Saturday 13th May 2017 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Obiozor: We Must Reform, Restructure or Perish Idea of One Nigeria Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu Nigeria's former Ambassador to the United States of America, Prof. George Obiozor yesterday canvassed for the restructuring of the nation's body politic “in order to effectively contain the adverse effects on efforts

towards nation building, national integration and national development.” Obiozor, who was speaking at the second edition of “The Big Ideas Podium”, a policy debate organised by the African Heritage Institution in Enugu, with the theme "Towards a New

Leadership for a Broken Nation", lamented that no generation of leaders, military or civilian, had been able to create an atmosphere of credibility to ensure Nigeria's claim to a political future as a nation. The former Ambassador who spoke on the topic,

"the Imperative of National Crossroad Leadership", said, "none has been to evolve a unifying national ideology that was embraced by fellow political elites or by the entire Nigerian populace across the country". According to Obiozor, within

56 years of the country's existence, three systems of government, parliamentary, military and presidential, have failed to solve the country's national leadership problem or guarantee the nation's long term existence as a nation. "Instead, Nigeria continues

to be a country of relatively acceptable past, a troubled present and an uncertain or doubtful future. In fact, ours is a country whose past is better than its present and the future is a guessing game at the national Continued on page 8

FG Pumps $500m into NSIA as Osinbajo Inaugurates New Board... Page 8 Saturday 13 May, 2017 Vol 22. No 8059. Price: N250

www.thisdaylive.com TR

UT H

& RE A S O

10 Hours of Laughter, 1000 VVIPs, 35 Private Jets, Tons of By-partisan Goodwill in Minna IBB Gives out daughter at Hilltop mansion

Dateline: Dodan Barracks 1986, 31 years ago, Halima Babangida had just been born at First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, Lagos. Delivered by Dr. Benjamin Ohiaeri. She was named in a ceremony attended by high octane individuals, who are today, drivers of modern Nigeria. As it was then, so it was in Minna, which stood still for most of yesterday, as former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) gave

her out to businessman, Auwal Abdullahi at a ceremony attended by dignitaries from across Nigeria. The wedding which took place at the hilltop residence of General Babangida, saw former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife Dame Patience, leading A-list guests that also included former military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar and his wife, Fati Lami, Senate Continued on page 8

Supreme Court Upholds Nomination, Election of Ikpeazu as Abia Governor Alex Enumah in Abuja, Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia and Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the election of Okezie Ikpeazu as Abia State Governor on the grounds that he was properly nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP). Delivering judgment in three separate suits challenging the eligibility of Ikpeazu in the 2015 governorship election by Samson Ogah and Friday Nwosu, the apex court dismissed the suits on the grounds that they lacked merit.

In the lead judgement written by Justice Musa Datijo Mohamed and read by Justice Ejembi Eko, the court held that the appellant failed to prove his allegation that the tax clearance of the governor was forged. According to the judge, tax of civil servant are normally deducted from source and being an employee of the state government at the time, Ikpeazu's tax was deducted at source, adding that if there are any irregularities, it is not the governor that should be held Continued on page 8

HALIMA WEDS AUWAL...

Halima, General Ibrahim Babangida's last daugher during her wedding at the Hilltop Mansion of the former President in SUNMI SMART-COLE Minna..yesterday

Senate: Second Abuja Runway, Other Projects Led to Increase in 2017 Budget ...Page 15

T H I S D AY SATURDAY MAY 13, 2017

SATURDAY, ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍż Ëž T H I S D AY

PAGE EIGHT

FG Pumps $500m into NSIA as Osinbajo Inaugurates New Board Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday in the Presidential Villa, Abuja inaugurated the new board of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) with the disclosure of fresh injection of $500 million into the scheme. Osinbajo said the fund was part of the federal government's drive for economic growth and infrastructure development. Yesterday's inauguration of the board was sequel to the earlier approval by the National Economic Council (NEC) in February, this year, of the nominees into the board from the six geo-political zones of the country. Members of the board chaired by Mr. Babajide Zeitlin will serve for a term of four years. While inaugurating the board,

Osinbajo charged it to improve on the performance of NSIA by investing in key priority areas of the government such as agriculture and infrastructure. He also said the board would be held accountable by both NEC and the generality of Nigerians which he said would require them to provide accounts of their stewardship. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we navigate the pathway out of recession and into a self-sufficient and diversified economy, it is our expectation that the NSIA will remain increasingly strategic to our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth and development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As representatives of the people, our charge is simple: we require you to fundamentally improve the performance of the Authority and strengthen its operations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Indeed, despite the fiscally constrained environment, this

administration has been able to increase the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to the NSIA by 50 per cent, committing an additional $500 million though the federal government is committed to saving. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The actual charge with this additional capital is investment. Thus, as the NSIA moves to the second phase of its existence, the expectation is that the committed capital will be deployed into projects that are in line with the administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key priority areas, namely: infrastructure, agriculture, in order to improve our economy. For example, we expect prompt action on the commodities exchange, a vital component of our agricultural reform effort," Osinbajo stated. The Acting President who also referred to the conceived modular refineries' project in the Niger Delta as one key

investment that would unlock the economic potential of the country, tasked the board to live up to expectation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bar before you is high and all of us are counting on you to deliverâ&#x20AC;? as he proclaimed the board inaugurated to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;glory of the Almighty God and the enduring development of our nation.â&#x20AC;? Responding, the board chairman, Zeitlin, thanked the federal government for the opportunity to serve, assuring that the board membership was â&#x20AC;&#x153;committed to doing so with utmost of integrity and transparency and we look forward to being held accountable.â&#x20AC;? According to him, the team will remain committed and simultaneously align itself with the policies of both the administration and the economic team.

Answering questions from journalists after the inauguration, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said membership of the board were drawn by an executive search committee set up with the mandate to look for the best hands for the job from all parts of the country. According to her, the board consists of bankers, lawyers, people with oil and gas experience and entrepreneurs as she expressed confidence that the board would fulfil its mandate. "We are very confident that this board will look after our future resources and provide very good decisions and guidance to the execute management in line with the administration's expectations and requirements,â&#x20AC;? she said. Also speaking with journalists, the Managing Director of NSIA, Mr. Uche Orji, said the team

would not only protect the fund for future generations, it would also invest in infrastructure and agriculture in accordance with government priorities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very focused on agriculture, infrastructure more broadly and this is a seasoned team - both the executive management team and a very experienced board. So, this augurs well for the Nigerian nation,â&#x20AC;? Orji said. Members of the inaugurated board and their geo-political zones are: Babajide Zetilin (Chairman, South-west), Halima Buba (North-east), Bello Maccido (Northâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;west), Lois Laraba Machunga-Disu (North-central), Urum Kalu Eze (South-east) and Asue Ighodalo (South-south). Other members of board include Uche Orji, Stella Ojekwe-Onyejeli and Hanspeter Acheermann.

Babangida. The living room of General Babangida where the wedding took place became too small to accommodate dignitaries and journalists that thronged the residence for the ceremony. As a result, several dignitaries and journalists observed the wedding from outside the living room. Minister of Interior, Lt General

Abdulrahaman Danbazzau who had a brief chat with journalists said the large assemblage of people of diverse background at the ceremony was a pointer to the fact that the country "is now at peace." When the wedding eventually commenced, Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwanbo paid the dowry and received the bride from former Chief of

Army Staff, General Mohammad Inuwa Wushishi. N500,000 cash and ten cows was paid as bride price. Sheikh Imam Wushishi subsequently performed the joining of the couple. A special prayer was offered for the couple by Sheik Kabiru Gombe, who stressed the significance of marriage in Islam and called on the bride to be submissive and loyal to her husband. Other dignitaries in attendance at the massive event were former governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Attaihiru Bafarawa of Sokoto State, Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Mohammadu Shinkafi of Zamfara State, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, Abubakar Dakingari of Kebbi State, Oserheimen Osunbor of Edo State and Gbenga Daniel

of Ogun State. Serving governors in attendance were Rocha's Okorocha of Imo state, Aminu Tambwal of Sokoto State, Dairus Ishyaku of Taraba State, Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State, Nasir ElRufai of Kaduna, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, Ahmed Abdulfatah of Kwara, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano and Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State. Other dignitaries were Gen. Aliyu Gusau, who served several times as National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, former first lady, Justice Fati Lami Abubakar, Professor Jubril Aminu, Mohammed Abacha, former Senate president Anyim Pius Anyim and Dr. Ekwesileze Nwodo. Some of the business moguls in attendance were Tony Elumelu, Tunde Folawiyo and Bola Shagaya, etc.

IBB GIVES OUT DAUGHTER President Bukola Saraki, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and business mogul, Aliko Dangote. The event turned out to be a carnival and summit of whois-who in Nigeria, from politics to business. For many, they had never seen such concentration of men of money and power before. It is instructive that 24 years after Babangida left power, he

could still pull together such commanding personality from all sections of Nigeria. About 35 private jets and four police/air force aircraft landed in Minna, while the police provided air surveillance and security in the city. It was also a gathering of many political opponents, who temporarily sheathe their swords and backslap, to honour

Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;COURT UPHOLDS NOMINATION, ELECTION OF IKPEAZU AS ABIA GOVERNOR responsible. The apex court in declaring that the appeals lacked substance, described them as a mere storm in a cup of tea and consequently awarded a cost of N250,000 in favor of Ikpeazu and the PDP. Leading the panel of Justices in the judgment, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen took a swipe at politicians and warned them not to destroy the judiciary, which he described as the last hope of the ordinary Nigerian. The CJN, told the open court that desperate politicians had been invading the court with the aim of compromising court officials and perverting the course of justice for their selfish ends. In the instant case, the CJN admitted that there were several security breaches, where desperate politicians made frantic efforts to compromise the court officials in the course of doing their job. Onnoghen said that the security breaches were serious offences and that they would be thoroughly investigated to unmask the politicians and make them face the wrath of the law. "I have said times without number that under my leadership, you do not need to know a judge before you can get justice. The law is superior and the law must take its course. "Attempt to bribe court officials, so as to know who is writing judgment and to know who and who are in the panel is a serious offence and after investigation, anybody indicted would be made to face severe punishment. "I do not just understand why politicians are resorting to blackmailing the judiciary. They should realise that the executive and the legislature belong to them; they should

leave out the judiciary in their political battle. They should allow the judiciary to be independent because without an independent judiciary, there will not be a just society," he said. The CJN therefore appealed to the politicians to allow judiciary do its job. Meanwhile, Ikpeazu has dedicated his victory at the Supreme Court to the people of Abia State, who he said stood by him all through the period of litigations. He stressed that only God would take glory for the victory, and commended the judiciary for standing firm on the side of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ikpeazu who spoke to journalists at government house after emerging from the chapel where he had gone to pray after receiving the good news from Abuja said that he was dedicating the victory to the people of Abia who had supported and prayed for him. He regretted that â&#x20AC;&#x153;two years after the gubernatorial elections, other states have moved forward except Abia state as those who never meant well for our state have taken me to court, adding that with this victory it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;now â&#x20AC;&#x153;time to join and move above them in terms of development.â&#x20AC;? The visibly elated Abia governor said: "The time for politics is long over, and I have forgiven all those that were bent on distracting me. Let all well-meaning Abians, including my opponents, come and join us to grow and develop our state without distractions as we ultimately have stakes in the growth and development of our state and people.â&#x20AC;? The governor had all the while described the multiple ligations against him as distractions but insisted that he was not deterred from doing the

work he was elected to do for Abians hence the need for collective effort to develop Abia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, there is the work of Abia to do and history will judge us by how much of that work we do, not by how much politics we play,â&#x20AC;? he said, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My doors are open to all, my ears are open to hear and my eyes are strong enough to read suggestions on how we can best deliver greater dividends to those who really matter: the great people of Abia State." While the hitherto embattled Abia governor described the Supreme Court verdict as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a victory for all and a blow to the aspirations of those who want to disunite us" he nonetheless appeared magnanimous in victory. "All those who went to the trenches to fight the mandate that was freely given to me by the people of Abia state, I call on them to sheathe their swords and come and join hands with us to develop the state to an enviable height," he said. Umahi, South East PDP hail Ikpeazu's victory Also yesterday, Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi congratulated Ikpeazu after his victory at the Supreme Court. Umahi, who is the chairman of South East Governors Forum described the judgment that affirmed the election of Ikpeazu as triumph of good over evil. The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal last year upturned the judgment by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja which sacked Ikpeazu from office. The appellate court, in the unanimous judgment vacated the June 27, 2016 judgment of Justice Abang and held that he erred in law and that the judgement occasioned a miscarriage of justice against

Ikpeazu. Justice Helen Ogunwumiju who delivered the lead judgement of the Court of Appeal, held that Justice Abang â&#x20AC;&#x153;committed a grave violence against one of the pillars of Justiceâ&#x20AC;? relating to fair hearing, adding that Abang placed the law on its head when it directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue fresh Certificate of Return to Ogah. While upholding Ikpeazu's appeal, the court awarded N100,000 cost against Ogah and resolved all the five issues raised in the appeal in favour of Ikpeazu. Justice Abang had in his judgments delivered on June 27, 2016 sacked Ikpeazu for allegedly disclosing false information in relation to his tax clearance details to INEC in his form nominating him as the candidate of the PDP for the last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governorship election in the state. The judge, also in the said judgment, ordered the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rival, Ogah, who was the first runner-up in the primary that produced Ikpeazu as the candidate of the PDP to takeover, adding that, Ikpeazu was not qualified to be PDPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s candidate having disclosed false information to INEC in violation of his partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Article 14(a) of the PDP Electoral Guidelines and Section 31 of the Electoral Act. Dissatisfied with the judgment, Ikpeazu approached the Court of Appeal, praying it to set aside Justice Abang's judgment which sacked him from the Abia State Government House. But the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered yesterday affirmed the election of Ikpeazu, saying that he was validly nominated by the PDP to fly the flag of the party in Abia State.

OBIOZOR: WE MUST REFORM, RESTRUCTURE OR PERISH IDEA OF ONE NIGERIA and international levels. "We must reform, restructure or perish the idea of one Nigeria surviving the present critical challenges. This too, can be averted by a dynamic leadership that can although too late, change the course of Nigerian history by doing what is right which is the implementation of the 2014 National Conference report," he remarked. Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who was also at the event, remarked that the nation was at present at a crossroads and requires transformative ideas to pull it back on track in view of the numerous problems confronting it. The former CBN Governor, who spoke to newsmen at the sidelines of the event, noted that the nation had never been more divided anytime in its history than now, stressing therefore that the search for The Big Ideas to help in the transformation process that will be able to leapfrog the process of development had begun. "Big ideas rule the world. Nigeria is a project, a work in progress, the African continent is work in progress and it is only big ideas, ideas that work, good ideas that any nation or continent or economy has been built or political structure has

been transformed. "Nigeria is at a crossroads. We've been ranked one of the most fragile states in the world and there are nationality questions. We are in search for the big ideas that will really get the country transformed not just from point A to B but to be able to leapfrog the process of development to be able to claim its rightful place in the comity of nations and fulfil its manifest destiny. "So, its only big ideas that can do so. Today, on the Big Ideas Podium, Prof. Obiozor has articulated on what we have and how we can bring about the new leadership for a broken nation. "We are looking for out of the ordinary ideas, the missing links. What are those things we are missing and what are those new things that we need to put in place? The ideas canvassed today by our resource persons and all the eminent scholars and statesmen, put together, will contribute to building a new, stable and prosperous nation," he said. Other speakers at the forum were the former Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi and Head, Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Aloy Okolie.

MAY 13, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

RingTrue

Yemi

Adebowale

07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

The Contentious War against Emir Sanusi

he latest in the series moves aimed at humiliating the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II commenced on Thursday when the Kano State House of Assembly constituted an eight-man committee to investigate the moot allegations of funds mismanagement against the Emir. He was accused of misusing N4 billion which he inherited from late Ado Bayero, his predecessor. I listened to the Kano legislators at the plenary devoted to the issue, and I was particularly miffed by the contribution of Ibrahim Gama, who made a number of humdrum allegations against the Emir. Gama listed the accusations against Sanusi to include spending funds without the approval of the state Governor, Abdullai Umar Ganduje; attacking polices of the Buhari administration and sending his daughter to represent him at a function without wearing full traditional regalia. This preposterous development from the Kano lawmakers is part of the tenacious campaign of calumny against Emir Sanusi, who has been exhibiting

Sanusi

uncommon courage in challenging the status quo in the North since his emergence. The oppressors and beneficiaries of the backwardness in this part of the

country can’t stand Sanusi’s fierce criticism of the underdevelopment, poverty, hunger and disease in the North. They find it difficult to phantom that this Emir, who is supposed to be a key member of the club of Aristocrats, is challenging the oppressive system that has pauperised the majority in the North. Now, let’s take a critical look at some of Sanusi’s patriotic battles, for which he is now being persecuted. Emir Sanusi has persistently spoken out against the raging poverty in the region, saying the North-west and the North-east remain the poorest parts of the world. He contends: “We are living in denial. The North-West and the North-East, demographically, constitute the bulk of Nigeria’s population, but look at human development indices, look at the number of children out of school, look at adult literacy, look at maternal mortality, look at infant mortality, look at girl-child completion rate, look at income per capita, the North-East and the NorthWest Nigeria, are among the poorest parts of the world.

Lamentations of Rabiu Kwankwaso Of recent, the immediate past governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso ( APC Kano Central) has been lamenting lack of respect for the Rule of Law under the Buhari administration. Kwankwaso, one of the key actors of the “Change” movement is disappointed that the “Change” he and others aimed to effect in the country remains an illusion. This former Kano governor, a man I have so many questions for, was unaware of the high level of impunity in the country, until the recent siege by security operatives on the house of his

brother in Kano. The policemen were said to be looking for huge cash allegedly stashed in the house by Kwankwaso. Nothing incriminating was found after hours of ransacking the house. Kwankwaso remarked in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service: “We’re very disappointed that impunity is now the order of the day in a country we invested a lot to bring change; this is not the change we bargained for because we’re now in a helpless situation. If it were the previous government that’s doing this, we would not complain. Alas! This is being orchestrated by a government we worked to entrench.”

Revenue Target and the Shame of Customs

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali was a pitiable picture when he, lately, appeared before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Customs to defend the Customs 2017 budget estimates. This was because the agency’s revenue for 2016 fell short of its target by N216.5 billion. According to the custom boss, the NCS only succeeded in collecting N720.7 billion, representing 76.8 per cent of the target revenue between January and December last year. The 23.1 per cent decline was against the original target of N937.3 billion set for 2016 by the agency. The Customs boss gave a number of inexplicable reasons for his failure to meet the revenue target. However, he did not talk about corruption in the NCS under

his watch. This is the main reason the NCS will never meet revenue target. Itse Sagay, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption was right when he remarked that “it is still business as usual” at all Customs formation across the country. The bulk of the revenues collected in our ports go into the private pockets of Hameed Ali’s men. This is why the Customs can’t amass just N1 trillion in a whole year. I strongly believe that a well-managed and corruption-free NCS can generate at least N5 trillion annually for this nation. In this light, I think this government should start thinking about privatising the collection of Customs and Excise duties as being done in some developed countries. This is the only way forward for our country.

My problem with Kwankwaso is that he did not join the voices against impunity under the Buhari administration until he became a victim. We should not wait until we become victims before fighting impunity. What is evil is evil. There are no two names to evil. Lopsided appointments, illegal detention (as we have in the case of Sambo Dasuki and El- Zakzaki), disrespect for the Rule of Law and courts, killings by Fulani herdsmen and attempts to muzzle the Legislature and the Judiciary are some of the impunity under this administration. We must all rise up against them, irrespective of party affiliations and personal relationships.

Kwankwaso

Curbing Truancy of DISCOs in Electricity Chain If this administration is genuinely interested in easing the power crisis being experienced in this country, Power Minister, Babatunde Fashola must move swiftly to ensure full implementation of the transparent revenue management model proposed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. While the 26 power generation companies (Gencos) are bleeding, the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) are living big. They collect huge revenues and send chickenfeed to the Gencos, with all sorts of lies attached. The Discos are opposed to transparent revenue management because it would expose them. They have remained financially-irresponsible in their obligations to the electricity chain. It was

revealed recently that Discos paid for only 24 per cent of electricity wheeled to them in 2016. The Executive Secretary of the Association of Power Generation Company of Nigeria, Joy Ogaji was apt when she remarked that concerns raised by the Discos on the proposal were worrying, and that the revenue in question belonged to the entire market and not just for Discos. Ogaji said: “The recent development to escrow the account of the distribution companies is not just a welcome development but also a wake-up call to all participants in the electricity market. The electricity sector is a value-chain which needs to be remunerated as applicable, covering the cost of generation, transmis-

sion and distribution. The Gencos are entitled to 60 percent of market remittance as they do not just generate power but also pay for gas supply and gas transportation. Transmission charge cost 11 percent; distribution gets 25 percent while the remaining four per cent is meant for regulatory charges and NBET. The revenue referred to by the distribution companies are not their personal revenue but market funds to which they were made trustees to collect and remit.” The Gencos have made valid points. I fully support moves to escrow Discos accounts and the funds shared according to the guidelines governing the power chain.

“As far back as 2000, I looked at the numbers - Borno and Yobe states - and UNDP figures. Borno and Yobe states, if they were a country on their own, were poorer than Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Nobody saw this because we were looking at Nigeria as a country that averages the oil-rich Niger Delta, the industrial and commercial-rich Lagos, the commercially viable South-East, and you have an average. Break Nigeria into its component parts, and these parts of the country are among the poorest, if it were a country. And we do not realise we are in trouble.” Sanusi maintains that for the region to leap forward developmentally, it must fix its social and religious problems. He points out that women and children must be loved, not beaten, adding that the region must do away with the 13th century mindset of religion and culture. “Other Muslim nations have pushed forward girl-child education; they’ve pushed forward science and technology. They have pushed forward the arts. We have this myth in northern Nigeria, where we try to create an Islamic society that never existed. The northern Muslims have adopted an interpretation of culture and religion that was rooted in the 13th century mindset, which refused to recognise that the rest of the Muslim world had moved on.” At the national level, the Emir of Kano has persistently faulted the Buhari administration’s economic model, saying it would not work. Only evil people will refuse to fault policies that have brought untold hardship on Nigerians. Just take a look at the level of inflation and unemployment in the country and you would understand what I mean. Millions of Nigerians have lost their jobs in the last two years, mainly because of the jaundiced economic policies of this administration. Emir Sanusi has been particularly against stifling skewed forex policy and subsidy regime. He is also against binge borrowing by this administration. Sanusi, at the Kaduna State Economic Summit, said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria is spending 66 per cent of its revenues on interests on debts, which means only 34 per cent of revenues is available for capital and recurrent expenditures. That model cannot work. In the 2017 budget presented, the amount earmarked for debt servicing is in excess of the entire non-oil revenue of the federal government, but that is not the problem. The problem is that it is a budget that is even going for more debts.” The Emir said government at all levels should realise that borrowing had reached its limit and should therefore look for ways to attract investments. “Growth can only come from investments. It cannot come from consumption. It cannot come from government balance sheet. It cannot come from borrowing because you cannot borrow unsustainably.” Emir Sanusi’s battle is obviously a just one. He wants Northern elites to stop playing politics and tackle the copious challenges facing the region. He wants Nigerian leaders to halt muddy politics and tackle the economic crisis bedeviling the nation. So, how have these amounted to corruption and an attack on Buhari? When did it become a crime for an Emir to express his opinion about the economic policy of a government? In this part of the world, it is a crime to always say the truth; more so, when you dare the establishment. All those aiming to humiliate Emir Sanusi shall fail. Their evil plot shall fall into pieces. It will collapse like a pack of cards. May Allah continue to protect our courageous Emir of Kano.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ MAY 13, 2017

SUPER SATURDAY My Transition from Modelling to Acting and Producing

OGECHI SHIRLEY IGWE

Ogechi shirley Igwe waltzed through like a queen. Her radiant smile lighting up her charming face. Her silky voice and mien tell much about her skills which earned her roles and her transition to movie production, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Shirley-Igwe

here can only be one “Shirley” (Ogechi Igwe). Just like there can only be one actor to a name, pseudonym or real, hers truly bears her identity – a pretty face and enthralling personality. There she walks into the Bridge Hangout by Water Side Phase1 accompanied by a colleague – Sylvia Edem. From a vantage position, Shirley would be seen looking out for someone as few heads turned towards her direction, even with a dark shades over her eyes, her appearance had elicited some pop that mild afternoon. In the moment, a hand gestured at her; she got the message and then walked towards the direction of the hand, waltzing through the passage like a queen. There was a handshake. On a closer look, her black sequined top on a cream-white mini skirt and dotted leather slippers would portray her fashion sense as very simple but there is more. Arguably, ‘The Last Three Digits’ star ranks amongst the growth category of new actors cum producers in Nollywood, who are making a difference with their talents and worth at the moment. Since her return to the industry in 2015, Shirley has moved from being just a fast-rising actress to building a high profile with her game upped with roles and offers to producing her own movies – the first being ‘The Agreement’ and now the upcoming one, ‘Middle of Nowhere’ billed for premiere this year. A four-cast movie, ‘Middle of Nowhere’ is a romantic drama, believed to be well scripted. Save for a movie titled, The Visit, released sometime last year, a four-cast movie is not a regular feature in Nollywood. How well does she think hers can favourably compete with other well-made films put in the same category when it’s finally released and probably shortlisted for any awards? Her expectation of it seems very high that only a matter of time can answer. And what should viewers expect from the movie? She simply said, “That movie will blow your mind.” Overly self-confident, Shirley has made the enviable league of Nollywood celebrities that have at one point or the other left the industry, supposedly for greener pastures in the political arena for one appointment or the other, imitating the likes of Hilda Dokubo, Nkiru Sylvanus, Bob Manuel Udokwu, Onyeka Onwenu, RMD, Femi Adebayo, Kate Henshaw, Ini Edo, and Mercy Johnson Okogie. Like some of these actors, she’s gone out of Nollywood, and back to the industry. Somehow, she had stepped out of Nollywood two years after her debut to take up appointment with Imo State Government in 2013, as principal protocol officer to Governor Rochas Okorocha, though the appointment had at the time raised eyebrows owing to the fact that another well-known Nollywood actress, Nkiru Sylvanus, was relieved at about the same time from the governor’s office. For the Mass Communication graduate, transiting from modeling to acting was without a challenge having been a known face in the entertainment sector. She had barely auditioned for a role in 2011 when she got called up for a movie. Recalling her first experience in Nollywood, the actress said, “My first movie role, I was called and asked to read and after the audition, I was called back. I think that was Ikechukwu Onyeka (though not sure). And that was just my appearance and my speech doing it for me. Until today that’s how I get called for roles.”

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž AY 13, 2017

SATURDAY â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FROM MIDDLE OF NOWHERE TO MODELING, POLITICS AND ACTINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;Ś

Arguably, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Last Three Digitsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; star ranks amongst the growth category of new actors cum producers in Nollywood, who are making a diďŹ&#x20AC;erence with their talents and worth at the moment. Since her return to the industry in 2015, Shirley has moved from being just a fast-rising actress to building a high profile with her game upped with roles and oďŹ&#x20AC;ers to producing her own movies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the first being â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Agreementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and now the upcoming one, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Middle of Nowhereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; billed for premiere this year

Shirley-Igwe on set The actress just a couple of weeks ago celebrated her birthday, reported to be a score and half. Prior to her political stint, she left the industry to train as cabin executive at Cranfield Aviation School in South Africa, after which she worked with a private airline before returning to Nollywood. Passionate about her craft and perhaps determined to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;learn by doingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Shirley took a step further to attend the New York Film Academy. The King and The Maidens, Happy Anniversary, My Neighbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wife, Cross of Royalty, The Sassy One and Complicity are among the movies she listed to have featured in. She revealed that from the start she has always wanted to act. Due to one reason or the other, she had to finish school before making the move but already had started modelling. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Commercial modelling I could do while I was still in school because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just photography and once you are done you are off,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But acting I had to finish school and once I was done with that, acting started and my dad didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much to say about it because he saw that I did well as a model and he was confident that I would excel as an actor.â&#x20AC;? Watching the likes of Joke Silva and Liz Benson while growing up, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only natural that she possibly must have drawn from their fountain of rich theatrics. In cinematography, the fun of having different roles â&#x20AC;&#x153;and playing characters that you are not in real lifeâ&#x20AC;? are exciting to her. In addition to taking up roles â&#x20AC;&#x153;that are very challengingâ&#x20AC;? and relatively connect with the outside world making the act look believable, she loves having access to the script(s) before accepting to play whatever role presented to her â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to her, an actressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability should not be regimented. For her, there are no fixed characteristics to success and that adopting a differently peculiar approach to success lies with the individual involved. Shirleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s setting out to produce her own movies is not an accident. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just something you need to do as an actor to push yourself. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just decide. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wake up one morning to say I will produce my own film. When you have acquired knowledge you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just

Shirley-Igwe wait to pour it out,â&#x20AC;? she explained. How well equipped is she with movie production in terms of technical knowhow and other prerequisites? She said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know what a good story is when I see one and then I engage people to work for

me and I pay them.â&#x20AC;? With Ogechi â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shirleyâ&#x20AC;? Igwe in the saddle, time will tell how the young actress will turn the attention of Nollywood watchers and movie lovers in her direction.

Story of a Young Actress Venturing into Movie Production

ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍżËž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

FOR THE IDEAL POLITICAL PARTY

Adamu Gwazuwang canvasses the formation of new political parties, but with new rules of behaviour

t this point in the quest for a stable and developmentoriented democratic dispensation in Nigeria we must confront the demons haunting the process with a strong determination to move forward without recurring hitches. Since democracy has proved to be sustainable and progressive enough to be the most acceptable system of government across the world, our problems with the system must be peculiar to us. In fact, our latest failure to derive the dividends associated with democracy, particularly the delivery of good governance driven by the expressed aspirations of the majority of citizens, has exposed the culpability of practitioners and the institutions beyond any doubts. The most pressing problems negating our democratic endeavours can be narrowed down to the entrenchment of human weaknesses into the implementation of democratic processes. Politicians have demonstrated an inherent incapability to rise above sentiments of ethnicity, religion and winner-takes-all in navigating the democratic course, notwithstanding their oath of office and the legitimate democratic rights of the electorate. It is therefore hardly surprising that the political parties are only different in name but indistinguishable in the conduct of their affairs and adherence to any ideological principles. The All Progressives Congress which achieved a remarkable election victory that evicted the ruling party from the corridors of power and took control of the government was deplorably incapable of managing its triumph to galvanise the polity for what could have been a popular revolution for national renaissance and reform. The euphoric bandwagon of â&#x20AC;&#x153;progressive allianceâ&#x20AC;? on which the politicians rode to power collapsed into a cacophony of contending interests as soon as the reins of power got into their hands. It was now each ally for itself in the scramble for the crumbs. Meanwhile, the beleaguered executives pander to the incumbency of the Presidency rather than anchoring the unity of the party and building the common structure the emergency alliance sorely needs. On the other hand, the PDP whose defeat symbolised everything wrong with our version of party politics, disintegrated further in a feud over control of its enviable and incomparable nation-wide structure. Uncompromising egos and irreconcilable vested interests worked against a political solution and pushed the dispute to the law courts where lawyers and judges took turns to deepen the divides. With that, hopes that a defeated ruling party would transform into a formidable opposition to check the excesses of a cabal-controlled APC faded away, leaving Nigerians in a limbo of zero-party democracy that could threaten the fast approaching 2019 elections. In such a desperate situation, there is no practical alternative

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO YOUTHS BUT THIS CAN ONLY BE MEANINGFUL IF THEY ARE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS AS A MEANS OF PREPARING THEM ADEQUATELY FOR TOMORROWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RESPONSIBILITIES

to the formation of new parties but the challenge is to avoid an old-wine-new-bottle syndrome that can only accelerate a return to square one. Any party formation process that is driven by the personality cult culture of Nigerian politics is dead on arrival Ditto for the money-bag stake-holding casino model, where the highest bidder â&#x20AC;&#x153;ownsâ&#x20AC;? the party. For any party to be truly new in the context of avoiding the ills of the past and ensuring a genuine redirection of our democracy towards the promised land, the formation process must focus on introducing constitutional control into broad-based mass membership platforms. Among the important provisions that a new generation of parties must stipulate in their constitution is a firm formula for distribution of appointments in the party and the government. Specifically, the ideal new party must be futuristic by affirmative action in favour of youths, women and the disabled who have for too long been marginalised despite their strategic significance in the electioneering process. The future belongs to youths but this can only be meaningful if they are given the right to participate in the leadership of the political process as a means of preparing them adequately for tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibilities. The cause of women and the disabled is best pursued and protected by being adequately represented. Another issue that must not be left to the discretion of party leaders but categorically incorporated into the party constitution is the adoption of direct primaries for all nomination/election processes. For the avoidance of doubt the membership of everyone should count in determining nominees and candidatures as the best guarantee of popular participation and inculcation of sense of belonging among party members. An end must be brought to the hijacking of decision-making and nomination for appointments and elective offices by party leaders, caucuses and godfathers to the detriment of internal democracy in the parties. No less critical is the issue of party funding. If money bags are to be kept at bay effectively, their domination of party finances and consequent overriding influence on party decisions can best be curbed by prioritising payment of registration and membership dues as a major financial resource of the party. Members who pay their fees and dues are more confident and concerned about their membership rights and influence on the affairs of the party than â&#x20AC;&#x153;rentedâ&#x20AC;? crowds. Government funding should also stop. These are by no means the only issues that should get top priority in the constitution of new parties but they represent the most promising features to look out for in determining the extent of departure from the ills of the past and the prospects for moving Nigeria out of the woods of a doomed democracy we find ourselves today. Gwazuwang wrote from Abuja

BEYOND POLITICS OF LG COUNCIL TOURS

he setting was perfect. And so was the timing. The people were adequately prepared for the visit and the visitor, Governor Darius Ishaku, chose the most appropriate period for the visit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Easter holiday period. The drummers, the singers and the dancers came out in their full regalia to give Ishaku a befitting reception and to put him in the best of mood for each day of the visit and stakeholders meeting. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and members poured into the various arenas of the event in Zing, Karim Lamido and Ardo-Kola to join what turned out to be a carnival cum meeting of Tarabans at the grassroots. For Governor Ishaku, it was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;thank youâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;meet the peopleâ&#x20AC;? visit, but for the people, it was an opportunity to express appreciation for what the government has achieved in the first two years of its first tenure despite the obvious encumbrances posed by several litigations over the governorship elections of April 2015 and poor state of finances of the government. It was also an opportunity for them to present their shopping list of democratic dividends directly to the number one citizen of the state and, perhaps, get an acknowledgement, if not approval, for them. In Zing, the starting point for the three-day visit to the Southern Senatorial zone, party stakeholders from Yorro Local Government Council joined their counterparts from the host council area to welcome the governor. The major speakers included council chairmen and party leaders who all praised Governor Ishaku for making water supply and electricity stable through the provision of transformers in Yakoko, Mokin, Dinding, Kakula and Yukwa and for improving the condition of rural roads. They spoke of their determination to improve their personal income which they said can only be achieved if rural roads were better to facilitate movement of farm produce to the major markets in the council areas. It was as if the speakers had advanced knowledge of what the governor had in stock for them for that was part of the package which the governor planned to unfold.

Tarabans present their wish list to Governor Darius Ishaku, writes Danladi Usman

Governor Ishaku said his administration was planning a comprehensive rehabilitation of rural roads in the area, particularly, those leading to major markets such as Lama and Yakoko. He told them that already, elaborate survey work had been done on the roads and the grading and reconstruction of the roads will soon start. It was also an opportunity to solicit the support of the people for the sustenance of peace which his administration had worked very hard to achieve for the state. He urged them to watch out for strangers on a mission to cause crisis and conflict in their communities and to seek the intervention of security agencies always in such cases. He advised the people against taking the laws into their own hands. Karim Lamido and Lau Council areas took their turn next and the meeting point was Karim town. The shopping list presented to Governor Ishaku was not surprising. The major roads leading to the headquarters of the council areas featured prominently. The roads are, indeed, in very bad state and Governor Ishaku spared no words in expressing his sympathy. The people also requested for a bridge to be constructed across Benue at Lau River. Ishaku promised that his administration will soon start the reconstruction of the road but would not make any promise on the request for a bridge. And he took time out to explain that position. He said he was aware of the opinion of the people, rightly or wrongly, that politicians were liars but noted emphatically that he does not belong to that group of politicians. He would rather tell the truth, no matter how unpalatable it may taste. He said a bridge across Lau River is certainly beyond the financial scope of the present administration and pleaded with the people for understanding. Governor Ishaku whose administration has already done a lot in the provision of water through the sinking of 100 boreholes in rural communities across the state, promised to do more. He said 150 more boreholes were on the cards and they would be evenly distributed among the three Senatorial zones of the state.

Lau and Karim Lamido are major rice producing areas in the state. In fact, the famous dry season rice farm centres supported by the Darius Ishaku administration are located in Karim Lamido. The people were extremely happy with the dry season farming of rice which they said yielded thrice more than that grown during the rainy season and asked for an increase in land allocation to increase production. Ishaku visited the rice farms and assured the farmers of governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support for them to increase production. He said Taraba State has the potential to produce more than 10 million tonnes of rice which is the annual requirement of the country with the support of government. Other major rice producing areas in the state, in addition to Karim Lamido and Lau, are Gassol, Ardo-Kola, Ibi, Wukari and Takum. Ishaku assured that his government will not hold anything back in the effort to put the state on the global map of rice producers in a few years from now. So far, government has assisted rice farmers through the provision of inputs which include improved seedlings. It has also helped in linking them to major rice buyers in and outside the country for them to get maximum profits for their efforts. Ishaku disclosed at the meeting that a major rice merchant from Kenya is soon to start buying paddy rice from farmers in the state for processing. Government has acquired for distribution to farmers hybrid seeds of Sesame seeds, soya beans, cassava and soya beans. He said cassava production will be specially boosted because the cassava processing industry in the state is to be revived soon. He informed the people that since assumption of office he has successfully revived five out of the 25 industries that were in comatose at that time. In Ardo-Kola where the people of Jalingo Council area also joined for the stakeholders meeting, Governor Ishaku said his mission was primarily to thank the people for their support and loyalty in the governorship election of 2015 and throughout the duration of the court cases that trailed his victory. He told the audience that he appreciates their support

demonstrated through massive votes he won in the election, noting that the best time to express his appreciation is now that he had won all the court cases brought against his victory at the polls. He emphasised further that he was there to meet the people and interface with them with the aim of presenting his score card and to also hear from them their impression of his stewardship as well as their own expectations. Alhaji Sule Labaran who spoke for the stakeholders from Jalingo thanked Governor Ishaku for the gigantic water projects, the Green House farm project, the renewal and revival of the Jalingo Airport, the construction of new roads and reconditioning of bad roads in the city as well as the street lights that have turned the city into a beauty to behold at night. He called for more rural roads and an improvement in the sanitary condition of the main abattoir in the city. Governor Ishaku said his administration will even go a step further on the request on the abattoir. He said the abandoned main abattoir project in the city will be completed by his administration. Ardo-Kola was also the venue for the dispatch of tough political messages to backsliding party members. The message was directed at stakeholders from Jalingo whose support for the PDP had always wavered during elections. They were reminded by Victor Bala, Taraba State chairman of the party, to re-examine their relationship with the party in the state. He said Jalingo has reaped a lot of political dividends from the party even when the support for the party is never very impressive. He urged the council chapters of the party that could not garner adequate votes for the party in 2015 to â&#x20AC;&#x153;sit upâ&#x20AC;? now because 2019 elections are already approaching fast. The meeting was Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Darius Ishakuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best opportunity of interacting with political stakeholders in Taraba State since the 2015 governorship election. It came on the heels of the April 7, 2017 Supreme Court dismissal of the last of the series of litigations over the popular electoral victory of Ishaku in that election. Usman wrote from Jalingo

ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍż Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

Now, go for the rest...

In Support of Osinbajo as Acting President

nformation and a credible one at that is the oxygen of democracy. It breathes and thrives on it. Not on listless lies, riling rues, sheer subterfuge, half-truth, cover ups and clear misinformation of the public. Unfortunately, Nigerians have been regaled by a good dose of the aforementioned since the return of democratic dispensation in 1999. Guilty of this insidious, untoward attribute are some members of the much-favoured political class, always out to attempt to twist the truth, to satiate their obscene whims and caprices. For instance, while Section 145(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, clearly spells out that state functions that shall be discharged by the Vice- President, as the Acting President in the absence of the president, meanings are being read to the phrase,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; coordinate the activities of governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as contained in President Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent letter, for more reasons than one. True, he has done the right thing by transmitting a written declaration, as constitutionally demanded, that he is proceeding on vacation to both the Senate President and Speaker, House of Assembly. But why the controversy? One of such, as identified by Senator Ohuabunwa is that: â&#x20AC;&#x153; I do not think in our constitution we have anything like coordinating president or coordinating vice-president. It is either you are the vice-president or you are the acting president.â&#x20AC;? Though his observation has been described as an exaggeration, critical observers of the murky polity have ascribed his stance to the swelling influence of the so-called cabal. Even Aisha Buhari, wife to the Mr. President had a few months back ventilated her angst at what she viewed as the over bearing pulling of strings by this group. And only recently, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, a former senator went a step further in a newspaper interview to name five members of the inner circle of the top hierarchy of government. That is, the power brokers who have been dictating our democratic tunes for some two years now. The gnawing fear in some quarters therefore, is that the transmission of presidential power must have been done grudgingly, with some concerned citizens admonishing Osinbajo to watch his back! To such observers a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coordinatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; may not necessarily exercise full constitutional rights over those who have the authority to do whatever suits them in their various ministries, departments and parastatals. The insinuation, sad as it seems, is that a coordinator may still kowtow to some other powerful forces. Indeed, this may be stretching oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imagination a little too far, for those of this dark view. But it is the dilemma and danger we face today. So, must the Nigerian nation walk another tight rope, to avoid political pitfalls occasioned by the ambiguity trailing the transmission of power with the recurring ill health of President Muhammadu Buhari? That was the question that came to mind. It would be

recalled, that when the then President Umaru Yarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Adua left Nigeria on November 23, 2009, it was reported that he was receiving treatment for pericarditis at a clinic in Saudi Arabia. For months he was sequestered from the public. His absence created a potentially explosive power vacuum in the country. Such was the situation that in December 2009 Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, then president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), stated that Yarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Adua should have handed over power to the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan in an acting capacity during his illness. This statement got the backing of the NBA national executive committee. Subsequently, on January 22, 2010, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that the Federal Executive Council had 14 days to decide a resolution on whether Yarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Adua was â&#x20AC;&#x153;incapable of discharging the functions of his officeâ&#x20AC;?. On February 10, 2010, the Senate controversially used the â&#x20AC;&#x153;doctrine of necessityâ&#x20AC;? to transfer presidential powers to the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, and declared him Acting President, with all the accompanying powers, until Yarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Adua returned to full health. On February 24, 2010, he returned to Abuja under the cover of darkness. His state of health was unclear, but there was speculation that he was still on a life support machine. Ayo Oyoze Baje, Lagos

Wild Life and Cross River Superhighway

arlier this year, environmentalists stood up to vehemently challenge Prof. Ben Ayadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to construct a proposed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cross River Superhighwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It did not matter that the idea seemed beautiful on the surface â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a 260 kilometres long highway with anti-slip features, speed cameras and to crown it, high-speed internet connectivity while connecting other distant parts of the country in a short time. Debates here and there followed, the conflict was not on the basis of the proposed huge sum of $3.5 billion dollars to be spent for the construction; it was not the dispute over who should get the contract - foreign expatriate or indigenous companies. Neither was it the fear over how long the project will span entwined with the willingness (or not) of subsequent administration(s) to complete such pioneering project. The imminent degradation of

T H E S AT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R

EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich biodiversity, the destruction of her ancestral heritages, the possible extinction of wildlife like the Cross River gorillas and further threats to the diminishing population of Chimpanzee, Pangolin, and forest Elephant were the issues that attracted international uproar over the construction of the superhighway. Records have it that the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest decline of any subspecies of great ape recorded is the Cross River gorillas. Between 1995 and 2010, there was a 59 per cent decline rate in their population. The Cross River superhighway could have in few months raised that percentage by another 41 per cent, thereby, causing this endemic species of Gorilla (with less than 300 left in the wild) to be entirely wiped off. The decision to reroute the highway is a big win considering that Nigeria is viewed as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;democraticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; country where people in power â&#x20AC;&#x201C; federal and state take decisions with or without (mostly without) long-term consideration of the resultant effect of such actions or policies. The selfless act of passionate environment conscious individuals, organisations and closely related agencies across the world that stood up and spoke loud enough concerning this issue is highly commendable. Lastly, we sincerely thank you President Buhari, Minister Jubril, and Governor Ayade for this. The decision to reroute the highway and to suspend plans for the superhighwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 20km-wide buffer through some parts of the Cross River National park is a win for our irreplaceable wildlife, a win for posterity, a win for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biodiversity and a win for the world at large. Now that we know that the superhighwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new route will ensure that Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biodiversity is prioritised and that our fauna and flora entities will thrive undisturbed, we are super excited about the project and anticipate its realisation. Adebote â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Seyifunmi, Abuja

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Y 13, 2017

POLSCOPE

with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Acting or Coordinatingâ&#x20AC;?, Two Years after, How Does the Change Feel? Osinbajo is In Charge

o one can truly measure the amount of mischief contained in partisan politics. At almost all times, there is a running plot for one to undo the other. That perhaps explains the storm in a tea cup over the choice of word used by President Muhammadu Buhari in his letter to the Senate transmitting power to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Long before the letter came, Nigerians have been urging President Buhari to do the needful by going to treat himself and hand over power properly to his deputy, seeing that his ill health is hampering his performance in office, irrespective of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hale and hearty assuranceâ&#x20AC;? from his publicists. So, last Sunday, Mr President decided to indeed go for what they called â&#x20AC;&#x153;medical follow-upâ&#x20AC;? to the United Kingdom, and to avoid needless anxiety over when he would return, he added that his length of stay would be determined by his doctors in London. Therefore, he makes reference to section 145(1) of the constitution, writes a letter to the Senate informing the upper chamber of the trip and that in his absence, the Vice President, will â&#x20AC;&#x153;coordinate the activities of governmentâ&#x20AC;? And then some opposition politician in the Senate picks a quarrel with the choice of phrase, â&#x20AC;&#x153;coordinate the activities of governmentâ&#x20AC;?, saying the phrase is â&#x20AC;&#x153;saying nothingâ&#x20AC;?. Really? And further suggested that the letter be taken back to the presidency. This is said, knowing that the author of the letter was already two days old in London, in the hands of his doctors. So where did Ohuabunwa want the letter taken back to? London? It was just a ploy to cause needless constitutional confusion. How can that phrase really mean nothing in semantics to Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, who probably was speaking for the fast-depleting stock of PDP senators in the red chamber? Has the distinguished senator never heard of synonyms? Pray, is the coordinator of any scheme/system, not the head of such scheme/system? And in the true sense of the word, is running the government not actually the coordination of the various activities and programmes of government, including the men and materials thereof? So, what is the fuss about? While I may not rule out some shallow mischief by the person who drafted the letter for President Buhari to sign, by avoiding the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;acting in my placeâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;performing the duties of my officeâ&#x20AC;? (as was used in the first of such letters last January when Buhari travelled on a brief medical vacation), the mere fact that reference was made to Section 145 (1) of the constitution, means that the constitutional provision, demanding the transmission of power to the VP, has been complied with. Those who make a mountain

out of town?

Ohuabunwa

out of a presidential diction should ask themselves why the president made reference to the relevant and appropriate section of the constitution if he was not willing to relinquish power to his Vice. Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that this â&#x20AC;&#x153;medical follow-upâ&#x20AC;? is ad infinitum. It is indefinite and timeless. The implication of this is that unlike the case of last trip in January where the president had said he would spend ten days and ended up spending 49 days and rushed back, even when he had not fully recovered, this trip seeks to keep the president out of any pressure either by his handlers or by the larger Nigerian people to return home, albeit in imperfect health. For all you care, the president could stay back for another one year or another one week, depending on the verdict of his doctors. This way, he will worry less about Nigeria, just as Nigeria will worry less about him, although prayers will/should continue for his quick and perfect recovery. It is redeeming that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki ruled Senator Ohuabunwa out of order and upheld the import and spirit of the letter. And so, the Vice President is rightly acting as the president. He presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last Wednesday. He is very much in charge, to the discomfort and pain of the mischievous schemers in the presidency called â&#x20AC;&#x153;the cabalâ&#x20AC;?. It is even more reassuring that for the 49 days that Osinbajo acted earlier in the year, he held his own, filled the gap, proved his mettle and reinforced public confidence in his persona, character and competence in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coordinatingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the affairs of the country. That is why there should be no qualms from any quarters as to what will become of Nigeria while Mr President does his â&#x20AC;&#x153;medical follow-upâ&#x20AC;? in London.

Our Lawmakers and the National Budget

he success or failure of any government derives largely from the discipline applied to the fiscal budget of the country. That is why utmost care must be exercised in working on it by the legislators to ensure the overall interest of the country is accommodated. Not surprisingly therefore, the budgeting process has remained one filled with intrigues and apprehensions. Most Nigerians believe the national lawmakers often use the budgeting process to blackmail the executive arm of government, even as it causes a lot of rancour among them. We have not forgotten all the hoopla about budget padding which resulted in the suspension of Hon Jibrin Abdulmumin for one year because he, so-to-say, exposed the huge paddings that got into the 2016 budget by the leadership of the House of Representatives. If it is not blackmail, we do not understand why the lawmakers will need five months to pass a budget. How long did it take to prepare it? The 2017 budget was presented to the National Assembly, December 14, last year. The Senate had vowed to pass the budget

before the end of March. It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen. They have since then kept promising and failing on passing the budget. Two weeks ago, Senator Danjuma Goje introduced another drama to the appropriation process, when he claimed that the police that raided his Abuja home carted away the 2017 budget documents, even though the Police denied that there was nothing about budget in the documents they seized from his home. Goje had tried to tie the passage of the budget to the release of the documents. Thankfully, the police released the documents few days after. But that did not mean the passage of the budget. As at Tuesday, the budget had been jerked up to N7.44 trn from the N7.29 trn which Buhari presented; representing an increase of over N143 billion, all in the name of power of appropriation. Is that not what they call padding? Just wondering! Once again, they had promised to pass the budget last Thursday. As at the time of writing this, the budget had not been passed. And I read an interesting post on the social media: â&#x20AC;&#x153;A sick President Buhari prepared and presented a budget in December. Healthy senators are unable to pass the budget in five months, so who is sick?â&#x20AC;?

ave you bought your Aso Ebi? Aso Ebi for what? Need you ask? Everybody is warming up for the second year anniversary of this administration. Have you not seen the anniversary Ankara with the picture of our able President emblazoned on it? Ehn? Which president is able? The same one battling with doctors in London? And what will you be celebrating anyway with the chief celebrant

It is an ideological celebration. A celebration of ideas and values. The values of a national rebirth. The values of a new socio-economic orientation. The values of a greaterâ&#x20AC;Ś. (cuts in) Please, spare me! Stop saying things that are not real. You are talking to a fellow Nigerian. I am not Diaspora-based. I live here in Nigeria. So what national rebirth are you talking about that has to be celebrated? Have our plagues ended? Are we not yet bedraggled by corruption and nepotism? Did you not hear of the scandal that trailed the recruitment exercise into the Department of State Service (DSS), where the number of people recruited from Katsina alone is more than the number of the entire people from the south-east, all because the Director of DSS, Mallam Daura is from Katsina State? Are those not the same plagues of nepotism that have troubled us from independence? Or did you not hear of the grass-cutting scandal where over N500 million was allegedly netted by the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal? Do you know right now, a lot of politics is being introduced into the report of the Osinbajo-led investigative panel that probed the grass-cutting contract award? Do you know many Nigerians believe that the man (Lawal) will wriggle out of the noose because of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;we-weâ&#x20AC;? syndrome of those in government? So my dear brother, what national rebirth are you talking about? Are people stealing government money less? Did you not hear that the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawmakers beefed up the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget with over N143 billion? Is that the national rebirth you want to celebrate? You talk as if you do not know that the journey of a thousand miles begins with just a step.You talk as if you do not know that it is easier to destroy than to repair. This administration is doing reparative works.You do not expect that the transformation will be automatic. Sure, fixing Nigeria will not be an overnight job. No such miracle happens in governance. What is crucial and important is that the government is headed in the right direction of self-recovery. And it is even more reassuring that the will to do what is right is not lacking at all. You are a witness to the fact that this government is in an unyielding war against corruption.You can see how busy and even overworked our EFCC is. It is all sign of the Buhari battle to reclaim Nigeria from the hands of ancient prey masters. Yes, we are not there, but we are headed there, that, I can assure you. You talk as if you are still campaigning. Two years after, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been all talk and more talk, no action. No visible action. Even in the so-called fight against corruption, no significant conviction of a Big Thief. Only the hapless crooks are in prison. The big thieves are still driving their bulletproof Range Rover SUVs all over the place. Yes, we are seeing flickers of the fire, but the flame has never been strong enough to burn down the bad guys. We have not seen this. This government promised Change. This is gradual. Blame non-convictions on the crooks in the judiciary. And they are being hounded too. So our belief in the government should have been as gradual too. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it. This is just half-time in the game. There is yet another full half left. A lot can yet be achieved. The groundwork of change has been laid.You can see the mileage covered on the agric sector.You can see the huge moves being made on the rail sector. You are a witness to the recovery of the Chibok girls and the overall degrading of the Boko Haram insurgents.You can see the huge â&#x20AC;Ś.. I cannot see anything. You are merely parroting the mantra of Change. I want to feel it, not hear it. Let our breakfast table experience the change. Let our bank accounts experience change. Let those who work be paid their salaries. Let the pensioners be paid their gratuities. Let the contractors owed by government be paid. Let those who do private business have the enabling environment to do so. Let there be light. We have suffered enough in darkness, choked further by too much grammar and needless technicalities. Those who enjoy steady light never had to pay the price of this volume of governmental explanations. The more we appear nearer the mark, the further we really are. The change is not visible. Go to Apapa in Lagos, when it rains and you will know what type of Change we have. The French will say Rien Change. Let the purchasing power of the people be restored. Those are the things that will reflate the economy. Let the millions of unemployed youths experience change by getting jobs. That is what will make sense, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the change we want to feel, not these â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideologicalâ&#x20AC;? abstracts you are talking about. Awwww. What you describe as â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideological abstractsâ&#x20AC;? are the fundamentals of change. I can tell you that the nation was at its lowest ebb in many areas before this government took over.You know this government literally inherited the economic recession. But it is to its credit that we are getting out of it. The indices are all there. If you cannot yet see them, then you need Tinubuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s glasses. So, go get your aso-ebi. Get ready for the beat of the drums. The drums of hope. The hope of a better tomorrow. The tomorrow of our dream. Rather than involve the drums, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turn it to a prayer conference. A prayer to heal both our president and our land. A prayer to reset Nigeria. No need for any celebration!

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍľ

NEWS

News Editor Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x; Í¸Î&#x20AC;ÍšÍšÍžÍżÍ˝Î Î&#x20AC;ÍšÍ¸ Ě&#x2122;sms only) Email Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ë&#x203A;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;ĚśĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă?Ë&#x203A;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;

Second Abuja Runway, Other Projects Led to Increase in 2017 Budget, Says Senate Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, yesterday explained that the National Assembly increased the 2017 budget from N7.3 trillion to N7.45 trillion because it opted to capture some important projects such as the second Abuja airport runway in the budget. Lawan told journalists in the State House that the second Abuja Airport runway and other projects were covered from the difference in the $42.5 oil benchmark proposed by the executive and the $44.5 passed by the legislature. "We have been able to capture for example the second Abuja airport runway which we all need in this country; we have suffered from having only one,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have also been able to capture in the national assembly from that fund the completion of the Baro inland port. We have also been able to also include the Abeokuta airport. There are so many other things including the Warriâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; Aladja rail line and so on and so forth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are newly introduced capital projects from the proceeds, the difference between the $44.5 (passed by the national assembly) and the $42.5 benchmark that we received from the executive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, we have done fantastically well. There were no major issues like we had last year during the processing of the budget.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He also said what the National Assembly passed was still within the scheme of what the executive presented, explaining that there were no significant changes in the allocations. He said even though the National Assembly tinkered with the budget in few cases, it ensured that it did

EASY MILLIONS... L â&#x20AC;&#x201C; R: CEO, EG&H Integrated Concepts, Thompson Eda ; Diamond Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Customer and Winner , PlentyMillion Jackpot Promo, Anthony Akuma; and Head, Diamond Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello , Diamond Bank Plc, Nneka Umeh at the Cheque presentation Ceremony of PlentyMillion Jackpot to the Winner in Abuja recently

not distort the appropriation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be, in my opinion and judgment, any issue whether the national assembly has tinkered with the budget because we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done much tinkering with it,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been able to agree mostly with what the executive

has presented. But I want to assure you that this is one budget that the national assembly has worked so hard to ensure that every part of the country gets something just as proposed by the executive.â&#x20AC;? He also said the increase in National Assembly was done to

enable the institution execute some capital projects adding that the increase was done the two dollars difference in the oil bench mark. He listed such projects to include construction of National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) which he said was meant for capacity

N11b Fuel Theft: DSS Fails to Produce Ubah, Files Objection The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday failed to produce Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeanyi Ubah, as ordered by Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos. It instead filed a preliminary objection challenging the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jurisdiction to entertain Ubahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suit. Its counsel, Peter Oluremodu, said Ubah was not produced because there was an order to detain him for 14 days issued by a Federal Capital Territory High Court. He said the DSS obtained the order in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. Justice Idris had on May 9 ordered the DSS to produce Ubah in court to show because why he should not be released unconditionally. But, Ubahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawyer, Raphael Oluyede, urged the judge to hold that the DSS violated his order by not producing Ubah in court yesterday. He said the FCT High Courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order was obtained to frustrate Justice Idrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; order, adding that it amounted to a challenge of the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s majesty.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The respondents have not shown cause as why they failed to comply with your lordshipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order. Instead, they took steps to subvert the order. They acted in contempt of that order. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The court in Abuja was not informed about the order to produce him in Lagos. Their preliminary objection is not relevant to the consideration of whether they have obeyed the order to produce him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I urge your lordship to consider the dignity of the court as paramount and to order Ubahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unconditional release,â&#x20AC;? he said. Oluyede said Ubah was first arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 19 and was released on April 14, after three weeks in detention. He said Ubah was â&#x20AC;&#x153;coercedâ&#x20AC;? to sign a document acknowledging indebtedness to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and to pledge some of his assets. He said EFCC also forced him to withdraw a fundamental rights suit he filed before he was released. He said after Ubahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s release, he

approached the court again to stop his re-arrest. Oluyede said when the DSS invited Ubah, he wrote the agency about his pending suit. The lawyer said the DSS arrested his client despite being told about the suit. He accused the DSS of abusing its powers, and urged the court to hold that Ubahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s detention was contemptuous. Ruling, Justice Idris held that it would be wrong for him to order for Ubahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s release since a court of coordinate jurisdiction had issued an order that he be detained for 14 days. Justice Idris said his records show that the DSS was served with his order on May 10. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It appears that on the same date (May 10, 2017), the fourth and fifth respondents (DSS and its DirectorGeneral) obtained from an FCT High Court an order allowing them to detain the first applicant (Ubah) in their custody for an initial period of 14 days pending the completion of investigation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is clear that there is a direct

conflict between the order of this court and the order of my learned brother Y. Haliru J. A conflict situation has been created. It is sad and unfortunate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Courts of coordinate jurisdiction have been cautioned against situations like this. I will in the circumstances of this case and the pronouncements of the learned law lords of the Supreme Court, act ex abundanti cautela (Latin phrase for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;out of abundant cautionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;). â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will not make any order that will have the effect of neutralising the orders made by the FCT High Court. There must be discipline in the law. I insist on discipline in the law. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the light of the orders of the FCT High Court made on the 10th of May 2017, I will not make an order for the release of the applicant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since the parties in this case have been served and the matter had been adjourned till the 18th day of May 2017, I shall adjourn till the 18th day of May 2017 when the substantive suit and all objection on jurisdiction will be taken together. This is the order of the court.â&#x20AC;?

building of legislators and nonlegislators alike. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You need to have a National Assembly that is really poised, wired and competent to produce good laws. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imagine a National Assembly where you have so many experts,

many retired people from the industry, security services, even presidents, for example, coming to the National Assembly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, we should have a National Assembly that is properly and fully kitted and with adequate capacity,â&#x20AC;? he stated.

Ex-PDP Stalwarts Jostle for Anambra APC Guber Ticket Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja As at the last count, five former stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have indicated interest to contest for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the November 18 Anambra state governorship race. Among the former PDP chieftains who have defected to the APC in order to contest for its governorship ticket are the PDP Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Andy Ubah, the former PDP governorship candidate, Tony Nwoye and another former PDP gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Obinna Uzoh. THISDAY gathered that as at this week, the number of aspirants that have indicated interest to vie for the APC's governorship ticket has risen to seven. These aspirants include, the current National Auditor of the APC, George Muoghalu, Ubah, Nwoye, Pat Iwunze, Obinna Uzoh, Paul Chukwuma and Dr. Obidigboh.

A reliable party source at the office of the APC National Organising Secretary in Abuja told THISDAY that the party has been receiving calls and requests from aspirants on information about the processes for the governorship primaries. The source said though the party was yet to approve modalities for the conduct of primary election for the Anambra governorship, it had scheduled the sale of nomination forms and selection of candidates for June and July respectively. The leadership of the APC had appointed the former governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo to head Zonal Committee for the Anambra 2017 governorship election. The Committee included the former Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu who is to serve as the Vice Chairman. Other members of the committee are Senator Emma Azu Agboti (Secretary) Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, Senator Nkechi Nwogu, Chief Cosmas Madugba and Chief Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Y 13, 2017

THE ALTERNATIVE with Reno Omokri As Osinbajo Succeeds Okonjo Iweala

igeria is a land of opportunity. And I do not mean this the way Nigerian politicians usually mean it, as a clichĂŠd speech for the campaign trail. I mean this from the bottom of my heart because it is true and I have benefited from it and I can prove it. Nigeria ought to change her educational model. Our education system is still by and large a colonial model where the occupying colonial power merely trained a select few natives for the purpose of having clerks and translators to run their exploitative government. It was never designed to transfer knowledge that prepares the recipient to add value to Nigeria. Quite on the contrary, it was designed and still remains designed to train Nigerians to take value from Nigeria and give it to the West. This is one of the reasons why we have more Nigerian medical professionals practicing in the West and Saudi Arabia than we have in Nigeria. Our education system is also designed to train the bulk of its intake to be nothing more than paper pushers who daily clock watch, while waiting for the end of the month to collect salaries that enable them to their insatiable lust for foreign goods. Our education system does not make us productive. It does not teach us to seize initiative. In fact, it kills initiative. Many Nigerian children who show initiative at an early age are made to feel ashamed of their initiative by their teachers themselves who call them ITK (meaning, I Too Know). The subliminal message underlying that common label is that it is not our place to be overly intelligent or curious. We ought to leave that to the oyinbo man. It is for this reason that Nigerian youths feel it is the job of the government to provide jobs for them. Pay attention to what I said. Our youths do not think it is governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibility to provide the enabling environments for jobs to thrive. No. They believe, because of the type of education they have received, that it is the responsibility of government to provide actual jobs for them. They have been falsely taught that the secret of success is to go to school, get a certificate and that, that certificate acts as a receipt that you hand over to government in exchange for a guaranteed life of ease, laziness and entitlement, along with an official car, a driver, official quarters and domestic workers that do everything for you, except you do your business in the toilet. That is the life their grandparents saw the colonial masters live. When their grandparents came of age, they chose to live that same life, forgetting that the colonial masters were little more than an army of occupation whose mindset was to take and not necessarily to build except to the extent of building railways and roads from mines and farms directly to ports for onward transportation of the wealth of Africa to Europe and teaching (perhaps brainwashing is a better term) the natives to accept their particular brand of Christianity (which invariably has their monarch and not Christ as the head of the Church). This is why a Nigerian youth who lives in Kaduna can complain that the government has not provided him or her with a job. Yet, Kaduna rice sells for almost double in Lagos. The government that he or she complains against has built a railway and train that will take them to Lagos for less than N2,000. They do not need a visa to go to Lagos.

When David Mackenzie, a Senior Economist at the World Bank, did an Independent Impact Evaluation on YouWIN, which he published in 2015, McKenzie found that YouWin was two and half times as efficient as a 2013 management consulting programme in Mexico, four and a half times as efficient as a 2014 wage subsidy programme in Jordan and almost ten times as efficient as a 2011 vocational training programme in Turkey. That is why it was rather disappointing that President Muhammadu Buhari could not see beyond politics to understand the need to retain the initiative. Rather, his administration reduced Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful job creation effort to â&#x20AC;&#x153;a weekly print media enterprise education programme designed to assist entrepreneurs start, plan and grow their businessesâ&#x20AC;? which it christened YouWiN!Connect, an aberration and a bastardisation of the original idea which has gone the way of other harebrained ideas that the current administration came up with including Change Begins With Me and the N-Power scheme (emphasis on scheme)

Osinbajo

Even the Bible says â&#x20AC;&#x153;my people perish from lack of knowledge.â&#x20AC;? Yes, the Muhammadu Buhari administration is inept, but this clueless government is not your problem. The problem of the Nigerian youth is an education system that has robbed him of initiative and pumped him full of entitlement to the extent that he or she is expecting manna from heaven. The problem is mental laziness. The problem is YOU! Probably the best thing that ever happened to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy and her education system is the second coming of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her brilliant initiatives with former President Jonathan, chief of which was the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin) initiative. I just finished writing a book on the Jonathan administration titled Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years (Chibok, 2015 and Other Conspiracies). In it, I devoted a whole chapter to YouWIN. Even though I was somewhat involved in the process, I was nonetheless impressed when I took in the birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye view of the scheme and how successful it was in creating jobs and changing the mindset of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth. It was not that YouWIN gave grants, although it did give grants ranging from $12,000 to $100,000 to over 4,000 Nigerian youths. The beauty of the initiative was that it provided business and financial education to tens of thousands of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth and hopefully changed their outlook from one of entitlement to one of self reliance. Unknown to many Nigerians, YouWIN is actually the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest business plan competition ever created. When David Mackenzie, a Senior Economist at the World Bank, did an Independent Impact Evaluation on YouWIN, which he published in 2015, McKenzie found that YouWin was two and half times as efficient as a 2013 management consulting programme in Mexico, four and a half times as efficient as a 2014 wage subsidy programme in Jordan and almost ten times as efficient as a 2011 vocational training programme in Turkey. That is why it was rather disappointing that President Muhammadu Buhari could not see beyond politics to understand the need to retain the initiative. Rather, his administration reduced Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful job creation effort to â&#x20AC;&#x153;a weekly print media enterprise education programme designed to assist entrepreneurs start, plan and grow their businessesâ&#x20AC;? which it christened YouWiN!Connect, an aberration and a bastardisation of the original idea which has gone the way of other harebrained ideas that the current administration came up with including Change Begins With Me and the N-Power scheme (emphasis on scheme). It is very sad to see what has happened to initiatives like YouWIN and the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovations and Development, Almajiri Schools, etc. Sound policies, patriotic initiatives and powerful ideas that should have been consolidated into Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education system have been either cancelled, watered down or left to wither away. And look at the impact such actions have had on the economy. Speaking of the economy, the last time Nigeria had a Coordinator was in 2011 when President Goodluck Jonathan nominated Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as a minister and upon her confirmation named her the Coordinating Minister of the Economy. How sad that in 2017, six years after that event, Nigeria has now got her second Coordinator and no, it is not another minister. It is no less a personality than the incumbent Vice President who has been reduced, in the estimation of his boss, from an acting President to a Coordinator. In his first letter to the Senate on February 10, 2017, before going on medical vacation, President Buhari had used the correct nomenclature to describe the role that would be played by the Vice

President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. In the said letter, the Vice President was to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;actâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on his behalf. How very strange that in his second letter to the Senate on May 7, 2017, before going to see his London doctors, President Buhari curiously changed the wordings of his letter and named the Vice President as someone who would â&#x20AC;&#x153;coordinateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rather than â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;actâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;! And to those who are saying that the nomenclature does not matter, go home and call your father â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and after he has slapped you back into reality, come back here and realise that if it is not panadol it is not the same thing as panadol. Vice President Osinbajo did a very good job the last time he was acting President and as such no one who loves Nigeria should hesitate to accord him the respect he has earned even though by reason of his peculiar situation he cannot complain about this shabby treatment meted out on him for fear of playing into the hands of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cabalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I think the President was not too happy with vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good performance the last time which outshined him, hence this Coordinator of National Affairs business. Where are our constitutional lawyers? Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t somebody approach the court to stop this nonsense? Coordinator of National Affairs is unknown to our constitution! Our constitution was not made for President Muhammadu Buhari. Rather, President Buhari was made by our constitution and must be subject to it, President or not! Finally, on the recent release of some of the kidnapped girls, let me say that anybody that is not happy that 82 Chibok girls were released must be a monster whose humanity should be called into question. I thank God that these girls have been released and I commend the Federal Government for the feat of ensuring that these girls are reunited with their families. May God bless President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the leadership that enabled this to happen. Having said that, there are some factual observations I want to raise. What you are about to read is completely devoid of any opinion. I am just stating facts. You may not like the facts. You may not even like me. But one thing you cannot do is ignore the fact. Why should a Presidential spokesman turn himself into a praisesinger for a terrorist group? Read the following quote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be honest, without appearing to speak for Boko Haram, from the outlook of these girls, they appear better in terms of their physical outlook than the 21 we received before.â&#x20AC;?-Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spokesman. What can one even say when a Presidential spokesman praises Boko Haram for looking after Chibok girls well! What can I say? I am speechless! On May 7, 2017, when the girls were ferried over to the Nigerian Presidential Villa at Aso Rock, Abuja to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, photographs released showed them looking very well fed and robust. In fact, the next day (May 8) Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top blog, Linda Ikejiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blog published a photo of the released girls side by side with a picture of a woman and her baby in one of the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Borno State for a side by side comparison and these Chibok girls, who had been living rough inside Sambisa forest looked well fed, well groomed and buxom while the woman in the IDP camp looked haggard and hungry. It leaves you questioning who has been in captivity and who has been free. How is this possible? This is not the first time Chibok girls have been released. Almost exactly a year ago, just a week before the current Nigerian administration marked its first year in office some Chibok girls were also released. Another batch was released in October 2016. The thing is that when these girls are released there is a media blackout on them. No one is allowed near them to interview them. I understand that they have gone through an ordeal, but Malala also went through a similar or even worse ordeal and no one shielded her from the press. Malala Yousafzai was shot at age 15 by the Taliban and left unconscious. She survived and she was threatened by the Taliban who threatened to kill her should they catch her. Her case was one of clear and present danger. Yet she was not sequestered from the public even though, like the Chibok girls, her English was not so good at first. In fact, an international press tour was arranged for her, placing her on the world stage and kick-starting the activism that earned her a Nobel Prize, making her the youngest person ever to be so awarded. One would have thought that, that is what would have played out for the released girls. Last October, 21 Chibok girls were release by Boko Haram after negotiations. Till date, these girls have been kept from the press. Even their own parents are not allowed access to them according to a New York Times piece on them published on March 11, 2017. The girls are kept in a safe house according to the New York Times. During the Christmas holidays, they were allowed to visit Chibok but were housed in the home of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;top politicianâ&#x20AC;?. Their parents were only allowed to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;visit themâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Soldiers guarded the girls and after some hours asked the parents of the girls to leave. Let me say again that I am glad that they have been released and I pray that the remaining captives are also released but questions remain and when you attempt to raise them, you are shouted down by suspected members of the Buhari Media Center that Farooq Kperogi warned us about.

Renoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nuggets: And now for my nugget of the week.

Awoman who is looking for a perfect husband will never marry, for there are no perfect men, few good men and many regular men. In fact, foolish women fall for men who know how to pleasure them. Wise women go for men who know how to treasure them. A refined girl is better than a fine girl because fineness fades fast with age but refinement improves as you mature. And finally, whether you are a man or a woman, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be ashamed of your background. Focus on improving your future. Jesus was born in an animal barn but now lives in heaven #RenosNugget

Plus

PLUS XTRA LOUD WHISPERS INTERVIEW AUTO GLOBAL SOCCER FASHION FILE

pg. 19 pg. 22 pg. 24 pg. 26 pg. 31 pg. 41

Ubong Essien

I Am First Nigerian to Become Certified Professional Speaker

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MAY 13, 2017

PLUS

My Job Is to Train Nigerian Leaders Public Speaking

Ubong Essien, a certified public speaker and Dean, School of Eloquence, didn’t have his career cut out for him. With a third class in Biology Education from the University of Ilorin, he seemed destined for a lifetime in the classroom. But a passion for the liberal arts would turn his destiny for good as he began a Christian magazine in Unilorin and then later, the ‘Achiever’s Manual’. Not too long, he left publishing for public speaking in 2006. Today, Essien, the first and only Nigerian to attain the international designation of Certified Professional Speaker, was bestowed honoured in United States in 2012. His school recently celebrated its 10 years of teaching the world how to speak. In this interview with Funke Olaode, the 42-year-old indigene of Akwa Ibom State talks about his path to success and the initial roadblocks

s there anything significant about the huge statue of “unknown speaker” erected outside your office? Well, I have been teaching public speaking in the past 10 years. I teach all kinds of people from political class to the business class. When we moved to a much bigger facility we realised that one of the things is to make a statement that reflects our commitment in business of teaching public speaking. It has been of one my dreams to have a statue to greet people that this is a home of public speaking. That is why we have the statue of “unknown speaker” and sometimes I can use the statue as a teaching aid and my students can even learn from the statue: from the hand, the gesture and eye contact. So, it is a symbol of our commitment to teach the art of public speaking. Can we have an insight into your background? I am Ubong Essien from Akwa Ibom. I am a certified professional speaker and the only one in the whole of West Africa and Nigeria. It is a professional attainment bestowed me on at the Global Speakers Convention in July 2012. I was born and brought up in Lagos where I had my primary education before proceeding to the Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, for my secondary education. My parents were entrepreneurs. My father ran an electronics business and my mum was a seamstress. They are both retired now. I attended University of Ilorin where I studied Biology Education. When I finished in 1998 I decided that I wanted to be a motivational speaker. But Biology Education contradicts what you are doing right now. Why? Interestingly, I was offered admission to study electrical engineering at the University of Ilorin. But after a few classes and an encounter with physics and mathematics, I told myself there was no way I was going to cope. I wanted to opt out of the department but the faculty officer refused. Eventually before the matriculation I was given a note of transfer. By then it was a little bit late and had to settle for what I could get to enable me matriculate. I settled for Biology Education because it was a four-year course instead of five years. Ironically, my parents could live with my decision because the primary objective was to have a graduate in the family. I am the first son. I was the second born but lost my eldest sister at some point while growing up. I became the first born and all eyes were on me. For them, it was the case of the first graduate in the entire clan. And I promised myself that whatever it would take I would see my education through for my parents’ happiness and that became my driving force. At what stage did you pitch your tent with publishing? I think communication is the real deal and communication as I was taught is sharing of meaning. Anything that has to do with talking to people or writing so they could read came so natural to me. While I was in the campus I had my media outfit on campus and a Christian publication. People embraced it and it was fun. My last two years on campus were something else and my lecturers were not happy with me for being preoccupied

Essien

with this publication. My mission was to go to class, read, do the test, get a pass mark and get out. I had time more for doing the things I loved. After graduation and my youth service I started a publication called, ‘Achievers’ Magazine.’ It was on that basis that I won the young entrepreneur of the year from Success Digest in 2002 because the publication went nationwide. I was meeting managing directors of multinational companies: Dr. Christopher Kolade; Mrs. Cecilia Ibru; Mr. Segun Oni; Mr. Agbetuyi; and a host of new generation CEOs. I saw them as more of father figures and mentors. Did anything prepare you for what you are doing now? Looking back, my secondary education prepared me. I want to give kudos to my parents who did everything possible to ensure that I attended Federal Government College. I believe it laid a very good foundation for me especially in understanding English and my capacity to interact with people. That was what the environment was like then and I could use the knowledge at Unilorin. However, university period for me between 1993 and 1998 was also very important because I was in an environment where I was free to be an entrepreneur. Those are combination of factors that prepared me. Having interviewed various personalities, what struck you about them? The drive they had to achieve their goals. I have never been more encouraged than to see people who have a vision and block out all of the hindrances, discouragement and pursue their goals. As I look through all of them it just kept me on my toe that they have a vision and sense of direction for their goals and lives. And they gave it all without any excuses and that kept inspiring me that if they could do it anybody can do it. At what exact point did you feel you had to change course from being a publisher to becoming a public speaking coach?

As an entrepreneur you tend to be taken over by things. I think it was at the height of my career as a publisher. The School of Eloquence clocked 10 recently. By 2002, I was already on the national TV giving motivational talks. When people read the publication, Funmi Iyanda invited me that it was a powerful idea and gave me a 15-minute slot every Tuesday and Thursday on live TV on what can be done to be successful and how to overcome challenges. It was aired for almost three years and it was as a result of that programme that Nigerians then gave me a nickname ‘Mr. Motivator’. By 2006, I joined the National Speakers Association in United States of America. While publishing people and organisations would call me to speak. By 2006, I said I had to be professional about it and wanted to speak in the categories of world renowned speakers. I didn’t want to be a pastoral coach but a full-blown speaker. Then, I was travelling every year for courses and conferences which could qualify me for global certification. Providence was at work and my effort paid off when in July 2012, the international designation of Certified Professional Speaker was bestowed on me at the Global Speakers’ Convention in Indianapolis, United States. As a person I feel elated and being the first makes it historical. My governor then, Godswill Akpabio, sent the Speaker of the state Assembly to represent him. In front of 2,000 people from across the world and was given some time to make a speech. They were impressed and it was the best moment of my life. How is the school doing now? I am currently running a postgraduate programme in Mass Communication department at University of Lagos and I am the oldest in my class, many wondering why I am in the classroom. Before now, I thought of doing so many things at the same time. It was in 2006 that I narrowed it down to the School of Eloquence. Over the past 10 years, I have taught over 2,000 people. We have senators coming to our classes; wives of deputy governors coming to our classes. We have had chief executives, senior government functionaries, sales representatives and all categories of people. So whether you are a politician, social activist, or clergyman, we teach the world to speak because it is a universal skill. So, we cater for politician and even as a sales person you need power of speech. Even pastoral circle needs a well-articulated message to carry their congregations along. Our ambition is to be the home of public speaking in Nigeria. Most of our speakers are doing public reading and not delivering speech like the Obamas of this world. As a public speaker, you are forced to read and this enhances your speech and delivery. Do you think there is a dearth of public speaking capacity in Nigeria? I would say yes. But when you pick the aggregation it is difficult to pick sterling speakers. Of course, we do have a few but when you spread it over our population we are still far from being there. Look at the demographic of our political class. A reason for the boring nature of our democracy is that most of our political gladiators are terrible communicators. I listened to the late Sir Tafawa Balewa speech when he visited the White House in the 60s, the English was not only impeccable but the

delivery was on point. Most of the current players are poor speakers. That is why you find the tendency to run away from debate because democracy is an endless debate cycle. The capacity to articulate effectively is missing. You can address an issue and the masses can be better informed. Any plan for the future like grooming the youth? We do have a lot of things on our plates and one of them is catching them young. Recently, we had four students from Kings College, Lagos, competing for the first prize. It was fantastic. A lot of adults couldn’t believe that they could do it. We are visiting schools as our corporate social responsibility initiative. Every month, we engage four schools. One of them is located in Olodi-Apapa (Ajegunle). It is better to learn now than later. Our vision, God willing, is to have School of Eloquence in Port Harcourt, Abuja and three or four other places and may be on the Island because of the pressure. That is our next move. How was your wife involved in this? Well, my secret weapon is my wife, Patience. She has been patient with me. She has been the most important supporter that I have. She is the registrar of the school. She has a master’s degree in Education Management and obviously would want to do her own thing but she has stood by me by putting her plans on hold. A lot of credit should go to her because she has been the driving force. I am blessed to have had a fantastic wife who has supported me all the way. You never worked for anyone. What advice do you have for young people? They should understand that pasture is only green where it is watered. If it is watered in America it would be green. But we are in an environment where you have to water your pasture. Most of the young people who look at the other side of the fence should water where they are first. I read Biology Education and came out with a third class. The impression was that I would not be able to get a secondary school to teach. For obvious reasons, I was not always in class because I was pursuing my vision and passion. And after graduation I nurtured it. There would never a time when things would not be difficult. If you are waiting for things to get better you had better be getting better yourself. This is a country that if you lay your hand on something you are bound to succeed if you persevere. There was a time I sent out over 40,000 letters to companies every month for three years. In fact, some companies got tired of our letters. Some even called and said stop sending letters to us. Sometimes I would meet these CEOs and introduce myself. It is like this is the man who has been harassing us and they would instruct their human resource manager to send five delegates to us; because we didn’t have money for advertisement. And, after some time we got offers from a few multinationals. Why? Because, I didn’t give up; youths should be patient and grow organically and shouldn’t adopt the ‘sharp, sharp’ approach. This generation wants an explosion. You have to plant, water and watch your vision grow. Above all, don’t digress. Be focused. That is the only magic to success.

ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍż Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

PLUS XTRA

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Blind but with Boundless Business Ideas

As a kid he wanted to be the best in everything he participated in. As a young boy with a beautiful heart and an imaginative mind, Danjuma Attah, was plunged into visual darkness following a visit to a hospital because of a troubling redness in his eyes. After applying what the health centre gave him to use â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what he described as a wrong prescription, Attah began an ugly descent into blindness. But today, he claims that his loss of sight is part of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan in his life. Blind but boundless, Attah runs an NGO that caters to the need of visually impaired people and also runs three diďŹ&#x20AC;erent companies. Born into the Attah Royal family in Kogi State, he tells Stanley Nkwazema about his life as a blind person and how blind people can see beyond the ordinary

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍż

I Want to Change the Self-pity Narratives of Disabled Persons

y Life, My Family â&#x20AC;&#x153;Danjuma Attah is nobody. But he is somebody doing what he believes in. I believe in selfless service to the people. Selfless service is what I believe in because that is the only thing I will take with me when I return to God. I was born in Okene, Kogi State, to the family of late Shehu Attah and Aisha Attah. It was a very wonderful world knowing full well that I am from a royal family: from the Attah family in Igala land. I had a smooth experience, growing up with so many wonderful people. I started my primary school education at Christ the King Nursery and Primary School. It is a missionary school. My secondary school education was at Abdulazeez Attah College in Okene.â&#x20AC;? A Turning Point Danjuma said it was at JSS 2 that he experienced the saddest moment of his life. That was when he lost his sight due to lack of proper medical care and poor facilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What was just a redness in the eye rendered me blind because the health centre I got to then gave me a wrong prescription which I used for my eyes and that destroyed my eyes completely. Then I thought all hope was lost but thanks to my wonderful mother (now late) who then made it clear to me that it was what God wanted me to be in life and that gave me hope. Then as a child I loved listening to BBC Radio. My father had this radio which I normally used to listen to BBC World Service programme and news. Then one day, I was hearing about Stevie Wonder and I was motivated. That day I said to myself: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If Stevie could be Wonder in the United States of America, why then canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t I be Wonder in Africa?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; That was the spirit (I had).â&#x20AC;? Adjusting to a state of blindness, Danjuma said, was a process designed by God. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He wanted me to see the other side of life which I give thanks to the Almighty God, the owner of the universe. You can imagine somebody who was living in a palace with all manners of people around him suddenly found himself in a school for the handicapped, with the deaf and dumb around him. It was a tough situation that I passed through. But I was very happy I passed through it because it made me to live the other side of life.â&#x20AC;? The Danjuma Attah Eye Foundation Danjuma said it was through his foundation that he fully discovered himself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The challenge I discovered about Africans is that many of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know who we are. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know who you are, you can never set a goal. If you cannot set a goal you can never activate success. That is my belief. I never knew what God was making me to pass through was for me to become a humanitarian service provider. But you see, in business, in 2010, I was again on my way to Kogi for a contract I was pursuing when I got involved in a ghastly motor accident. That was when I thought it was all over. On that day I said to myself, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;if I die now, I am very close to my home, you will be buried and what will you be remembered for?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; That was the question I asked myself. That kept coming into my mind till I got to Abuja, in Wuse 2. At the hospital I visited, the nurse I met thought it was the accident that made me lose my sight. He made me to meet an ophthalmologist. Interestingly, when I met with him, he kept quiet. I never knew he was a man of God. He said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Do you know that God wants to

His foundation commissioned by Governor Bello

Danjuma with daughter

use you to prevent blindness and also champion the cause of people with disability in the country?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;that is always what I wanted to do but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to go about it.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? It was the man that started the process of establishing the eye foundation. By the time they were through with the registrations, behold, the man got another job and left Danjuma to carry on with the mission. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The amazing thing is that I am a business person. I turn everything I have in business, into the foundation. By the grace of God, today, we have given sight to thousands of people and we have built an 18-bed eye centre and donated it to Kogi State Government with no conditions attached. It was the same hospital that gave a wrong prescription that destroyed my sight. We built the eye centre single-handedly without any donor, apart from one or two of my family members.â&#x20AC;? His Kind of NGO â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will keep on doing what we are doing. Those that have seen what we are doing can come and partner with us because we have a vision and we have a dream; that dream will surely come to pass. I understand very

well that whatever you want to do, do it alone. Only when you want to go further that you can involve others. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to put a price tag to the hospital.â&#x20AC;? On World Sight Day, he is planning to donate some equipment to the centre. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am also going with a medical team for free cataract surgery. They are all volunteers and the foundation wants to make a success out of it.â&#x20AC;? Finding Love and Marriage â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am married to a beautiful woman with two lovely kids. My wife is not physically challenged in any way. It is interesting and I have an interesting answer. This is where we have an issue. So many of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even realise that the eyes you use to see are what is giving you limitations. I believe in the power of the mind that sees beyond what the eyes cannot see. I will let you know that it is very possible that I am seeing you and what you cannot see right now. I am seeing beyond what your eyes can see. It is the power of the mind. My mind makes me see what other people cannot see. The beauty in my wife is seen by me and I appreciate it from the inside and not from the outside.â&#x20AC;?

Meeting her, he said, was a miracle or divine intervention. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I met her and called her on the phone one day and she came (to me). I told her my intention (of wanting to marry her). Initially, she was not forthcoming but eventually she honoured the meeting and we sat for over 30 minutes and had a very fruitful discussion. At first she did feel too good at it but eventually she began to see what I was seeing, knowing that she is no more seeing with her eyes but the mind that made her to see beyond the ordinary. She is a banker.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is nothing called disability. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see anybody with any form of physical challenge and keep on pitying the person. Rather, encourage that person. That person can do more than you can ever imagine. The way the society is looking at persons with physical challenges has been giving me a lot of concerns and I am not too comfortable. I am appealing to the media to educate people to have the right view of people with physical disabilities.â&#x20AC;? Dealing with Sceptical In-laws Naturally, her would-be in-laws were not too enthusiastic about his plan to marry their daughter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is normal; some people will say you are a spirit, ghost or that you belong to a cult. But you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to blame people in Africa. But where we are now, that is the way we are created until when we are removed from where we are that we can begin to see things the way it should. It was not an easy thing but by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grace when you have God in everything you do, it becomes very simple for you to achieve. God has been so faithful and wonderful.â&#x20AC;? Blind but Boundless â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will be fulfilled when we have nothing less than a thousand people directly on our payroll. I run three companies for now: a travel agency, a security outfit and a communications outfit. Another one is coming and I am collaborating with a financial institution. It will be unveiled shortly.â&#x20AC;? Society and People Living with Physical Disability â&#x20AC;&#x153;The society should start to do things that will make the government to understand that this is what the people want. Everybody in this country does not care about the next person.â&#x20AC;?

T H I S D AY SATURDAY MAY 13, 2017

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ MAY 13, 2017 with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

LOUD WHISPERS

Mercy Aigbe

Pastor T.B. Joshua: Please Don’t Go Baba, is it true you are leaving? I do not believe this o. But the news is everywhere. I even heard that our Information Minister has joined the bandwagon pleading with you to reconsider. Oga, I see your frustrations but it is not only you o. If you are running away because they persecute your mission, then what do you want the rest of us who cannot even find food to eat to do? I hear your mission is responsible for over 60% of our tourism receipts, hence the interest of the federal government in this your matter. Going to Israel will not be a solution, I think you should sit down and rethink this matter. Competition for your ‘business’ in Israel will be too much o. You will be a small fish there unlike here where you remain a giant. If you go now, what will happen to the rest of us in need of miracles especially those of us who will not be able to come over to Israel? This is a major calamity for us miracle seekers. Let me beg you not to go, but should you insist on still leaving, let me ask what will happen to the Nigerian franchise, will it be up for sale as I remain interested. Let me know sir. Thank you. Musiliu Obanikoro : Stay Put I have just seen the news report refuting your alleged decamping from the PDP to APC with some relief. The report even went ahead to explain that you were just repairing your relationship with the Asiwaju and that in no way meant you are decamping. Only an inexperienced watcher of Nigerian politics would believe that. You people always test the waters before making your move and if you ask me, your move is as inevitable as tomorrow coming and this is sad. Sad because once again we have shown that as a nation we have failed woefully in building a polity based on ideology and principle. The personality cult that drives our politics remains strong and rabid, hence our inability to achieve any form of cohesion in nation building. It remains your prerogative and constitutional right to choose your association and affiliation but then, while doing that, you must also bear in mind how posterity and history will treat you. If everybody crosses to APC, then where is the virile opposition that we need for the growth of our democracy. I have said my own sha and I know you will not listen. I wish you luck. Kemi Olunloyo : Another Fervent Plea I would like to once again beg whoever is responsible for the continued incarceration of Kemi to kindly reconsider and assist in freeing her. There is nothing that she has done that cannot be forgiven. Granted, she has been a

T.B. Joshua

Musiliu Obanikoro

Mercy Aigbe, Lanre Gentry: Another Look at Domestic Violence Before I am pilloried by the sad majority, let me first put it out there that I DO NOT SUPPORT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN ANY WAY. Either it is on a female or on a male. With that out of the way, I would like to state here that the way this whole thing is being handled in society of today just smacks of hypocrisy and a one-sided defence. And that is why the issue will continue to simmer. All you hear is that ‘there is no justification for hitting a woman’ which I fully agree but do you continue to fight a fire without tackling the source? Once a man stupidly loses his temper and makes the fatal mistake of hitting a woman, even if it is with a feather he is doomed. All bricks are thrown at the unfortunate man, who would have over the years been suffering in silence, taking all sorts of impunities and abuses, and in some cases adultery. This particular case, I have taken a deep interest in it. Today, the man has been reported to be remanded in prison and nobody is listening to his side of the story simply because he has hit his wife. What led to all that is no longer an issue and the lady will go on the victory lap egged on by the sad majority, only to go to the next marriage or next life to continue with the same behaviour simply because nobody had taken the time to sit her down to explain to her just what led to all of this. A man, who has fathered a child with her and who just two months ago she was ‘hailing’ to high heavens as her god on earth is today suffering like a common criminal simply because he could no longer hold back as a result of the provocations he could no longer handle. My plea to society is to at least be fair and look at both sides in this matter in a bid to at least curb this very regular and ugly incidence of domestic violence. Much as I agree that there is no justification for battering a woman, the woman herself must also be ready to work with her husband in ending this. Let me come out of the closet, I used to be a regular culprit. I used to have a wild temper and after each episode, I would go on a humiliating begging spree. Beg everybody within sight, even the maiguard, I would beg just to get my wife back. I noticed very quickly the sad majority will be pushing my wife to leave the house. Abandon three children? Don’t ever agree. Most of them widows and single women all willing to jump in bed with me at the drop of the hat but would still be screaming, ‘you can’t be beating your wife, is she a punching

bag? I would just be begging them all until peace would be restored. I used to hate myself and started going for counselling, both professional and spiritual. But in all this, I noticed that nobody was talking to my wife, she claimed the moral high ground, feeling that she was the victim. I was the victim here, I was the one that was taking months’ of provocation, taunting, abuse, disrespect, tongue-lashing and when I couldn’t take it anymore and lashed out, I immediately became the villain. All the counselling was not working because the source was not being addressed. My mother was still being called a witch and a prostitute, I was still being called a useless oaf and an irresponsible father. The sad majority was still taking my wife against my orders to useless Owambe parties and coming home late despite my misgivings; the counsellor and the system was not addressing this. What they would say is leave the marriage. The fact that you were unhappy and sad never meant you no longer loved the woman, nor did it also mean that you were going to throw your little kids into a divorce mess. So one day, I decided to take my matter into my own hands. I locked my wife in the room and drew up a list of the things that provoked me, turning me into a ‘beast’. I begged her to try and work on those things. Do not call my mother a witch no matter what, regulate the Owambe parties and limit it to just family and close friends, do not push your tongue out at me when we are having an argument, allow me explain myself anytime we are arguing on an issue, do not jump into a loud, rash verbal assault, cursing me out and abusing my father and all my ancestors. I knelt down and begged her to help me stop beating her and that her friends who always jumped in, asking her to leave were already preparing to replace her. Showing her evidence of this, I thank God that she immediately started working on herself and ever since, I have not touched her in the last 10 years. I even pasted the Do’s and Don’ts on the walls of her room. I have decided to expose myself like this because I feel not only for Lanre but for men in general. The society has not been rigged to handle this matter holistically, hence this push and plea for this issue to be looked at from the source. This is just a plea and as usual, I know nobody will listen to me and we will continue to watch this issue go on unabated. Let us look at this whole thing again. Na beg.

Kemi Olunloyo

thorn in the flesh of so many personalities, even the General Overseer of the Redeemed Church. However, throwing her in jail will not help her rehabilitation or even give whoever is behind her travails the peace of mind he so desires. I am on my knees, appealing very fervently to you sir, to kindly withdraw the charges and seek other means of ‘curing’ Kemi. Kemi is not normal o. She is my friend and nobody takes her vituperations seriously, hence this appeal. What she needs is rehabilitation, not prison. Prison will do nothing for her and it may even lead to depression and a possible suicidal tendencies. Baba please, if you give me your address or phone number, I will come to Port Harcourt and cry at your feet, I will hold your feet and let my hot tears touch you, I will use your innocent children’s head to beg you. Kindly withdraw these charges, I cannot sleep anymore. Baba, I really beg. Thank you as you consider my plea. Kayode Ehizode for Yaba Kayode is contesting for the APC chairmanship position, Yaba LCDA. Kayode is part of an emerging army of professionals beginning to jump into the cold waters of politics. Kay is a professional who has given close to 20 years to the Oil and Gas industry, performing with integrity and high merit. You see, I have chosen to support him and endorse him simply because of my belief that a new breed should begin to position themselves as the older generation begins to reach their twilight years. Apart from this, Kayode has shown tremendous resolve and capacity to handle the challenge that would come with the office, thereby giving the people of Yaba a new lease of life. Kay baba, the endorsement from the Duke of Shomolu is heavier than gold and please see me on Saturday so that I give you a note to Bourdilon, I know the gateman there. You no get problem.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ MAY 13, 2017

EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES BY

Walks, not Works, of Life

“T

HE enthusiastic participation by all Nigerians from all works (walks) of life….” “…an indelible statement that inspite (in spite) of the challenges that currently exist….” (‘Currently’ is otiose here) “…and All the Governors (needless capitalization) who attended the epoch making (epoch-making) event.” Except if ‘epoch’ is the event maker! “We are proud of the President’s Pan Nigerian (sic) outlook….” This way: the President’s pan-Nigeria outlook “Sisters arrested over (for) attempt to smuggle marijuana to brother” “Group condemns INEC (INEC’s) handling of PVC in Lagos” “We are eternally appreciative to (sic) be part of the ongoing Transformation agenda which has recorded irreversible growth for the Oil and Gas Industry.” (Full-page advertorial by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and signed by its Management) A rewrite: We are eternally appreciative of being part of the ongoing…. “I…of the Niger Delta Development Commission on behalf of the management and staff of the Commission felicitates (felicitate) with….” “…especially in this (these) turbulent times in our journey to great nationhood.” (Source: as above) “Mgbidi Boys (Boys’) Secondary School (1982 Set) and Classmates of Senator Hope

Uzodinma” THE NATION ON SUNDAY POLITICS of May 7 contributed the next two wrongs: “Another party source said the elders are (were) considering the consensus option.” “…used the authority of the party’s extraordinary convention held in Abuja a forth-night (sic) ago….” Spell-check: fortnight “Ilorin residents groan as pure water scarcity worsens” Middle Belt Today: sachet water “Unity Bank releases names of debtors” Why not debtors’ names, especially for headline purposes? “Ajimobi will break second term (secondterm) jinx” “Intelligent EMUI 3.0 with gravity sensing (gravity-sensing) technology” “LG boss assures on democracy dividend” Who did the chairman assure? “At both the Enugu and Nsukka campuses of the university.…” (THISDAY, May 4) On (not at) both the campuses… “The commission did analysed the memorable…” I don’t need to analyze the tense problem in the extract. “It is simplistic to think that every decisions will be accepted by everybody.” Every decision or all decisions “It’s constitution is over 200 years old and was drafted by just 55 men.” The possessive form of ‘its’ does not require an apostrophe. “Robbery tribunal sworn-in” ‘Sworn in’, a phrasal verb, cannot function as a compound word. “The veil of enemity between.…” Get it right: enmity.

“…the arrogance of certain persons connected directly or indirectly make me nervous….” The arrogance…makes me nervous. “He had reflected back to (reflected on) this time two years ago.…” Yank off ‘back’ which smacks of crass illiteracy. “However, with series of painstaking explanations.…” A series of… “On my way to work, last week Wednesday….” Simply last Wednesday or Wednesday, last week: the excerpt is odd. “And that is, the Nigerian police has not failed.” The Nigerian police have “…the nation’s enormous human and material resources would blossom resulting eventually into (sic) economic buoyancy.” Resulting in economic buoyancy “The campaign abroad is that Nigeria is on the verge of a huge conflagration.” (THISDAY, The Sunday Edition, May 7) ‘Conflagration’ does not need any amplification (huge). “It is true that majority of us do not want to see Nigeria break.” A/the majority of us.… “They were thought (what!) how to use cutleries as Frenchmen.” I was taught by my current dictionaries that ‘cutlery’ is noncount. And ‘thought’ for ‘taught’? Could it be ignorance or carelessness? VANDALIZATION (also vandalism) is a variant of vandalism that is not so popular in terms of usage because it is often used in Law in a specialized manner. A more perfect or perfect union? I convened a national conference where recommendations and resolutions were reached

EBERE WABARA

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

towards a ‘more perfect (perfect or nearly/ possibly/probably perfect union. This is imitation of ‘we’. The people of the United States in order to form ‘a more perfect’ union in the Constitution of the United States adopted in March 1789. ‘Perfect’ is an absolute superlative. It is not modified, qualified or amplified. ‘More perfect’ is unEnglish, un-presidential! We can correctly say or write nearly/possibly/probably perfect or unique (not more perfect or most perfect). Keep up the good work, brother. ‘Flag off’ means to start an event: it may be found in a standard dictionary. Therefore, some writers have popularized its usage. Users will continue to argue about correct usage.

FEEDBACK

FACE mark in Africa transcends mere decoration. It connotes ethnicity/culture. So, OBJ has tribal marks on the face. The marks can as well be on other parts of the body (especially in the olden days) The English language should be adapted to portray intended expression and not to please native speakers. This is the essence of linguistics. May God deliver us from colonialism. (MODUPE ADEGBORO, 07030759108) IT is incorrect for RayPower in its Nigeria Today News (May 8) to use ‘wake-keep’ instead of ‘wake’. (KOLA DANISA, 07068074257) I find your column WORDSWORTH profound, an asset to the media and all users of the English language. (OGOCHUKWU, 08033812451) “This piece does not intend to whip-up (whip up) ethnic sentiments….”

INSIGHT

IGP’s Embarrassing Partisanship Simeon Nwakaudu

hen I pitied the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris in one of my write-ups earlier in the year, it was simply because I saw very clearly, a man out to destroy the Nigerian police because of his disgraceful love for partisan politics. Indeed, because of his “covet” membership of the APC. Like a man on a mission against the nation, this IGP has reduced the Nigerian police into a gang of electoral fraudsters, bent on destroying the foundations of democracy, just because he has been conscripted to do his master’s bidding. IGP Ibrahim Idris, by any stretch of imagination is the worst thing to happen to the police. He has thrown away the garb of neutrality and adorned the broom of the APC. Not even Oyegun and his failing friends propel the APC more than IGP Ibrahim. Today, leaders of the APC are his defenders; his ever present cheerleaders. In IGP Ibrahim Idris, the APC has found a ruthless partner, ever ready to help them cover their political weaknesses. On December 10, 2016, IGP Ibrahim Idris sent 28,000 policemen, 20 gunboats, police helicopters, horses, dogs and deadly snipers to manipulate the Rivers rerun in favour of the APC. Everywhere these compromised policemen went; they left a tale of ballot box snatching, deaths, robbery, injuries on electoral officials and unprintable actions on law-abiding citizens. The Rivers Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) led by one Akin Fakorede was turned into Special Election Rigging Squad (SERS). Wherever election was concluded, Akin Fakorede or his men would rush there to either snatch result sheets or disrupt the result declaration process. In many instances, these deadly policemen were caught on video manipulating the electoral process or shooting sporadically with the intention to rig. On one particular instance, (December 12, 2016) Akin Fakorede was captured on video at the Rivers East Senatorial District collation centre attempting to disrupt collation of results and snatch same for the APC. The police embarrassed Nigeria in concert with other security agencies. No rerun elections held in Rivers South-east where SARS and army personnel overpowered electoral officials and took election materials to a private home belonging to one of the candidates of the APC. The deadly actions of the police and the military in this senatorial district were captured on tape. Rather than show remorse for his crime against democracy, IGP Ibrahim Idris lured hatchet online writers to unleash shameless negative propaganda against the Rivers State governor, the government and her people. He set up a kangaroo committee headed by one Damian Okoro to justify the police descent into the political arena for the purpose of election rigging. The selection of Okoro was another fraud. IGP Idris mischievously placed an Igbo man in a bid to authenticate his fraud. Aside Okoro, 80 per cent of the members of

Idris, IGP the kangaroo committee were of northern extraction. They went ahead to dance naked in the public. The police killed, maimed and stole part of the mandate of Rivers people. Yet it was the police under IGP Idris that blamed the victim, Rivers people. IGP Idris before, during and after the rerun elections acted as if he was a candidate running for elections in Rivers State. He toyed with the security details of Governor Wike and deliberately put an elected governor’s life at risk. He withdrew the governor’s Chief Security Officer, his ADC, Orderly and the majority of the security details to expose the governor to harm. He emboldened Akin Fakorede to metamorphose into an electoral terror in Rivers State. On December 12, 2016, some policemen attached to the Rivers State Governor defied the IGP and stopped Akin Fakorede from harming Governor Wike as instructed. The IGP summarily dismissed them and blamed the policemen for the electoral woes of his political party, the APC. IGP Ibrahim Idris by setting up the Investigative Panel, sought to become a judge in his own case. He wanted to become a saint, even in hell.

For the sake of protecting the nation’s democracy, Governor Wike as a law-abiding leader approached the court on the Investigative Panel set up by the IGP to justify the fraud and violence the police unleashed on the people of Rivers State during the December 10, 2016 rerun elections. As an undisputed defender of Nigeria’s democracy, he took the step on behalf of the Rivers people - under siege by the nation’s police. On Tuesday, May 9, 2017, “the Federal High Court in Abuja declared as illegal, the Special Joint Investigative Panel that was constituted by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Ibrahim, to uncover those behind the violence that marred the December 10, 2016, legislative rerun elections in Rivers State. “Justice Gabriel Kolawole described the Police probe panel which included operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, as “a strange contraption whose existence will create legal doubt”. Justice Kolawole held that the 15-man Special Joint Investigative Panel is a body unknown to any law in the country. He maintained that neither the Police Act, Security Agencies Act nor the 1999 Constitution, as amended, empowered the IGP to set up and co-opt the DSS which is not answerable to him but to the presidency, into the Rivers rerun probe panel. “ If the IGP has any modicum of respect for decency left, he must resign his commission and formally join his friends and family in the APC. This declaration by the Federal High Court, in Abuja has brought to the fore, the damage that the IGP and his mischievous colleagues in some other security agencies have done to the electoral system. Why must IGP Ibrahim Idris be in the forefront of the illegal struggle to make Nigeria a one-party state? Why is the IGP ready to unleash violence on Rivers people just because they have pitched their tent with the PDP? The IGP and those beating the evil drum for him must respect the will of Rivers people. Under the leadership of IGP Ibrahim Idris, the security situation in the country is degenerating daily, with the police failing to act. I like to remind the IGP that Nigerians still remember that he was the Commissioner of Police in Kano State during the 2015 Presidential Election when the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner was murdered in a questionable arson after fantastic results were churned out for the APC. That result is still being questioned by researchers and the international community. The Abuja Federal High Court judgment is an indictment on IGP Ibrahim Idris’s love for illegality and electoral fraud. He may have federal resources to sponsor online propaganda, but with all his mischief-making, history will never be kind to him. For me, the most important takeaway in the indictment of IGP Ibrahim Idris is the fact that he will soon account for the blood of Rivers people shed by his evil Special Election Rigging Squad (SERS).

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍť, 2017

INTERVIEW Ado Alhassan Donguwa

Though I Made First Class, I Wish I Have Second and Third Degrees

With a graceful gait, the politician dressed in a checked white-and-black embroidered agbada with a patterned cap to match, finds himself surrounded by a group of little children â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they are bemused by the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;strangerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My kids, especially the smaller ones, will come around even when I am in a group of friends, asking: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Is that our dad?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; They ask that question because they are not used to seeing me often.â&#x20AC;? Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, tells Adedayo Adejobi in this interview. The versalite federal lawmaker, a first-class graduate of Mass Commnication, talks about his large family of four wives and 22 children, the business of lawmaking and his plan to go back to school

ere there occasions you had to whip into line a member on the floor of the House? Yes, I have had several causes to whip a member into line. But while whipping, I have had to be diplomatic because the position of Chief Whip is defined by the concept of first among equals as they collectively have the right to whip me out of office. If elections were to be held today, would APC return to power? I would want to say yes. As a politician and loyal party member, I will never hope for any failure of my party. I want to say without mincing words that APC will obviously return to power. People say the fight against corruption is one-sided. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your view? One needs to know that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a mechanism in place to fight corruption. And this is done through established agencies, like the EFCC, ICPC, Nigeria Police Force and the DSS. These agencies have the statutory and institutional rights to fight corruption. Any APC governor that is found guilty or culpable of any charge is also brought to book. I can tell of some governors who have been found culpable. The Senate President, number three citizen of the federation, is also an APC card-carrying member, occupying an APC legislative position and chairman of the National Assembly, is now facing serious charges. Whoever is found culpable will face the wrath of the law and if there is any APC governor found guilty, I believe certainly, he will be brought to book. According to people, the Senate is supposed to be for mature minds. The Senate seems to be embroiled in all sorts of controversies. What do you think? I disagree with you. The concept that Senate is for mature minds while the House is for younger ones, is basically not true. A young man of 35 is qualified to contest election and be a senator. Being in the Senate or House of Representatives has nothing to do with your age. Being a vibrant lawmaker, do you see yourself someday as a senator?

As it is today, there could be other people who may be older than me by their biological age, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the oldest serving member of the House of Representatives because I started as far back as 1992. The likes of Adolphus Wabara, Uzor Orji Kalu, and Bola Tinubu were my colleagues in the National Assembly. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather repeat being a member of the House of Representatives than just pass to the Senate or to be a governor. Away from politics, what was your childhood expeience? One obvious thing I know is that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was a very controversial boy. I was troublesome. I never allowed anybody to cross my way for unjust reasons. And I identified myself with a cause that would be justifiable. Even when you found me quarrelling with my peers, you would hardly find me guilty. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always found myself in the position of leadership among my peers. From day one, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like I was preparing myself as a leader. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve not been used to reading. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t read, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never read. If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anything that has given me an advantage, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that I was trained as a communicator. I studied mass communication. In mass communication, I got a first class degree from Bayero University, Kano, and I have never practised journalism. Would you have loved to practise? I would have loved to. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still interested in practising. No matter how old I may be, my dream is that at the end of my service as a politician, I will certainly return to the newsroom. With a very busy schedule, how do you find time to spend with your wives and kids? If I should be honest with you, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a very scarce commodity to my family because of the nature of my engagement as an active grass-roots politician. This role I play has denied me the chance to have a very free relationship with my wives and my kids. That does not mean I deny them their basic entitlements or their basic requirements as my spouses. Without being economical with the truth, my wives are only being patient with me because sometimes I get home very late, sometimes very rarely. My kids, especially the smaller ones, will come round and be asking, even when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in a group with some other friends, who is their dad. My own kid, at the age of three or four, will be contemplating: is that my dad? He

Donguwa

MAY 13, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INTERVIEW If I should be honest with you, I’m a very scarce commodity to my family because of the nature of my engagement as an active grass-roots politician. This role I play has denied me the chance to have a very free relationship with my wives and my kids. That does not mean I deny them their basic entitlements or their basic requirements as my spouses. Without being economical with the truth, my wives are only being patient with me because sometimes I get home very late, sometimes very rarely. My kids, especially the smaller ones, will come round and be asking, even when I’m in a group with some other friends, who is their dad

Donguwa

With Four Wives and 22 Kids, Balancing the Act is a Bit Tough will be trying to confirm if I’m his dad because he’s not used to me.

That is when I become confused and demoralised.

How do you find the balance? The balance is that I make it 50/50. I have been able now to give to my members primarily what they deserve of me. Then at late hours now, my wife joins to come and stay with me and between midnight and seven o’clock when she’s done with me, she goes back to her house and I will go back to my office. Sometimes they can even concede to remain at home to allow me continue my work. Even when I’m staying here in Transcorp, I still eat my local food. They provide my food from the house. I find it necessary to sustain an accessible place where my colleagues can meet me.

You must value them so much. Yes, I do. If I observe a missed call from my dad, my heart will beat more than normal. I will call back to hear from him and hope there is no trouble.

You have a very sensitive job because you are faced with the challenge of making decisions. How do you make them? Most of the decisions I take have to do with our own operations. It’s participatory leadership. While doing that, I gain opinions and ideas from my colleagues. As a busy man, what keeps you going? I have been a very busy man but I don’t joke with food. I eat every time, every minute, every hour and as long as I eat, sleep is never my problem. The earliest time I sleep is 3 a.m. And I bet you by seven in the morning, I am awake. It’s the zeal and commitment to serve my people with utmost commitment and sincerity. What’s that one thing that scares you the most? Everyone has fears. I think it’s only when I have issues with my parents.

What’s your relationship with your dad like? It’s a very fine one. I’m the 11th son of my dad. With 10 other seniors, my dad finds me so worthy of what I’m doing. He’s so proud of me. The only thing that scares me is when I have issues with my parents, either my dad or my mum. They are all alive. My grandfather and my grandmother are also still alive and I knew my father’s grandfather and also my mother’s grandfather. Even though two of them are now late, but my grandfather is alive. The grandfather to my mother is also alive. For the purpose of clarification, I’ve never had an issue that went beyond 48 hours with any of them unresolved. Every time you say someone is sick in my immediate family, I become very worried. And the reason is that I lost my second wife to a headache. This was a lady that I slept in her room and was hale and hearty. By 6 a.m we rose to pray and she told me she had a headache. I went to get her some drugs but before I came from the pharmacy she was dead. How did you handle it? It was a very shocking thing. So, any time I hear someone is sick; I will rush until I see him or her alive because I keep on remembering the way and manner I lost my second wife of blessed memory. She gave me one child and died. The child is now in the university.

What values are important to you? The number one is impacting on the lives of other people, especially those who are impoverished. I value service to humanity. I don’t have much value for money. My only value for money is to have the pleasure of getting it and giving it out. Who is your hero? People I can call my heroes are politicians. For instance, the late Mallam Aminu Kano of blessed memory. Even though I knew him while I was young, his genuine stories about the struggle for the common man have endeared me to him and inspired me. Then there is also the former governor of Kano State, the late Abubakar Rimi. These two persons are my heroes. Can anything stand in your way? I think fate and the predestination of God are the only things I think that can stand in my way. From all perspectives, do you feel fulfilled and accomplished? I think I do. Should I stop everything in life now for whatever reason? I look at myself as an accomplished person and I have every sense of gratitude and appreciation to God Almighty. I have also all sense of gratitude and respect and appreciation to my people. I have done so much for my people. Go to my village. I don’t think there’s anything somebody that served as governor could show me in his village that I’ve not provided to my people. I have done everything for my people. Could there be anything you feel that you could have done better, generally, not just in politics? I think I could have done better in my

academics. Even with a first class? Of course, I had only first degree. I would have furthered my education. But I don’t look at it as late. I’m still contemplating going back to school to earn my second or even doctoral degree. If you have 24 hours to live, what would you do? If I have 24 hours, that would be total submission to the cause of God so that at the end of my life, I will have the blessings and go into paradise. You are no doubt a fashionable man. Being a member of the House of Representatives, I am conscious of my dressing. If you come from a background like mine, we are always very conscious of our mode of dressing. I consciously dress in line with my tradition. Most times I wear traditional attire. I always want to be clean and neat. How do you see politics? Politics in the Nigerian context is a very difficult one. The kind of politics we play is never the kind we should play, especially when you look at the way and manner it is being operated. A situation whereby the political culture is always tagged against material values, as being the factor of attraction, then there will always be a problem. On a final note, can you share with us how you met your wives? I think this may be too confidential for me to discuss. For me, it’s immoral by my faith (to discuss that). All I can tell you is that I have four wives and I have 22 kids.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍľ

ESSENTIAL SKILLS with STEPHEN DIESERUVWE (Director General, Delta State TraďŹ&#x192;c Management Authority (DESTMA)

Driving Mirrors and Blind Spots (Concluded)

L-R: Marketing Manager, Bayo Olawoyin; Public Relations/Advert Manager, Buki Ogunnusi; Managing Director, Kunle Ade-Ojo; and Head of Marketing, Mr. Andrew Ajuyah, all of Toyota Nigeria Limited

Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Auto Industry to Import Less than 10,000 Vehicles in 2017, Says Ade-Ojo Stories by Bennett Oghifo

igeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Auto Industry is expected to import and sell between 8,000 and 10,000 new vehicles this year, which is lower than the 15,000 projected at the end of last year. The Managing Director, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo gave this figure as their forecast for the Nigerian automobile industry in 2017, at the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarterly briefing in Lagos, yesterday. The forecast, Ade-Ojo said was based on the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in the first quarter of 2017, adding that at the end of the first quarter of 2017, total import figures in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s automobile industry, from the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ports, came to about 350 units compared to about 3,500 units that came in at the same time last year. He said with this statistics, â&#x20AC;&#x153;imports dropped by about 90% between 2016 and 2017 Q1. In terms of

retail sales we are estimating, based on the information we have, that the auto market did about 2000 vehicles compared to about 5000 vehicles that was done in Q1 of 2015, bringing a drop of over 50% when you look in terms of retail sales.â&#x20AC;? Among the retail sales, he said â&#x20AC;&#x153;Toyota has a share of about 22-23% of Q1 sales, generally. Forex continues to be a major challenge, interest rates have gone up.â&#x20AC;? He explained that as Dollar is scarce, so also Naira is pretty much scarce and that bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest rates have gone up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even though the exchange rate has moderated from a high of about 520 to the Dollar and trading at about N400 to the Dollar, it is still not available.â&#x20AC;? Giving the figures for 2016, Kunle said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In terms of sales, retail sales went from about 32,000 in 2015 to about 18,000 last year. So, the market dropped about 42%.â&#x20AC;? He said Toyota Nigeria Limited â&#x20AC;&#x153;went down from about 8,000 in 2015 to slightly over 4,000 in 2016. So, we had a drop of about 35%.â&#x20AC;?

Regardless of this, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We grew our share from 24% in 2015 to about 26% in 2016.â&#x20AC;? Reviewing imports in the same period, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imports dropped about 60% from about 18,000 in 2015 to just close to 7,000 in 2016. Of course, in terms of our share of the imports, we had about 43% in 2015 and that dropped to about 38% in 2016.â&#x20AC;? He said this was basically as a result of different sub groupings, different manufacturers or auto distributors in the country and that â&#x20AC;&#x153;in addition to that, the scarcity of forex affected businesses last year and that cause a major reduction in importation.â&#x20AC;? According to him, the devaluation of the Naira also affected sales last year, saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;whereas in the first half of the year the Naira was about 200 to the Dollar but that by the end of the year it had doubled. So, prices of vehicles also pretty much doubled and a lot of businesses could not afford to pay for the increase. We at TNL are struggling to survive. A lot of companies had to retrench their staff last year as a result of the tough economic situation.â&#x20AC;?

Ford Partners Riders for Health to Improve Healthcare in Nigeria

ord Motor Company has delivered two Ford Rangers to Riders for Health (Riders) in Nigeria as part of the motor companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Project Better World, which provides support to grassroots efforts to drive sustainable community innovation around the globe. The Ford Rangers will be outfitted with Fordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data-capturing OpenXC technology, a Ford Smart Mobility project, which collects vehicle performance, environment conditions, and location data that can be used to optimise delivery of healthcare services and supplies. Ford Project Better World brings together multiple organizations such as Riders in Nigeria, and social entrepreneurs to deliver health education, medication, nutrition and basic services to thousands of underserved people in remote areas. The services will be accessed using enhanced mobility and connectivity technologies from Ford vehicles. Riders is a non-profit organisation that seeks to make healthcare in rural African communities more accessible by providing motorcycles for medical practitioners to use for transport. For Riders, motorcycles allow for quicker and more affordable transportation to remote areas across hazardous terrain. The addition of two Rangers to the Ridersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fleet is invaluable to the programmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations in Nigeria as the new vehicles will also be used to deliver medical professionals and supplies in rural areas, as well as to support Ridersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fleet of motorcycles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rangers guarantee extra capacity in mobility, allowing us more coverage,â&#x20AC;? says Ajayi Kayode, Country Director for Riders for Health Nigeria.

2017 Ford Ranger

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are going to expand our patient monitoring and evaluation activities, saving a lot of money in the process that would otherwise go towards hiring a vehicle,â&#x20AC;? adds Kayode. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also hope to generate additional income by leasing the vehicles to humanitarian agencies in between our own schedules.â&#x20AC;? The delivery of the Rangers supports a $75,000 investment from the Ford Motor Company Fund,

the philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company. These funds support Riders in Nigeria with the education and training of local mechanics to service the entire Riders fleet of vehicles, which include a wide range of motorcycles and cars. Riders works with the Nigerian Ministry of Health and other health-related partners to manage their healthcare vehicles, maintaining a total fleet of 370 Ford and other vehicles.

Using Your Mirrors sing your driving mirrors regularly and sensibly is vital to safe and defensive driving. When driving, you need to keep alert to what is happening behind you all the time you are driving. As a driver, you should get into the habit of glancing frequently in your interior or rear view mirror to monitor the movement of traffic behind your vehicle, so that you are never caught out by vehicles, tricycles (keke) and motorcycles overtaking you unexpectedly. It is important to use your mirrors well before your intended driving action. This is necessary to ensure that it is safe to proceed with your manoeuvre and that your actions fit safely with those of other road users. By so doing, you would be getting into the habit of the Mirrors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Signal - Manoeuvre routine. Avoid staring at the mirrors; several quick glances will allow you to build a picture of the traffic situation all around without distracting you from the road ahead. If your mirrors are correctly adjusted, you will be able to check them with minimal head movement. Another useful tip is to use your mirrors in pairs, the interior or rear view mirror first and then the appropriate exterior or side/ door mirror; this will give you a wider field of view. You should always use your mirrors in good time and well before: Moving off Signalling Changing direction or lanes Overtaking Turning right or left Slowing down or stopping Increasing your speed (accelerating) Leaving the vehicle (opening your vehicle door) Blind Spots Even with correctly adjusted mirrors, you cannot see everything to the sides. The hidden areas are called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;blind-spotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The blind spot is the area that you cannot see either when using normal forward vision or when using your driving mirrors. In some situations, you will need to check your blind-spots in addition to using your mirrors; this is especially important when moving off from the side of the road and during slow speed manoeuvres. While you are on the move or driving, there are few occasions when it will be necessary to check your blind spots, and these would include: - Before changing lanes. - Before joining an expressway or a dual carriageway from the slip road. - Before manoeuvring in situations where traffic is merging from the right or left. Apart from the above situations, looking right round to check blind spots on the move is unnecessary and dangerous, especially when driving at high speeds. Regular and sensible use of the driving mirrors will keep you up to date with what is happening behind. In next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s article, we shall be discussing signaling and the use of signals. For further explanations or clarification on the articles in the Essential Skills of Driving column, consult the author. Concluded Stephen K. Dieseruvwe

Director General, Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA) **Driver Trainer and Road Safety Consultant **Email: sdieseruvwe@gmail.com **Tel: +2348167814928

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍľ

BMW Ends Production of 6 Series Coupe

Rolls Royce Dawn

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Inspired by Fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Makes Asian Premiere at Auto Shanghai 2017 Stories by Bennett Oghifo

olls-Royce, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading luxury goods brand, made a stunning statement at the 17th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai2017),recently,withitsBespoke lineup, demonstrating its breadth of Bespoke luxury. On its stand, Rolls-Royce presented â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Inspired by Fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the most social of super-luxury drophead motor cars; the darker and

more edgy Wraith Black Badge and Ghost Black Badge; and an exclusive Bespoke model for the China market, Ghost Sartorial Collection. Rolls-Royce â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Inspired by Fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Inspired by Fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, recently revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, made its Asian debut at Auto Shanghai 2017 today. As the spring/summer 2017 Couture Collection of Rolls-Royce, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Inspired by Fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; presents a perfect symphony of Rolls-Royce and Haute Couture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rolls-Royce and the world of Haute Couture have long been bound by a common philosophy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; tak-

ing the very finest materials and crafting them into the most exquisite and desirable luxury goods as expressions of our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; taste and lifestyle,â&#x20AC;? said Leon Li, Director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, China. Under the stewardship of Design Director, Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce Bespoke designers selected the palette of Andalucian White upon which to base three vibrant colours of the soft-top roof â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mugello Red, Cobalto Blue or Mandarin. The special edition of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Inspired by Fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that Rolls-Royce presented at Auto Shanghai 2017 is in the Mugello Red colour scheme.

roduction of the BMW 6 Series coupe quietly ended in February. Shoppers can still get their hands on a 2018 BMW 6 Series Convertible or a 6 Series Gran Coupe, but the two-door model is noticeably absent. The model itself is still available from dealerships if they happen to have one sitting on the lot, but the German automaker confirmed to Road and Track that production ended in February. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unclear if BMW is planning a successor, but spy photographers have caught what appears to be the next-generation 6 Series coupe testing earlier this year. There have been reports, however, that BMW plans on replacing the 6 Series lineup with the new 8 Series model, which could be the prototypes spy photographers have caught on camera. Other rumors have suggested the 6 Series could be replaced by a successor to the outgoing 5 Series Gran Turismo. The only thing we do know is BMW has trademarked the 850, 860, M850 and M8 nameplates and whatever itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working on is riding on the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CLAR platform.

(Source: Road & Track)

Ferrari to Produce LaFerrari Successor in 2021

he LaFerrari will remain the crown jewel of Ferraris for at least three years until a proper successor arrives to fulfill its duties. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s according to the Italian automakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chief Technology Officer, Michael Leiters. Speaking with Autocar, Leiters said that Ferrari is busy updating its research and development strategy to ensure the LaFerrariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successor is born from the latest and greatest innovations. He then offered up a timeframe of â&#x20AC;&#x153;three to five yearsâ&#x20AC;? before we see the fruits of Ferrariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s labour.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The roadmap will be finished in about six months,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So my guess is that we could be three to five years away from a new limited-edition hypercar. Part of the plan is to ensure that the technology used in the next hypercar can be cascaded through the rest of the range.â&#x20AC;? Looking towards the future, turbocharging wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a part of it, at least with regards to Ferrariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s V-12 engines. Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne previously called turbocharging a V-12 engine â&#x20AC;&#x153;nuts,â&#x20AC;? effectively ruling out forced induction for any V-12 powered Ferraris.

Ferrari LaFerrari

What is The Psi of Your Tyres(2)

know i have severally discussed the major causes of tyre blowouts which apparently mostpeoplearenotawareandtheyinclude incorrect tyre inflation, especially underinflation.Under-inflationcausestwothings that lead to tyre blowouts; it causes undue flexing of the tyres as the vehicles speeds along the undulating surface of the road. This causes a separation between the internal materials used in making the tyre and the rubber flesh that holds the materials. This separation weakens the tyre.it also causes an increase in what is known as rolling resistance (rr) as the vehicle moves. The increased rr generates a tremendousamountofheat.Thisheat,togetherwith the separation of the internal materials of the tyre as stated above, leads to an explosion or blowout. Incorrect tyre inflation could also cause accidents in other ways. When a tyre is incorrectly inflated (over inflation or under-inflation), it makes a partial contact with the road surface and so does not have a firm grip on the surface. With over-inflation, the edges of the contact patch (the part of the tyre that should be in contact with the road surface) do not touch the ground. While with under-inflation, the crown (the middle portion of the tyre) of the contact patch does not touch the ground. So either way, you have an impartial contact of the tyre on the road surface and so less grip. This impartial contact could cause accidents in various ways: since the tyres donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a firm grip on the road surface, it prolongs the stopping distance

SAFE DRIVING with

JONAS AGWU

amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa (Corps Commander) Corps Public Education OďŹ&#x192;cer Federal Road Safety Corps. + 2348033026491

when the brakes are applied in an emergency and this could make the vehicle crash into the object it wants to avoid. It could also lead to loss of control of the vehicle when speeding. This is more with overinflated tyres.high vehicles like trailers, tankers, etc could lose their balance when they hit a bump, pot hole, or whi;e descending a sharp bend. The situation can be likened to someone with one leg shorter than the other- over-inflation representing the longer leg while under-inflation, the shorter leg. When given a push, such a person can easily loose balance. No wonder these vehicles fall and loose brakes easily when subjected to abnormal road conditions like bumps, potholes and bends. A study conducted by my friend Ucheagwu Sab a coupleofyearsagorevealedshockingdiscovery-atorile tanker park. Our observation at the tanker park, orile showsthatmostofthesevehicleshaveacombinationof over-inflatedandunder-inflatedtyres.Toourgreatest

surprise, most of those with under-inflation were deliberate. According the drivers, those tyres were weak and if properly inflated, they could burst. This is another dangerous ignorance at work. Using weak tyresisenoughbadnews.Under-inflatingthemmakes matters worse. Under-inflation, as explained above, will actually accelerate their likelihood of bursting. In fact, if you trace the causes of most accidents, you may discover that incorrect tyre inflation is directly or indirectly implicated. It is important to note that a tyre that is correctly inflated will handle bad roads, speed and other road conditions far better than one that is not correctly inflated. These will result in drastic reduction in road accidents. Correct tyre pressure is such a vital issue in reduction of road accident that america, as well as some other developed countries, made it law that all vehicles manufactured from 2008 must be equipped with automatic tyre pressure monitoring system (atpms). This device monitors tyre pressure situation every second and alerts the driver through a monitor on the dashboard about any tyre that has incorrect pressure in it so that the driver will take action before it is too late. LikeItoldyoulastweek,analysisoftyreswithwrong inflation (PSI) showed that 50% private vehicles tyres are both under and over inflated. The analysis also indicatedthat51%ofcommercialvehicleswithwrong inflationareunderinflatedwhile49%areoverinflated. While Government vehicles tyres checked had 39% under inflated, while 61% were over inflated.These

findings reminds me of confessions made by some vulcaniserslastyearduringthenationwidecampaign. The first came from 66years old, sunday nze,(not real names)who is a father of three and a devout christian and is so passionate about his profession as a vulcanizer that one would almost mistake him for a top executive in one of the oil companies. Passion, dedication and fear of God has been the cornerstone of my profession since 1981 and i have no regrets doing what provides bread and butter for my family, he says humbly. Themanwhoisan executiveoftheassociationinport Harcourt,theRiversstatecapital,caughtmyattention during the stakeholders platform put together by the Federal Road Safety Corps in keeping with the ongoing nationwide free vehicle tyre check meant to raise awareness on tyre knowledge and reduce tyre related road traffic crashes.incidentally,the programe was my maiden function as i resumed in port Harcourt as zonal commanding officer in charge of Rivers, Cross Rivers,Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states.Mr Nze, whose spoken english was as fluent as one in a different vocation, stunned me with his confession during the campaign in Port Harcourt where, he told the audience how motorist haveovernightbecomeemergencyvulcanizerswho ignore manufacturers guide for tyre inflation which was discussed here last week to dictate what they presumetobetheappropriateinflationfortheirtyres. some, he confessed insist on inflating the tyre up to between above70.greedy vulcanizers he however noted, would in the name of doing business oblige, not minding the risk or even bother to educate motorists on the dangers of over or under inflation.

T H I S D AY SATURDAY MAY 13, 2017

GLOBAL SOCCER

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ë¾ JUNE 16, 2011

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

John Ogu

Striving for Super Eagles Regular Shirt

13.05.2017

EYES ON TOP-FOUR

PAGE. 31

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍŻÍąË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍż

John Ogu in action with his Israeli club

Eye on Super Eagles Regular Shirt Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;ËŞĂ? Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E; ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x;Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x;Ă&#x161; Ă&#x203A;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2DC;ĂŁĂ&#x2039; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍťË&#x203A; Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;ËŞĂ? Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x;Ă&#x161; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă¤Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă? ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2039;ĂŁ Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ë&#x153; ĂĄĂ&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;ĂŁĂ&#x201C; Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă¤Ă&#x201C; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2013;ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x17D;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?

Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ě&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x203A;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ë&#x203A; Kunle Adewale ĂĄĂ&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;ĚłĂ? Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;

n John Oguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two notable games for the national team, he came in as substitute. In his first game against Kenya in 2013, he came in for injured Victor Moses, while in his last game â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a friendly against Senegal in London â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he replaced injured Ogenyi Onazi. He has however been handed another opportunity to make the Super Eagles team ahead of the African Cup of Nations qualifying match with South Africa. Ogu has been invited alongside 24 others for the training camp in Corsica and Paris under the watch of Gernot Rohr and has expressed his excitement. Recalling his last experience with the Super Eagles against Senegal in London after being ignored for long, Ogu said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had a great time in the Super Eagles camp in London to be honest, 10 days out with the coaching crew and staff was a great experience. I met all the players and I was super happy at the talents I was in camp with. We have the talents now; we have a president who has big plans for our football, we have the coaches who care about our local league as well.â&#x20AC;? Oguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first stint with the Super Eagles was in 2013 under Coach Stephen Keshi while he was still playing for Portuguese clubAcademica FC. He had said then, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel great and I am happy for the invitation that was extended to me by Stephen Keshi, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great privilege. I expect to give my best to the nation; they should believe in me since I have been invited to camp and I promise to do my best. I was called upon because of my performance and hard work and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m excited about it.â&#x20AC;?

His excitement quickly faded as his best was not good enough for the team to the Confederation Cup in Brazil, and had been ignored since then until the arrival of the new Eagles German tactician. He, however, attributed his absence from the national team to the decision he took while in Portugal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It started with a friendly in South Africa when the coach asked me to feign injury but I refused. We were African champions and I wanted to be part of the squad, playing for my country is too important for me,â&#x20AC;? Ogu told Supersport. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I returned to Portugal everything changed and he stopped playing me. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get much attention. I continued working on my game but he never played me. It was only after the team list came out for the World Cup that he (the coach tried to be nice to me) but it was too late. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now, I am in Israel and playing regularly, enjoying my football, winning league titles and back in the national team. I am very happy,â&#x20AC;? he said. On what it is like playing in that league, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;football is not so much about the league you play. It is a team sport. It is a function of the quality of the players available to any team. The difference between this and the other top five leagues I can say is about the experience of the players in those top leagues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Another factor affecting top players coming to Israel is fear of safety. Many players are worried about the situation in the country. The league is probably on the same level financially as Turkey but

a lot of players probably feel safer going to Turkey.â&#x20AC;? On how he feels that at Hapoel he is one of the first names on the team sheet but for the Super Eagles, despite his experience, he is not a guaranteed starter, he explained, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am one of those who will always respect the decisions of the coach. It is a dream to be called up to represent Nigeria and so it is an honour to be in the squad. So when I come to the Super Eagles camp I do not feel I am coming to replace anyone. I just feel I am coming to help my country win matches and qualify for tournaments.â&#x20AC;? Oguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main target is to see Nigeria book a place to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My main target now though is that Nigeria qualifies for the World Cup. Cameroon will have received a big boost with their AFCON win but we have to be determined and keep our heads and we will make it and make Nigerians happy,â&#x20AC;? he said. Speaking with THISDAY, former Nigerian international, Tajudeen Disu, said the list was fair in every ramification and thinks the coaching crew had done a good job of it especially on the invitation of some homebased players and some upcoming players like John Ogu. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Rohr is starting to trust Ogu after his performance against Senegal in London. Though, it was far away from a vintage performance but the coach saw in him a bright future and a room for improvement. It is now left for the player to grab the opportunity at his disposal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If he does well against South Africa he can eventually commandeer the Eagles midfield shirt. He has the potentials no

doubt, but he needs to compose himself more and prove to the coach that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best option for that position. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without trying to undermine his Israeli club-Hapoel Beâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;er Sheva, a regular shirt for the national team could also earn him bigger clubs in Europe and of cause, better pay. Those are some of the advantages that come along with enjoying regular shirt for the national team,â&#x20AC;? Disu stated. It therefore remains to be seen how Ogu would grab the opportunity thrown at him now.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR

THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR DEPUTY EDITOR THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN MANAGING DIRECTOR DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍ˝

City Push for Last Four Berth with Leicester Visit Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x152;ĂŁ Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;ĘľĂ?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2039;ĘľĂ?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;ĂĄ Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x17E;ĂĄĂ&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă˘Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;ËŞĂ? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă?Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x161;Ě&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153; Ę¨Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ě&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x152;Ă? ĂĄĂ?Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x161;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă¤Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2122;ĂĄ ĂĄĂ?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013; Ă?Ă&#x161; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x161;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC;

anchester City are close to achieving UEFA Champions League qualification for next term as they welcome outgoing Premier League champions Leicester City today. The Foxes' bubble has burst this season after the heroics which led to title celebrations 12 months ago. However, they have recovered their form in recent weeks as the players respond under interim manager Craig Shakespeare. When Pep Guardiola took his City side to Leicester in December, the champions rose from the ashes of a poor start to the campaign and crushed the Sky Blues. A 4-2 scoreline only told half of the story as City were dismantled by the Foxes' traditional English game. Guardiola has chopped and changed his selection since that heavy loss, and the emergence of Gabriel Jesus has given

his manager a fresh and vibrant option in attack. Sergio Aguero and John Stones face late fitness tests before the game, but Guardiola has minimal new issues to deal with in terms of his selection. The Foxes will be without captain Wes Morgan, who has a hamstring problem. Danny Drinkwater, Molla Wague and Nampalys Mendy have been confirmed as missing the fixture, per the same source. The recent return of Jesus from injury will allow Guardiola the chance to give him minutes before the start of next season, but the Brazil international has adapted quickly to the Premier League. Squawka Football highlighted the 20-year-old's potential: Jamie Vardy has been widely responsible for Leicester's dramatic improvement after the sacking of former boss Claudio Ranieri, but the England international has suffered a difficult season like many of his

team-mates. The 30-year-old's statistics have recovered in recent weeks, scoring 11 goals in 31 appearances in the Premier League this term, per Squawka, but the striker has not shown his best form until recently. Leicester will be relieved to get this season over and done with, and they will be relieved to have avoided relegation when it appeared a real possibility earlier in the season. The Foxes are now ninth in the table, which represents a remarkable recovery, and a positive result at City will give them a foundation to build again for next season. Shakespeare has turned the ship around at the King Power Stadium and deserves a chance to begin pre-season as permanent head coach. Meanwhile, Liverpool visit West Ham, a team they have not beaten in five encounters.

Asked how Liverpool would feel if they missed out on a place in the top four, where they have spent the vast bulk of the season, vice-captain James Milner said: "Sick." "This is a team and a club that needs to be in the Champions League," he added. We have got to win the last two and see where that takes us." Arsenal, three points below City in fifth place after Wednesday's 2-0 win at Southampton, and Manchester United, a point further back in sixth, are both reliant on their rivals dropping points. Meanwhile, Hull City's final two Premier League games are equivalent to Champions League finals as the club fight to avoid relegation, on-loan defender Andrea Ranocchia has said ahead of Sunday's encounter against Crystal Palace. Hull's 2-0 loss to Sunderland last week left them one point adrift of safety in 18th position and they travel to 16th-placed

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍťË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍ˝

Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;

Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x161; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2013;Ă?

Bayern

Dortmund

M'gladbach Hertha

15 15

8 2

26 26

Wolfsburg

Schalke

Mainz

Leverkusen Hamburger

15 15

-1 -3

21 21

KĂśln

-4

Ingolstadt

-4

Darmstadt

-4

Frankfurt Hannover Bremen Augsburg Stuttgart HoďŹ&#x20AC;enheim

15 15 15 15 15 15

-5 -9 -14 -7 -17 -8

14 14 14 13 11 10

Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x201C;Ă˘Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? TODAY Mainz Leverkusen Augsburg Schalke Leipzig Freiburg Darmstadt Bremen Wolfsburg

v v v v v v v v v

Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;

Cristiano Ronaldo

Palace, who are four points ahead, before hosting second-placed Tottenham Hotspur in their last game. "We've got two games to play and they are the equivalent of two Champions League finals," Ranocchia told the club's website. "They're not normal matches. They are matches of huge importance and we have to look to take six points and work as hard as we possibly can to make that happen." Swansea City, who are 17th in the table, face Sunderland on Saturday and victory for the Swans would give them a four-point lead over Hull and make

Sunday's game against Palace a must-win encounter for the Tigers. "We have worked hard in training throughout the week and we will be working as hard as we possibly can to get the result we want and need at Palace on Sunday," Ranocchia said. "We have to go there and win... it's as simple as that. It's a big game this weekend. Crystal Palace also need a result themselves, but we have to go there and show that we want it more than they do." Hull City were promoted to the league from the Championship at the beginning of this season. Middlesbrough and Sunderland have already been relegated.

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

Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă?

Romelu Lukaku Harry Kane Alexis Sanchez Diego Costa Sergio Aguero Zlatan Ibrahimovic Dele Alli Eden Hazard Joshua King Jermain Defoe

Frankfurt KĂśln Dortmund Hamburger Bayern Ingolstadt Hertha HoďŹ&#x20AC;enheim Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;gladbach

Chelsea 35 46 84 Tottenham 35 48 77 Liverpool 36 29 70 Man City 35 33 69 Arsenal 35 26 66 Man Utd 35 24 65 Everton 36 19 58 West Brom 35 -4 45 Leicester 35 -9 43 Southampton 35 -7 42 Bournemouth 36 -13 42 West Ham 36 -14 42 Stoke 36 -13 41 Burnley 36 -14 40 Watford 35 -21 40 Crystal Palace 36 -15 38 Swansea 36 -28 35 Hull 36 -33 34 Middlesbrough 36 -22 28 Sunderland 35 -32 24 Premier League Table as at Thursday, May 11

Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x161;

14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30

TODAY

Man City

Leicester

12:30

Bournemouth

Burnley

15:00

Middlesbrough v

Southampton 15:00

Sunderland

Swansea City 15:00

Stoke City

Arsenal

17:30

Hull City

12:00 14:15

SUNDAY Crystal Palace v

35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35

48 47 45 28 19 10 19 8 9 -4 -5 -15 -19 -8 -16 -25 -29 -24 -44 -44

Everton Tottenham Arsenal Chelsea Man City Man Utd Tottenham Chelsea Bournemouth Sunderland

85 78 77 70 65 59 56 56 50 46 44 42 41 40 38 33 32 28 20 14

24 21 20 20 18 17 17 15 15 15

West Ham

Liverpool

Tottenham

Man Utd

Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;

Barcelona Madrid Atletico Sevilla Villarreal Bilbao Sociedad Eibar Espanyol AlavĂŠs Malaga Celta Vigo 35 Valencia Las Palmas Real Betis LeganĂŠs Deportivo Sporting Granada Osasuna

36 35 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 -11 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36

74 57 41 18 21 12 6 8 -1 -4 -4 44 -8 -15 -23 -19 -21 -31 -50 -50

84 84 74 69 63 62 62 54 53 51 45 43 39 37 33 32 27 20 19

Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x201C;Ă˘Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? TODAY Espanyol

Valencia