Fakos in Blaze of Glory

Owolabi Salis Fakunmoju-Fakos is one of the top immigration lawyers in New York, US. His office in Brooklyn is a Mecca of sorts, as many immigrants like to engage his services on legal matters. The above may not really be news to those who know him and his intimidating credentials. But what is of interest, perhaps, is that the former governorship candidate of the Action Party of Nigeria, APN, has added another feather to his

with Bayo Adeoye ....08054680651 cap. While he was still basking in the euphoria of being honoured with the Jagun Basorun of Ibadanland bestowed on him recently by the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji during the monarch’s first anniversary in March, he has also been honoured with yet another title - the Olori Eyo Agere in Isale Eko, Lagos State–in recognition of his contributions to the development of Lagos Island. The lawyer, who is also a chartered accountant, began his practice in Nigeria before he relocated to the United States of America in the mid-90s. Few years after, he bagged CPA in the US, and later became a jurist doctor, having passed the New York State bar examinations. Following the return to civil rule, he developed an interest in politics . In 2007, he contested unsuccessfully for governor of Lagos State. In spite of this, he has not stopped contributing to the development of his fatherland.

Oba Saheed Elegunshi’s Low-key Birthday

For obvious reasons, Oba Saheed Elegunshi, Kusenla 111 of Ikateland, Lagos has always been in the news. Though he doesn’t go out of his way to seek cheap publicity, he is a delight any day to news hounds. Famously called King Gucchi, the handsome monarch, who is known for engaging in celebration of life, is well connected. Indeed, he has organised several shindigs that turned out to be the talk of town. Little wonder, expectations were high recently when the handsome king clocked 41. Many had looked forward to seeing him throw another superlative bash because partying comes naturally to him, but the respected monach celebrated his 41st birthday on low key on April 10. It was an affair that was graced only by his closest friends, family members and close associates. Oba Elegushi (Kusenla III) was born to the family of the late (Oba) Yekini Adeniyi Elegushi, Elegushi Royal Family of Ikate land. The monarch, who is married to Olori Sekinat, was officially crowned the Elegunshi on April 27, 2010, at his late father’s palace at IkateElegushi in Lekki. Before his majestic glide to the palace, he was personal assistant to the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu between 2003 and 2007 and remained the senior special assistant to former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, on Special Duties from June 2007.

Between Dangote and

Otedola

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote and oil mogul, Femi Otedola, are a good example of true friendship. They are like two bodies in one soul. Their friendship, to those who have been following their stories, has stood the test of time. In fact, it is what you would describe as friends made in heaven. In some sense, they have a unique way of appreciating each other. As proof of their abiding love, trust and understanding, Otedola recently celebrated Dangote when he turned 60. Spyglass gathered that Otedola hosted friends to dinner in honour of the birthday ‘boy’ at his palatial mansion in Lagos. The event was attended by dignitaries, including members of diplomatic corps, top government functionaries, business tycoons and socialites. Beyond the fanfare, the Chairman of Forte Oil, it was gathered, also serenaded the guests with the tale of his long-standing relationship with Dangote who was full of smiles and appreciation for the gesture.

Ayiri Emami’s Magnanimity

If springing a surprise is an art, it can be taken for granted that wealthy businessman, Ayiri Emami, has a compelling mastery of it. On several occasions, he has done this, to the chagrin of his critics. Strangely, he is fond of showing this side of him mostly when there is a widespread rumour about his financial status. It will be recalled that the Ajuwaoyiboyami of Warri Kingdom of Warri single-handedly sponsored hip-hop singer, Tuface Idibia’s Dubai wedding. What shocked many then was that the gesture came at a time he was rumoured to be going through a reversal of fortune. A few years after, he again sprang another surprise. While the recently concluded Big Brother Naija, BBN, was running, Emani, also called Akulagba of Warri, pledged to give N50 million and a Sport Utility Vehicle, SUV, to Efe, one of the housemates, whether he won or not. The pledge, no doubt, has further laid to rest the rumour making the rounds that he is broke. It is, however, said that he doesn’t engage in the act as a show-off, but out of fellow-feeling to the people around him.

Erelu Abiola Dosumu Still Dazzles

At 70, Erelu Abiola Dosumu still dazzles. Even as she is well advanced in age, she is radiant . If you meet her at an event, you will take a second look at her in appreciation of God’s abundant mercy on her. Many confirm that the Lagos high chief still has a presence of mind

that always wows her listeners. She has a presence that is hard if not impossible to ignore and she can beat younger ladies in beauty contest as her radiance can pass for that of a young woman in her 30’s. The Lagos high chief is not only incredibly alluring but intrepid. She is very fashionable. Indeed, her powerful dress sense and graceful steps are signpost of her evergreen beauty. Her simplicity and ability to understand trend remains the secret of her continued relevance in the fashion scene. Besides, she is very aware of modern trends in the fashion world.

City Architect, Teju Oga, Serenades Dad at 70

If there is one young man who has done well for himself in his chosen career–is a city-practising architect and socialite, Teju Ajayi. The handsome dude, popularly known as Teju Oga, among his friends, is the CEO of The Architects Place Ltd, a design and construction firm based in Maryland, Lagos. A creative and hugely sought-after architect, the debonair architect’s imprints are on scores of beautiful buildings in Lagos and other parts of the country. But for all these relative successes, Teju Oga has his dad, Julius Dada Ajayi to thank. As part of appreciating his old man, a retired superintendent of Nigerian Customs Service, Teju is celebrating his dad who clocked 70 on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 with a grand birthday soiree. Spyglass gathered that Teju and his siblings vowed not to settle for a mundane birthday bash for their loving dad who they admitted toiled through the years to make them the successful professionals they all are now. So, those fortunate enough to receive an invite to the bash holding on Sunday, April 23rd somewhere around Lagos should be ready for a ball, a blast and a breather. The bash will be anchored by the famous comedian-cum-compere Gbenga Adeyinka 1st, while rave of live music, SB Live, will be on the bandstand to serenade guests.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 22, 2017

TRIBUTE

Orji Kalu at 57: The Story of An Icon Kunle Oyewumi

n Thursday, April 21, 1960, at the popular Saint Anthony’s Catholic Hospital, located at 62/80 Etche Road, Aba, the family of Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Eunice Kalu welcomed the arrival of their first child. As the news filtered into the air, it was merriment galore at the Kalu’s house situated at 11 Azikiwe Road, Aba, Abia State. Eight days after the arrival of the baby, he was christened “Orji” (a mighty tree) in the presence of family and friends. From the name, you will agree with me that the life of Kalu, former governor of Abia State, had been divinely ordained.Despite being successful traders of second-hand clothing (popularly known as Okrika), Kalu’s parents were more concerned with arming their children with western education and they enrolled the young Kalu at Christ the King, Aba, for his primary education. He served as captain in different classes and was also a football player. For his secondary education, Kalu proceeded to Eziama High School, Aba and later Government College, Umuahia. His sports expertise became pronounced in Eziama, as he was a student-coach and player for the school team. He was also enrolled for evening coaching after school on weekdays while he assisted his trader-parents at their lock-up shop at weekends. The young Kalu was quick to master the art of buying and selling of fairly-used clothes. After passing examinations at 19, not losing focus of his academic pursuit, Kalu gained admission into University of Maiduguri to study Political Science. Owing to the goodwill he enjoyed among his schoolmates, he was elected as a representative in the student union government (SUG) of the tertiary institution and eventually he served as President of the SUG. It was during one of the protests, tagged: “Ali Must Go’’ against the then Minister of Education, Col. Ahmadu Ali (retd.), that the student activist Kalu and others were expelled during the regime of Professor Jubril Aminu as Vice-Chancellor. After much pressure on the school’s Senate, Kalu was recalled, but he refused on the grounds that his expelled colleagues must also be recalled. Since the school authority refused to yield to his request, Kalu moved on with his life. His expulsion from the university opened his eyes to the business opportunities in Maiduguri and as such he borrowed a token from his trader-mother to start palm oil trading in the city. The business, which started on a small scale, rapidly expanded to other parts of the North and East. Having made a fortune from the oil palm trading, Kalu diversified into furniture business with the registration of his company, Ojialex Furniture. As fate would have it, as Kalu was

Orji Kalu standing in front of his furniture outlet someday, a car stopped and the occupant (Prof. Jubril Aminu) greeted and asked him if he was the Kalu that was once a student in University of Maiduguri. At that point, Kalu was nervous but he answered the academic with confidence and respect by saying, “Yes Sir, I am Orji Kalu that was expelled from University of Maiduguri” and then Professor Aminu hugged him with enthusiasm and they exchanged pleasantries and contacts. After taking a quick look at the furniture products in Kalu’s shop, Prof. Aminu made a phone call to the Procurement Director in University of Maiduguri, who then asked Kalu to bring a quotation for supply of furniture to the school’s staff quarters. After several business meetings with officials of the university, Kalu was awarded a contract to supply furniture to the school’s staff quarters. From the profit of the contract, Kalu bought a large factory for the production and storage of furniture. Ojialex Furniture was also supplying furniture to Chad Basin Authority and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp in Borno State. Owing to his contributions to the economy, Kalu, while serving as Chairman of Borno State Water Board, was conferred with a national honour—Member of the Order of the Niger (MON)—by the then President Ibrahim Babangida in 1986. It was in the course of doing business with NYSC that Kalu met one Brig. Gen. Akpan, who introduced him to other NYSC formations. During one of his visits to NYSC headquarters in Lagos, Kalu heard a staff talking about the NYSC youth corps members’ uniforms imported from Hong Kong. He

swung into action immediately by meeting the official in charge of the NYSC uniforms and offered a better quality at a cheaper price if given the opportunity to supply the uniforms. Within 72 hours, Kalu, who had travelled to make samples in Aba, was back in Lagos. The officials of the NYSC were so impressed with the Nigeria-tailored uniforms presented by Kalu and he was, thereafter, appointed a major supplier of the NYSC attires using his newly registered company – Slok Nig. Ltd (incorporated on May 6, 1987) It was in view of his growing business relationship with the NYSC that Kalu, on the advice of his property agent, Mr. Obi Achebe, rented a residential apartment at No. 6A Adeleke Adedoyin Street, Victoria Island (Kalu built his Lagos residence on the same street, at no. 191A in 1990) and an office space at 42 Calcutta Crescent, Apapa. Despite sitting on the boards of several private and government-owned companies, including Cooperative and Commerce Bank, (where he was board chairman at age 29), Unipetrol, First Bank, Imo State Marketing Board, Kalu was still hungry for more business opportunities and he delved into commodity trading with the importation of sugar, salt, rice and other consumables. In the course of his business, he embarked on many business trips to America, Europe, Middle East and Asia and this exposed him to oil trading. Luckily for him again, Prof. Aminu who was then the Minister of Petroleum was able to guide and assist Kalu in securing oil transactions from the Federal Governmentcrude oil lifting. Despite the booming oil venture, Kalu did not still give up commodity trading, as he used the foreign exchange proceeds from crude oil sale to pay for imported commodities. Kalu served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1992 to 1993 on the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC) and held two key positions of deputy chairman of the Finance and Internal Affairs Committees. He moved the famous Dual-Citizenship Rights Bill in the House. After the military cut short the civil rule, he went back to consolidate his business concerns. Having built political follower-loyalty during his short stint in the legislative chamber, he was again approached in 1998 to join a new political group, which later metamorphosed into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). During the formation stage of the party, Kalu donated and lent the party N100million and N500million respectively. In 1999, Kalu was elected governor of Abia State on the platform of the PDP at the age of 39. It was a challenging period, as he took over the mantle of leadership of a heavily indebted state. Having pledged to govern with his conscience and to the best of his ability, on assumption of office, Kalu

began to deploy his business acumen and secured a loan from Guaranty Trust bank (GTB) with the assistance of his late friend and former Managing Director of GTBank, Mr. Tayo Aderinokun, for construction of roads in Aba. To the surprise of many, including the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, within six months in office, Kalu had already constructed six roads in Aba metropolis. This feat earned Kalu the title, “Action Governor” when Obasanjo visited Abia State on February 26, 2000. The energetic governor continued to execute more people-oriented projects across the state. Aware that education is the best weapon to arm a child, Kalu declared free education from primary to tertiary level in the state. Both Abians and non-Abians alike began to migrate to God’s Own State to benefit from the laudable gesture. Kalu built, re-constructed and equipped primary and secondary schools. His government was responsible for full payment of Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSCCE) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees for students. Teachers were motivated, as they were trained and re-trained. They also received their salaries, like other state workers, before 25th of the month. At the university level, Kalu increased the monthly subvention to Abia State University (ABSU) to about N200million before the end of his tenure, for capital projects. He also subsidised tuition and other fees for university students, as they paid N7, 000 as against N100, 000 per annum. Kalu also upgraded Aba General Hospital to ABSU Teaching Hospital. Other achievements recorded by Kalu’s administration are: winning of CAF Cup in 2003 and 2004 by Enyimba FC of Aba, timely payment of bursary to Abia indigenes in various tertiary institutions, construction of more than 200 rural and urban roads, distribution of 10 million day-old chicks to civil servants, religious houses and cooperatives, awarded special scholarships, embarked on rural electrification projects in over 150 communities, attraction of private investors, peace and security, among others. Above all, Kalu laid a good foundation for sustainable development in Abia State. After his stint as governor, the ambitious Kalu threw his hat at the presidential ring by contesting for the position of President in the 2007 general elections under the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), a political party he personally founded. During electioneering, Kalu visited the 36 states in Nigeria to canvass for votes based on a wellarticulated manifesto, tagged, “My Social Contract”. The policy manual, prepared by a 24-man team made up of professors, business persons and the youth, detailed the presidential candidate’s action plan if given the chance to steer the affairs of the country. –Oyewumi is Special Adviser to Ex-Gov. Orji Kalu

POLITY

Civil Society Groups Demand Immediate Release of Deji Adeyanju of the issue on ground, I have the mandate of over 50 civil society groups to make the following statement following the illegal arrest of one of us by the police. he arrest of Prince Deji Adey“We have just heard of the arrest of Prince anju, yesterday, by the police for his Deji Adeyanju, Convener of Concerned planned mobilisation of Nigerians Nigerians, over his organisation of a to rally against the secret trial and detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB peaceful rally tagged #FreeNnamdiKanu leader, will spell doom for the nation, which was meant to, once again, bring the attention of the world to the many inhuman civil society groups have said. treatments which the despotic government A statement by the groups said Adeyanju, of Muhammadu Buhari has subjected the the Convener of Concerned Nigerians, a IPOB leader to including the secret trial he is Pro-Democracy group, had organised the Pro-Nnamdi Kanu rally scheduled to take off forced to pass through. “Without much ado, we urgently and at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, yesterday, to call the attention of the world to what it called strongly demand that Mr. Adeyanju be released immediately or this government “the serial injustices and acts of brutality meted out to the leader of the IPOB group by which has so shamelessly descended into brazen fascism and tyranny in a supposed the tyrannical government of the day.” democratic dispensation will have the wrath The statement signed by the Convener of of a resolute coalition of civil society organthe Movement for the Advancement of National Transformation (MANTRA), Comrade isations to contend with. This nonsense has Jude Ndukwe, on behalf of other civil society got to stop!” The civil society groups said, “The wanton groups, said, “Following the urgent nature Bennett Oghifo

arrests, detention and or even killing of journalists, bloggers, human rights and political activists and opponents, religious adherents etc, by this government has got to its height and we have to put an end to it now. We can no longer afford to continue to fold our arms while a very tiny fraction of our society, as represented by the police and the military, stifles us and deny us our inalienable rights. “This government should be ready to face a flurry of furious protests capable of shutting government activities down if Deji Adeyanju and all those arrested with him are not released immediately.” They noted that the cause for which Deji was arrested was a just one, adding “Nnamdi Kanu has no reason to be subjected to any secret trial and other deliberate humiliations from Muhammadu Buhari and his whimsical servants while notorious and murderous Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen terrorists are given kingly treatments and even paid compensations for murdering fellow Nigerians who do not share the same

religion and ethnicity with those in power. “We have been in the trenches with Deji for some time now. We organised the Anti-Social Media Bill rally. It was peaceful. We organised the #IstandWithNigeria rally. It was peaceful. We organised the pro-Amnesty International Rally. It was peaceful. We organised a rally to warn the executive to stop undermining the legislative arm of government. It was also peaceful, and many more.” They described Adeyanju as a peaceful activist, saying none of the rallies he called or participated in had ever gone violent, wondering why he was arrested, “if not that this government is deliberately on the path of incurring the wrath of civil society groups?” “We are watching and warning. The keg of gunpowder upon which this nation has been sitting since the inglorious second coming of Buhari is about to go off. Free Prince Deji Adeyanju now or face the consequences.”

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 22, 2017

TRIBUTE Erelu Dosumu

Time for a Grateful Nation to Honour a Deserving Citizen

Preparations have begun to mark the 70th birthday of Erelu Abiola Dosumu, the Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos. As Samuel Ajayi writes, she has done so much for her country beyond what the public knows

he stepped out of her living room taking a seat at the see-through roofed penthouse of her four-storey building. Age is taking its toll on Her Royal Highness, Erelu Sherifat Abiola Dosumu, but the grace of her beauty and the elegance of her blue blood remain evergreen. As ‘Septugenarianism’ Beckons In July, Erelu will be 70. Her father, a banker with the then International Bank of West Africa, IBWA, hardly knew he had given birth to a star when she was born. Even when she was taken to Kano, in northern Nigeria, to stay with her maternal grandmother, the star continued to shine. Age is taking its toll and the raw energy to chase businesses here and there seems to be going down. But Erelu is far from being tired. She says her energies have been devoted more to helping the society than to amassing wealth for herself. “My life in the last 30 years has been deeper than this,” Erelu says with a mien that shows she does not enjoy negative narratives of her being an addicted socialite. “You have been coming here for the past 17 years or thereabout. What do you see? Perhaps, we have a society that does not give credit to hard-working women.” Life of Service away from the Klieg Lights Perhaps, it is this hard work that has not been noticed well enough and appreciated by a judgmental society. Erelu, without mincing words, deserves recognition by a country she has given so much to. May be it might be trite to name some of those areas where Erelu has intervened to stabilise a floundering ship of the Nigerian state. While many may not know, Erelu was saved by the whiskers from being clamped into jail in 1995 when she was named a NADECO member and possible financier. She was always in touch with then chief of general staff, General Oladipo Diya, and the discussion was always on the plight of the Yoruba in the General Sani Abacha regime. Erelu was deeply worried that MKO Abiola and General Olusegun Obasanjo were in

Erelu Dosumu jail. “My efforts to get these prominent Yoruba sons out of jail nearly sent me to jail myself,” Erelu had said “I could not just stand it. General Diya too was very worried but what could he do? I wanted to use my closeness to the diplomatic community to ensure these men regained their freedom and what did I get? An invitation from Colonel Frank Omenka that I was planning to overthrow the government. Nothing could be funnier.” Even the return of democracy would not prevent her from pursuing what she felt was for the good of the society. In 2002, Erelu said she felt uncomfortable with the way things were going between the executive and legislative arms of government in the country. The fallout was the planned impeachment of the then president, Obasanjo. She said, I gathered few other women across the country and we booked appointment with the then Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba. The meetings were fruitful as they told us their grouse with the president and we also met the president. I can tell you our efforts contributed immensely to resolving the impasse.”

With northern traditional rulers during one of her peaceful coexistence campaigns to the north Preserving Traditional Values It did not end there. Erelu also played prominent roles to reconcile Yoruba monarchs who were at loggerheads. Erelu had approached the then governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who gave her a vehicle with which she and her team were moving from one traditional ruler in the South-West to the other. This led to a meeting between the late Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuade, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi. Taking it to the national stage, Erelu set up the Natural Rulers and Eminent Persons for Good Governance and Peace and she was able to get the likes of the late Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Maccido, late prominent businessman, Iyanda Folawiyo, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Achebe, and so on to buy into it. The aim of the group was to promote peaceful co-existence between the nation’s diverse ethnic nationalities. The group traveled to places like Kaduna, Sokoto, Onitsha, Warri, Oshogbo, Ile-Ife and so on. “We were well received everywhere we went to. It was a fruitful exercise and I am

very happy that while the larger public might not know, these interventions yielded positive results, she said. An Amazon Worthy of National Honours Perhaps, it is high time her fatherland bestowed her with a national honour. A long-time associate of the Erelu told THISDAY that there were those who never contributed 10 per cent of what Erelu had contributed but were awarded national honours. “People might not know this, but as far back as 1967, she and her husband, the late Major Elegbede, pushed for the creation of Lagos State. “When students of Lagos State University, LASU, were home for over nine months, she used her NGO to appeal to the government and ASSU leaders and the strike was called off. In the same vein, when a prominent Yoruba businessman was having issues with an operating licence, Erelu did a lot of work behind the scene to help him. I think this woman deserves more due than the society has given her,” the friend said.

For My Dad, Christopher Abu Salami (1930 – 2017) Niyi Salami

few paragraphs of prose-in-tribute will not exhaustively capture the life and times of my late father, Christopher Abu Salami, but it will at least highlight what enviable life of selfless, unsung service this great man lived. He was my father, my hero, my friend! My father, Christopher Abu Salami, a.k.a. Teacher (Tisha in local pronunciation), C.A., and Baba C.A., Daddy C.A., Baba Rere and a lot more others, started out and remained a thoroughbred Classroom Teacher. His profession was absolutely ingrained in him so much so that it permeated his comportment, conduct and carriage all through his lifetime. Baba, as I have always known and called him, was a man whose life sat on a tripod, each of the legs being Service to his family, Service to Community and Service to God. He was a true family man, always willing to assist every member of the family to achieve their set goals. He was a great father, a mentor to us all. Family values were very high on his priority list. I remember once in the 80’s, when he secured a Federal Scholarship for further studies abroad but had to decline the offer when he failed to get a complementary Pay Leave from his employer, which he hoped would support his family while away. He said then that

going abroad and leaving his family in hardship back home was just not an option for him. Baba was that selfless. He would atimes even own the concerns at hand more passionately than the family member directly involved. Luckily for us, he lived long and it never ceased to amaze me how he was so willingly prepared to intervene in the issues and concerns of each one of his children and even grand-children! For us, Baba was influential, not affluent. He could not at any time in his lifetime be honestly described as rich but his riches laid in his goodwill for others, even outside his family. Don’t get me wrong, Baba was not averse to affluence but he did not touch cut-throat pursuit of wealth. It was not just his way. He simply preferred modesty, and so, I was not surprised when he instructed us on a modest burial ceremony whenever the Almighty God called home. I am so proud that he was there for us, all the way, till he breathes his last. His service to his Community was equally profound. He was an active member of Iyamoye-Ijumu Development Union in Zaria and in all other towns he resided. He was passionate about bringing development to Iyamoye through communal self-help efforts, and indeed, through sensitizing and pressurising the various levels of Government for Iyamoye’s deserved share of infrastructure and amenities. Modest achievements were made by him in this direction alongside his

fellow kinsmen who made up the Union. In 1982, he was given the responsibility to Chair the Development Union’s special committee charged with the establishment of a Community Secondary School. He carried out this responsibility creditably and by 1983, approval had been secured for take-off of the school. It is gratifying to note that Community Secondary School, Iyamoye is still standing and running till this day. It was around the same period too, that my father was honoured with the Chieftaincy title of Oluseyi of Ijumuland by the then Olujumu of Ijumuland, in recognition of his service to Ijumu community as a whole, and for his efforts towards making our society a better place for all. Baba had also received several awards and accolades from different Associations and Organisations (even until very recently) for enviable community service and mentoring. My father’s service to God through church activities was phenomenal. His dedication to the activities and growth of his church, Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), whilst in service and even in retirement earned him a lot of commendation. He was an Elder in the church for as long as I can recall, back in ECWA Yoruba Section then in Zaria. On retiring home, he gave ECWA its presence in Iyamoye. Nothing was too much to be committed to the growth of the church as far as he was concerned. My father saw to the spiritual

as well as welfare needs of members without complaining. The Reverend gentleman pastoring the church at Iyamoye did not hide how much Baba will be missed few days ago at his interment ceremony. In all, Baba was a good, law-abiding private citizen. He was never involved in any misdemeanor or any unwholesome act under the law. He was fair to his students, and indeed, everyone else. In fact, his life was pretty much like his teaching notes - purposeful, methodical and organized, all geared towards a determined end. Just like my sister Yemi and I often jokingly remarked, Baba’s life was like an open book, easy to read and understand! His principles in life were dictated by his Christian faith, believing very strongly in the importance of surrendering totally to the will of God to His glory. I have heard him consistently ask God in prayers to teach us to accept His will, even if the results before us were not what we hoped for. This belief made it easy for him to be thankful in all situations as adherents of his faith are enjoined to. Baba’s extended family was very diverse in terms of faith and adherence and this also made him a visible participant in the activities and festivities of other faiths, drawing strength rather than division from the diversities in the various belief systems. –Niyi Salami (niyisal@yahoo.com) wrote this tribute from Abuja

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • April 22, 2017

Interview Isaac Rotimi Ajayi

Good Education Must Solve Societal Problems Isaac Rotimi Ajayi, a professor of Physics is the Vice Chancellor of Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State. He spoke to Raheem Akingbolu about deficiencies in the nation’s business education and the need for stakeholders to to bridge the gap

ow has the experience been for Crawford as a private institution? Crawford University was an intervention in the education landscape to be a model university where students can be trained not just in the academic knowledge alone, but also to give a kind of balanced education that will enable the students to become good citizens of the country. In other words, what we do here is to offer balanced education both in academic discipline and godliness so that the products can be well rounded, fit into the society and be positive citizens. We allow our students to develop on all fronts: talk of academic development, social, cultural and spiritual development. These are areas we develop our students in.

industries generally. There’s lack of some capacities especially in the area of management that we have noticed. Therefore, our MBA programme is designed to bridge that. We started the MBA programme three years ago and have gotten the approval of the National Universities Commission, NUC, to run it. Crawford MBA is designed to be a model in Africa in term of learning approach, capacity development, teaching, ambience and products. We believe that a lot of top managers and young entrepreneurs and industry leaders would need good training in business administration to help them do well in their businesses. This is so because the purpose of the MBA is to develop capacity for top industry leaders, executive managers in industries and government to acquire the proper skill that would help them in their industries.

Entrepreneurship is core in the curriculum of many institutions. Does Crawford include this in its programme? Entrepreneurship is part of the programme we emphasis here. Every student that passes through this university must graduate with at least three certificates; the degree certificate, ICT certificate and vocational certificate from any field of their choice. We have centre for entrepreneurship vocation where every student takes a particular vocation, trained in that vocation and be certificated in it. The students also compulsorily take training in ICT and graduate with a certificate in ICT resource.

Who are the targets? Are there places for starters and self employed? The target people for the programme are university graduates, polytechnic graduates, professional graduates, emerging entrepreneurs and executive business owners. For the people we call emerging entrepreneurs, the training would assist them to do well in their businesses.

Do they run concurrently? They run concurrently and the idea is that you have a vocational skill before you leave the system. We have observed closely the need to develop the human capacity in Nigeria, especially the career executive managers, emerging entrepreneurs, top industry leaders and decision makers. The university’s advertisement for MBA is currently running. What new thing is the school bringing into the table in the area of business education? The MBA programme is born out of the desire to fill the human capacity gap that we have identified in the

You are operating in a competitive environment. How prepared is the school in the area of provision of modern facilities? We recognise that there is competition but we have provided model facilities that we believe would help us to run the programme and we are continuously expanding the facilities. Before now, we have a postgraduate school and other programmes running; just that we are placing emphasis on this MBA programme this time because we are strengthening and expanding it. We are involving some foreign experts, foreign faculties and other stakeholders to be part of it. For an MBA, of course an applicant must have gotten the first degree; a good one. Polytechnic graduates are also welcome; they are eligible. Industry people with experience are also welcome. And the idea is that we are delivering a programme that would impact the necessary skills for solving

Ajayi… Vice Chancellor, Crawford University

problems. We are emphasising the aspect of solving problems with skills that would make our graduates solve societal and industry problems. That is why we are involving these foreign partners, so it’s not just going to be a local training; it’s going to be world class. Which countries are these foreign partners coming from? Some of them would come from the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa. They don’t necessarily have to come here, they can deliver lectures through the use of technology like Skype and other online platforms, but they would be part for the programme to make it very robust. Which means as a student I can be in the comfort of my home and still be part of a lecture? Not exactly. But the whole programme is going to be made flexible. You can always adjust your time and the programme to suit your schedule. Is the school considering having a centre outside? No centre outside the University; but it would be such that is flexible and accommodate the schedule of students. To acquire MBA programme of some schools, one may need a bank loan; how affordable is the fee at Crawford? We believe the cost is affordable but one thing we must be concerned about is the quality of what we are bringing to the table. Take for instance, our students have been performing wonderfully well within and outside the country because of the training they get here. Crawford University is in Nigeria, but through our products, we have been making exploits and imprint in different parts of the world. For instance, a lot of our products are doing well in the UK and US. Even our undergraduates have been bring-

Entrepreneurship is part of the programme we emphasis here. Every student that passes through this university must graduate with at least three certificates; the degree certificate, ICT certificate and vocational certificate from any field of their choice. We have centre for entrepreneurship vocation where every student takes a particular vocation, trained in that vocation and be certificated in it. The students also compulsorily take training in ICT and graduate with a certificate in ICT resource. ing a lot of laurels to the university. The latest one was our exploit at the Nigerian Economic Student Association, where a student of this university won the first prize in the competition for the association. Then in 2014, we were the winner of African Regional Inter-University Debate organised by UNESCO. Our products have been doing well and it attests to the fact that this university actually impacted sound academic training in them.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • APRIL 22, 2017

Expression

MEDIAGAFFES by

$43m: Wike Goofs on Amaechi

HISDAY Front Page of April 15 inaugurates this week’s edition of our language series: “Governor Nyesom Wike yesterday said that the $43 million found in a luxury apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos (a comma) belongs (belonged) to the Rivers State Government and gave the federal government a 7-day ultimatum to return it, “failing which Rivers State government will take legal measures to ensure that it gets back her (its) stolen resources.” If you need to unnecessarily feminize the English language, you do it fully: she (not ‘it’) gets back her stolen resources. THE GUARDIAN of April 16 takes over the baton today with two headline blunders: “NCC raises alarm (the alarm) on increasing threat to communication services” “ExxonMobil invests $40bn on (in) hydrocarbon” “At the induction ceremony (sic) of the new provost of Christ Church Cathedral, Lagos, the choir rounded up in the induction ceremony (sic) by rendering an anthem.…” Even the Bible cannot confuse ‘round off’ with ‘round up’! “Africa continues to experience sluggish economic growth because more than half of the countries in the continent are among the poorest nations in the world.” Get it right: on the continent. “But they point out that the organization had expended all its ammunitions…” ‘Ammunition’ is non-count. “The Trans-Saharan Trade which broadened Kan’s fame and fortune dealt principally in slaves and traditional dye-clothings.” This way: ‘clothing’ does not admit any inflection.

“They had only been paying lip service (a hyphen, please) to the pursuit for agricultural self-sufficiency.” Get it right: in the pursuit of…. “As they continue to sing… government may be forced to chew its words not too far from now…” Correct expression: swallow one’s (its) words; not chew. “In a country where friends share no faith in each other; where the only objective is ‘me and my brother’ must carry the loots. “ ‘Loot’ is non-count. “In spite of the air-condition in the car….” It’s called air-conditioner. “Passport booklets scarcity worsen” Scarcity worsens. “Furthermore, to check all manners of inhumanity to one another….” Standard idiomatic expression: all manner of… The next grotesque blunder is from THISDAY of October 31: “His recent errands to Europe for the present administration and his utterances has prompted this essay.” Essay indeed! Verb plurality here is very clear (have; not has). “There is bound to be conflicts and if need be wars…” An accord: there are bound to be conflicts… “At every fora, that was mouthed even by those in the saddle now.” (THISDAY, April 3) This way: At every forum… Singular: forum; plural: fora or forums. “To compliment their lean financial purse.…” An example of malapropism: inability to distinguish between ‘complement’ and ‘compliment.’ Some writers need to go back to school! “Food production has often failed to keep pace with population growth, while earning from export commodities have not done much.” Get it right: while earning from export

commodities has (not have). “What is your recommendation with regards to that?” Either ‘as regards’ or ‘with regard to’ No irregularity…. “Cuba, Nigeria to strenghten cultural ties” Get it right: strengthen “Newspaper pages are repleted with such stories.…” Replete, gentlemen “Unfortunately, it was…who blew the lead open.…” It’s ‘lid’; not ‘lead’! “But on Monday, hundreds of restive staff of the ministry laid siege around the entrance to the….” Lay (laid) siege to; not ‘around’. “Among other things, this has repeatedly given rise to late procession of examination particulars.” Get it right: late processing (not procession). “But it soon done on the ring leader of the putsch that it was only partially successful.” Bad grammar can hinder a coup! ‘Dawned’ (not ‘done’) “He died Wednesday evening in Abuja at Agura Hotel junction within the city in a ghastly motor accident.” When death results from a vehicular mishap, it becomes a fatal— not a ghastly—one. “Heavy downpour almost marred proceedings….” ‘Downpour’ does not require any amplification. “What tradition has joined together….” ‘Join’ can elegantly perform the function of that Biblical phrase! “Consequent upon poor funding, the commission’s ability to acquire new vehicles have been greatly impaired.” The syntactic arrangement here calls for ‘has’—not ‘have’. “The research institutes should therefore take into cognizance the relevance of local needs, simplicity, economic viability and market acceptance when designing their produces.” ‘Produce’ is an uncountable entry.

Ebere Wabara

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

“Its centrality as the link and gateway to the outside world make it all the more pervasive.” Its centrality…makes..

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IT is perhaps too late to object to ‘upliftment’ now. There is upliftment meaning uplift in the dictionary ((see World Book Dictionary, Page 2299). Besides, there are uplifting (adjective), uplift (verb) and uplifter its corresponding noun. More power to your elbow. (BAYO OGUNTUASE, 08056180046)) IN journalism, Gentlemen of the Press is the appropriate tag irrespective of gender. In the judiciary, Justice Mary Odili is His Lordship. In the Constitution, Chief Justice Aloma Mouktar is the chairman (not chairwoman/person) of the National Judicial Council. This is not a matter of grammar. (KOLA DANISA, 08023323377) “We maintain that the government must take the bull by the horn by empowering NDIC….” Formal structure: take the bull by the horns. “…winner of the women’s cycling race power home under the rain….” This way: in the rain. “FRSC must device its means and ways of self-sustenance.” Noun: device; verb: devise. “Everything was available in abundance at the party that was held somewhere in Victoria Island.” Famous folk celebrate on Victoria Island. “Already the poor is financially emasculated.…” Even the rich are (not is) equally emasculated. “It must also have taken into consideration that the case, if not satisfactorily managed, could become precedence with latent domino effect.” Any lead writer worth his salt ought to appreciate the distinction between ‘precedence’ and ‘precedent’. Editorial writing is the hallmark of newspapering.

INSIGHT

El-Rufai, Dogara: Dismantling the Culture of Ruling Elite’s Silence Sufuyan Ojeifo

e never planned for public office. It was, perhaps, at the point of digging in his feet in the world of business that he was, on the recommendation of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, accidentally brought into government. Malam Nasir el-Rufai wrote an autobiography titled: “The Accidental Public Servant”, which is a fitting description of his public service voyage. Had he not ventured into the political power game, his essential character might have been, forever, hidden from public appreciation. I am sure that his benefactor, Atiku Abubakar, did not quite know the capacity of el-Rufai for “positive mischief” when he got him appointed into office as director general of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). Having settled into office, he was restlessly looking for an opportunity to unravel and define his eon. el-Rufai’s allegation that some senators demanded N50-million-bribe from him to secure confirmation as minister in 2003 marked the beginning of his manifestation as a rebel in government. All gloves were off. He took some rash decisions and actions that were well considered while in office many of which he is said to have explained in his book. Going by media reports, the narratives ruffled feathers, most especially Atiku Abubakar’s. He also gave former President Olusegun Obasanjo some side swipes. Perhaps, el-Rufai should have maintained a dignifying silence rather than break what, in the Mafia world, is Omerta. el-Rufai cuts the picture of a glib public servant. He is temperamentally unsuited for elite conspiracy of silence. Restless and always daring to toe the solitary path of dissonance in government, he becomes a curious avantgarde in a setting where such disposition is an anathema. He relishes controversies. He courts it, as a matter of fact. Such bravado is the stuff that this unapologetic non-conformist is made of. There is a popular saying that short people are troublesome. el-Rufai is not only short but also diminutive. Please permit this scant reference to his physiology. This is an unintended argumentum ad-hominem. So what he lacks in stature, he makes up for with his audacious-

ness. He speaks truth to power like someone who is ready to commit suicide. I have not read his book to appreciate the extent he has gone to pull the trigger on issues he was privileged to take decisions in his capacities as director general of the BPE and minister of the FCT. The one action he took that is still rankling Nigerians in Abuja was the infamous massive demolition of houses in his bid to restore the capital city to its original master plan. el-Rufai’s popularity did not get him into Kaduna Government House in 2015. He profited from the political correctness of the APC that he belonged to, which benefitted so much from the cult-like following the party’s presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, enjoyed in the northern part of the country. Otherwise, he could not have defeated the incumbent governor. In the saddle, the stormy petrel of APC has directly and indirectly stoked so many crises in the state. Southern Kaduna is devastated through the failure of his leadership. Fulani herdsmen have, with impunity, maimed and killed indigenes of southern Kaduna who are mostly Christians over cattle grazing issues. The Shiite Muslim group has also been battered and he is one of those to whom finger of guilt is being pointed for failing to protect the constitutional citizenship and religious worship by members of the group. His running battle with Senator Shehu Sani has, at best, been ludicrous. Having failed to match Sani’s superior arguments about his leadership failure and incompetence, el-Rufai resorted to instigating the suspension of the senator from the APC. But the senator remains very popular among his constituents. Interestingly, el-Rufai has refused to take up Sani’s gauntlet to declare his assets publicly after the senator made his assets declaration public. Although, his memo to Buhari was a case of a positive mischief maker being beaten to his game, the real intention underpinning the memo that was secretly sent to the president was self-serving: to become a darling and the Khalifa to the number one citizen. But the gambit has turned awry, boomeranging right in his political face. I learnt that el-Rufai met with the president and expressed his concerns that the government needed to up its ante in different areas. The president was said to have asked him

Dogara to reduce his positions to a memo since he might not remember all that he had said. He did and gave the memo to the president, who was said to have handed it to his chief of staff to go through and reduce it to an executive summary for him. The chief of staff, whose name, purportedly featured negatively in the memo, was said to have, out of anger, leaked it to the press in order to paint el-Rufai as an ambitious politician, jostling to succeed Buhari as president in 2019. Those who are not el-Rufai’s fans are not sympathetic to him. For all they care, the fox has been beaten to his game. That matter was still lingering when he chose to open up another battle flank. He took on the National Assembly on the issues of its opaque budget and non-cooperation with the executive arm in the fight against graft. Dateline was Kaduna, at the closing of the recent National Assembly management retreat. el-Rufai was at his “mischief” best, openly slamming the Legislature, pontificating like the Pope and trying to occupy a moral high ground. The good thing, however, was that he got an instant riposte from the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,

who was the highest-ranked presiding officer at the event. Dogara’s counter punches have resulted in a series of official actions on both sides, to wit: publication of their respective monthly salary/ pay slips, details of which have reinforced the belief all this while that these public officers have a myriad of ways of taking care of themselves with our commonwealth. Who is deceived that el-Rufai’s salary of about N470, 000 or Dogara’s net pay of about N267, 000 per month underpins their livelihoods? But el-Rufai’s nuisance value must be appreciated for triggering off this kind of conversation in a system where management of public finance has been shrouded in secrecy. Transparency, openness, accountability and probity are anathema. And, these are the key elements of democracy and good governance. These are the demands el-Rufai was placing on the federal legislature. The message was, no doubt, very good. However, the messenger was problematic. Dogara only needed to tap state governors, including el-Rufai, on their salaries, security votes and management of the local government joint account, which the governors have hijacked and dubiously managed without recourse to local government chairmen. In many states, local government elections have not been held. Governors have only emplaced caretaker committees who are their prefects to do their biddings. Whatever el-Rufai publishes as security votes and management of local government joint account should be subjected to thorough scrutiny and verification in order to find justification and explication within the ambit of propriety. Other governors should follow suit. The same thing should happen to National Assembly budget. Nigerians have the right to know how their commonwealth and taxes are spent. It is in this context that I consider el-Rufai’s characteristic outbursts, no matter how irritating they could sometimes be, healthy for public administration. He has excited the polity. The conspiracy of silence by the ruling elite is collapsing like a pack of cards. The conversation should continue at a faster pace, without restraints. Kudos to el-Rufai and Dogara! –Ojeifo contributed this piece from Abuja via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •April 22, 2017

auto

Mercedes Previews Next-Generation Compact Models with New Concept Stories by Bennett Oghifo

ercedes-Benz says the all-new Concept A Sedan shows “that the time of creases is over.” “With its perfect proportions and a sensual treatment of surfaces with reduced lines, it is the next milestone of ‘Sensual Purity’ and has the potential to introduce a new design era,” added Gorden Wagener, chief design officer Daimler AG. Although it’s called the Concept A Sedan, the model doesn’t preview the next-generation A-Class, but rather the styling of a possible new compact premium sedan with the proportions of a dynamic coupe. You could say it sounds a bit like the existing CLA.

Debuting at the 2017 Shanghai Motor Show, the Mercedes-Benz Concept ASedan measures 179.9 inches long, 73.6 inches wide and 57.6 inches tall, compared to the CLA’s 182.3-inch long, 80-inch wide and 56.6-inch tall dimensions. So it is a bit smaller than the CLA and would easily slot under the existing C-Class. But more importantly, the concept previews the design direction Mercedes is considering for all its compact models. In a way, the concept is more like a smaller version of the AMG GT Concept that debuted earlier this year in Geneva. There’s a striking front end featuring the brand’s Panamericana grille with vertical chrome inserts. There’s also a stretched hood with Powerdomes and a muscular wheel arch design featuring a reduced arch dimension that emphasizes the exclusive 20-inch wheels.

The unique headlights up front are a unique feature of the brand, while the striking grid structure inside the headlight guarantees a confident, easy-to-recognize look. Mercedes says the grid structure has been coated with a UV paint that is also exposed to ultraviolet light, so as a result, the headlamps “glow” in different colours, depending on the light medium. For example, the daytime running lights are white. The unique lighting technology is also found in the rear tail lights, while the rear bumper features a diffuser-look lower part that has been trimmed in black with a chrome strip to emphasize the car’s width. Since 2012, more than two-million Mercedes compact vehicles have been sold worldwide and the Concept A Sedan could preview how the next-generation CLA might look.

Mercedes-Benz Concept A Sedan

Volkswagen Plans Future All-Electric Crossover

he crozz joins the I.D. family as the latest indication of what VW thinks will be possible with its MEB platform, though this one, says the automaker, is about as clear an indication of its intentions as ever there could be. “If it was ever possible to make a one-hundred percent certain prediction of what the future will look like, here it is,” said VW’s head of design, Klaus Bischoff, in a statement. “In 2017, we are showing how Volkswagen will be transforming the roadscape from 2020.” At 182-inches long and 74-inches wide, the I.D. Crozz is a little smaller than the new European Tiguan and has more than 300 horsepower and all-wheel drive. With roughly 200 hp going to the back wheels and the remaining 100 hp at the front, the Crozz can deliver power wherever it’s needed. If, for instance, you were offroading, the Crozz can send power to all four wheels. But for city driving, it can conserve energy by only powering certain wheels. Thanks to that

power saving ability, the I.D. Crozz can go up to 311 miles on a charge, and with fast charging it can recharge up to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. Although the I.D. Crozz is a crossover, its roofline is much lower than that a Tiguan. That’s because VW designers have imbued it with the lines of a coupe. That coupe-like quality is more than just skin deep. Thanks to its low center of gravity (the bulk of the weight is kept below the floor in the battery packs), 48-52 weight distribution, the ability to precisely direct power to the wheel that needs it and its multi-link rear suspension, VW says that the I.D. Crozz will have all the performance of a GTI. As well as being a driver’s car, though, VW says this concept is driverless, thanks to I.D. Pilot which can take over driving duties. As with VW’s other I.D. concepts, touching the VW badge at the center of the steering wheel causes it to retract into the dash, allowing for more space in the driver’s compartment while

the car drives itself. Also like other I.D. concepts, the Crozz’s interior is an open concept, with seats that rearrange, and in this case, can fold up like a cinema seat to allow for more storage inside. Revealingly, VW seems to suggest in its press material that it will bring autonomous driving to dealerships in 2025. In the meantime, then, the car based on this concept could also get augmented reality, which here is manifested in colored lights that highlight hazards through the windshield. For example, if a pedestrian walks into your periphery, they will be highlighted by the windshield, subtly warning you of the danger. The I.D. Crozz is VW’s third electric concept, following the I.D. compact hatchback and the I.D. Buzz microbus. Those two showed the extremes of scale that the MEB platform can handle. The Crozz, meanwhile, seems to be a demonstration of what VW really thinks will sell. Rumors suggest that one more I.D. concept is still forthcoming, a sedan.

Oseme to Discuss State of Auto Policy at Transport Lecture

hairman Automobile and Allied Sectoral Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Oseme Oigiagbe will deliver the lead paper ‘Nigeria Auto Policy: Moving forward or Stagnant’ at the 5th Nigeria Transport Lecture. A statement signed by Mr. Frank Kintum, Managing Editor of Transport Day newspaper, organisers of the event, stated that “Oseme, being an experienced industry chieftain, will be reviewing the policy, with the aim of determining whether it is moving forward or is stagnant.”

Also to contribute to the discussion are industry players who have been invited to the event, which holds on Thursday,April 27, 2017. Kintum explained that the annual lecture is Transport Day newspaper’s way of contributing to the development of the transport and logistics sector of the economy. Apart from the lecture, the event will also witness the recognition of some worthy players in the transport and logistics sector of the economy. Some key individuals to be so recognised are the Managing Director of Primero Transport Services Limited, Mr. Fola Tinubu; the Ogun state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps

(FRSC), Commander Clement Oladele and the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr. Bello Mahmud. Others to be recognised are the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Michelin tyre, First System Refinishes Limited, Med View Airline, the immediate past DG of National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and Sky View Aviation Handling Company Limited. Also on the list are Sifax Haulage, the Soole road transport cab, an Assistant Director with the Abuja Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Aregbesola Moruf Adewunmi, among others.

Essential Skills with Stephen Dieseruvwe (Director General, Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA)

Essential Skills of Driving: Foot Controls

The Foot Controls he foot controls of vehicles are laid out in a similar fashion. The foot pedals of a manual vehicle, from right to left, are the accelerator (A), brake (B) and clutch (C), while vehicles with automatic or semi-automatic transmission have only an accelerator and brake pedal. When driving, you use the foot pedals to control your speed and power. Accelerator or Gas Pedal Theacceleratororgaspedalpositionedattheextreme right of the group of three pedals is operated by your rightfoot.Theacceleratororgaspedalcontrolstherate at which the mixture of fuel and air is supplied to the engine.Whenyoupresstheaccelerator,themorefuel goes to the engine, which turns to more power and thehighertheenginespeed.Releasingtheaccelerator orgaspedalreducesthepowerandwillusuallyslow thecardown(unlessyouaregoingdownhill).When moving off from a stationary position, you need the right amount of gas. Too little gas stalls the car, whilst too much gas will make the vehicle surge forward. On the move, light and gentle use of the accelerator improvesfueleconomyandensuressmoothdriving style, often referred to as ‘eco-driving’. Footbrake pedal Like the accelerator, the footbrake positioned in the middle of the group of three pedals is operated with your right foot. This pedal operates brakes on all the wheels and is used to slow or stop the vehicle. It is operated by swivelling the right foot from the accelerator or gas pedal to the footbrake while trying to keep your heel on the floor. When applied, the footbrake also switches on the brake lights at the back of the vehicle, giving a warning to following traffic that you are slowing down or stopping. The more pressure you put on the footbrake, the more the vehicle will slow down. When you start driving you will learn about ‘progressive braking’; this term referstocontrolleduseofthefootbrakethatenablesa smooth reduction of speed and for safety. In normal circumstances, you should always press lightly on the brake pedal to begin with and gradually press harder as the brakes begin to act. Clutch Pedal (ManualVehicles) The clutch pedal is operated with your left foot and on the left of the group of three pedals. The clutch is theconnectionbetweentheengineandthegearbox. Whentheclutchpedalispresseddown,itdisconnects theenginefromthedrivingwheels,whichallowsthe car to stop without stalling the engine. Pressing the clutch pedal down also allows you to change gear. The clutch consists of a pair of friction plates which are pulled apart when the clutch is pressed down. As you let the clutch pedal up, the two plates touch andpowerstartstobetransmittedtothewheels.The point of engagement, when the two plates begin to make contact and the load on the engine increases, is known as the ‘biting point’. The further you release theclutchpedal,themorepoweristransmitted.Once theclutchpedalisfullyreleasedtheclutchplateslock togetherandallthepowerfromtheengineisdelivered to the wheels. As soon as you have learned the basic skillofmovingoffandstoppingyouwilllearnabout ‘clutchcontrol’.Thisisawayofusingtheclutchpedal to make the car move very slowly and is an essential skill in many driving situations. UsingtheFootControlsinanAutomaticVehicle Whendrivinganautomaticcar,thereisonelesspedal to think about: there is no clutch pedal so theABC of accelerator,brake,andclutchbecomesinsteadsimply accelerator(A)andbrake(B).Youshouldusetheright foottooperatebothofthepedals.Innextweek’sarticle we shall be discussing the hand controls of a vehicle. We shall look at the position, function and use of the steering wheel, indicator switch, gear lever, and handbrakeorparkingbrake.Forfurtherexplanations or clarification on the articles in the Essential Skills of Driving column, consult the author. Stephen K. Dieseruvwe

Director General, Delta StateTraffic Management Authority (DESTMA)

**Driver Trainer and Road Safety Consultant **Email: sdieseruvwe@gmail.com **Tel: +2348167814928

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •April 22, 2017

auto Winners Emerge at 11th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest

2017 Cadillac Escalade

2017 Cadillac Escalade Exceeds Expectation of SUVs Stories by Bennett Oghifo

mbition on a grand scale. A beautifully crafted balance of sophistication, functionality and technology, the 2017 Cadillac Escalade was designed to exceed every expectation of what an SUV can do. With unmatched exterior style, interior comforts and a powerful standard V8 engine, nothing compares to the Escalade. Your arrival becomes an event with the Radiant

Package for Escalade. Featuring a stylish grille in Galvano and Silver mesh, a highly-polished exhaust tip, and 22-inch, 7-split-spoke chrome wheels, it makes a strong statement. The Radiant Package is available on all trim levels except Platinum. Beauty, Meet Brawn. As smart as it is powerful. The Escalade combines dynamic performance and poised handling with a surprising fuel economy. The 6.2L420-hp V8 engine is paired with an intelligent 8-speed automatic transmission that moves between gears smoothly.

And engine technologies like Continuous Variable Valve Timing, multi-port Direct Injection and Active Fuel Management ensure that 460 lb-ft of torque are harnessed with efficiency. 4WD Drive Strength… Power when you need it most.Available 4-Wheel Drive allows you to move smoothly between driving modes as conditions change. AUTO mode switches seamlessly between 2WD and 4WD for everyday driving. Or, you can opt for a 4 HI mode to maintain traction during challenging road conditions, or a 4 LOW mode when trailering.

ine winners have emerged at the 11th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest 2017, a CSR initiative of Toyota Motor Corporation Japan to develop the innate artistic talent in children and to cultivate an enduring relationship with them. Toyota distributors and dealers alike globally have keyed into this initiative because of its acceptance and impact on children’s psyche the world over. According to a statement by Toyota Nigeria Limited, the 11th Dream Car Art Contest was held in Nigeria on the 11th of February, 2017 in Abuja and Port-Harcourt, respectively, and in Lagos on the 25th of February, 2017. Accreditation started at 8:00am to 9:30am and the contest commenced at 10:00am. Children came from different schools and states to share their concepts about the future of mobility by drawing their dream cars in the contest. The contest comprises of age categories which are: Under 8 years’ old; 8-11 years and 12-15 years. In Abuja, 297 children participated, 266 participated in Port-Harcourt and 559 participated in Lagos. Three winners emerged from each category in Port-Harcourt,Abuja and Lagos centers. Three national finalists from each category (9 winners in all) emerged after the rigorous assessment of entries from the three drawing centers. All the winning entries were judged based on the originality, creativity, environmental friendliness, safety and futuristic concept in their drawings. The successful children were invited to the award of prize and certificate ceremony at Toyota (Nigeria) Limited corporate headquarters, Lekki on the 25th of March, 2017. Among the nine winners, two were from Port-Harcourt and seven from Lagos.

Technologies of GAC Motor GA8, GS8 Impress Nigerian Govs at Guangzhou

omeNigeriangovernorsandtopofficials that attended the maiden edition of the Nigeria Governors’ Investment Forum held in Guangzhou, China were highly impressed with GAC Motor GA8 and GS8 cars, which were designated as the official vehicles for the forum. A statement by the automaker said the delegates were greatly impressed “with the vehicles’ luxurious and comfortable ride experience, original design, exquisite craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technologies.” Those who attended the forum, which is a bid to foster transnational investments between Nigeria and China, are Governors from nine states in Nigeria,

which include Alhaji Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari of Zamfara State; Chief Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Chief Dr. Samuel Ortom of Benue State. Other dignitaries are Mr. Oloko Shakirudeen Adewale, Consul-General of the Nigerian Consulate-General in Guangzhou, Mr. Cai Chaolin, Vice Mayor of Guangzhou, Mr. Zeng Qinghong, President of GAC Group, and Mr. Yu Jun, General Manager of GAC Motor, other officials and representatives of the business community were present at the China-Nigeria cooperation, trade and development forum. Participants from the two countries conducted in-depth discussions and case sharing on the theme of the forum “sustainable cities and livelihood”.

BUYING TYRES (2)

yres are among the most important part of the vehicle but unfortunately the least understood. Without the tyres,yourvehicleisuseless.Youneed the tyres to start, move and stop the vehicle. So buying tyres is a task you need to undertake very carefully otherwise your safety and that of other could be put in great danger. before you buy any tyre, give serious consideration into the size of the tyre,the age of the tyre and the physical conditions of the tyre. Tyre size:On the side wall of your tyres, you will see figures like 215/75/15r, 195/65/14r and so on. These are designations for your tyre sizes. Check your own tyre to know what is written on it. The first figure from the left is the width (from side wall to side wall) of the tyre in millimeters; the middle number is what is known as the aspect ratio used to calculate the height of the side wall of the tyre. The last number is the ream diameter. When you go to buy tyres you will mention all of those figure to the tyre seller so that he will give you exactly what you want, there are various sizes of tyres in the market that can fit your type of vehicle but that does not mean that those sizes are good/ safe for your vehicle. Every vehicle has tyre sizes specified by the vehicle manufacturer. If you check the tyre placard by the end of your driver’s door, hood or the vehicle’s manual, you will see the specification for your

Safe driving with

Jonas Agwu

amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa (Corps Commander) Corps Public Education Officer Federal Road Safety Corps. + 2348033026491

vehicles tyre sizes, please stick to these specification while buying replacement tyre. Don’t let the tyre seller give you something else. The manufacturer of your vehicle have taken a lot of factors into consideration before specifying your vehicle tyre sizes. If you change that, your vehicle may not handle well, may be risking a blowout and a crash. Changing to fatter tyres like some people do may look better but not safer. In most cases, the manufacture provides alternative sizes should you not find the original sizes the vehicle came with. The tyre placard will specify these alternative. However, there are some calculations you can make to get sizes apart from what the manufacturer specified that will give you the same result as the original specification, but you need to know how to do the calculations otherwise stick to the original specification. Determinig the age of the tyre:Even more important

Nigerian Governors inspecting GA8 and GS8 showcased at the venue in Guangzhou, China... recently

that the size of the tyre is its age. Unfortunately most motorists as well as tyre sellers themselves don’t know how to check for the tyre age they depends only on visual inspection of the physical conditions. Some will invite a vulcanizer who will do a press up (or is it press down) on the tyre to certify if it is okay what a wrong and dangerous thing to do. Why the emphasis on the emphasis on age of a tyre? Just as age could disqualify and otherwise promising marriage mate, age will disqualify a tyre even if every other thing seems alright from a visual inspection. Do not be deceived by a tyre’s looks every tyre has an effective life span beyond which you will be entering the danger zone. As a general rule, any tyre more than 6 years old should be discarded. This rule, however, applies to quality tyres with branded known names. Less quality tyres of course, may not last that long. So how do you determine the age of a tyre? On like humans who can hide their ages, every tyre provides information about its age but in a coded form.Look at the side walls of your tyre and check for the letters dot. Look around the dot (to the left or to the right) until you get to either a three digit or four digit number boldly imprinted on the tyre without any alphabet attached to it. Some tyres though, may not have the letters dot printed on them. Just look around the side wall you definitely will see a 3 or 4 digit number clearly imprinted on the tyre. The 3 or 4 digit number is the code designating the date of manufacture of the tyre. Since it is a code, you need to decode it to get the age of the tyre. So lets decode it. If it is a 3 digit number, check to see if it has a triangle sign attached to it. A

3 digit number without a triangle means the tyre was manufactured in the 80’s , the first two number from the left tells you the week in the year while the last number tells you the year in the 80’s. For example if you have the number 341 (without a triangle) it means 34 week of 1981 (34 is the first two numbers from the left indicating the week while 1 is the last number indicating the year in the 80’s) if the 3 digit number has a triangle it means the tyre was made in the 90’s. So 341 with a triangle means the tyre was made in the 34th week in 1991. If it is a 4 digit number, it means the tyre was made any year from year 2000. For example, a tyre with 2302 means the 23rd week of year 2002. The first two numbers from the left indicating the week while the last two numbers indicating the year. Four digit numbers do not have triangle signs with them. From the date of manufacture you can now determine how old the tyre is do a simple calculation on tyres made in the 80’s or the 90’s and see how old a such tyres could be. Even if a tyre looks brand new don’t be deceived. Check the age repeat, check the age. If possible find out for how long it has been left unused because the more unused a tyre is the more unsafe the tyre becomes. Please note that you start calculating the age of tyre from the date it was manufacture and not from the date you bought it. Check for physical conditions: After you are satisfied with the signs and age, check for cuts, wears (either at the edges or the center) bulges, swells, cracks, warp. These may be the time to do your press up (or is it press down) with the tyres. Any of these deformities could be a warning signal to stay off the tyre.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • APRIL 22, 2017

Family Health

with

Excessive Facial Hair

irsutism is a condition where women have excess unwanted hair on their faces and bodies. With this masculine hair presentation, the hair is dark and coarse and usually appears where men typically grow hair, on the chest, face, and back. It is normal for a woman to have fair share of hair, distributed all over her body. A woman’s arm pit (under arm ), and pubic hair is of moderate quantity depending on hereditary factors. Normally, a woman only has fine hair, above the lips and on the chin, chest, abdomen, or back. The presence of coarse dark hair in these areas is an indication of the presence of excessive male hormones. The amount of hair varies among women. But about half of women with hirsutism may have high levels of male sex hormones called androgens. Most cases of hirsutism are not severe, and are not caused by any underlying condition. However, sometimes there is a more serious underlying condition, such as Cushing syndrome.( a condition which arises from excessive exposure to the hormone cortisol ). Sometimes no cause can be found. Signs and Symptoms The main symptom are hair growing on the abdomen, breasts, and upper lip (male-pattern hair growth in women). If hirsutism is caused by high levels of male hormones, symptoms may also include: • Irregular menstrual periods • Acne • Loss of feminine body shape • Signs of masculinity, deepening voice, male pattern baldness, enlarged clitoris, enlarged shoulder muscles If Cushing syndrome is indicated, signs and symptoms can include: • Obesity, especially around the middle section • High blood pressure • Diabetes • Thinning skin . Possible causes About half of women with hirsutism have high levels of male sex hormones, called androgens. Those high levels can be caused by: • Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which may also cause infertility • A common cause of hirsutism is (PCOS). Women with PCOS and other hormone conditions that cause

unwanted hair growth may also have acne, problems with menstrual periods, trouble losing weight, and diabetes. If these symptoms start suddenly, you may have a tumor that releases male hormones. • Tumors on the adrenal glands or ovaries • Cushing syndrome, from excessive exposure to cortisol. • Medications that can cause hair growth. • Anabolic steroids , for body building. • Drugs used to treat endometriosis Menopause : Estrogen production is decreased but the continued androgen production leads to an increase in the number of terminal hair. When there is an underlying condition, it is easy to find the possible cause of Hirsutism , as the high level of androgen , is an indicator. What your doctor would do in diagnosis • When you see a doctor, you will be examined and your medical history will be taken. • . You may be asked about your menstrual cycle, • what medications you take, and your family history. • Your doctor will check you for hair growth and • also may do a pelvic examination to check for tumors or cysts on the ovaries. • Blood tests, measuring hormonal levels , may show high androgen levels. • Imaging tests, including CT scan, MRI, pelvic ultrasound, used to find cysts or tumors on the ovaries or adrenal glands The cause of Hirsutism would determine the type of treatment. • For women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), for example, losing weight through diet and exercise may help. Obese women are placed on low calorie diet.

Also , prescription cream for unwanted facial hair. It slows new hair growth but does not get rid of existing hair. Once you stop using the cream, the hair grows back. The use of surgery to remove cancerous ovaries, and laser to hinder hair growth

Bobo Bode -Kayode

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, 08053372356

Treatment 1. Medications can be substituted if they are causing excessive hair growth. 2. A tumor on the ovaries or adrenal glands can be removed surgically. 3. Weight loss is advised for obese women, so that they do not produce more androgens. 4. Counseling would also go a long way, as this condition could cause very deep emotional situations. 5. The kind of life style you keep matters. Being overweight may contribute to hirsutism. Eating a balanced diet and getting enough exercise to control weight. Medication Certain medication would have to be taken long term. • Birth control pills. Some birth control pills can lower the amount of androgens your body makes. • Drugs that blocks androgen from being used in the body • Also , prescription cream for unwanted facial hair. It slows new hair growth but does not get rid of existing hair. Once you stop using the cream, the hair grows back. The use of surgery to remove cancerous ovaries, and laser to hinder hair growth. In your food These nutritional tips may help women stay at a good weight, which may help lower androgens in the body: • Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes) and vegetables (such as squash and bell peppers). • Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and especially sugar. • Eat fewer red meats and more lean meats, coldwater fish, tofu (soy, if no allergy), or beans for protein. • Use healthy oils in foods, such as olive oil or vegetable oil. • Reduce or eliminate trans fat, found in commerciallybaked goods, such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and some margarines. • Avoid alcohol and tobacco. • Drink 6 to 8 glasses of filtered water daily. • Exercise at least 30 minutes daily, 5 days a week. Herbs Herbs may strengthen and tone the body’s systems. In pregnancy, you must consult your doctor before taking any medication, to control this condition.

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

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

EL CLASICO DECIDES LA LIGA

PAGE. 29 22.04.2017

Vincent Enyeama

Recall to Super Eagles Beckons

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 22, 2017

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Vincent Enyeama tries to stop the duo of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero at the 2012 World Cup in South Africa

Recall to Super Eagles Beckons Ahead of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Cameroon, Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr is a worried man after injury knocked out number one goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme. Rohr is nursing the idea of recalling 34-year old former national team captain, Vincent Enyeama. Kunle Adewale wonders if the recall would not be a retrogressive step for Nigerian football

olverhampton Wanderers goalie, Carl Ikeme’s fitness has been in doubt after picking an injury ahead of the Super Eagles’ friendly match against Senegal in London on March 24, forcing Gernot Rohr to give South Africa-based Daniel Akpeyi the nod to start the game. With the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations clash against South Africa in Uyo on June 5, Wolves Manager Paul Lambert has hinted that Ikeme could be out for the rest of the season, which end on May 7. “I’m not sure if he’ll be back this season, it’s not one where I’m thinking ‘he’s going to make it’. I’m not sure,” Lambert said on Monday, putting Ikeme’s availability against South Africa and Cameroon in doubt. As a result, Rohr is thinking about recalling former national team safe hands-Vincent Enyeama. In a chat with THISDAY, former Nigeria international, Tajudeen Disu, frowned at the

idea of recalling Enyeama, because “we have several other goalkeepers that can take the place of injured Ikeme. “Injury is part of the game of football and we must be ready to live with it and that is why a good coach must have a replacement for every player in case of injury or loss of form. By ignoring the reserve goalkeepers and going as far as recalling Enyeama would be tantamount to killing their morale. Every player always waits for such opportunity to make an impression. “Examples are many in world football where reserved players take advantage of such opportunities to become regular players. Bypassing these reserved goalkeepers to recall a goalkeeper that left two years ago is like indirectly telling them that they are not even worthy of being reserved goalkeepers or are just bidding their time in camp without any chance to be in goal no matter how much improvement they put in,” Disu said.

Speaking further, the defunct Abiola Babes of Abeokuta Captain said: “If the injury to Ikeme had occurred in the middle of tournament, would he had muted the idea of Enyeama or fall on his reserve goalkeepers? Moreover, the circumstances that led to the Lille of France quitting the national team are not even ideal for his recall.” Enyeama as Super Eagles number one goalkeeper and captain was booted out of the team’s Hotel Verviers camp in Belgium after attempting to explain the reason for his late arrival to the then national team coach, Sunday Oliseh. He was said to have stood up to state his reasons for arriving camp late when Oliseh asked him to shut up and leave, but he refused and the coach reportedly called on security officials to send him out of camp. Since his employment as Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Rohr had been nursing the idea of bringing back the former

Enyimba of Aba safe hands to the Eagles’ fold but to no avail. “I asked about Enyeama when I signed because I know his qualities. I also spoke with the goalkeepers’ coach Alloy Agu and he spoke highly of him. I’ve called and spoken with Enyeama since my resumption but nothing is settled yet. I will see him after the Tanzania game because I saw him play in France and he’s the kind of player we need to help us move forward,” Rohr said before his first game in charge of the national team against Tanzania. The German reiterated his attempt at bringing in Enyeama during the World Cup qualifiers against Algeria in Uyo after injury to Ikeme but said the Lille goal tender refused to pick his calls. “When we had crisis in our hands after Carl Ikeme’s injury, I called him over 10 times and he never responded nor called back. I am happy with how Daniel Akpeyi responded to the test when he was called up as emergency cover, but he needs to buckle up because we

APRIL 22, 2017 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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Rohr

Injury is part of the game of football and we must be ready to live with it and that is why a good coach must have a replacement for every player in case of injury or loss of form. By ignoring the reserve goalkeepers and going as far as recalling Enyeama would the tantamount to killing their morale. Every player always waits for such opportunity to make an impression

can’t solely depend on Ikeme.” Rohr then revealed that plans were in the offing to inject home-based players into the national team, having requested for videos of all best players. He said then that Rangers coach; Imama Amakapabo and Salisu Yusuf had both been mandated to send him videos of all the best players in the Nigeria league before a decision would be made on their possible inclusion. “Our objective is to have young players who are motivated; players who like their country and are honoured to represent their country.” The question on the lips of observers is why then is Rohr looking at the direction of Enyeama when he can lay hands on the video tapes of all the goalkeepers in the local league? Or are they not convincing enough? Meanwhile, Enyeama has revealed his unwillingness to wear the national team’s colours again. “I am no more available for international duties. I want to say thank you to Nigerian fans and supporters worldwide. It’s been the most trying period of my life but I know that Nigerians are there for me and God is with me. God bless Nigeria,” Enyeama wrote on Instagram. For Waidi Akani, recalling Enyeama to the national team now would be one of the most unprogressive moves by those at the helms of our football. “Trying to bring him back will call for

a lot of questions. Is Vincent Enyeama himself psychologically and emotionally ready to play for the national team again? What positivity will his presence bring to the dressing room? How will the other goalkeepers feel with his presence? Is there no other goalkeeper in the country that could take the place of Ikeme? These are just some of the questions that may arise with the recall of Ikeme,” Akani said. “Without taking anything away from Ikeme, I don’t think the difference between him and all the other goalkeepers in the team are that wide,” the bronze-winning 2005 World Youth Championship in Russia noted. Meanwhile former national team captain and coach, Christian Chukwu has backed Rohr’s attempt to convince Enyeama to return to the Super Eagles in time for 2018 World Cup qualifiers. “It’s left for coach to choose the players for his team and it’s left for Enyeama to decide whether he wants to play for the country again,” said Chukwu. Born on August 29, 1982, Enyeama had a spell with Enyimba FC of Aba and won the CAF Champions League back-to-back. After three seasons with Enyimba and one with Iwuanyanwu Nationale, he moved to a minor club in Israel, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv. In 2007, he moved to another Israeli side, Haoel Tel Aviv, which he helped reach the state cup final. During the 2008/09 season, Hapoel

missed the league title by the whiskers, with Enyeama winning the "Player of The Year" award. In 2009/10 Hapoel won the double, with Enyeama scoring a goal during the Cup Final. In June 2011, he moved to Lille for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract. At the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama stopped three kicks in the quarterfinal penalty shootout against Tunisia, but could not prevent a loss to Cote d' Ivoire in the semi-final. In the 2010 tournament, he was again Nigeria's shootout hero at the quarter-final game against Zambia and scoring the winning kick himself. Enyeama made his second FIFA World Cup appearance at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. In Nigeria's opening match, he was named man of the match, producing a defiant display to restrict Argentina to a 1–0 win. Enyeama, who was playing his 56th international for the Super Eagles, made six fine saves against the two-time world champions, four of them from Lionel Messi. He also awarded man of the match in Nigeria's 2–1 loss to Greece. At the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama deputised for regular captain Joseph Yobo and led Nigeria to its third continental victory, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 defeat of Burkina Faso in the final. He was named in the Team of the Tournament as first choice goalkeeper. In June 2014, Enyeama was named in Nigeria's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the Super Eagles' first and second fixtures he kept clean sheet, he conceded three goals in the last match of the first

round against Argentina, a game which ended in a 3–2 defeat for Nigeria, placing them second in the group and thus qualifying them for the second round for the first time in 16 years. On March 26, 2015, Enyeama won his 100th cap for Nigeria in a 1–0 loss to Uganda. He retired from international football on October 8, 2015.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE 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 • APRIL 22, 2017

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Lionel Messi tries to waltz through the duo of Toni Kroose and Casemero

El Clasico Decides La Liga Title Each time Real Madrid and Barcelona battle, the football world always stands at its feet. To add special spice to Sunday’s encounter between the two Spanish giants is the fact that the game may decide where the La Liga title swings. A victory for the Madrid would extend their lead on the log to six points with a game in hand and put them in good stead to the title, while a loss would ensure Barca keep on the pressure on the leaders. The Los Blancos would however be boosted by their semi-final qualification in the UEFA Champions League, while pressure is on the Blaugrana after their exit midweek from the European elite competition

fter sealing their place in the Champions League semifinal, Real Madrid can take a huge step towards claiming a first La Liga title in five years when they host rivals Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday. An injury-time Sergio Ramos equaliser ensured Madrid maintained a six-point cushion over Luis Enrique's side when the sides met earlier this season, and with Los Blancos currently three points ahead with a game in hand, victory would leave Barca trailing by the same margin with only five to play. Real are unbeaten since February, winning 10 of their last 12 games. In contrast, Barcelona have won just two of their previous five in all competitions and were dumped out of Europe in midweek. The Catalans' task is made all the more difficult given forward Neymar's suspension. But Barca coach Luis Enrique insisted after their 3-0 aggregate defeat by Juventus that his side would be ready to bounce straight back up. "It will be difficult to lift my

players up after this, but it will be easy to motivate them. We have the best stimulus that any Barcelona fan could ask for which is that we play against our eternal rival. There's no better place to go than the Bernabeu. "We have the chance to get back in the fight for La Liga in a six-pointer against the side top of the league. I love being involved at a club as ambitious as this." Madrid will be looking to a rejuvenated Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored five in his last two appearances and netted his 100th Champion League goal with a hat-trick against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. The Portuguese scored the goal that essentially sealed Madrid's last La Liga crown in 2012's 2-1 victory over the Catalans and will be looking to repeat the feat for Zinedine Zidane's men this weekend. "I don't know if there's a category for him. What you see Cristiano doing is really impressive. The goals, the way he finishes them, in such key, important moments," said Zidane of the No 7. "He always knows when there's an important occasion, he's going to be there. It is out of any sort of category. There are few players who can to do what Ronaldo has done and we all know that." Madrid will be without defenders Pepe

and Raphael Varane for the game, while Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale all have question marks over their fitness heading into the game. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi will be requiring two more goals to reach 500 for Barcelona and will have his sights set on achieving the milestone against Madrid in Sunday's Clasico. It is almost 12 years to the day since the diminutive Argentine netted his first, against Albacete in the Camp Nou, and there could not be a better time to bring up the magic number, particularly in a week that began with his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo netting a record 100th Champions League goal. Former teammate, Ronaldinho is backing Messi to return to his best. "It's a wonderful story. He's on the verge of 500 goals for the club and my pass set up the first of them," Ronaldinho said. "He's a great man. It's wonderful to see everything he's achieved – and he still has lots left to give." The Brazilian's words will be put to the test this weekend as, in the absence of the suspended Neymar, the focus on Messi will be even more intense. The Argentine will need to be at his brilliant best if Barca are to overcome Zinedine

Zidane's in-form side. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid will look to further tighten their grip on third place as they travel to Espanyol today, while the weekend's action culminates on Monday with a Basque derby as Eibar host Athletic Bilbao. G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE 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

APRIL 22, 2017 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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Chelsea, Spurs Suspend Title Chase for FA Cup

helsea and Tottenham Hotspur will put their Premier League title battle on hold this weekend as they go head to head in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Just four points now separate the two sides in the table and Spurs could deal another blow to Chelsea's campaign by reaching the final for the first time since 1991. For the vast majority of the season it has looked as though Antonio Conte's first campaign in English football would end with at least one piece of silverware. The Blues' imperious form in the Premier League also made them favourites to go all the way in the FA Cup, but in recent weeks the previously unflappable West Londoners have begun to waver. Chelsea began the month of April with a 10-point gap over Spurs at the top of the Premier League table, but defeats to Crystal Palace and Manchester United have seen that lead cut to four points with six games of the season still remaining. It could be the case, then, that Spurs are responsible for ending Chelsea's hopes on both fronts, although Conte will be reminding his side that they still have the upper hand despite the form book being in Tottenham's favour. Chelsea have not lost back-to-back matches for more than a year, but defeat to Spurs could have an even more damaging effect than seeing them crash out of the FA Cup and would certainly ramp up the pressure ahead of tricky fixtures against Southampton and Everton in the league next week. However, when it comes to stages like today's Chelsea have the edge in terms of experience - the Blues have won the FA Cup six times since Spurs last lifted the trophy, most recently doing so in 2012. The coming weeks are sure to test Chelsea's mettle, but if they are to continue their quest for an eighth FA Cup crown beyond this weekend then they will need their full focus on Wembley and a Tottenham team full of confidence. Tottenham's progress under Mauricio Pochettino has been clear to see, but a tangible reward has so far eluded the Argentine since he arrived at the club. There are plenty of reasons for optimism - a young team bursting with potential have established themselves as the closest challengers for the title in each of the past two seasons in addition to sealing a return to the Champions League. However, there is nothing quite like a trophy to truly mark progress and, while Tottenham's hopes in the league look significantly better now than they did at the start of the month, the FA

Cup remains their best chance of picking up silverware this season. It is a trophy that Spurs have not won for 26 years - too long a drought for a club of their calibre. Only Arsenal and Manchester United have won the competition on more occasions than Tottenham's eight, but the Gunners have lifted the trophy seven times and United have added five more to their tally since Spurs' last triumph. There are plenty who will make them favourites to finally end that long wait this season, though, as they approach the business end of the competition in scintillating form. Spurs have won their last eight matches across all competitions and have only been on a better run once in their history - a 13-game streak in 1960. Goals have flown freely in that time too, with Tottenham finding the back of the net 28 times during that spell - including back-to-back 4-0 triumphs in their last two outings. The last time Spurs failed to win a match was their last game at Wembley, though, and the return to the national stadium will be as much a concern for many fans as the strength of their opposition. Since beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final Tottenham have won just one of their eight matches at Wembley, drawing two and losing five including two in the Champions League group stages this season. Pochettino has repeatedly brushed off suggestions of a Wembley hoodoo, but when compared with their White Hart Lane form of 19 wins and two draws from 21 home games this season it is clear that something is amiss when they switch stadiums. Curse or no curse, it is a problem that Spurs will need to rectify if, as expected, they are to make Wembley their home ground while the new White Hart Lane is being completed next season, and today's match would be the perfect time for them to do that. Chelsea represent the first Premier League opposition that Spurs have come up against in this season's competition, though, having dispatched of Aston Villa, Wycombe Wanderers, Fulham and Millwall in the previous rounds, scoring 15 goals in the process. Pochettino heaped a little more pressure on Antonio Conte's men by claiming their wealth of experience makes them favourites today, but he was quick to remind the Blues his own group are on the verge of fulfilling their potential. "If there is one favourite it's more Chelsea because they are on the top in the Premier League. Their players and manager have experience," Pochettino said. "We are talking of the team that maybe in the last five years has won European competitions, a manager that won the league with Juventus in Italy. When you fight the likes of Chelsea, you compare the players and they have players that won World Cups. "I think it's a more experienced team than us. Our players have not won much, maybe some players have some titles (with other clubs). But we're in a good moment too. We're a hungry team and we're improving a lot. To challenge this type of club is a very important thing for Tottenham."

Bayern Tackle Mainz for Consolidation

ootball lovers are in for an exciting time as Nigeria's popular Pay TV network, StarTimes, is set to broadcast live this week's top contenders in the German League, the Bundesliga, as league leader Bayern Munchen hosts FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena in what analysts dubbed a redemption match for Mainz. Bayern Munich captain, Philipp Lahm believes the game at home to Mainz is the second part of a crucial trio of matches that can be decisive in their bid to retain the Bundesliga title. "After playing Juventus in the Champions League it was not an easy

away game to play and it is a big week for us with games against Wolfsburg, Mainz and away to Dortmund," said Lahm. "We have got a decisive week coming up with a home fixture against Mainz. I think it will be a decisive week in the title race. If we manage to win both of our next games then we can definitely talk about the championship, but we still have a long way to go", he said. Chief Operating Officer, StarTimes, Tunde Aina, said its commitment to delivering quality sporting content to its subscribers was the reason behind the acquisitions of sporting rights like the Serie A, Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Chinese Super League, Eredivisie and recently, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in over 48 territories in Africa.

Premier League

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

32 32 33 32 31 31 33 33 31 32 33 32 33 33 32 33 33 33 32 32

Seria A

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

38 46 29 28 24 23 23 -3 -3 -15 -11 -12 -15 -14 -8 -18 -33 -31 -16 -32

32 44 32 43 32 42 32 18 32 18 32 14 32 22 32 9 32 7 32 1 32 -2 32 -17 32 -14 32 -17 32 -10 32 -21 32 -30 32 -26 32 -42 32 -39

75 71 66 64 60 57 57 44 40 40 39 37 37 36 35 35 30 28 24 21

80 72 70 61 60 58 56 52 45 45 40 38 38 35 35 30 26 21 16 14

Premier League Bournemouth v

Middlesbrough