SATURDAY 13TH JUNE 2020

Obaseki Unperturbed as APC Screening Committee Disqualifies Him Won’t appeal decision, urges supporters to remain calm and await further directives Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State yesterday vowed not to appeal his disqualification

by the Governorship Election Primary Screening Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that his disqualification “is a mockery of the democratic process.”

The APC screening committee had yesterday declared Obaseki and two others, ineligible to contest in the July 22 governorship primary election in Edo State.

It said the Edo State

Governor was disqualified because the committee could not vouch for the authenticity of the Higher School Certificate Obaseki claimed.

But Obaseki said the screening and eventual report

was a ruse.

In a statement, his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said: “We have watched the mockery of democratic process,

which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is administering and superintending over in our great party the All Progressives Congress. It has been an Continued on page 5

Aisha Buhari Pleads with IG to Release Her ADC, Other Aides… Page 8 Saturday 13 June, 2020 Vol 25. No 9196

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COVID-19: FG to Withhold Passports of Travellers to Nigeria To be released after successful test/completion of 14-day self-quarantine Cases rise to 15,181, with 4,891 discharged and 399 deaths consular and international organisations accredited to The Federal Ministry of Nigeria on the COVID-19 Foreign Affairs has addressed protocols to be observed by a circular to all diplomatic, passengers arriving Nigeria, Bennett Oghifo

which includes depositing their passports with the Nigeria Immigration Service for two weeks, pending the verification of their COVID-19 status.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama confirmed this development to THISDAY in a telephone chat last Night.

On the same day, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 15,181, with 4,891 patients discharged and 399 deaths recorded.

The circular is in line with the revised quarantine protocol released by the Presidential Continued on page 5

Buhari Counts Gains of Democracy, Revels Progress in Economy, Security Orders employment of 774,000 youth for public works Worries about rising cases of rape, violence against women PDP, Afenifere, PANDEF punch holes in Democracy Day speech Hafsat Abiola: Nigerians poorer after dad’s death Deji Elumoye, Omololu Ogunmade, Chuks Okocha and Udora Orizu in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday listed gains of his administration in the nation’s economic development and security, stating that since 2019 when he delivered Democracy Day address, the country had witnessed 11 consecutive Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growths.

Speaking during his national broadcast on this year's Democracy Day in Abuja, yesterday, Buhari stated that the growth only declined in the first quarter of this year as a result of the pandemic which he said had affected global economy.

The president, while delivering the address, ordered Continued on page 5

VENERATION FOR MKO ABIOLA...

L-R: Mrs. Lola Abiola-Edewor, first daughter of the late winner of June 12 1993 Presidential Election, Moshood Abiola; his wife, Dr. Doyin Abiola; Lagos State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Wale Hammed; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Tayo Ayinde and another wife of late Abiola, Mrs. Bisi Abiola; during the laying of wreath to mark 2020 Democracy Day, at Abiola’s house in Ikeja Lagos....... yesterday.

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PAGE FIVE OBASEKI UNPERTURBED AS APC SCREENING COMMITTEE DISQUALIFIES HIM unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle. “We had initially asserted that going by the open display and enthronement of illegality by one man in the party that comprises several organs and eminent personalities, there is no way Governor Godwin Obaseki would get a fair assessment in the run up to the nomination of candidates to fly the flag of the party in the forthcoming Edo gubernatorial election.�

He added: “It is unfortunate that this open show of shame, illegality and travesty of justice is the brand of democracy which Comrade Oshiomhole has reduced the APC into. The situation is quite saddening because this is a party supposedly reputed for change, equity and social justice.

"We have therefore decided that it would be effort in futility to appeal whatever the unjust outcome of the evaluation and screening process of the APC will be, especially when Comrade Oshiomhole has declared that he is the Supreme Court and ultimate determiner of the fate and future of our great party.

"We wish Oshiomhole luck in his maladministration

of the party and trust that the Almighty will help our country to find the path to true liberty, freedom and justice.

We call on all party members and the teeming supporters of Governor Obaseki to remain calm and await further directives."

In his reaction, a former National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the party would suffer dire consequences in Edo State for disqualifying Obaseki.

Odigie-Oyegun described outcome of the screening as a hatchet job “aimed at installing a stooge that will allow some people unfettered access to the Edo treasury.�

This was contained in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Chief Ray Morphy, in Abuja.

Odigie-Oyegun: “While not a surprise, that disqualification is a clear indication that internal democracy has been murdered in APC, a party which we founded on the principles of fair play and good conscience! “I daresay that APC will suffer dire consequences in Edo state if this disqualification is not speedily reversed. “As a matter of fact, Oshiomhole is indeed the

one who is guilty of antiparty activities, not Obaseki.

Oshiomhole is the one who is acting unconstitutionally not Obaseki. I hope that Oshiomhole will not go down in history as the undertaker of APC.�

The screening committee announced the disqualification of Obaseki yesterday while presenting its report to the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee in Abuja.

Apart from Obaseki, the two other disqualified aspirants were Chris Ogiemwonyi and Mathew Iduoriyekenwen.

The Chairman of the panel, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, explained that Obaseki was disqualified because the committee could not vouch for the authenticity of the Higher School Certificate he claimed but could not produce.

The committee held that the document Obaseki produced only attested to his attendance.

The seven-man screening committee said the report was conclusive, adding that all members of the panel signed the report.

Ayuba said that the committee was thorough in the manner in which it conducted the exercise.

He explained that the Committee recorded live, the interaction with each of the aspirant, adding that the unedited clip was submitted as part of its report.

According to him, “We want to be judged by what we have done and not by what a third party says or by rumour. The methodology we used is clear.

It was evidence-based. All we did was an interaction. We screened six aspirants, three were eligible to contest and three were deemed ineligible to participate.�

Ayuba stressed that the first candidate screened was Mr. Osaro Obazee, stressing that after his screening and the verification of the candidate’s documents, the committee found him eligible to contest the primary.

The committee noted that on the part of Ogemwonyi, the name on all the certificates he presented were in contradiction with one another.

Ayuba added that considering the discrepancy in all the certificates presented and also the difference in the names contained in the sworn affidavit of June 2016, the committee decided that Ogemwonyi did not meet the requirement to participate in

the primary of the APC. The committee chairman said that Obaseki in his nomination form, claimed to have obtained a Higher School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) from an Institute of Continuing Education, Benin.

Though, the attestation presented by the governor, which was displayed at the party Secretariat for two days, showed that he offered English, Literature, General paper and Economics for the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

Ayuba stated: "It was observed however that no educational certificate such as Higher School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) is known in Nigerian educational system.

Even then, the same HSLC was never presented in the course of the screening exercise. The aspirant admitted that he never collected it.

"The attestation from the Institute of Continuing Education, Benin from where the alleged HSLC which was indicated in the field of attendance as obtained is of no consequence, as it only attests that Obaseki was a student of the Institute. So what we had was like an attendance, it was not a result.

"Although, the Committee received a petition on his University of Ibadan Bachelor of Arts Classics certificate which he submitted to INEC in 2016, when he first contested as governor.

The committee, on further probing, was presented with original certificate issued by the University and the original was sighted.

Ayuba also noted that Iduoriyekemwen was equally disqualified because he had instituted a case before a court against the party.

However, the committee cleared Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu, Dr. Pius Odubu and Hon. Osaro Obazee for the June 22 governorship primary.

Speaking after the screening committee made his outcome known, the national chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, said that the screening committee’s report was still subject to the appeal committee if those disqualified wish to appeal.

"Disqualified aspirants have been advised to take full advantage of the appeal mechanism if they wish to.

The appeal committee has been put on notice to hear the appeal arising from this report,� Oshiomhole said.

"It is a day to honour our founding fathers who toiled to establish our republic and every Nigerian who has worked tirelessly to sustain it.

We are celebrating this year’s Democracy Day despite the COVID-19 pandemic which afflicts our nation and the whole world.

"It is indeed a very difficult time for everyone, especially those who have lost loved ones to the virus and those whose sources of livelihood have been severely constrained by the stringent measures we introduced at every level of government to contain the virus and save lives," Buhari said.

The President said the pandemic had disrupted Nigeria's economic system, explaining that in government's efforts to sustain the economy, it put in place a number of non-pharmaceutical measures to slow down the spread of the virus, in addition to a progressive re-opening of the economy.

He said priorities had been given to efforts aimed at ending insurgency, highlighting some which he said had been made to fight insurgency in the North-east and revive the economies of affected places.

He also said he regretted the recent mass killings by bandits in Borno and Katsina states, promising that security agencies would pursue the criminals and bring them to book.

He said: "Ending insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality across the nation is being accorded appropriate priorities and the men and women of the Armed Forces of Nigeria have considerably downgraded such threats across all geo-political zones.

"All the Local Governments that were taken over by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have long been recovered and are now occupied by indigenes of these areas that were hitherto forced to seek a living in areas far from their ancestral homes.

"The total collapse of the economies of these areas, which constituted a threat to our food security, has also been reversed with the gradual recovery of farming and other economic activities.

"I regret recent sporadic incidents with tragic loss of lives in Katsina and Borno states as a result of criminals taking advantage of COVID-19 restrictions. Security Agencies will pursue the perpetrators and bring them to swift justice."

On anti-corruption war, Buhari said anti-graft agencies had secured more than 1,400 convictions and recovered funds over N800 billion, saying "these monies are being ploughed into development and infrastructure projects."

“Tests done more than two weeks before departure are not valid and persons will not be allowed to board; but for the five days minimum, this advisory will not preclude boarding. “On board, passengers are required to fill in the health declaration/self-reporting form and the sample collection time allocation form. “Passengers should ensure that the information/contact details provided on the form are correct, verifiable and they can be reached on the

phone number and address provided. “They will be given an appointment time and date to present themselves at the Sample Collection Centre located in Lagos or Abuja for a repeat COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. “Passengers must provide their full and correct address and phone number before exiting the airport. They must comply with self-isolation/ quarantine guidelines and ensure that they can be reached/can be located during the period.

BUHARI COUNTS GAINS OF DEMOCRACY, REVELS PROGRESS IN ECONOMY, SECURITY the employment of 774,000 youth for public works to improve their socio-economic status, but added that he was concerned about rising cases of rape, and violence against women.

Regardless of the thumbs up the president gave to his administration, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere and the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), all punched holes in the Democracy Day speech.

Also, Hafsat Abiola, the daughter of Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, whose denied mandate led to the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day, has knocked the government, saying Nigerians have become poorer after her dad’s death.

However, according to President Buhari, a deliberate effort to stabilise the economy had resulted in the decision to strengthen the external reserves, which he said consequently grew from $33.42 billion to $36 billion between April and May this year, submitting that the country's economic decline amid the pandemic had been mild.

The President also spoke on efforts to achieve optimal results in the power sector, pointing out that the deal that Nigeria entered into with a German firm, Siemens, would

result in both the transmission and distribution of no lesser than 11,000 megawatts of electricity in 2023.

Describing the power sector as critical to meeting the country's aspiration for Nigeria's industrial development, Buhari said existing challenges in the sector were being tackled through different strategies, highlighting some power projects being implemented by the federal government.

He also spoke on various efforts made to grow the agricultural sector and the resultant outputs, noting for instance that efforts in growing non-oil exports led to the growth of revenue from cocoa and sesame seed by $79.4 million and $153 million last year.

He argued that the visa on arrival policy along with various initiatives meant to boost micro small and medium scale enterprises, as well as robust electronic registration and payment system and seamless processing of business registration and reduction of the cost of registering business by 50 per cent, aided Nigeria's rise by 25 places in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking.

According to him, efforts to expand the mining sector led to his directive for the revival of Ajaokuta Steel Company on the basis of government-to-

government financing and a public-private sector financing.

The president added that with both foreign and domestic investments, as well as the participation of small scale miners, supply value chain in gold production was being harnessed.

On road projects, Buhari said 48 per cent completion rate had been achieved on the second Niger Bridge, adding that 102 kilometers of the 376 kilometers Abuja – Kaduna – Kano Road had been achieved in addition to 87 per cent completion work on Obajana – Kabba Road.

Buhari also said the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency had completed routine maintenance jobs on over 4,000 kilometres of federal roads out of the 5,000 kilometres targeted.

On aviation, he said Abuja, Lagos and Kano airports were undergoing expansion while all other airports in the country were being upgraded to international standard, noting also that the rehabilitation of Enugu Airport was almost completed.

Buhari, who promised the completion of the East-West Road in 2021, said the funding of sections one to four of the road would be pursued. He said he was determined to ensure that the people of the Niger Delta experienced the development they deserved.

According to him, it was

against this background that he ordered the audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission, whose head office, he said, would be commissioned soon.

The president said in the effort to create jobs and reduce the effect of COVID-19, he had directed the employment of 1,000 youth from each of the 774, 000 local governments of the country through Special Public Works Programme to cushion the effects of the economic downturn.

He lamented that both democracy and humanity were being threatened by COVID-19, expressing optimism, however, that Nigeria would come out stronger as it had survived many crises in the past.

Buhari urged Nigerians to bear the threat posed by the global pandemic in mind, irrespective of their dreams and aspirations. “Nigeria has survived many crises before and came out stronger. I am confident that by God’s grace we shall overcome this one and emerge stronger and more purposeful.�

The President, who said the celebration of 21 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria called for reflection, added that it also provided a platform to celebrate Nigeria's founding fathers, describing this year's celebration amid COVID-19 as a very difficult moment.

Continued on page 6

COVID-19: FG TO WITHHOLD PASSPORTS OF TRAVELLERS TO NIGERIA Task Force on COVID-19 last Monday for the evacuation of Nigerians stranded abroad and other persons arriving Nigeria from any country According to the revised quarantine protocol which comes into immediate effect, the arrivals are expected to self-isolate for 14 days and to remain in the city/state where the point of entry is located (i.e Lagos or Abuja), throughout the duration of self-quarantine.

The protocol states further: “If not resident in Lagos, passengers shall

make arrangements for accommodation at their own cost. Please note that the federal government will not be responsible for providing accommodation or transportation to the place of abode. “Passengers will be cleared through the Nigeria Immigration Service System’s Migrant Identification and Data Analysis System and their passports retained until after successful completion of 14 days self-quarantine, except diplomatic passport holders.�

It said after all the COVID-19 protocols had been followed, instructions would be given to the NIS to release the passports to their owners.

According to the protocol, alternative arrangements could be made to collect passports via special delivery.

The protocol said persons who are unable to remain in Lagos or Abuja throughout the period of self-quarantine may return to their states of residence only after their samples had been collected and had tested negative for

COVID-19, adding, “such persons must also make their full contact details available.�

All persons, whether citizens or foreigners, are to comply with this protocol.

Other features of the PTF’s revised protocol are: “Passengers arriving/ returning to Nigeria must have tested negative for COVID-19 (pre-boarding PCR test in country of departure).

PCR test must be within two weeks before departure and preferably not less than five days pre-boarding.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾JUNE 13 2020

NEWS

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

Aisha Buhari Pleads with IG to Release Her ADC, Other Aides Bennett Oghifo Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has asked the InspectorGeneral of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to immediately release her ADC and other aides who were allegedly detained on the orders of the Chief Security Officer to the President, Idris Kassim.

The President’s wife, stated this in three tweets in her recognised twitter handle yesterday, stating “That Covid-19 is real and still very much around in our nation is not in doubt. Consequently,

I call on all relevant government agencies to enforce the Quarantine Act signed by Mr. President and ensure no one is found violating this law and the NCDC guidelines especially on interstate travel without the necessary exemptions for movement of essentials.

“Anyone who does that should at the very least be made to undergo a-14 day mandatory isolation no matter who the person is, no one should be above the law and the Police command will do well to remember that.

“Finally, I call on the IGP to

release my assigned Staff who are still in the custody of the police in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody.”

According to sources, the First Lady’s aides, including her ADC, Usman Shugaba, were detained after they forcefully removed a top aide to the president, Yusuf

Sabiu aka Tunde, from the Presidential Villa after refusing to observe the mandatory 14-day quarantine when he returned from outside state.

Sabiu, said to have influence in the Villa, made a few phone calls to the CSO that led to the detention of the First Lady’s aides and ADC.

WEF, GFI, Others Launch Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Thirteen key players from the anti-financial crime ecosystem have launched the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime (GCFFC) in order to raise awareness, promote information sharing between public and private entities, and enhance the effectiveness of controls against money laundering.

The GCFCC’s members include the World Economic Forum (WEF), Global Financial Integrity (GFI) known for keeping tabs on illicit financial flows (IFFs), Atlantic Council, Crime Stoppers International, EBF, Europol, FFIS, Freedom Seal, IIF, MENA FCCG, Rani’s Voice, Refinitiv, and RUSI. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) had in its recent report disclosed that Nigeria’s oil and gas sector contributes 92.9 per cent to IFFs annually, and was losing between $15 and $18 billion every year to these illicit practices.

It revealed that out of the 92.9 per cent contribution of the sector to IFFs in Nigeria, oil bunkering accounted for about 35 per cent, while commercial transactions

by multinationals account for more than 60 per cent as they often resort to tax evasion; money laundering; and transfer pricing in their practice of IFFs. The GCFFC, which was first unveiled in 2018, with Europol, the WEF, and Refinitiv as its founding members now has Brussels Belgium as its dedicated secretariat.

Due to its growing membership, the three founding members on Thursday announced the GCFFC’s newly-formed secretariat and formal launch.

The additional members include Atlantic Council, CSI (Crime Stoppers International), EBF (European Banking Federation), FFIS (Future of Financial Intelligence Sharing programme), the Freedom Seal, GFI (Global Financial Integrity), IIF (Institute of International Finance), MENA FCCG (MENA Financial Crime Compliance Group), Rani’s Voice, and RUSI (Royal United Services Institute).

The main objectives of the GCFFC are to raise global awareness of financial crime as a critical challenge with grave financial and human consequences.

Obi Condemns Killings in Nigeria, Calls for Strengthening of Security Charles Ajunwa The Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election, Mr. Peter Obi, has condemned in strongest terms, the incessant killing of Nigerians on our highways.

In a statement by his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, Obi regretted the killing of one Mr. Chuks Ofodile along the Gegu-Koton Federal Highway in Lokoja, Kogi State.

Obi who described the killing of Mr. Ofodile as highly regrettable said that entrepreneurs like him, who started from nothing but by dint of hardwork rose to positions where they have contributed immensely to the building of a better country through assisting government on employment, payment of taxes and fulfillment of other obligations should be accorded

deserved treatment.

He said that if the security situation in the country was left to deteriorate, it will scare away investors, with the attendant negative effects on the economy, in addition to the psychological havoc such killings would wreak on Nigerians who were battling the global COVID-19 pandemic.

He appealed to federal, state and local authorities to strengthen security and save the lives of Nigerians, including entrepreneurs that would assist in the employment of Nigerians, especially now it has been projected that unemployment in Nigeria may rise to 39.4 million in December due to COVID-19 pandemic.

It would be recalled that Mr. Ofodile, who owned a chain of supermarkets across the country, was killed by armed robbers.

FURTHERING DEVELOPMENT… L-R: Enugu State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Priscilla Ngozi Emehelu; President, State Customary Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice George Nnamani; Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Prof. Godfrey I.Onah; Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; Hon. Justice Centus Nweze of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; and Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, at the inauguration of the new complexes of eight Magistrate Court Halls, two High Court Halls and one Open Registry, for Nsukka Judicial Division, at GRA, Nsukka... yesterday (CONT FROM PAGE 5)

BUHARI COUNTS GAINS OF DEMOCRACY, REVELS PROGRESS IN ECONOMY, SECURITY

While praising the contribution of Nigerians to national development, Buhari said he was upset by increasing cases of violence against women in recent times, particularly the rape of young girls, pledging the federal government’s preparedness to deploy extant laws to fight violence against women.

“I salute your courage, enterprise and resilience, as well as your contributions to national development.

I wish to assure all our women of this administration’s determination to fight Gender Based Violence through the instrumentality of the law and awareness creation.

“I am particularly upset at recent incidents of rape, especially of very young girls. The Police are pursuing these cases with a view to bringing perpetrators of these heinous crimes to swift justice,” he said.

He thanked the media for what he described as their “doggedness in the struggle for attainment of democracy since the beginning of our nationhood,” noting that even though the relationship of successive governments with the media had not been smooth, they have remained “an effective watchdog for the society, especially in holding public officers to account.”

PDP: Buhari’s June 12 Broadcast, a Slap on Democracy The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described the president’s Democracy Day address as a huge and unpardonable slap on the face of the nation’s democratic process.

According to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, “Our party stresses that President Buhari’s silence on the values of democracy, as well as the myriads of violations under his watch has further vindicated its stance and that of majority of Nigerians that the Buhari administration has no regard for democracy and is not prepared to uphold its tenets in our country.”

PDP urged Nigerians to note

that the President’s speech had no space for Chief MKO Abiola, stating, “This only goes to show that the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have no regard for Chief Abiola and the essence of June 12, but only used their nomenclature to gain selfish political capital.”

The PDP further said, “It is scandalous that on a day like this, President Buhari had no assurances on electoral reforms and credible election; which is the hallmark of democracy.”

Also, the PDP said, the President had no words of assurance towards respect for the constitution, particularly the principles of separation of powers, federal character, equality, equity, fairness, transparency and respect for the sensibilities of the federal structure.

Rather, it said that the President and his handlers sought to divert attention from their failures and violations associated with this administration by taking the nation on a merry-go-round of recycled false performance claims that are not backed by any empirical or verifiable data.

Moreover, he said that Nigerians have been in shock that while bandits were busy killing compatriots in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Borno, Kogi and various parts of the nation, even on the eve of his broadcast, President Buhari was claiming that his government had secured the nation.

The PDP, however, urged Nigerians not to resign to despondency or allow the failures and violations of the APC administration to erode their faith in the nation’s democracy but should remain united in their commitment to the stability of the nation.

PANDEF: Buhari’s Address Fell Below Expectation of Citizens The apex socio-cultural body of Niger Delta people, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has punctured the 2020 Democracy Day

address of the president, saying the presentation fell short of the expectation of the general public.

The Forum, however, called for unity and greater understanding among Nigerians as they celebrate June 12 as the new democracy day in the country.

PANDEF in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ken Robinson, described President Buhari’s broadcast to the nation as rhetoric, apathetic and largely, a promissory note, as usual.

According to him, PANDEF had expected to hear commitment from the president on the Amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act, which he withheld assent to in 2019; particularly, with off-season gubernatorial elections around the corner in Edo and Ondo states.

PANDEF, further expressed regret that the only achievement in the Niger Delta that President Buhari could cite in his address, was the supposed completion of an NDDC Head Office.

“Apparently, the only interest of the federal government in the Niger Delta is sustained crude oil production, while the people of the region continue to suffer socioeconomic and infrastructural depravity. The strategic East West Road, which traverses six states of the Region, has been abandoned, and rendered a sanctuary for criminals, and a deathtrap. Phase five of the Road, from Oron - Calabar has been totally forgotten,” PANDEF said.

Afenifere: Buhari’s Speech Failed to Address Real Issues Affecting the Nation The Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has said President Buhari’s democracy day speech failed to address real issues confronting the nation.

The group, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Yinka Odumakin yesterday described the speech as a long one that was very short on the fundamental issues that are making Nigeria seekers of debts at a time we should be

seeking ways to generate wealth.

It stated that the group had expected the president to give report of the steps in the democracy journey, especially on a Democracy Day like June 12.

Hafsat Abiola: Nigerians Poorer After dad’s Death The daughter of the late Moshood Abiola, Hafsat AbiolaCostello, has expressed concern over the poverty level in Nigeria.

She spoke at the Lagos State Democracy Day Youth Webinar.

Abiola-Costello lamented that the poverty that her father campaigned to fight against had become one of Nigeria’s greatest challenges.

She also regretted “the direction of Nigeria,” saying “I feel deeply honoured. My family feels deeply honoured. I’ve been receiving emails and messages saying Happy Democracy. At the same time, I’m concerned about the direction of the country.

“June 12 was meant to address poverty in Nigeria. But we still have more poverty in Nigeria and even more people in poverty in Nigeria. This is what my father campaigned to fight against. and it is still there after his death, I am concerned.

“My father was a pan-Africanist engaging in national issues. We need to return to that, so that we can have inclusive growth.”

She urged the government to put a workable economic system in place, urging leaders in the country to shun ideas that have been “invalidated globally.

“Nigeria exists within a larger continental and global economic contest. We need to challenge the ideas that have been invalidated globally.

“My message to the Nigerian young people is not to lose faith.

The whole continent is looking to Nigeria for leadership. We have that self-confidence and need to exercise that leadership responsibly,” she said.

SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾JUNE 13 2020

NEWS

NAWOJ, Others March against Rape Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

REOPEN INTER-STATE TRANSPORTATION...

L-R: Public Relations Officer, Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association (PTONA) and MD, Famous Motors, Valentine Uduebor; EFEX Executive Chairman/PTONA President, Engineer Isaac Uhunmwagho; and Managing Director, God is Good Motors, Uche Ajaere, at a press briefing to call for lifting of ban on inter-state transportation, yesterday

Investors Oversubscribe N150bn Third Sovereign Sukuk Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The Debt Management Office (DMO) has disclosed that the third Sovereign Sukuk for which it recently offered N150 billion to investors posted a very impressive level of performance, with total subscriptions of N669.124 billion.

This represents a subscription level of 446 per cent of the offer, proceeds of which would be used to finance 44 road projects across the nation’s six geo-political zones.

The impressive demand for the Sukuk came from a wide range of investors, including

ethical funds, insurance companies, fund managers and retail investors, among others.

The DMO, in a statement said the participation by a wide range of investors is in line with its objectives of diversifying the investor base for government securities and promoting financial inclusion.

The issuance of the third Sovereign Sukuk, which followed the debut issuance of N100 billion in September 2017 and a second issuance of another N100 billion in December 2018, is based on the DMO’s commitment to

using borrowed funds to finance infrastructure.

Sukuk issuances are projecttied and are used to finance specific infrastructure which are disclosed to investors.

The DMO disclosed that following the subscriptions, it allotted N162.557 billion to investors in the third Sovereign Sukuk.

The proceeds of the issuance would be used to finance 44 critical road projects across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

“The benefits from the earlier Sukuk issuances, which were also used to finance roads,

include improved safety on the roads, faster travel times, access to markets for farm produce and opening up parts of the country for development.

“Other important benefits of using Sukuk to finance road projects are job creation and increased level of activity for service providers, many of whom are small businesses.

“The DMO expects to continue to raise funds through Sukuk to support improvement in infrastructure and development of the domestic capital market,” the statement added.

NBET Boss, Amobi Denies Ohuabunwa: Nigeria Can no Longer Violating Code of ConductLaw Afford to Delay Restructuring Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), Dr. Marilyn Amobi, has denied engaging in any private business or operating the foreign accounts of ESL Economics and Management UK limited since her appointment.

Reacting to what she described as false claim by an online publication, accusing her of breaching the Code of Conduct Act, she said the relevant agencies of government had investigated these same allegations and found them to be false.

An online newspaper recently reported that the Managing Director of NBET has continued to run and direct her private company in the United Kingdom, in what is said to be a contravention of Nigeria’s Code of Conduct for public officers.

However, in a press release by her Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isa, in Abuja yesterday, he stated that neither Dr. Amobi nor her former company (ESL NIG LTD) had been engaged in any form of private businesses in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world, since her appointment as the MD of NBET. “She has not been operating her former company account in the UK as clearly indicated in her No Activity fillings ac-

cordingly. Dr. Marylin Amobi is a law abiding citizen, with an unimpeachable credentials of integrity, honesty and sincerity that is expected of a public servant as clearly indicated in her effective management of NBET since her appointment as the Managing Director.

“Let it be stated unequivocally that this report is not only false but a figment of the imagination of its reporters.

Let it be on record that this recycled but false tale about the non-compliance with Code of Conduct regulations by Dr. Marylin Amobi had been investigated by relevant agencies of the federal government and found to be outright falsehood,’’ the statement added.

The statement explained that Dr. Amobi was appointed the MD of NBET via a letter by the Secretary to the Government of the Federal dated August 2, 2016, saying that since her appointment she has not engaged in any private business contrary to the ‘’malicious’’ report.

The statement added, “Before her appointment in August, 2016 as the Managing Director of NBET, Dr. Marylin Amobi was a Director at ESL Economics & Management Associates Nigerian Limited; a leading consultancy firm in Nigeria’s electricity sector since 2005.

“Following her appointment as the Managing Director of NBET, she resigned from her position in ESL Economics & Management Associates Nigeria Ltd accordingly.

Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia Former Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, has urged all political actors opposing the idea of restructuring in Nigeria to come to terms with the fact that it had become inevitable if democracy must be firmly rooted.

He made the call in his 2020 Democracy Day message noting that “Nigeria’s democracy is still under threat” due largely to badly structured polity and weak institutions.

According to him, Nigeria’s democracy is still fledgling after 21 years of the inception of the present Democratic dispensation, adding that some noticeable “dictatorial tendencies and excesses of those in power” were capable of derailing democracy.

While acknowledging that Nigeria had made some progress in the practice of Democratic governance, Ohuabunwa noted that in reality the nation’s version of democracy had remained a far cry from the acceptable standard.

Senator Ohuabunwa, who represented Abia North in the 8th Senate, stated that it was high time Nigeria’s political leaders listened to the resounding clamour for the present political structure to give way for a better one on which democracy would sustainably thrive.

He challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to do the needful and restructure the country, adding that the highest firm of democracy dividend the APC-led administration could bequeath to Nigeria is to restructure the country

before 2023.

He warned that true democracy would be in the realm of fantasy in Nigeria unless the country was restructured according to the yearnings and aspirations of the people as initially laid down by the country’s founding fathers.

Ohuabunwa also underscored the need for Nigeria’s federal structure to reflect true federalism in practice, adding that devolution of power to states would end unnecessary friction between states and federal government.

He further pointed out that restructuring and practice of true federalism would save the country from the divisive clamour for selfdetermination by various groups across the country.

On the absence of weak institutions in the country, Senator Ohuabunwa called for concerted efforts to build stronger institutions which, according to him, “are the pillars that carry democracy, and the fulcrum upon which it rotates.”

“Weak institutions have remained the bane of our current democracy as a nation because the ruling class has always manipulated them to serve their selfish interests at the detriment of the people,” he said.

The former Abia North senator appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to end his opposition to the amended electoral bill, which he had on four occasions refused to sign into law during the tenure of the 8th National Assembly.

He insisted that if signed into law the amended electoral bill “will take care of many electoral anomalies

Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), has described rape as a cancerous pandemic eating through the foundation of the society and creating an unsafe environment for all.

The state Chairman, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists NAWOJ, Comrade Pat Gbemudu, stated this during a stand-up campaign tagged, ‘Stand against Rape and Other Gender-Based Violence’.

The event was organised by Delta NAWOJ in partnership with Civil Society Organisations and Women Association in the state. The various groups involved in the Stand-against-Rape campaign included the NAWOJ, Delta State Chapter, Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), International Federation of Women Lawyers, (FIDA), Association Against Child Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Ideal Child Foundation, Courageous Girls and Women Initiative, Working Fingers and Soroptomists International.

The protesters, who gathered at the

Inter-Bau Roundabout, Asaba, the state capital, wore apron, carrying placards that bore various inscriptions such as “Stop Rape Now; No Means No; Leave Me Alone Means No; Say No to Rape; Rape is a crime; Stop killing our girls, Say No to Child Molestation, Don’t Wait to be a Victim, and No to Sexual Violence.”

Their dressing and chants caught the attention of passerby and commuters, most of who slowed down to get the messages.

In her remarks, Chairman of the state chapter of NAWOJ, Comrade Gbemudu, called for the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, VAPP Act, in Delta State. She added that stricter punishment should be meted out to rapists to serve as deterrent to other criminal-minded persons.

She said that the place of proper parenting could not be over-emphasised in the fight against rape, urging parents to groom both the boys and girls into responsible and supportive citizens that shun all forms of violence especially against women.

FG Congratulates Mo Abudu Over Netflix Deal Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Government has congratulated media entrepreneur and filmmaker Mo Abudu over her partnership with leading global streaming service Netflix to create two original series as well as multiple Netflix-branded films.

Minister of Information/and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, that the partnership, for on-screen adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s ‘Death and The King’s Horseman’ and Lola Shoneyin’s ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’, has added another feather to Mo Abudu’s

already well-adorned creative cap.

Mohammed also described the deal as a big boost for the country’s Creative Industry, at a time the industry is reeling from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘’Coming after Netflix’s first Nigeria original film, Lionheart, this is a great recognition of the immense creative talents that abound in Nigeria and the provision of a global platform for Nigeria storytelling,’’ he said.

He expressed hope that this partnership will signal the beginning of a bigger, mutually beneficial working relationship between the streaming service and Nigeria’s Creatives.

Foundation Donates 100 Hospital Beds to Unilorin Teaching Hospital Hammed Shittu in Ilorin A Non-Governmental Organisation, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) has donated 100 hospital beds, mattresses and other accessories to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), as part of its contribution to the hospital to mitigate the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation also donated $380,000 worth of medical equipment to the management of the hospital to strengthen the health care programme in the tertiary hospital.

Presenting the 40-feet container load of medical facilities to the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Professor Abdullahi Yussuf, the Chief of Staff of Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, AIG Chris Ezike (Rtd.) said that the development would assist the hospital to support the victims of the pandemic in the hospital.

Ezike stated that its partner, Savannah Center for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) nominated UITH as a beneficiary of the medical equipment distribution programme.

Ezike, while congratulating UITH for benefiting from the humanitarian gesture of the

foundation, however warned against misuse of the facilities.

“Please, note that the consignment is not to be sold, resold or exchanged for profit or gain.

Therefore, this consignment has no commercial value”, he stated.

The Chief of staff noted that the Public Health Consultant of the Foundation, Dr. Tanko Yakasai would engage in post donation visits to the hospital to ensure compliance with the rules of corporate governance on the facilities.

Receiving the facilities, Professor Yussuf, UITH Chief Medical Director said that COVID-19 pandemic was real, adding that the hospital has been a saving grace to three states including Kogi, Niger and Kwara in the North Central.

While appreciating the donation, Yussuf said was beyond expectation and promised that the facilities would be used to advance medical care of the people. He called on other donor agencies and foundations as well as wealthy individuals to come to the rescue of health institutions as government alone could not do it.

Kw Comm for Dr. Razak expr apprec the fou for con to the

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͚͝ 2020

08054699539

Proigacy at the Lagos State House of Assembly

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agos State lawmakers are evidently clowns. These guys, 40 in all, got so excited last year and decided that their wives should be sent to Dubai for a bizarre training programme. They quickly dipped their hands into the public purse, brought out N80 million and gave their baby girls; and the girls beamed to Dubai to squander Lagos money amid so much poverty in this state. The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa was also in Dubai with the women to declare the training programme open.

He took close to N8 million for his flight ticket and estacode. The lawmakers can afford this much for their wives because they have too much money in their kitty.

In this state, the House of Assembly gets N550 million monthly as running cost.

So, they must also irresponsibly spend public funds on their wives.

The absurd trip to Dubai by the wives of these law breakers is just one of the unending profligacies in the Lagos State House of Assembly under the leadership of coldblooded Obasa, who echoes that money is meant to be spent. This Speaker can approve up to N100 million without talking to the House’s Funds Management Committee. This man shamelessly confirmed the endless wastefulness last Saturday when he appeared before a dubious panel set up to investigate corruption allegations against him and some of his allies.

The suspicious panel was evidently set up just to douse tension and affirm Obasa’s leadership, following the outcry over corruption and abuse of public office by the Speaker and his men. Profligacy pours in the Lagos Assembly. Obasa spent over N600 million on official vehicles for the lawmakers last year. The principal officers of the House got Land Cruisers estimated at N40 million each. For the inauguration ceremony of the state’s 9th Assembly, the reckless Obasa confirmed that he spent N61 million. Only God knows the kind of inauguration that gulped this much.

During the Ambode era, Obasa hosted the Conference of Nigerian Speakers and allegedly squandered N350 million. When the panel grilled him on this, he refused to disclose the exact amount spent on hosting his co-speakers. He tactically said, “We had a meeting of the Conference of Speakers, who came with three members each, and we had sub-committees who were given N2 million each. We paid for the tickets of each speaker. We paid for their hotel accommodation, feeding and souvenirs.

We also provided local transportation for them.� I need to remind Obasa that

Obasa

the delegates listed collected money for virtually all the items enumerated from their states before landing in Lagos.

Even the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Strategy, Tunde Braimoh, is unaware of how much was spent hosting that Conference of Speakers, “since different people handled different aspects of the event.� A confused Braimoh said: “We provided hospitality for the few people that came. The event involved other things. There were catering and others that were given to other people to handle.�

Braimoh has every reason to be “confused�. The committee he heads gets generous approvals from Obasa to manage the media. Recently, he got a startling cash to host social media influencers. The panel hesitantly grilled him on this and his response was unconvincing.

Braimoh said: “It is most uncharitable to say we spent N47.5 million for social media influencers. We spend money on publicity and public relations. We have programmes that we pay for on TVC and LTV 8. We have a magazine that we produce and we print 40,000 copies quarterly and distribute to schools and other places and we pay for the content, design and production.� Braimoh evidently does not even know the meaning of Media and Public Relations.

Obasa and his clique are persistently abroad for one useless seminar or conference. The amount spent on tickets and estacode for these is frightening. There was this particular one planned by the United States’ Consular General. Obasa and some other lawmakers registered for, but the programme was eventually postponed.

Shockingly, Obasa still travelled to the US, with the excuse that he did not know that the seminar had been postponed.

Haba! How is this possible? How will a seminar be postponed without the organisers informing participants? Did Obasa return the estacode collected? The Lagos Speaker was not even asked these basic questions by the jaundiced panel.

Obasa is a very crafty guy. The panel was populated by his boys; the likes of Victor Akande, Yinka Ogundimu, Gbolahan Yishawu, Lukmon Olumoh, Ajani Owolabi, Mojisola Alli-Macaulay, Rotimi Olowo and Akeem Shokunle.

Its sitting was just a charade. I was not surprised when the farce called panel cleared Obasa of all corruption allegations on Monday. Members of the panel and the speaker are all in this game of deceit together. They are partners, benefitting from the extravagance in the House. The few credible legislators left in this Lagos House like Rotimi Abiru, Olumuyiwa Jimoh, Moshood Oshun and Kazeem Adewale are persistently harassed by Obasa.

It was heart-wrenching reading the report of the panel, which concluded that all the allegations made against the speaker were “frivolous�. The panel was only interested in getting all the civil servants that exposed the extravagance sacked. That was why it recommended that the Clerk of the House, Azeez Sanni, should investigate how documents on the speaker were leaked, during the presentation of its report last Monday.

Some civil servants are already being sacked for this.

The image of the Lagos State House of Assembly is at low ebb because of unending allegations of financial misappropriation against Obasa and some of his allies in the House. Obasa has no business remaining a day longer as Speaker. To protect the image of the Assembly, he has to go. But this won’t happen because virtually all the members have compromised. This is where civil society groups must come in to put pressure on him to resign.

Lagosians pay heavily to maintain these legislators, with virtually nothing in return. From the N550 million the House

Buhari Warns Bandits to Surrender Weapons?

Some of the statements pushed out by the federal government on rampaging bandits in the North-west are often depressing. At times I wonder if they do proper analysis before press statements are issued. One that got me really very angry quoted President Muhammadu Buhari warning the bandits to surrender, after a meeting with Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State at the State House, Abuja. “Buhari warned the bandits to surrender their weapons or face disgraceful and violent end,� read a portion of the statement. He assured that more decisive military operations would be undertaken by government against the bandits in Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Katsina and Kaduna States.

He (the President) assured Masari of fresh initiatives to improve security of lives and property in the state. Haba! The President still “warning� bandits that kill scores of Nigerians daily? This is preposterous.

Statements issued after every attack by bandits are predictable. The President will promise “decisive military action.� He will assure residents and victims of “improved security,� and “commiserate� with the victims.

Everything ends there. Few days later, the bandits will strike again. The same type of reactionary statements will be pushed out.

For how long will this country continue like this?

Nigerians are eager for a truly decisive action against the bandits. That was the message sent out by protesters in Yantumaki town, Damusa Local Government Area of Katsina State, on Tuesday, when they burnt a campaign billboard of the All Progressives Congress with the pictures of Buhari and Masari. The protesters bemoaned the level of insecurity in Yantumaki town and neighbouring communities, making reference to the kidnap of a health worker, Mansir Yusuf,

and his daughter by bandits on Tuesday.

The demonstrators, who moved from one end of the town to the other, chanted antigovernment songs in Hausa and demanded improved security of lives and property. On Monday, the district head of Yantumaki, Atiku Maidabino, was killed by bandits. The Chairman of the APC in Batsari Local Government Area, Abdulhamid Duburawa, was also killed.

Residents of Yankara, in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State also staged a massive protest on Thursday to express their displeasure with the unending killings by bandits in the state.

The Buhari government must rise above issuing press statements whenever bandits strike. The likes of Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna have been turned to killing fields.

Traumatised Nigerians want swift action. The people want to see the bandits dealt with in practical terms and not press statements.

gets monthly to cover running expenses, each legislator smiles home with N5 million monthly for the same purpose. They have too much money at their disposal.

As a result, they are persistently coming up with all sorts of frivolous things to spend it on. This is happening in a state where students sit on bare floor in some public schools. It is happening in a state where majority of people have no access to quality healthcare. The roads here are in tatters. Conservatively, 95 per cent of roads in Lagos are in shreds. Most homes have no access to public water supply; yet avaricious legislators each take home N5 million as running cost monthly. The entire house collects N550 million monthly for running cost. Just imagine what N550 monthly will do to hundreds of tattered roads in Lagos. Imagine what this huge sum will do to the state’s tattered schools and hospitals. These guys care less. They just want to line their pockets. What a country!

Federal Character and Petroleum Resources Agencies In continuation of my expose on the unending lack of respect for our federal character law by the Buhari government, I am today focusing on the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

This ministry has eight agencies, with just two headed by southerners. The other six are headed by Northerners. Here we go: Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kyari; Managing Director/CEO, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Sarki Auwalu; Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, Dr. Bello Aliyu Gusau; Executive Secretary, Petroleum Equalization Fund, PEF, Ahmed Bobboi; DG/CEO, Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, NNRA, Yau Usman Idris; Executive Secretary, Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, Abdulkadir Saidu; CEO, Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Effurun, Prof. Sunny Iyuke; and the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote. These are the facts and figures. Facts are sacred. Here, it is six out of eight for a section of the country. Buhari’s appointments are evidently skewed. We must all insist on respect for our federal character law in the interest of this beautiful country.

The story continues next week.

The Massacre in Gubio Boko Haram fighters are still roaming unhindered in Borno State. I have persistently stated this. Forget about those lies by the military. The terrorists entered Zowo village in Gubio LG of Borno State on Tuesday, operated for over three hours, leaving 89 people dead. They did not go after men alone. Women and children were massacred.

The villagers are still burying their loved ones murdered by the coldblooded terrorists.

The tears are unending. Who will save the traumatised people of Borno State? As usual, Buhari issued a statement, saying he was deeply shocked by the killings and charged the armed forces “to sustain their recent string of successes against the terrorists.�

Which success? Where? When? How? The military was charged to “extract a heavy price from the attackers?� When was such last extracted? The biggest drawback to this war against Boko Haram is the persistent fantasy success stories pushed out by the government, while the terrorists are taking lives in thousands. We can’t continue like this. Enough of deceit.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13, 2020

SUPER SATURDAY Paul and Ifeanyi Adefarasin

25 Years of Blissful Matrimony The Founder of the House on The Rock Cathedral, Pastor Paul Adefarasin and his lovely wife, Ifeanyi, celebrates 25 years of blissful matrimony, Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

Ifeanyi and Paul Adefarasin

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13, 2020

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SUPER SATURDAY 25 Years of Blissful Matrimony

Paul and Ifeanyi Adefarasin

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very now and then, one hears the saying, “Marriage is to be enjoyed not endured.”

The Founder of the House on The Rock Cathedral, Pastor Paul Adefarasin and his lovely wife, Ifeanyi have proved this, still remaining deeply in love as when they first started. The shepherd couple last week marked another wonderful milestone in their marital life. On this auspicious occasion which was their 25 wedding anniversary, the head Pastor had nothing but beautiful words for his wife.

According to the 57 year old pastor, he is grateful to God for a wife like Ifeanyi because she brought joy to his life. He also regaled his wife with lovely words about her beauty and character over the years. Paul described Ifeanyi as simply timeless and eloquent elegance in poetic motion, adding that he enjoys the many virtues of her soul. He posted photographs of his wife on his Instagram page and showered her with praises.

According to the 57 year old pastor, he is grateful to God for a wife like Ifeanyi because she brought joy to his life. He also regaled his wife with lovely words about her beauty and character over the years. Paul described Ifeanyi as simply timeless and eloquent elegance in poetic motion, adding that he enjoys the many virtues of her soul. He posted photographs of his wife on his Instagram page and showered her with praises.

Paul thanked her for bringing joy and laughter into his life and also thanked God for bringing her into his life. He described Ifeanyi as the perfect wife type for their sons and a perfect role model for their daughter. He wrote: “Dear Ifeanyi, I woke up this morning with joy in my spirit, peace in plenty and a new song in my heart with the melody of heaven in my mouth, because even in the midst of all that is in today’s world, I still have so much to be grateful for – most particularly you; Adeife my precious wife.

“From the moment we met, you have brought to my life enduring love, brilliant light, loving laughter and have given me volumes to be thankful to our King for. I am thankful for the path we have trodden

as one, the road that we have traveled together and the wars we have won in the trenches of life, because they have worked in accord together to bring us to the beauty and bliss of today; My ‘Ye ‘ye, Ijebu Princess, and Asaba Queen, you are simply timeless and eloquent elegance in poetic motion. ”I enjoy the many virtues of your soul. Your beauty and grace are continually effortless; your kind heart and warmth touch everything that you do. You are the pristine example for our daughter to emulate; the perfect wife type for our sons (who could never wish for a better mother) and a most amazing blessing to our teaming societies. My heart trusts your soul and you have done me so much good in the quarter century of our lives shared together.

“Only eternity could tell it all. 25 years is a long time! But it feels like it’s only been 25 days …. May love live eternally. With love to my darling wife.

Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary With Love Adeolu. xxx xx 25 #celebration #anniversary #ifeanyiadefarasin.”

On her part, Ifeanyi took to her Instagram page to share a picture of them together and dapper images of her unique man as she extolled his virtues. She wrote: “Time passes by speedily when you’re living your best life with the man of your dreams! I had no idea the heights that you would take me to nor the depths and wonders that you would show me in life; all I knew was that you were a very special man – a unique man, a true man of God; and I was being given the privilege and honour of journeying life alongside you. 25 years later, having lived life under your cover, guidance, love, and assurance; if I had to choose again, I would choose you Adeolu.

“I love you simply because you are an absolutely amazing person who cares deeply and loves easily.

You make it so easy to love you. I respect you for the loving husband and caring father you are. I cherish you for your large heart that reflects Christ in so many ways. It makes you very admirable and attractive. I am so blessed and inspired by you. I thank you for being the man you said you would be.

“Today, I stay focused on and grounded in the One who has blessed, kept, and given us 25 wonderful years and the promise of a great God-ordained future.

With all my love now and forever, I wish you a happy wedding anniversary, my best friend, my husband, my pastor, my forever heartbeat and my love - @PaulAdefarasin #25 #anniversary #family #celebration.”

Paul and Ifeanyi met and got married in 1995. The couples are blessed with three children; two sons and a daughter. Paul once revealed what every man ought to do if he desires to be showered with love and attention from his wife. According to the man of God, having the ability to stimulate your woman is enough to make her love you more and give everything about herself to you. ”Despite what many say, what a woman loves most about a man is his ability to stimulate her mind. When you can stimulate her mind, she will willingly give you the rest of who she is.

“Learn how to appreciate and enjoy the intangible things about a person and enjoy the physical later when you are married. Your purpose in life is to glorify and magnify God. How we should love one another is to display God’s glory to others so that they fall in love with God for themselves. The beautiful thing is that when you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you what to desire. When you pursue God, you are most likely to bump into what and who God has in store for you.”

Ifeanyi stirred the hornet’s nest in recent past with her comments on ladies who dress indecently.

She spoke against the way some ladies dress to church and the gimmicks they resort to in their search for husbands.

“Walking up and down cannot get you a husband; if you dress somehow and there’s a guy here you can tempt, the guy will have a fling with you as the toy that you are and fling you when he’s done. No man wants somebody that by the time he’s walking, he’s trying to figure out if this is how she is advertising, how many of us are logging into her website.”

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SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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ÍšÍťËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

In tribute to MKO Abiola...

Obaseki: Where was EDO APC in 2016?

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he Edo Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), should not forget that the state governor, Godwin Obaseki didn’t clinch the governorship stool through an opposition party. He had followed either due or undue process of the party before the party found him worthy and sold him to the good people of Edo which led to his victory at the poll.

The reason why the Edo APC is probing Governor Obaseki credentials is apparent: he was said to have stepped on the toes of some unforgiving and mighty members of the party. Still, probing his credentials is needless and demeaning in all sense.

Let’s assume that Obaseki didn’t step on toes as some news media claimed, by now, he would have been enjoying a free ride. In fact, the Edo APC wouldn’t have been discussing his credentials as they are now. The three credits and three passes in his WAEC, as well as his university sojourn wouldn’t have been consumable on our dailies. And now that he had stepped on toes, the party has taken the position of opposition parties’ role and thereby probing its own son and sitting governor all in the name of stopping him from representing the party in the forthcoming September 19 governorship election.

Sadly, the former governor of Edo State and present National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who supposed to mediate, is allowing the rift between him and Obaseki to control him. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want Obaseki to be the party standard-bearer in the forthcoming election. Is he trying to tell us that he didn’t know about Obaseki’s credentials in 2016?

The man he gave his full support and handed the governorship stool to? Didn’t APC’ NWC fact-check Governor Obaseki’s credentials before he was given the party ticket?

Governor Obaseki who would have been enjoying a free ride, has been informed through the APC’s NWC led by Adams Oshiomhole, to participate in the June 22 direct primary election of the party, else, he should forget representing the party in the forthcoming governorship election.

The recently published Obaseki’s credentials alongside other five aspirants’ credentials by NWC, unequivocally, are courtesy of Comrade Oshiomhole. He believes that Obaseki’s re-election is a slap in the face. So, he has been employing all the tactics to flush him out. Governor Obaseki said he doesn’t believe he will get justice from the screening. It’s obvious!

Despite Obaseki’s grades in WAEC, he gradu-

ated from University of Ibadan. The first question that came to my mind was, how did the governor gain admission into University of Ibadan with his result? The same question must have stirred the probing of Obaseki’s credentials and university sojourn by the Edo APC. Still, the party mustn’t feign ignorance about the credentials.

However, using his credentials to stop him from clinching the party ticket hit the wall as his alma mater, University of Ibadan, cleared him. The university said Obaseki graduated from the school in 1979. But I am not interested in that. APC Edo seems not to know the consequence of its shameful and needless probing of Obaseki’s credentials. The party is unconsciously making its nepotism public.

If you can feed some mouths within the party, you are good to go with any presented certificate. I won’t be surprised any day it is published that an APC serving governor, chairman or councillor was discovered to have emerged using a mere akara paper. We all saw what happened in Bayelsa. The probing of Obaseki’s credentials by the Edo APC is needless and demeaning. And if care is not taken, it would affect the party at the poll.

Aremu Lukman Umor, Ilorin, Kwara State

Is Nigeria’s Democracy Effective?

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igeria, in 1979, returned to a democratic system of government with the late Alhaji Shehu Shagari as President.

But he was overthrown by General Muhammadu Buhari in 1983. The second attempt was during General Ibrahim Babangida regime but the election conducted on 12 June, 1993, which was seen by many as free and fair, was annulled by the then government. This is why Nigeria shifted its democracy day from May 29 to June 12 in honour of late Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the election.

However, Nigeria in 1999 returned to a democratic system of government with Olusegun Obasanjo as President and Atiku Abubakar as Vice-President under the umbrella of PDP. The 21-year democratic journey in Nigeria has witnessed 16 years of PDP and APC, five years.

The question is: Is Nigeria’s democracy effective?

Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as a government of the people, by the people, for the people. But democracy in Nigeria, unlike the way Lincoln defined it, is characterized by irregularities which include election rigging, imposition of candidates as well as godfather-

T H E SAT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE DEPUTY EDITOR CHIKA AMANZE-NWACHUKU MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

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, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: ďŹ rst name.surname@thisdaylive.com

ism. We have witnessed a scenario whereby governors were impeached, members of House of Representatives and Senate as well as state house of assembly members were suspended for unjustified reasons. Democracy in Nigeria is under threat because leaders in power are concerned more on how to achieve their goals rather than working for the success of those who voted them. With democracy, corruption has come to stay in the country, billions of dollars from the country’s treasury are being looted from 1999 to date - while citizens are dying of starvation, frustration and depression.

On the other hand, whenever I see the way elections are being conducted, I weep for our democracy, especially local government elections.

Come to think of it, how could a single party win all chairmanship and councillorship elections in a state? The ruling party in a state would win all the seats in local government elections. Are we really practising democracy? And this thing has been happening for more than two decades, no one tries to end it.

Moreover, despite being in a democratic era for 21 years, poverty is still walking naked in Nigeria. Youth unemployment is on the increase.

Other factors militating against the success of democracy include hate speech, scarcity of water, vote-buying, abandoned projects, poor infrastructure, among others.

Furthermore, the democratic system of government in Nigeria has come with a lot of insecurity issues across the country. For instance, the Boko Haram insurgency which started in 2009 has been lingering up to date. The banditry in the northwest has been taking lives on a daily basis, and farmer-herder clashes are threatening agricultural activities. These, as well as political interests, have brought disunity to our dear nation. It is unfortunate that democracy has divided Nigerians across religions, tribes and regions. Instead of electing competent people into power, Nigerians do vote people from their communities just to suit their own interest even if they incompetent.

I, therefore, call on federal government to do all it takes to make democratic system of government effective in Nigeria and end insecurity especially the banditry in North West and the insurgency in North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

The North is bleeding!

Bilyaminu Gambo Kong-kol, Bayero University, Kano

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NEWS

DEMOCRACY DAY‌DEMOCRACY DAY‌DEMOCRACY DAY‌

Punish Those Behind Annulment of June 12, Balarabe Musa Urges Buhari John Shiklam in Kaduna A former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election and punish the perpetrators.

He urged Buhari to go beyond recognising June 12 as Democracy Day and bring perpetrators to justice.

Speaking during Democracy Day celebration at his residence in Kaduna, Musa said the annulment of the election, believed to have been won by the late MKO Abiola was

responsible for the many challenges facing the country today.

He commended Buhari for surprising the nation by honouring Abiola, saying the President should complete the task he started by investigating the circumstances leading to the annulment and “punish them effectively, so that, such will not happen again. “The President should complete the task he started by investigating the circumstances that led to the annulment of June 12, those responsible for the annulment and punish them effectively, so that, it

will not happen again. “If President Muhammadu Buhari does not go further and do this, anybody can do same thing like Babangida who annulled June 12 and got away with it; up till now, he (Babangida) is getting away with it. We must make sure that does not happen. “We must also do something fundamental - that is changing the socio-economic, political and cultural system controlling all development in this country. “And the way we can effectively do it is by making sure that, Nigeria embarks on

socialist reconstruction of Nigeria, starting with the leading role of the economy, to ensure equality, justice, dignity of human and progressive development,� Musa said.

He however said, such feat could only be achieved by reverting to the regional system of government, with a stronger central government.

Also speaking at the occasion Comrade Issa Aremu, said the public apology tendered by President Buhari to Nigerians and family of MKO Abiola over the annulment, was a verbal punishment for those who annulled the election.

Buhari’s Honour for Abiola Corrected Past Mistakes, Says Fayemi Victor Ogunje Ă“Ă˜ ĂŽĂ™ ÕÓÞÓ The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has declared that one thing that President Muhammadu Buhari would be respected for, was the recognition of the June 12 and its rightful placement in the country’s national dairy as the rightful ‘Democracy Day’.

Fayemi added that it was more rewarding that the symbol of the June 12 struggle , Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 election whom the previous administrations had refused to recognise, has been duly acknowledged by the President as indeed, the undisputable winner of the election.

The governor, in a statewide broadcast yesterday, marking the Democracy Day said: “He (Buhari) did not stop there, he also awarded, posthumously, the highest honour in the land, generally conferred on presidents, the award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), on him. “This symbolic gesture has provided a psycho-social healing for the people who sacrificed, including

their lives, for the enthronement of democracy. “The declaration of June 12 as our National Democracy Day therefore, means for me, a significant and courageous move to further enculturate accountability even about knotty and unresolved historical issues of national importance. One therefore has to commend the president for this historical righting of a wrong past.�

Fayemi added that as one of the protagonists of the June 12 Struggle himself, that he felt fulfilled and appreciated the recognition granted the day by the present administration.

Fayemi said the regime of Gen. Sani Abacha initially construed to be a corrective one to promptly conclude the transition process truncated by the Babangida junta before it became violently truculent and embarked on a scotched earth destruction of pro-democracy figures.

Reeling out the significance of June 12, Fayemi added: “For example, the processes that led to the fielding of Basorun MKO Abiola and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe

was a major milestone in our walk to a nation where religion did not signpost our electoral decision.

Both presidential candidate and his running mates were Muslims. “Even though Abiola was a Yoruba man from Abeokuta, Ogun State, he defeated his National Republican Party’s rival, Alhaji Bashir Tofa in his Kano State base.

This greatly showed that the idea of tribal bloc voting did not play a strong role in the election.

So, a new nation was in the womb of time, waiting to be born until the midwife did the unthinkable.�

Fayemi saluted those behind the formation of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), like Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Pa Alfred Rewane, Anthony Enahoro, Abraham Adesanya, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, Chief Olu Falae, Prof.

Bolaji Akinyemi, Air Cmdr Dan Suleiman (rtd), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Olusegun Osoba and others over the role they played on June 12 struggle.

He stated: “The greatest take away from June 12 is that of the

possibility of a new Nigeria where our so-called fault lines would no longer matter as our best lines�.

Also, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said a deep reflection on the ill-fated struggles for the actualisation of democratic rule for Nigeria through the June 12, 1993 presidential poll, confirmed that the bond of unity among Nigerians was strong and invincible.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, said the lingering crisis that trailed the annulment of the Nigeria’s freest and fairest June 12,1993 presidential election, was devoid of religious and tribal sentiments, which he said signposted that Nigerians were fantastically united in thought and spirit.

Saluting the martyrs and victims of the presidential election in a statement yesterday commemorating the Democracy Day Celebration, Bamidele described the supposed winner of the botched election, Chief MKO Abiola and other pro-democracy Nigerians who lost their lives as the real pillars of the country’s democracy.

Ugwuanyi Inaugurates Development Projects Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, yesterday, inaugurated multiple development projects in the University town of Nsukka, executed by his administration, as part of the activities commemorating this year’s Democracy Day celebration.

The projects included a modern complex of eight Magistrate Court Halls and another complex of two High Court Halls with one Open Registry at Nsukka Judicial Division, located at the GRA, Nsukka. The governor also inaugurated many internal roads in Nsukka.

Inaugurating the projects, Governor Ugwuanyi stated that the event “marks yet another significant milestone in our efforts to reposition the judiciary of our state to perform its mandate of ensuring the concordance of our society with all extant laws and tenets of democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms etc.� The brief colourful event was attended by his Deputy, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, the

Honourable Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Centus C. Nweze, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Ngozi P. Emehelu, President of the State Customary Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice George Nnamani, the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Prof. Godfrey Onah, the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. Augustine Nnamani, State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Greg Nnaji and other State Executive Council (EXCO) members, etc.

Gov. Ugwuanyi acknowledged and appreciated the State Chief Judge for her unwavering support and “transparent leadership�, which he said culminated to the success of the event and further stressed that his administration was committed to bequeathing to the state “a judiciary capable of administering justice in a timely, efficient and accessible manner�.

‘My 3 Months Detention not in Vain’ Executive Director of National Council for Democratic Development (NCDD), Prince Nwaeze Onu, has said that with the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria, his detention for three months fighting to validate the mandate was no longer in vain.

He therefore congratulated President Buhari and Nigerians on the occasion, adding that all hands should be on deck to ensure that democracy continued to thrive in the country. “As a partaker in the struggle for the restoration of the mandate of Chief M.K.O Abiola who won the election adjudged to be the freest in our country on June 12, a journey which Nigerians across all divide made huge sacrifices to defend, including myself, having spent three months in jail, has come

to be a symbolism of Nigeria’s democratic journey. “To all Nigerians, as we celebrate June 12, it should offer us all some historical lessons that should positively affect our political development and should serve to remind us of the sacrifice many made that we may have Democracy in our country. “At NCDD, we will continue to keep guard and support deepening of our Democracy having played key role in the struggle that birthed our democracy.

The achievement of our democracy requires therefore, a genuine partnership between all Nigerians in the affairs of our country in which all we will work equally and complementarity, drawing from our diversity to deliver Nigeria of our dreams.

PERSPECTIVE

Clamour for Justice, Equity in Akwa Ibom PDP Etuk Akpandem

The state primaries for the election of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have come and gone but the elections conducted in Esit Eket Local Government Area of Akwa-Ibom is still generating ripples after many qualified members of the party were barred from contesting. Except the state executive of the party amicably resolves the intra-party crisis now rocking the party in Esit Eket Local Government, PDP may be undermining its chance of retaining the state in the next general election.

At the root of the crisis is the decision of the PDP leader Elder Benjamin Udobia, the Executive Chairman of Esit Eket Local Government, Mr Iniobong Robson and a former member of the House of Representatives Mr. Ime Okon Dan to stop members of the party from seeking election into various elective offices by not allowing them to purchase, fill and return nomination forms and participate in the congress in violation of the party’s constitution.

Already, some aggrieved party members including Usen Eyo Etteudo, Uyotta Friday Assam-Eyo, Ime Robson, Glen Obionwa, Godwin Ediyang, Imoh Edet Jonah, Isangededighi Etim Immosan, Albert Obinwa and 186 others have filed an action at the Federal High Court in Uyo. There has also been an attempt to blame the

crisis on alleged third term ambition of the member representing Esit Eket Ibeano State Constituency of Akwa State Rt. Hon Usoro Akpanusoh. However, this is far from the truth.

It is not just baseless, it is a futile attempt to divert attention from the refusal of the party leadership to respect the zoning formula that has been in place since 1999, a situation that has further worsened the crisis.

Many believe that the decision to exclude qualified aspirants from the congresses was to allow Iniobong Robson retain the chairmanship of the local government beyond 2020 contrary to the age long rotation of the position in Esit Eket LGA. The chairmanship position rotates amongst the three geographical zones and Robson having served from 2015 till date ought to vacate the seat for another zone to take a shot at the chairmanship slot. The crisis is further aggravated by the highhandedness of the self-acclaimed political leader of the zone ,Benjamin Udobia who has in the last twenty years held sway as the de facto leader who determines who gets what appointment or contract in total disregard of the agreement reached by Esit Eket leaders.

Udobia is also seen as the one not allowing dividends of democracy to be evenly distributed within the Esit Eket council. This development has forced the people from Esit Eket to accuse Governor Udom Emmanuel of neglecting the

area. Udobia’s unaccommodating attitude has also been blamed for the mass defection of prominent members of the party to the All Progressives Congress.

He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. One of the aggrieved party members, who is also a plaintiff in the court action, Usen Eyo Etteudo said they were left with no choice but to seek justice in court since the leadership of the party has failed to correct the injustice meted out to them. He said: “We are in court to seek redress and to save our party in Esit Eket from collapse. We wish to state emphatically that we cannot allow a troika to decide the fate of the PDP in Esit Eket.

In his reaction, a former council secretary in Esit Eket Local Government Area Isangedighe Imossan warned that “as we count down to the December 2020 local government election in Akwa Ibom State, there is a grim possibility that the political crisis which has rocked Esit Eket local government area for sometime now would not only linger but propitiously escalate, given the current developments in the area.�

According to him, rather seeking a convergence of ideas towards forging a lasting solution to the political imbroglio in the area, the elders and political leadership in Esit Eket are digging deep, stoking the fire of discord, all to further their selfish interests. He said: “Just recently, they went a step further in their devious scheme by

deploying non- indigenous mercenary writers to throw mud and disparage dissenting voices of reason in the area. “Their main target, as usual, is the honorable member representing Esit Eket/Ibeno in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Usoro Akpanusoh and other indigenes of Esit Eket who dare to challenge the status quo by insisting on fairness, justice and equity in the sharing and distribution of political appointments, projects and amenities approved for the area by Governor Emmanuel.�

Agreed, there were some disagreements and clash of interest during the congress in other local government areas; but in those other places, their political leaders rose to the occasion and got the issues in contention amicably resolved.

But not in Esit Eket where the political leaders brazenly took sides and further complicated the problem which eventually led to litigation by aggrieved party faithful. There is a consensus among the good people of Esit Eket that the time has come for His Excellency the Governor, as the leader of the PDP in the state, as well as the party hierarchy at the state and national levels to intervene to save the PDP in Esit Eket and the entire people of the area from further political and socio-economic setbacks.

–Akpandem, a political commentator wrote in from Eket, Akwa Ibom State

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NEWS

Clark Writes Buhari, Alleges Injustices to South-south Deji Elumoye Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Udora Orizu Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË Elder statesman, Chief Edwin K. Clark, has written an open letter toPresidentMuhammadu Buhari on alleged injustices to South-south people.

In the letter, Clark who is the leader, South-south, said the letter encapsulates his thoughts and feelings of the South-south people whom he said had continued to witness discriminative, and unjust actions, under the Presidency, in the last five years.

He gave various instances in the letter when the President had been unfair to the people of South-south.

The elder statesman said these situations give credence to sugges-

tions of a Northernising agenda of the nation’s public service, by President Buhari's administration; sacrificing merit, competency, sector experience, and geographical spread, at the altar of nepotism.

He called on Buhari to discard toga of nepotism, injustice and don the noble vestments of inclusiveness, equity, fairness, and justice, for the betterment of Nigeria.

He also advised the people of the South-south to esteem themselves as bonafide Nigerians and be courageous in fighting for their undeniable rights.

The letter entitled, 'LET US CALL A SPADE, A SPADE!', read in part, ''Let me, begin by, expressing earnest gratitude and appreciation to Mr. President, for congratulating me, both on

my 92nd and 93rd Birthday anniversaries. I deeply cherish the thoughtful gesture, and the kind remarks. As Mr. President, rightly stated in the two congratulatory messages, I have rendered over 70 years of my life to the service of this country, starting from the age of 19. And it pleased the Almighty God to keep me up to this age, and in sound health.

Accordingly, as long as, I live, I will continue to work for the good of this country, in any way, I find it possible.''

'It is in that light, and in view of recent worrisome developments, that I am writing this letter to Mr. President on Democracy Day. The message herein, is a message of truth; encapsulating my thoughts, as well as, the feelings,

dissentions, and remonstrations, of the people of the South South Geopolitical Zone, that I have been continuously inundated with. I have to state it, unequivocally, the

way it is, for the sake of posterity, and in the interest of peace, unity, and progress of our dear country, Nigeria.'' ''And the truth, Mr. President,

is that the South South Geopolitical Zone have not been treated fairly, by your administration, despite our contribution to the economy of the country.

Police Kill 7 Suspected Armed Robbers George Okoh Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă•Ă&#x;ĂœĂŽĂ“ The Police in Makurdi have killed seven notorious armed criminals on the Makurdi -Lafia Road.

The incident occurred yesterday when the Police highway team trailed a group of armed men dressed in soldier uniform on the road and robbing commuters.

The criminals were identified by the police as the criminals who attacked the police check point on 4/6/2020 at LafiaMakurdi Road that led to the death of Inspector Boniface Odeh and the loss of an AK47 rifle.

"A team of police officers were detailed to trail the armed robbers terrorising commuters on the road," Said Benue Police PRO Sewuese Anene "While on the trail, information was received on 12/6/2020 at about 0440hrs that armed robbers were operating at the same road. The team of police officers swiftly moved to the scene and met the hoodlums dressed in military camouflage and police uniforms. They

engaged the police in a gun duel that lasted for about 20 minutes. In the process, seven (7) of the armed robbers sustained various degrees of bullet wounds and were rushed to Benue State University Teaching Hospital where they eventually died and their corpses have been deposited at the morgue for autopsy,� he said.

Anene said Items recovered from the criminals includes: the missing AK47 rifle, one other AK47 rifle loaded with twenty-one live ammunition, one locally made pistol with two cartridges, two den guns, four (4) touch lights, four (4) machetes, nine (9) cell phones and assorted charms.

Floyd: Runsewe, DabiriErewa Call for Justice Charles Ajunwa

GOOD TO SEE YOU...

L-R: Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force, Mohammed Adamu and Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja... recently

Boko Haram’s New Video Shows Execution of Police OfďŹ cer, Soldier Bennett Oghifo BokoHaramhasreleasedavideo showing their execution of a Nigeriansoldierandapoliceman.

According to SaharaReporters, the video, dated Thursday, June 11, 2020, was made by a branch of Boko Haram that has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State West Africa.

The video shows two men introducing themselves, sitting cross-leged in a field, and the next slide shows two men blindfolded with red scarves kneeling before two hooded men in military uniforms, who shoot them in the head at close range.

The Policeman, who was first to

speak, introduced himself in Hausa, saying “My name is Yohanah Kilus, I am a policeman. My rank is inspector. I was abducted between Maiduguri and Monguno; I am presently in the custody of Tilafa soldiers.�

Speaking next, the soldier says, “I am 13NA/70/8374 Lance Corporal Emmanuel Oscar, I was captured

by Tilafa’s along Maiduguri to Monguno.�

However, they did not say if they were traveling alone or in a group before they were abducted by the insulgents.

On Wednesday, this week, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed shock over Tuesday’s deadly terror attack on a village

in Borno State, whose death toll has now risen to 81.

The attacked village, Foduma Kolomaiya, which is about 11 kilometres away from Gazaure town of Gubio Local Government Area of the state, is not near any major highway.

Residents of the village told the Borno State Governor, Prof.

Babagana Zulum, during a visit to the scene of the attack that the number of those killed had risen from the initial 70 to 81.

Also, in the president’s home state of Katsina, some 66 people were killed when bandits attacked some communities in Faskari Local Government Area.

The Nigerian Army, which

regretted the attacks on communities in the two states, has vowed to apprehend and neutralise them.

In a statement yesterday by presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, the president said he was appalled by the brutal killings of scores of people by the Boko Haram/Islam in West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Gubio village of Borno State.

He described the attack as one of the most brutal terrorist attacks on innocent people from the North-east.

The statement said the president was awaiting a detailed briefing on the incident from Zulum, based on the outcome of his visit to the affected communities.

Prof. Nwoye Adichie, Chimamanda’s Father is Dead The Adichie family has, with deepest sorrow, announced the death of Professor James Nwoye Adichie, father to Chimamanda, a renowned award-winning novelist.

A statement signed by Chuks Adichie, for the family, said the Professor died on

Wednesday June 10, 2020 at 88 years. “A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered,� the statement said. He received his PhD in Statistics from Berkeley and went on to become Nigeria’s first Professor of Statistics. His dedicated life’s work was at the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he was named Professor Emeritus in 2016. Upon his retirement, he lived in his hometown, Abba, Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State.

He is survived by his wife Mrs. Grace Ifeoma

Adichie; their six children: Ijeoma, Uchenna, Chuks, Okechukwu, Chimamanda and Kenechukwu, as well as nine grandchildren, inlaws and many relatives.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, the statement said.

Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe and Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, have called for justice for African American, George Floyd, that was murdered in cold blood by the Minneapolis police in United States of America.

They made the call in Abuja during a memorial service organised by NCAC in honour of late George Floyd.

According to Runsewe, “it has become necessary to emphasise that as Africans, our culture has great respect for the sanctity of human life, we are a peaceful, loving and God fearing people that

detest violence. This is why we are joining the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to ask for justice for Late George Floyd and to propagate the message of peace all over the world.� “We believe that all men are created equal and have inalienable rights among which are rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. From Africa to USA, Latin America, Asian, Europe and the Pacific, we say let Justice flow; let love reign and let there be peace,� he added.

The NCAC boss who is the President of World Crafts Council (African Region), prayed that God should heal our land and give the families and friends of the departed souls the strength to bear the loss.

Sen.UbahAppointsKamenOgbonna Head,StrategicCommunications Hon. Chuks Kamen Ogbonna has been appointed Head, Strategic Communications by Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, the Senator representingAnambra South senatorial district.

The senator in a statement signed by his Chief of Staff, Chigozie Udogu, said the appointment is in line with Kamen’s adept background in strategic communications and his long drawn inclination to Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s vision and progressive agenda.

According to the statement, "We are delighted to officially announce that Senator (Dr.) Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah has approved and ratified the appointment of Chuks Kamen Ogbonna as Head, Strategic Communications.

"The formation of this team is geared towards fashioning out agile communication strategies that consistently reflect Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s vision."

Consequently, the statement disclosed that Mr. Kamen by virtue of this appointment which takes effect immediately is expected to display an uncompromising degree of professionalism, commitment and total dedication in the discharge of his duties.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS SOFIA EMETITIRE ENADO and MRS SOFIA EMETITIRE-IWEGBU henceforth wish to be known and addressed as MRS SOFIA EMETITIRE ENADO-IWEGBU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as BLESSING EKUMA, now wish to be known and addressed as BLESSING ODIMEGWU HODO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

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SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2020 •T H I S D AY

SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13, 2020

POLITY Funke Adepoju

Why Lagos Regulates Usage of Underground Water The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Mrs Funke Adepoju, talks to select journalists, including Olaoluwakitan Babatunde, about the onerous task before her agency as well as the reforms Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, have been pushing through the Commission

W

hat does the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission do?

The Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission basically is established by law, the Environment Management Protection Law 2017. It has the function to regulate the production, distribution, abstraction, supply and use of water to ensure that the players in the water sector enjoy financial viability and that the consumer is also protected. Basically, it is from an economic regulation point of view, that the service provider remains in business and that the consumer gets value for the service that they are paying for, and that is, ensuring that they get safe and hygienic water. We have the service providers in the formal sector, and then we have also service providers in the informal sector. The service providers in the formal sector are the Lagos State Water Corporation and the Office of Waste Water. You can’t have water without waste water, they go hand in hand. We consider them as formal because they are also agencies of government. We have the informal players: the beverage companies, the bottling companies, the table water producers, the sachet water producers and anybody that plays in the sector that deals with water or who have water as their basic raw material. Ours is to ensure that service is delivered, price is right, and there is reliability.

Are there challenges you face doing this?

Yes, there are challenges. The first thing I’m going to call a major challenge is the visibility of the Commission. Alot of people actually don’t know that there’s a regulatory commission. They automatically mistake us for Water Corporation or Water Board. What we are actually trying to do right now is to work on feasibility through advocacy, hoping that through the press, people will know more about what we do. And, the second one is that those who then understand, because there is also a profit undertone for those that are playing in the informal sector, we are not finding it too easy. For instance, we have an organization, whose raw material is about 95 percent water, and they don’t pay anything to government. That pitches us against those who profit from water. It’s a kind of monopoly. Water has that kind of tendency. They take in, they don’t want to give anything back for the development of the water infrastructure that will benefit the large populace whose natural resource they are taking free of charge.

It also takes us to the issue of ground water. Ground water is not an exclusive preserve of anybody. So, if you take a bottling company or a beverage company that takes about 10 million litres a day from ground water, they are depleting the aquifer. And it takes 50 years for it to be replenished and they are not paying anything back to government. That water is not charged. The assumption is that I dig my borehole myself, so why should I pay you? But water is a natural resource. Resources are never free.

Government needs to invest in water. Investment in water is not cheap. People tend to argue that I dug my borehole why should I pay you for the borehole? But that ground water is not infinite.

Government must continue to plan to ensure that they can have adequate water supply. If you take Lagos for example, if a company takes 10 million litres a day, I want you to multiply it by 30, multiply it round the year, take an average of 300 days and look at the figure that is going to give you and it takes it for free, and you find its truck going all over the country, they are not giving it out free, they are selling.

Adepoju Now, do you have the statistics of the volume of water these companies take?

Yes. We do. We have field inspectors that have been going round.

Though we have a lot of challenges but we have to go after them.

And what we are saying is very simple. Our principle is that, you have to pay a fair share of what you take back to government to enable government develop water infrastructure and integrated water resources management. It is not a tax. It’s just like land use charge. It’s just like you buying a plot of land and you want to build on it and somebody says, you need an approved building plan and you say ‘what do you mean, is it not my money I use in buying the land?’ It doesn’t happen like that. There’s what we call governance and our activities have to be guided by governance as it were. So, on the one hand, we have those who take the resource that is a common resource and use it for their own gain alone and nothing goes back.

Because of demand and supply gap, people just dig their borehole, which is fine but it goes beyond that. The government is now inter-

ested in who drills for you. My own personal example, and that’s where protecting the interest of the consumers comes in. We used to have a guy that drills borehole for us. The only thing he shows us is just about eight types of sand. (I’m sure we all have that experience) The last sand is kind of white and that’s the water. There’s no scientific test, there’s no water analysis, as long as the water is not colored, it is okay. But it’s not enough. They are not things we could see with the naked eyes. Even if you and I drink bottled water, it’s an assumption that it is safe, there’s so much of unwholesome practice going round.

Who checks them? Nobody.

So, government is saying, the driller you must have license to operate in Lagos. Even the ground water is contaminated. The fact that it doesn’t give you any illness today doesn’t mean nothing has happened in your system in the process. It might be something that is kept there and must be triggered by something else in six, seven years down the line and it’s the water you are taking everytime.

High impact between public health and drinking water is not something a responsible government can look away from. We are saying, beginning from protecting the consumer, we need to go after people involved in these businesses; we need to set a standard and guidelines. Most of the boreholes are at very sensitive level; they are very close to surface water, very close to contamination. For the commercial user, which is what we are focused on right now, we are saying, you must have a permit. We need a data of what is where and what you are taking and for what use? Some people go to the extent of just putting alum and chlorine and do self-check. It’s a double edged thing. For those that are providing service, we are interested in the quality of service. For those that are consuming, we are interested in the quality of service that they get. We also regulate the price.

During the lockdown, sachet water went from N150 to N250. All we need is for people to know that there is a regulatory commission; complaints that come here are protected. If it’s about public utility they can bring their complaint, we will mediate. You don’t know where some bottled water is coming from. We have people that cannot change. They know what the loopholes are, they know you can’t get them and they take advantage of it. Some bottled water have so many names. Some don’t have NAFDAC number, they take a label anywhere.

It’s our duty as a regulatory commission to tell you what is right, to tell you why we are doing this, to tell you that you have the back of government in such cases. Look at the ‘Mairuwa people’; the borehole that are being dug for them to fetch from, who checked those boreholes? We are looking at situation that such centres would have to subject their water to test. Like COVID-19, we need to emphasise the need for test of water that our people consume in Lagos, we would like to go for enforcement and that will start soon.

For some of these operators, their operations are out of Lagos but their market is in Lagos, how do you regulate such?

We are going to adopt a systematic approach to ensure they don’t give Lagosians unsafe water or beverage. We are going to ensure that they must have a kind of permit to sell their products in Lagos because they are consumed by Lagosians and we owe it a duty to Lagosians to ensure that what they are consuming is safe. Once you have the permit, though we cannot go to the state of operations, we might say submit your water for us for test.

Read full interview online - www.thisdaylive.com

NBC Code: Amendments Unenforceable, Says Movie Producer Tolulope Ibukunoluwa

N

az Onuzo, a movie producer, has expressed reservations about the amendments in the sixth edition of the broadcast code recently released by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), saying they are unenforceable.

The proposed amendments were recently released to the public, following recommendations of the committee on the reform of the NBC Certain provisions of the amendment to the code, particularly sections 9.0.1 to 9.0.3 - proscribe exclusivity, compel content sublicensing to competitors and empower the NBC to determine sub-licensing fees to other broadcasters, including direct competitors.

Also, sections 6.2.5 and 6.2.6 also mandate sports broadcasters to sub-license the rights of acquired foreign sport content to their competitors, while section 6.2.10 states that sport broadcasters must invest 30 per cent of the cost acquiring local content to purchase a local sporting content. But in a series of tweets, Onuzo noted that the NBC did not widely consult with all stakeholders, insisting that the proposed amendments will significantly limit investments in the creative and pay television sectors.

He also stated that some of the proposed provisions are unenforce-

able due a number of factors beyond the control of the content creators or broadcasters, adding that the NBC is wrong to seek to compel creators and broadcasters to sub-license their content.

“The NBC code shows a fundamental misunderstanding between channels and platforms. So, to use US examples, the first run of Grey’s Anatomy is exclusive to ABC, but ABC can be carried on multiple platforms- Dish, DirecTV, Comcast etc “What the NBC code has done is say that ABC must sublicense Grey’s Anatomy to NBC in the first run if NBC wants. This is supposed to enhance competition, but it completely erodes competition.

It removes the incentive to create Grey’s anatomy. All you do is wait for someone else to,” he said.

Onuzo further noted that the NBC’s proposed amendment for the sub-licensing of sporting events will create a licensing cluster, arguing that the criteria of host broadcasters sharing their acquired content with competitors and investing 30 per cent of their cost in local sporting content cannot be enforceable, as it deviate from the global standards for increasing competition in broadcasting.

“Alot of Nigerian producers are rightly concerned by the removal of the exclusivity clause because exclusivity deals are the most valuable and this bit directly reduces the value of the most desirable Nigerian content which I’m assuming is an unintended consequence”.

“So, the confusion of programmes or channels on the sports side means a multiplicity of issues. You license SuperSport to Startimes.

You sub-license a season of Premier League, you sublicense a game weekend, you sublicense a game to many people. How many different contracts?” he asked.

In a similar vein, Mary Remmy Njoku, Director-General, ROK Studios, took a dim view of the code.

She said while NBC claimed it is trying to protect local broadcasters, the new policy takes away their negotiating power.

She lamented that the agency’s self-given power to be one to negotiate how much content creators and broadcasters will sell their content even if they are losing money is counter-productive.

The NBC itself seems to have acknowledged that it got many things wrong, especially not consulting industry stakeholders and announced a decision to convoke a meeting of its board next week with a view to “smoothening the rough edges” on the new amendments.

“While acknowledging all the efforts of Management and other stakeholders in reaching a consensus, it has become obvious that more voices need to be heard, and a few other stakeholders who have ventilated their opinion to be given adequate audience,” the commission said in a statement.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13, 2020

POLITY

365 Days of Probity, Service and Pan-Kwaranism Sheriff Ibrahim

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ast year, on the 11th of June, Kwara State was among four of the 36 states of the federation that elected young legislators as state parliament’s head. Others include Oyo, Zamfara and Plateau states.

They made striking history with this rare move that reposes confidence in the leadership capability of the Nigerian youth, not only to revamp our lost glory as a nation, but also to lead socioeconomic and political development course that guarantees a greater and sustainable future for Nigeria.

The history made saw Kwara State being bestowed a simple, passionate, humble, intelligent, firm, disciplined, calm, versatile and pragmatic young ‘Danladi’, as he is fondly called by his constituents, Speaker of the 9th Kwara State House of Assembly.

The academic, turn politician, has since his unanimous election as Speaker of the House carried himself with stunning maturity, firmness, fairness and unwavering commitment to work. He has led the other 23 members in a purposeful, people - centric, businessoriented and pan-Kwara representation. Added to this is that the Assembly’s employees continue to express astonishment at how the one-time deserted Kwara State House of Assembly has become busy again.

Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi has, within a year, shifted the legislative paradigm from abstraction and mere talk show to issues based, crafting niche for the Assembly as one dedicated to thoroughness in pursuing courses that have direct implications on the lives of Kwara people, having grasp what led us to our hitherto pitiable condition. He has led a legislature that is characterised by sacrifice, one that dared to ensure probity, equality and better living for all.

The primary function of any legislature is law making, control over the budget, as direct representative of the people the budget seeks to cater for, checks on the executive through oversight functions to ensure probity, transparency, accountability and adherence to laws made, and acting as the mirror of public opinion, through whom the voice of the people is heard on matters of importance.

Danladi-led 9th Assembly has so far been scored high in its discharge of core legislative activities, expecially on the process culminating into the approval of commissioner-nominees by the governor and the passage of the 2020 appropriation law. These processes were adjuged as the most thorough, transparent and pragmatic in the history of parliaments in Kwara’s democratic sojourn.

The stringent screening of commissioners left observers worried if members of the legislature and the executive were of the same political party. Also, the rigorous scrutiny of the budget sent shrivers

down the spine of Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), who were hitherto accustomed to wishy-washy ‘let my people go’ kind of budget scrutiny.

Within its first year, the 9th legislature under Danladi did not only give speedy consideration to the Kwara State Social Investment Law that gives legal impetus to efforts in tackling poverty, promote wealth redistribution and equitable economic growth, but also approved a whopping N1billion for kickoff of the scheme, which also seeks to engage young people through various vehicles enabled by the law. This includes Kwara State Conditional Cash Transfer (KWCCIT) that supports those within the lowest poverty bracket by improving nutrition and increasing household consumption; Kwara State PovertyReduction Programme (KWSPRP) to assist the state’s indigenes to acquire and develop lifelong skills; Kwara State Government Entrepreneur and Empowerment Programme (KWSGEEP) which will provide soft loan to petty traders, artisans, farmers, enterprising youths, men and women; and the HomeGrown School Feeding Programme (HGSF).

The commitment of the 9th Assembly in correcting systemic faux pas that posed as clog in the wheel of remarkable progress in our education sector and Local Government administration cannot also be overlooked. This informed the amendment of the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) Law, Kwara state Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education (FUBE) Law, and Local Government (Miscellaneous provision) Law respectively. The office of the permanent secretary was abrogated for Secretaries to the Board and Commissions for SUBEB, TESCOM and Local Government Service Commission to eliminate bureaucratic encumbrances, ensure efficiency and drive global public sector best practice.

As a legislature guided by grassroot orientation that appreciates the imperative of local governments to grassroot development, the first point of call for the 9th Kwara Assembly was considering a petition which sought to check the rationale behind the incommensurate resource allocation and utilisation of resources allocated to the state’s Local Governments.

Without being prejudicial to the Local Government Chairmen, who were suspended to allow for a thorough investigation into allegation of financial misappropriation against them, the 9th Kwara Assembly have been able to give fair hearing to the parties involved and did not just stop at that, but also conducted oversight activities to verify claims made, while the Local Government Chairmen continue to draw salaries.

It was a diligent probe that reflected objectivity and a pointer that the Danladi-led Kwara Assembly is indeed a symbol of advancement in our democratic dispensation, as opposed to the nepotistic reign of impunity experienced in Kwara State during

our ugly past.

Concerned about the rot in Kwara’s education sector, Speaker Danladi did not only lead advocacy for sanitising the education sector, but also led team of public officials on a statewide screening of local government, SUBEB and TESCOM employees, aimed at smoking out ghost workers, free up public resources and revitalise operational efficiency of the state’s education sector. The screening exercise has forced truant teachers, especially in rural areas back to work, having being made to realise the lazy days were over and that the people must get value for their money.

The youthful and sport loving legislator has, since his emergence as the Speaker, demonstrated passion and commitment to grassroots sports development, which has led to the initiation of Kwara State Sports Commission Bill, sponsored by Majority Leader of the House, Abubakar Magaji Olawoyin. This seeks to provide for the establishment of the Kwara state Sports Commission for effective sports administration and overhauling sporting activities as a way of developing human capital for the greater benefit of the state.

Apart from enhancing speedy passage of the bill and supporting sports development in his immediate constituency, Danladi also encourages his colleagues to promote grassroots sport as a means of developing human capacity and promoting peace and unity in their various constituencies. Today, this has manifested in various community tournaments, which gave us ample opportunity of identifying and developing Kwara-based talents in various sporting activities in earnest.

As a representative, Danladi has led the 9th Assembly by example as he never left oversight responsibilities to the various standing or ad-hoc committees of the House, but also actively engaged in conducting onsite assessment of public facilities across sectors in his constituency.

This way, he gets himself acquainted with firsthand information about the depth of systemic and infrastructural rot, which has so far enabled the 9th Assembly align the 2020 appropriation with prevailing reality and make adequate provisions that guarantee positive turnaround across sectors in our dear state.

As a first time legislator with no law background, he has been able to successfully lead a parliament that checked and is still checking heart-melting excesses that experienced legislators with even sound legal backgrounds could not. Isn’t that plausible? One of the greatest misdoings of past governments in Kwara State was misappropriation of public patrimony for personal aggrandizement by few individuals to the detriment of the people.

–––Ibrahim is Special Adviser on Media to the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Ilorin Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

PHOTO NEWS

L-R: Second in Command, Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Assistant Commissioner of Police, AC Adewale Ajao; Chief Lecturer, Nigeria Instituten of Journalism/Speaker, Dr. jide Johnson; Commander RRS, DC. Olatunji Disu and Guest Speaker, Commissioner of Police, Federal State Anti Robbery Squad (FSARS) Force Headquarters Abuja, CP. Olafimihan Adeoye, during a workshop on P.L.A.N Principle Proportionality and De-Escalation of Crisis organise by RRS in Lagos ....yesterday SUNDAYADIGUN

L-R: Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Gbolabo Olaniwun; Lagos State Acting Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya; Project Officer, Lagos State Abattoir, Oko Oba Agege, Dr. Omileye Ayokunle; and Director, Veterinary Services, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Rasheed Macaulay, during the inspection tour to Lagos Abattoir in Oko Oba Agege...recently SUNDAYADIGUN

The Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji (right), receiving a hand sanitiser from Clerk of the House, JohnPedro Irokansi, during the resumption of legislative business onWednesday

L-R: Former Deputy Governor, Ondo State, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru; Ondo State PDP Governorship Aspirant, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN; House of Representatives Member Akure North/South Federal Constituency, Hon.Adedayo Omolafe; and NDDC Board Member and PDP Leader in Ilaje, Hon. Benson Amuwa, at the collection of the party’s nomination form by Eyitayo Jegede in Abuja...recently

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SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹ͻ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Tears of Joy for Simi, Adekunle Gold as ‘Duduke’ Lands Mike Godson Regina Daniels is Relishing Pregnancy pg. 23

In Nigeria, Acting Provides for Basic Needs, Not Financial pg. 24 Security

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͚͝ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Tears of Joy for Simi, Adekunle Gold as ‘Duduke’ Lands Music stars - Adekunle Gold and Simisola ‘Simi’ Ogunleye - welcome a baby girl after weeks of exciting groundings. Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Adekunle Gold, Simi and their baby, Adejare

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usic celebrities, Adekunle Gold and Simisola ‘Simi’ Ogunleye are still celebrating their bundle of joy that landed last Sunday. Simi and Gold welcomed their baby girl in the United States of America. This comes weeks after Simi released visuals for her hit single Duduke, a love song dedicated to the then unborn baby. The couple who got married last year in a very beautiful ceremony had been in the US long before the coronavirus lockdown in order to welcome their bundle of joy. The proud parents took to social media to give the first look of the beautiful baby.

The excited mother shared an Instagram post with the picture of Gold carrying the baby. In a caption accompanying the post, the ‘Duduke’ crooner also revealed they’ve named their baby girl ‘Adejare’. Describing how she feels about the birth of her own ‘Duduke’, Simi said: “Adejare. It’s like free-falling - this unending, soul snatching, infinite, mind-boggling love. Deja, my baby girl, I got you.

I promise now and forever. So help

me God. 5.30.2020,� she wrote in her social media post.

Adekunle Gold in a very appealing and emotionally laden message expressed how he felt on seeing his daughter for the very first time. “It’s been a lot right? I know. The violence against women, against black people and this pandemic, was just too much, I had to log out for a bit. I had to check out to prepare a healthy mind and safe space to welcome my child into the world,� he wrote.�

Continuing, he said: “And even though I have sad feelings throughout the day about the crisis outside when I am with my baby, it’s pure unadulterated joy. “I cried so much when Adejare came out. I cried when I first held her. I can’t lie; I still stare at her and shed a few more. Lol. It feels like an obsession really. If someone else is holding Deja, I miss her. I love our skin to skin time. I love feeding her.

I love changing her diapers. I love everything, including insomnia. I’m obsessed with all her expressions; you need to see her stank face - it’s hilarious.

I have never seen any baby this beautiful. I mean it. My baby came out with a head full of hair like mine

and the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen like Simi. “Wow. I feel so protective over her, and everything happening right now has made me even more conscious of how I want to raise her.

I want her to always know she is loved. She is powerful. She is pure black girl magic and I will always believe in her. I know we are fighting for so much right now. So much pain and insensitivity of the past generations are haunting us. I hope we don’t quit fighting for women’s rights too because I truly believe if our women are empowered and allowed to lead, we all would be so much better for it. “I know this first hand because Simi is powerful and my life is better for it. While we fight for today’s problems, let’s also fight for our future. We must ensure we don’t raise our children with the same consciousness that raised us.

We must raise sons who respect value and revere women and raise daughters that are strong and fearless. That we raise children who speak up and stand up for what is right, that we raise children who don’t continue the cycle of abuse, fear, secrecy, and insensitivity that has plagued our own generation

and the ones before us. “I pray for justice for all the victims and that if the hand of the law isn’t a swift enough, that the hand of God will do His thing.

Above all, I wish that even in this madness you find pockets of sunshine that help you breathe and reconnect with yourself, and that you have reasons to feel alive and happy. I ’m hugging and kissing and praying over my princess while supporting everyone in all the other ways I can.�

Simi and Gold tied the knot in a low-key wedding back in January 2019. Unlike the traditional wedding which had a larger turnout, the white wedding was reportedly attended by selected 300 guests.

About a month ago, Simi officially announced the news of her pregnancy with a beautiful love song titled ‘Duduke’, which appears the first song in this part of the world dedicated to unborn child. The songstress also shared the meaning of the title which she says – “it’s the beat of your heart or the beat of the drums you move your body to, or the beat you sing a melody to - it’s whatever beat you want it to be,� on her Instagram page.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͚͝ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Regina Daniels is Relishing Pregnancy Actress Regina Daniels shares exciting maternity photos as she celebrates her pregnancy, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

S

tar actress, Regina Daniels, has shared new photos of herself as she gushed about her pregnancy. Posting the endearing maternity photos recently on Instagram, the soon to be mum wrote: “Motherhood is beautiful�. Regina Daniels is expecting a child with billionaire businessman, Ned Nwoko, who she married last year. Although there have been indications for a while that the actress is pregnant, it has only just been confirmed.

Regina’s maternity pictures were also posted by her happy husband on his Instagram page @ princenednwoko. The lawyer and politician surprised his fans and well-wishers when he uploaded a picture of his young wife, Regina Daniels, lovingly cradling her baby bump on his Instagram page. The post which had attracted thousands of comments read: “It is now official. I am excited to announce that my baby @regina. daniels is having a baby.�

It was also revealed in another report quoting Adeniyi Ifetayo, who is the Media and Publicity officer to the billionaire explorer that there is a documentary coming out soon to be titled “Regina Daniels Nwoko: Journey to Motherhood�. Regina first gave fans glimpse of her bump a fortnight ago when she posted pictures of her pregnancy.

She took to social media to share videos of herself, looking all glam in a black dress, in what was apparently the behind-the-scenes of a photoshoot.

Captioning the videos, Regina wrote, “I have never been this happy before. This feeling of becoming a mum is the most amazing journey of my life ‌I see myself speaking to my tummy all day, staring at the mirror and still can’t believe it. This child is about to change my entire life Oh! How much I can’t waitâ€?. Congratulatory messages from fans and colleagues have continued to pour in for the actress and social media celebrity, who constantly show off her husband’s wealth and flaunts her extravagant lifestyle to her 7.6 million followers.

This is the actress’ first child with her husband who already has children from his other wives. The couples have no doubt enjoyed social media attention because of the age gap between them. Although her age has been a topic of debate online, fans and critics alike have come to terms with the reality of Daniels’ marriage to her 60-year-old hubby.

In 2019, the politician had made headlines on several occasions due to his relationship and marriage to the 20-year-old Nollywood actress. In the wake of the backlash that had trailed the union on the basis of the duo’s age difference, Daniels had claimed she couldn’t have married within her age group because she’s stubborn.

Regina Daniels

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͚͝ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR Mike Godson

In Nigeria, Acting Provides for Basic Needs, Not Financial Security Mike Godson is an actor, activist and entrepreneur. He began his acting career in 2010 and has grown to be a household name in the Nigerian film industry. He has featured in over 100 films and starred alongside veterans like, Pete Edochie, Clem Ohameze, Kenneth Okonkwo, Van Vicker and John Dumelo. Mike is also a successful entrepreneur, who runs an agro-processing and commodity trading company in Lagos. As an activist, Mike plays a major role encouraging youths to voter and help build Nigeria. He tells Tosin Clegg about his acting career, starting a business, the down side of the COVID-19 pandemic and more capital intensive. In reality, funding an organisation is the most important part of doing business. You can’t run a business without money. Factors to consider include manufacturing machines, diesel engines, duty trucks, salaries for workers, truck drivers, land owners and warehouses.

The financial institution will always say there are loans for small and mediumsized businesses but banks make it almost impossible to access them. They feel more comfortable granting the loans based on personal recognition to multimillionaire customers plus the imposition of almost unreasonable terms and conditions also makes it difficult for smaller business owners to grow. There are also infrastructural issues, such as inadequate power supply, bad roads and high tax/produce payment for duty trucks.

I was born and raised in Kano State grew up in northern Nigeria.

I also got much of my education over there. I am the fifth of seven children. We grew up with strict parents. My mother was an educator. My father wanted me to study Law just like one of my sisters, because I would ask bold questions no one dared to ask.

They never saw me becoming an actor, but they knew I was open-minded and unpredictable. Growing up, I didn’t have many friends because I was instructed to always stay indoors and read my books.

I was only seen outside when going to church or going to school. My parents were relatively conservative and religious.

I

How my background shaped my life As much as my upbringing made me extremely introverted as a human, people who took my calm and introverted nature for arrogance have most times got the wrong impression about me. In some other areas, I will say it has a positive effect on my life too.

It is a bad time for business owners everywhere Even big corporations are looking for bailouts. The closing of the border exacerbated by the pandemic greatly affected a lot. It has been difficult to supply raw materials to my clients whose factories are located in other states. There is also the issue of delayed payment from customers.

The pandemic affected the film industry really hard as well. The Nollywood industry is known worldwide as a tool for creating entertainment and some level of happiness among families. And now it is impossible to go to the locations because of the pandemic. Every sector has been badly affected as no one had anticipated this terrible situation. Everyone has been paying attention to the authorities, ensuring we respect social distancing and taking strict precautionary steps to prevent the spread of the virus.

Playing love roles The Bible says ‘a man’s gift makes a way for him.’ Maybe producers think I’m excellent playing love roles? Speaking of being romantic in real life, I understand the actor’s role is to imitate, but you can’t offer what you don’t have inside you.

Most difďŹ cult thing to ever happen to me and how I overcame it An American woman I’ve never met, called me out online to say she’s married to me and pregnant with twins. It was absolutely not funny. But at the end of the day, I discovered that she was a fan who just wanted my attention, but I was not comfortable with that situation at all.

Becoming an entrepreneur and the business I do I run a commodity trading business that manufactures and sells tonnes of raw materials to companies and end users. I do backward integration, which means what we supply, we produce and process.

Having understood the creative industry’s demography, I realised that creating other streams of income is very important. In Nigeria, working as an actor provides for your basic needs but might offer no financial security. However, it can give you access to the right people and investors. I had watched Aliko Dangote’s interview on Aljazeera a few years ago. He talked about his early stage as an entrepreneur, and how he took his uncle’s loan to start a company, paid back the loan after three months, worked very hard and turned

I worked with INEC for ďŹ ve years as an activist and youth ambassador I’m always invited to observe interactive sessions; to promote a nonviolent election in Nigeria during any election preparation conducted by the commission. The goal is to sensitise and connect with every single youth in the country, preaching good will messages, engage them through social media platforms, and most importantly, educate them on the importance of their votes, and a nonviolent election.

Mike Godson

the business into a conglomerate. It had been my biggest inspiration. I have always believed you should move with visionary people if you want to go far in life.

So, I pitched a business idea to a friend of mine who runs one of Africa’s fastest growing shipping companies successfully.

I invested and started my business after two years of his coaching and mentoring.

The goal is to create jobs, reinvigorate

our communities and generate economic growth.

My challenge building a successful business in Nigeria As an entrepreneur, it can be very difficult to own a business in Nigeria, especially a commodity trading business. You need money to operate these kinds of enterprises, since they are very

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the world It’s changed the way we live, the way we work and our everyday lives. As we continue to pray for the pandemic to go away, and the reopening of the financial system, we need to start taking proactive action to ensure our safety during business and other operations.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͚͝ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR Nneka Adams

Men Who Don’t Appreciate Strong Women Have Self-ConďŹ dence Issues Nollywood actress/filmmaker, Nneka Adams, started her acting career in her teen age. She shares her passion about her craft and talks about issues affecting women in Nigeria today with Chinedu Ibeabuchi Who is Nneka Adams? am from Delta State. I grew up in Lagos State. I graduated from the University of Lagos with a Bachelor degree in philosophy. I am a Nollywood actress and movie producer. I am acclaimed for such movies as Black Men Rock, The Devil in Between, The Gentleman, His Queen and Last Flight to Abuja, among others.

I

You have been in the industry since your teenage age. How far would you say Nollywood has come since then?

I would say that there’s been an expansive progress in Nollywood as per video quality, locations, story lines and sounds, etc. We are almost matching international Hollywood standards while at the same time retaining and maintaining our Africa culture through our authentic indigenous Africa story lines.

What movies have you featured in and which is your favourite?

I have featured in a lot of movies and I love all my movies but if I have to pick a favourite, it will have to be Black Men Rock and Last flight to Abuja based on the casts, story line and execution techniques.

You have a Youtube movie Channel, tell us more about it.

My YouTube channel name is Nneka Adams. My fans and movie lovers can subscribe to Nneka Adams YouTube channel to watch some of my movies like Black Men Rock, Ruth amongst other videos uploaded there each time.

What difference are you trying to make in Nollywood?

The difference I am trying to make in Nollywood is that I am seeking to raise the standard of film production in Nigeria & Africa by telling progressive African stories as seen through the eyes of Africans.

Tell us about your love life.

I am currently in a relationship.

If you are to regret anything in a relationship, what’s it and what’s your advice to ladies?

In my opinion, one of the most regrettable mistakes that could ever happen in a relationship is when the abilities and capabilities of a partner is suppressed, oppressed and limited, most especially for women who are afraid of being seen as more successful than a man. My advice to ladies would be to first love themselves as you cannot give what you don’t have. Before going into a relationship, a woman must first establish herself in the sense that she must have a vision and goals with clear

plans on how to achieve those goals.

For a woman, self-love, self-esteem and self-confidence are very important. A man who does not appreciate a strong woman has self-confidence issues.

Trending now is campaign against rape. Have you ever been sexually harassed on or offset?

First of all, I have a zero tolerance for sexual harassment and violence in the spaces in which we live, work, and play. Leaders must be particularly clear that they are committed to upholding a zero-tolerance policy and that it must be practised every day.

Society must and should create a blame free victim-rape environment where victims and survivors can readily speak up. We, as a society, must show greater solidarity with survivors, advocate for women’s rights and provide support to survivors.

I have been fortunate to work with colleagues that possess very high moral values and principles.

How do you manage work ethics with male folks?

Like I said earlier, I have been fortunate to work alongside reputable male colleagues that have displayed a high level of professionalism while carrying out their roles.

What’s Nneka up to now?

I currently started a foundation called “The Nneka Adams Foundation.� The goal of the foundation is to help improve lives positively. The foundation aims at rendering assistance to young individuals who have the desires to further their education but are limited due to circumstances beyond their control. This assistance will be done through a process. Furthermore, the foundation will reach out to orphanages, old people’s homes, widowers, widows and the less privileged in the society. I have been so blessed and I believe in sharing these blessings by giving back to the society.

How do you relax?

I relax by exercising, reading, watching TV and hanging out with friends.

Share with us how COVID 19 has impacted your work and social life The world has taken one voice in the fight against a common enemy.

COVID-19 is an enemy which does not discriminate against colour, race and social status. The impact of the pandemic on the social scene worldwide is really strong. For me, though I was unable to hang out with my friends or shoot movies but it enabled me to get close to my fans on social media and I am able to provide succour to some of my fans during the pandemic, while letting them know that we are in this together and we shall overcome it together.

Nneka Adams

26

˜ ˞ JUNE 13, 2020

MEDIAGAFFES

EXPRESSION

BY

EBERE WABARA

Lexical Surgery

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OU are welcome to our language theatre for this week’s surgery: “Task force personnel kills colleague in Rivers over sharing formula� (News around the city, May 27) ‘Personnel’ is a collective noun and cannot be used for just one functionary.

In this instance, therefore, the right context should have been ‘official’, ‘employee’, ‘member’, ‘worker’ etcetera—certainly not ‘personnel’. “There must be a memorandum of understanding that the al-majirdu would no longer be used to lit (light) political fires or sow seeds of sedition under any circumstances.â€? “Anambra community warns herdsmen for destroying farm products (produce)â€? (SOUTH EAST NEWS, May 27) “It is indisputable that millions of naira has (have) gone down the drain due to poor or no feasibility studies while starting a business.â€? “He encouraged the potential investor to continue trying without repeating same (the same) mistakes that cost the earlier failure.â€? â€œâ€Świth partners in (on) three continents‌.â€? â€œâ€Śsaid that the Nigerian banking sector remains (remained) one of the most fertile and profitable, considering the financial spaceâ€? â€œâ€Śin their various constituencies to synthesize grass root (sic) opinions on this all important (all-important) project.â€? Not my view: grassroots opinions‌. “In many respect (respects) it is out of tune with modern reality‌.â€? “Nigeria has never degenerated to (into) this level, security wise (security-wise).â€? “That is why the state governments need to be given the impetus to pool their wisdom and resources together‌.â€? Delete the last word in the extract. â€œâ€Śthe states and local governments sufficiently

financially empowered to take care of its (their) responsibilities.â€? There should be a conjunction between ‘sufficiently’ and ‘financially’. “The minister exposed the shock find during an official visit to PHCN’s facilities in (on) the premises of the‌.â€? â€œâ€Ścontributed to PHCN’s woeful (abysmal) failure to provide regular electricity supply to the nationâ€?

Still on this week’s pool of grammatical disasters, including editorials, surprisingly: “Ngige had, on Tuesday, drew (drawn) the ire of workers by arguing that‌.â€? â€œâ€Śthe federal government must embark on some cost saving (cost-saving measures‌.â€? “His arguments on the introduction of N5,000 notes was (were)‌.â€? “FG to sanction DISCOs over over-billing of customersâ€? A rewrite: “FG to sanction DISCOs for overbilling customersâ€? “Teachers employed by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) to complement‌.â€? Education Today: Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)‌. “CANNU donates to flood relief (flood-relief) fundâ€? “Eduwatch gathers students, scholars togetherâ€?

Yank off the last word in the excerpt. “Geepee proudly introduces world class (world-class) multilayer (multi-layer) composite panels‌no painting, no maintainenceâ€? Bloated pride: maintenance!

THE GUARDIAN Opinion Page of May 27 circulated two improprieties: “With preparations in top gear, and barring any last minute (last-minute) hitches‌.â€? “The final death nail (sic) came with the present political dispensation that began in 2000 that paid lip-service to governance.â€? Get it right: death knell or just knell. There is nothing like ‘final death nail’! “If the Abia PDP stalwarts have forgotten, we will gladly remind them that candidates who stand

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

for elections under (on) the platform (platforms) of political parties‌.â€? “Kaduna gears up for LG polls amidst (amid) fears of violenceâ€? “Records show that their actions and inactions, in the past, have (had) contributed in‌.â€? “Non-partisan intelligence driven mechanism panacea to Boko Haramâ€? A rewrite: “Non-partisan, intelligence-driven mechanism, panacea to Boko Haram “Police deploys (deploy) 19,000 officers for gamesâ€? “Let it be a time to re-examine our consciences and tell ourselves (one another) the truth.â€? “Between 180,000 to 200,000 barrels of crude oil‌.â€? The worsening crude oil theft: Between‌ and‌not ‘to.’ “How skill acquisition, entrepreneurship impacts (impact on/upon) national developmentâ€? “Poor budget implementation: A drawback on (of/to) national developmentâ€? “Notice of court ordered meeting of FCMB PLC. (This full stop is useless here)â€? And this: courtordered meeting‌.

Still on THE GUARDIAN: “Non DStv (Non-DStv) subscribers get 3 months (months’) free subscription with every devices (device) purchased.â€? Which agency wrote this poor advertisement copy? I hereby surcharge it! “In our pursuit of better ways to make our renown (renowned) products available to more Nigerians‌.â€? ‘Renown’ is a noun—it is its adjectival form that is required here.

FLASHBACK “THE family of‌announces with deep sorrow but gratitude to Almighty God the death of our son‌following a ghastly road accident‌.â€? My sympathies quite all right, but the English language cannot die: a fatal (not ghastly) vehicular accident.

And for the second time round, ‘sorrow but

gratitude to Almighty God’ cannot—and will never as long as there are seed time and harvest time—co-function in any circumstance. What is amiss with our spirituality? Our God does not inhabit in sorrowful environments. So, as His children, let us give thanks to Him in all situations.

He knows best why tragedies befall us. Even in the face of fatalities, write obituaries or related issues with cheerfulness, joy, happiness, satisfaction, angelic punctuation, heavenly intervention‌and (not but) gratitude to God, we‌.Sounds eschatological?

Reactions are welcome to this lexico-spiritual intellectualization of Christianity. I insist that this is a contradictory and blasphemous obituary!

‌FEEDBACK LATEST reaction to the above encore from a man of erudition, Mr. Eniola Bello, the Managing Director of ThisDay Newspapers: “Deep sorrow and gratitude‌may appear contradictory but I see no reason why they cannot co-function. You cannot take language use from its cultural and religious environment. The contentious phrase has nothing to do with where God inhabits. It is more about the impact of a tragedy and the acceptance of the unchangeable. Where on earth will anybody announce the death of a loved one with joy? The sorrow is for the loss; the gratitude for the life lived and in keeping with God’s commandment to give thanks in good or bad times. There is no reason why both cannot go together. Ever seen a woman cry in pain during intercourse yet clings to her partner, moans and pleads that he shouldn’t stop in order not to terminate the immeasurable pleasure?

You say it is contradictory? I say it’s paradoxical.

NEXTWEEK:Areaction from Dr. Stanley Nduagu on “extreme end� and my own irrevocable standpoint on the vexatious padding!

Blessing, Lower Limbs Deformity Patient Seeks N.6m Godwin IďŹ jie

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ine months after her surgery for severe bowing of both limbs in an effort to gradually correct her lower limbs deformities, Miss. Ijachi Blessing Maria is seeking N600, 000 for another round of surgery to effect some adjustments, arising from the operation on the legs, if she is to ever walk again.

Doctors said after her date at the hospital on May 11, 2020 that Blessing, who has been home, recuperating from the operation since she was discharged last October, would urgently need to undergo another surgery for “adjustment of Tibia Joint Fibula (TJF) and bone gratting to rectify some arisen anomalies in the course of treatment.

The 18-year old had suffered severe bowing of both limbs and lower limbs deformities and had a surgery at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, last September in a bid to redress the situation, using Ring Fixator/Taylor Spatial Frame due to the grotesque nature of the deformities.

Though the operation was acclaimed successful but Blessing on Monday this week, said: “I am right now suffering severe pains from both limbs and placed on painkillers, which I take regularly to reduce the pains because my doctor said there is a slight gap between my right limb and the joint and as for my left leg, the limb has disconnected from the joint, otherwise, the surgery was okay, the situation became this because I could not get to the hospital to see the doctor again due to the COVID-19 lockdown, I just kept turning the Ring Fixators/Taylor Spatial Frame fixed on the legs as instructed.� “My not being able to go to the hospital again is responsible for the situation I am in now, my left limp in the course of turning the fixators and spatial frames shifted slightly out of the knee joint and got swollen and flappy while there is a gap between my right limp and the knee joint even though it looks okay and they say unless these are corrected through another operation, I won’t be anything better, in fact, I may not be able to go off the wheel chair again and have to be moved around. So, I require another surgery again that would cost between N450 and N500, 000. Where will I get that sort of money from? I have been through it all to this point through the special grace of Nigerians and the media used by God to raise funds for me, I am aware of the difficulties COVID-19 has caused for all, the shutdown of businesses, religious houses and even social lives, but I have no one else to ask to help me, I can’t do it myself, I am again begging Nigerians to kindly help me with this last stage of my situation and save me this predicament, I want to walk, make this possible for me in the name of God, don’t let all you have spent in the past (over N2million raised from the public and expended on me already in the hospital) to get me to this stage be a waste, get me through it all and reap the benefit of a totally well me,� Blessing pleaded, asking donors to make their contributions to John Blessing Maria, GT BankAccount No. 0468466784.

As first published of her ordeal on July 3, 2019, Blessing experienced a 12-year unabating harsh pains from severe bowing of both limbs and dropped out of school in the Senior Secondary School (SSS) Form 1 in 2016 from the excruciating pains, which made it impossible for her to walk to and fro anymore from school.

She started having problems with her legs from age two and half and was taken to the General Hospital, Ikeja, from where she was referred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos (NOHIL). “Igbobi prescribed a surgery for me at that age but my dad became sick and died. We couldn’t raise the money for the surgery after my dad’s death, so, it became impossible for us to go back for the operation,� Blessing said the mother told her of the beginning of what has now become a threat to her life.

She managed to go through elementary school and then Junior Secondary School (JSS) at the Ikeja Junior Secondary School, Oshodi, Lagos. But with the pains and level of deformity worsening as she grew older, it became impossible for her to walk to school daily, sit in the class and walk back home.

Described by her teachers as brilliant, Blessing painfully dropped out of school in Form 1 at the Ikeja Senior Secondary School in 2016 and has remained committed to turning her situation around and return to school.

The hope-raising medical report for her surgery last year was signed by Dr. Izuagba Emeka B, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Padiatric Orthopaedics and Limb Reconstruction Unit, NOHIL. Dated March 26, 2019 and entitled: Re: Medical Report on Ijachi Blessing Maria/ Female/17years, Hospital No. 639273, the report read: “TheAbove named patient of our hospital was first seen on 17/09/2018 with complaints of severe bowing of both limbs of 12years duration. There is associated knee pains, difficulty in walking or running. “She initially presented to the hospital 7 years ago for treatment but defaulted as she could not afford the cost of the required surgery. The deformi- Blessing ties have since progressively worsened up to the present state. “On presentation, she was thoroughly re-examined and a diagnosis of severe Bilateral Infantile Blounts disease to rule out skeletal dysplasia was made, following clinical assessment and X-ray imaging studies.

“She requires a surgical treatment of gradual correction of lower limb deformities, using Ring Fixator/Taylor Spatial Frame due to the grotesque nature of the deformities. “Asurgical assessment has already been given to her, detailing the cost estimates required for the surgery.�

3

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

NEWS

EYES ON MERSEYSIDE DERBY

13.06.2020

Luke Amos Quest to Represent Fatherland

PAGE. 31

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13, 2020

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GLOBAL SOCCER

Luke Amos Quest to Represent Fatherland Though Luke Amos had represented England at the age-grade level; the London-born Nigerian has never hidden his quest to represent the country of his father-Nigeria at the senior level

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ottenham Hotspur-owned midfielder, Luke Amos has stated that he was open to represent the Nigeria national team in his latest social media post. Though born in London, Amos qualifies to represent the Super Eagles through his Nigerian father, but it’s England who had approached him first and he has two caps for the Young Lions at U-18 level.

When sounded out about the prospect of turning out for the Super Eagles, the Queens Park Rangers star refused to rule out the possibility of switching his international allegiance from England to Nigeria.

There’s every indication that Amos is on the radar of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr recently stating that there were some good Nigeria-eligible players in Queens Park Rangers, without revealing their identities.

Amos posted on Instagram with a photo of him wearing a Super Eagles training kit: “PROUD NIGERIAN. Not so proud of no trim for three months but truly thankful for the life I live and for all that I am. (As you can tell I’m also proud of my 1st ever BBQ.” Amos does not have to apply for a change of association because the two games he played for England U-18s were non-binding - friendlies against Switzerland and Russia in 2015.

The 23-year-old has featured in 25 matches for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship

this season and registered his name on the score sheet twice.

Meanwhile, Amos has revealed his battles with injuries, changing positions and competing with the likes of now England star Harry Winks and talented youngster Josh Onomah.

The 23-year-old joined Spurs as a winger, but then had spells in the number 10 role and both full-back positions during his youth team days before eventually settling in his familiar central midfield berth.

At age 16, he earned his academy scholarship and, at school, achieved eight A-grade GCSEs – including one in French – and two A*s in Geography and Physics.

It got a little tougher as a nasty bout of Osgood-Schlatter disease (inflammation of the pateller ligament) impacted his performances and the emergence of Onomah and Winks at Spurs saw his playing time reduced.

“Looking back, it all makes sense, but at age 16-17, I didn’t know what I was doing. I shot up in height and lost all of my coordination,” Amos told the QPR website.

“I was never the most confident when I was younger either and I would compare myself to other players – teammates and opponents – and make myself feel inferior. It was really hard.

“It’s so natural to compare yourself, everyone does it, but it doesn’t benefit you at all. I’m not like that now. I’m not intimidated by any player and am in a good place.”

A brief loan spell at Southend United gave

Amos his first taste of senior football in 2017 and 12 months later he made the temporary switch to Stevenage.

The rough-and-tumble of regular League Two football saw him return to Spurs, in his own words, “as a man” and that summer he headed to America on Tottenham’s pre-season tour.

On the opening day of the season, he came off the bench to help Spurs to a Premier League victory away at Newcastle United and it seemed only a matter of time before he would earn a first start for the club.

But in the final week of September 2018, he was disappointed not to be named in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad to play Watford in the EFL Cup and, at the same time, the Amos family were told by their landlord that he needed his house back.

On the Friday of that week, Amos travelled to Blackburn for an U-23s match and, 20 minutes into the match, he went to close down an opponent and that would prove to be his last involvement in a competitive match for 11 months.

“It was one freak moment. I went to press – I must have done that a million times in my life – but this one time I went to turn then everything in my knee just crunched and clicked,” he said.

“I instantly thought ‘I’ve worked so hard for so long to get into this position and now it’s all going to be taken away from me. I’m so close to the first team, so close to the Premier

League’. That’s all I could think about.

“I limped to the changing room by myself and when I got in there I just started crying.

My knee swelled up straight away, the pain was unbearable and the doctors gave me loads of pain killers, but it wouldn’t stop it.”

Amos was met by his dad at Spurs’ training ground after a long, painful journey home and a scan a week later revealed the full extent of the injury.

“Best-case scenario, I was hoping six weeks and in my head, I thought realistically it’s going to be three months. I thought I’d push it and would be back in January,” he added.

His reality and the actual reality proved to be very different. Amos had ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and by the January he was still waiting for the green light to begin running in straight lines again.

A visit to the Aspetar clinic in Qatar provided Amos with a healthy change of scenery during his rehab and many tears of pain and anguish were shed as he fought his way back to full fitness over the next nine months.

“I can remember every day of my recovery but, at the same time, it is like a blur. I tried to maximise every single second that I had and I found energy that I didn’t know I had,” he said.

“I’d been on top of the world, was training with the first team and was one pick away from starting in the Premier League and I wanted to get back into that position as quickly as possible.

29

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13 , 2020

GLOBAL SOCCER

Eberechi Eze Premier League Action Beckons

With his sterling performance so far this season in which he scored 12 goals and eight assists and the rate with which top Premier League clubs are making enquiries about him, it is obvious that Eberechi Eze’s time and life in the Championship may be over soon

F

ootball London recently reported that Tottenham Hotspurs have scouted Eberechi Eze with the team having good links with both Queen Park Rangers and the player’s agent. Spurs’ relationship with QPR could also help to push the deal over the line after loaning them both Luke Amos and Jack Clarke this campaign.

The 21-year-old has been influential for QPR this season after netting 12 goals and eight assists.

Meanwhile, Spurs are said to be having restricted funds this summer and therefore, signing Eze would be a quality move after Christian Eriksen’s departure in January.

However, Spurs are already fairly packed in his position and Eze might struggle to get ahead of Dele, Lo Celso, and Lamela. The fact that Spurs missed out on the signing of James Maddison when he was in the Championship and Eze could have the same impact over the coming years.

In a recent friendly encounter between West Ham and QPR, the big talk around the game was that Coach David Moyes wanted to get a closer look at the reported target, Eze after the exciting young winger has been linked with a summer move to West Ham. However, after the game, speculation swirled that Eze had played one half of the friendly for West Ham. However, a former West Ham United em-

ployee was able to thwart the rumour.

“I’ll squash the rumour that I’ve been asked a number of times about and is really unfair on a young player’s reputation,” ExWHUemployee said on Twitter.

Eze is a wonderfully exciting young talent and he would be a truly exceptional signing for West Ham as he has been in absolutely incredible form for the west London outfit this season, having racked up 12 goals and eight assists in 37 Championship outings for QPR. In those outings, the 21-year-old has averaged 2.4 shots, 1.9 key passes and three dribbles per game.

Whether West Ham have the kind of funds available to sign him this summer is another matter altogether.

Despite usually playing in attacking-midfield or on the wing, the 21-year-old says he wants to help out his backline more by improving his positioning when it comes to tracking back.

“Defensively, I could be better,” Eze added.

“It’s the last thing I want to do, as an attacking player, but my positioning when we lose the ball would help with that.

“Top players today need to be well-rounded – attackers don’t get away with being passengers.

I’ve realised that more than ever this season.”

Meanwhile, Queens Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand has backed Eze for an England call-up following his outstanding form this season.

Eze has scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in the league this season, attracting attention from Premier League clubs such as Tottenham Hotspurs, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace in the process.

The 21-year-old has been capped by England at U-20 and U-21 level, but would also be eligible to play for Nigeria and has trained with their national team.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Fedinand said: “A lot of the time you need to be in the Premier League to be recognised but he has shown the kind of form and, if he continues to develop in the way he is developing and keeps showing the type of football he has been playing, he is certainly going to put himself in the frame.

“People are going to start talking about him playing for England.

“We have got a few young players coming through the system now who we are really excited about.

“They are helping us in our campaign this season to finish as high up the league as we possibly can.”

Ferdinand has previously stated that the R’s could be forced to sell Eze this summer as they still look to recover from the £17m fine they were hit with in 2018.

Ironically, youth football was far from plain sailing for Eze, and a number of clubs are now counting the cost of letting the player slip through their grasp. He struggled upon being released by

Arsenal as a 13-year-old, and endured unhappy spells at Fulham and Millwall as he began to seriously consider quitting the game to go to work in a supermarket. But Eze impressed then QPR boss Chris Ramsey during a trial in 2016 and the rest is history.

Eze is convinced he struggled in his junior career because too many coaches took his easygoing style for an inherent laziness. Ramsey took a different approach and that belief has been replicated by Rangers boss Mark Warburton, who has given him freedom to express himself fully in his number 10 role, despite his relative lack of experience. Warburton’s confidence has paid off handsomely, with 11 goals this season and a host of high-profile assists.

Eze made his international debut for England under-20s in October 2018, and for the U-21s the following year.

There is every indication that Eze’s days at Loftus Road may be numbered. Tottenham are the club most frequently linked with the player but Chelsea have also been keeping close tabs, and Sheffield United too have been linked. With QPR showing few signs of shaping up into play-off contenders if and when the season resumes, Eze could be on his way sooner rather than later. After all, QPR’s own director of football Ferdinand described the player as someone who is destined for a “top six” club.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13 2020

GLOBAL SOCCER

Partizan Belgrade forward Umar Sadiq battles for possession against Manchester United Phil Jones when the two sides met in the Europa League Group L matches

Joshua... no cause for alarm

Nigeria U23 Striker Sadiq may Okakuro Backs Local Coaches for Nigeria National Teams Join Ighalo at Old Trafford Man Utd send scouts to monitor the Partizan Belgrade forward Nigeria 2016 Olympics bronze medallist and Partizan Belgrade forward Umar Sadiq may join compatriot, Odion Ighalo at Manchester United.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward are still on the lookout for attacking reinforcements despite securing Ighalo’s services from Shanghai Shenhua until January 2021.

There are reports that Manchester United scouts were dispatched to watch him in action during Partizan’s Serbian Cup clash with Red Star Belgrade.

Partizan beat their bitter rivals 1-0 in front of 25,000 supporters on Wednesday evening and the Nigerian striker didn’t disappoint

after providing an amazing assist for Bibras Natcho’s 58th-minute winner at Stadion Partizana.

The Red Devils will need to fend off interest from European rivals AC Milan, Valencia, CSKA and Spartak Moscow, who are all interested in Sadiq’s signature.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has watched the forward in action twice this season during their two Europa League Group L matches against Partizan.

Sadiq failed to score as United managed to keep back-to-back clean sheets but he has registered four goals in Europe’s second-tier competition - netting braces against Astana.

Ahead of those games, Solskjaer appeared to praise Sadiq when telling reporters: “I’ve watched many of

their games.

They’re a team with some pace, a big strong striker and some talent in there, with two or three very exciting players.”

Rangers supporters will be surprised to hear of United’s interest in the striker after his disastrous short-lived spell at Ibrox.

The former Roma ace was sent to the Scottish side in July 2018 on a season-long loan but his deal was terminated after just four first-team appearances.

Roma loaned Sadiq out to Bologna, Torino, NAC Breda, Perugia and finally Partizan.

The 23-year-old endured a torrid spell at Rangers before rebuilding his reputation with the Serbian club.

Joshua’s Injury Fears Eased, won’t Affect His Career Anthony Joshua’s injured leg will not prevent his next fight against Kubrat Pulev or his plan to face Tyson Fury, promoter Eddie Hearn said.

Joshua wore a brace over his left knee and had a crutch when he spoke at a Black Lives Matter last weekend.

“When you’re on crutches with your leg in a brace it is never great, but it’s not something that will affect his 2020 career or his career at all,” Hearn told Sky Sports.

“He will have the brace on for three or four weeks just to make sure he is good to go to resume training.

“He tweaked the inside of his knee.

He’s had scans. No surgery, so that’s good news.

“He’s got to make sure he doesn’t do any running or heavy work over the next few weeks.”

Joshua and Fury, who own every major heavyweight belt between them, have agreed financial terms for two fights in 2021 to decide an undisputed champion.

But Joshua’s next defence of the IBF, WBA and WBO titles is expected to be against his mandatory challenger Pulev, with the UK still the priority location.

Live Action Returns on SuperSport DStv and GOtv subscribers can look forward to the return of live sport this week, including action from the ongoing La Liga, the Charles Schwab Challenge, and RBC Heritage tournament from golf’s PGA Tour,NewZealand’sAotearoa rugby competition, UFC Fight Night and WWE ‘Backlash’.

Football fans will be delighted to see La Liga back in full force, with the resumption of the title race between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The pick of games on offer this week is the meeting between Real Madrid and Valencia on 18 June. The match will kick-off at 9pm on SuperSport 7 to DStv subscribers and SuperSport Select 4 to GOtv subscribers.

Professional rugby returns with two matches from New Zealand’s Aotearoa:

Highlanders versus Chiefs on 13 June and Blues versus Hurricanes on 14 June. The matches will be broadcast at 6am today and 4am on Sunday respectively on SuperSport 1.

The first PGA Tour event to return to the golf calendar is the Charles Schwab Challenge, with days 2, 3 and 5 live on SuperSport from 12 to 14 June. Broadcast of day 1 begins at 9pm on 12 June on SuperSport 1 and 5, day 3 action begins at 6pm on 13 June on SuperSport 1 and 5, while day 4 action starts at 6pm on 14 June on SuperSport 1.

Also, the RBC Heritage tournament from South Carolina begins on 18 June, with live coverage commencing at 8pm on SuperSport 1 and 5.

Fury is set to face Wilder again in a third WBC title fight, while Dillian Whyte has also lined up a mandatory shot at the WBC belt by February 2021.

“In our minds, Joshua versus Pulev happens in November,” said Hearn.

“We know that Deontay Wilder’s side are working on the Fury fight. We have Dillian Whyte hopefully fighting at our headquarters in August against Alexander Povetkin.

“There are talks to stage the Pulev fight around November. That’s the fight that is next. It’s the IBF mandatory.”

Inter Battle Napoli in Coppa Italia Semi-Final Live on StarTimes Today Soccer fans around the world had a taste of live action with the return of football in Italy yesterday after two Serie A giants, Juventus and AC Milan clashed in the Coppa Italia semi-final clash at Allianz Stadium in Turin.

The two teams played out a goalless draw in a game Cristiano Ronaldo uncharacteristically missed a penalty which would have won it for Juve.

The host however qualified on goals aggregate having secured a 1-1 in the first leg in Milan.

Action however continued today as Inter Milan traveled to Napoli in the second leg of the Coppa Italia at 8:00pm on StarTimes.

The encounter which was

earlier scheduled for March was postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Inter manager Antonio Conte intends to deploy Inter in a 3-4-1-2 system in Inter’s upcoming against Napoli.

Conte plans to use this system opposed to the 3-5-2 system he has had the team use throughout the season in o r d e r t o try and get the best out of January transf e r w i n d o w r e cruit Christian Eriksen.

Conte has been studying the system intensely whilst football has been on hold for the past three months and will use it against Napoli, who Inter trail 1-0 from the first leg.

In the world of sports, performance is phenomenal and an ideal that must be handled as the topmost priority in order to tower above competition.

In concert with her vision to further educate sports stakeholders of the importance of complete performance of the athletes, Okakuro Group International Nigeria, through her representative in Nigeria, Ms. Idemabasi Mkpokporo, stressed the need for organisations and governmental bodies responsible for sports development and policy formulation to look beyond what the athletes would bring to the table and focus more on the interest and overall well-being of the individual involved. That way, such is not only assured of his or her future, but put the organisation and the country in high repute, encouraging gifted talents to be more involved in sports not for what they would gain, but for the fulfilment of their life dreams and purposes, which is a better motivation.

According to her, Okakuro Group, had completed arrangement to launch out series of programmes to educate and train interested private individuals, organisations - private and public, in the sector, that is visionary enough to wish to perform beyond the arenas of their calls. Bearing in mind that sports is not all about competition or winning, but deeper if the necessary attitude, attention and other resources required are genuinely devoted to it.

She further revealed that, the sportswear manufacturing outfit, driven by excellence, quality and endurable performance, was inclined to partner, support and help develop the sports sector in Nigeria, such that she could stand up to her peers in other climes, and do even better because Nigeria has all that was needed to be champion in any sphere of sports.

In another development, she stated that, her organisation was looking forward in the very nearest future to see Nigerian authorities trusting confidently in her own coaches to handle the national teams - male and female, respecting and treating them as those coming from outside were treated. In this direction, Okakuro Group, is working assiduously to create a veritable platform that would make it possibly easier and faster, to train coaches in all areas at home and abroad, in most of the very high class and reputable sports education bodies overseas.

“One of our primary objective is to see that the athletes have self-knowledge, are well treated in terms of educating and training them on the things they need to know from as simple as diet, physical therapy, psychological, mental health, and emotional training and self-evaluation and with the right attitude and consistent effort, anchored on persistent they can be who they want to be to the joy of us all,” Mkpokporo said.

Sports Minister Praises Buhari, MKO at National Stadium Unveiling The Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr. Sunday Dare has eulogised President Muhammadu Buhari for renaming the Abuja National Stadium after the winner of the acclaimed June 12 1993 presidential election Chief Moshood Abiola, describing the President as a man who chose to walk the path many failed to.

The Minister disclosed that the occasion was an attestation of the President’s vision of giving recognition to worthy citizens while encouraging the younger generation to join him in building a “strong, virile and indivisible nation”.

While also describing the late Abiola as a great Pan Africanist and a great lover of sports, he said, “Abiola was a consummate sports lover. He invested his time and resources in sports development

particular football. Not many sports administrators will forget Abiola in a hurry.

“It is therefore fitting and proper for President Buhari to have named our national stadium, an iconic monument after such an illustrious citizen and a lover of sports. This renaming beyond its symbolism will remain a reminder through time of the indelible footprints Abiola left in our political and sports development as a nation.

“The naming of this stadium will serve to beckon to other Nigerians with ways and means likeAbiola to emulate him and embrace, support and invest in sports development.

The President was represented at the occasion by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Musa Bello as the Special Guest of Honour, while Kola Abiola, represented the family.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 13, 2020

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GLOBAL SOCCER

Dennis Adeniran

Eyeing Toffees First Start in Merseyside Derby His closest to making Everton first team since his £4 million move from Fulham was as an unused substitute in Toffees quarterfinal defeat to Leicester in the League Cup. Dennis Adeniran would however be hoping for his Premier League debut after being drafted to Goodison Park first team by Manager Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Liverpool visit

W

ith injury problems to some of Everton’s midfielders, Manager Carlo Ancelotti is monitoring Dennis Adeniran in training sessions ahead of the English Premier League restart.

The Toffees 2019-2020 campaign gets back underway on Sunday, June 21 when they host champions-in-waiting Liverpool at Goodison Park behind closed doors.

While Nigeria international Alex Iwobi is gearing up for his first Merseyside derby this decade, having missed the 1-0 loss to the Reds on January 5 due to a hamstring injury, the next player of Nigerian descent tipped to make his debut for the Toffees first team, Adeniran having been promoted to first team training by the Italian football tactician.

The 21-year-old has been knocking on the first team door this season and was a non-playing substitute in the loss to Leicester City in the quarterfinal of the League Cup back in December.

A player with a lot of talent, Adeniran represented England at the 2016 U17 European Championship and has also featured for his country of birth at U18 and U19 levels.

The former Fulham starlet appeared in 14 matches in the Premier League 2 this term, scoring two goals.

Under former Manager, Marco Silva Adeniran was promoted to Everton’s first-team squad as he awaits a professional debut Everton have won the Premier League 2 title twice in three seasons with the likes of Tom Davies, Jonjoe Kenny, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beni Baningime being rewarded for their impressive

performances at reserve level with debuts for the senior side.

And Adeniran, who moved to Goodison Park from Fulham two years ago in a deal that could rise to £4 million was about to follow in their footsteps.

A central midfielder who can also play out wide, the 21 year-old played 25 games as David Unsworth led Everton to the U23 title and the former left-back has revealed that Adeniran had since caught Silva’s eye with his energetic displays.

“There’s a potential of Dennis,” Unsworth said. “He trains with the first-team every day which is great for him and he’s getting his games with us.

“A loan might be a possibility but it wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed until the end of the season with the first-team so who knows?

Adeniran’s future remains unclear as

Lewis Warrington is regarded as a brighter midfield prospect. But with the former England U19 international having one year remaining on his deal, Everton would need to locate a suitor if they wish to cash in.

Adeniran joined Everton from Fulham in 2017 and has gone on to make 54 appearances for the U23s, scoring three goals and making three assists. The 21-year-old is behind Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Morgan Schneiderlin, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies in the pecking order, so he didn’t stand a chance of getting first-team football.

He was an unused substitute in Everton’s EFL Cup defeat to Leicester City on December 18, 2019, but never managed to kick on from there, so an exit looks inevitable this summer.

Adeniran has not made sufficient enough progression in the reserves and has too many players standing in his way of getting minutes under Ancelotti.

Analysts are of the opinion that it was time for Adeniran to be given his chance and the next nine games are the perfect opportunity, otherwise he really should start to look somewhere else for a regular playing time.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE DEPUTY EDITOR CHIKA AMANZE-NWACHUKWU THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE

Saturday, June 13, 2020

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MISSILE

Secondus to PDP Senators “They are mortgaging our future, so you must resist them” –The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, urging its members in the National Assembly to resist President Buhari and his ruling APC’s binge borrowing.

LAGUNAKINLOYE GUEST COLUMNIST

Caroline Akinloye: The Lioness has Gone Home to Glory

C

arol Onyemaechi Ebenuwa was born on the 29th of July 1959, in the bustling Nigerian metropolis of Lagos, a year before her country’s independence from Great Britain.

Her father, Gibson, was a trader and her mother, Bridget, a market woman. Both were of Ika-Igbo ethnicity from Igbodo and Idumuesah, Delta State, who, like many other industrious Igbos, sojourned to the then-capital of Africa’s most populous nation in search of the opportunities the soon to be independent nation promised.

They settled in the Fadeyi area of the city and had five children. Carol was the third and the apple of her mother’s eyes and she picked up the nickname Oyinbo, the colloquial Nigerian term for a white person, because of her fair skin.

Boisterous, fun-loving and with a thirst for knowledge, she received her primary education at Saint Paul Anglican School, eventually proceeding to Methodist High School, Agbowa. Gibson, like many fathers of the era, saw little benefit in high school education for his daughter. But Carol defied him and, with Bridget’s blessing, enrolled in the reputable City College.

A competent and able student, the young Carol excelled in English and Maths. She was popular: her vivaciousness and intelligence drew admiration from both male and female classmates. She secured satisfactory O-levels but there her formal education would end.

In those days university was still the sole preserve of the country’s elite, a group to which she did not yet belong, but would soon join.

1970s Lagos was famous for the mesmerising spirit of its nightlife and Carol revelled in it. She claimed victory in beauty pageants and danced her way to acclaim in Lagos Island’s famed nightspots.

Whilst in search of what the future held, a close friend turned her attention to an advert placed by Nigeria Airways, then the darling of African airlines, in a local daily.

The national carrier boasted multiple local, regional and international routes and was in search of air hostesses. Carol applied and after a short interview, she soon began plying the domestic routes at the tender age of 18.

Here began a journey that would take her across the world. She often regaled stories of the honour and prestige she felt working in the sky for the national carrier of Africa’s giant but also laughed at the debauched antics of cabin crew and pilots alike as she declined their invitation to join in with the smoking, drinking and merrymaking during overnight stops in cities such as Accra, Abidjan and Freetown.

It was on one of the many regular flights from Lagos to Kano, the historical and political nerve centre of northern Nigeria, that she first met the man she would marry: Chief Adisa Meredith Augustus (AMA) Akinloye.

He was chairman of Africa’s largest political party, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and one of the country’s most prominent politicians.

Born into an aristocratic Yoruba family from Ibadan, the largest city in Western Nigeria, Akinloye was among the first Africans to graduate from the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE) in the 1940’s. After training as a lawyer, he founded the first- ever political party in Ibadan, the

Caroline Akinloye

Ibadan Peoples Party (IPP), in 1951 before rising to national prominence.

Akinloye was at the height of his political powers when his path crossed with a young Carol, having led the NPN to victory in the 1979 elections as its maverick chairman, the organiser of party structure and strategy.

Known for his oratory, sharp dressing and political finesse, he became besotted on first sight with the striking air hostess with impeccable English and a kind, yet firm demeanour.

Pleasant words were exchanged between the pair but that was as far as it went. Unbeknown to her, she made a lasting impression. On landing, the politician hurriedly called the director of Nigerian Airways enquiring about the details of the air hostess he found impossible to forget. Within days a three-car convoy was seen wandering around the unglamorous neighbourhood of Fadeyi. When Akinloye found her, Carol remembered the popular man from the Kano flight, reluctantly took his card and made him promise not to show up unannounced again. When asked who the man was by her mother, she replied “my school principal”.

A relentless and romantic courting process began in 1980 as he plied her with affection and introduced her to the world of Nigeria’s political, economic and social elite. She seamlessly transitioned into the new lifestyle using her wit, charm and beauty to disarm even the harshest of critics at glamorous parties and state functions. When, by the end of the year, he had asked for her hand in marriage, she was filled with uncertainty owing to the considerable age gap. Carol was just 21 years old whilst Akinloye was in his early 60’s. But a bond had already been formed.

Two rejected proposals followed but Akinloye found imaginative use for the political structure he had helped build by requesting the chieftains of the local NPN chapter in Agbor seek out Gibson and beg him to convince his daughter of Akinloye’s suitability as a husband. The mission was a success. Gibson accepted the union and a hefty bride price was hurriedly agreed.

After a whirlwind 14 month of courting, the marriage was finalised.

The union between Chief AMA Akinloye, a Yoruba, and Carol Ebenuwa, an Igbo, took place at the Cathedral of St Peters, Ibadan in the spring of 1982 and was major national

news. The occasion was filled with pomp and pageantry and was attended by politicians from all over Nigeria and further afield. The Governor of Imo State, Evans Ewerem, who would later become godfather to one of the newlyweds’ sons, was in attendance alongside the Dr Olusola Saraki, the founder of the Saraki political dynasty, and Adamu Ciroma, who went on to become the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Their marriage received the blessings of traditional institutions on both sides of the ethnic divide.

Her horizons opened like never before.

Trips to Rome, Paris and Tokyo followed as Akinloye combined honeymooning with his new wife with meeting political leaders on official business. In later years, Carol often fondly recalled visiting the Colosseum, Eiffel Tower and Senso-ji temple.

Back in Nigeria, the country was gearing up for the 1983 elections and Carol, for her first child. Akinkunmi was born in September 1983 at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London and was delivered by Sir George Pinker KVCO, the surgeon and gynaecologist of the British Royal family, who also delivered Princes William and Harry.

This delight followed NPN victory in the previous month’s elections as incumbent president Alhaji Shehu Shagari once again defeated Obafemi Awolowo and the UPN in contentious and litigated polls.

But the re-elected government only lasted a further four months. On new year’s eve 1983 General Muhammadu Buhari led a military coup that toppled Shagari and snuffed out the flame of Nigerian democracy for a decade and a half. As a major player in the government, Akinloye was a wanted man. But, with the help of his close confidante, Arisekola Alao, he managed to evade capture on the morning of the coup and was smuggled over the border to Cotonou. From there travelled to the United Kingdom and was granted political asylum by Margaret Thatcher’s government. Akinloye and Thatcher would soon become neighbours and acquaintances, with the Akinloye’s setting up home near the prime minister’s private London residence.

Carol, who had only recently returned to Nigeria with her infant son, was unable to join him on this risky cross border dash.

Instead, she was hidden by friends in Benin City. It would be more than three months until she too could make the same perilous journey through Cotonou to join her husband in London.

Despite the dislocation and uncertainty, she

quickly settled into her new surroundings.

She set about building the trappings of family life in the hope that it would provide comfort for her exiled husband and stability for her soon to be growing family.

Their second son, Akinlagun, was born in September 1986 at the Wellington Hospital, delivered also by Sir George Pinker KVCO. The naming ceremony and the party that followed was filled with politicians and well-wishers both in exile and those who travelled over from Nigeria including Chief T.O.S Benson, Umaru Dikko and Alhaji Galadima.

Happiness was exchanged for sorrow when in June 1988 she received the tragic news of the death of her father Gibson in a Lagos car accident. Wracked with grief, Carol announced that she was returning to Nigeria to bury him. Her husband, aware of the precarious situation in the country and his status as a wanted man, warned against the trip and begged her not to go.

She went regardless.

He had been right to worry. The moment she disembarked from the plane at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos she was detained on orders of the then military head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida.

IBB, as he was known, kept her captive as a bargaining chip hoping to force her husband back to Nigeria to face trumped-up charges of corruption. But Akinloye, knowing the steely nature and strong resolve of his wife, refused to trade.

After four months of waiting, Babangida realised he would not lure his prey back to Nigeria. He summoned Carol from detention to meet him in Dodan Barracks, the then-seat of government. She took the opportunity to remonstrate with the General for making her miss her father’s funeral and demanded to be allowed to return to London to care for her two sons. Babangida relented and granted her release.

Not to be perturbed by the travails and strife of the recent years, she threw herself into full-time motherhood and was blessed with twin daughters in March 1992. Taiwo Omolola and Kehinde Oyindasola brought renewed happiness, laughter and love into the family’s lives.

By 1993, Babangida had himself been replaced by another General, Sani Abacha.

Throughout Nigeria agitation for the return of democracy grew and in April 1995, Akinloye was finally allowed to return after 10 years in exile. rRead full article on www.thisdaylive.com

And My Friend Died Dele Momodu Carol Onyemaechi Akinloye (née Ebenuwa 29 July 1959-27 May 2020) was a woman I had read and heard so much about before our paths crossed later in London. She was a stuff of fairytales. There were many fables about her whirlwind romance with Chief Adisa Akinloye and as we compiled stories for the maiden issue of Ovation International magazine, in 1996, her name cropped up amongst the 100 stormy women we featured.

By the time we later met, and became friends, I was a visitor to her posh home in

Belgravia, South West London, at the time.

Her children were relatively young. Mrs Akinloye loved to entertain guests in the aristocratic style of the upper class English families. We spoke every now and then after I returned home from exile.

I was shocked when Lagun, her second son, called me two weeks ago to inform me of her sudden death. The tribute he penned sums up the life of a remarkable woman who was once the subject of high society gossips, globally, oftentimes exaggerated.

She will be missed by friends and family.

Adieu, my dear friend and sister...

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